By Steve Rhodes
20 original hits from 20 original stars.
*
SIDE ONE
1. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.”
Get your party started with Elton John’s version of a rock song.
2. “I’ve Got The Music In Me.”
You know, Kiki Dee had her moments. This is one of them.
3. “Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me).”
One of the great “list” songs of all-time. By Reunion. Here we go:
B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers
Lonnie Mack and twangin’ Eddy, here’s my ring we’re goin’ steady
Take it easy, take me higher, liar liar, house on fire
Locomotion, Poco, Passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction
Baby baby gotta gotta gimme gimme gettin’ hotter
Sammy’s cookin’, Lesley Gore and Richie Valens, end of story
Mahavishnu, fujiyama, kama-sutra, rama-lama
Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Archies, Righteous, Nilsson, Harry
Shimmy shimmy ko-ko bop and Fats is back and Finger Poppin’
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie
FM, AM, hits are clickin’ while the clock is tock-a-tickin’
Friends and Romans, salutations, Brenda and the Tabulations
Carly Simon, I behold her, Rolling Stones and centerfoldin’
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers, can’t stop now, I got the shivers
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter Paul and Paul and Mary Mary
Dr. John the nightly tripper, Doris Day and Jack the Ripper
Gotta go Sir, gotta swelter, Leon Russell, Gimme Shelter
Miracles in smokey places, slide guitars and Fender basses
Mushroom omelet, Bonnie Bramlett, Wilson Pickett, stop and kick it
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie
Arthur Janov’s primal screamin’, Hawkins, Jay and
Dale and Ronnie, Kukla, Fran and Norma Okla
Denver, John and Osmond, Donny
JJ Cale and ZZ Top and LL Bean and De De Dinah
David Bowie, Steely Dan and sing me prouder, CC Rider
Edgar Winter, Joanie Sommers, Osmond Brothers, Johnny Thunders
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah, Stephen Foster, do-dah do-dah
Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Surfer Girl and Little Honda
Tighter, tighter, honey, honey, sugar, sugar, yummy, yummy
CBS and Warner Brothers, RCA and all the others
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie
Listen – remember, they’re playing our song!
Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed me, Murray Kaufman, try to leave me
Fish, and Swim, and Boston Monkey,
Make it bad and play it funky.
(Wanna take you higher!)
4. “Beach Baby.”
I sense a dark undertone to this poppy summer song. Maybe it’s this verse:
We couldn’t wait for graduation day (Oh, oh, oh)
We took the car and drove to San Jose (Oh, oh, oh)
That’s where you told me that you’d wear my ring
I guess you don’t remember anything
By First Class.
5. “The Black-Eyed Boys.”
You mean Paper Lace had more than one hit? By the way, they’re pictured on the album cover dressed as gat-wielding Chicago mobsters guarding a keg.
6. “Touch Me.” It kinda goes like this:
Touch me
I get the feeling
Touch me
Lord, you make me feel good
Touch me
Oh, I get the feeling
Touch me, yeah, hey
Touch me
Oh, baby, why don’t you
Touch me
You make me feel so good
Oh, baby, touch me
Yeah, I know you got the feeling
Touch me
Yeah, you make me feel so good
Touch me . . .
By Fancy.
7. “Higher Plane.”
By Kool & The Gang. Not to be confused with Paper Lace.
8. “You Little Trustmaker.”
By The Tymes.
9. “I Feel A Song (In My Heart).”
You can’t go wrong with Gladys Knight & The Pips. The Pips, by the way, are currently featured in a GEICO commercial. As is Peter Frampton, who does not appear on this record.
10. “Kung Fu Fighting.”
Kind of worn out even as kitsch. But this song always reminds me of the Saturday morning cartoon Hong Kong Phooey, which also came with a frickin’ cool song sung by Scatman Crothers.
SIDE TWO
1. “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.”
There is no need to ever hear a Bachman-Turner Overdrive song ever again. Ever. Let’s put that in the Kyoto Treaty and all of our major trade deals.
2. “Get Dancin’.”
Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes have one of the greatest names in pop history. And on rare occasions, like this one, that’s enough. Plus, they’re damn groovy.
3. “Star.”
By Stealers Wheel.
4. “After The Goldrush.”
Yes, except this is a cover of the Neil Young classic by Prelude. There’s no way Young himself would make it onto a record like this. Too much of a downer, man!
5. “So You Are A Star.”
By the Hudson Brothers.
6. “Heavy Fallin’ Out.”
By The Stylistics.
7. “The Need To Be.”
Gruesomely by Jim Weatherly.
8. “Abra-Ca-Dabra.”
Which is worse, this song by the Defranco Family (Featuring Tony DeFranco) or Steve Miller’s song a decade later? Miller’s.
9. “Kings of the Party.”
By Brownsville Station, of “Smoking in the Boys Room” fame.
10. “Rock The Boat.”
Still pleasing after all these years. By the Hues Corporation.
*
Thank you, K-Tel.
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From the Beachwood jukebox to Marfa Public Radio, we have the playlists you need to be a better citizen.
Posted on December 17, 2007