“Come Running” #39 4/25/1970

Van Morrison hadn’t seen the Top 40 since 1967. Like Neil Diamond, he ran into legal issues when departing BANG Records. When the dust settled, Van recorded the critically acclaimed “Astral Weeks” album and followed it with the “Moondance” LP, from which this single was taken. His 70’s albums became classics with some songs that bordered on mystical. The B-side was “Crazy Love.”

“Everybody’s Out Of Town” #26 4/25/1970

The followup to “Raindrops...” for B.J. Thomas became a Top 5 easy listening hit, but only a moderate Top 40 entry. Though it’s another Bacharach/David song, it’s not one of their more recognizable songwriting efforts. B.J. was having some issues dealing with his success, leading to a rehab stint in a few years.

“Shilo” (reissue) #24 4/25/1970

We’ve noted previously that Neil Diamond competed with himself from time to time due to a messy departure when he changed labels. This one was first issued by his old label (BANG) in 1968 just after Neil left for Uni Records and did absolutely nothing. So once he started to see success at his new employer BANG re-issued this with a new backing track, ostensibly to make it sound fresher. It did better than the single Uni issued at the same time, “Until It’s Time For You To Go.”

“Tennessee Bird Walk” #23 (#1 Country) 4/25/1970

The husband and wife team of Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan had 15 singles on the country charts (this being their only #1) but this novelty song crossed over to the Top 40 as well. They were both born in the same Buffalo hospital three years apart, but didn’t meet until working the south Florida music scene in the 60’s. Quite the strange record.

“You’re The One (Part I)” #22 4/25/1970

This act was called Little Sister because one of their members, Vet Stewart, really was the little sister of Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart). They served as the Family Stone’s backup singers on records and on tour. The ladies only released two singles on their own before the Family Stone disintegrated due to drug and other issues.

“ABC” #1 4/25/1970

There are so many songs these days (2020) from the 60’s and 70’s that show up on radio and TV. This one, the second of four straight #1’s out of the chute from the Jackson Five, is everywhere in a commercial for a certain respiratory medication. It’s way too much like their first hit, but Berry Gordy didn’t care since he was one of the co-writers on both, and it made money. He sent the brothers to L.A. ahead of the entire label making that move. Video is from “American Bandstand” via VH1.

“All Kinds Of Everything” #1 UK 4/18/1970

This week’s #1 record in the UK won the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest as done by Dana Rosemary Scallon, known professionally by her first name. She was from Derry in Northern Ireland (officially part of the UK), but represented Ireland in the contest. We’ll avoid the political overtones here. The song bested entries performed by Mary Hopkin and Julio Iglesias, among others. Dana later ran for president of Ireland, but radio stations were asked not to play this song as it was felt that constituted free advertising for her campaign. Sorta like “The Apprentice.”

“Maybe” (Janis Joplin) #110 4/18/1970

The last single from Janis Joplin before her fatal heroin overdose later in 1970 didn’t even make the Hot 100. Her hard-partying lifestyle wasn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. She managed to alienate a large number of people over the years, but she really didn’t give a rat’s ass. Janis packed a lot of living into her 27 years.

“Dear Prudence” (Five Stairsteps) #66 4/18/1970

Another in a long line of singles where the A-side didn’t do much, but radio programmers started to turn the record over and the B-side became the hit. So it was for the Five Stairsteps, a sibling act from Chicago. Their version of this Beatles White Album track stalled out, but the flip side soon became their career moment.

“Long Lonesome Highway” #20 4/18/1970

Michael Parks starred in a short-lived TV show, “Then Came Bronson,” which borrowed heavily from the early 60’s anthology “Route 66.” He scored a Top 20 hit with his version of the show’s closing theme. Parks was more than a little difficult to work with. He didn’t find employment in Hollywood throughout the 1970’s. Hmmm.

“Up The Ladder To The Roof” #10 4/18/1970

The first single from the Supremes minus Diana Ross, who was off to her solo career. She had been replaced by Jean Terrell, sister of boxer Ernie Terrell. Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong had barely appeared on any Supremes records with Diana for quite some time, and rehearsed with Jean for months before Ross left. This proved that even though the group wasn’t a priority at Motown any more and would be getting second-tier songs, writers and producers, they still succeeded.

“Come And Get It” #7 4/18/1970

The Iveys were the first group the Beatles signed to Apple Records and had a hit (outside of the US and UK) with “Maybe Tomorrow.” Paul McCartney gave them a song he wrote for “The Magic Christian” movie, provided that it sound EXACTLY the same as his demo. The working title of “With A Little Help From My Friends” was “Bad Finger Boogie,” as John Lennon had a bandaged index digit at that time. The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger just prior to this single’s release, and voila!

