Alternate List of Billboard #1 Hits: Katarn Edition

[Katarn]

Okay, I'm going to bed now. If you guys have skipped all the way to 2074 before I wake up I will smack you all... with an imaginary feather but that's besides the point

January 6th, 1979: "Trojan Horse"- Luv'
January 13th, 1979: "Trojan Horse"- Luv'

Event: High Voltage release their fourth international album Dog Eat Dog on Christmas day. Like usual it receives mixed to negative reviews from critics, but is much better received by the band's fans. It is however less successful commercially than the band's previous efforts, possibly due to the long hiatus that preceded it (nearly two years is considered long by High Voltage standards). The album initially peaks at just #9 on the Billboard 200 and quickly falls off the chart after just two months.

--------------------------------------------

Spotify

High Voltage - Dog Eat Dog

All songs sung by Bon Scott, all songs written by Scott/Young/Kilmister.

Side A

Dog Eat Dog
Rock 'N' Roll Damnation
Down Payment Blues
Too Late, Too Late
Overdose

Side B

Overkill
Sin City
Keep Us On the Road
Limb from Limb

 

[ImSadCauseImAlone]

Event: K-Tel Records releases the triple album "#1 Hits of the 70s" on February 2. It would reach #1 on the Billboard album charts for eight weeks starting in March. Notably absent are any tracks from Reckless Records as Rory Storm and Iggy Pop refused to license their songs for this compilation. All songs are in their original full-length versions.

Tracklist:
LP 1
Side A
1. "Stoned Love" - The Supremes
2. "I Walk the Line" - Leonard Nimoy
3. "Gypsy Woman" - Bryan Hyland
4. "Me and Bobby McGee" - Big Brother and the Uptown Jug Champions
5. "Partners in Crime" - Mary Weiss and Bruce Springsteen

Side B
1. "The Day Sinatra Died" - Don McLean
2. "It's Going to Take Some Time" - Carole King
3. "Easy Livin'" - Uriah Heep
4. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" - Brian and Paul
5. "Saturday in the Park" - California

LP 2
Side A
1. "Your Mama Don't Dance" - Stills and Loggins
2. "Love Reign O'er Me" - The High Flyers
3. "Hollywood Swinging" - Kool and the Gang
4. "Money" - Spectrum Five
5. "Sundown" - Gordon Lightfoot

Side B
1. "Ring Ring" - ABBA
2. "Autobahn" - Kraftwerk
3. "That's the Kind of Love I've Got for You" - Rita Jean Bodine
4. "Sweet Emotion" - Aerosmith
5. "Jive Talkin'" - Lulu

LP 3
Side A
1. "Crazy on You" - Heart
2. "One of These Nights" - The Ridge Rangers
3. "Southern Nights" - The Stagehands
4. "Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett
5. "You're My World" - Helen Reddy

Side B
1. "Werewolves of London" - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
2. "Help Is on the Way" - Mississippi
3. "U.O. Me (You're Very Welcome In Waldolala)" - Luv'
4. "Sultans of Swing" - Cafe Racers
5. "Le Freak" - New York

 

[markedward]

**Fixed. Gave Rick another week, didn't realize another post had been made since the Don Williams one. **

February 17th, 1979: "Queen Of Hearts"- Rick Nelson
February 24th, 1979: "Queen Of Hearts"- Rick Nelson

Rick Nelson- Take It To The Limit (Epic)

Produced by Buddy Holly

Spotify

Tracklisting*

1) Queen Of Hearts (Hank DeVito)
2) Almost Saturday Night (John Fogerty)
3) Rave On (Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty)
4) That's Alright Mama (Arthur Crudup)
5) Dream Lover (Bobby Darin)
6) Take It To The Limit (Randy Meisner, Don Henley, Glenn Frey). Cover of a Ridge Rangers song.
7) Carl Of The Jungle (Randall Bramblett)
8) New Delhi Freight Train (Terry Allen)
9) Mama, You've Been On My Mind (Bob Dylan)
10) Conversation (Buie-Cobb)
11) 4th Of July, Asbury Park- Sandy (Bruce Springsteen)

*4 and 11 might have been butterflied. Just let me know and I can fix it.

