How were records released back then?

[scrivener]

Re: How were records released back then?

(I wrote this right after I wrote my previous response, but my Clear reception dropped out for the next 45 minutes before I just saved it and went to the classroom)

Just to prove my point, I took a look at the Billboard Hot 100 from exactly forty years ago, and I'm disappointed (somewhat) with my findings.

1. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by the Temptations
2. "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye
3. "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night
4. "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones
5. "For All We Know" by the Carpenters
6. "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
7. "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted" by the Partridge Family
8. "Another Day" by Paul McCartney
9. "Oh Woman Oh Why" by Paul McCartney
10. "Proud Mary" by Ike and Tina Turner

That's a more impressive list than I expected. The songs by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin, and Tina Turner are definitely stayers (but for the life of me, I don't see why "Joy to the World" hasn't fallen into obscurity: it sucks!) but what about the others? The case could be made for "Another Day," but when do you ever really hear that except when someone's playing a whole McCartney CD? "Oh Woman Oh Why" isn't even on McCartney's Wingspan collection and I can't for the life of me remember how it goes.

I own Carpenters albums and Partridge Family albums and can't tell you what either of their songs on this list sounds like. Add the Tom Jones song to this trio and you have a pretty good example of "immediately disposable music."

So five and a half of ten songs is a lot better than I'd have expected; perhaps it was an especially good week. I'm disappointed that this fairly arbitrary selection didn't include more bands we barely remember: everyone here is culturally notable. I wanted to look at the top 20, but that's not available for free at Billboard's website. I'd like to think you'd see more Partridge Family kind of stuff than Marvin Gaye.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: How were records released back then?

Add the Tom Jones song to this trio and you have a pretty good example of "immediately disposable music."

...of that era, which bolsters my point that the bar was much higher back then. Any time you can point to a charted Tom Jones song and call it anything close to disposable says it all, and even at that older people were grousing how much standards of quality had fallen. At a young age I knew much of that criticism was valid tho those complainers were mostly into the worst of the Welk/Sullivan types. But I started my listening appreciation career with Elvis and Dick Dale, that's a very high bar that was largely maintained til around '75 and by '80 it was virtually all downhill. There have been no legit sucessors to the crown since, and now everybody is a star while you have to mine the infinite mountain of crap to find anything even listenable, there is nothing new to swoon over. Where are The Archies when you need them? Oh, here they are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JywK_5bT8z0

[mel]

Re: How were records released back then?

Just to prove my point, I took a look at the Billboard Hot 100 from exactly forty years ago, and I'm disappointed (somewhat) with my findings.

1. "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by the Temptations
2. "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye
3. "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night
4. "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones
5. "For All We Know" by the Carpenters
6. "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
7. "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted" by the Partridge Family
8. "Another Day" by Paul McCartney
9. "Oh Woman Oh Why" by Paul McCartney
10. "Proud Mary" by Ike and Tina Turner

That's a more impressive list than I expected. The songs by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin, and Tina Turner are definitely stayers (but for the life of me, I don't see why "Joy to the World" hasn't fallen into obscurity: it sucks!) but what about the others? The case could be made for "Another Day," but when do you ever really hear that except when someone's playing a whole McCartney CD? "Oh Woman Oh Why" isn't even on McCartney's Wingspan collection and I can't for the life of me remember how it goes.

I own Carpenters albums and Partridge Family albums and can't tell you what either of their songs on this list sounds like. Add the Tom Jones song to this trio and you have a pretty good example of "immediately disposable music."

So five and a half of ten songs is a lot better than I'd have expected; perhaps it was an especially good week. I'm disappointed that this fairly arbitrary selection didn't include more bands we barely remember: everyone here is culturally notable. I wanted to look at the top 20, but that's not available for free at Billboard's website. I'd like to think you'd see more Partridge Family kind of stuff than Marvin Gaye.

Well, well, well... the early 1970s were one of my favorite eras for pop music. All 10 songs I like... even "Joy to the World"... it was Three Dog Night's biggest hit ever... 6 weeks at #1 on Billboard, 7 weeks @ #1 on KKUA and other local stations... Want to take a look at what the local chart was like on this approximate date 40 years ago? I have one... KKUA Top 20 from March 22, 1971....

