Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 Motown Chronicles - 1974 --- [Pt. 3]

[Boogiedown]

OK we are rounding the bend for the final stretch of 1974. What gems from Motown await the charts?? What fizzles? Any surprises?

By the end of this last 3 month music period of 1974, disco will have officially arrived. We'll see how that unfolds. Will Motown be included right out of the box?

Let's get to it!!

*********

Because of the amount of content,

the year 1974 is being divided into three threads.

This is Part III:
September - December
______________

Previously on Motown and Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40:

1974:
link for: 1974 Part II - May - August
link for: 1974 Part I - January - April

1973:
link for: 1973 Part III - Sept - December
link for: 1973 Part II - May - August
link for: 1973 Part I - Jan - April

1972:
link for: 1972 Part III - Sept - December
link for: 1972 Part II - May - August
link for: 1972 Part 1 - Jan - April

1971:
link for: 1971 Pt. 1 - Jan - July
link for: 1971 Pt. 2 - July - December

link for: 1970

[SatansBlues]

Can't wait! Too bad this isn't a music podcast.

[Boogiedown]

OK SatansBlues let's get to it!

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #35
September 7, 1974

Number of singles reviewed this week: 102
last week: 99
including:

First Time Around:
DYNAMIC SUPERIORS - Shoe Shoe Shine [3:25]; producers. Ashford & Simpson; writers: N. Ashford- V. Simpson: Motown 1324. Catchy soul tune. Good for disco market.

The Motown Review:

Stevie Wonder is still charting alone on the Top 40 as YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' moves progressively upward with steady steps. The Miracles do a giant jump and land just outside the Top 40, while Eddie Kendricks comes to a dead stop at #54. Two others linger and no new ones join, so there are 5 Motown songs on the Hot 100.

The Top 10:

#1:
Billboard: - [YOU'RE] HAVING MY BABY - week 3
Record Word: - I SHOT THE SHERIFF - week 1
Cash Box: - I SHOT THE SHERIFF - week 1

Paul Anka wrote both of his #1 records, as well as most of his hits in between, but a big one like YOU'RE HAVING MY BABY he hasn't pulled off since before the sixties. Two new records arrive: NOTHING FROM NOTHING bullets in at #7 from #12 by Billy Preston, as does Dionne Warwick & The Spinners at #10 from #11 with THEN CAME YOU. Two depart: Roberta Flack's FEEL LIKE MAKIN LOVE loses its heat from #5 to #11, while Jim Stafford's WILDWOOD WEED gets plucked from the Top 10 from #7 to #18.

The Top 40:

Motown:
One! 45 from Motown is on the Top 40:
^YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' - Stevie Wonder bullets to #15 from #19 from #26 from #31
OFFS: none
_____

Biggest mover in the Top 40, 9 movements:
EARACHE MY EYE - Cheech & Chong to #30 from #39

5 titles , 4 artists , 4 US, 1 Swedish, 3+Top 10 bound+, 1 PI related, 0 Motown, 0 by proxy, 2 Country
Highest debut:
+NEVER MY LOVE+ - Blue Swede #32 up 18 from #50 [2nd and final Top 40 hit]

YOU LITTLE TRUSTMAKER - Tymes #35 up 18 from #53 [5th and final Top 40 hit]
ONE HELL OF A WOMAN - Mac Davis #36 up 5 from #41 [2nd-4th Top 40 hit]
+STEPPIN' OUT GONNA BOOGIE TONIGHT+ - Dawn #39 up 31 from #70 [9th Top 40 hit]
+STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES+ - Mac Davis #40 up 31 from #71 [3rd Top 40 hit]

The Hot 100:

9 entries: 6 Top 40 bound, 2 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 1 Philly International related, 0 Motown, 1 by proxy, 1 Country
Highest debut:
2nd tier:*
#45 - SKIN TIGHT - Ohio Players
#63 - THE BITCH IS BACK - Elton John

3rd tier:
#77 - GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE - Righteous Bros
#81 - STRAIGHT SHOOTIN' WOMAN - Steppin' Wolf
#84 - HIGHER PLANE - Kool & Gang
#87 - LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER - William DeVaughn
#90 - LIFE IS A ROCK BUT THE RADIO ROLLED ME - Reunion [Smokey Robinson , UPTIGHT mentioned]
#91 - I'M A RAMBLIN' MAN - Waylon Jennings
#94 - DO IT FLUID - Blackbyrds
____

