4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

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  • It’s October, 1970

    Let’s tune into the sounds of October, 1970…

    Songs of the month

    • “25 Or 6 To 4” – Chicago
    • “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Diana Ross
    • “All Right Now” – Free
    • “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
    • “Candida” – Dawn
    • [new] “Closer To Home” – Grand Funk Railroad
    • “Cracklin’ Rosie” – Neil Diamond
    • [new] “Cry Me A River” – Joe Cocker
    • “Don’t Play That Song” – Aretha Franklin
    • [new] “El Condor Pasa” – Simon & Garfunkel
    • [new] “Engine #9” – Wilson Pickett
    • “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright
    • [new] “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band
    • [new] “Fire And Rain” – James Taylor
    • [new] “Gh Enough” – Diana Ross
    • [new] “God Love And Rock And Roll” – Teagarden & Van Winkle
    • “Green Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • “Groovy Situation” – Gene Chandler
    • “I Know I’m Losing You” – Rare Earth
    • [new] “I Think I Love You” – Partridge Family
    • “I Who Have Nothing” – Tom Jones
    • “I’ll Be There” – Jackson Five
    • “Indiana Wants Me” – R. Dean Taylor
    • [new] “It Don’t Matter To Me” – Bread
    • “It’s A Shame” – Spinners
    • [new] “It’s Only Make Believe” – Glen Campbell
    • “Joanne” – Michael Nesmith & First National Band
    • “Julie Do Ya Love Me” – Bobby Sherman
    • “Lola” – Kinks
    • “Long Long Time” – Linda Ronstadt
    • [new] “Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma” – New Seekers
    • “Lookin’ Out My Back Door / Long As I Can See The Light” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • “Make It With You” – Bread
    • [new] “Montego Bay” – Bobby Bloom
    • “Neanderthal Man” – Hotlegs
    • [new] “Our House” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “Out In The Country” – Three Dog Night
    • “Patches” – Clarence Carter
    • “Rubber Duckie” – Ernie
    • [new] “See Me Feel Me” – Who
    • “Snowbird” – Anne Murray
    • [new] “Somebody’s Been Sleeping” – 100 Proof Aged In Soul
    • [new] “Stand By Your Man” – Candi Staton
    • [new] “Still Water” – Four Tops
    • [new] “Super Bad” – James Brown
    • [new] “Tears Of A Clown” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
    • [new] “That’s Where I Went Wrong” – Poppy Family
    • “War” – Edwin Starr
    • [new] “We’ve Only Just Begun” – Carpenters

    [new] = New to the chart this week.

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

    This month in history

    On the 4th singer Janis Joplin dies of an overdose aged 27. By some, noted, coincidence Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison all also died at the age of 27 between 1969 and 1971. At the time, the coincidence gave rise to some comment  but, according to Charles R. Cross, a biographer of Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, “it wasn’t until Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994 that the idea of the 27 Club arrived in the popular zeitgeist.”

    On the 20th  the North Tower of the World Trade Center became the world’s tallest building when a piece of framework was fitted into place, bringing the tower’s height to 382 m , higher than the 380 m height of the Empire State Building. It’ll come up again in a few decades time, when the charts will sound very different…

    Then on the 27th, “Jesus Christ Superstar” was first placed on sale as a two-disc record album of the studio recording of a rock opera written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, without having been performed before a live audience. Initially unable to get backing for a stage production, the composers released it as an album, the success of which led to stage productions premiering in 1971.

    What’d Sadie think?

    One last week at the top for”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross before Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie” gets one at number one and then its two at the top for”I’ll Be There” by the Jackson Five.

    Loved ’em

    • “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band
    • “Fire And Rain” – James Taylor
    • “It Don’t Matter To Me” – Bread
    • “Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma” – New Seekers
    • “Our House” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “Super Bad” – James Brown
    • “We’ve Only Just Begun” – Carpenters

    Liked ’em

    • “Cry Me A River” – Joe Cocker
    • “El Condor Pasa” – Simon & Garfunkel
    • “I Think I Love You” – Partridge Family
    • “It’s Only Make Believe” – Glen Campbell
    • “Montego Bay” – Bobby Bloom
    • “See Me Feel Me” – Who
    • “Somebody’s Been Sleeping” – 100 Proof Aged In Soul
    • “Stand By Your Man” – Candi Staton
    • “Still Water” – Four Tops
    • “Tears Of A Clown” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

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

  • It’s September, 1970

    If you want to rock and roll all night, and party everyday…this is the month for you, let’s hear it!

