Blog Archives
FlinterFile: Conny Vandenbos- De Noorderzon Scheen
In 1976, the Dutch singer Conny Vandenbos released the song De Noorderzon Scheen. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Sugarloaf- Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You
Sugarloaf had had one hit, in 1970. In 1974, they found themselves without a record label. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody
In 1975, Queen released their legendarious album A Night At The Opera. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Joost Nuissl- Ik Ben Blij Dat Ik Je Niet Vergeten Ben
Joost Nuissl released his only hit in 1975. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Nicolas Peyrac- So Far Away From L.A.
Nicolas Peyrac released one of his first successes in 1975. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Het Simplisties Verbond- Zoek Jezelf
Van Kooten en de Bie were a duo who made a lot of different programmes for television, in which they discussed the news playing a lot of different characters. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: 5000 Volts- I’m On Fire
In the disco era, the band 5000 Volts was very successfull. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Earth, Wind & Fire- Sing A Song
When Earth, Wind & Fire had their breakthrough in 1975, they had to go on tour. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: America- Sister Golden Hair
In 1975, America released its fifth album, Hearts. The song Sister Golden Hair, however, was older. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Roxy Music- Love Is The Drug
In 1975, Roxy Music played one of their iconic bass lines for the first time. Bryan Ferry first worked out everything by himself (text, music and title), but in Roxy Music, he started working together on the songs. He worked a long time on the lyrics, and in one live take, he recorded it all. The album cover of the album Siren meant also the start of a relationship between Bryan Ferry and model Jerry Hall, who couldn’t get the paint of her body… The song made a number 30 hit in the US and number 2 in the UK (kept from number 1 by David Bowie with a re-release of Space Oddity). Enjoy
Roxy Music- Love Is The Drug
FlinterFile: Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine
In 1975, the sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle released their debut album. They lived in the French part of Canada, and therefore released an album with English and French songs. For this song, the sisters worked with poet Philippe Tatartcheff to write it. Kate died in 2010 to cancer and left us a son who is also active in the music industry: Rufus Wainwright. Enjoy the hit she had with her sister:
Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine
Song of the day: Cunningham- Norma Jean Wants To Be A Movie Star
In 1975, the American singer John Cunningham recorded a song under the name Cunningham. As you probably have noticed, the song was written about Marilyn Monroe, whose real name was Norma Jean Baker. He recorded some other singles, which had no success. Therefore, he went on with writing songs for others, including Rhinestone Cowboy for Glen Campbell. His own recording would be a hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 10. The song was recorded again by the Sundown Company for the movie Goodbye, Norma Jean. It was one week in the US chart, reaching number 84. Enjoy
Cunningham- Norma Jean Wants To Be A Movie Star
Song of the day: Maxine Nightingale- Right Back Where We Started From
In 1975, Maxine Nightingale, a singer in musicals as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, made her debut with a song that would be her only hit. The song is about a woman who is wondering where the thing that started her relationship has gone. It would make number 2 in the US and number 8 in the UK. Enjoy
Maxine Nightingale- Right Back Where We Started From
Song of the day: War- Why Can’t We Be Friends?
In 1975, War realized that people are quite alike, if you put them in a different surrounding. They thought it would be good to discuss racism in a song. The theme is not strange to War, since this white group played a lot with white people, like Eric Burdon (the Animals), something which was a bit strange in the sixties. The song ended up at number 6 in the US. Enjoy
Song of the day: The Eagles- One Of These Nights
In 1975, the Eagles came back with a new album, which was inspired by soul! Artists like Al Green and B.B. King had a big influence on the music, as did the new guitarist Don Felder, who invented the riff which opened One Of These Nights. As the song is about putting things off, the album did not put anything off: the single became the second number 1 hit in the US, the album sold platinum in the UK and four times platinum in the US. Enjoy
The Eagles- One Of These Nights
Song of the day: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes- Wake Up Everybody
In 1975, John Whitehead, Gene McFadden (together the duo Whitehead & McFadden, who had a big hit in 1979 with Ain’t No Stopping Us Now) and Victor Carstarphen wrote Wake Up Everybody. The first to record it were Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, with Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. It was number 1 in the US soul charts, number 12 in the normal US chart and number 23 in the UK. Since then, it has been covered by many artists. Enjoy the original
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes- Wake Up Everybody
Song of the day: Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
In 1975, Bruce Springsteen released his final attempt to have a hit. After two albums with little success, he took one more try. With Born To Run, he wrote a sort of love letter from a man with a passion for a girl, Wendy, but doesn’t have the patience to wait on her. Allan Clarke, a member of The Hollies, made the first recording of the song. However, the release was delayed, causing it to appear after the version of Bruce Springsteen. The song only hit the charts in the US, on place 23. Enjoy