 

[Katarn]

Thanks to @markedward for helping me put together this event.

March 3rd, 1979: "Queen of Hearts" - Rick Nelson
March 10th, 1979: "Queen of Hearts" - Rick Nelson

Excerpt from a BBC report on March 12th, 1979:

"Mourners are describing it as the biggest shock to the music world since the death of Frank Sinatra.

At approximately 10:12 PM, last evening, witnesses say they heard the sound of screeching tires followed by a car crashing into stone at Derby Square in Liverpool. Onlookers were shocked to say the least. A bright pink Aston Martin DB5 had crashed at very high speed into the Victoria Monument, destroying a sizable portion of the monument in the process. The car and its occupants were mostly buried under rubble and had to be dug out by the Liverpool police before any identification could be made.

To the shock and horror of many music fans, the car's occupants were identified as Reckless Records founder Rory Storm and High Voltage lead singer Bon Scott. Both were pronounced dead on the scene. The two had been attending a party at Rory Storm's mansion. According to sources, Storm had decided to show Scott the famous Cavern Club, which the High Voltage singer had never visited. Storm was reportedly very drunk at the party, and Scott's bandmate Lemmy Kilmister had warned Scott against getting in the car with Storm. Scott, who had been drinking, refused to listen and went anyway. While High Voltage has refused to state outright that they have broken up, they have announced a hiatus.

Representatives of Iggy Pop say the performer is devastated to hear of Rory Storm's death and is unable to comment at this time."

Excerpt from an interview with Lemmy Kilmister from 1990:

"They wanted to interview me about it back then. The bloody buzzards were calling every hour after the cops ID'd Bon, every fucking hour for weeks. Of course I didn't want to talk about it, so I always told them to fuck off. At that point in my life I thought I was bloody invincible, that my mates were invincible. I never actually consciously thought it and you wouldn't know it if you talked to me back then, but it was always in the back of my mind. I'd smoked and snorted and drunk just about everything I could, so on some level I thought I could do anything and I bet Bon did too. Then when he died it all just sort of collapsed. I told him not to go with Rory. Rory was pissed out of his mind, but Bon wanted to see the Cavern and he wouldn't shut up about it. So I gave up, I shouted 'If they're scraping your bloody carcass off the pavement tomorrow don't blame me!', then I just stormed off and the rest of the party is a blur. That still fucks my head up at night."

 

[ImSadCauseImAlone]

March 31, 1979: "Crazy Love" - Cotton-Young Band

Event:

Lou Gramm, lead singer of The Globe, is fired from the band on March 26. No official reason is given but he and his bandmate David Foster had fought over the band's sound for years (Gramm wanted a hard rock sound while Foster wanted a light pop sound with a lot of synths). Rumors say the final straw was when Gramm went to parties (including Rory Storm's the night of Storm's fatal crash) on days he was supposed to record vocals for the band's next studio album. In a statement, The Globe confirms their new lead singer is Bill Champlin, formerly of the San Francisco band Sons of Champlin.

 

[markedward]

April 7th, 1979: "Crazy Love"- Cotton-Young Band
April 14th, 1979: "Girl's Talk"- Silver Pistol

Stiff/Epic, 1979

Produced by Buddy Holly and Nick Lowe. This album, like 1978's Glass contained a higher ratio of Ian Gomm compositions.

Spotify

Track Listing

1) Girl's Talk (Costello)
2) Cracking Up (Lowe)
3) That's The Way I Rock 'N' Roll (Gomm)
4) Big Kick, Big Scrap (Lowe)
5) Dirty Lies (Gomm)
6) Hold On (Gomm)
7) The Creature From The Black Lagoon (Bremner)
8) Dynamite (Samwell)
9) Born Fighter (Lowe)
10) Chicken Run (Gomm)
11) Skin Deep (Lowe)

Elvis Costello wrote "Girl's Talk" for the group.

An unknown Huey Lewis played harmonica on "Born Fighter"

 

[Katarn]

If you guys had plans for any of these groups I can easily change this.

