Strange Magic Being Erica - Vol. 2: Right Place - Wrong Time

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...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

S T R A N G E   M A G I C

B E I N G   E R I C A

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

"Got My Mind Set On You" - George Harrison

(Dec. 1987/Jan. 1988, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Kicking-off the show, that
was George Harrison with

"Got My Mind Set On You,"

one of three chart-topping

hits for Harrison as a solo

artist. As you well know,

George was a great song-

writer, but "Got My Mind

Set On You" is actually a

cover of a song originally

waxed in 1962 by James

Ray, an American

R&B singer.

Hello again! I'm

Erica Strange.
As you might recall,
I'm the time traveling
main character on the
Canadian TV dramedy

Being Erica.

Welcome to the second edition of

S T R A N G E   M A G I C

B E I N G   E R I C A

coming to you exclusively here on S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio. I'm excited to be moonlighting

as a member of The Shady Bunch deejay staff.

Strange Magic Being Erica
brings you the greatest
soft rock, new wave and
pop sounds of the 70s
and 80s. Sometimes I'll
even take you all the way

back to the late 60s.

On my Being Erica TV series
I change clothes a lot. I'll be

doing the same thing here on

S-P-M-M... even though I'm

hosting a radio show. Hey,

don't laugh. It makes

perfect sense to me!

Okay, let's get back to

the music and the magic.

By now you might know

that I love ELO.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

Electric Light Orchestra is the Beatlesque English band co-founded

and led by Jeff Lynne. Here's a song that literally came from

Out of the Blue, ELO's 1977 album- "Sweet Talkin' Woman!"

"Sweet Talkin' Woman" - Electric Light Orchestra

(Mar./April 1978, highest chart pos. #17 Hot 100/#18 Cash Box)

From the spring of 1978 that was

ELO doing "Sweet Talkin' Woman,"

a single that brushed the top 5 in

the UK and went top 20 stateside.

You're time traveling with Erica
and up next is Phil Seymour,
a talented singer, songwriter,
drummer and musician from
the American heartland.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Phil played drums and bass and

sang with the Dwight Twilley Band.

He then went solo and had a hit

with a song he wrote--

"Precious To Me." 

"Precious To Me" - Phil Seymour

(Feb./Mar. 1981, highest chart pos. #22 Hot 100/#29 Cash Box)

From Oklahoma, that was Phil Seymour with his only hit,

"Precious To Me." The single brushed the top 20 in

the late winter and early spring of 1981. Sadly,

Phil took ill and died at the age of 41.

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

Now here's another gifted singer, songwriter

and musician, Gary Wright. Gary was a child

actor and later a member of the British rock

band Spooky Tooth. As a solo artist in the

mid 70s, Gary and his two hit singles

helped establish the synthesizer as an

important instrument in pop and rock.

The first of those hit songs is the one

you're hearing right now. The title

is an expression made popular by

John Lennon in his 1970 song

"God." Here's Gary Wright on

The Midnight Special doing  his

signature song "Dream Weaver"

"Dream Weaver" - Gary Wright" - George Harrison

(Feb./Mar. 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box/#2 Hot 100)

That was Gary Wright doing his breakthrough

hit "Dream Weaver," a single that went all the

way to #1 on the Cash Box chart, but stopped

at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, denied the

top spot by two other records, The Four

Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What a

Night)" and Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady." 

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

If you're just tuning in, I'm Erica Strange

and this is Strange Magic Being Erica...

We're plowing through 7-in-a-row on

S-P-M-M. Now here's another cool

sound of the 70s by the British glam

band The Sweet. Check 'em out as

they do their last international hit--

"Love Is Like Oxygen!"

"Love Is Like Oxygen" - Sweet

(May/June 1978, highest chart pos. #8 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

The Sweet sound of success - 

a top 10 U.S. hit for the

Brit glam rockers in

the spring of 1978.

START THE VIDEO NOW!

Erica Strange keeping you company on

S-P-M-M Retro Radio. Earlier, we saw

and heard Gary Wright in the mid 70s

singing about the "Dream Weaver."

