Classic Rock Bottom

Today I have no idea how artists release songs, I am guessing its all done through digital sales on Amazon and/or iTunes, but when I grew up we had record stores that sold singles on 45's. They usually represented music that was meant to hit the Top 40 charts. My record store had a Top 40 display and all 40 songs were available to me in this format. I remember having a pile of these things! Admittedly there was a lot of Disco tunes in that pile and some other really crappy tunes also. I'll admit to owning Disco Duck and Convoy on 45 (Although I think Jon still likes that Convoy tune). Some others songs are better kept unannounced... forever.

 

So as my taste in music evolved so did my purchasing habits. Slowly but surely my 45 collection was put away and forgotten about in favor of full length LP's. A disdain for all things top 40 took radio away from me in favor of mix tapes. Then came my wife, college, children, a career, and *poof*, time got away from me. I may not have these 45's anymore, but I do have their memory and thanks to some well put together compilations, I have recovered some of them (again some are best left forgotten), and they provide great fun when we listen to them and remember the good 'ol times...

 

So todays playlist is a bit quirky and poppy. But its cool to remember these, they always put me in a time and place when things were simple and fun had very few restrictions.

What 45's did you own?

PLAYLIST --> http://snack.to/ahiyvsli

Ian Gomm

1 - Hold On

OK, so it wasn't a huge hit, but I liked it enough to buy the 45.

In 1979 the album called 'Gomm with the Wind' was released on Stiff/Epic Records in North America. This single took off on college radio and eventually climbed to number 12 in the U.S. Hot 100. For over 5 months he toured and played all the top venues in the U.S. attracting audiences of 20,000 or more. Firstly supporting Dire Straits on their 'Sultans Of Swing' tour, then quickly followed by his own sell out U.S. solo tour. Former band mate, Nick Lowe also had his biggest hit around the same time reaching the U.S. and U.K. top ten with 'Cruel to be Kind' (another 45 I owned) a song he co-wrote with Ian when they were in the Brinsleys.

 

Suzi Quattro

2 - Stumblin' In

Admit it, you thought she was hot when she appearted on Happy Day as Leather Tuscadaro. Leather was the younger sister of Fonzie's girlfriend, Pinky Tuscadero. Admit it! She was hot enough to make you buy the single.

Between 1973 and 1980 Quatro was awarded six Bravo Ottos. In 2010 she was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame. Quatro has sold over 50 million records and continues to perform live, worldwide. Her most recent album was released in 2011 and she also continues to present new radio programmes. Who Knew!!

 

Orleans

3 - Love Takes Time

This sngle is still a favorite of mine and I can only find it in compilations. The original album release is not available, oh well!

It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1979 and was their biggest hit since their 1976 single "Still the One." It is arguably their third most popular song overall, behind "Dance with Me" and "Still the One," and their most popular song without lead singer John Hall. Written by Larry Hoppen and Marilyn Mason, it was the first track on the band's 1979 album Forever.

 

Nick Gilder

4 - Hot Child In The City


Gilder began his career as front-man for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd, which later briefly featured a very young Bryan Adams. Sweeney Todd had a number one hit, "Roxy Roller", that held on to the top spot in the Canadian music charts for three weeks in 1975.

Hot Child In The City went to No.1 both in Canada and the US. It also earned him two more Juno Awards: "Single of the Year" and for "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year" in Canada as well as a People's Choice Award in the US. It stalled outside the Top 40 in the United Kingdom, though it was featured on Top of the Pops and also in a Hot Gossip dance routine on The Kenny Everett Video Show. He's had subsequent hit singles, but none ever reach the success of “Hot Child in the City.” Gilder has also been successful as a songwriter for artists such as Bette Midler, Joe Cocker and Pat Benatar. In 1984, the band Scandal featuring Patty Smyth had a number one hit with "The Warrior," which was written by Gilder and Holly Knight, and it earned him a BMI Airplay Award.

