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...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.
And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
NATURAL HY
on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
(COLD SHOW OPEN)
"Back In My Arms Again" - The Supremes
(May/June 1965, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100/#1 Cash Box/#1 R&B)
(May/June 1965, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100/#1 Cash Box/#1 R&B)
The big sound... the bold sound... the Holland-Dozier-Holland sound...
the Motown sound of The Supremes blasting us off the launch pad
and sending us into orbit as we take to the sky on a Natural Hy.
Calling all my beats, beards, Buddhist cats,
big time spenders, money lenders, tee-
totalers, elbow benders, hog callers,
home run hitters, finger poppin’
daddies and cool babysitters.
For all my carrot tops, lollipops
and extremely delicate gum drops.
It's your pal on the radio, Hyski
‘O Roonie McVouti ‘O Zoot -
“The South Philadelphia Kid” -
“The South Philadelphia Kid” -
"The Potentate of The Keystone
State." Callin' uptown, downtown,
crosstown - here, there, everywhere.
crosstown - here, there, everywhere.
Your man with the plan, on the scene
with the record machine. Hey you
midnight movers and uptown
groovers, knock me your lobes
— are you ready for this?
CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!
If you dig it big. If you dig it bold, then dig this, another super slab
to keep you flyin' Hy... the grooviest record Cher never made.
Burnin' up the boss lines in April of 1965, it's April Young
and-- "Gonna Make Him My Baby!"
"Gonna Make Him My Baby" - April Young
(April./May 1965, uncharted nationally but reached
top 20 @ WIBG Philadelphia, #27 @ WARM Wilkes-Barre,
#36 @ WSBA Lancaster-York-Harrisburg
top 20 @ WIBG Philadelphia, #27 @ WARM Wilkes-Barre,
#36 @ WSBA Lancaster-York-Harrisburg
and #53 @ WMCA New York City)
Sounding so much like Cher, that was April Young, wife of famed record producer
Jerry Ross, with "Gonna Make Him My Baby," a Spectorian Wall-of-Sound
production that caught fire in Philly and up and down the East Coast in
April and May of '65. The record was so hot in the Delaware Valley
that April was dubbed The Daughter of Wibbage-land, and her
power platter rode high on the surveys of radio stations in
other mid-Atlantic burgs as well. Sadly, April Young
never grew old. She was only in her 40s when
she took ill and died in 1989.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
Slowing it down on Natural Hy
with one of the great groups to
come out of Philly. These guys
had a string of hits from the late
60s to early 70s and helped shape
"The Sound of Philadelphia."
Here now are The Delfonics
and - "Break Your Promise."
"Break Your Promise" - The Delfonics
(Sept./Oct. 1968, highest chart pos. #12 R&B,
#35 Hot 100/#46 Cash Box)
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
That was the ice cool sound of Philly's Phinest,
The Delfonics, with a sweet and soulful ballad
that brushed the top 10 on the R&B chart in
the fall of '68, "Break Your Promise." If you're
just tuning in... you're on a Natural Hy with
me, Hy Lit, on the greatest little station in
the nation, S-P-M-M. Gentlemen... start
your engines. Keeping it mellow, from
the Motor City, the group best known
for the early 70s crossover hits "Whatcha
See Is Whatcha Get" and "In The Rain."
The Dramatics now with a groove
from '75-- "Tune Up!"
"Tune Up" - The Dramatics
(Feb. 1975, highest chart pos. #74 R&B)
The Dramatics of Detroit there with a smooth groove
from 1975, a little thing called "Tune Up."
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
You're listening to Natural Hy with yours truly
Hyski, on S-P-M-M... where all the cool oldies
come to play... and we're in the middle of a
7-in-a-row block party. It's a family affair...
Gladys Knight And The Pips, a group with
talent to spare and great records to burn.
This one, for instance - impossibly cool -
yet it went to waste, hidden away to die
on the vine as the B side of a poor selling
single. From '64, listen to the sweet sound,
the soulful sound, the groovy sound of
The Pips and their-- "Love Call!"
"Love Call" - Gladys Knight And The Pips
(July 1964, B side of "What Shall I Do")
Gladys Knight and the Pips and their "Love Call," a little known
and seldom heard B side that shoulda been, coulda been
and woulda been a hit... if only...
Hy Lit of The Shady Bunch
keeping you company here
on S-P-M-M... the station
with personality.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
Here's hot wax that knocks me out
cold...a sound that's guaranteed
to keep you on a Natural Hy.
