American Top 40, 7/4/70

Had I seen this at the start, I might have live-blogged it, but on XM's 70s on 7 channel (804 on my DirecTV), they are replaying the Casey Kasum American Top 40 from July 4, 1970. It's the very first AT40 ever.

They're up to No. 23 right now (Which Way You Going, Billy? by the Poppy Family.)

I could keep going from here, but on the Fourth of July, I'm not sure I want to sit here for another hour or so -- plus, Brewers-Cubs is just about to start.

EDIT: For historical purposes, on 7/4/70, I was one month short of turning 10. Barack Obama was one month short of turning 9.

 

Right now they're playing something from Bill Cosby called Little Ole Man. It's not part of the countrown.

 

No. 22 -- Love on a Two Way Street -- The Moments
No. 21 -- Mississippi Queen -- Mountain
No. 20 -- I'd Like to Make it With You -- Bread
No. 19 -- Are You Ready? -- PG&E
No. 18 -- Love Land -- (I think it's called) Charles Wright and the 100th Street Watts Rhythm Band
No. 17 -- Tighter & Tighter -- Alive & Kicking (Casey notes that this was produced by Tommy James)
No. 16 -- My Baby Loves Love -- White Plains

 

No. 15 -- A Song of Joy -- Miguel Rios
Now playing an oldie -- Hello Dolly, Louis Armstrong. According to Casey, July 4, 1970 was Armstrong's 70th birthday. According to Wikipedia, he was born Aug 4, 1901.
No. 14 -- United We Stand -- Brotherhood of Man
No. 13 -- Get Ready -- Rare Earth (18th week on the charts for this one)
No. 12 -- Ooh Child -- The Stairsteps (Casey called them the Stairsteps, but they were eventually known as the Five Stairsteps)
No. 11 -- Gimme Dat Ding -- The Pipkins

 

No. 10 -- Hitchin' a Ride -- Vanity Fair
Now playing an "oldie" -- Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat & Tears -- The No. 2 hit from 1969.
No. 9 -- The Wonder of You -- Elvis Presley
No. 8 -- The Long and Winding Road -- Beatles
No. 7 -- Close to You -- The Carpenters
No. 6 -- Lay Down -- Melanie

 

No. 5 -- Band of Gold -- Freda Payne
No. 4 -- Ride, Captain, Ride -- Blues Image
No. 3 -- Ball of Confusion -- The Temptations
No. 2 -- The Love You Save -- Jackson Five
Another "oldie" -- Satisfaction by the Stones
No. 1 -- Mama Told Me Not to Come -- Three Dog Night

Without commercials it went a lot faster than I thought it would. A fun, nostalgic liste.

Enjoy your Fourth, everyone.

 

Tony Burrows sang lead vocals on three out of the top sixteen ("My Baby Loves Love", "United We Stand", Gimme Dat Ding"). Pretty impressive.

 

If I didn't have to cover something at 8 a.m. this morning, I'd have listened.

I've heard those early AT40s before and Casey sounds so laid back. It's like he's smoking a bowl while he's doing the countdown ... which he very well might have been.

 

He also did "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" a couple months prior to this.

And "Beach Baby" about four years later.

The ultimate one-hit wonder - one hit each with five different aggregations, four of them pretty much simultaneously. Even Paul Carrack hasn't matched that..........yet.

 

P.S. Thanks for posting that countdown, Tony.....a lot of great songs in that mix. Especially the first one you mentioned, "Which Way You Going, Billy?" Terry Jacks never topped that one.

 

Mountain

singular

 

Maybe that's how Casey broadcast the group name......you know, right after he freaked on somebody's head about a little dog named Snuggles.