Here's another dreamy song that

was hot more than a decade later.

It's by Debbie Gibson, the pride

of Long Island, New York. Here's

Debbie with her gem of the dance-

pop freestyle genres, her debut

single "Only In My Dreams!"

"Only In My Dreams" (retro-mix) - Debbie Gibson

(July/Aug. 1987, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100/#6 Cash Box)

From the spring and summer of 1987, that was Debbie Gibson with

"Only In My Dreams," a record that spent a whopping 28 weeks

on the chart and reached its zenith in the top 5 on the Hot 100.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Remember the episode of my television series Being Erica (above) when

I traveled back to the year 1969 and wore that groovy multi-colored dress?

How I wish I could have just stayed there forever. But, to my dismay,

when I blinked my eyes, I found myself stranded here in 2022.

Let me tell you, I was in the right place... but I must have

picked the wrong time. This guy knows what

I'm talking about. Here's Dr. John!  

"Right Place Wrong Time" - Dr. John

(June/July 1973, highest chart pos. #9 Hot 100/#11 Cash Box)

From the spring and summer

of 1973, you just listened to

"Right Place Wrong Time"
performed by one of the

pioneers of swamp rock -

zinger and piano player

Malcolm Rebennack,

better known as "Mac"

and best known as Dr. John.

The platter finished in the

top 10, making it the

biggest hit of his career.

Oh my, Shady just drew his finger across

his throat, the signal for me to "cut," and
that means I need to wrap up my second
show here on S-P-M-M. Before I forget,
I want to invite you to watch my TV
series Being Erica, now streaming
on Hulu and on Amazon Prime.

START THE VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, here's another one from ELO,

the theme song of my show, "Strange Magic."

Stick around. Coming up on the B side of

news, it's The Rockin' Bird, Joe Niagara,

who will spin a stack of knocked out nifties

of the past, and I'll be back soon with more

songs from the soundtrack of your youth on

Strange Magic Being Erica. See you then!

"Strange Magic" - Electric Light Orchestra

(Apr./May 1976, highest chart pos. #14 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Strange Magic Being Erica - Vol. 1: My Best Friend's Girl

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...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

S T R A N G E   M A G I C

B E I N G   E R I C A

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO

AND AT 17 SEC MARK, CLICK
TO START SECOND VIDEO!

"Never Been To Spain" - Three Dog Night

(Jan./Feb. 1972, highest chart pos.
#5 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Kicking-off the show,

"Never Been To Spain,"

one of the many hits by

the versatile and very

soulful LA-based rock

band Three Dog Night.

The single reached the

top 5 in the early

weeks of 1972.

Hello again, everyone! I'm Erica Strange. As you might recall

from last year's preview, I'm the time traveling main

character on the Canadian television dramedy

Being Erica.

Welcome to the official debut of
Strange Magic Being Erica

exclusively here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

I'm excited to be moonlighting as the newest

member of The Shady Bunch DJ staff.

On Strange Magic Being Erica
I'll be bringing you the greatest
soft rock, new wave and pop

love songs of the 70s and 80s.
Sometimes I'll even take you
all the way back to the 60s.
In fact that's exactly what
I'll do later in today's show.

On Being Erica I change clothes a lot,
and I'll be doing the same here on
S-P-M-M, even though I'm doing
a radio show. Go figure!

Okay, let's get back to the music and
the magic. In the summer of 1980,
Olivia Newton-John's musical
fantasy film Xanadu bombed
at the box office... but the

soundtrack album went
double platinum in the
U.S. and was a hit
all over the world.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here now is one of the songs from Xanadu. Released as a single
just before the movie hit theaters, it shot up the chart and spent
four weeks at number one. Olivia Newton-John sings-- "Magic."

"Magic" - Olivia Newton-John

(July/Aug. 1980, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box),

from OST of the Aug. 1980 film Xanadu)

That was Olivia Newton-John with her

smash hit from the flop film Xanadu,

a picture that also featured dance star

Gene Kelly in his final movie role.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Olivia and this popular English rock band,

Electric Light Orchestra, collaborated on

the hit theme from Xanadu. The previous

year, ELO racked-up their biggest U.S.

hit with a single that peaked in the top 5

and you're listening to it now. It's called

"Don't Bring Me Down."