Motown:
debuts: none
3rd week: ^DO IT BABY - Miracles #44 up 21 from #65 from #75
5th week: TELL HER LOVE HAS FELT THE NEED - Eddie Kendricks #54 repeats from #54 from #64 from #74 from #84
9th week: DON'T KNOCK MY LOVE - Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross #85 down 25 from #60 from #52 from #46 from #49 from #53 from #64 from #76 from #90
13th week: MACHINE GUN - Commodores #92 down 30 from #62 from #55 from #50 from #38

offs : none
_________

A very good week for:
Mac Davis
Not only does his current single catapult into the Top 40, but his previous single also enters the Top 40 [again] the same week. [have not witnessed two singles by the same artist entering the Top 40 in the same week before]

Also a very good week for:
John Hall
The Fame Records owner and Muscle Shoals record producer has two charting: Mac Davis' long running single ONE HELL OF A WOMAN as well as this week's #1 record by Paul Anka.

***
UK:
Osmonds do a giant jump to #1 from #19 with LOVE ME FOR A REASON. Meanwhile on the Motown front, impatient for something catchy that's new, a couple of oldies have been resurrected: at #6 WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED by Jimmy Ruffin and BABY LOVE now credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes at #32. Also released for the 1st time as a single anywhere: WINDOW SHOPPING by R Dean Taylor entering at #49. Disco wise charting: QUEEN OF CLUBS by KC & The Sunshine Band at #25.

***

The European role in disco continues ... [Titanic, The Peppers, Sunny's DOCTOR'S ORDERS] This week, Sweden's Blue Swede has the highest debut into the Top 40 with their follow-up to their #1 HOOKED ON A FEELING with NEVER MY LOVE:



a punchy, at times SHAFT-ish upbeat take on a famously slow ballad, a trick Gloria Gaynor will soon do as well in her path toward becoming disco's first acknowledged queen.

***
Meanwhile in the UK, now Top 10 [from #29 to #9] is a quirky flute-laden [like SHAFT] dance tune quickly recorded initially as an intended single's "B' side. KUNG FU FIGHTING has unexpectedly caught fire on the charts there by unknown artist Jamaican born Carl Douglas . Biddu, also unknown, the man behind the controls of what will become a world-wide smash, is about to deep dive into disco



"now we're into a brand new trip!" - "let's get it on"

***

MARVIN GAYE
OHIO PLAYERS
RUFUS
Nassau Coliseum - New York
Superstar Marvin Gaye on Aug. 25 gave his fans a show which they won't soon forget. Although the sound was consistently poor throughout, it didn't seem to matter. Gaye cavorted from hit to hit with ease and had the crowd on its feet begging for more from the first song. His star status was furthered throughout New York with this concert as the show was his all the way. He has the flamboyant stage presence needed to command respect and the talent needed to keep it. Supported by The Ladies Choice, a very professional singing group, Gaye and his large and funky band did their thing in an extremely well-paced set.

***

Motown Promotes
9 Anthologies
LOS ANGELES-
Motown Records has designated September as "Anthology Month" with new promotion emphasis pegged around nine deluxe sets originally issued in 1973.
Artists involved are Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Junior Walker,
Gladys Knight & the Pips, Martha Reeves & the Vendettas and the Four Tops. Each package contains either two or three disks and, according to the label's national manager Mike Lushka, they have sold more than 900,000 units. Lushka says the "Anthology Month" campaign will extend through December.

***

Disco Deejays Debut
Monthly News Sheet
NEW YORK-
The National Assn. of Discotheque Disc Jockeys has begun publication of a monthly news sheet, "The Melting Pot" designed to inform its members of musical trends and industry news items.
The sheet, published by Blendisc Inc., lists album product deemed suitable for disco airplay and features interviews and articles on industry figures and discotheque happenings.

