Friday, March 31, 2017

Chuck B times 2 (SNS weeks of 3/19-26/2017

Well, it was bound to happen, a lapse after four straight weeks of blogging.    And it seems like a while, but it was just a little over a week ago that we lost two "pioneers" or sorts, both with similar names:

Chuck Berry and Chuck Barris

And while it may seem that these two Chucks appear unrelated, one of them very influential in the development of a genre that spans decades, and the other more known for zany game shows, there is sort of a connection between the two.

As you may know, we lost a rock icon, Chuck Berry last week at the age of 91.    While we tend to worship rock stars that prematurely pass, such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and all of the "27 Club", we tend to take for granted those who don't pass until their eighties or nineties.    Although not a "rock star", for example, did we celebrate Frank Sinatra's passing the way we did, say, David Bowie.  Tony Bennett, a contemporary of the Chairman of the Board is still going strong and actually in a sense, still relevant, that will remain to be seen.

But back to Chuck.   While we call Elvis "The King", it was really Berry that was able to create his kingdom.    While Elvis was, for a couple of years, creating the rockabilly sound, by the time he took pop music by storm, he was more "refined" and presented in a more sedate manner.     But Chuck had the rawness in him, and he was the prime architect of what became "rock and roll".    It was 1955 that Berry had his first hit, "Maybelline", a few months before the masses even heard of Elvis. 

Another testament to Berry is that his songs---which he wrote, by the way, unlike Elvis, stand the test of time and are oft covered.   For example, 'Roll Over Beethoven", a top 30 hit in early 1956 has been covered by everyone from The Beatles (a band that takes its influences from early rockers like Berry), to Mountain and Electric Light Orchestra.   "School Day", his biggest hit (at least until 1972) extols the joys of spending the day learning and socializing, a definitive message to the new rock generation of kids, who now have their own "music".     Another, "Rock and Roll Music" is another rock standard, also covered by The Beatles, and a "comeback" hit by The Beach Boys as well. 

More hits followed:  "Sweet Little Sixteen", which again was covered--with new lyrics--- as "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys, and "Johnny B. Goode".   By then, Elvis, as well as other pioneers like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly, were popular and rock caught on with the younger generation.     But then came 1959.

Of course, that was when the "music died", when a plane crash took the lives of Holly, young upstart Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.     Elivs was in the army, and Chuck got into some trouble as well:  He was arrested after we was accused of having sexual relations with a fourteen year old girl who he illegally transported across state lines.     And although the was initially acquitted, mainly due to racist comments made by the judge of the case, he was tried again two years later, and convicted.   He was assigned a three year sentence that was eventually reduced to a year and a half.     Although he still recorded, the hits were fewer and far between, and by 1962, he stopped recording for two years.

It was late 1963 when he finally was released from prison and didn't start recording until 1964.  And thus created another problem.

It was Beatlemania and the Fab Four, along with other British bands, invaded the charts, with pretty much the same music that Berry created, and wiped just about anything that was popular off to the wayside.   But, talk about swimming against the tide.    Berry persevered, racking up three big hits in '64, including "Nadine", "No Particular Place to Go" (a reworking of "School Day") and "You Never Can Tell", quite an accomplishment as even Elvis couldn't hit the top ten that year.  

But, after a few minor chart entries into 1965, Berry would be gone from the charts, replaced by the budding folk rock movement, along with garage rock, Motown, and new American and British pop combos.   By the end of the decade, Berry was relegated to the "oldies" circuit.    But that would turn into one last hurrah.

In the last half of the sixties, rock music changed and evolved so much as the sounds from the beginning of the decade, and the fifties seemed like a long time ago.  However, those who grew up to the early rock hits, were pretty much alienated by acid rock, psychedelia, and jam bands.   "Rock and Roll Revival" shows started popping up, with the stars from that bygone era given a second career performing their hits.    And even a new band, Sha Na Na, played music that covered that period, along with new songs in that same style.    In perhaps what seemed out of place, that band performed at Woodstock, of all places.   Elvis made his famed comeback that year, garnering a #1 with "Suspicious Minds".    The revival shows enabled Berry to perform once more, even though the hits stopped coming. 

The London Chuck Berry Sessions, a live album, was released in 1972, but a miracle happened.   Nostalgia for the 1950's and the "golden age of rock 'n' roll" resurfaced.    Movies about the fifties and early sixties like American Graffiti surfaced.  Grease was a hit on Broadway, and "Happy Days" a hit on the small screen  And in the fall of 1972, three greats from the early era had hits:  Rick Nelson made a brief comeback with "Garden Party" (a song, coincidentally about his frustration of performing new music at a rock and roll oldies show with the crowd preferring his classic hits), Elvis Presley, with a #2 with Burning Love, his final top ten, and Chuck Berry, reaching #1 for the only time in his career.   The song?  "My Ding-a Ling".