Quite rightly it's from Hi Records
and soul man Syl Johnson--
"Take Me To The River!"
"Take Me To The River" - Syl Johnson
(June/July 1975, highest chart pos. #7 R&B/#48 Hot 100/#59 Cash Box)
One of the fine artists on the roster of Hi Records, the Memphis-
based soul and rockabilly label... that was bluesy R&B great
Syl Johnson doing the biggest hit of his recording career,
"Take Me To The River."
Shady Del Knight will take me to task
if my show runs overtime. That being
the case, it's time for me to spin my
last record and hit the road, Jack.
It was a groove having you here
as together we took to the sky on
a Natural Hy. Hey, stick around.
Coming up on the flip side of
news it's everybody's favorite
K-9 companion, my pal Toto
Moto, to welcome you inside
his Top Tunes Time Tunnel,
and I'll be back soon with
another stack of boss goldens...
every spinner a certified winner.
I wanna see your face in the place
-- Shady's Place -- so keep your
ear here on S-P-M-M retro radio!
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
To play us off, Big Al... Mr. Downing... a man who did it all and did it well.
He rocked. He rolled. He sang the blues, gospel, country, R&B and Disco,
and that brings us to this killer from the mid 70s at the height of the Disco
craze, "I'll Be Holding On," a song that spent 3 weeks atop the Dance chart.
Now this is Hy Lit reminding you to be good, be nice, be kind,
maintain
your cool, don't be nobody's fool. Later!
"I'll Be Holding On" - Al Downing
(Feb./Mar. 1975, highest chart pos. #1 Disco/Dance,
#31 R&B, #85 Hot 100)
Could I possibly be first today? Lots of mellow tunes this morning. A few artists I know like the Delfonics and Gladys Knight but the others are new to me. Looking at the dates that these were popular I had to think what was going on on my life in the mid 70's. Marriage...baby carriage... work..Jack in Chiro school..busy times! I liked the final song here that really fits with today and how we need people to stand with us and be a light in our life. Take care Shady! Have a mellow, groovy week!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteYessum, you burst across the finish line well ahead of the pack to take home the gold medal in this week's Race to Shady's Place! I'm excited to see you, dear friend, and hope that your poor wrist is on the mend.
Thanks for tuning in Natural Hy with your host Hy Lit. It's the 5th of the legendary Wibbage DJ's simulated radio shows here on SPMM Retro Radio, and I must say I'm darned proud of this lineup. It features obscure, little known and seldom heard lost nuggets of soul and R&B spanning a decade from the mid 60s to mid 70s. I can understand that you were busy being a young wife and mother during this period and therefore are unfamiliar with some of these artists and their songs. Truth be told, a couple of these gems of the genre - "Tune Up" and "Love Call" - were brand new to my ears when I discovered them on Y/T within the past year.
Yessum, "I'll Be Holding On" is a big favorite of mine, and its lyrics inspire. Here are a few of the lines from the song:
When your life's full of trouble
And you're down
Can't find your way
I'll be there
For you to lean on
There's no price
That I won't pay
When you need me
I'll come running
Darling, you know
I'll understand
You see, I'll be your
Light in a sea of darkness
I'll be your sunshine
After the rain
All you gotta do
Reach out and touch me
I'll be your doctor
And I'll heal your pain
I'll be standing beside you
When you need a helping hand
So reach out your arms to hold me
Don't look back, I'll be holding on
Thanks again for coming over early, dear friend YaYa. Please take good care of yourself and enjoy the rest of your week!
I don't think I remember any of the artists you've shared with songs from 1975. I know Take Me to the River, but only The Talking Heads' version (which I love).
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves Motown and the Supremes were one of his favorites. We saw Gladys Knight in Vegas (seems like she didn't have her Pips with her) and were a bit disappointed.
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for being here early enough to finish a solid second in the Shady's Place Race. The silver medal is yours!
I'm sure if you heard The Dramatics' major hits "Whatcha
See Is Whatcha Get" and "In The Rain," you would recognize them. "Tune Up," featuring the unique sound FX of a car that refuses to start, was only a minor R&B hit for the group.
Thanks for sharing that you like... make that LOVE... the 1979 hit cover version of "Take Me To The River" recorded by The Talking Heads. Al Green co-wrote and recorded the song, and his Hi Records label mate Syl Johnson scored a hit with it. At one time, I had both Green's and Johnson's versions in my record collection.