“Spirit In The Sky” #3 4/18/1970

Here’s quite the rarity - a rock one-hit wonder with Christian overtones, done by a Jewish dude. Norman Greenbaum was part of a band that had a 1966 tune titled “The Eggplant That Ate Chicago.” After that foray, he was channel surfing one night and ran across Porter Wagoner doing a gospel song. Norman thought, “I could write one like that.” He referred to Jesus because he felt that would make it more mainstream. It worked. This gets requested at funerals all the time. Go figure.

“McCartney” LP

At Paul’s dogged insistence, his solo LP was issued on this date in 1970 in the UK and three days later in America. Other than some backing vocals from wife Linda, Paul did all the music and vocals by himself. No singles were released, though a live version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” came out years later. The story of the Beatles’ split had just broken. Right or wrong, many thought McCartney (in an odd way) used the breakup as a method to promote his record, which made him into a villain of sorts. It led to a number of bad reviews; critics felt most songs sounded half-finished. IMHO,  “Maybe I’m Amazed” is great, but the rest of the album is somewhat lacking. His next LP was definitely better.

“Is Anybody Going To San Antone” #70 (#1 Country) 4/11/1970

Next week’s top country single made it onto the pop charts for Charley Pride. For years he closed his concerts with Leadbelly’s “Cotton Fields.” Pride said he always tried his best to put on a good show because he picked a lot of cotton growing up in Mississippi and didn’t want to return to that life. Definitely a source of motivation.

“Mighty Joe” #43 4/11/1970

The followup to the #1 hit “Venus” for the Dutch band Shocking Blue didn’t quite reach the Top 40. The band never could fully crack the American market, though they did well in Europe for a few years. The group broke up and lead singer Mariska Veres had several solo hits on the Continent before her passing in 2006.

“My Woman, My Woman, My Wife” #42 (#1 Country) 4/11/1970

A soon-to-be #1 country smash and Grammy winner from Marty Robbins just missed the pop Top 40. When his dad left his mom and their seven kids, Marty and the family lived in a tent out in the Arizona desert for a time. Three days after this was released, Marty had one of the first heart bypass operations ever done in America. He had three heart attacks overall and died in December 1982.

“The Bells” #12 4/11/1970

The followup to “Baby, I’m For Real” for the Originals. Like their previous hit, this one was co-written by Marvin Gaye and his wife Anna. They would have a few more soul chart hits while also working as backup singers for Marvin in the 70’s, and had a #1 disco hit in 1976 with “Down To Love Town.”

“Easy Come, Easy Go” (Bobby Sherman) #9 4/11/1970

First done as an album track by Mama Cass Elliot, here’s the third Top 10 from Bobby Sherman. This was co-written by Jack Keller, who co-wrote a sizable number of hits all throughout the 1960’s for folks like Connie Francis, Bobby Vee, the Monkees and more. Keller and Howard Greenfield composed the themes for TV’s “Bewitched” and “Gidget” as well. Video is from Cleveland’s “Upbeat” show.

“You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” B-Side

The non-LP B-side of “Let It Be” was maybe the strangest thing the Beatles ever recorded. I was like “Huh?” when I first heard this, but it grew on me over the years. They had an odd sense of humor, notably on Christmas records to their fan club. It’s four different versions of the same riff, being a primal scream; John as a smarmy MC with Paul as a Bill Murray lounge singer; a Monty Python-esque take; and John harrumphing his way through with the late Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones on sax. A fifth ska/reggae version was edited out. Heads up; this one is just very, very weird.

“Let It Be” #1 4/11/1970

This reached #1 in America the day after news broke of the Beatles splitting up. It was a very personal song Paul wrote about his mother, Mary, who appeared to him in a dream. She died when he was 14. Apparently no religious overtones were ever implied as many thought, including John Lennon who pushed for its placement on the album between two VERY secular songs. Quite petty. The 45 and LP have different guitar solos from George plus other minor differences. There’s also a stripped-down mix on the “Let It Be...Naked” album.

The End, Part II

It was bound to happen. The world’s greatest rock and roll band just couldn’t keep it together. Egos got in the way. Paul was too bossy, John was too uninterested/too wrapped up with Yoko/too drugged out, George was too passive and Ringo...well, everybody loved Ringo, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Beatles from breaking up. McCartney’s self-interview, published this day in 1970 by the London papers, exposed cracks in the façade which the media had long suspected. The Fab Four had been directionless since manager Brian Epstein died in August 1967. The trip to India to find spirituality instead brought most of the strife to the surface. Paul pretty much took charge because nobody else seemed to care, yet that caused resentment. Even after “Something,” “Here Comes The Sun” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” George’s songwriting still wasn’t taken seriously by Lennon and McCartney. John’s indifference, heroin use and being with Yoko didn’t help. The others found her incessant presence to be a huge distraction, particularly during the “Abbey Road” sessions. Yoko even started speaking for John in band meetings. Geesh. The Fab Four decided to just do their own things. There was no formal announcement about the split, yet the shock was felt all around the world. It took another 4+ years for their legal partnership to be dissolved, and the lawyers all got rich. A sad day indeed.

