Although I have learned to love the Spring and especially Summer and am usually sad to see it go, growing up, I did like winter because I loved the snow, and sledding at both my apartment complex (built on a hill) or at the nearby golf course, Galloping Hill, which is, per its name, very hilly for sure. Fall? Well, yes, it was a nice season as well, after all, both my birthday and Halloween (which are both the same day) fell during that season. But for the first ten years of my life, I really didn't get much of an impression of it. That is, until 1968 rolled around.
Now let's not get too overboard. I was only 11 going on 12 in October 1968. There was no "first love" yet, anyway. I was still this shy kid who started Junior High School (which was renamed the Middle School the following year), but there were changes in the routine. Going from class to class for seven periods, for each subject, and getting involved in many activities, namely joining the town's youth bowling league on Saturday mornings, as well as a church youth group which met on Sunday evenings. And before both of these, especially the latter, were responsible for making an impact on me. And while popular music had made an impact years before, and while it was the early summer of 1966 that I started listening to WABC, I wasn't really listening too much after October of that year. 1967 was the same way, as I kind of lost track of the Top 40 in October (but took to it, probably for good, in December of that year). But 1968 was a different animal altogether.
I've always thought 1968 was a great year for popular music. Unlike 1965 and '66, where teen-oriented rock, pop and soul (such as Motown) ruled the airwaves, in the wake of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper album, which took sophisticated music to the next level, much of that pop music went by the wayside, and people started listening to album-oriented FM radio, leaving the teenyboppers to listen to top 40. As you might expect, it was the birth of bubblegum music, but it also gave AM radio programmers a chance to delve into international sounds, and that was apparent by the latter half of 1967. For the next year, artists like Miriam Makeba, her then-husband Hugh Masekela from South Africa, Paul Mauriat from France, and Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 from Brazil, had international hits. Other songs appealed to older listeners as well. Rock, except for The Beatles and Rolling Stones, was pretty much scarce on top 40 radio. Until late summer that is.
The Garage Rock from the mid-60's was pretty much wiped out by the summer of 1967, many of the bands that did that kind of music after that period were considered bubblegum, such as the Ohio Express, or just faded away, some reemerged a few years later. But music had changed, and by August and September of 1968, hard rock, or "acid rock" bands, were cracking the top 20. Examples of this were Deep Purple's "Hush", Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild", Iron Butterfly's 'In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" and The Amboy Duke's (featuring future "gonzo rocker' Ted Nugent) 'Journey To the Center of the Mind". Two songs that came out early in 1968 that went nowhere, were re-released and made the top 10: Vanilla Fudge's cover of "You Keep Me Hanging On", and Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love". And although Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix were considered album artists, both cracked the top 20 in the fall as well, with "Piece of My Heart" (with Big Brother & the Holding Company), and "All Along the Watchtower". These were part of the transformation of the music of late summer and early fall.
But of course, that wasn't all the music. Pop music was very much alive in the fall of 1968. "Hey Jude" ruled the #1 position much of the season and was joined by such gems as "Those Were the Days" (Mary Hopkin, a protégé of the Fab Four), "Midnight Confessions" (Grass Roots), "Girl Watcher (The O'kaysions), "Over You" (Gary Puckett & the Union Gap), "Gotta Get A Message to You" (Bee Gees), "Elenore" (The Turtles), "Fire" (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), "Love Child" (Diana Ross & the Supremes), "Slip Away" (Clarence Carter), "Little Green Apples" (O.C. Smith), among others. "Revolution" was also played a lot, the B-side of "Hey Jude". How about "Sweet Blindness" by the Fifth Dimension? "Time Has Come Today", a slice of "psychedelic soul" courtesy of The Chambers Brothers, just gave me the autumn chills with the instrumental break. A lot of great music.
All these blared on the radio, and from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, the fall was awesome. Saturday mornings brought my involvement in Roselle Park's youth recreating bowling league (which our team would eventually come in first place), and I had the league high game for much of the season. Coming back home, it was mostly hanging out, but WABC would be on, playing many of the hits mentioned above.
And then there was my church youth group. They met on Sunday evenings, but there were some memorable trips in the fall on Saturdays as well. The was a hayride at the end of October, to a rural area that I really don't know there it was (it could have been close by, before the wrath of development, or it may have been way out in the western, then rural part of New Jersey). But I really appreciated the cold, crispiness of the autumn air as us seventh and eighth graders were driven around by a tractor. There is just something about that. It also helped that our youth group leader, Mr. George Hollings, in spite of being in his mid-30's, also listened to pop music (although, by his own admission, he wasn't into the "heavy stuff"). Thus we had a soundtrack to those times.