I'm sorry to hear that Gladys Knight left her Pips at home the time you saw her show in Vegas. I can't imagine Gladys performing w/o the other members of the group. How about that 8 minute + remix of "Back In MY Arms Again," a video I was thrilled to find for this volume of Hy Lit?
I hope you played these tunes for my buddy Pat, and hope you'll give him some lubbins for me. Thanks again for dropping by and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Kelly!
Some songs and bands peak mostly in their own area.
ReplyDeleteSad April died so young.
Hi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for coming over for the 5th Hy Lit Show on SPMM, good buddy! By arriving this early you stake your claim to third place in this week's race, and you can proudly display the bronze trophy on your mantel.
Thanks for mentioning Cher Bono soundalike April Young. Her hubby Jerry Ross produced this great single "Gonna Make Him My Baby," and as I recall I posted it nearly ten years ago on SDMM in one of the earliest volumes of my series Echoes of the Spectorian Era. Yes, it is a doggone shame that April Young never grew old. She released a total of four singles and I like them all.
Thanks again for coming by, good buddy Alex!
I never could get enough of the Pips. They had a special sound that I loved. Of course, I listened to each of these seven and did a little trip down that famous lane. Thanks again for the morning tunes, the wonderful memories, and that Natural Hy, Shady.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteThanks for making time for a visit, dear friend! I'm pleased to welcome you into Shady's Clubhouse where DJ Hy Lit is spinning old gold. I'm glad you admire The Pips. I only recently discovered this rare relic of theirs - "Love Call." It blew me away! "Love Call" was released in July, 1964, as the B side of a poor selling single on Enjoy Records, a small indie label owned by Bobby Robinson. Consistent success continued to elude the group for almost two more years, until 1966, when they signed with Motown and thereafter had a much better chance of scoring hits.
I'm thrilled that you left Shady's Place on a Natural Hy, dear friend Cheryl-Lee. Take care and have a safe and productive April!
Happy After Easter! I hope you had a lovely time enjoying the sun. We were up to 16C which was really nice. I loved listening to the longer version from the Supreme's and it seemed to go by so quickly. April was way too young and I had to look her up but couldn't find out what she died from. Her son died also very young(43) and her husband in 2017. She had/has a great voice. I love Gladys and the Pips. The Delfonics and the Dramatics(they should join as a team) were not my fav but still appreciated. Love Take me to the River and the last song which was just enjoyable to listen to. Have a great rest of the week!
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteHappy After Easter to you as well, dear friend, and let me be the first to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! :) Thanks for coming over and tuning in to Hy Lit's radio show Natural Hy right here on SPMM Retrosonic Radio.
I'm glad you enjoyed taking the 8 minute plus ride on that Baby Bollox remix of The Supremes hit "Back In My Arms Again." You are sweet for doing research on the side to learn more about April Young. Her daughter has a Facebook page in her honor. April's real name was Janice Friedman and it became Janice Friedman Ross when she married respected East Coast record producer Jerry Ross who had written and produced the 8 sides Janice/April waxed while still in her teens. April's best known and most successful single, the Cher Bono-esque "Gonna Make Him My Baby," is a prime example of the East Coast Wall-of-Sound production technique used by Ross and others to imitate what Phil Spector was doing in his studio on the West Coast. Like you I haven't been able to find out April's exact cause of death, only that it was due to illness. Yessum, April, her son and hubby are all gone now, but her groovy pop recordings and the many 60s hits Jerry wrote and produced in his career have assured their immortality.
Seems you aren't as fond of the ballads Hy played as you are of the up tempo numbers. "Take Me To The River" is southern style R&B at its finest, and Al Downing's disco hit always gets my blood pumping. I owned that record when it first came out.
I'm thrilled that you got so much enjoyment out of the post. Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend BB. I'll be seeing you tamale "At The Movies!"
Wow, the only one of these I know is the first one and I thought I knew Gladys Knight and the Pips pretty well.
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
Hi, Janet!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for setting your radio dial to SPMM and catching the latest edition of Hy Lit's show Natural Hy.
This tribute to Hyski, the late, great Philadelphia broadcast legend, is primarily an East Coast show, intended to delight those of us who lived in the mid-Atlantic region in the 60s and 70s. However it is also intended to introduce the music of our youth to friends like you who spent their lives out West or in other parts of the country or the world where these songs were seldom or never heard. In every volume I will throw in a familiar oldie like that Supremes hit and then get down to the real nitty gritty, the material that made growing up where I did and when I did such a joy.
