disco action! Love Hangover [[x2), Walking and High Energy

[sup_fan]

I'm continuing my research through the Billboard charts and i'm into spring of 76. quite an interesting time!! you have DR and 5D battling it out with the two versions of Love Hangover and then the Supremes are starting to bubble back up into the scene with High Energy [[song) and IGLMHDTW

here's the Disco Action chart listings from 5/1/76

16865

[sup_fan]

sorry - realize it copies very very small. here it is again

16867
16869
16870

in 75, the Supremes occasionally appeared on this Disco Action list too. but only in the Melody Shops listing. strange that He's My Man, Early Morning Love and Color My World Blue showed up ONLY in Melody Shops and no where else

[sup_fan]

here are the charts from 5/15. The girls are all over it!!

16871
16872
16873

discos in LA, San Diego, Boston and NY are all playing IGLMHDTW heavy. The song was, technically, released on 3/20/76. Same day as Love Hangover. At this point, LH is already charting on the Pop charts at #7 and IGLMHDTW hasn't even entered the Top 100 yet.

[Boogiedown]

There they are on the charts and in the clubs together .... one last time! How fun were those days ! What memories.

Good stuff sup ! Thanks!

[[Yvonne Fair in there too , top ten LA )

[sup_fan]

I just got to 5/29/76 issue and Walking has FINALLY charted. entered the charts at #98. but that's over 2 months after it's release which is VERY long to finally do something. coincidentally - 5/29 is also the week LH finally hit #1

previously i'd speculated that part of the reason Walking faltered was the competition with LH and how they were both released on the same date. I'd thought that Walking started to chart and get some action but then all of the push and promotion from Motown shifted to LH. and so Walking died on the charts

But with this delay to entering the charts, i'm not so now. My guess is that motown probably wasn't doing anything with Walking, just like they didn't do anything with the earlier Sup material. but the club action around Walking just was too strong and it finally bled over into the Pop market. They did have several Billboard ads which is something they'd not gotten much of before.

[PeaceNHarmony]

These retro-charts are always so much fun to see; lots of memories and thanks for finding them! There was excitement around High Energy's singles, for sure. I can't get on board with the 'it's Motown's fault', though ... just my opinion, been discussed countless times before.

I recall HE being on autoplay in my Karmann Ghia's 8-track. I had not listened to the lp in decades [[because 8-track) so I really looked forward to rediscovering it when LYG came out and was surprised at what a snooze 'side 2' was; I probably just kept replaying the 'side 1' cuts, which remain exciting.

[Bluebrock]

These retro-charts are always so much fun to see; lots of memories and thanks for finding them! There was excitement around High Energy's singles, for sure. I can't get on board with the 'it's Motown's fault', though ... just my opinion, been discussed countless times before.

I recall HE being on autoplay in my Karmann Ghia's 8-track. I had not listened to the lp in decades [[because 8-track) so I really looked forward to rediscovering it when LYG came out and was surprised at what a snooze 'side 2' was; I probably just kept replaying the 'side 1' cuts, which remain exciting.

Totally agree. I don't think the album has aged well. The first pair of cuts on side 1 are exciting and innovative, but the other two are average at best. Side 2 is a real snooze fest with too many dreary ballads, but it does end on a high note with Your what's missing in my life. That track should have been a single. Another missed opportunity.

[sup_fan]

totally agree that having 3 ballads in a row made for a dirge-like experience. Teardrops is really excellent but the other two are just ok. each by themselves would have been fine enough. but to have such a long block of slow ballads saps the energy - ironic given that the title of the lp was HIGH ENERGY lol

there are a few sound bites that the Hollands and Harold were taking inspiration from a full, symphonic sound and what that could do. and some fans have stated they like the "quiet storm" effect of Side 2. While the idea of that is fine, i think they could have done it with other material. doesn't have to be full-throttle disco. some simmering, sexy songs a la Sweet Dream Machine would have helped balance things

[sup_fan]

also i've pretty much completed the Sup billboard data. I'm through March 77 and that's [[unfortunately) the end of the line for the girls.

it's clear that I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking had a strong reception. it was listed in all of the disco action charts and stayed there for months. at times, the song HE joined it. But it was consistently there. I believe that's what let to it making the jump to the Pop charts. while it peaked at 40, it was on the charts for 14 weeks!! yes that was in the lower reaches but that shows its potential. that ties it with Stoned Love as the 70s singles that were on the charts the longest.

also there were multiple ads in the trade magazine to support it.

Driving Wheel and the songs from MS&S also charted but were much more inconsistent. now i have to point out that during this time, Billboard was changing their approach to ranking disco songs. early 76 was still early in the whole "disco explosion" and there wasn't a full national chart at the time. that didn't emerge until later in 76. Walking was not ever on a true "national disco chart by billboard." regional only.

Also Billboard expanded the markets it was monitoring. during the Walking period, it was mostly NY and LA. Boston too. but then they added lots more - Dallas, Houston, miami, Pittsburgh, Philly, Chicago, San Fran, etc.

it seems that the air was let out of the balloon with the MS&S project. according to mary's book, this was around the time Berry asked to manage the group again. by saying no, perhaps that doomed the project to even less support.

The songs from MS&S were inconsistent in charting. some markets never had any of the songs listed in their Top 20. Phoenix was actually the first!! lol San fran [[no surprise) quickly had them high on the chart. NYC too. But Wheel never charted in Chicago but Let Yourself Go did. And sometimes with was Wheel, Let and Don't wanna be tied down. other times it was only Let and Tied down. or Wheel, let and Never knew.

Also the duration on the charts was shorter than Walking.

IMO everyone involved simply didn't strike while the iron was hot. Walking could have re-established the group and had everyone aligned to take advantage of that with proper management and a thoughtful execution of the MS&S project and singles, perhaps it would have turned out differently