Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pablo Cruise
Pablo Cruise climbed to No. 6 twice in their career, but never mangaged to crack the top five. They should expect no sympathy from Seals & Crofts, who reached No. 6 three times without ever entering the magic circle.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Outfield
The Outfield is one of those mainstream rock bands that critics ignore (or crucify), but fans love. Among the others: Journey, Survivor, Styx, Rush, Kansas--wait a minute, why do these guys always have one-word names?
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks' "I Can't Wait" was the 13th Top-40 solo hit by a member of Fleetwood Mac. That was a milestone, because Fleetwood Mac has had 13 Top-40 hits as a group.
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" and Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" both ahd 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, putting them in a tie for the longest run at No. 1 by a female artist in the rock era. The frisky "Physical" and the chaste Boone hit make strange bedfellows, but that's rock 'n' roll.
New Edition
New Edition's "Earth Angel" was a bit hit in 1986, even though the members of the group weren't even born when it was first a hit in 1954. But maybe that's not such a big deal--it happens with classical performers all the time.
Ricky Nelson
Rick Nelson's "Garden Party" was a hit amid a mini-50s revival in the fall of 1972. During the first week of November, four of the top-six pop hits were by acts who got their start in the 50s: Jonny Nash, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Nelson.
Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes' techno-pop treatment of Burt Bacharach & Hal David's "Always Something There To Remind Me" was perhaps the most unlikely treatment of a Bacharach song since Smith's bluesy rock cover of "Baby It's You." But both were outdone by Ted Nugent's screaming remake of "My Little Red Book."
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Motels
The Motels were one of the many acts to emerge from the L.A. club scene of the late 70s. Among the others: the Go-Go's, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are the only act to land their first three top-10 hits in three successive decades. They earned their first top-10 hit, "Go Now," in 1965; their second, "Nights In White Satin," in 1972; and their third, "Your Wildest Dreams," in 1986.
The Monkees
The Monkees held down the No. 1 album spot for a total of 37 weeks in 1966-67. That's longer than any other act, including the Beatles, who topped the chart for 32 weeks in that two-year period. and the Monkees made a remarkable comeback in 1986, when seven of their albums were on the chart simultaneously.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney's No. 1 hits span almost exactly 20 years. The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hit No. 1 on February 1, 1964; McCartney's duet with Michael Jackson, "Say Say Say," relinguished the top spot on January 14, 1984.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis' Johnny's Greatest Hits almbum rode the Top Pop albums chart for 490 weeks, from April, 1958, to July, 1968. That was the longevity record until 1983, when Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon surpassed it.
Mary Jane Girls
Mary Jane Girls' "In My House" was one of two songs written and produced by Rick James to crack the top 10 in 1985. The other was Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time."
Teena Marie
Teena Marie's "Lovergirl" was the No. 29th hit of 1985, finishing one notch below Billy Ocean's "Loverboy." Both hits had cracked the top five in March of that year.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Madonna
Madonna'a "Angel" was the highest debuting single on the Hot 100 the week of April 27, 1985. But that was to be expected. Each of Madonna's 10 singles, from "Lucky Star" to "Open Your Heart," was the week's top debut.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson
Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson's "Friends And Lovers" peaked at No. 2 on the pop chart, but a cover version of the song by Eddie Rabbitt and Juice Newton made it to No. 1 on the country chart.
Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins has had hits with Jim Messina, Stevie Nicks, and Steve Perry, but his two biggest hits are both from feature films. "Footloose" is from the film of the same name; "Danger Zone" is from Top Gun.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Little Richard
Little Richard scored his first Top-40 hit, "Tutti-Frutti," in 1956, and his last, "Ooh! My Soul," in 1958. That's just a 2 1/2-year span of Top-40 hits. Richard nearly had a 30-year span, but "Great Gosh A'Mighty," featured in the film Down And Out In Beverly Hills, peaked at No. 42.
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis, like Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, crossed all boundaries with his late-50s hits. Lewis' singles "Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On," "Great Balls Of Fire," and "Breathless" reached the top 10 on the pop, rhythm & blues, and country charts.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Huey Lewis & The News
Huey Lewis & the News' Sports took 39 weeks to hit No. 1 on the Top Pop Albums chart in 1984. The band's next album, Fore!, also hit No. 1, but in just five weeks.