“Once More With Feeling” #2 Country 4/4/1970

Here’s a Top 5 country hit from the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis. His label, Smash, shied away from releasing any new uptempo tunes of his as singles. They were worried radio programmers would think Jerry Lee was getting back to his rowdy rockabilly roots, conjuring up reminders of the wild man that married his 13-year-old second cousin. Written by Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein.

The End, Part I

We’ve mentioned Paul McCartney’s long-simmering issues over how things were going at Apple Corps by 1970 - the hiring of Allen Klein, being asked to delay his solo LP so it wouldn’t interfere with sales of “Let It Be” (and Ringo’s solo LP) and so forth. It didn’t help when Phil Spector added strings and a choir to “The Long And Winding Road” and doctored other tracks on the upcoming Beatles album without giving Paul or George Martin a heads up. Finally McCartney had enough, and ordered promo copies of his solo album pressed so he could oversee advance distribution before it hit the market ASAP at his behest. Paul even put out a self-interview where in so many words, he said he was quitting the Beatles. He said Klein didn’t represent his interests, and that he would no longer write songs with John Lennon. (Yet Paul called Lennon to say he realized why John and Yoko did what they did.) Well, when McCartney’s press release appeared in the London newspapers the next day, the s**t hit the fan. But the uproar wasn’t over... 

“Roadhouse Blues”

Perhaps my favorite Doors song of them all was the B-side to their #50 single “You Make Me Real.” This one is a mainstay of FM classic rock radio. Alice Cooper took credit for coming up with the line “woke up this morning and got myself a beer” during a conversation with Jim Morrison. Guitar legend Lonnie Mack is on bass with harmonica by John Sebastian under the assumed name G. Puglese.

“Easy To Be Free” #48 4/4/1970

The last chart single from Rick Nelson until “Garden Party” a couple of years later. His decision to go with a mellower country-rock sound, which opened the door for acts like the Eagles (Randy Meisner was in Rick’s band at this time), unfortunately didn’t sell a lot of records for him. This style ushered in what became known as California rock, popularized by Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and others.

“Let’s Give Adam And Eve Another Chance” #41 4/4/1970

The last chart single from Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, co-written by Elvis’s bodyguard Red West. Two members of the group quit over money issues just after this was released and Gary wound up going solo. He eventually became a mainstay on the oldies circuit and to this day takes part in numerous oldies shows each year.

“All I Have To Do Is Dream” (Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry) #27 4/4/1970

Since they were on the same label, Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell recorded several duets of which this remake of the Everly Brothers classic became a Top 10 country hit. Bobbie had just married (and quickly divorced) casino magnate Bill Harrah, who was over twice her age. Glen was in the middle of his TV show’s successful run. Livin’ the dream...

“Call Me” (Aretha Franklin) #13 4/4/1970

Not to be confused with songs having the same title from Chris Montez in the mid 60’s or Blondie in the early 80’s, this was written and done by Aretha Franklin. She had just split from her first husband, which explains a lot about this #1 soul entry. The flip side was Aretha’s version of “Son Of A Preacher Man,” originally written for Lady Soul and which she recorded prior to Dusty Springfield’s hit.

“The House Of The Rising Sun” (Frijid Pink) #7 4/4/1970

Our selection today is a hard-rock remake of an oft-recorded tune mostly believed to be about a New Orleans whorehouse. It’s been done by everyone from Leadbelly to Roy Acuff to Bob Dylan to Dolly Parton, but the most famous version was from the Animals in 1964. This take from Detroit rockers Frijid Pink, strangely, was bigger worldwide than the Animals but became the US group’s only hit.

“Keep The Customer Satisfied”

This just might be one of my favorite B-sides ever, the flip of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It’s such a bouncy song tied to the incessant touring Paul Simon disliked so much. Too bad he and Art Garfunkel had pretty much dissolved their musical partnership by this point. They would reunite from time to time, but it seemed like the duo never totally patched things up.

“Who’s Your Baby?” #40 3/28/1970

Bubblegum music was waning as an art form, if you want to call it that. Here’s the last Top 40 record from the fictional Archies. Like most of their other hits, this one was co-written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. Barry saw considerable success in the 60’s as a songwriter and producer; he would continue into the 70’s with acts like Bobby Bloom and Robin McNamara. Kim also had a huge hit with “Rock Me Gently.”

“Temma Harbour” #39 3/28/1970

A UK Top 10 and US Top 5 easy listening hit proved to be the last US Top 40 single from Mary Hopkin. Yeah, Paul McCartney got things going for her, but Mary was a little perturbed over how he micromanaged her career. This was her first record outside Paul’s presence. Still, Mary’s place in music history is very well established just on the basis of “Those Were The Days.”