"Don't Bring Me Down" - Electric Light Orchestra

Aug./Sept. 1979, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

From the late summer of '79, a year before Xanadu, that was ELO -

Electric Light Orchestra - with their highest-charting hit in the U.S.

and second highest charting UK hit-- "Don't Bring Me Down."

By the way, the lyrics of that song are often misheard as

"Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce." ELO co-founder Jeff

Lynne insists he is actually shouting "grooss"...

a word he simply made up!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER:

It's another Erica Strange

(ECHO CHAMBER)
DOUBLE PLAY-AY-AY-AY!

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

You got that right,

Don Pardo!

 

I'm double dippin' into the Electric Light Orchestra catalog

to bring you this groovy drum cover by German multi-

instrumentalist Sina Doering. Listen as Sina beats

the skins into submission on ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky!"

"Mr. Blue Sky" - ELO drum cover by Sina 

(June 2019, orig. single Aug. 1978, highest

chart pos. #27 Cash Box/#35 Hot 100)

That was The Princess of Percussion, drum sensation Sina Doering,

with a great drum cover of my second featured ELO song

"Mr. Blue Sky," a top 30 hit in the summer of 1978.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

If you're just tuning in, I'm Erica Strange

and this is Strange Magic Being Erica,

and we're in the middle of a 7-in-a-row

block party on S-P-M-M. I'm your vehicle,

babe, I'll take you anywhere you wanna go.

Why don't we let The Cars take us back

to '78 with-- "My Best Friend's Girl"?

"My Best Friend's Girl" - The Cars

(Nov./Dec. 1978, highest chart pos.
#35 Hot 100/#44 Cash Box)

Getting your motor running, those were The Cars with Ric Ocasek

on lead vocals doing "My Best Friend's Girl," the second single

from the Beantown band's self-titled debut album, and a song

from the soundtrack of the 1979 coming-of-age crime movie

Over the Edge. In the U.S. "Best Friend's Girl" peaked at the

low end of the top 40, but it was a much bigger hit in the
UK where it finished in the top 3 on the chart.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Erica Strange keeping you company on

S-P-M-M. Know what, I really like these

guys - The Doobie Brothers - a group

that's been an important part of the

soundtrack of America for more

than 50 years. Formed in 1970

as a mainstream rock band

behind lead singer Tom Johnston,

the Doobies changed direction in

1975 when Johnston left and was
replaced by blue-eyed soul man
Michael McDonald. Here's the
updated sound of the McDonald
era, The Doobie Brothers with--

"It Keeps You Runnin'."

"It Keeps You Runnin'" - The Doobie Brothers

(Jan./Feb. 1977, highest chart pos. #37 Hot 100/#50 Cash Box)

From the early weeks of 1977, those were The Doobie Brothers with their

top 40 hit "It Keeps You Runnin'"... a single from their 1976 album

Takin' It to the Streets... the first to feature Michael McDonald

as lead singer. The song was used in the 1978 classic rock

movie FM and is also found in the soundtrack of the

Academy Award-winning 1994 film Forrest Gump.

Strange days have found us and, as promised, here I am all the way back in 1969

to introduce the classic folk-rock sound of Crosby, Stills & Nash - a supergroup
that put an indelible stamp on American music and culture. Also known as CSN,
the group was made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and
Stephen Stills plus Graham Nash from the UK. Canadian singer and
songwriter Neil Young also joined the act from time to time.  

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's one of the group's best known compositions. Written by Stephen Stills,

the song refers to his former girlfriend, singer/songwriter Judy Collins.

Crosby, Stills & Nash sing-- "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes."

"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" - Crosby, Stills & Nash

(Nov./Dec. 1969, highest chart pos. #15 Cash Box/#21 Hot 100)

You just heard the tight intricate

harmonies of CSN - Crosby, Stills

& Nash, one of the leading groups

of the late 1960s counterculture -

and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," a song

that made the top 20 in the U.S. and

brushed the top 10 in Canada during

the Thanksgiving and Christmas

holiday season in 1969.

