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And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'

Wandering back on the "stiffs" track...

Al Stewart... the hit, "Year of the Cat", #8 in early 1977. The second single from that album, "On The Border", stalled at #42 (was, of course, played on WHFM).

Elton John had a whole bunch of stiffs in the latter half of the 70's and in the 80's. "Ego", "Victim of Love", the Thom Bell Sessions EP, and "Nobody Wins", for a few examples.

Donna Summer "The Wanderer" and "Cold Love", her first two singles on Geffen in 1980, were both pretty major stiffs compared to her previous releases on Casablanca.

Rolling Stones "Undercover" LP pretty much ended their peak of popularity, though "Undercover of the Night" was a moderate hit.
 
nitro99 said:
I can hear it now..."there goes Fred with his hands on his head, cause he thinks he hears the bomb"

Sure was a 45...my younger sister had it and played it endlessly (1968-69). She couldn't play LP's on her miniature phonograph (listen to me..."minature" and "phonograh"... what a geezer I am).

One day I brought up an old LP from the basement and my son thought it was cool. He asked me to play the "big CD" again.

Geezer, indeed!

Okay, another one from the Kenner Close-n-Play days....Wait 'Til Tomorrow from the Banana Splits. Yes it was a single, yes it got airtime on KB, and yes, it was a stiff (I think it went to something like 46 nationally). It can't hold a candle to The Tra-La-La Song.
(cmon, you know the words, and you're not going to be able to get it out of your head for a couple of days)
Click to expand...

Thanks Nitro! That'll indeed be in my mental heavy rotation 'til at least Wednesday...:) (As opposed to my Heavy Metal rotation...sorry)

J-Mark, gotta include Al Stewart's "Song On The Radio"...1979's follow-up to "Time Passages". Great stuff...
Elton John's greatest stiff ever, IMO, was Fall 83's "Kiss The Bride" off the "Too Low For Zero" album.

And here are two gems from Kim Carnes: "Voyeur" (Fall '82) and "Invisible Hands" (Fall '83).
 
A hit in Portland Maine, a stiff in NYC, what what was it in Rochester?

Gary Lewis & the Playboys....
"(You Don't Have To) Paint Me A Picture"

-#15 nationwide
-#1 on WLOB in Portland
-Unheard ever, on WABC

In my opinion, it was one of their worst songs.....

go figger!
 
KB was way ahead of the Green Power curve. In the late 60s IIRC, KB served up this stiffapotamus: The Letter by The Arbors. It was a jazzy cover of the chart-busting original with a touch of phasing. Even though I kinda liked this version, The Arbors must have been half nuts to think they could cover The Box Tops' megahit.
 
Jan and Dean "You really know how to hurt a Guy".
 
Eighteen months running, 142 pages, 28,652 views. Who knew?

Today I submit for your consideration, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" by Men At Work. The song peaked at #28 nationally then fell into oblivion. I barely recall it getting more than ten spins at the station I listened to at the time, but somebody must have received a few swanky dinners for adding it.
 
Same with The Look of Love by little girl, Lesley Gore. Made it to 27 and vaporized with the Music Man theme somewhere.
 
Radknowski said:
Eighteen months running, 142 pages, 28,652 views. Who knew?

Today I submit for your consideration, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" by Men At Work. The song peaked at #28 nationally then fell into oblivion. I barely recall it getting more than ten spins at the station I listened to at the time, but somebody must have received a few swanky dinners for adding it.
Click to expand...

I recall giving it two spins when it came out. Maybe three, it never made it past the "C" category....

It is amazing how this list survives, and I think it does because it's a loose AOR (all over the road) format. Just don't play the first card, skip two other dayparts and sign and date the Rook Card and we'll be ok.

GT
 
Courtesy of this morning's AT40- The 80's, I give you "One Lonely Night", REO's follow up to the #1 "Can't Fight This Feeling". One Lonely Night was about all it spent in the top 20 as it peaked at #19.
 
Not to get off topic but I was listening to XM channel 7 and they played Wildflower by Skylark as their Jukebox of Cheese selection. I beg to differ there. Whoever their PD or MD is there needs to check himself/herself. A better choice would have been the song they played next. It's too late to turn back now from The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose.
 
It's Too Late To Turn Back Now, by The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, is one of Sweetie Pie's and my songs. But it is not a stiff. Now if you were to cite "I'm Just a Fool In Love", by the same artist seems to me a stiff.
 
Debaser said:
The English Congregation: Softly Whispering I Love You
Click to expand...

I remember you playing that in the winter of '72. Kinda cool in its day, seems like you were taking some real chances back then...Scott English "Brandy", Alzo "That's All Right, I Don't Mind", "The Road To L.A." (I don't even remember the artist, and it was a bigger hit than Alzo!) and several others come to mind.

Quick brag on my current station...we're now spinning some local Country acts at night. It's something...

Now back to the thread:

REO's "One Lonely Night", played it, spring '85. "Live Every Moment" was better but both were stiffs.

Anyone remember "All You Zombies" by The Hooters? I always liked that better than "And We Danced", but "Danced" was the hit...

And "Mr Heckyll & Mr. Jive" by Men At Work...that was where they ran out of gas as far as I recall...or maybe it was "It's A Mistake". I think "Overkill" was the only hit from that second Men At Work album.

Ok, off to watch House on DVR with my wife...
 
Most of the great songs mentioned in this discussion are part of the WLNG 10,000 song playlist.. all oldies, and not the 300 burned out ones heard everywhere else. They are like listening to a time capsule.. check them out if you haven't yet! You'll love the jingles and they are actually live!! The station does very well often hitting a 10 share in Eastern Long Island going against the big guys. They've been doing it since 1963 the same way! Check them out... WLNG.COM The fun part is you never know what song will be next so you just can't stop listening!!
 


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