The Letterman
The Letterman got their start in 1961, when their brand of clean-cut imagery and wholesome harmonizing was more or less in vogue. But two of their three biggest hits came in 1968 and 69, when one would have thought their style would be considered passe. You just never know.
Julian Lennon
Julian Lennon's "Too Late For Goodbyes" peaked at No. 5 in March, 1985, exactly one year after father John Lennon's post-humous release, "Nobody Told Me," reached No. 5.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
John Lennon
John Lennon had two No. 1 hits as a solo artist, but his most famous song, "Imagine," peaked at No. 3. It was kept out of the top spot by Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" and Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Underfoot" barely scratched the Top 40 (peaking at No. 38), but the album it was taken from, Physical Graffiti, was No. 1 for six weeks. That disparity was typical for Zeppelin. All 10 of their albums cracked the top 10, but only one of their singles made the mark: 1970's "Whole Lotta Love."
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang's "Cherish" cemented their reputation as the kings of marshmellow soul. It's hard to believe that this is the same group that landed its first big hits with the funky grooves of "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging."
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Knack
The Knack's "My Sharona" was not only the No. 1 hit of 1979, but possibly the most significant. Its success marked the beginning of the end for the disco boom of the proceding 18 months, and opened the door to a greater variety of pop and rock styles.
Carole King
Carole King remains the only artist to sweep Grammy Awards for album, record and song of the year, and best vocal performance. She won all four in 1971. Simon & Garfunkel (1970) and Christopher Cross (1980) each won the first three, but lost the vocal performance Grammys to the Carpenters and Kenny Loggins, respectively.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ben E. King
Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" hit the top 10 in 1961, and returned to the winners' circle in 1986 after being featured in the Rob Reiner film of the same name. In the rock era, only two other top-10 hits have made it back to the top 10: Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers' "Monster Mash."
Katrina & the Waves
Katrina & the Waves' "Walking On Sunshine" has no relation to Rockers Revenge's dance record of the same name from 1982, except that both were highly successful. Rockers Revenge's record was a No. 1 dance hit; Katrina & the Waves' was a top-10 pop smash in June, 1985.
Tom Jones
Tom Jones won the Grammy for best new artist of 1965, beating a diverse field of finalists which included Sonny & Cher, the Byrds, Herman's Hermits, Glen Yarbrough, Marilyn Maye, and Horst Jankowski.
Howard Jones
Howard Jones' "No One Is To Blame" was Phil Collins' second outside production to crack the top five. The first was Collins' duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover."
Don Johnson
Don Johnson's top-five hit, "Heartbeat," wasn't his first record release. In 1973, long before "Miami Vice" made him a household name, Johnson cut a track on the Harrad Experiment soundtrack.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Elton John
Elton John's "Nikita" was in the top 20 at the same time as Sting's "Russians." But, in the interest of equal time for all points of view, so were James Brown's "Living in America" and John Cougar Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A."
Billy Joel
Billy Joel's "You're Only Human" isn't the only example of pop psychology to crack the top 10 in recent years. The self-help saga was followed by Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love Of All" and Journey's "Be Good To Yourself."
The Jets
The Jets' "Crush On You" was co-produced by Jerry Knight, the very same Jerry Knight who--with Ollie Brown--performed "Breakin...There's No Stopping Us," a top-10 hit in 1984.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jan & Dean
Jan & Dean's "Surf City" hit No. 1 in July 1963, a full year before the Beach Boys landed their first No. 1 hit with "I Get Around." That's ironic because the Beach Boys became a much more important act, and because Brian Wilson co-wrote "Surf City."
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger finally released his first solo album in 1985, but perhaps he waited too long--the single "Just Another Night" peaked at No. 12. If it had come out in the early 30s, when the Rolling Stones were at the height of their popularity, a Jagger single would have probably been an instant No. 1.
The Jacksons
The Jacksons' first four chart hits all reached No. 1 in a nine-month blitz in 1970, but they haven't made it back to the top spot since. One or two members of the group have done pretty well on their own, though.
