American Top 40, 2/24/73

Topping the charts this week in 1973:

1. Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack
2. Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
3. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
4. You're So Vain - Carly Simon
5. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - Spinners
6. Do It Again - Steely Dan
7. Last Song - Edward Bear
8. Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend - Lobo
9. Love Train - O'Jays
10. Rocky Mountain High - John Denver

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" jumps to #1, after "Crocodile Rock"'s 3 week run at the top.  Two Top-10 debuts this week: "Last Song",  and "Love Train".  Dropping out:  "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?", and "Why Can't We Live Together"....

  And a bunch of Top 100 debuts, too many to list them all.  Notables include (w/ eventual peak in parenthesis):

• Sing- Carpenters (3)
• Drift Away - Dobie Gray (5)
• Sail On Sailor -  Beach Boys (80) (This would be re-released in '75, and rise to 49)

Clear as the Driven Snow

Walking the dogs this evening, after our snowy day.  Not a ton of accumulation, but a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow. About 1/2 way through the walk, it started raining.  31 degrees and rain.  Giotta love winters in the midwest.

The title is from the Dooboe Brothers song.

Sundown, you better take care If I find you been creeping round my back stairs...

Sunset today, after a pleasant Sunday.  (not to be confused with Pleasant Valley Sunday).

 

The post title is from the Gordon Lightfoot song Sundown.  #1 in 1974.

American Top 40 - 2/17/1973

Topping the charts this week in 1973:

1. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
2. You're So Vain -Carly Simon
3. Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
4. Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
5. Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack
6. Do It Again - Steely Dan
7. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - Spinners
8. Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend - Lobo
9. Why Can't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
10. Rocky Mountain High - John Denver

Crocodile Rock remains at #1.  Three Top-10 debuts this week: "Dueling Banjos",  "Killing Me Softly With His Song "and "Rocky Mountain High ".  Dropping out:  "Superstition", "The World is A Ghetto"and "Trouble Man "....

  And a bunch of Top 100 debuts, too many to list them all.  Notables include (w/ eventual peak in parenthesis):

• Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree - Tony Orlando and Dawn (1)
• Wildflower - Skylark (9)
• Call Me (Come Back Home) - Al Green (10)
• Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed (16)
• Bell Bottom Blues - Eric Clapton (78) (a re-release of the '71 Derek and The Dominos song)

Top 10 in February, 1983

It sure doesn't seem like 30 years ago....
The following songs were in the Top 10 (Billbord Charts, USA) during the 4 weeks of February 1983:

• Down Under - Men At Work (1)
• Baby, Come To Me - Patti Austin (1)
• Africa - Toto (1)
• Shame On The Moon - Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band (2)
• Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye (3)
• Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats (3)
• Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (4)
• Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club (5)
• Maneater - Daryl Hall and John Oates (6)
• Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran (6)
• Dirty Laundry - Don Henley (7)
• You And I - Eddie Rabbitt (7)
• Rock The Casbah - Clash (8)
• We've Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers (9)
• Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth (10)
• You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins (10)

The number in parentheses is the song's peak during February (not necessarily it's overall peak).   I remember most of these, at least a bit.  But I only own about 1/3.....
New twist:  I made a youtube playlist w/ all 16 songs.  Worth the trouble???

 

Barbed

A close up of barbed wire, between the Heritage Connector Bike Trail and the (under construction) Ray Schon Park.  I had a heck of a time getting my trusty PnS to focus, I need to try again with my DSLR.

Ray M Schon Memorial Park

For several years, there's been a sign along Glen Carbon Rd. anouncing "Future Site Of The Ray M Schon Memorial Park".  At least 5 years.  Several months ago they started converting the cornfield into what will be the park.  I've thought it would be interesting to record the lake, before it is a lake.  So I did.

Here's a couple more, click for larger versions...

 

 

American Top 40, 2/10/73

Topping the charts this week in 1973:

1. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
2. You're So Vain - Carly Simon
3. Why Can't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
4. Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
5. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
6. Do It Again - Steely Dan
7. The World is A Ghetto - War
8. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye
9. Don't Expect Me To be Your Friend - Lobo
10. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - Spinners

Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" drops from #1, replaced by "Crocodile Rock".  Two Top-10 debuts this week: "Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love".  Dropping out:  "Your Mama Don't Dance", and "Hi, Hi, Hi"....

  And a bunch of Top 100 debuts, with eventual peak in parenthesis:

• The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence (1)
• Breakup To Make Up - Stylistics (5)
• Stir It Up - Johnny Nash (12)
• Cook With Honey - Judy Collins (32)
• Master Of Eyes - Aretha Franklin (33)
• A Letter To Myself - Chi Lites (33)
• Magic Woman Touch - Hollies (60)
• Lost Horizon - Shawn Phillips (83)
• Good Morning - Michael Redway (85)
• Tossing And Turning - Bunny Sigler (97)

Still Life?