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This episode gets a 4/4 from me.  I'm familiar with the last 3 songs, but not the first track.  But I like it.  It's really cool.  Love Takes Time cut off in the middle, but I've heard it plenty so that's okay.  I'd  rank these 4 songs:

1. Hot Child In The City

2. Stumblin' In

3. Hold On

4. Love Takes Time

I love the Happy Days mention.  Loved those days, waiting anxiously for the next episode, especially the one when Fonzy jumped his motorcycle in the parking lot.  

I never collected 45's.  I was always an LP lover.  Still am.  But my sister had quite a few of 'em, and I did listen to those.  Remember the elongated adapter that you could put a stack of 45's on?  I guess that was the precursor to the mixtape and then today's modern playlist.  

Nice post Scott.

When Happy Days jumped the shark?

Probably around that same time when it got pretty bad...

If it's the episode where he jumped the shark, why that's where that saying came from. A little bit o' history for ya!

Thanks RJ.  I checked the Orleans post and it plays all the way through, not sure what the issue was on your side.  Try again later maybe.

 

I am surprised you missed out on 45's!  Interesting little discs they were....  I was thinking about doing a B-Side post, but I need to do a little research on that...

 

 

That would be cool.  Especially B-sides that never made an album.

I picked up a box set of Queen CD singles a few years ago and there are a couple b-sides that never made it on an album, "A Human Body" (the b-side to "Play The Game") and "Soul Brother" (the b-side to "Under Pressure"). I actually had both those 45's when I was a kid, they got lost during the years and I missed them because they're both pretty good songs. You can now get them with the 2011 remasters which is nice, I suppose. Guess I shouldn't have bought those CD singles, because they're still wrapped and sitting pretty on a shelf.

I'll listen to the music a little later.

My first single was "Mr. Speed" by KISS. I bought it in Sweeden in 1977. There wasn't a cover, so I switzed covers with the cover from "Christine Sixteen" (I allready owned the "Love Gun-album" but not "Rock'N'Roll Over" at that time), because that was a very cool cover imo:

 

I bought around 25 singles from '77-83. The last single I bought was "Holy Diver", because of the B-side. I probably onl heard that track once.

My favorite singles was probably "Dear Ms Lonely Heart/Solo In Soho" by Phil Lynnott, "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats (which got me to buy 4 albums the next year or so, where two of them are still great to listen to), "Airport" by The Motors, "We Buildt This City" by Starship, or whatever they were called at that time and "Everything works out if you let it" by Cheap Trick, that I found in the store without knowing it excistence. I thought it would appear on the coming album "All Shook Up", but luckily it didn't, even though it was a nice single. I also bought all the Iron Maiden-singles from '80-'83, mostly because of the covers. Especially the cover on "Run To The Hills" is a favorite of mine. Better than the cover to the album "The Number Of The Beast". All those Maiden-singles were released a few months before the albums, so you allready knew that song very well, when the album was released, but some of the B-sides were good. Again especially the B-side to RTTH, but also a cover of the Jethro Tull-track "Crosseyed Mary" on the B-side to "The Trooper" (which actually was the second or third single from "Powerslave") I was quite an Iron Maiden-fan at that time.

The first couple of singles that I remember, was when I heard "In The Summertime" by Mongo Jerry in '71(?) at a friends house, and the first time, I noticed The Beatles was when I heard "Hello, Goodbye" on single at the same friends house, probably also '71.    

It dosen't really matter, but I remembered that I bought singles as late as 1988. The last single I bought was probably "Can I play With Madness", released a few months before "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son", again Maiden off course.

I had no idea that Iron Maiden released singles on 45. Cool info! Thanks Niels,
,
Oh yeah, they released a bunch. I had/have 9 myself, so actually a third of my singles was/are Iron Maiden-singles.

Interesting, back in the day when we could buy 45's they were all very Top 40-centric.

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