Thanks again for stopping by, dear friend Janet!
Hey Hy! Sorry to be running so late. I read your post the other day, but just have so much to do right now.
ReplyDelete"Love Call" is a very different sound for the Pips , and I don't think I've heard it before, though it sounds familiar. I like most of the songs done by Gladys Knight and the Pips-they are so sound.
Mmmm, The Delfonics are so good. I am a great fan of "La La Means I Love You", and "Break Your Promise" showcases their unique style. The Supremes were always pleasing the fans, and "Back in My Arms Again" is a superb example of their ability to be versatile. You always know it's the Supremes, however, their story lines and music beats change with the times and keep the fans coming back for more.
April Young does sound a bit like Cher, but I just couldn't get into the song, "Gonna Make Him My Baby". I know she had other recordings, and it is always sad to lose a good talent like hers. I like Syl Johnson and "Take Me to The River". Looks like he did shows and put out some pretty good blues numbers.
Hy, I'm glad to see you again, and I appreciate the videos you gave us. I really liked the Disco era, and enjoyed the Al Downing "I'll Be Holding On" video. Thank you for this great lineup of songs, Hy. Hope to see you again, soon.
Take care, dear friend Shady! Have a great weekend!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteI'm excited to see you, dear friend, and I thank you for tuning in to the 5th SPMM radio show of Delaware Valley broadcast legend Hy Lit. I know you are very busy with family matters on your side of the screen, and that makes me appreciate your visits all the more.
Yessum, "Love Call" is probably the most unique sounding Pips recording I've ever heard. I agree with Hy that it's "impossibly cool," yet it went to waste hidden on the B side of a single that fizzled. It's a long lost gem released two years before The Pips gained fame and began to consistently score hits as members of the Motown family of artists.
The Delfonics single "Break Your Promise" was released in August, 1968, nine months after their smash hit "La La." Although it wasn't nearly as big a chart hit, "Break Your Promise" has a similar sound and arrangement to their signature song. Over the years "Break Your Promise" has grown on me tremendously. It's exactly the type of smooth, cool Philly soul sound you heard played often on The Hy Lit Show.
Yessum, how about that 8.5 minute Baby Bollox megamix of The Supremes hit "Back In My Arms Again"? As you know, it's the song in which Diana mentions her group mates Mary and Flo by name. Sad to think that those two great ladies of song, two-thirds of Motown's most successful girl group, are now dead and gone, the most recent to go being Mary who died two months ago.
I'm surprised you didn't like the April Young number as much as Hy and Shady and others do. Again, I think it's an East Coast thing. If you didn't grow up in the East exposed to the sounds of Philadelphia and New York's Brill Building, you probably didn't develop a taste for the kind of material I love. To guys like me, "Gonna Make Him My Baby" is about as good as it gets.
I'm glad you turned thumbs up on Hi Records R&B great Syl Johnson. "Take Me To The River" is one of my favorite R&B songs to come out of Memphis, and both Syl and Al Green, the man who co-wrote the ditty, released great recorded versions. I am also pleased that you enjoyed the Philly style disco single by Big Al Downing, another hot sound in the mid Atlantic area in the mid 70s.
Thank you again for making time for a visit, dear friend Suzanne. I hope things are going well for you and Scootie. My next post is coming up on Monday, the latest edition of Bandstands in Foreign Lands. I hope you can join me. Until then have a safe and happy weekend!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI remember The Supremes' "Back In Your Arms". The "Take Me To The River" song title I recognize but I can't recall which artist I heard cover it. I read Al Green co-wrote the song with guitarist Mabon "Teenie" Hodges. His recording sounds a little familiar but I think it was someone else I recall. These are the only two songs in today's lineup I know and I the other two songs from 1975 I would've heard but they aren't ringing a bell with me. I enjoyed your tunes. Thanks for sharing some new gems from the past. Have a great weekend, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThank you very much for staying up late to comment on this week's post, dear friend! I welcome you to the 5th installment of Hy Lit's Natural Hy.
In my vinyl collection years, I owned The Hy Records Story, an album that included Syl Johnson's version of "Take Me To The River." On another compilation I had the original recording written and released by Al Green. It might have been's Al's version that you remember because the two recordings sound similar. Here is Al's original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBUgdhxe9M
Syl put a little more juice into his rendition and is not as famous as Al Green. I wanted to give him props by inserting his cover into the lineup of Hy's show.
