“The Wonder Of You” #9 6/27/1970

Play it, James! Here’s one in my all-time personal Elvis Top 5 for sure. Originally the first single from Ray Peterson in 1959, this version eclipsed Peterson’s by far. It was from a Presley live show several months earlier in Las Vegas. The story goes that when Elvis asked if he could record the song, Ray said, “You don’t need permission, you’re Elvis Presley.” The King replied, “Yes, I do, you’re Ray Peterson.” The B-side is “Mama Liked The Roses.”

“Hitchin’ A Ride” #5 6/27/1970

The second and last hit for the British band Vanity Fare. They underwent a number of personnel changes around this time but several subsequent 45’s didn’t make a dent on either side of the Atlantic. This has an unusual intro played on a recorder. Not many hits featured that particular woodwind instrument.

“Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today)” #3 6/27/1970

“And the band played on...” An absolute signature song from the Temptations, containing some biting social commentary. It came from a greatest hits album but this single hadn’t yet been released. Guess they were hoping it would become a hit, and it sure did. Some great special effects on guitar from Dennis Coffey, too. Just as relevant today as in 1970.

“The Love You Save” #1 6/27/1970

Nope, Elvis or the Supremes didn’t pull this off. Neither did the Beatles. The Jackson 5 were the first to begin their career with four straight pop #1 singles, of which this was the third. Written again by the Corporation, a purposely ambiguous designation created by Berry Gordy. If anyone left the partnership for whatever reason they could simply be replaced and the Corporation would continue writing hits.

“Sweet Baby James”

A lullaby from James Taylor to his namesake nephew was released as a single in 1970 but didn’t chart. He’d gotten caught up in the total disarray at Apple Records after his first album and wound up with drug and mental health issues. Thankfully he turned it around! I love the line about driving the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston, having made that trip in the other direction myself. The Berkshires are just gorgeous. This one’s an absolute fave of mine.

“Inside Looking Out” (Grand Funk Railroad)

First done by Eric Burdon and the Animals and based on a Mississippi prison chant, Grand Funk Railroad included their version on the band’s second album. It became a mainstay of their live shows. GFR did change a few of the lyrics to include some not so vague drug references. I mean, it WAS the 70’s, you know.

“Polk Salad Annie” (Elvis)

A remake of the Tony Joe White hit from a live album by Elvis, taken from several nights of shows at his Vegas home base, the International Hotel. Whenever the King came to town the whole place was jumping as every hotel and casino in Vegas saw a marked increase in business. Championship fights have that same effect in Sin City.

“Teacher”

The real Jethro Tull was a 18th century British farmer and inventor, so a progressive rock band borrowed his name. They first became popular on the London club scene thanks to front man Ian Anderson’s onstage antics. Tull was one of those groups that critics mostly couldn’t stand, but the public loved. This track, from their “Benefit” album, is pretty representative of their style.

“I Should Have Known Better” #53 8/15/1964

From a compilation album titled “Hey Jude” consisting of assorted Beatle songs that hadn’t yet shown up on any Capitol LP’s in the US. It was a placeholder until “Let It Be” was finally issued, but many thought manager Allen Klein pushed for the release so he could make a quick buck. This tune was from the non-Capitol “A Hard Day’s Night” soundtrack (UK version shown) and was the B-side to “Can’t Buy Me Love” reaching #53 on its own (8/15/64). It was their last song with a harmonica intro from John.

“For You Blue”

Also from “Let It Be,” here’s the B-side to “The Long And Winding Road.” George gave us this happy little 12-bar blues ditty. He probably had better songs but held back as he felt Lennon and McCartney would reject them. Most of those wound up on his “All Things Must Pass” solo LP, though “Something” made it onto “Abbey Road.” There’s no bass here - Paul was on piano and John played slide guitar.

“One After 909”

We’ll do some album cuts and B-sides over the next few days, starting with this track from the Beatles’ rooftop concert for the “Let It Be” LP. It’s one of the first songs John wrote in his teenage days. The girl being wooed missed her train, so she took the one after the 9:09. The boys first recorded this in 1963 at the same session as “From Me To You” but shelved it. They needed a song here, and this was a roots rocker that fit the album’s concept.

