Comments on: CHART ATTACK! #47: 9/4/76

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:12:11 +0000

I thought they were saying "put it in your butt."

Still think that, actually.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:08:07 +0000

Great write-up, Beau! And I loved reading the memories posted in the comments.

The first album I ever owned was Benson’s Breezin’. I got it for Christmas, on cassette, in 1986. I still have it, although the first cassette of it wore out, so my second copy of Breezin’, 18 years old at this point, is what remains. "This Masquerade" is the only song with lyrics on the entire album, but its success took Benson in a new direction, which resulted in two of my favorite songs from childhood, "Give Me the Night" and "Turn Your Love Around."

Hear hear for "We’re All Alone," Scraps. Scaggs’s "Breakdown Dead Ahead" is one of my favorite songs ever. He may have had only a few years at the top, but he didn’t waste any time making quality songs.

McCartney and Capitol put out a two-disc Wings compilation (which did have solo McCartney songs on it) and an accompanying DVD called Wingspan in 2001, so I don’t think it’s fair to say that Wings has been forgotten. There are tons of great songs on Wingspan that I’d never heard before. I highly recommend it. And let’s not forget that Lennon made his share of solo shit.

I prefer "Lady Love" to "You’ll Never …," but I can’t deny Lou Rawls was great at what he did. "A Natural Man" is also a classic by him, although I could’ve done without hearing my asshole ex-neighbor screaming it into a microphone during a solo karaoke session in his apartment.

"Whatcha doin’ sittin’ on your butt" is what I thought the Bee Gees were singing instead of "layin’ on your back." Now I know. I’ve always liked disco, but I was too young in the late ’70s to even know what a "Disco Sucks" bandwagon was. A lot of great music came out of that era, and if you still don’t like disco, then that means you’re a racist and a homophobe. Sorry, but it’s a fact. And the only way you can mend your ways is to listen to "Disco Duck" 2,000 times in a row. (Sorry, but you have to start at the bottom.)

By: Richard Brandt

Richard Brandt — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:37:11 +0000

BET Jazz (before it disappeared down the rabbit hole and something called BETJ emerged at the other end) used to have Lou Rawls hosting a jazz show. The week he died they ran old clips of him almost continuously. He was one seriously smooth dude.

Later, the rabbit ate jazz pop and something called smooth jazz emerged out the other end.

By: Terje

Terje — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:53:58 +0000

Jodi, Scaggs’ 1999 release "Fade Into Light" has a slowed down version of "Lowdown" - but I think he falls into the smooth jazz trap on that version.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:36:20 +0000

I love Boz Scaggs, his stuff takes me back to summer’s at my father’s. Several years ago, a radio station in Seattle - 103.7 KMTT, released one of their “Mountain Music” cd’s with an acoustic, slowed down, live version of “Lowdown” and it was awesome. I would give anything to get my hands on that version.

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:25:47 +0000

Another fantastic entry, Jason. Hard to believe that the very same Kiki Dee belted out "I’ve Got The Music In Me" two years earlier… amazing what a funky pair of Garanimals overalls can do!

One thing’s for sure, they don’t get any smoother than "You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". Aside from that and some of his other memorable recordings, I’ll always remember Lou Rawls for what had to be one of his final public performances: singing the National Anthem before Game 2 of the 2005 World Series; he passed away less than three months later.

By: Attack of the Sports Metaphors « The Hits Just Keep On Comin’

Attack of the Sports Metaphors « The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 00:57:41 +0000

[…] Hare’s Chart Attack feature has been in 70s mode the last couple of weeks. The latest edition takes you back to my favorite year, 1976, and hits it out of the park. In another post, Jason […]

By: Jhensy

Jhensy — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:54:57 +0000

Being an older fart, I get excited when you do a 70’s chart.
I recently did a iPod reappraisal of "You Should Be Dancing"… it’s phenomenal. I ran with the ‘disco sucks’ crowd back at the time, but now I have no such biases and can appreciate it for the genius it is. There is SO MUCH going on in that song, and it’s pretty advanced for 1976. It’s almost prog, I shit you not.
There’s thumping bass, the tightest horns ever, about 18 different percussion things going on, a synth that swoops from headphone to headphone, a great instrumental break with a great lead guitar… check it out again.
And it took me years to learn that they’re singing "Whatcha doing there you’re layin’ on your back". The Bee Gees really had some indecipherable lyrics.

By: Dw Dunphy

Dw Dunphy — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:12:10 +0000

Oh, and thank you Beau and Jason.

By: Dw Dunphy

Dw Dunphy — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:11:43 +0000

Actually, Ken, I guess I should thank you. I remember 76 and 77, and while I’m sure selective memory has seen to erasing the worst moments, what remains is pretty fine even in spite of my bitching about lesser moments in music history. But things aren’t easy right now and much less fine. More than a few people I know are having more than a few bad days. I’m glad I don’t have children. It’s hard enough to look my nieces straight in the eyes and tell them they can be anything they want to be when they grow up, the way my parents did. Seeing people so uplifted by nothing more than a casual stroll down memory lane is nice. It helps me remember when I believed things so easily. I’m still hitching a ride if I catch McFly and the DeLorean coming my way, but until then, this will do…