 KKUA TOP 20 RECORDS March 22, 1971

TW	LW	TITLE	ARTIST

1	1	Just My Imagination	Temptations
2	2	I'm So Proud	Main Ingredient
3	4	Proud Mary	Ike & Tina Turner
4	3	For All We Know	Carpenters
5	6	I Dig Everything	The Mob
6	18	Joy To The World	Three Dog Night
7	19	Sweet & Innocent	Donny Osmond
8	5	Oye Como Va	Santana
9	11	No Love At All	B.J. Thomas
10	15	Love Lines Angles & Rhymes	Fifth Dimension
11	12	If You Could Read My Mind	Gordon Lightfoot
12	14	I Can't Stop	Osmonds
13	7	Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted	Partridge Family
14	8	One Bad Apple	Osmonds
15	10	Mama's Pearl	Jackson Five
16	20	Pushbilke Song	The Mixtures
17	9	Goodie Two Shoes	Sky
18	--	I Play And Sing	Dawn
19	--	We Can Work It Out	Stevie Wonder
20	--	Morning Of Our Lives	The Arkade

I think this list is more in line of less significant acts that you were looking for. Many songs from that era here in Hawaii were popular by one hit wonders, some hit wonders, or simply bubblegum artists... but then that was the nature of top 40 radio back then... purely I think a teen market or pre-teen which I was a part of. We only had enough money to buy 45s (the MP3 singles of that time) and not enough to afford to buy full on albums...

Hence top 40 stations were very popular in my then age group especially on the neighbor islands because... that is all we could catch on AM. In 1971 there were no FM stations on the neighbor islands. I could barely catch KPOI FM 97.5 at that time and they had something totally different... progressive album rock as they called it... but the reception faded in and out.

Hence top 40 radio with their singles heavy playlists ruled the world.

"Joy to the World" was written by Hoyt Axton and remains one of his most popular songs ever along with "Act Naturally" covered by Buck Owens and The Beatles in the 1960s.

"Oh Woman Oh Why" was the B-side of "Another Day" which was on Apple Records and Paul McCartney's first solo single. None fo the tracks on his earlier "McCartney" album were released as singles. "Another Day" was essentially the hit side. Billboard had a weird way of listing double sided singles through most of its history... the above list seems a little weird but then again this happened to several other McCartney songs later on... "Girls' School"/'Mull of Kintyre" , "Mary Had a Little Lamb" / "Little Woman Love".... "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G"... the topic of what is included in Wingspan is another topic in and of itself....

In 1975 Billboard had 2 songs listed at #1 during a single week... "I'm Sorry" and "Calypso" were an A-B single for John Denver and both songs charted at #1. McCartney & Wings' "Junior's Farm" and "Sally G" both on the same 45 were listed in separate positions, with "Sally G" also making it to the country chart.

Examples of earlier A-B sided double singles occur very early on in the Billboard Hot 100 with Elvis Presley, The Beatles and other artists.

Tom Jones' "She's a Lady" is a popular "bumper" song used by talk show host Kim Komando for her weekly computer show. "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" is the second single to chart of the Partridge Family and is featured in their first season TV run as well as on the album Up To Date.

I guess there is no explanations needed for Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Carpenters, Janis Joplin and Ike & Tina Turner... all songs are timeless classics today.

[Palolo lolo]

Re: How were records released back then?

found these from KPOI (ahem) awhile ago

[mel]

Re: How were records released back then?

Love the KPOI Action 20s.

Back in the day on the Big Island in Hilo, radio station KPUA used to have a top 21 survey. That survey reflected only sales from the downtown Hilo Woolworth Store and listener requests at the radio station. I used to pick those up every time I went to Hilo and listened to the Top 21 countdown on Monday nights from 6 to 8pm with J.K. Won a lot of records and prizes from that station and Woolworths'. Never bothered me if the top 21 survey reflected only record sales from that store and the requests from the station. Was fun.

[mel]

Re: How were records released back then?


In this Action 20 photo, The Doors ruled the roost at #1.


The Young Rascals were a very popular rock group in Hawaii during the mid 1960s to early 1970s. They topped the chart here with "People Got To Be Free".


The Climax song (featuring Sonny Geraci on lead vocals) "Life And Breath" was a huge #1 hit in Hawaii back in 1972, but failed to crack the regular Billboard Top 40 that same year. Previously in 1971 "Precious & Few" by Climax went to #1 on KPOI and KKUA but only to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1972.

These charts are taken from my website.

[scrivener]

Re: How were records released back then?

Oh man. Those scans are TERRIFIC. I didn't know you had an archive of them on your website, mel. And Palolo, those are sweet too. Thanks for sharing that!

[mel]

Re: How were records released back then?

Just correcting myself on "Act Naturally".. that wasn't written by Hoyt Axton. He wrote the "No No Song" which was covered in 1975 by Ringo Starr who had the lead vocal on The Beatles version of "Act Naturally" which was the B-side (allegedly first the A-side) to their single "Yesterday" in 1965.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: How were records released back then?

progressive album rock

How quaint, good thing that was done away with...