Disc 15 of 25. This disc contains singles that peaked on the charts between June 1975 - February 1976. With a few exceptions, this disc has a definite country feel to it. Not the best disc in the series, this volume contains only 4 or 5 good tracks, mostly near the end.
Tracks:
- I'm On Fire - Dwight Twilley Band: Peaked at #16 in August 1975.
An interesting mixture of '60s British power pop and '50s American rockabilly in the vein of Dave Edmunds. Those are strange bedfellows, but this is one catchy pop song. It would have been a minor hit 10 years earlier or 10 years later, but I wouldn't call it timeless. - Fallin' In Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds: Peaked at #1 in August 1975.
A bland combination of C&W and adult contemporary blue-eyed soul. This is a smooth ballad, there's just not much to it. I guess it reached number one because it was a diversion from disco music on the airwaves. - Black Superman (Muhammad Ali) - Johnny Wakelin & The Kinshasa Band: Peaked at #21 in September 1975.
An embarrassing rip-off of Bobby Bloom's Montego Bay, but not as catchy. Rumor has it that Ali himself hated the song. I can see why. - I'm Not Lisa - Jesse Colter: Peaked at #4 in June 1975.
A country song about heartache (is there any other kind?) complete with mournful slide guitar. Also reached #1 on the country charts and #16 on the adult contemporary chart. Definitely not my thing. - At Seventeen - Janis Ian: Peaked at #3 in September 1975.
Teenage angst meets bossa nova. And it works. Great song, great arrangement - for example, when the Bacharachesque flugelhorn enters on the final verse, it just fits. - Run Joey Run - David Geddes: Peaked at #4 in October 1975.
A tragic (but laughable) Romeo & Juliet story song in which Joey has to run because he knocked up a girl and her daddy's got a gun. The CD's liner notes state: "The record does, however, have one stellar virtue: It is guaranteed to clear your living room when it's 2 a.m. and those last few partygoers just won't leave." I either didn't hear this song on the radio back in '75 or I've understandably erased it from my memory. - Rocky - Austin Roberts: Peaked at #9 in October 1975.
Continuing our theme of death, this former #1 country tune is much bouncier than Run Joey Run. That doesn't make it much better, though. - Eighteen With A Bullet - Pete Wingfield: Peaked at #15 in November 1975.
A sudden left-turn takes us from country music to '50s doo-wop (falsetto included). The verse is great, the chorus not so much, but a nice sax solo and bridge saves the day. "Eighteen with a bullet" may be the greatest double-entendre I've encountered. - Sky High - Jigsaw: Peaked at #3 in December 1975.
For me, the highlight of the disc. This cheesy dance tune has a great verse melody followed by a soaring verse. This never fails to make me chair dance while wearing a big ol' grin. - Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers: Peaked at #1 in January 1976.
More '50s style pop but tweaked for a teen idol bubblegum boy band. I loved it back in '76, but I'm no longer much of a fan of this infectious earworm. - Convoy - C.W. McCall: Peaked at #1 in January 1976.
Yet another country crossover hit, but I loved this one and couldn't wait for it to come on the radio. My and my friends were all in when it came to the late '70s CB craze. My CB handle was "Blue-Eyed Ladykiller." Just kidding, it was "Short Stuff." The writer of this "song" was Chip Davis who would later become a multi-millionaire thanks to his Mannheim Steamroller albums, particular the Christmas albums by that group. - You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate: Peaked at #3 in February 1976.
A great funk-dance tune that is very out of place on this compilation. I have a close friend who has an enigmatic attraction to this British pop band (you know who you are). If Hot Chocolate is on the stereo, dude is on the dance floor! I wonder if he uses "I believe in miracles!" as a pick-up line. ;-)
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: "If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!"
Previously revisited for the blog:
| Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 |
| Volume 6 | Volume 9 | |
| Volume 12 | Volume 16 | |
| Volume 18 | Volume 19 | |
| Volume 21 | Volume 22 |
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