“Cinnamon Girl” (Gentrys) #52 6/13/1970

Foremost and always associated with Neil Young, he wasn’t the first to chart with his own song here. The Gentrys (“Keep On Dancing”) have that honor. The band’s regular front man was none other than Jimmy Hart. Yep, wrestling’s Mouth of the South, straight outta Memphis, actually sang lead in a rock and roll band. However, the vocals on “Dancing” were done by their guitarist at the time, Larry Raspberry.

“Into The Mystic” (Johnny Rivers) #51 6/13/1970

Numerous people have covered this Van Morrison song over the years. Here’s a version from Johnny Rivers that’s one of the better takes. Morrison’s label, Warner Brothers, chose to not release the original as a single. Guess WB thought it would have limited appeal. Certainly it kept with the mystical theme of Van’s works.

“(You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String” #38 6/13/1970

The second single from the Chairmen of the Board. Co-written by “Edythe Wayne,” a pseudonym used by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team for legal reasons. They were still in the middle of some seriously drawn-out litigation over their departure from Motown. Legal hassles are such fun, right?

“Question” #21 6/13/1970

The biggest US hit to date for the Moody Blues with their classic lineup. 1965’s “Go Now” did better in the States but that was before Justin Hayward and John Lodge joined the group. The song dealt with why hadn’t things gotten better after all the peace and love of the 1960’s? A fave Moodies song of mine.

“Come Saturday Morning” (reissue) #17 6/13/1970

Sometimes the second time around works out a tad better. The Sandpipers didn’t have much luck with this on the first go-round, only peaking at #83 earlier in 1970. The record was reissued here several months later and made the Top 20. It was on the soundtrack to the Liza Minelli movie “The Sterile Cuckoo.”

“Get Ready” (Rare Earth) #4 6/13/1970

The first huge hit from a Caucasian act at Motown came from Rare Earth. Their remake of a 1966 Temptations 45 was to be issued by a new subsidiary of Motown. As a joke the group said the new label should be named after them, and Berry Gordy surprisingly agreed. Their drummer, Pete Rivera, was also the band’s lead singer. There’s a question as to whether the single was actually recorded live. Some crowd noise on the 21-minute album version does sound repetitive.

“The Long And Winding Road” #1 6/13/1970

The 20th and final #1 single in America from the Beatles was likely what convinced Paul McCartney to finally leave the band. As first envisioned and recorded in 1969, it was an uncluttered piano ballad of his with very few overdubs. However, when Phil Spector got involved he added strings, a female choir and even a harp - 38 musicians and singers in all. He even eliminated one of Paul’s two vocal parts. McCartney, kept in the dark almost until the end, thought Spector totally ruined his song and was able to block the single’s release in the UK. (The “Let It Be...Naked” LP issued in 2003 has a bare-bones version much closer to Paul’s vision.) John uncharacteristically played bass here and to be charitable, his shortcomings on that instrument were highlighted. George and Ringo’s parts were virtually buried in the final mix. It was a melancholy farewell to the greatest rock band ever.

Were they a product of hype in the beginning? Of course. Beatlemania was a PR concoction for sure early on, but their talent, creativity and songwriting soon transcended the hype. It’s not an overstatement to say the Beatles changed pop culture and almost every form of music for all time.

“Hello Darlin’” #1 Country 6/6/1970

This week’s #1 country single became a signature song for Conway Twitty. This also got to #60 on the pop charts. He had success on the rock charts in the 50’s (“It’s Only Make Believe,” etc.) but decided to change focus when the rock hits went away. It proved to be a smart career move as he had 36 #1 country hits on his own, plus five more with Loretta Lynn.

“Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” #20 6/6/1970

The initial solo single by Diana Ross after her departure from the Supremes, a message song, came up a little short of expectations. It barely made the Top 20, leaving Berry Gordy and the Motown brass to scratch their heads. No worries, though, as her next single would go through the roof. Patience pays off.