    Songs of the month

    • [new] “(They Long To Be) Close To You” – Carpenters
    • “25 Or 6 To 4” – Chicago
    • “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Diana Ross
    • [new] “All Right Now” – Free
    • “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
    • [new] “Candida” – Dawn
    • “Close To You” – Carpenters
    • [new] “Cracklin’ Rosie” – Neil Diamond
    • “Don’t Play That Song” – Aretha Franklin
    • “Everybody’s Got The Right To Love” – Supremes
    • [new] “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright
    • [new] “Green Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • [new] “Groovy Situation” – Gene Chandler
    • “Hand Me Down World” – Guess Who
    • [new] “Hi-De-Hi” – Blood Sweat & Tears
    • “Hi-De-Ho” – Blood Sweat & Tears
    • “I Just Can’t Help Believing” – B.J. Thomas
    • [new] “I Know I’m Losing You” – Rare Earth
    • [new] “I Who Have Nothing” – Tom Jones
    • [new] “I’ll Be There” – Jackson Five
    • “In The Summertime” – Mungo Jerry
    • [new] “Indiana Wants Me” – R. Dean Taylor
    • [new] “It’s A Shame” – Spinners
    • [new] “Joanne” – Michael Nesmith & First National Band
    • [new] “Julie Do Ya Love Me” – Bobby Sherman
    • “Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me” – Robin Mcnamara
    • “Lola” – Kinks
    • [new] “Long Long Time” – Linda Ronstadt
    • [new] “Lookin’ Out My Back Door / Long As I Can See The Light” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • “Looking Out My Back Door / Long As I Can See The Light” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • “Make It With You” – Bread
    • [new] “Neanderthal Man” – Hotlegs
    • “Out In The Country” – Three Dog Night
    • “Overture From Tommy” – Assembled Multitude
    • “Patches” – Clarence Carter
    • [new] “Rubber Duckie” – Ernie
    • “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” – Stevie Wonder
    • [new] “Snowbird” – Anne Murray
    • “Solitary Man” – Neil Diamond
    • “Spill The Wine” – Eric Burdon & War
    • [new] “Tell It All Brother” – Kenny Rogers & First Edition
    • “Tighter Tighter” – Alive & Kicking
    • “War” – Edwin Starr
    • “Why Can’t I Touch You” – Ronnie Dyson

    [new] = New to the chart this week.

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

    This month in history

    On the 19th the first Glastonbury Festival, still going to this day, took place in England, at a farm belonging to Michael Eavis.

    On the same day, across the pond, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” began a seven-season run as a situation comedy about a woman starting a new career as an associate TV news producer. Reactions to Ms. Moore’s return to television (after having been a co-star on The Dick Van Dyke Show) were generally favorable, with one critic noting that she “is back where she belongs, as a girl with spunk in a TV series”.

    And in another iconic TV launch, on the 25th, “The Partridge Family”, a situation comedy about a fictitious family of pop musicians, premiered on ABC television. Only two members of the cast, Shirley Jones and her stepson, David Cassidy, could actually sing or play a musical instrument, and a team of studio musicians and singers recorded the popular record albums and singles which the actors would lip sync to during the filming.

    What’d Sadie think?

    Two weeks at the top for “War” by Edwin Starr followed by two for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross.

    Loved ’em

    • “(They Long To Be) Close To You” – Carpenters
    • “All Right Now” – Free
    • “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright
    • “I Know I’m Losing You” – Rare Earth
    • “I Who Have Nothing” – Tom Jones
    • “Snowbird” – Anne Murray

    Liked ’em

    • “Candida” – Dawn
    • “Cracklin’ Rosie” – Neil Diamond
    • “Green Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • “Groovy Situation” – Gene Chandler
    • “Hi-De-Hi” – Blood Sweat & Tears
    • “I’ll Be There” – Jackson Five
    • “It’s A Shame” – Spinners
    • “Joanne” – Michael Nesmith & First National Band
    • “Julie Do Ya Love Me” – Bobby Sherman
    • “Long Long Time” – Linda Ronstadt
    • “Neanderthal Man” – Hotlegs
    • “Rubber Duckie” – Ernie
    • “Tell It All Brother” – Kenny Rogers & First Edition

    Leave ’em

    • “Indiana Wants Me” – R. Dean Taylor

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

  • It’s November, 1970

    We’re nearly done with our first year of our 3rd decade, my how time flies at 4x life…let’s listen to the sounds of November, 1970!

