i had to google that. not posting what I found but I never would have got it.
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i had to google that. not posting what I found but I never would have got it.
101. From 1969 to 1975 no band sold more records OR sold more concert tickets than these guys. They had an almost unfathomable 21 consecutive top 40 hits, including 3 #1 songs and 12 consecutive gold albums . That's chart dominance, my friends. I saw them perform in 2010 , some 35 years after the release of their 21st consecutive top 40 song . What's the name of the band ?
I'd almost bet that Roy Tucker has seen these guys play.
The Jackson Five's "ABC" replaced this song at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 . You've probably heard it a few times.
https://youtu.be/CGj85pVzRJs?list=RDCGj85pVzRJs
Btw, just in case you were curious, Jackson's "Ben" replaced Mac Davis' "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" at #1 and "Bad" replaced "Lost in Emotion" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam at the top spot in 1987.
102. In December of 2023, this recording artist became the first solo artist in history to have a #1 song on a Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades. Who's the artist?
103. We lost a great singer/songwriter yesterday in Neil Sedaka, so I thought I'd do a trivia question, in remembrance of Mr. Sedaka. Of course, Sedaka was a major pop star in the 60's, selling 40 million records between 1959-1963, with his global chart-topping hit, "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" hitting the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, 1962, exactly one month before Sedaka married his wife, Leba.
After '63, Sedaka lost a lot of his audience here in America to the British invasion and his popularity declined sharply. Asked once about the effect the Beatles had on his career, Sedaka responded, "The Beatles---Not good!" Sedaka's career took an upswing after a move to Australia in 1969, and an even greater resurgence after relocating to the UK in the early 70's. In 1973, he met Elton John, who signed him to his newly founded, Rocket Records. John helped him revive his career in America, with songs like "Laughter in the Rain"'('74) and "Bad Blood('75). But it's that '71-72 period after he relocated to the UK that is the subject of this trivia question.
During the recording of Solitaire in '72 , Sedaka collaborated with a group of musicians on that entire album. This band was just establishing itself in the UK. They provided all the backing instrumentation on Solitaire, and helped revive Sedaka's career in the UK. The backing band, who also provided the engineering work on the recording, giving a more modern pop/rock sound to Sedaka. Neil felt very comfortable with the band, both musically and socially. After the recording sessions on the album were finished , Sedaka was extremely pleased and told the guys in the band, "‘You’re really good. You’ve done a fine job. Why don’t you try doing something yourselves? You’re good enough. "
They WERE good enough. While they helped revive Neil's career in the UK by being his backing band on Solitaire , Neil's success with the album and the follow-up, "The Tra-La Days are Over," which the band also played on, provided the impetus for the band to start out on their own, which they did. One of the most inventive, melodic and innovative British bands since the Beatles was about to be born. And it would have never happened without Neil Sedaka. They went on to have 12 Top 40 hits in the UK, including three #1's. They had three top 40 hits in America, including two gigantic smash hits, one that peaked at #2 in 1975 and another that reached #5 in 1977. Without Neil Sedaka, we likely would have never heard of this band.
Can you name this British band that was a backing band for Neil Sedaka before making it big?
Mama was Mae Boren Axton, known as the "Queen Mother of Nashville." She wrote Elvis' first #1 song, "Heartbreak Hotel."
https://theoklahoma100.com/wp-conten...oren-Axton.jpg
Mama Mae's son was Hoyt Axton. He wrote the top song of 1971:
https://youtu.be/M9uoq9gfeL0?list=RDM9uoq9gfeL0
Interesting sidenote, Ms. Axton outlived Elvis by 20 years. She died in 1997 at the age of 82. Son, Hoyt, died two and a half years after his mom passed.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...pm4xhsJGsxAg&s
I believe it was 10cc. A Roy fave back in the day. I have the vinyl of their “The Original Soundtrack”. Their song “I’m Not In Love” hit home.
Never saw them live though. Google says they played the Emery Theater in 1975. I must have been otherwise occupied.
I can see why Sedaka liked 10cc so much. They were terrific. Innovative, , melodic , great instrumentalists, good vocals. Very good band.
Man, "I'm Not In Love" is such a hauntingly beautiful song. Incredibly unique and innovative. Haunts you to the core if you've ever been in love/not in love.
Here's some of what the band did in making the song:
Vocal-Based Production: The backing track was constructed by recording 12-note chromatic scales of three-part harmonies (totaling 48 voices) and creating endless loops.
Manual Mixing Technique: Band members acted as human faders, manually adjusting the volume of different vocal loops to create a constantly shifting, breathing soundscape.
Tape Loop Technology: Because they lacked early sampling technology, they recorded 12-foot-long tape loops and rigged them onto mic stands, managing tension to prevent breakage.
"Invisible" Instrumentation: The song featured a Moog synthesizer heartbeat, a Fender Rhodes piano, and a whisper from the studio secretary ("Big boys don't cry")