Category 1970s

“Beechwood 4-5789” (The Marvelettes/The Carpenters)

Beechwood 4-5789, Carpenters

Today’s classic song of the day with a phone number in the title is “Beechwood 4-5789.” Back in the days when there were fewer people, fewer phones, and therefore fewer phone numbers, local exchanges were known by their letters rather than their numbers. Take the first two letters of the word and that’s your exchange prefix—which you could translate into…

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“Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen)

Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen

We finish off our week of 1970s classic rock tracks with one of the most popular songs of the entire decade, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This almost-six minute epic, released as a single in October of 1975, reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Cash Box Top 100; it went all the way to #1 in Australia,…

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“Mr. Skin” (Spirit)

Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, Spirit

Today’s classic song of the day comes from one of the most innovative but overlooked albums of the early ’70s, Spirit’s Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. The song, “Mr. Skin” was released as a single in 1973 and barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at a totally unjustifiable #92. It’s a great tune, nonetheless. “Mr. Skin” is a hard-driving…

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“Funk #49” (James Gang)

James Gang Rides Again

Today’s classic song of the day is a heavy-duty rocker from the James Gang, “Funk #49.” This one appeared on their 1970 album, James Gang Rides Again and, released as a single, rose all the way to #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Funk #49” was a guitar-driven number, written by all three members of the group—guitarist/singer Joe Walsh, bassist…

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“Baba O’Riley” (The Who)

Who's Next, the Who

Today’s classic song of the day is a legendary rocker by the Who. Released as the lead track on the group’s 1971 album, Who’s Next, “Baba O’Riley” is famous for its repeating staccato synthesizer-like backing and the lyrics, “It’s only teenage wasteland.” (In fact, many listeners at the time thought—and probably some today still think—that the song’s name was “Teenage…

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“Them Changes” (Buddy Miles)

Them Changes, Buddy Miles

Yesterday’s classic song of the day, “Get Ready,” as performed by the group Rare Earth, featured a singing drummer. So does today’s. The song we’re featuring today is one that doesn’t get a lot of play on oldies or classic rock stations and playlists, although it was a decent hit back when it was released in May of 1970. The…

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“Beautiful Sunday” (Daniel Boone)

Beautiful Sunday, Daniel Boone

Today’s classic song of the day for a beautiful Sunday morning is “Beautiful Sunday” by a British singer named Daniel Boone. Released in February of 1972, this sunny little single peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #16 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It was a Top Ten hit all around…

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