Sometimes you just gotta check out a Hot 100 chart, pick out a half-dozen songs by artists completely unfamiliar to you who also never had a Top 40 hit, and see what they sound like, you know? In doing so, you might just be venturing back to when you were seven years old, about to finish first-grade with Mrs. Winn at Stanford Elementary...
93. Chee-Chee & Peppy, "I Know I'm in Love"
A pair of Philly-area youngsters, Dottie Moore and Keith Bolling; according to Wikipedia, the names on the record label were those of their pet dogs. It's a fun, bouncy little piece in the grand tradition of prepubescent singing, though I can't help wonder how it would have sounded performed by 16-year-olds instead. Bolling is the son of Sam Cooke, by the way. This would climb to #49 and then have a second, shorter chart run in the fall.
74. Rose Colored Glass, "Can't Find the Time"
This band was a short-lived quartet out of Dallas that doesn't even have a Wikipedia page (the nerve). The tune is a cover of a #80 hit from late 1969 by Orpheus, and it beat the original's peak by 26 spots. Not bad at all, AC in a kinda-sorta Association way. Stumbled across this decade-old, two-part interview in REBEAT with three of the band's members--it's a fascinating, somewhat cautionary tale about the pitfalls awaiting a band that might be on its way.
67. The Raelettes, "Bad Water"
Likely my favorite discovery this go-round, one of three Hot 100 appearances by the ever-rotating set of backup singers for Ray Charles. Co-written by Jackie DeShannon, it's on its way down from a #58 peak.
55. Susan Raye, "L.A. International Airport"
Raye had a pretty successful run on the country charts throughout the 70s and became a Hee Haw regular for a number of years (she was discovered by Buck Owens's manager and recorded duets with Owens). "L.A. International Airport" was her only flight on the pop chart, and I can understand why it did, with its strong melody and storyline. It's one spot short of its peak.
53. Hudson & Landry, "Ajax Liquor Store"
Bob Hudson and Ron Landry were L.A. deejays who, after popular reaction to various on-air skits, recorded several comedy albums. I have to say that I don't quite get the appeal of "Ajax Liquor Store," but enough folks dug it to propel it within three slots of an AT40 appearance. It also received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Recording.
49. Seatrain, "13 Questions"
The opening riff reminds me (a lot) of "Vehicle," and I hear a bit of Blood, Sweat & Tears influence in the verse. The lyrics are pure gobbledygook, but I don't dislike it. Like some other tunes in this post, it's a song that could become a semi-hit only around this moment. At its peak.