June 23rd, 1979: "Before the Dawn" - Judas Priest

Event: Reckless Records soldiers on despite the death of founder Rory Storm. The label has signed several new acts: from the U.S. the label has signed all-female New Wave band The Go-Go's, and metal band Electric Masons, both from Los Angeles. From the U.K. the label has signed New Wave act Soft Cell from Leeds, and Scottish Post-Punk band Simple Minds. Deaf School and Suicide have both been dropped by the label, causing some controversy among the label's more experimental rock oriented fans. High Voltage has not been officially dropped but their contract is up, and has not been renewed. Cherry Vanilla, Dead End Losers, Sextet Devo and The Runaways have all had their contracts renewed.

 

[TehIrishSoap]

June 30th, 1979: "Are "Friends" Electric?" - Gary Numan and The Tubeway Army
July 7th, 1979: "Are "Friends Electric?" - Gary Numan and The Tubeway Army

Event: "It's The Battle Of West Europe this week on the top of the American charts, with Britain's Gary Numan holding off Ireland's Boomtown Rats and their effort "I Don't Like Mondays". Are "Friends" Electric is already on track to be biggest selling track of the year in the UK, with "I Don't Like Mondays" stalled at number 2 for 5 weeks behind the track, when asked if there was a rivalry between Tubeway Army and Boomtown Rats, Rats front man Bob Geldof laughed it off saying "Hey look, we're bringing smart, cool pop to American airwaves, we're not just raving mad lunatics in Europe, we're not like Judas Priest's dark brooding angsty teenage bollocks or ABBA'S happy go lucky everything is great ráiméis, we're real."
- Report in Irish Independent, dated 11th July 1979

 

[leninsbeard]

July 14th1979: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince
July 21st 1979: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince

Prince releases his delayed 1st album, Prince,combining tracks from his cancelled 1st album, For You, with this album. An appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Saturday Night Live, and the Tonight Show, led this album to post five million records sold. The lead off single, I Wanna Be Your Lover, proved successful.

Side one
No. Title Length
1."For You" 1:04
2."I Wanna Be Your Lover" 5:49
3. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" 3:49
4. "Sexy Dancer" 4:18
5. "When We're Dancing Close and Slow" 5:23
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "With You" 4:00
7. "Bambi" 4:22
8. "Still Waiting" 4:12
9. "I Feel for You" 3:24
10. "Just as Long as We're Together" 5:27

 

[ImSadCauseImAlone]

September 29th, 1979: "Boogie Wonderland" - Earth, Wind, and Fire
October 6th, 1979: "And the Beat Goes On" - The Whispers

Event: Michael Jackson, Gamble and Huff protege and member of the family singing group the Jacksons, gets a rhinoplasty during a break from touring with the group. Due to a mistake made by an inexperienced surgeon, Jackson ends up with severe breathing complications and is put into a coma. He dies on October 1st at the age of 21, the official cause of death being brain damage due to lack of oxygen. His last songs are "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" and "Workin' Day and Night", written and recorded for a holiday re-release of the Jacksons' album Destiny, which reached #4 on Billboard in June.

 

[Scarlet Jets]

November 10th, 1979: "Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy" - The Brides of Funkenstein
November 17th, 1979: "Who Listens to the Radio?" - The Sports

Event: California releases Going South. After the tension filled recording of their previous album, the band looked for a looser approach to their next album and decided to put out a double album. The thought was that this would give each member of the band the room to experiment and contribute songs a little more freely. There were initial discussions of maybe giving each side of the record to one of the four primary songwriters in the group, but Carl Wilson quickly put an end to that, saying that California would be putting out one album by one band, not four solo albums disguised as one. Plus, he had his own songs, including one he had worked on with his brother Brian after their reconciliation, that needed a place on the album.

