I think Mary B is calling this YouTube Roulette. Basically, I start with a song, then choose the next from the choices YouTube gives me. Here are a dozen chosen more or less at random.
- Dire Straits, “Sultans of Swing” From their eponymous 1978 album, this was their first single and it readched the Top 10 in the UK (#8) and the US and Canada (#4). It was more than just beginner’s luck.
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Chicago, “25 or 6 to 4” Never understood this song until I read an article that said Robert Lamm wrote this when he was awake at 25 (or 26) to 4 AM, writing songs. It was from their 1969 eponymous secomd album (the first had been The Chicago Transit Authority from 1968), and was also a Top 10 hit in the US (#4), Canada (#2), and the UK (#8).
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Steely Dan, “Deacon Blues” From their 1977 album Aja, this was released in 1978 and peaked at #19.
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Blood Sweat & Tears, “And When I Die” Written by Laura Nyro when she was 17, she sold it to Peter, Paul & Mary for $5000, and they recorded it for their sixth studio album, The Peter, Paul & Mary Album. Laura herself recorded this on her 1967 début album More Than A New Discovery. BS&T’s version is the best known; recorded in 1968 for their eponymous second album, and peaked at #2 on the Hot 100. Steve Katz (late of The Blues Project) plays the harmonica here.
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The Hollies, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” Written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, this was first recorded in 1969 by Kelly Gordon. The Hollies had a big hit with this later that year, and Neil Diamond had a minor hit with it the following year. It reached #7 in the US, #3 in the UK, and #11 in Canada.
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Albert Hammond, “It Never Rains In Southern California” Title track for Albert’s 1972 album. It reached #5 in the US and #2 in Canada. I’ve been in Southern California when it was raining. Man, it pours…
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Little River Band, “Reminiscing” Haven’t played this in some time. I couldn’t sleep until I heard this when I worked nights. It reached #3 in the US, their highest-charting single here.
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Robbie Dupree, “Steal Away” From his 1980 eponymous début album, this is his most-successfl single, reaching #6 on the Hot 100 and #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached #14 on the RPM Hot Singles chart and #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Some great yacht rock here…
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Pablo Cruise, “Love Will Find A Way” This was released a year after “Whatcha Gonna Do?” in 1978, and did almost as well, reaching #6 on the Hot 100. It was all over the radio that summer.
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England Dan and John Ford Coley, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” From their 1976 album, this was written by Parker McGee and reached #2 on the Hot 100 (behind Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music, White Boy”), and #1 on the Easy Listening chart. “England” Dan Seals (brother of Seals & Crofts’s Jim Seals) re-recorded this in 1995 as an acoustic country song.
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Stephen Bishop, “On And On” From Stephen’s 1976 début album Careless, it peaked at #11 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it peaked at #2 on the RPM Hot Singles chart and #3 on the Easy Listening chart. Despite failing to reach the Top 10 in the US, it was the #30 song for 1976.
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Robert John, “Sad Eyes” Robert recorded this on his eponymous début album in 1979, and released this in April of that year. It reached the Hot 100 in May and readched the top of the chart in October. It was one of the few non-disco songs to reach #1 that year.
And that’s Monday’s Music Moves Me for June 1, 2020.
Monday’s Music Moves Me is sponsored by X-Mas Dolly, Cathy, Alana, and Stacy, so be sure and visit them, where you can also find the Linky for the other participants.