WB,Casablanca Break It Off
LOS ANGELES-
Casablanca
Records, Neil Bogart's label, is no
longer being distributed by Warner
Bros. Bogart former president of
Buddah, will take Casablanca into
independent distribution.
No reason for the termination was
given in the joint announcement by
WB and Casablanca. The label was set up with
WB funding earlier this year

***

Quincy Jones Faces
Additional Surgery
LOS ANGELES
-Quincy Jones is recovering rapidly from brain surgery. He is at home, accepting telephone calls and feeling well, he says.
The noted arranger-conductor must return to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in October for additional surgery, however, as a result of an aneurysm. The Jones LP "Body Heat" on A&M rose to # 1 on the Jazz Top LP chart last week and will become the biggest selling album he's ever made, A&M executives report.

* have not before seen two 45's enter in the 2nd tier [#34 through #67] ranking the same week.

[Boogiedown]

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #36
September 14, 1974

Number of singles reviewed this week: 70
last week: 102
including:
Soul recommended
B.B. KING - Philadelphia [3:22]; producer: Dave Crawford;
writer: Dave Crawford; ABC 12029

THE MIGHTY CLOUDS 0F JOY - Time [3:05]; producer: Dave
Crawford; writer. Dave Crawford; ABC/Dunhill 15012 [ABC].

Cashbox:

GLORIA GAYNOR [MGM 14748)
Never Can Say Goodbye [2:55] [Jobete, ASCAP -C. Davis]
Already a standard as recorded by the Jackson 5 and Isaac Hayes, this classic
pop/r&b tune gets a simply fantastic reworking by Gloria that will open new doors and
many ears for the artist. The perfect disco rocker, this totally infectious hard driver,
spiced by an additional taste of funk, will be attractive to both pop and r&b markets.
Say hello to Gloria, a talent of the first degree, and to this incredible track, the one that's going to establish her.

The Motown Review:

Stevie Wonder 's LP FULLFILLINGNESS' FIRST FINALE is this weeks #1 LP on the Top 200 while the first single from it, YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' continues to advance and is now just outside the Top 10 [#3 Soul]. The Miracles join him on the Top 40, but just barely at #40 and without a bullet. This after a huge jump last week. Eddie Kendricks latest is now descending without crossing into the Hot 100's top half. That's it for Motown, no new ones are added and two drop off, giving the label just 3 records representing.

The Top 10:

#1:
Billboard: - I SHOT THE SHERIFF - week 1
Record Word: - I SHOT THE SHERIFF - week 2
Cash Box: - CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE BABE - week 1

A very tame Top 10 with nine singles advancing slowly, none with bullets. including the new #1, I SHOT THE SHERIFF by Eric Clapton easing in to #1 from #2, trading places with Paul Anka's YOURE HAVING MY BABY. The one exception is THEN CAME YOU by The Spinners and Dionne Warwick from #10 to #8. CLAP FOR THE WOLFMAN by The Guess Who gets a polite reception entering at #10 from #13 without a bullet. Forced out, the former #1, THE NIGHT CHICAGO DIED by Paper Lace from #8 to #14 :

The Top 40:

Motown:

Two 45s from Motown are on the Top 40:
^YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' - Stevie Wonder bullets to #11 from #15 from #19 from #26 from #31
DO IT BABY - Miracles DEBUT at #40
OFFS: none
_____

Biggest mover in the Top 40, a dozen leaps:
ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT Cat Stevens to #15 from #27

Just 3 titles enter, 3 US, 1+Top 10 bound+, 0 PI related, 1 Motown, 0 by proxy, 0 Country
Highest debut:
SKIN TIGHT - Ohio Players #33 up 12 from #45 [3rd Top 40 hit]

+JAZZMAN+ - Carole King #39 up 18 from #57 [9th Top 40 hit]
DO IT BABY - Miracles #40 up 4 from #44 [15th Top 40 hit as Miracles]

The Hot 100:

9 arrivals: 4 Top 40 bound, 2 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 1 Philly International related, 0 Motown, 0 by proxy, 2 Country
Highest debut:
3rd tier:
#84 THE NEED IN ME - Jim Weatherly