Going South
1. Sara (Nicks)
2. Policeman (Lamm)
3. I Know I'm Not Wrong (Buckingham)
4. Full Sail (C. Wilson)
5. Sisters of the Moon (Nicks)

1. She's a Liar (Beckley)
2. Hot Streets (Lamm)
3. Planets of the Universe (Nicks)
4. 1960 (Beckley)
5. Goin' South (C. Wilson)

1. Tusk (Buckingham)
2. Monster (Beckley)
3. Angel (Nicks)
4. Doesn't Anything Last (Buckingham)
5. Good Timin' (B. Wilson/C. Wilson)

1. Vote for Me (Lamm)
2. Sergeant Darkness (Beckley)
3. That's Enough for Me (Buckingham)
4. You Get It Up (Lamm)

 

[Katarn]

December 22nd, 1979: "Flirtin' With Disaster" - Molly Hatchet
December 29th, 1979: "Flirtin' With Disaster" - Molly Hatchet

Event: Country artist Glenn Anzalone is signed to Columbia records. His style is mainly inspired by Elvis' country albums and the late Johnny Cash, though with a darker edge.

 

[Miss Teri]

January 5th, 1980: "Another Brick on the Wall"- Spectrum Five

Event: January 7th, 1980: Universal Pictures announces they have acquired the rights to the Cameron Crowe novel "Dispatches", with hopes of adapting it into film set for release in 1981.

 

[ImSadCauseImAlone]

Let the Eighties begin!

January 12th, 1980: "Mystery Achievement" - Children of Rubber

Event: Children of Rubber release first single. They are a band from Akron, Ohio featuring Chrissie Hynde (vocals), her brother Terry Hynde (sax), Chris Butler (guitar/bass), and Anton Fier (drums), this last a native of Cleveland. Their producer and unofficial fifth member is Liam Sternberg. Signed to ABC Records.

 

[leninsbeard]

January 19th 1980: "When We're Dancing Close and Slowly" by Prince
January 26th 1980: "When We're Dancing Close and Slowly" by Prince

Event: Quincy Jones, aspiring Motown producer, bring Prince under mentorship. This will help Prince develop his next album, Thriller, in 1983.

 

[Katarn]

February 16th, 1980: "Lost in the Supermarket" - The Clash
February 23rd, 1980: "Lost in the Supermarket" - The Clash

Event: High Voltage reunite with plans to record another album. The band has not recruited a new vocalist to replace the late Bon Scott, and instead bassist Lemmy Kilmister will now also be the band's lead singer. The band has once again signed a record deal with Reckless Records.

 

[Miss Teri]

March 15th, 1980: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"- Queen
March 22nd, 1980: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"- Queen

Event: March 17th, 1980: During a performance by the Talking Heads at the CBGB club in New York, a faulty wire next to some spillt alcohol leads to a fire. While all the people are able to evacuate safely, the building itself suffers severe damage, prompting the owner to close for several months for repairs.

 

[Katarn]

April 12th, 1980: "United We Stand" - Judas Priest [1]
April 19th, 1980: "Shake Your Pants" - Cameo

[1] - Despite the fact that Judas Priest are a British band, this song will become a 4th of July staple in the decades following its release.

Event: Judas Priest release their fifth album Metal Gods on April 16th. The album is a large commercial success and is well received by the band's fans, though it is generally poorly received by critics (many of whom are still hostile towards Heavy Metal in general). The album is eventually certified 6x platinum. The album continues to refine the band's more melodic pop metal sound that made their last album such a success. It also includes yet another Queen cover (this time a cover of Sheer Heart Attack), and even features various members of Queen on some tracks.

-------------------------

Spotify

Judas Priest - Metal Gods

Side A

Burnin' Up
Breaking the Law
Delivering the Goods
Living After Midnight
United We Stand

Side B

The Rage
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown) (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Sheer Heart Attack (Queen Cover)
Metal Gods
Steeler

 

[markedward]

May 3rd, 1980: "Love Stinks" - J. Geils Band

May 10th, 1980: "Man On A Mountain"- Silver Pistol

Silver Pistol- Heart (Stiff/Epic, 1980)

Produced by Buddy Holly

Track Listing can be found on the Spotify playlist here

 

[Miss Teri]

To a guilty pleasure of mine:
May 17th, 1980: "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"- Rupert Holmes

Event: May 21st, 1980: Saga of the Force, Episode II: The Empire Strikes Back is released in the United States.