One Hit Wonders

[Spearmint]

What's unusual about "A Lovers Concerto" by The Toys?

Could it be the somewhat nasal vocal quality of the lead singer? (Did she have a cold when they recorded this hit?) Or that the rain wasn't really gentle? :>) Or maybe The Toys were really The Chiffons who were really The Shirelles? (that's just a joke)

Or is it unusual because the melody for this pop hit was lifted from the classical Minuet in G major which J.S. Bach included as a keyboard finger exercise in his "Anna Magdalena Note-Book"? Ironically, I have a copy of the "Anna Magdalena Note-Book" in my classical music collection, but do not own a copy of "A Lovers Concerto" by The Toys.

But I sure remember the song. It was popular about the same time as Len Barry’s “1-2-3". ("It's so easy... like takin' candy from a baby.") Those were the days... :>) Barry had a few more hits, but once again, there's only that one song which I associate with him.

Burke

Wow Burke, you certainly have great knowledge, and I can't even question what you have written.

The reason I asked the question was...

The Title does not appear in the lyrics...

[dave]

The answer to the 2nd Golden Earring hit is "Twilight Zone" Good tune BTW :T

Ok, heres a few more,
Who did the tune "And Suddenly"
"Omaha"
and the Sizzeling 1970 version of "House of the Rising Sun"

one more, "Medicine Man"

[dave]

Burke, Another Len Barry tune that was pretty substancial was "Rhapsody In The Rain"

[jimmyp58]

This is getting incredible!!!

[dave]

Jim, This thread has the makings of going along way!!!
Burke has really impressed me with his knowlege of music! and that in itself has helped to launch this thread!!!

Regards,

[jimmyp58]

He is amazing.....

[Spearmint]

He is amazing.....

That my friend is an understatement...

Also the songs bring back so many memories, and make me want rifle through my CD's & Vinyl on the weekend to listen to some of the great songs that have been mentioned.

Fantastic thread Jimmyp58 :T

[Spearmint]

To keep the thread going a little more...

Who sang "Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)"
and another favorite "Alley-Oop"

[jimmyp58]

Thanks Spearmint...

It was either Jan & Dean or Barry Mann. Can't remember which one made it famous.

[jimmyp58]

Who sang, 'Time Has Come Today'?

[David Meek]

and the Sizzeling 1970 version of "House of the Rising Sun"

Oooh oooh, I know that one! The Weavers originally did the song, but the Animals made it famous. Also, Joan Baez did a cover of it a couple of years later. Great song! Good one Dave. :yesnod:

[David Meek]

Burke has really impressed me with his knowlege of music! and that in itself has helped to launch this thread!!!

He is amazing...

Yes, we call him "The Amazing Burke" around here. : Sometimes, if he's feeling magnanimous he lets us call him Burke.

[David Meek]

Ok, heres a few more,
Who did the tune "And Suddenly"
"Omaha". . .

. . .one more, "Medicine Man"

I'm not sure on And Suddenly.

There were many versions of Omaha, but the only one I know is by Moby Grape. Jeez Dave, you're making me reach back for some of these.

Medicine Man was done by Michael Murphy on the same album as his hit Wildfire - I don't remember the album name, though.

[dave]

Well firstly, The Chambers Brothers did "Time has come Today" they also did a decent version of, "In the Midnight Hour" as well

Barry Mann did, Who "Put The Bomp"
and,,,,
The Hollywood argyles did "Ally Oop!" opp opp opp

You are correct on Moby Grape David, Omaha was off of thier first album!!! Good Job Man!!!
Im not thinking of Michael Murphy however, A small hint, the single was originally a double sided hit and featured the words "Hold On" over and over in the lyrics.
I wish I could say that Joan Baez is who I'm thinking of for "House of the Rising Sun"
the version I'm thinking of has a BLISTERING lead guitar part to it!! and is the most
rocked up version around!!!


Heres one more, Who did " Hot Smoke and Sassafrass"???

Im gone to work for the next 9 hours but will check back tonite!!! Enjoy..........

[David Meek]

Im not thinking of Michael Murphy however, A small hint, the single was originally a double sided hit and featured the words "Hold On" over and over in the lyrics.

Ooof. Okay, y' got me.

I wish I could say that Joan Baez is who I'm thinking of for "House of the Rising Sun" the version I'm thinking of has a BLISTERING lead guitar part to it!! and is the most rocked up version around!!!

Ooof, too. Yessir, got me again.

Heres one more, Who did " Hot Smoke and Sassafrass"???

All right, I'm beginning to feel like the low-IQ person on Jeapordy. :nonod:

[Spearmint]

Well firstly, The Chambers Brothers did "Time has come Today" they also did a decent version of, "In the Midnight Hour" as well

Barry Mann did, Who "Put The Bomp"
and,,,,
The Hollywood argyles did "Ally Oop!" opp opp opp


Im gone to work for the next 9 hours but will check back tonite!!! Enjoy..........

Well done Dave :T

[jimmyp58]

Here's a beaut...One Tin Solider (The Legend of Billy Jack) by Coven.

Or how about Crazy Elephanit's 'Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'.