“Daughter Of Darkness” #13 6/6/1970

The latest from Tom Jones reached #1 on the easy listening charts. Tom was riding high on the success of his TV show, which featured a who’s who of show business. And there were his singing segments, too. Women were known to toss their underwear onto the stage. Ahhhh, the burdens of pleasing the adoring public.

“Make Me Smile” #9 6/6/1970

The first Top 10 single by Chicago. It was taken from the first and last sections of a 13-minute suite written by trombonist James Pankow titled “Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon.” Pankow’s girlfriend had gone off to West Virginia Wesleyan College in the town of Buckhannon. The reason for the differing spellings would be anyone’s guess. The B-side (also from “Ballet”) is “Colour My World.” Guitarist Terry Kath sang lead. Several edits of “Make Me Smile” exist - this is one provided to FM radio back in the day and is now an accepted version.

“Run Through The Jungle” #4 6/6/1970

In stark contrast to the other side of the single, one from CCR that’s decidedly downbeat. Everyone thought this was a Vietnam protest but John Fogerty later said it was about the proliferation of guns in America (“200 million guns are loaded...”) After Fogerty lost his publishing rights to Creedence’s material he was sued by Saul Zaentz, owner of CCR’s label Fantasy Records, who claimed John’s 1984 solo effort “The Old Man Down The Road” sounded too much like this song. So Zaentz basically said Fogerty was plagiarizing himself. The case was thrown out.

“Up Around The Bend” #4 6/6/1970

Yet another two-sided hit from Creedence Clearwater Revival. This side has just a kick-ass John Fogerty uptempo guitar riff for an intro, and it doesn’t let up. The premise is that better times are coming soon, around the bend as it were. These guys were certainly capable of some fantastic good time rock and roll.

“Which Way You Goin’ Billy?” #2 6/6/1970

The Poppy Family was essentially the duo of Terry and Susan Jacks. They met in Vancouver, BC on a 60’s Canadian teen TV show called “Music Hop.” Susan was a regular performer and Terry guested on an episode. One reviewer, Mark Deming, said if the 70’s were all about having a nice day, this song would’ve been the dark cloud blotting out the sunshine. A little harsh, maybe, but...

“Soolaimón” #30 5/30/1970

Speaking of daring material, the entire Side 2 of Neil Diamond’s latest album, “Tap Root Manuscript,” was devoted to African-based music, unusual at the time. His label openly wondered if the LP would sell but it turned out to be very successful. Neil opened his shows for years with this song. Sometimes the artist knows best.

“Puppet Man” #24 5/30/1970

Yet another of those really good songs your hardly hear on the radio any more, if ever. The 5th Dimension was at the height of their popularity coming off their second #1 single. They tried more daring material, like a medley of the words to the Declaration of Independence, Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and the Rascals’ “People Got To Be Free.” It didn’t sell. This was co-written by Neil Sedaka.

“Little Green Bag” #21 5/30/1970

Another song from a Netherlands band, the George Baker Selection, and much like “Venus” had mis-written lyrics. Must have been a Dutch thing. The song was supposed to be called “Little Greenback” but somehow was titled “Little Green Bag,” leading everyone to think this was a pot song. I’m guessing the video was shot in Amsterdam, if you catch my buzz...err, drift.

“The Letter” (Joe Cocker) #7 5/30/1970

We give you Joe Cocker’s live remake of the 1967 Box Tops #1 hit. His Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, from which this was taken, had a near-legendary reputation as the most debauched rock tour to date. Leon Russell arranged the songs and assembled over 20 musicians and backup singers - NINE backup singers. What a circus.

“Cecilia” #4 5/30/1970

The followup to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for Simon and Garfunkel. Eddie Simon (Paul’s brother), Art and Paul were messing around with a tape recorder at a party late one night and hit upon the infectious rhythm. So Paul took the tape, experimented more with it and the resulting track was jubilation! Cecilia seemed to be a busy gal...