#85 ALL SHOOK UP - Suzi Quatro
#86 - BOOGIE BANDS AND ONE NIGHT STANDS - Kathy Dalton
#88 - OVERNIGHT SENSATION - Raspberries
#89 - HONEY HONEY - Abba
#90 IVE GOT THE MUSIC IN ME - Kiki Dee
#92 - THE PLAYER [part I] - First Choice
#93 - DELTA DIRT - Larry Gatlin
#95 - PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW THE STORY ENDS - Rommie Milsap
_____

Motown:
debuts: none
4th week: ^DO IT BABY - Miracles Top 40 from #44 from #65 from #75
6th week: TELL HER LOVE HAS FELT THE NEED - Eddie Kendricks #62 down 8 from #54 from #54 from #64 from #74 from #84
10th week: DON'T KNOCK MY LOVE - Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross OFF from #85 from #60 from #52 from #46 from #49 from #53 from #64 from #76 from #90
14th week: MACHINE GUN - Commodores OFF from #92 from #62 from #55 from #50 from #38

offs : two

Commodores' MACHINE GUN is out of ammunition and the coupled love fest between Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross now comes to a close after their remake of a Wilson Pickett hit three years prior falls short of the Top 40. Producer Hal Davis will do better with Diana by herself in the future.
_____

A very good week for:
Abba
On the British chart at #10, Abba's HONEY HONEY has been hijacked by an artificial British group SWEET DREAMS with Polly Brown singing lead. That version has already charted in the US for 3 weeks, but a bulleted Abba seems poised to take it on. This just as their first US hit WATERLOO leaves the Top 40.

***
Also a very good week for:
David Crawford

Crawford has landed himself a producing job at ABC records and two of his Philadelpha projects show promise as they get review mentions this week [see above]



When a long standing gospel group does disco, something is up.



When a long standing blues artist does disco .... something is up.

***
A full-page color ad announcing the arrival of Disco Tex & The Sex-O'lettes
that reads:

EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO SOMEONE RELEASES A RECORD THAT IS SO NEW
IT STOPS PEOPLE FROM ASKING WHAT THE NEXT BIG TREND WILL BE.
PREPARE YOURSELF NOW FOR THE EVENTUAL PHENOMENON
WHICH IS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE.

[Boogiedown]

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #37
September 21, 1974

Number of singles reviewed this week: 93
last week: 70
including:

MARVIN GAYE - Distant Lover [3:15]; producer: not listed;
writers: M. Caye- G. Fuqua -S. Greene; Tamla 54253F. Taken from his live LP, this tune captures all the excitement found on the album as well
as giving Gaye a chance to showcase the voice that has kept
him on top of the charm for a decade. Highlight here is the
excellent singing. Should hit AM airwaves immediately.

Cashbox:
MARVIN GAYE [Tamla 54253F]
Distant Lover [3:18] [-M. Gaye, G. Fuqua, S. Greene]
Judging by crowd reaction on this "live" cut culled from Marvin's current Top 10 LP, there's going to be no trouble getting this strong soulful ballad off the ground. Pop and r&b markets are already airing this track to strong listener reaction and from all indications, this track should follow the LP into the Top 10. Marvin is definitely the star his performances prove him to be. Flip: Trouble Man [4:15]

Record World:
MARVIN GAYE - Tamla 54253 DISTANT LOVER [prod. not listed]
This version of the ballad originally on his "Let's Get It On" set is the live one from his current album. Marvin's gonna come close with this sexiest of slow drags.

The Motown Review:

A Top 10 single for Motown as Stevie Wonder bullets in. The Miracles get a second wind and move up 9 within the Top 40. Eddie Kendricks also rebounds a tad while remaining in the lower half of the Hot 100. No new singles chart, none drop off ....three titles for the label. All eyes are on the new single by Marvin Gaye as all three trades tout it.