Bruce Springsteen- Born To Run
Song of the day: The Trammps- Shout
In 1959, the Isley Brothers recorded a song called Shout. They wrote it as a response to a song by Jackie Wilson, namely Lonely Teardrops. It reached 47 in the US, but was already covered a lot. Johnny O’Keefe took a chance in Australia, Joey Dee & the Starlighters went to number 6 with it, Lulu took it to number 7 in the UK, the Shangri-Las made a cover, as well as the Kingsman and many others. Even the Beatles, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen did a version of it! And the Trammps used it in 1975 as one of their first disco hits! Enjoy
The Trammps- Shout
Song of the day: Barclay James Harvest- Titles
Barclay James Harvest was a rock group with big successes in the seventies. They released the song Titles in 1975, on the album Time Honoured Ghosts. The song is entirely made out of Beatles songs, but not the texts: just the titles of those songs. The song was no big hit, but is the only song that I know of them. Enjoy
Barclay James Harvest- Titles
Song of the day: Van McCoy- The Hustle
Seventies and disco… they go perfectly together. Another example is this song from 1975, which would be a number one in the US and a number three in the UK. With over one million copies sold, it probably is one of the most popular disco songs. It all started in a nightclub in New York City, where the musical partner of Van McCoy saw patrons do the hustle. Van McCoy wrote the song and recorded it with quite some musicians. A few years later, in 1979, Van McCoy wanted to make a 12 inch single out of the song. He died before it was finished… enjoy
Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony- The Hustle
Song of the day: Bad Company- Feel Like Makin’ Love
Back in the seventies, we’ll let those guitars scream out, since we’re going to listen to hard rock! In August 1975 the song was released as a single, after it had appeared on the album Straight Shooter that was released in April of the same year. The song would make number 10 in the US, number 20 in the UK and number 5 in Canada! The song would be recorded by several others later, but they never had the original feeling. Enjoy
Bad Company- Feel Like Makin’ Love
Song of the day: Rod Stewart- Sailing
In 1972, the song Sailing was written by Gavin Sutherland for the Sutherland Bros. Band. It would be recorded in the same year, but it never reached the charts. That changed when Rod Stewart recorded the song in 1975. He hit the number one spot in the UK in September for four weeks. A year later, the song would return to the UK top 10, since the version of Rod Stewart was used as the title song of a TV series (the single picture is from that series). It would be the biggest hit for Rod Stewart in the UK, since it would be sold over a million times. Though he also was popular in the US, the song would stay number 58 there. Enjoy
Rod Stewart- Sailing
Song of the day: Julien Clerc- (Elle Voulait Qu’on L’Appelle) Venise
For some reason, the summer is the time I hear lots of French songs which I do not understand. They mostly sound very summerlike, like this song. In 1975, he recorded a new song. It would be a minor hit to another song on the album, namely This Melody. This one would even reach number one in the Netherlands, where Venise stuck to place 14. I like this one more, since it’s nice and uptempo. Enjoy
Julien Clerc- (Elle Voulait Qu’on L’appelle) Venise
Song of the day: Typically Tropical- Barbados
In May 1975, Typically Tropical released this single. It would be their only hit, entering the UK chart in the end of June and then climbing in the summer to the first position. It stayed there for one week. After this single, more singles came, but none of these reached the charts. In 1999, the Vengaboys took the song, changed some things (in this version, for instance, they do not go to Barbados, but to Ibiza), reaching the first spot in the UK chart with their song We’re Going To Ibiza. Today the original. Enjoy
Typically Tropical- Barbados
Song of the day: Natalie Cole- This Will Be
Yes, this was the debute single of Natalie Cole! Of course, her father was already very famous (the old Nat King Cole, a popular crooner), and now his daughter was out there to become famous, too. And she took a good shot with her debute: it was a number one R&B record, and a number 6 pop record. And I understand that: it’s just a great song, danceable and it makes you happy! Enjoy
Natalie Cole- This Will Be
Song of the day: Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel- Make Me Smile
Well, I don’t know why I chose this song. It’s a bit strange, to me. A real seventies song, and it’s special. Not the normal kind of song. It starts with the voice of the singer. It has something weird, and then the music. It keeps adding up, but it’s a great hit and a great song! Enjoy
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel- Make Me Smile
Song of the day: Status Quo- Down Down
A big hit in 1975 was for a band who rocked! They really made some fine records, and one of them was a hit (also in the live version, which is great!) Of course it’s a record by Status Quo!
Status Quo- Down Down
Song of the day: Peter Frampton- Show Me The Way
One of my favourite intro’s! But okay, I have a lot of them, yes, I know… But this one is favourite because it is electrical. And then it returns again later in the song, I love it! Furthermore, the song is just good and nice to listen to, so well, it’s the song of the day. The strange thing is that it never made it as single, but it did as it was released from a live album. Strange, huh?
So enjoy:
Peter Frampton- Show Me The Way
Song of the day: Al Martino- Volare
Wow! What did I find?
Okay. Let me explain: this is one of the vinyl singles in my father’s box with vinyl singles. He recorded it digitally, and I found it in iTunes as song.
And it doesn’t sound that bad, even a bit sunny, discolike, etc.
Summer is definitively coming, I feel it!
Enjoy Al Martino with Volare!
Don’t forget to vote for the Summer Song of the Day Top 20!
The FlinterFiles 