That song was a reworking of another song he recorded and wrote, just substituting the sexual double-entendre "ding-a-ling" and taking the live recording to the top.    While it was satisfying that he had a big hit, many lamented that he had to do it with this song.    New York Top 40 WABC played the song once and banned it from the airwaves, even as crosstown WWDJ put it at the #1 spot for several weeks. 

Berry followed it up with a live rendition of "Reelin' and Rockin", which became his final top 40 hit.   Since then, he has been renowned as the founder of rock 'n' roll, and performed right up to his final years.    When he turned 50, it was then unusual to still be playing rock music, but even during his advanced ages, he proved that you're never too old to rock and roll.   He was in the first group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has become well respected as the true founder of the genre.     John Lennon probably said it best, that if rock and roll could have another name, it would probably be called "Chuck Berry".

Ain't that the truth.


CONFESSIONS OF A GONG SHOW HOST:   Just a few days after Berry's passing, we lost another Chuck B, Chuck Barris.    To many, he was pretty much the host of the zany Gong Show, which featured "talent" performing before celebrity judges (a precursor of sorts to "American Idol", although more considered a "parody" of earlier talent shows) of sorts, with decidedly untalented performers getting "gonged" off the stage.   It evolved into a rather free for all sort of show.     The host, Barris, was a bit nervous on the stage as he'd always clap his hands and look to the side camera when he was talking.  But, his mannerisms became legendary.

That's because he was always a behind the scenes kind of guy.   It was he who created both The Dating Game and Newlywed Game, as well as a few other shows.    You may be wondering what he has got to do with music.   A lot actually.  He worked behind the scene for Dick Clark's legendary American Bandstand.   He also wrote a few hits, most notable "Palisades Park", a #3 hit for Freddy Cannon in 1962.

He was also noted for his book "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", which was made into a George Cooney-directed movie in 2002.   It was about his involvement in the CIA.     Barris, who battle lung cancer in the 1980's, died of natural causes, he was 87.


CURRENT:    A fifth week at the top for Rihanna's "Love on the Brain", while Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" closes the gap, holding at #2.   The big new entry in the top 20 is an album cut by Fitz and the Tantrums, "Get Right Back", their sixteenth straight song to make it into the top 20.   Some things never change.   Tennis also garners their third straight top 20 with "Ladies Don't Play Guitar".  

Sam Roberts Band follows their #2 "If You Want It", with the Top Debut, "Fiend".  The Orwells, Band of Horses and Arcade Fire return after long absences. New to SNS are Middle Kids, a trio from Australia; LP, the stage name of Laura Pergolizzi, from Long Island, and...believe it or not, Justin Timberlake, who squeaks in at #99 with "Can't Stop the Feeling".    I've always been a fan of Timberlake; he is an easy going person who doesn't take himself too seriously.   I'm just not a fan of his music, more his acting.   But this song, a hit last fall for him was so infectious that I am adding this.


THE FUTURE:  You may have seen some of my comments on prior blog posts about me putting this to an end.    This was going to be my final blog until the news that Chuck Berry had died, which merited a blog about this rock pioneer.   Although I am a fan of current music (at least that which I seek out, and the few songs I do post get a bunch of likes), I will be ending the descriptive portion of the blog.   There is one more topic I want to discuss next week: The proliferation of streaming music, and then a recap of the last seven years.   I will have more on this next time.





Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100

March 19 and 26, 2017



This Week Last Week ARTIST-Title Weeks on List
1 1 NUMBER ONE:


"Love On the Brain"
Album:  Anti
(5 weeks at #1)
10
2 2 Ed Sheeran - Shape of You 7
3 5 Foxygen - Follow the Leader 7
4 3 Capital Cities - Vowels 15
5 6 Cage the Elephant - Cold Cold Cold 5
6 9 The Palms - Push Off 6
7 8 The Knocks and Matthew Koma - I Wish (My Taylor Swift) 14
8 4 Phoebe Ryan - Boyz n Poizn 13
9 10 Christina Taylor - Don't Look Good in Your T-Shirt Anymore 6
10 16 Coin - I Don't Wanna Dance 5
11 11 Billy Spanton Band - Faith (Hands on Me) 7
12 14 The Hounds of Winter - Lesson Learned 6
13 18 Lolo - Not Gonna Let You Walk Away 5
14 13 Saint Motel - Move 8
15 7 Wild Belle - Our Love Will Survive 17
16 12 Michael Kiwanuka - One More Night 23
17 38 TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:



"Get Right Back"
Album: Fitz and the Tantrums
3
18 25 Tennis - Ladies Don't Play Guitar 5
19 15 Jake Owen - If He Ain't Gonna Love You 19
20 24 The Knocks f. Phoebe Ryan - Purple Eyes 9



21 26 The Heydaze - Hurt Like Hell 7
22 40 Electric Guest - Back For Me 4
23 27 Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate 7
24 19 The XX - On Hold 11
25 22 Jeff the Brotherhood - Punishment 20
26 31 The Doughboys - Yo Yo 6
27 29 Two Door Cinema Club - Bad Decisions 14
28 37 CRX - Ways to Fake It 7
29 30 Bishop Briggs - Wild Horses 9
30 34 Santana - Fillmore East 6
31 21 Pretenders - Holy Commotion 13
32 32 Milky Chance - Cocoon 9
33 45 Train- Play That Song 5
34 17 Rachel Allyn - No Second Chances (Tennessee) 10
35 23 Dreamers - Sweet Disaster 10
36 36 The Shins -Name For You 7
37 43 DMA's "Timeless 4
38 46 Keith Urban f. Carrie Underwood - The Fighter 6
39 41 Kaleo - All The Pretty Girls 11
40 39 Us Commoners - A Long Road Back Around 7
41 20 Jim James- Same Old Lie 12
42 51 Phoebe Ryan - Dark Side 3
43 44 Phantogram - Same Old Blues 6
44 63 MOVER OF THE WEEK:

"Love Is Mystical"
Album:  L.A. Devine
2
45 55 Fleet Foxes - Third of May /Odargahara 2
46 47 Night Riots - Breaking Free 7
47 33 Calvin Harris - My Way 15
48 49 Declan McKenna - The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home 4
49 28 Adele - Water Under the Bridge 10
50 62 The Regrettes - Hey Now 3
51 42 Fitz and the Tantrums - Roll Up 16
52 35 Maybird - Turning Into Water 18
53 53 Rag n Bone Man - Human 7
54 54 Gin Wigmore - Willing To Die 7
55 52 Matthew Koma - Kisses Back 11
56 69 Royal Bangs - Octagon 3
57 60 Dropkick Murphys - You'l Never Walk Alone 4
58 65 Miike Snow - The Heart of Me 3
59 67 Silversun Pickups - Latchkey Kids 3
60 68 Blondie - Fun 4
61 59 Mayer Hawthorne - Time For Love 5
62 48 Young the Giant - Silvertongue 12
63 50 Deerhunter - Snakeskin 24
64 81 K.Flay - High Enough 2
65 76 Lady Gaga - Million reasons 4
66 77 Old 97's - Good With God 4
67 79 Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still 2
68 57 Paul Czekaj - A Place I Once Called Home 22
69 56 Sam Roberts Band  - If You Want It 17
70 86 Future Islands - Ran 2
71 89 Day Wave  - Something Here 2
72 61 Kjband - Waves 18
73 66 Colony House - You and I 18
74 73 Kelly Clarkson - It's Quiet Uptown 5
75 82 Anderson Paak - Come Down 5
76 83 Parquet Courts - Human Performance 4
77  --- TOP DEBUT:


"Fiend"
Album:  TerraForm
1
78 64 Portugal. The Man - Noise Pollution 5
79 93 Zac Brown Band - My Old Man 3
80  --- Middle Kids - Edge of Town 1
81 58 The Chainsmokers f. Phoebe Ryan - All We Know 16
82 90 Glass Animals - Youth 3
83 94 The Interrupters - She Got Arrested 2
84  --- The Orwells - They Put a Body In the Bayou 1
85 71 Trails and Ways - My Things 23
86 84 Fitz and the Tantrums - HandClap 38
87 88 Christina Alessi - Leave the Light On 14
88  --- LP - Lost on You 1
89 70 Bruno Mars - 24K Magic 11
90 72 Miike Snow - My Trigger 17
91 92 Hippo Campus - Boyish 5
92  ---- Band of Horses - In a Drawer 1
93 85 Alessia Cara - Scars to You, Beautiful 6
94 96 Marian Hill - Down 2
95 98 Paul Czekaj - That Old New Jersey 25
96  ---- Arcade Fire - I Gave You Power 1
97 74 Kings of Leon - Waste A Moment 18
98 95 The Big Takeover - Come Before Five 17
99  ---- Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop the Feeling 1
100 97 The Hounds of Winter - Oh Paige 21



 

Songs with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.

    Songs with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
       Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod.