The Top Ten Lives!
One of rock’s more interesting eternal conflicts is the debate over AM, Top 40 radio. I think I like AM, for what is is, even though I often don’t approve of what it is trying to be. Despite evisceration, singles-oriented stations — which now occupy both sides of the dial — continue to be more interesting, and just plain more alive, than even top flight progressive FM stations.
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The Top Ten Lives!
DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL
by
David Marsh
Jan. 12
One of rock’s more interesting eternal conflicts is the debate over AM, Top 40 radio. I think I like AM, for what is is, even though I often don’t approve of what it is trying to be. Despite evisceration, singles-oriented stations — which now occupy both sides of the dial — continue to be more interesting, and just plain more alive, than even top flight progressive FM stations. (I can only think of three of the latter at the moment, anyway: WLIR, on Long Island, WABX, in Detroit, and WBCN, Boston.)
The worst song in this week’s Billboard Top Ten is Olivia Newton-John’s “Let Me Be There.” Among the other items on the Top Ten chart are Stevie' Wonder’s “Living for the City,” Brownsville Station’s “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room,” which is twice as good as any Alice Cooper single, (except “No More Mr, Nice Guy”) in the last year, Gladys Knight’s “Imagination,” A1 Wilson’s “Show and Tell,” Steve Miller’s “The Joker” (No. 1, and who ever thought he'd see the top of the hit parade again?), and the Ringo and McCartney singles.
I know that is some time away from whenever you’re reading this, but the point is that The Top Ten is alive. It always has been, but it has never been fashionable to admit. AM radio is too unsophisticated, too black and certainly too unpretentious to be chic. And, it must be admitted, of this week’s second 20, only Charlie Rich, War, Love Unlimited (with “Love’s Theme,” last year’sgreatest hit), Aretha Franklin, Todd Rundgren and Elton Johri are good, That is, only 60% are records for which you and I can share some respect and admiration and passion.
Ori the other hand, besides NewtonJohn, the only single on the Top Ten which I can’t stand is Jim Croce’s “Trine In A Bottle.” That’s not because I don’t like the song, but because I have an unshatterable resistance to the marketing of corpses. Crope-is good, but minor, just as Buddy Holly was, and what we are seeing in ’74 is the Same thing we might have seen 15 years ago: everything overrated but the airplane crash.
Most of the songs that will be listed favorably here are great because they’re worth an extra ID mph when they come on in the car. A good example is “Hello It’s Me,” which I always thought should be a national hit; now that it is, I wonder how I could have been so wrong. I wasn’t, of course. Sometimes, an unmemorable record at home sounds great on the radio, and vice-versa. Todd is in the unenviable position of having all his vocal flaws exposed on radio, but that’s OK. Now all the trivia experts can find another song to champion, and someday, if they’re lucky, everyone else will agree with them.
I am presuming that almost no one who reads this colum would buy a single if his or her life depended on it (with rare exceptions, like your favorite group). Because it is a way to keep myself honest — as a "critic, I get my albums free — I do buy singles, but that has nothing to do with quality. I bought Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain” this morning, because it still isn’t on the radio .here in New York, but I don’t like the way it sounds at home. I love it on the radio (I hear it on soul stations) and it blew my mind on Soul Train, but it doesn’t work on the stereo. See what I mean?
Anyway, here’s my list of picks to click, with current Billboard numbers appended, so you can see how close I came. All of these singles are in the bottom 50 as I write, because of the time lag. This is a drag, this month, because “Rockin’ Roll Baby,” by the Stylistics, the best current single, is at 27. (But L manage to sneak things in, you’ll notice.) Hopefully, next month’s column will also be more informative.
-THIRD GEAR
“Teenage Lament ’74,” Alice (64, bullet); “Raised on Robbery,” Joni Mitchell (75, extra credit for mentioning ice hockey); “One" Tin Soldier,” Coven (81, sputtering; but can the Billy Jack theme be all bad?); “Heartbreaker,” Stones, 83, bullet, first week; twice as good on the radio); “What It Comes Down To,” Isley Bros, (88).
SECOND GEAR
“I Got A Name,” Jim Croce (52, despite it all); “Stoned to the Bone,” James Brown (61, don’t you like it because it all sounds the same?); “I Wanna Know Your Name,” Intruders (72),,
FIRST GEAR
“Last Time I Saw Him,” Diana Ross (56, bullet); “Star.,” Stealer’s Wheel; “Babv Come 'Close,” Smokev Robinson (7„on the soul chart); “Boogie Down,” Eddie Kendricks (62),
REVERSE
“A Fool Such As I,” Bob Dylan (55); “I Shall Sing,” Garfunkel (67, bullet, but you’ll notice he’s not “Art” any more); “Wang Dang Doodle,” Pointer Sisters (77, yech).
OLDIE OF THE MONTH
J. Frank Wilson’s “Last Kiss,” (a sick 92).
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
WABC-AM (NYC) program director Rick Sklar, on “Americans”: “When the record came out, I seftt it down to the news department to check it out. They weren’t too sure of its accuracy. For instance, it says that, except for Russia, only American planes are used through out the world on international routes; That’s just not true. And that part about helping out [during the flood 60 years ago] on the Yangtze River — we weren’t helping out at all. That was when all the great powers went in to cut China up.” Sklar was quoted by Robert Christgau in Newsday. Now isn’t that the most radical, statement you’ve heard from a radio personality (AM or FM) in years?