Another activity with the group was going swimming at the indoor pool at Drew University, based in Madison NJ, in November. We were driven there to the sounds of "Midnight Confessions", "Suzie Q" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "Shape of Things to Come" by Max Frost & the Troopers. When we got inside the main building on campus, we heard a band playing "Born to Be Wild", probably for a concert at the college that evening. Was Steppenwolf playing? In fact, Mr. Hollings asked someone there, is that them? I did look outside, and saw a van that said "Iron Butterfly" on it, so perhaps it was that then-popular psychedelic rock band covering that song.
Since 1968, I have had some really fun autumns, and music has always played a part of the fun, among the apple picking, moon-Howling (more on that in a future blog), corn mazes and other aspects of the season. Many of them have been memorable, and from the moment the first leaf turns color and the air gets chillier, I think back to that nice autumn of 1968.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: Like Marty McFly did this week (travel to October 21, 2015 which is "Back to the Future day"), let's set our sights to what's out there now. Hozier has his first SNS #1 song, "Someone New" which jumps up from #4 to the top spot. It's his third top 10 hit on my blog list and actually tops his very popular "Take Me To Church" which only reached #2. You would think that an artist with his voice would be repetitious in his music, but that hasn't been the case. It has a different flavor than "Church" or his other blog hit, the #7 "Angel of Death and the Codeine Scene". It helped that a friend posted this one a couple weeks back, as well. It wins a tight race with Nate Rateliff's "S.O.B." which advances to #2. Both songs also top Billboard's "Triple-A" chart as well (in reverse order). While I'd say "S.O.B." is a shoo-in for the top spot next week, I may not necessarily be sure. I guess it's all in my mood for the coming week!.
Ed Sheeran's "Photograph" also makes a big advance from #14 to #7 and which has finally seemed to step out of the shadow of his prior hit "Thinking Out Loud", which still inches up 15 to 14 in its 31st week. I've listened to "Photograph" in its own right, and for me it finally comes into its own and is as a worthy song as its predecessor which has some great memories for me. There is a good meaning to this one as well. The Top 20 Impact goes to Brandon Flowers' solo effort "I Can Change" which continues its "Thinking Out Loud" delayed blitz in a 33-18 move. Finally I want to make note of Elle King's "Ex's & Oh's" which is still in my top 10 in it's 21st chart week and has been there much of the summer. Top 40 airplay on this one is finally kicking in, as the song advances to #16 on the Hot 100. It's been awhile since a song that has been at or near the top of my list becomes a big pop hit months later...it's usually the other way around.
THE CREAM OF THE CROP: Three significant debuts on my chart this week, two efforts by fave artists who have seen the top a couple times before, and a surprising one by a pop artist who has been on my list before, but not like this. Let's start with the third single from Florence + the Machine's current album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, "Queen of Peace", which follows two top 5's. Just when you think that Florence Welch has finally exhausted all of her soulfulness, she dazzles you with even more of a gutsy performance. I absolutely love this one as well. A chugging beat which gives you chills down the spine. It is more rhythmic, but in a good way. Florence can definitely belt out a tune. It's her best effort since "What the Water Gave Me" from her last effort, which is saying a lot. I'm not sure if this will get the alternative airplay that the #3 "Ship to Wreck" or the #2"What Kind of Man" got, simply because rock stations would rather hold on to what they got. If they were smart, they'd jump on this one as well; otherwise, it will be my baby. There's a reason that this band is one of my favorites of the 2010's. It debuts at #70.
Perhaps a bit of a surprise is the next debut, at #72, which goes to pop star Selena Gomez and "Same Old Love". But maybe not that surprising. Her and her then band The Scene peaked at #38 during my first couple of blogs back in 2010, with "A Year Without Rain", but I have largely ignored her in the ensuing years. But a few months ago, I added her as the featured vocalist on the Zedd song "I Want You to Know" which reached an impressive #26 on my list. So I thought I would jump on her latest hit single "Good for You". While I gave that one a chance, as it rose to #80 two weeks ago, I caught her performance on Ellen DeGeneres' show performing her new single "Same Old Love". Thinking at first that it was "Good for You", I realized I was wrong; this one is excellent. She sings with life, and with soul. Within the pop frame, she breaths her life and soul into this one. I've allowed pop stars their moment into my spotlight, Demi Lovato being but the latest example. I love this one. While the production is a bit sparse, that only goes to highlight her voice. If pop music is going to be the way it has been lately, then there should be more music like this. It's also nice to see artists like Gomez develop over time.
