4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

It’s August, 1970

Written by

Thomas Scovell

in

It’s still a full 50 years before Sadie is born in our musical journey, so many tunes to hear! Let’s go with August, 1970 for this week…

Songs of the month

  • [new] “25 Or 6 To 4” – Chicago
  • [new] “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Diana Ross
  • “Are You Ready” – Pacific Gas & Electric
  • “Ball Of Confusion” – Temptations
  • “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
  • [new] “Big Yellow Taxi” – Joni Mitchell
  • [new] “Big Yellow Taxi” – Neighbourhood
  • “Close To You” – Carpenters
  • [new] “Don’t Make Me Over” – Brenda & The Tabulations
  • [new] “Don’t Play That Song” – Aretha Franklin
  • [new] “Down By The River” – Buddy Miles
  • [new] “Everybody’s Got The Right To Love” – Supremes
  • [new] “For The Good Times” – Ray Price
  • [new] “Funk 49” – James Gang
  • “Gimme Dat Ding” – Pipkins
  • [new] “Glory Glory” – Rascals & Sweet Inspirations
  • [new] “Going To The Country” – Steve Miller Band
  • [new] “Groovin’ With Mr. Bloe” – Cool Heat
  • [new] “Hand Me Down World” – Guess Who
  • [new] “Hi-De-Ho” – Blood Sweat & Tears
  • “Hitchin’ A Ride” – Vanity Fare
  • “I Just Can’t Help Believing” – B.J. Thomas
  • [new] “I Like Your Lovin’” – Chi-Lites
  • [new] “I Stand Accused” – Isaac Hayes
  • [new] “I Wanna Know If It’s Good For You” – Funkadelic
  • [new] “If I Didn’t Care” – Moments
  • [new] “In The Summertime” – Mungo Jerry
  • “Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me” – Robin Mcnamara
  • “Lay Down” – Melanie & Edwin Hawkins Singers
  • [new] “Lola” – Kinks
  • “Make It With You” – Bread
  • “Mama Told Me Not To Come” – Three Dog Night
  • [new] “Maybe” – Three Degrees
  • [new] “Mongoose” – Elephant’s Memory
  • [new] “Morning Buch Better” – Ten Wheel Drive
  • “O-O-H Child” – Five Stairsteps
  • “Ohio” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
  • [new] “On The Beach” – 5Th Dimension
  • [new] “Out In The Country” – Three Dog Night
  • [new] “Overture From Tommy” – Assembled Multitude
  • [new] “Patches” – Clarence Carter
  • [new] “Rainbow” – Marmalade
  • “Ride Captain Ride” – Blues Image
  • [new] “Riki Tiki Tavi” – Donovan
  • [new] “Screaming Night Hog” – Steppenwolf
  • [new] “Sex Machine” – James Brown
  • [new] “She Said Yes” – Wilson Pickett
  • “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” – Stevie Wonder
  • “Silver Bird” – Mark Lindsay
  • [new] “Solitary Man” – Neil Diamond
  • [new] “Song From Mash” – Al Delory
  • “Song Of Joy” – Miguel Rios
  • “Spill The Wine” – Eric Burdon & War
  • [new] “Stay Away From Me” – Major Lance
  • [new] “Still Water” – Four Tops
  • [new] “Summertime Blues” – Who
  • “Teach Your Children” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
  • [new] “Tell It All Brother” – Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
  • “The Love You Save” – Jackson Five
  • “The Wonder Of You” – Elvis Presley
  • “Tighter Tighter” – Alive & Kicking
  • [new] “Uncle John’s Band” – Grateful Dead
  • “War” – Edwin Starr
  • “Westbound #9” – Flaming Ember
  • [new] “What A Bummer” – Jaggerz
  • [new] “Where Are You Going To My Love” – Brotherhood Of Man
  • “Why Can’t I Touch You” – Ronnie Dyson
  • [new] “Yellow River” – Christie
  • [new] “Yours Love” – Joe Simon

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

I’m not sure why anyone flew in the mid-20th century, if my monthly history reads are anything to go by… it seems to have been non-stop commercial plane crashes for decades! I guess bullet points compress time,  but still! I avoid most of the war and bad-news news in this section, in favour of news that is more illustrative of pop-culture / life at the time. 

But i’ll give a pass to this one as it seems to merge pop-culture and plans…on the 2nd of August, for the first time, a “jumbo jet” was hijacked. Pan American Flight 299, which had made the first commercial Boeing 747 flight, was on its way from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Shortly after midnight, one of the 360 passengers commandeered the aircraft brandished a gun and threatened to detonate explosives in his carry on luggage and demanded to be flown to Havana. Cuba’s Premier Fidel Castro traveled to the Jose Marti Airport to discuss plans for the 747 pilot about how to safely take off from the airport’s runways, which were not long enough to accommodate a large jet. The 747 took off for Miami after one hour in Cuba and safely returned.

Then – speaking of safely returned – on the 25th, A 7-year-old boy, Tang Kwok-hin, survived a fall from the ninth floor of an apartment building in Hong Kong, unharmed, after he had tumbled out of the window of his family’s home. Tang’s fall was broken when he landed on, then bounced off of, the canvas awning of a flower shop on the building’s ground floor.

*Not actual footage.

On the 30th the third, and last, annual Isle of Wight Festival ended after three days of rock, pop and jazz performances before a crowd that reached 250,000 people, most of whom were able to get in without paying or who watched from a hillside. Headlined by Joan Baez, the list of stars included Jimi Hendrix (in one of his last appearances), The Who, Joni Mitchell, The Doors, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Moody Blues, Chicago, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, Tiny Tim and Leonard Cohen. 

What’d Sadie think?

It’s three weeks at the top for”Close To You” by the Carpenters before Bread make it to the top with”Make It With You” and finally a week for”War” by Edwin Starr at number 1.

Loved ’em

  • “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Diana Ross
  • “Big Yellow Taxi” – Joni Mitchell
  • “Lola” – Kinks
  • “Sex Machine” – James Brown

Liked ’em

  • “25 Or 6 To 4” – Chicago
  • “Don’t Make Me Over” – Brenda & The Tabulations
  • “Don’t Play That Song” – Aretha Franklin
  • “Down By The River” – Buddy Miles
  • “Everybody’s Got The Right To Love” – Supremes
  • “For The Good Times” – Ray Price
  • “Funk 49” – James Gang
  • “Going To The Country” – Steve Miller Band
  • “Groovin’ With Mr. Bloe” – Cool Heat
  • “Hand Me Down World” – Guess Who
  • “Hi-De-Ho” – Blood Sweat & Tears
  • “I Stand Accused” – Isaac Hayes
  • “Maybe” – Three Degrees
  • “Mongoose” – Elephant’s Memory
  • “On The Beach” – 5Th Dimension
  • “Out In The Country” – Three Dog Night
  • “Patches” – Clarence Carter
  • “Rainbow” – Marmalade
  • “Screaming Night Hog” – Steppenwolf
  • “She Said Yes” – Wilson Pickett
  • “Solitary Man” – Neil Diamond
  • “Still Water” – Four Tops
  • “Summertime Blues” – Who
  • “Tell It All Brother” – Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
  • “Uncle John’s Band” – Grateful Dead
  • “Where Are You Going To My Love” – Brotherhood Of Man
  • “Yellow River” – Christie
  • “Yours Love” – Joe Simon

Leave ’em

  • “Big Yellow Taxi” – Neighbourhood
  • “I Like Your Lovin’” – Chi-Lites
  • “If I Didn’t Care” – Moments
  • “Riki Tiki Tavi” – Donovan

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

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