Gosh, Shady just drew his finger

across his throat, the signal for me

to "cut," and that means I need to

wrap up my first official show on

S-P-M-M. Before I forget, I want

to invite you to watch my series

Being Erica, streaming on Hulu

and on Amazon Prime Video.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, here's a different version of my theme song "Strange Magic,"

this one from the 2015 animated jukebox musical fantasy movie of the

same name. Stay tuned. Coming up on the B side of news, my friend

Jerry Blavat, The Geator with the Heater, drops by to spin stacks

of wax on Geator Gold... and I'll be back soon with more great

songs from your youth on Strange Magic Being Erica. Now

watch and listen as stars Evan Rachel Wood and Alan

Cumming as characters Marianne and Bog King,

sing the title song "Strange Magic." This is

Erica Strange saying so long and take care!

"Strange Magic" - Evan Rachel Wood & Alan Cumming

(from OST of Jan. 2015 animated film Strange Magic)

My Role as a Social Media Influencer - I Take it Seriously..... So Should You.

SCROLL DOWN 

OMG! For a split second, you took me seriously,

dear friend. You shoulda seen the look on your face!

I hope you never make that mistake again. You should

know by now that the only thing I want to influence

you to buy is my brand of humor, and the only thing

I want to influence you to do is to sing, dance,

laugh and have fun. With that in mind, I'll

reveal the actual title of today's post: 

Let's All Play -

Name That Sample!

I can't tell you how many times per day,

(maybe 10 or more, maybe even a hundred!)

people come up to me on the street and

ask the following question:

"WHAT IS SAMPLING?"

Actually the number of times is zero. It's never
happened... but I'm gonna tell you anyway.

Sampling is the process of taking a portion of one sound recording
and making it part of another sound recording. Hip hop was the
first pop music genre based on the art of sampling. The craze
started in the 70s with deejays playing vinyl records on twin
turntables and, using a mixer, creatively combining them
to make new dance sounds. In today's post I bring you
five 21st century recordings that sample five hits of
the 20th century. Please listen to all five songs and
see if you can Name That Sample - name the old
recording sampled in the more recent recording.

SONG #1:

THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS

ft. will.i.am

The Pussycat Dolls were a Los Angeles based girl group and dance troupe
that specialized in R&B, pop, hip hop and dance music. will.i.am is a

hip hop artist and producer also from LA. In 2006 the two acts
came together on the international hit single "Beep."

"Beep" - The Pussycat Dolls ft. will.i.am

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #13 Hot 100/#2 UK,

#1 Australia & New Zealand, from Sept. 2005 album PCD)

SONG #2:

RIHANNA

Rihanna is a R&B and dance-pop singer from Barbados now

based in New York. In 2006 Rihanna topped the U.S. pop, dance

and top 40 charts with her international hit single "SOS."

"SOS" - Rihanna

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,
#1 U.S. Dance Club Songs, #1 U.S. Mainstream Top 40,

#2 UK/#1 Australia, from Apr. 2006 album A Girl like Me)

SONG #3:

JOJO

She hails from Foxborough, Mass. Her real name is Joanna Noëlle
Blagden Levesque. Wisely the young pop/R&B singer chose "JoJo"
as her stage name. In 2007 JoJo reached the top 40 on the U.S.
Pop Songs chart and brushed the UK top 20 with "Anything."

"Anything" - JoJo

(May 2007, highest chart pos. #38 U.S. Pop Songs,
#21 UK, #18 Ireland, from Oct. 2006 album The High Road)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 1:45 MARK!

SONG #4:

MISSY ELLIOT

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot is a hip hop/R&B singer

from Portsmouth, Virginia. In 2006 Missy went

top 50 U.S., top 40 UK, top 25 in Australia

with the funky number "We Run This."

"We Run This" - Missy Elliot

(Feb. 2006, highest chart pos. #48 Hot 100, #38 UK,
#23 Australia, from July 2005 album The Cookbook,
Sept. 2006 album Respect M.E. & OST of 2006 movie Stick It)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 1:10 MARK!