It's doubtful that you ever heard the 1975 recording "Tune Up" because I never heard of it either until a couple of months ago when I found it on YouTUbe. The Dramatics single failed to make the pop chart and finished rather low on the R&B chart, but with its sound FX of a car that refuses to start and it's sweet soul harmony, I couldn't resist plugging it into Natural HY. It's the type of recording Hy loved to play on his Philly-based Bandstand style TV show.
Thank you again for joining the fun, dear friend Cathy. I look forward to this morning's I-day day post on CAAC. Have a great weekend!
I'm afraid the only song I've actually heard before is The Supremes "Back in My Arms", but the others, as usual, are songs I WISH I had heard before. I have to say that to my ears April Young doesn't sound all that much like Cher but then maybe I thinking of songs the latter put after 1970. Other than the singles she did with Sonny, I'm not sure what Cher sounded like in 1965, or if she even had any solo recordings back then. None of this is meant to take anything away from April. In fact it adds to it as I think she has a unique enough sound in her own right. Too bad she died so young.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for reporting in, good buddy! I'm giving you a high five as I welcome you to Natural Hy 5!
It amazes me that some of you don't think April Young sounds like Cher. Keep in mind that Cher started making records in February 1964 under the name Bonnie Jo Mason. She released another single at the end of '64 using the stage name Cherilyn, and she teamed up with Sonny Bono as a duo called "Caesar and Cleo" on two singles released in 1964, one in March and the other in September. I think April sounds more like Cher than Cher. As you can see by checking the stats, April's best known record "Gonna Make Him My Baby," performed well in the Eastern U.S.. In my neck of the woods, the single cracked the top 40 on my favorite radio station WSBA Lancaster-York-Harrisburg. It reached the top 20 on Hy Lit's station WIBG Philadelphia, and 18 year old April was dubbed "The Daughter of Wibbage-land." It's an exciting record and I'm glad you agree that April is an artist worth remembering.
I'm so glad you like what you heard from April and other new-to-you artists on the latest edition of Natural Hy. Thanks again for swinging over and have a super weekend, good buddy Kirk!
Hello friend Shady :) Thank you for your music selections. I did not know any, but enjoyed them all. Here is hoping that you and your loved ones are still happy and healthy thus far? In other news, I see that our Alberta flags are all at half mast due to Philip's passing age 99. Yep, we are still "the colonies" :) Now everyone is wondering about Harry and Meghan showing up for the funeral. That brings me to Facebook. I don't find it too bad, as long as you remain picky with your picks of contacts and what info you release/ withhold. Am regularly video calling with several of my friends (at no cost). Maybe give it another try? Other than that I am busy with preparing my garden and things. Baking bread, making ghee butter and things. Retirement life is good :) This cat and her cat Theo sending love from Alberta.
ReplyDeleteHi, cat!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you here at Shady's Place, dear friend! Thanks for setting your dial to SPMM and tuning in Natural Hy with your host Hy Lit. I'm glad you enjoyed Hyski's authentic playlist featuring soulful sounds from the mid 60s thru mid 70s. Yessum, I think April Young had plenty of soul for a white teenager, and perhaps that's why her 1965 single was so well received up and down the East Coast, a region that was a soul mecca back in the day.
Yessum, we are all AOK. Mrs. Shady's son was poorly for three days this week after receiving his one-dose shot of the J&J Janssen vaccine, but he's alright now. I hope you and TT are well and in good spirits. You seem to be. We have a black cat named Boots, a former stray that we took in, and he brings much joy into our lives every day.
Yessum, history has turned a page and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has died two months shy of his 100th birthday. I hope you have been watching The Crown because Philip figures into every episode. Millions of fans fo the series feel as though they have come to know and understand Philip better, even though the show is substantially fictional, not entirely fact based.
I am elated to know that you are enjoying retirement and that spring is coming alive in Alberta enabling you to go outdoors and tend your garden. I'm sure your homemade bread and ghee butter are delicious and that Theo licks his chops whenever you prepare food. I hope you will give him a good scratching from head to toe from Shady.
Thanks again for dropping in for a visit, dear friend cat. I always look forward to your visits. Please continue to take good care of yourself and your kitty and enjoy the warm seasons in Canada. LUBBINS!!!