    Songs of the month

    • [new] “5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years Of Love)” – Presidents
    • [new] “After Midnight” – Eric Clapton
    • “All Right Now” – Free
    • [new] “Black Magic Woman” – Santana
    • “Candida” – Dawn
    • “Cracklin’ Rosie” – Neil Diamond
    • “Cry Me A River” – Joe Cocker
    • [new] “Deeper And Deeper” – Freda Payne
    • [new] “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is” – Chicago
    • “El Condor Pasa” – Simon & Garfunkel
    • “Engine #9” – Wilson Pickett
    • [new] “Engine Number 9” – Wilson Pickett
    • “Express Yourself” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band
    • “Fire And Rain” – James Taylor
    • [new] “For The Good Times” – Ray Price
    • [new] “God Loved And Rock And Roll” – Teagarden & Van Winkle
    • “Green Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • [new] “Green-Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • [new] “Gypsy Woman” – Brian Hyland
    • [new] “Heaven Help Us All” – Stevie Wonder
    • “I Think I Love You” – Partridge Family
    • “I’ll Be There” – Jackson Five
    • “Indiana Wants Me” – R. Dean Taylor
    • “It Don’t Matter To Me” – Bread
    • “It’s Only Make Believe” – Glen Campbell
    • [new] “Let’s Work Together” – Canned Heat
    • “Lola” – Kinks
    • “Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma” – New Seekers
    • [new] “Lucretia Mac Evil” – Blood Sweat & Tears
    • “Montego Bay” – Bobby Bloom
    • [new] “No Matter What” – Badfinger
    • [new] “One Less Bell To Answer” – 5Th Dimension
    • “Our House” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “See Me Feel Me” – Who
    • [new] “Share The Land” – Guess Who
    • “Somebody’s Been Sleeping” – 100 Proof Aged In Soul
    • “Stand By Your Man” – Candi Staton
    • “Still Water” – Four Tops
    • [new] “Stoned Love” – Supremes
    • “Super Bad” – James Brown
    • “Tears Of A Clown” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
    • “We’ve Only Just Begun” – Carpenters
    • [new] “Yellow River” – Christie
    • [new] “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” – Elvis Presley

    [new] = New to the chart this week.

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

    This month in history

    The history section of 4xlife pretty much comes from wikipedia’s history-of-the-month pages. But by some complete coincidence this week – I remembered the UK comedy show, “The Goodies” when referring to Sadie’s lil gang of mischiefs at her kindergarten (they’ve named themselves this.) And what do you know, the show launched in the UK in November, 1970! A childhood favourite.

    On the 7th Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, now the highest grossing ocean liner service in the world, made its first voyage as passengers boarded the company’s original ship, MS Song of Norway, departed from Miami at 6:00 in the evening for a seven-day round-trip tour with stops at the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. And because its 2025, here’s not a history video but a minecraft built model of the boat!

    And on the 20th The Miss World 1970 beauty pageant, hosted by Bob Hope at the Royal Albert Hall, London was disrupted by women’s liberation protesters who hurled leaflets, smoke bombs and “stink bombs” on stage. Emcee Bob Hope left the stage temporarily, muttering “Who are these bastards?”, until police cleared the hall, then crowned Jennifer Hosten of Grenada as “Miss World”. The “jokes” in his emceeing and Bob’s reaction to the protest really are of a time…

    What’d Sadie think?

    Two weeks at the top for “I’ll Be There” by the Jackson Five before a couple for the Partridge Family with “I Think I Love You”.

    Sadie was no-doubt pleased “Rubber ducky” wasn’t on the charts this week, as she had been telling me to turn it off, “it’s a kid song!” since it hit the billboard!

    Loved ’em

    • “5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years Of Love)” – Presidents
    • “After Midnight” – Eric Clapton
    • “Black Magic Woman” – Santana
    • “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is” – Chicago
    • “Green-Eyed Lady” – Sugarloaf
    • “Gypsy Woman” – Brian Hyland
    • “No Matter What” – Badfinger
    • “Share The Land” – Guess Who

    Liked ’em

    • “Deeper And Deeper” – Freda Payne
    • “Engine Number 9” – Wilson Pickett
    • “For The Good Times” – Ray Price
    • “Heaven Help Us All” – Stevie Wonder
    • “Let’s Work Together” – Canned Heat
    • “One Less Bell To Answer” – 5Th Dimension
    • “Stoned Love” – Supremes
    • “Yellow River” – Christie
    • “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” – Elvis Presley
    • “No Matter What” – Badfinger

    Leave ’em

    • “Lucretia Mac Evil” – Blood Sweat & Tears

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

  • It’s August, 1970

    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.