The Top 10:

#1:
Billboard: - CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE, BABE - week 1
Record Word: - CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE, BABE - week 1
Cash Box: - I HONESTLY LOVE YOU - week 1

Barry White's CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE, BABE has been #1 on the Soul chart for 4 weeks and this week it takes a hefty leap from #5 to #1 on the Hot 100. Trading places, Eric Clapton's I SHOT THE SHERIFF is now #5 from #1 after one week there. Each hit seems to be lined up in wait for a turn at the top and this week every record moving upward [there are 8] is doing so with a bullet, including the three new ones. Biggest arrival at #3 from #12 is Olivia Newton-John's I HONESTLY LOVE YOU, currently the Adult Contemporary chart's #1. At #9 from #11, Stevie Wonder delivers for Motown with YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN', while former Motown resident Johnny Bristol enters at #10 from #12 with HANG ON IN THERE BABY. Leaving: Donny and Marie's I'M LEAVING IT ALL UP TO YOU from #4 to #13, YOU AND ME AGAINST THE WORLD by Helen Reddy to #17 from #9 and Rufus' TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD free falls to #24 from #7.

Motown:

Two 45s from Motown are on the Top 40:
^YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' - Stevie Wonder bullets to #9 from #11 from #15 from #19 from #26 from #31
DO IT BABY - Miracles bullets to #32 from #40
OFFS: none
_____

Biggest mover in the Top 40, ten jumps:
JAZZMAN - Carole King to #29 from #39

5 titles enter, 5 US recorded, 3+Top 10 bound+, 0 PI related, 0 Motown, 0 by proxy, 0 Country
Highest debut:
+THE BITCH IS BACK+ - Elton John #30 #52 [12th Top 40 hit]

+LOVE ME FOR A REASON+ - Osmonds #37 up 43 from #60 [9th Top 40 hit]
PAPA DON'T TAKE NO MESS - James Brown #38 up 6 from #44 [43rd Top 40 hit]
FALLIN' IN LOVE - Souther, Hillman Furay Band #39 up 14 from #53 [One Hit Wonder]
+TIN MAN+ - America #40 up 11 from #51 [5th Top 40 hit]

The Hot 100:

11 chartmakers: 9 Top 40 bound, 4 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 1 Philly International related, 0 Motown, 1 by proxy, 2 Country
Highest debut:
2nd tier:
#65 - YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET - Bachman -Turner Overdrive

#70 - BACK HOME AGAIN - John Denver
#77 - 2ND AVENUE - Garfunkel
#83 - 2ND AVENUE - Tim Moore
#84 - LOVE DON'T LOVE NOBODY [PT 1] - Spinners [former Motown act]
#86 - SO YOU ARE A STAR - Hudson Bros.
#87 - EVERLASTING LOVE - Carl Carlton
#88 - MY MELODY OF LOVE - Bobby Vinton
#89 - PEOPLE GOTTA MOVE - Gino Vannelli
#90 - YOU CAN HAVE HER - Sam Neely
#92 - JAMES DEAN - Eagles
________

Motown:
debuts: none

7th week: ^TELL HER LOVE HAS FELT THE NEED - Eddie Kendricks #58 up 4 from #62 from #54 from #54 from #64 from #74 from #84
offs: none
__________

A very good week for:

Johnny Bristol
Bristol's single, HANG ON IN THERE BABY slipped downward last week to #12 from its peak of #11; this week it rebounds into the Top 10. Meanwhile The Osmonds break into the Top 40 with the Bristol penned LOVE ME FOR A REASON which is also repeating this week at #1 in the UK [with Donny and Marie Osmond close by at #3, having already peaked at #2.] Here's Bristol's LP cut only version:




The song appears on Bristol's MGM debut LP HANG ON IN THERE BABY and the entry of the title cut makes for a very Barry White sounding Top 10 this week as Barry himself has his first [and only] #1 record with CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE, BABE.
Had Johnny been a little more subtle in his song lyrics, would his hit also be heading to #1?
Barry has come up with a disco DJ pleasing feature of making each 'B' side of his 45's instrumentals of the 'A' side. Spinners love having access to these so they can insert [mix] them to extend the record's dance time.



Besides providing seven minutes of the music, it also affords the opportunity to listen with full attention to the lush arrangements by Gene Page.

***
5 month club:

20 weeks:
RADAR LOVE - Golden Earring at #65
26 weeks:
ONE HELL OF A WOMAN - Mac Davis at #45

***
Motown invests in a full-page ad with a B&W photo of group performing on stage placed in all three trades announcing the latest LP by the Jackson Five that reads:

You've never heard The Jackson 5ive sound like this:

Their new album, "Dancing Machine," is like no other they've ever
recorded. lt reflects the phenomenal growth they've experienced over the past year. And we think you're going to like it a lot. Listen to "I Am Love," "Whatever You Got, I Want," and "lt All Begins And Ends With Love."

