Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
I was a huge fan of jazz-rock (what some called horn rock) back in the day. As a drummer, I liked the feel of playing big band-like hits with a rock groove. As an arranger, I appreciated all the harmonic options available from a small horn section. No surprise that I listened to a lot of Chicago and Lighthouse back…
For today’s classic song of the day, let’s get in the Wayback Machine and travel all the way back to the year 1967. Doesn’t matter what time it is, just turn on your handy AM radio and you’re likely to hear the latest tune from Herman’s Hermits, a catchy little ditty called “There’s a Kind of Hush.” Released as a…
The instrumental “Pick Up the Pieces” is today’s classic song of the day. Released by the Average White Band in July of 1974, this single went all the way to #1 (in early 1975) on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It failed to chart in the band’s native UK, however. Even though they sounded funky,…
Kenny Loggins wrote today’s classic song of the day when he just a 17 year-old senior in high school. The song is “House at Pooh Corner” and it’s a wise-beyond-his-years look at nostalgia and lost innocence. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was the first to record “House at Pooh Corner.” They included it on the 1970 album Uncle Charlie &…
Yesterday’s classic song of the day was the Supremes’ very first number-one record, “Where Did Our Love Go.” Today we fast forward a few years to the time when Diana Ross left the group to go solo and her first solo hit, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” Motown released the single in April of 1970 and it went to…
Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were a pretty big deal in the early ’70s. Their soft rock sound constantly oozed from AM radios across the country, lulling listeners into a gentle respite from the chaos of their everyday lives. Seals and Crofts notched eight top forty hits between 1972 and 1978. Today’s classic song of the day, “We May Never…
Meet the new bossSame as the old boss Those are famous closing lines from today’s classic song of the day, the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Released as a single in June of 1971, this classic tune went all the way to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #9 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #9 on the UK…
Today’s classic song of the day is a classic piece of Philly Soul with a lyrical nod to that rock ‘n’ roll music. The song is “Rockin’ Roll Baby” by the Stylistics; released as a single on Avco Records in October of 1973, this track went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Rockin’…
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H) were a songwriting/production team responsible for dozens of huge hits for Motown artists in the ’60s. They left Motown in 1968 after a long-simmering dispute over profit-sharing and royalties. They subsequently moved across town to form their own record labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, and nurture a…