Finally, at #74 is the fourth track from The Decemberists' latest, "Philomena". I was about to give this band's latest album What A Beautiful World, What a Terrible World, a rest. The three songs I had spotlighted were varied: "Make You Better" (#26) and "Wrong Year" (#24) were the singles, and although they made Billboard's "Triple-A" chart, they were disappointments with me, although "Wrong Year" should have been much higher but faced much tougher competition. The SNS #1 non-single "Cavalry Captain" was much more to my liking, if a bit more poppish. Well, at the most recent Jets tailgate, where my friend Alan Corso plays a lot of different music, old and new (and old-sounding new stuff), this song comes on, and of course, I think it's by some kind of obscure oldies group, or perhaps a retro-sounding new song like he did with the Launderettes or Vivian Girls. But, being curious, I waved my SoundHound app to the music, and it blew my mind that this was The Decemberists! And thus, I am not ready to give up on them just yet. They still have much to say, apparently. Perhaps they are compromising their R.E.M.- Jayhawks sound, but that is perfectly fine with me, since it seems like it'll be a cold day in hell that this stuff gets played on pop radio anyway. The instrumentation on this is awesome; and is worth several listens.
I should add that the two debuts further down are no slouches, either. The third single from Zac Brown Band's latest endeavor, "Loving You Easy", continues his move to a more southern-rock/country hybrid. A steady beat with a jangly guitar leads into a soulful venture, with a bit of Memphis sound thrown in for good measure. The beat is pulsing, and is probably a long way from "Toes" or his biggest SNS hit "As She's Walking Away". This one could rival that song. Again, it is great to see an artist reinvent themselves. Finally there is Ellie Goulding's "On My Mind". I'm not sure what to make of this. It starts off as current hip-hop type beats, and I am thinking the worse. "Lights" was a #1 song for me almost four years ago, and she's selling out now? And yes, the beat is sparse, but she finds a way to make this a very palatable effort. As with Selena Gomez's song, the vocals here, although appearing to be electronically enhanced, still have feeling to it. She makes the most of her portion of the record. And to be honest, it cooks...admirably. I really think all five major debuts will go somewhere.
ROLLING TOWARD THE DEEP: Too late for consideration this week, but I have found out that Adele's long-awaited third album, 25, will be released in November. That indeed is good news, as, with the current state of the Billboard top 10, it needs a dose of quality music. I also learned of the first single, "Happy". I will review it next issue when I add it to my playlist. One of the best moments of my blog was adding "Rolling in the Deep", the lead single from her last album 21, which broke her wide open, in December of 2010. That song hit the top of my list five months before the world did. This time around, however the world beat me to it; apparently it is (or will be) #1 on every chart before it enters mine. Let's see if that magic is still there.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
October 19,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 4 | NUMBER ONE:
"Someone New"
Album: Hozier
|
11 |
| 2 | 5 | Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - S.O.B. | 5 |
| 3 | 2 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Last Raindrop | 14 |
| 4 | 1 | Leon Bridges - Coming Home | 8 |
| 5 | 3 | Maroon 5 - This Summer's Gonna Hurt | 16 |
| 6 | 8 | Matt Weiss - Black Magic | 12 |
| 7 | 14 | Ed Sheeran - Photograph | 13 |
| 8 | 6 | Phases - I'm In Love With My Life | 13 |
| 9 | 7 | Foals - Mountain At My Gates | 10 |
| 10 | 9 | Elle King - Ex's and Oh's● | 21 |
| 11 | 12 | Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer | 9 |
| 12 | 10 | The Arcs - Outta My Mind | 15 |
| 13 | 13 | Lana Del Rey - High By The Beach | 9 |
| 14 | 15 | Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud● | 31 |
| 15 | 16 | Hippo Campus - Suicide Saturday | 9 |
| 16 | 11 | Mumford & Sons - The Wolf | 13 |
| 17 | 17 | Golden Void - Dervishing | 8 |
| 18 | 33 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"I Can
Change"
Album: The Desired Effect
|
7 |
| 19 | 18 | Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman | 19 |
| 20 | 22 | X Ambassadors - Renegades | 17 |
Tremors:
| 101 | 102 | El Vy - Return to the Moon |
| 102 | 105 | Smash Palace - Haddontown |
| 103 | Jacuzzi Boys - Happy Damage |
| 104 | Baio - Sister of Pearl | |
| 105 | 97 | Frank Turner - The Next Storm |
| 106 | 99 | Halsey - New Americana |
| 107 | Good Old War - Tell Me What You Want From Me | |
| 108 | 106 | The Oh Hello's - Hello My Old Heart |
| 109 | 107 | Boots - I Run Roulette |
|
|
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.