After my son's piano "thing" at SWIC yesterday, we went to Lilly's for lunch.  We were messing around with the plastic-wear while waiting for our meals, and my son suggested I take a picture.  So I did!

Guess you had to be there,...

Slice Of Life #41314.51

A sign on the sidewalk seen today at SWIC.  Just another "slice of life"

And for some context, from inside the building, looking back:

Look Deep Into Nature....

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better"  - Albert Einstein

The calendar in my office at work has nature pictures and an inspirational quote for each month.  I'm not overwhelmed with this month's image, but I very much like the quote.

I'm not saying that the image above is any better.  But I do like it.  This was taken at Umstead State Park, which is pretty much next to the Raleigh-Durham (NC) Airport.  This one's pretty old (for digital), May of 2003.  Not quite a decade ago.  I wonder if I can dig up the original file, I'd bet I could improve on it.  hmmm......

Absence Makes The Heart Grow.......

OK, I've been negligent about posting lately.  Since December 1st, I've been avaraging under 5 posts/week.  That's well under 1/2 the recent "normal" activity......  But I just haven't been all that active in photography lately.

Oh well, will try and do better.  Regardless, here's a Slice Of Life Shot, from my iPhone, yesterday morning:

I recently moved offices (I now sit about 12-15' northeast of my previous spot).  Not a real big deal, but I do have twice as much window as before.  This is my new view....  Someday that field will be another building, but I'll keep enjoying it in the meantime.

Amercan Top 40 - 2/3/1973

Topping the charts this week in 1973:

1. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
2. You're So Vain - Carly Simon
3. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
4. Why Can't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
5. Your Mama Don't Dance - Loggins And Messina
6. Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
7. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye
8. The World is A Ghetto - War
9. Do It Again - Steely Dan
10. Hi, Hi, Hi - Paul McCartney
    

Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" drops from #1, replaced by "Crocodile Rock".  Only 2 changes in the Top 10, with   "Do It Again", "Hi, Hi, Hi" entering and "Me And Mrs. Jones" and "Rockin' Pneumonia" dropping out....

  And a bunch of Top 100 debuts, with eventual peak in parenthesis:

• Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato (2)
• Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got) - Four Tops (4)
• I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) - Moody Blues (12)
• Peaceful - Helen Reddy (12)
• Aubrey - Bread (15)
• Kissing My Love- Bill Withers (31)
• Hello Hooray - Alice Cooper (35)
• One Less Set Of Footsteps - Jim Croce (38)
• Keep On Singing - Austin Roberts (50)
• Follow Your Daughter Home - Guess Who (61)
• Do It In The Name Of Love - Candi Staton (63)
• Palace Guard - Ricky Nelson (72)
• Wish That I Could Talk To You - Sylvers (77)
• Sugar Magnolia - Grateful Dead (91)
• Love Music - Raiders (97)

Album Debuts, March 1973

Continuing the series from January and February, looking at albums released in January 1973

  

There were a lot of releases in March '73, but only 3 that I own.  Those three, however, were pretty big: 

• Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd.  Perhaps the most iconic rock album of all time.  This one stayed on the Billboard album charts for almost 15 years.  Number 43 of Rolling Stones Top 500 Albums.
• The Captain and Me – Doobie Brothers.  The middle album of the Doobie's great trio of albums from July '72 (Toulouse Street) to February '74 (What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits).  All three of these are in my list of favorites.
• Houses Of The Holy – Led Zeppelin.  As the followup to Led Zep IV, HOTH still topped the charts, and ranks #148 on Rolling Stones Top 500 Albums.

 

 

Album Debuts, February 1973

Last month I blogged about albums released in January 1973.  It seems logical to continue the series:


February 1973 was not quite as significant as January, but there were still some good releases:

• Tyranny and Mutation - Blue Oyster Cult - BOC's second album.  I didn't actually discover these guys until around 1975.... 
• Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper - One of the best from the orignal lineup Alice Cooper Band.  Featuring Top 40 hits Hello Hooray, Elected, and No More Mr. Nice Guy.  Great stuff.
• Dixie Chicken - Little Feat -
• In The Right Place - Dr. John - Dr. John had his only Top 40 hit with "Right Place, Wrong Time" (which made it to #9)

You're looking at the umlaut, and it's looking at you

Recently I found myself wondering, Who originally popularized the use of the German accent umlaut for Heavy Metal band names??  (Yes, I often find myself wondering such things)....

I figure it had to be Blue Öyster Cult.  After all, they had the umlaut in 1972.   But it wouldn't be long before it was a staple of the hard rock scene.  From Motörhead to Mötley Crüe to Queensrÿche. Any doubt of the importance of the symbol was removed with the appearance in the movie Spın̈al Tap. (the post title is quoted from that movie).

Thankfully, we have the internet these days, and Wikipedia!  Which seems to support BOC as the original "gratuitous" umlaut.   So there you have it.