  • It’s July, 1970

    Back to it this week with the sounds of July, 1970…

    Songs of the month

    • [new] “Are You Ready” – Pacific Gas & Electric
    • “Ball Of Confusion” – Temptations
    • “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
    • “Check Out Your Mind” – Impressions
    • [new] “Close To You” – Carpenters
    • “Everything Is Beautiful” – Ray Stevens
    • “Get Ready” – Rare Earth
    • “Gimme Dat Ding” – Pipkins
    • “Hitchin’ A Ride” – Vanity Fare
    • [new] “I Just Can’t Help Believing” – B.J. Thomas
    • “It’s All In The Game” – Four Tops
    • [new] “Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me” – Robin Mcnamara
    • “Lay Down” – Melanie & Edwin Hawkins Singers
    • [new] “Love Land” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band
    • “Love On A Two Way Street” – Moments
    • [new] “Make It With You” – Bread
    • “Make Me Smile” – Chicago
    • “Mama Told Me Not To Come” – Three Dog Night
    • “Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
    • “My Baby Loves Lovin’” – White Plains
    • [new] “O-O-H Child” – Five Stairsteps
    • [new] “Ohio” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “Question” – Moody Blues
    • “Ride Captain Ride” – Blues Image
    • [new] “Rise Captain Ride” – Blues Image
    • [new] “Save The Country” – 5Th Dimension
    • [new] “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” – Stevie Wonder
    • [new] “Silver Bird” – Mark Lindsay
    • “Song Of Joy” – Miguel Rios
    • [new] “Spill The Wine” – Eric Burdon & War
    • “Sugar Sugar” – Wilson Pickett
    • [new] “Teach Your Children” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “The Long And Winding Road” – Beatles
    • “The Love You Save” – Jackson Five
    • “The Wonder Of You” – Elvis Presley
    • [new] “Tighter Tighter” – Alive & Kicking
    • “United We Stand” – Brotherhood Of Man
    • “Up Around The Bend / Run Through The Jungle” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • [new] “War” – Edwin Starr
    • [new] “Westbound #9” – Flaming Ember
    • “Which Way You Goin’ Billy” – Poppy Family
    • [new] “Why Can’t I Touch You” – Ronnie Dyson

    [new] = New to the chart this week.

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

    This month in history

    On the 5th the iconic radio music countdown show “American Top 40” made its debut, with Casey Kasem as host, playing the most recent list of Top 40 most popular songs as ranked by Billboard magazine (whose charts we use). Initially, only 7 radio stations carried the syndicated program. The first song introduced (the #40 seller for the week) was Marvin Gaye’s recording of “The End of Our Road”, and the first number one hit was “Mama Told Me Not to Come” by Three Dog Night.

    Hear that first show here.

    Then on the 11th in one of the largest parimutuel betting wins up to that time (by amount returned on investment), a New Zealand contractor won NZD $482,687 (US$431,000) from the jackpot at Matamata by being the only person to pick all four winners on a quadrella jackpot wager. Quite the luck! The win, by Te Aroha resident Peter Moran, would be the equivalent of 2.8 million U.S. dollars.

    What’d Sadie think?

    It’s a week at the top for “The Love You Save” by the Jackson Five then two for “Mama Told Me Not To Come” by Three Dog Night before “Close To You” by the Carpenters takes the top spot.

    Loved ’em

    • “Close To You” – Carpenters
    • “Make It With You” – Bread
    • “O-O-H Child” – Five Stairsteps
    • “Ohio” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours” – Stevie Wonder
    • “Teach Your Children” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
    • “War” – Edwin Starr

    Liked ’em

    • “Are You Ready” – Pacific Gas & Electric
    • “I Just Can’t Help Believing” – B.J. Thomas
    • “Lay A Little Lovin’ On Me” – Robin Mcnamara
    • “Love Land” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm Band
    • “Rise Captain Ride” – Blues Image
    • “Save The Country” – 5Th Dimension
    • “Silver Bird” – Mark Lindsay
    • “Spill The Wine” – Eric Burdon & War
    • “Tighter Tighter” – Alive & Kicking
    • “Why Can’t I Touch You” – Ronnie Dyson

    Leave ’em

    • “Westbound #9” – Flaming Ember

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

  • It’s June, 1970

    And we’re back! We had to skip a week’s post due to my faithful macbook dying on me. As the script that generates the YouTube playlists runs on this machine we’re not much good without it. Probably a prompt for me to move it to the cloud!