SONG #5:

MADONNA

In 2005/2006 Madonna, The Queen of Pop, topped charts

worldwide with the album Confessions on a Dance Floor,

a set of songs influenced by 1970s and 80s disco.

"Hung Up," the lead single from the album,

was also an international hit.

"Hung Up" - Madonna

("LaRCS" - "Live and Record Combined Stereo") 

(Oct. 2005, highest chart pos. #1 U.S. Dance Club Songs,
#1 UK, #1 in 18 other countries, from Nov. 2005

album Confessions On a Dance Floor)

How many samples were

you able to name?

(SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE ANSWERS)

ANSWERS

SONG #1:

"Beep" by The Pussycat Dolls ft. will.i.am samples "Evil Woman,"
the 1975 hit by the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).

START PLAYING VIDEO AT 2:40

MARK TO HEAR THE SAMPLE!

SONG #2:

"SOS" by Rihanna samples "Tainted Love," the

1981/82 hit by the English synthpop duo Soft Cell.

SONG #3

"Anything" by JoJo samples "Africa,"

the 1982 hit by the American rock band Toto.

SONG #4

"We Run This" by Missy Elliot samples "Apache,"
the 1982 hit by The Sugarhill Gang

SONG #5

"Hung Up" by Madonna samples "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

(A Man After Midnight)," the 1979 hit by the

Swedish pop supergroup ABBA.

How many sampled songs were you

able to name? Check below to

determine your sampling I.Q.:

ALL 5 RIGHT:

Samply sensational!

3 OR 4 RIGHT:

Samply sufficient!

1 OR 2 RIGHT:

Samply seek some support.

0 RIGHT:

Sample Simon says

put on the dunce cap

and start studying!

Have a samply Shady Day!

Strange Magic Being Erica!

Hi! My name is Erica Strange.

I'm the main
character on

the Canadian
TV dramedy

Being Erica.

My life, in a nutshell...
not hazelnut... because
I'm allergic, is as follows.
I am a single 30-something
woman, unlucky in career
& unlucky in love, that is,
until I met a mysterious
therapist, Dr. Tom, who,
through some kind of
strange magic, is able
to transport me back to
the past so that I can
have do-overs and fix

my greatest regrets.

Things are definitely looking up for me...
and for you. I just landed a new job as a
member of The Shady Bunch deejay staff.
 Starting next year, I will be doing for you

on my radio show what Dr. Tom does for
me on my TV show. I'll be transporting
you back to the past and enabling you
to re-experience the soundtrack of
your youth. The songs I play will

give you a much needed infusion

of energy and enthusiasm that

might have diminished over

the years, especially now

that the COVID - 19

threat has become

a daily challenge.

On my television show Being Erica

I change clothes a lot. I'll be doing
the same here on on S-P-M-M...
even though I'm on the radio.
Hey, don't laugh. It makes
perfect sense to me!

START VIDEO NOW!

My new show at Shady's Place is called
Strange Magic

Being Erica
and today's preview gives you an idea
of the kind of music you'll hear. I'll
be playing great soft rock and love
songs of the 70s and 80s, like this
one by Peter Cetera and Chicago.

"You're The Inspiration" - Chicago

(Dec. 1984/Jan./Feb. 1985, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100/#4 Cash Box)

From Christmas 1984 and the early weeks of 1985, the smooth sound of Chicago

and their top 3 hit "You're My Inspiration," Peter Cetera on lead vocals, a song

he co-wrote with David Foster. You're my inspiration, and I'm very happy to

have you with me as I run down the types of sounds I'll be presenting

next year on Strange Magic Being Erica.

This band is best known for its folk-rock

harmony and early 70s international hits

that included "A Horse With No Name,"

"Ventura Highway," "Lonely People,"

"Tin Man" and "Sister Golden Hair."

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

They're called America but they formed
in London and were originally a trio with
a Brit-American and two members from
the U.S. The band's popularity faded in
the late 70s, but they bounced back in

'82 with-- "You Can Do Magic."