The Jackson Five.
''Dancing Machine." Filled with new energy, romance, and excitement.

***
mentioned in Billboard:
"Bill Withers' Troubadour set turned out to be a Stevie Wonder- Withers duet as Stevie got onstage to join in "Lean On Me" and other Withers hits."

***

[Boogiedown]

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #38
September 28, 1974

Number of singles reviewed this week: 77
last week: 93


The Motown Review:

None too soon, two new releases from Motown break on the charts. As The Miracles continue to bullet, their old boss Smokey Robinson joins them on the Hot 100 as does long-time label mate Marvin Gaye. Stevie Wonder presses upward to #6 while hitting #1 on the Soul chart. Eddie Kendricks' latest clings and moves slightly up again. No drop offs, two arrive: Motown is 5 records strong.

The Top 10:

#1:
Billboard: - ROCK ME GENTLY - week 1
Record Word: - I HONESTLY LOVE YOU - week 1
Cash Box: - ROCK ME GENTLY - week 1

If you don't consider SUGAR SUGAR, The Archies' #1 song and single for the year of 1969, of which Canadian Andy Kim was a main member, then Kim is currently enjoying his most successful record, now at #1, ROCK ME GENTLY, up one from #2. A hugely unusual departure for last week's #1, Barry White's CANT GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE BABE is at #12 dipping entirely out of the Top 10 from the top. Haven't witnessed that before. Two other former #1s also fall out: Eric Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's I SHOT THE SHERIFF is now #13 from #5, and Paul Anka's YOU'RE HAVING MY BABY, was #7 now plunges to #14. The biggest of the new three: First Class' BEACH BABY in at #5 from #12, while Cat Steven's ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT comes in at #8 from #11 and at #10 is SWEET HOME ALABAMA from Lynyrd Skynyrd from #14.

The Top 40:

Two 45s from Motown are on the Top 40:
^YOU HAVEN'T DONE NOTHIN' - Stevie Wonder bullets to #6 from #9 from #11 from #15 from #19 from #26 from #31
^DO IT BABY - Miracles bullets to #26 from #32 from #40
OFFS: none
_____

Biggest mover in the Top 40, ten rungs:
LOVE ME FOR A REASON -Osmonds to #27 from #37

just 3 titles enter, all US , 1+Top 10 bound+, 0 PI related, 0 Motown, 1 by proxy, 1 Country
Highest debut:
SURFIN USA - Beach Boys #36 up 5 from #41 [2nd and 27th Top 40 hit]

ONE DAY AT A TIME - Marylin Sellars #37 up 7 from #44 [One Hit Wonder]
+LIFE IS A ROCK [BUT THE RADIO ROLLED ME]+ - Reunion #40 up 11 from #51 [One Hit Wonder]

The Hot 100:

13 chartmakers: 8 Top 40 bound, 3 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 1 Philly International related, 2 Motown, 1 by proxy, 1 Country
Highest debut:
2nd tier:
#53 - WHATEVER GETS YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT - John Lennon
#59 - DEVOTION - Earth Wind & Fire
#60 - DO IT [TIL YOU'RE SATISFIED] - BT Express

#81 - MY COUNTRY - Jud Strunk
#82 - VIRGIN MAN - Smokey Robinson
#83 - DON'T SEND NOBODY ELSE - Ace Spectrum
#85 - DISTANT LOVER - Marvin Gaye
#86 - SHE CALLED ME BABY - Charlie Rich
#87 - SHA-LA-LA MAKES ME HAPPY - Al Green
#89 - PLAY SOMETHING SWEET - Three Dog Night
#90 - I CAN HELP - Billy Swan
#91 - LA LA PEACE SONG - OC Smith [Johnny Bristol produced]
#94 - WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN - Three Degrees


Motown:
debuts: two
1st week: ^VIRGIN MAN - Smokey Robinson DEBUT at #82
1st week: ^DISTANT LOVER - Marvin Gaye DEBUT at #85
8th week: ^TELL HER LOVE HAS FELT THE NEED - Eddie Kendricks #55 up 3 from #58 from #62 from #54 from #54 from #64 from #74 from #84
offs: none
__________

A very good week for:
the California Coast
Faux group, UK's First Class, takes their song BEACH BABY about a high school love in LA into the Top 10 and the non-surfing Beach Boys make it into the Top 40 with a resurrected re-release of their first Top Ten single, 1963's SURFIN' USA featured on their new greatest hits package ENDLESS SUMMER which this week is the nation's #2 most popular LP.

