Super Hits of The 70s: Have A Nice Day, Vol. 13

Oh, and Tony Burrows is back!

Oh this has some good stuff on it. If you've ever wondered what Neil Diamond singing a song about anal sex sounded like Andy Kim provides the answer.

"Radar Love" inspired one the few times Christgau ever made me laugh: "our stupid-rock is better than your stupid-rock" (i.e., vs. "We're an American Band"). If I weren't so tired of it, it'd get my vote. But I think I have to abstain again. (Predicted winner: Billy Swan.)

Grisso, will you be polling the Radio Daze comps when this series is over?

Was that the 80s follow-up series that Rhino barely got off the ground? If so, I was literally just thinking that set and whether or not I'd dreamed it.

As for polling them, I think somebody's gonna do the Didn't It Blow Your Mind 70s Soul series next. After that...maybe?

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/cryptosicko/playlist/0MB6ciiBhe29GMtok7M8ok?si=5IiomykQQAOEWAdAJaOlpw

Honestly, though, I don't know why I bothered with this one. "Please Come to Boston," "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" aren't there, and I'm not sure about these versions of "Rock Me Gently" and "Beach Baby."

I was intimately familiar with everything on this comp when it came out except "Who Do You Think You Are," and goddammit what a song! Especially when you get a minute into the song and say "Hey, nice chorus" and the band says "That's not the chorus... this is the chorus!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QPQJa-NnsM

There are two songs here that guitar fans slobber over, "Midnight At The Oasis" for Amos Garrett's solo and "I Can Help" for Reggie Young's intro and solo. And I could vote for either of them except...Golden Earring were the very first band I ever saw live, back in 73, so they get the sentimental vote.

i will fp everyone who votes for Midnight at the Oasis, i hate that wet fart of a fuckin song

love radar love ~to death~ but i’m giving my vote to Wet Willie bcz they were one of my favorite discoveries when i first listened to this collection many years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TedXFSUUboY

Dave Loggins: "Please Come To Boston"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15wq1Yg_Ac4

Reunion: "Life Is A Rock..."

Spotify has a live version, so here's the correct "Rock Me Gently"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyJHSNEfzDA

I A/B'd with a YouTube and I think the Spotify "Beach Baby" is the correct one, which is weird given the paucity of genuine Tony Burrows recordings thus far.

I've never heard of Bo Donaldson but I was sure I'd heard of "Who Do You Think You Are" before and I had because, like their other song on this compilation, it's a cover of a UK hit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evZbeUAMoYg

... which in itself was a cover of a song by Jigsaw, of "Sky High" fame.

“Life Is a Rock But the Radio Rolled Me” has been ruined for me because of the McDonald’s ad in the 80s that went “Big Mac McDLT a Quarter Pounder with some cheese.” Hey music makers out there: listen to Mr. Snrub when I say never sell your songs!

If you've ever wondered what Neil Diamond singing a song about anal sex sounded like Andy Kim provides the answer

otm

The first one of these where I haven't liked anything even a little bit. This may be the first time I've ever heard "Midnight at the Oasis" or "Billy Don't Be a Hero" (!). "The Night Chicago Died" I only know from Jack Black's riff on it in High Fidelity, and "I Can Help" I think I remember being in some commercial or another years ago. "Rock Me Gently" sound familiar, but I can't remember where/when I would have heard it before. "My Girl Bill" is puerile homophobia.

I guess I'd vote "Radar Love" if I was forced, but I've definitely heard that song enough for one lifetime. It is interesting how, as huge as a lot of these songs apparently were at the time, some remain ubiquitous and others do not. I wasn't even alive when these songs came out, but "Radar Love" feels as played out to me as "Don't Stop Believin'" or anything like that while the others have all but vanished from the public consciousness.

I'm up for doing either Didn't It Blow Your Mind or Radio Daze next. I suspect the former will be more rewarding--or will at least give us a break of soft-rock schlock after 25 volumes of the 70s variant--but looking at the track listing for the latter, I'm intrigued, mostly because I only recognize a handful of the titles, and I was (mostly) around for that stuff!

No follow-up volumes were issued after the original five albums were released.
70s > 80s, proven by science! ;-)

i can't imagine a lifetime in which i would've heard radar love enough times to get bored

xxp Ah yes Candlewick Green, winners of Opportunity Knocks! with Hughie Green.

Bo D vs CG is a bit of a toss up actually. Would normally go with the Brits but I think Bo just edges it.

Saint Etienne cover 4 ever and always though.

We should poll the lyrics to "Life is a rock". Several references in there I have no idea on.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Everyone wins

Damn...

I always liked "Keep On Smilin'" but considered it to be basically Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" with new lyrics, but i listened to them back to back and they're actually more divergent than I thought, so I voted for it.

it’s a great song imo

I guess our stupid-rock is actually worse than their stupid-rock.

I've never heard of Bo Donaldson but I was sure I'd heard of "Who Do You Think You Are" before and I had because, like their other song on this compilation, it's a cover of a UK hit:

📹

... which in itself was a cover of a song by Jigsaw, of "Sky High" fame.

Oh okay, it’s because the Captain Sensible talk on the covidiot thread the other day led me to this video of St. Etienne with Debsey singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wTGi34p02Y

I would've gone with Billy Swan. And Elvis Presley's cover is one of the gems buried in the mountain of schlock from his final years.

Andy Kim came into my workplace to give an inspirational talk, he's got a lot of charismatic presence. He's known for hosting a big charity concert in Toronto every Christmas.

I know like three different Andy Kims in life. I've never told them this, but every time I meet them, that song comes to mind, which isn't bad - it actually puts me in a cheerier mood.

I think I voted in every one of these polls but this one. I was probably stuck deliberating between the one I loved most in 1974 ("Radar Love") and my more recent favorite. ("I Can Help.") But today I'm back to "Radar Love." I'm not a big classic rock radio listener, but I don't think I've heard it on my local station in years.

"My Girl Bill" is one of the most atrocious songs ever released.

Yeah, who the hell buys so many girls they can't afford?

I'd never actually read the lyrics until today. I mean, I got what the dumb "joke" was when the song was new, but spoken word atop an insipid pop-country backing track was about the last thing I wanted to hear on the radio as a teenager. I couldn't change the station fast enough when it came on.

a couple votes here, but searching the archives (along with veg up there lol) seems to indicate the ilm consensus doesn't really like maria muldaur's "midnight at the oasis." is this an unfounded rumor? or do i need to worry about getting flagged? because i really like it. just the right flavor of 70s cheese. muldaur's albums are pretty decent, lots of semi-big jazz guys in the band(s).

Recently learned that the author of that song is well-known Buddhist meditation teacher

I was never crazy about that particular song, going right back to when it was on the radio, but she's funny in the Scorsese Dylan documentary, and a friend recently sent me a good cover of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" by her. She was right there in the middle of it all--was there maybe a character based on her in A Complete Unknown?

I was 12 when Midnight at the Oasis came out and I hated it. I was 31 when Super Hits V. 13 came out, and I grew to like it.

But the best track on this volume is Who Do You Think You Are, which has 2 choruses, both killer.

The song is well-used for comic effect in Lost in Translation. Perhaps this is already mentioned upthread.