    If you want to listen to May, 1970 here’s the post with the playlist. Now onto June, 1970!

    Songs of the month

    • “Abc” – Jackson Five
    • “American Woman” – Guess Who
    • [new] “Ball Of Confusion” – Temptations
    • [new] “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
    • “Cecilia” – Simon & Garfunkel
    • [new] “Check Out Your Mind” – Impressions
    • “Come Saturday Morning” – Sandpipers
    • “Daughter Of Darkness” – Tom Jones
    • “Everything Is Beautiful” – Ray Stevens
    • “For The Love Of Him” – Bobbi Martin
    • “Get Ready” – Rare Earth
    • [new] “Gimme Dat Ding” – Pipkins
    • [new] “Hey Mr. Sun” – Bobby Sherman
    • “Hitchin’ A Ride” – Vanity Fare
    • [new] “It’s All In The Game” – Four Tops
    • “Lay Down” – Melanie & Edwin Hawkins Singers
    • “Let It Be” – Beatles
    • [new] “Love Land” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm B
    • “Love On A Two Way Street” – Moments
    • “Make Me Smile” – Chicago
    • [new] “Mama Told Me Not To Come” – Three Dog Night
    • [new] “Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
    • “My Baby Loves Lovin’” – White Plains
    • “Question” – Moody Blues
    • “Reach Out And Touch” – Diana Ross
    • “Reflections Of My Life” – Marmalade
    • [new] “Ride Captain Ride” – Blues Image
    • [new] “Song Of Joy” – Miguel Rios
    • [new] “Spirit In The Sky” – Aretha Franklin & The Dixie Flyers
    • “Spirit In The Sky” – Norman Greenbaum
    • [new] “Sugar Sugar” – Wilson Pickett
    • “The Letter” – Joe Cocker
    • “The Long And Winding Road” – Beatles
    • [new] “The Love You Save” – Jackson Five
    • [new] “The Wonder Of You” – Elvis Presley
    • “Turn Back The Hands Of Time” – Tyrone Davis
    • “United We Stand” – Brotherhood Of Man
    • “Up Around The Bend / Run Through The Jungle” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    • “Vehicle” – Ides Of March
    • “Which Way You Goin’ Billy” – Poppy Family
    • “Woodstock” – Crosby Stills Nash & Young

    [new] = New to the chart this week.

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

    This month in history

    On the 13th “The Long and Winding Road” became the Beatles’ 20th and final single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. During their six-year recording career, the Beatles had averaged one #1 hit single every 3.7 months.

    And on the 24th the first videodisc, the Television Electronic Disc (TeD), was demonstrated at a press conference in West Berlin by Teldec, a joint venture of the West German electronics manufacturer AEG Telefunken and Britain’s Decca Records. The 20 cm (7.9 in) flexible foil disc was capable of storing roughly five minutes of video programming, and would be upgraded to longer times by the time it went on sale on March 17, 1975.

    Then on the 27th the first Gay Pride march in history took place in Chicago, where 150 participants listened to speeches at Washington Square, then proceeded down Chicago Avenue, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street to arrive at the Chicago Civic Center.

    What’d Sadie think?

    A week at the top for”Everything Is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens then two for The Beatles with”The Long And Winding Road”  before a chart topper from the Jackson Five with “The Love You Save”.

    Loved ’em

    • “Band Of Gold” – Freda Payne
    • “Mama Told Me Not To Come” – Three Dog Night
    • “Spirit In The Sky” – Aretha Franklin & The Dixie Flyers
    • “The Love You Save” – Jackson Five

    Liked ’em

    • “Ball Of Confusion” – Temptations
    • “Check Out Your Mind” – Impressions
    • “Gimme Dat Ding” – Pipkins
    • “Hey Mr. Sun” – Bobby Sherman
    • “It’s All In The Game” – Four Tops
    • “Lay Down” – Melanie With Edwin Hawkins Singers
    • “Love Land” – Charles Wright & Watts 103Rd Street Rhythm B
    • “Mississippi Queen” – Mountain
    • “Ride Captain Ride” – Blues Image
    • “Sugar Sugar” – Wilson Pickett
    • “The Wonder Of You” – Elvis Presley

    Leave ’em

    • “Song Of Joy” – Miguel Rios

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