***

Discotheques Continue to Grow; Up 10% In 6 Months
By CLAUDE HALL
LOS ANGELES
-Discotheques, gaining in popularity during the past
months in major markets around the country, are growing at the rate of about 10 percent every six months. That's the field view of Mark Simon, who makes his living by promoting records to these exposure outlets. These represent either new clubs springing up or clubs going to a discotheque format. In fact the popularity of the disco format has resulted in some disco conglomerates. to wit: the Mobby McGee chain which has clubs in Phoenix, Dallas. Tucson. and building others in Houston and Redondo Beach [Calif.). Big Daddy's, which started in Florida and primarily features live music but also records played by a disk jockey, is also into the Marina del Ray area of Los Angeles now. In addition, the Playboy Club in Los Angeles is experimenting with a discotheque setup under manager Bert Taylor. New York even has a new discotheque newspaper called The Gig.
As a result of the growth in clubs - and even Simon cant estimate how many total discotheques there are now-the club scene has become a vital promotional tool for new records. And that was the springboard for Simon's Provocative Promotions which specializes in promoting disks in discotheques and reaches, he estimates, probably at least 750,000 primary listeners a week.

...cont'd next week

MARTHA REEVES
Bottom Line, New York
The "new look" Martha Reeves, fresh from
the recording of a new album with a new producer [Richard Perry] on a new record label
[MCA] debuted her sleek, elegant new sound
here Sept. 2. Ms Reeves who with her group, the Vandellas, was one of the premier Motown vocalists in the sixties, hit the charts then with a stream of singles which included "Quicksand,""Heat-wave." and "Dancing In The Streets." With the same sexy soulish soprano, she includes a
healthy cross section of these songs in her repertoire now though her act is dominated by the newer material from her album including "My Man, "Dixie Highway' and 'Wild Night" which she embraces with the same verve and drive as the material of old.
Ms. Reeves band from Memphis which go under the name, Granny's Bathwater, unfortunately proved to be the sore point of the evening with their incessant caterwauling and amateurish soloing which would have blown a lesser performer off the the stage.
BARRY TAILOR

***
A couple of weeks ago, for the first time since reviewing the chart, two songs entered the 2nd tier of the Hot 100 the same week. This week that is topped by three records entering that level at the same time.

***
Sonny and Cher:
As the couple's divide deepens, both struggle to maintain a position of favor in the public eye. Cher is at #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart singing a song about enviously watching a husband and wife dancing happily together, while Sonny will wear his heart fully on his sleeve performing his new single, OUR LAST SHOW on his debuting TV show THE SONNY COMEDY REVIEW



which sounds a bit like SEASONS IN THE SUN meets HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT, the latter with which Gladys Knight and The Pips had a rare outside-written hit that was one of their last for Motown peaking at #33 [#13 Soul] in 1972.



written by Kris Kristofferson , his version failed to chart, but Sammi Smith's rendition took it to the Pop Top 10 [#1 Country] and became a standard recorded by artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez and Joe Simon.
Kristofferson's #1 country tune, WHY ME LORD, refused to leave the Hot 100 until the last week of 1973 after charting for 38 weeks, a run only topped by Johnny Mathis' WONDERFUL WONDERFUL with its 39 weeks of charting in 1956.
RIP Kris Kristofferson [ June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024] a big name in the music world in 1974.

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5 month club:

20 weeks:
SIDESHOW - Blue Magic at #51
TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS - Bachman-Turner Overdrive at #96
27 weeks:
ONE HELL OF A WOMAN - Mac Davis at #54


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The rest of the world isn't paying attention, but in a European country the size of Maryland, an American singer named Donna Summer is at #2 on Belgium's chart with THE HOSTAGE.