And The Stiffs Just Keep On Comin'

[Radio-Bored-Op]

this thread nearly 100 pages... and spanning three decades.
00s, [ 2008 ]
the 2010s, and 2020s,

We will all fuss here now and again..
but feels good to be a part of this forum

 

[landtuna]

Let's put it this way: It was SUCH a stiff that the label went back to the previous album for the next single (which was Words Of Love). It was happening at a time of some internal dissent, shall we say. Such as the main songwriter's wife was sleeping with the lead singer. Whoops! Free love! It was the 60s. Great choice, Rusty.

If you follow the 'adventures' of the Mama's and Papa's you see an anthology of rock 'n roll music and their groups in general. Whether you liked their music specifically their story is very interesting and documents the era very well.

We have a whole thread somewhere else about Words Of Love, the unique piano sound, and the first hit sung by Cass Elliott. That song was in fact a hit, but it was in the waning years of a once-legendary band.

Still legendary!

 

[DavidZ]

I’ll add ‘Avenging Annie’ by Andy Pratt that peaked at 78 on Billboard.

It did get lots of airplay in New England especially Boston where he was born. IIRC, it was a top 20 hit In Boston.

 

[Ed Nielson]

I’ll add ‘Avenging Annie’ by Andy Pratt that peaked at 78 on Billboard.

It did get lots of airplay in New England especially Boston where he was born. IIRC, it was a top 20 hit In Boston.

IIRC the old WVBF used to play that one.

How about "Gee Baby" by Peter Shelley from 1974/75? WRKO used to play it back in the day. Nationally it was a big hit, making it all the way to #81.

 

[DavidZ]

It’s time to have some fun and revive this thread again. Thanks to the moderators for keeping this one active.

How many remember “A Piece of Paper” by Gladstone?

It peaked at 45 on Billboard. I don’t recall hearing it much when it was released so I think this can be added in as a stiff.

 

[b-turner]

I remember A Piece of Paper. A good amount of airplay in Dallas. Sort of a Crosby Stills & Nash slash America styled song. Thought it was pretty good.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Since we just passed the Ides of March, perhaps the follow-up to "Vehicle" might be an appropriate addition. It was called "L.A. Goodbye" and reached #1 on regional charts in the Chicago area, including the Top 5 on WLS and WCFL, but only #73 on Billboard's Hot 100. The sound was very much like their earlier work, but not so much like "Vehicle." Here's "L.A. Goodbye."

For a sample of their earlier releases, here's "You Wouldn't Listen" which got to #7 in Chicago, but nowhere on the national charts.

 

[Ed Nielson]

Ides of March did have a follow up to "Vehicle" entitled "Superman." It was in the same style as "Vehicle."

 

[SirRoxalot]

Ides of March did have a follow up to "Vehicle" entitled "Superman." It was in the same style as "Vehicle."

James Guercio was making horns a big part of the Chicago sound with The Buckinghams, BS&T, and Chicago Transit Authority during the era. I suspect that influenced Ides of March.

 

[Nick Seneca]

All these years I thought Ides of March was an African-American group!

 

[b-turner]

One big brassy song about the same time: One Fine Morning by Lighthouse. And some good guitar

 

[Ed Nielson]

Also with that same sound from 1971 was "Get It On" by Chase.

 

[TheBigA]

One big brassy song about the same time: One Fine Morning by Lighthouse. And some good guitar

Lighthouse is a band from Toronto, led by drummer Skip Prokop, who became a radio DJ at CFNY when the band broke up. He later moved into sales for various Ontario radio stations. He died in 2017. Skip was the sole writer and lead singer of One Fine Morning. The guitar solo was likely by Ralph Cole. The record was produced by Jimmy Ienner, who went on to produce The Raspberries, Three Dog Night, and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. While the song may have been a stiff in the US, it was a minor hit in Canada. And now you know...the rest of the story.

 

[Ed Nielson]

Lighthouse is a band from Toronto, led by drummer Skip Prokop, who became a radio DJ at CFNY when the band broke up. He later moved into sales for various Ontario radio stations. He died in 2017. Skip was the sole writer and lead singer of One Fine Morning. The guitar solo was likely by Ralph Cole. The record was produced by Jimmy Ienner, who went on to produce The Raspberries, Three Dog Night, and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. While the song may have been a stiff in the US, it was a minor hit in Canada. And now you know...the rest of the story.

It wasn't a complete stiff... I remember it on WPIX-FM in New York where it did get some airplay. And it did reach No. 24 on the Hot 100, which I would say is a minor hit.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Lighthouse is a band from Toronto, led by drummer Skip Prokop, who became a radio DJ at CFNY when the band broke up. He later moved into sales for various Ontario radio stations. He died in 2017. Skip was the sole writer and lead singer of One Fine Morning. The guitar solo was likely by Ralph Cole. The record was produced by Jimmy Ienner, who went on to produce The Raspberries, Three Dog Night, and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. While the song may have been a stiff in the US, it was a minor hit in Canada. And now you know...the rest of the story.

It also got a fair amount of airplay and charted well on Buffalo radio, so it wasn't a stiff here. It was likely thanks to Don Berns who was music director at WKBW that it got noticed here. It was heard on several rock stations here in "lunar" rotation well into the 2000s.

It's also interesting that Jim Peterik of The Ides of March wrote several songs recorded by the jazz-rock band Chase and performed on their 1974 album Pure Music. "Get It On" by Chase also did well here.

 

[TheBigA]

Jim Peterik of The Ides of March wrote several songs

Also wrote Eye of the Tiger.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Also wrote Eye of the Tiger.

And most of the Survivor hits.

 

[Ed Nielson]

I used to listen to WKBW at night from New Jersey back in the 70s. They used to play a remake of "Born To Late" (originally by the Poni Tails) by a local group called Crimson And Clover (obviously a nod to the Tommy James & The Shondells tune.)

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Lighthouse was "Canada's Chicago." Big horns, tight production, expert musicianship, clean vocal. As noted earlier in this thread, Lighthouse received considerable airplay in Buffalo. "Sunny Days" was another Lighthouse song that received Buffalo airplay. Fact is, countless Canadian groups got an early "lift" in the states by virtue of airplay on Buffalo AOR and Top 40 radio stations. The Guess Who, years later, Rush and there are others, such as Trooper, Honeymoon Suite, Joni Mitchell* and Alanis Morissett. Toronto had a thriving music scene. Most US residents have no clue as to the size and energy of that international city. I can't help side-banding into the political realm by stating how absurd is the thought of Canada becoming a 51st state. Truly ludicrous.

But, back to center channel: In the 60s and 70s, both 1050 CHUM and the Big 8 CKLW were prime Top 40 signals in the Buffalo market. CHUM-FM at the time was a premier AOR. The 716 were influenced by a lot of CanCon.

As to this thread, "Raised On Robbery*" cool song by Joni Mitchell qualifies, peaking on the Billboard Chart at #65 in 1973.

 

[Ed Nielson]

Another overlooked tune from Joni is "You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio" released in late 1972. A minor hit in the US, where it went to No. 25 on the Hot 100.