"You Can Do Magic" - America

(Sept./Oct. 1982, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box/#8 Hot 100)

Magic men, the band called America, with their top 10 single from
the fall of '82-- "You Can Do Magic." You're tuned to S-P-M-M and
I'm Erica Strange bringing you a preview of my new radio show
Strange Magic Being Erica premiering next year on this station.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

On my TV series Being Erica, I have

quite a few encounters with players.

Here's the good kind of Player, the

LA soft rock band, with a #1 single

that spent an astonishing 32 weeks

on the chart. This record was one

of the few by a white artist to be
played on black radio stations,

earning the band a reputation

as a blue-eyed soul act. Here

they are, Player, with their

biggest hit and signature

song-- "Baby Come Back."

"Baby Come Back" - Player

(Dec. 1977/Jan. 1978, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

A monster hit from Christmas 1977 through the early weeks of '78...

"Baby Come Back" by Player. Incidentally one of the members

of Player, vocalist and bassist Ronn Moss, went on to assume

the long-running acting role of Ridge Forrester on the hit

daytime drama The Bold And The Beautiful.

You're listening to Strange Magic

Being Erica - The Preview here

on S-P-M-M, where we do more

rockin' and less tockin'.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Now let's hear some late 70s

American-made new wave rock

from the Boston band The Cars.

Written and sung by Ric Ocasek--

let the "Good Times Roll!"

"Good Times Roll" - The Cars

(Apr. 1979, highest chart pos. #41 Hot 100/#60 Cash Box)

We're letting' the good times roll on S-P-M-M, and those were Beantown's best,

The Cars, doing "Good Times Roll," a song from their debut album. At the time,

the single only brushed the top 40 in the U.S... but over the years it has grown
in popularity and today is counted as one of The Cars greatest hits.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

On Being Erica I'm always looking

for Mr. Right. As luck would have it,

I found Mr. Wright here on today's

playlist. It's Gary Wright, former

member of the British hard rock
band Spooky Tooth. Gary also
played keyboards on ex-Beatle
George Harrison's epic triple
album All Things Must Pass.

With his hit mid 70s single
and album "Dream Weaver,"
Gary Wright helped make
the synthesizer a leading
instrument in rock and
pop music. Here's his
follow up single--
"Love Is Alive."

"Love Is Alive" - Gary Wright

(June/July 1976, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100/#3 Cash Box)

"Love Is Alive" here on S-P-M-M...

Retrosonic Radio in Futuresonic

Stereo Surround, and you just felt

the spirit of '76 captured by the

Dream Weaver, Gary Wright,

on his second major hit single.

Strangely, "Love Is Alive" was

released before "Dream Weaver"

but charted after it, and spent an

amazing 27 weeks on the chart -

seven weeks longer than "Dream

Weaver," Gary's signature song.

Hung up at #2, "Love Is Alive"
was denied the top spot on the
chart by The Manhattans' single
"Kiss And Say Goodbye" and by
Elton John and Kiki Dee with
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

In late 1973 this song was everywhere - on the radio, on stereos and on

stage as The Edgar Winter Group played to rock fans who dug the sound.
Written by band member Dan Hartman who scored a disco hit with

"Instant Replay," this is the blues rock classic-- "Free Ride!"

"Free Ride" - The Edgar Winter Group

(Sept/Oct. 1973, highest chart pos. #10 Cash Box/#14 Hot 100)

From the fall of '73 you just heard
the fusion of blues & rock on the

song "Free Ride" by The Edgar

Winter Group, a single from
the band's hit 1972 album
They Only Come Out at Night.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

That does it for my special sneak

preview. Thank you so much for
tuning in today. I'm Erica Strange.
Be sure to join me next year for
more sensational songs from the
sound track of your youth on my
new show Strange Magic Being
Erica on S-P-M-M... where all
the cool oldies come to play.
Take care and I'll see you
right here in 2021!

"Strange Magic" - Electric Light Orchestra

(Apr./May 1976, highest chart pos. #14 Hot 100 & Cash Box)