Rebbie Jackson
Rebbie Jackson's "Centipede" climbed to No. 4 on the Hot Black Singles chart in 1984. That's great by most people's standards, but in the Jackson family, it's almost a disappointment. Michael, Jermaine, and Janet have all hit No. 1, as have the Jacksons.
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson scored her first No. 1 single, "When I Think Of You," in October, 1986, 14 years to the week after brother Michael Jackson landed his first solo No. 1 hit, "Ben."
Freddie Jackson
Freddie Jackson became the first artist in more than 26 years to succeed himself at No. 1 on the black (formerly rhythm & blues) chart, when "Tasty Love" took the top spot from "A Little Bit More" in November, 1986. The last artist to do the trick? Dinah Washington, who scored in July, 1960--when Freddie was all of nine months old.
Monday, February 9, 2009
INXS
INXS was featured on two hit albums in the spring of 1986: its own Listen Like Thieves, which reached No. 11, and the Pretty In Pink soundtrack, which climbed to No. 5.
Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias is undoubtedly the only Latin lover/ladykiller to wind up with the No. 1 country single of the year. He achieved that distinction in 1984 with his hit, "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," a duet with Willie Nelson.
The Human League
The Human League's "Don't You Want Me" was No. 1 the same week in July, 1982 that Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" peaked at No. 8. The age of British synth-pop was upon us.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston is the only female artist to have a No. 1 album that spun off three No. 1 hits. The closest runner-up is Donna Summer, who had a No. 1 album ("Bad Girls") that spun off two No. 1 hits.
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Hooters
The Hooters were probably the least-known act on the bill at the "Live Aid" concert in July, 1985. The Philadelphia-based band was allowed to perform at the JFK Stadium show because they're hometown favorites. The exposure didn't hurt: Their next album went platinum.
The Hollies
The Hollies weren't the only top 60s group to land their biggest hit in the early 70s. They climbed to No. 2 in 1972 with "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)." Paul Revere & the Raiders, another 60s mainstay, did even better, hitting No. 1 in 1971 with "Indian Reservation."
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits must have known how Avis felt in 1965. The group logged 10 weeks at No. 2 on the Top Pop Albums chart that year. Their Introducing Herman's Hermits album spent four weeks in the runner-up spot behind the Mary Poppins soundtrack, and then Herman's Hermits On Tour was aced out for six weeks straight by Beatles VI.
Don Henley
Don Henley was the first member of the Eagles to land a top-10 solo hit (1983's "Dirty Laundry"), but former partner Glenn Frey is responsible for both of the biggest hits by a former Eagle (1985's "The Heat Is On" and "You Belong To The City").
Heart
Heart went over the top in 1985-86, when its album, Heart, hit No. 1 and generated four top-10 singles. No previous Heart album had climbed above No.5, and non had spun off more than one top-10 hit.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Corey Hart
Corey Hart had the AM novelty hit of 1984 with "Sunglasses At NIght." Given the gimmicky nature of that song, few expected him to have lasting impact. But he scored an even bigger hit the following year with "Never Surrender!"
Sam Harris
Sam Harris' version of Judy Garland's "Over The Rainbow" (by way of Patti LaBelle) won him fame and fortune on TV's "Star Search," but "Sugar Don't Bite" was his ticket to the Top 40.
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Daryl Hall & John Oates' "Method Of Modern Love" cracked the top 10 in February, 1985, which made it the duo's 15th top-10 hit. That put them in a tie with the Everly Brothers as the duo with the most top-10 singles in the rock era. The Carpenters are first runner-up, with 12.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Amy Grant
Amy Grant's Age To Age was the first contemporary Christian album to be certified platinum. Her Unguarded album was the second.
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore amassed eight top-20 hits in the 60s, from 1963's "It's My Party" to 1967's "California Nights." Gore made it back to the top 20 in 1980--as the co-writer of Irene Cara's "Out Here On My Own," an Oscar-nominated hit from Fame.
Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme's "Cry," a top-20 hit in 1985, kept up the tear-stained imagery of the team's first hit with 10cc, "I'm Not In Love." That No. 2 pop smash featured the whispered refrain, "big boys don't cry."
Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger had the biggest "Wham!" hit of 1986 with "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)," which is to say, "Don't Forget Me" had the youthful, muscular sound of such earlier Wham! hits as "Everything She Wants."
Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb has written, produced, or performed 16 No. 1 hits during a career spanning 20 years. "Shine Shine" was not one of them.
Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey has yet to land a No. 1 solo single, but he's had hits on two smash No. 1 soundtracks. "The Heat Is On" was featured on Beverly Hills Cop and "You Belong To The City" was included on "Miami Vice." "Vice" was No. 1 for 11 weeks, the longest run of any TV soundtrack in history.
Franklin...
Aretha Franklin achieved a milestone in November, 1985, when "Who's Zoomin' Who" became her 16th top-10 single. This enabled her to top Connie Francis as the female soloist in the rock era with the most top-10 hits.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin has long specialized in cover versions of old chart hits. Her very first Top-40 hit, 1961's "Rock-a-bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody," was a cover, as was her only No. 1 hit, 1967's "Respect." And so was this 1986 release, first a hit in 1968 for the Rolling Stones.
Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive! remained in the top 10 for 52 consecutive weeks, 10 of which were spent at No. 1. It remains the best-selling live album of all time, but it proved impossible to follow, and ultimately did Frampton's career more harm than good.
Foreigner
Foreigner's "Waiting For A Girl Like You" was No. 2 for 10 straight weeks without hitting No. 1, by far the longest any record had stayed in the runner-up spot without going on to the top. But the band made it to No. 1 with the first single from their next album, "I Want To Know What Love Is."
John Fogerty
John Fogerty's "Centerfield" album hit No. 1 in March, 1985, making him one of only five artists to land a No. 1 album in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The others: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and Barbra Streisand.
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Fabulous Thunderbirds' "Tuff Enuff" was one of several "intentionally misspelled" titles to crack the top 10 in the 80s. Among the others: Quiet Riot's "Cum On Feel The Noize," Prince's "I Would Die 4 U," Culture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," and Sheena Easton's "Telefone."
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Eurythmics
Eurythmics' first three albums each produced a top-five single hit. The first, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)," was the biggest: It hit No. 1 in September 1983. And it wasn't as though there was no competition at the time. "Sweet Dreams" managed to dethrone the Police's "Every Breath You Take," the No. 1 hit of the year.
Electric Light Orchestra
ELO's credibility as a pop-rock band wasn't destroyed by its involvement in the 1980 fiasco Xanadu, but it was damaged. The group had earned nine top-20 hits before the film, and has notched just two since.
Edward Bear
Edward Bear's "Last Song" was their first song to crack the Top 40, and was saved from being their last song to make that mark by "Close Your Eyes," which hit No. 37.
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy took "Peter Gunn" to No. 27 in 1960, and was featured on Art of Noise's remake of the song, which climbed to No. 50 in July, 1986.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran's "A View To A Kill" was the first James bond theme to reach No. 1. Paul McCartney & Wings; "Live And Let Die" and Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" had come the closest, logging three weeks at No. 2.
Double
Double's "The Captain Of Her Heart" ws the first hit by a Swiss act to crack the U. S. Top 40. Be Glad: It could have been a record by Krokus or Mannheim Steamroller.
Donovan
Donovan's biggest chart hits were "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow," but his most familiar song to a general audience may well be "Wear Your Love Like Heaven." That single only made it to No. 23, but the song made an indelible impression as a shampoo TV commercial jingle.
Dion
Dion had twice as many Top-40 hits on his own as he did with Dion & the Belmonts. And he had four times as many top-10 hits. All in all, going solo wasn't a bad move. Dion's hits have since been covered by a wide range of artists, to say the least. "Runaround Sue" was a top-20 hit of Leif Garrett; "Ruby Baby" was featured on Donald Fagen's smash album, "The Nightfly."
Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond's two film projects to date have been less than successful, but the soundtrack albums have nonetheless been big hits. The Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack climbed to No. 2 in 1973; the Jazz Singer soundtrack hit No. 3 in 1981. The latter album generated three top-10 hits.
Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung's "Dessert Moon" cracked the top 10, but his solo career to date has been disappointing given how popular his group Styx was in the late 70s and early 80s. DeYoung's ballads for Styx, including "Babe" and "Don't Let It End," were home-run smashes; his ballads for himself have so far ranged from base hits to strike outs.
Dexys' Midnight Runners
Dexys' Midnight Runners' main claim to fame will probably always be that they're the act that kept Michael Jackson from becoming the first artist since the Beatles to have back-to-back No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. Dexys' "Come On Eileen" snuck into the No. 1 spot for one week in April, 1983, in between the No. 1 posting of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
Device
Device is headed by Holly Knight, who has written numerous top-10 hits for such acts as Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, and Scandal. Knight should have kept one of the hits ofr herself: Device's first single, "Hanging On A Heart Attack," didn't go close to the top 10.
Depeche Mode
"People Are People" was in general release for a full year before it finally cracked the top 15. Good things come to those who wait.
El DeBarge
El DeBarge's "Who's Johnny" climbed to No. 3 on the Hot 100, matching the peak position of DeBarge's highest-charting hit, "Rhymthm Of The Night." Both were featured in films. "Who's Johnny" was in Short Circuit; "Rhythm Of The Night" was in Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon.
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean's "P.T. 109" was the first top-10 hit to make reference to John F. Kennedy, but it wasn't the last. Dion's 1968 smash "Abraham, Martin & John" referred to him, as did Tom Clay's 1971 remake of that song, and Dream Academy's 1986 hit "Life In a Northern Town."
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival amassed five No. 2 hits, but never managed to hit the top spot. It should be noted that the Creedence hits have held up better than some of the records that blocked their path. "Proud Mary" was kept out of the No. 1 spot by Tommy Roe's "Dizzy"; "Green River" was held at bay by the Archies' "Sugar Sugar."
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer could be forgiven if he had a little bit of a grudge agains Elvis Presley. His single "Last Date" looked like it was going to be a sure-fire No. 1, until Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" rocketed to the top. "Last Date" wound up spending four weeks at No. 2 behind Elvis.
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello entered the album chart for the first time in December, 1977, less than four months after the death of Elvis Presley, whose name he adopted. Costello's aim may have been true from the beginning, but it took him six years to land his first Top-40 single, "Everyday I Write The Book."
Don Costa
Don Costa's "Never On Sunday" was a top-20 hit in 1960, but Costa is much better known as the arranger of numerous Frank Sinatra sessions, and the co-producer of such hits as Sammhy Davis Jr.'s "Candy Man" and Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love." His co-producer on those dates: future California Lt. Gov. Mike Curb.
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge often turned to oldies for her singles in the 70s. She charted with Peggy Lee's "Fever," Jackie Wilson's "Higher And Higher," the Temptations' "The Way You Do The Things You Do," and the Chiffons' "One Fine Day."
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke's influence and impact is suggested by the number of his songs that have become top-10 hits for other artists. Among them: "Only Sixteen," "Wonderful World," "Cupid," and "Another Saturday Night."
Perry Como
Perry Como landed his first top-10 hit ("Long Ago(And Far Away)") in May, 1944, and his last (It's Impossible") in January, 1971. that's 26 years and eight months between top-10 hits--a span topped by only one singer in history: Fank SInatra.
The Commodores
The Commodores' "Nightshift" was one of two top-10 hits in April, 1985, to pay tribute to the late, great Marvin Gaye. The other: Diana Ross' "Missing You," which was written and produced by former Commodores leader Lionel Richie.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins landed his first top-10 hit with a remake of the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love." Collins and former Supreme Diana Ross have one other hting in common: They're the only two performers to hit No. 1 as a solo, as part of a duo, and as part of a trio.
Joe Cocker
Joe Crocker gained his initial reputation as a blues screamer, but he scored his biggest hits as a pop balladeer, with "You Are So Beautiful" and "Up Where We Belong."
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff's "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" was a new, original song, not a medley of "Wonderful World" and "Beautiful People." But that might not be a bad idea either.
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