[Burke Strickland]

jimmyp58 -- those are couple of beauts, alright. I can "hear" 'em now! (But I'm glad you didn't make us name the artists.) :>)

OK, you guys have had more than 24 hours to ransack your LP collections to find that psychedelic, heavy metal rendition of "House of the Rising Sun". (If you had to go to the attic to bring down some more boxes, you need to get those albums out and listen to them more often.) :>)

It's gotta be the one by Frijid Pink, a "one hit wonder" if there ever was one. They must have been "on something" when they did this tune -- maybe they should have tried whatever it was again when they played other songs. :>)

My original guess, of course, would have been Eric Burdon and the Animals, but they hit it big in the mid 1960s. not 1970, and although they cultivated a "bad boy" image, they didn't really push the boundaries instrumentally -- no "blistering guitar licks" on their almost folky rendition of "...Rising Sun".

What other image would they cultivate, with a name like "The Animals"? At a time when most bands still wore suits or some kind of consistent uniform on stage, Eric wore tattered jeans and a baggy sweat shirt and the rest of the band looked like they had picked out their outfits randomly at a Salvation Army store on the way to the concert.

At least that's the way they looked on stage when I saw them perform in Minneapolis, opening for Herman's Hermits, whose then-most-recent album had been named "Best of the Month" by Stereo Review over Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which the magazine put down as "too contrived", unlike the "fresh", "energetic" sounds of Herman's Hermits. (Does anyone even remember them? They were the headline act, but for the life of me, I cannot recall anything they sang that day. But I sure remember Eric Burdon and the Animals. And the band that did Sgt. Pepper.) :>)

While we're talking psychedelic heavy metal, how about: "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" (the band played a couple of ballads on their album with that song -- not hits; you would probably never have heard them if you didn't listen to the album -- but with the same kind of heavy metal accompaniment and they sounded really wierd.)

Another really wierd one (but NOT heavy metal by any stretch): "MacArthur Park"

Burke

[Spearmint]

Hi Burke,

Hermans Hermits, wow I saw them live too... Great band, another band I also saw around the same time was the Hollies.

One tune I loved as a youngster was "Soal Coaxing - by Raymond Lefevre and his Orchestra"

[dave]

Hi Burke,, From you're Description of "House of the Rising Sun" I know you've got the Right one!!!! however for some reason the Bands name was blocked out??? I've got to say though how IMPRESSED I am that you have a copy of Frijid Pink House of the Rising Sun!!! It was originally released on the Parrot label and they say that the tune went all the way to #7 on the Billboard charts!!!

MacArther Park??? Someones left the cake out in the rain.
How about the ACTOR of the movie A MAN CALLED HORSE,,,,,,,
Richard Harris!!!!!!!
I had too much to Dream Last night was done by the band that originated from
Seattle Washington, The Electric Prunes!!! they also had another hit called
Get Me to The World On Time from that same album from the wonderful year 1967
Hows That!!!
heres a few easier ones,
Name the artist who did, 96 Tears
Who did the Fabulous One Hit Wonder titled BLACK Is BLACK

[jimmyp58]

Ah Burke, The Electric Prunes!!!!

[jimmyp58]

Los Bravos Dave.....

[dave]

Your right Jim...

[DelRay]

OK, try this one. No cheating. The song is "No Time To Lose" Not a real big hit, but everytime it gets played on the radio, people call in to ask who sings it. Pretty cool song. Late 70's I think.

[jimmyp58]

Good one...I'm stumped!

[jimmyp58]

Can't believe we haven't mentioned Ina-Gadda-Da-Vida!!! So who did this?

[DelRay]

Iron Butterfly. Easy one for us old guys. How about "Hold your head up".

[jimmyp58]

Argent!!!!!!!!!

[jimmyp58]

I'm old too!!!

[dave]

The Iron Butterfly had another hit after In-a-gadda-da-vida called "Soul Experience"
Check out the way the band decided on the name In-a-gadda-da-vida.
Doug Ingle one night polished off a Big bottle of wine and was pretty intoxicated
while working on the tune that had the title called "In The Garden Of Eden" drummer
Ron Bushy had heard Doug working on the song the night before and when the next
morning arrived he asked the still tipsy Organist the name of his latest opus and he replied, In-a-gadda-da-vida!!! the songs title also eventually took on a second meaning as "The Garden Of Life"

Ok you guys I'm sure your tired of hearing me babble on, so I will shut up.

Regards,

[jimmyp58]

Great stuff Dave....babble on!

[dave]

thanks Jim however, I am hoping other folks will come up with some nostalgia!!!
and I want to give them a chance to do so. I don't want to bogart all the fun!!!

I really am enjoying Burkes trips into the past!!! Hope you continue Burke!!!

[Burke Strickland]

however for some reason the Bands name was blocked out???

I purposely put the band's name (Frijid Pink) in a "spoiler" (blacked out, but visible if you mouse over it) just in case anyone else wanted to keep guessing. :>)

I've got to say though how IMPRESSED I am that you have a copy of Frijid Pink House of the Rising Sun!!! It was originally released on the Parrot label and they say that the tune went all the way to #7 on the Billboard charts!!!

Actually, I don't own a copy, but, back in the "good ole' days", one of my friends who knew that I had seen Eric Burdon and the Animals perform the song live made SURE that I became aware that a "better" version by a band I had never heard of (and of course, neither had anyone else) had been released. He had the album. I'll never forget the shockingly pink album cover, nor how shockingly unlistenable the rest of the album was without resorting to some kind of sensory-numbing ritual, like chugging a 6 pack, or whatever. :>) (Back then, with limited income, I wasn't about to buy it for just one song. Kind of like now.) :>)

Good call on Richard Harris and "MacArthur Park". He was a terriific actor, but that was one strange song.

Also correct on "The Electric Prunes". Weren't "I had too much to dream last night" and "Get me to the world on time" the same song? (Just kidding.) I had forgotten about that other song, which is funny since I vividly remembered the gosh-awful, pretentious song about the king being in his counting house, et al, on the same album. It had been a long time since I dragged out that album, and now I remember why. :>)

That's a terrific story about " Ina-Gadda-Da-Vida" -- thanks for sharing it.

Here are three from female singers (who are they?):

Angel of the Morning -- I've heard this one at a karaoke bar. Who knows, it may have been sung there by the original artist. :>)

Harper Valley P.T.A. -- narrates one woman's response at a P.T.A. meeting to a small town's hypocrisy. Kind of a specialty song, actually telling a story in articulate sentences, so it's not too surprising she didn't have a string of hits. :>)

Goldfinger -- possibly the best James Bond theme song of all time, and if I'm not mistaken, one that was unusual in being the only genuine hit for its singer. Almost all of the others featured artists who had already hit it big before they were tapped to do their James Bond song, including Nancy Sinatra, who sang "You Only Live Twice", which I really like, and whose only really big (top 10) non-James Bond hit (AFAIK) was "These Boots Are Made For Walking", which I don't, although it isn't one that automatically compels a station-change. :>)

Burke

[jimmyp58]

Merilee Rush did 'Angel of the Morning'

Lynn Anderson did 'Harper Valley PTA'

And....I am stumped on Goldfinger!!!

[jimmyp58]

Yeah Burke but Nancy does look good doing her 'go-go' dance with those boots on!!!

[jimmyp58]

O.K., I looked up the Theme from Goldfinger but I'll wait to see if anyone else knows it.

[dave]

I've got to agree with you on the House of the rising comment Burke, Other than track #7 the record is completely unlistenable!!! however I just could'nt resist that one song.
I am still waiting to see if anyones got the answer to the equally exciting
HOT SMOKE AND SASSAFRASS
this One Hit Wonder really flies...
My wife would know who did Goldfingers theme song, however this one evades me.
Regards,

[David Meek]

Sorry Jimmy but the original singer of Harper Valley PTA was Jeannie C. Riley. : Lynn Anderson's version came a few years later.

[George Bellefontaine]

Nancy Sinatra

She had quite a few hits in the 60s, but is probably more known for BOOTS. She has a great voice( just listen to her singing HE SHOT ME DOWN during the opening credits of KILL BILL )and has recently released a new CD called simply:NANCY.

[jimmyp58]

Mr. Meek, you are absolutely correct. I do remember Jeannie's version more so than Lynn's. I had one of those proverbial brain fa&%s.

Jim

[DelRay]

Seems like all the one hit wonders are from the 60's and 70's. We are way too old. OK No time to lose was from the Tarney Spencer Band. A good listen IMO. Try this song "War" What is it good for.

[dave]

Delray, I do know the tunes title however I want to give someone else a shot at it.

Ok guys, Hot Smoke and Sassafrass was done by a band that called themselves,
THE BUBBLE PUPPY
they originated from Corpus Christi Texas then moved to Austin and later landed a recording deal with the Houston based International Artists record label in 1969.
The single went as high as #14 Nationally and is considered by many record collectors to be a highly collectable record. I personally have seen the Lp that had the hit called
A Gathering of Promises selling in mint condition for $150.00 US and that was 12 years ago!!!

As for the Female artists,
Nancy Sinatra also had a sizeable hit with Lee Hazelwood,,,
the song was called SUMMER WINE and for this old boy it stands as one of her best!!!
How about Melanie and the Edwin Hawkins Singers does anyone know what thier hit was???
Also

[jimmyp58]

Edwin Starr....War, Huh, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'!!!

[jimmyp58]

I think Melanie sang 'Brand New Key'.

[dave]

Jim Melenie did do "Brand New Key" and that song to my recollection was her biggest
selling single however the tune that I am talking about was done as a tribute to
Woodstock and that song as you probably already know was "Candles In The Rain"

Does anyone remember, Cold Blood or A Group Called Smith? How about Lulu?
In remembering some of my High School years I do remember going to the Bellermine
all city high school dances and standing 10 feet away from Merrilee Rush and the
Turnabouts watching them play Angel of the Morning and other tunes. As I recall
she was Strikingly Beautiful and I can assure you that I was'nt alone thinking that!!!
Ahh to be 17 again!!! it was another day and another lifetime ago......
Jim this thread has brought back some wonderful memories!!!