They should have been released!

[firepoint525]

"Stairway": I don't know a Top 40 that didn't play it...unedited...between 1971 and 1975. Releasing it as a single might have coordinated some of that airplay (some stations didn't start until '73 or '74) and would have given consumers a single they could buy, but that's about it.

I was in grade school during the '71-'75 time frame, so I wasn't really listening to top 40 yet, so I would have missed that. I specifically recall it becoming airplay staple on AOR later on.

"Lovely": Agree about the need for an edit. KFRC, San Francisco did a brilliant one, and played "Lovely" instead of the third single (was it "As"?).

I had to look that one up. "Another Star" was the third single, and "As" was the fourth, but neither was a hit. Neither made top 30. "Pastime Paradise" would have been an interesting choice for a single, seeing as how it was sampled into "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio in 1995.

"Woman": Early enough (from "Saturday Night Fever") that it wouldn't have been the straw that broke the camel's back. The Bee Gees' backlash coincided with disco wearing out its welcome. I doubt that would have changed.

Not only were the Gibbs themselves dominating the charts in 1978, so were Gibb-associated artists, like their little brother Andy, and Samantha Sang, who basically sounded like a guest vocalist on a BeeGees record. Even the RSO label itself was doing quite well (aside from the Gibbs) with Player and Eric Clapton having hits. The risk of overexposure for the Gibbs was very real, so maybe someone cautioned against releasing a fourth BeeGees single from Fever. It probably would have crushed the Tavares version, if the two had ever gone head-to-head; not only that, but Saturday Night Fever would have been competing with itself with that one.

 

[firepoint525]

I always thought Springsteen's "No Surrender" and "Bobby Jean" were stronger tracks on the Born in the USA album than a couple of the seven songs that actually became singles. In fact, I worked at an R&R reporting CHR station then and after "I'm on Fire," the CBS rep called me to ask my opinion for the next single and I named both those tracks. Of course, the next three singles were "Glory Days" "I'm Going Down" and "My Hometown." LOL

My own preference was for "Darlington County," which was also never released. He still sings that one in concert, too. Somewhat surprising that he left in the reference to the World Trade Center in that one when he sang it live.

 

[firepoint525]

Madonna's "Into the Groove" came out at the same time that "Angel" was on the charts. Our listeners loved it, and "Angel" disappeared. I gather ITG was a single in other countries.

Was it at least on a 12" single?

On a somewhat related note, I remember Casey Kasem mentioning that the biggest hit on the disco chart that never also charted on the top 40 was a song by the Village People. And that it never charted top 40 due to never having had a chance to do so, since it was never released as a single. I don't remember the title of it, but I believe that it preceded "Macho Man."

 

[OldNumber7]

Madonna's "Into the Groove" came out at the same time that "Angel" was on the charts. Our listeners loved it, and "Angel" disappeared. I gather ITG was a single in other countries.

Was it at least on a 12" single?

If memory serves, they finally issued a 12" with "Angel" on one side and ITG on the other.

 

[billyg]

Madonna's "Into the Groove" came out at the same time that "Angel" was on the charts. Our listeners loved it, and "Angel" disappeared. I gather ITG was a single in other countries.

It was the flipside of "Angel" on the 12' single and on 45 in the UK, Japan and German. But I was never able to find it on a USA 45 until a few years later when it was reissued on a Sire "Back to Back" 45 with "Dress You Up".