1974: The Hideaway 100 (Part V: 60-51)

 

Today, We've gathered to listen to ten more songs from the 1974 Hideaway 100, specifically numbers 60 through 51. By the end of this post, we'll be halfway through our countdown. If you missed them, get caught up with 100-91  90-81  80-71  70-61.

Somewhere there is a sign, probably with an image of a turntable and a tonearm, like those signs at amusement parks that say you have to be this tall to ride this attraction only the wording is you have to be this cool to like this song. I've never been that cool. But in 2020, given a lot of time and a sizable increase in my disposable income, I was able to take a deep dive into a few artists' back catalogs, including that of Sparks. I found "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" as the first track on the group's third album Kimono My House immediately falling for it, adding it to a couple playlists and quoting the lyrics in the occasional conversation. It may be très uncool but I prefer listening to Spark's orchestral reworking of the song from their 1997 album Plagiarism. It just sounds better to these ears. "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" failed to chart in the States but rose to number 2 in the UK in June 1974 during a ten-week cruise. The song re-charted in 1997 as a duet with Faith No More, also from Plagiarism. Watch Sparks perform the song live on The Midnight Special from November 1974 or listen to my favorite version of "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us".

Though it was too slow and tender for eight-year-old me in 1974, I eventually came to appreciate "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" for the simple beauty expressed in the song's lyrics and Gladys Knight's quietly impassioned vocal performance. This timeless love song found its place on a few mixtapes I've made for my wife and subsequent mix discs and playlists. "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" first charted on the Hot 100 in February 1974 and peaked at number 3 in April amidst a seventeen-week affair. Watch Gladys Knight & the Pips perform "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" on The Midnight Special from March 1974.

Here are some of The Hideaway's other favorite songs with variations of "Rock 'n Roll" in the title:

• "I Love Rock 'n Roll" – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1982)
• "Rock & Roll Fantasy" – Bad Company (1979)
• "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" – Billy Joel (1980)
• "Rock and Roll Love Letter" – Bay City Rollers (1976)
• "Rock & Roll Music" – Chuck Berry (1957)
• "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band)" – The Moody Blues (1972)
• "That's Rock 'N' Roll" – Shaun Cassidy (1977)
• "Rock & Roll Band" – Boston (1976)
• "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll" – AC/DC (1976)
• "Old Time Rock And Roll" – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (1978)
• "Rock 'N' Roll Star" – Oasis (1994)
• "I've Got A Rock 'N' Roll Heart" – Eric Clapton (1983)
• "Rock 'n' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years of My Life)" - Mac Davis (1975)
• "Rock and Roll Woman" – Buffalo Springfield (1967)
• "Rock 'N' Roll Is King" – ELO (1983)
• "Rock And Roll Never Forgets" – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (1976)
• "We Need A Whole Lot More Jesus (And A Lot Less Rock and Roll) – Linda Ronstadt (1969)
• "Rock And Roll" – Led Zeppelin (1971)
• "Rock 'N' Roll High School" – Ramones (1978)
• "Rock And Roll All Nite" – KISS (1976)
• "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" – Rick Derringer (1974)
• "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" – Ian Dury & the Blockheads (1977)
• "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" – Jim Steinman (1981)
• "Rock And Roll Heaven" – Righteous Brothers (1974)
• "Rock And Roll Lullaby" – B.J. Thomas (1972)
• "So You Want To Be A Rock "N' Roll Star" – The Byrds (1967)
• "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay" – Danny & the Juniors (1958)

There's more but that seems like a good place to stop. "It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It)" spent seven weeks in the Top 40 peaking at number 16 in September 1974. You can listen to The Rolling Stones sing it HERE or watch the boys, home on shore leave in the song's official promo video.

It is important to know I love this song and on any day I can love it more or a little less. I must have loved it a little less while compiling the 1974 Hideaway 100. Rather than hearing it first on the radio, I believe "TSOP" came to me as the Soul Train theme song. A bargain-priced Philadelphia Classics, the fantastic double album featuring eight suped-up Tom Moulton mixes of Philadelphia International Records classics, is how the song came into my collection in the mid-eighties. Buy it if you find it - highly recommended! "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" peaked on the Hot 100 at Number One for two weeks in April 1974 during a decent eighteen-week run. It also topped the Easy Listening and Soul charts. Listen to the single edit or enjoy The Tom Moulton Mix HERE.

Rolling Stone published its first 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004. They freshened the list in 2010 and then again in 2021. Each list became more contemporary and controversial as the magazine struggled to remain relevant. Quietly and without fanfare, Rolling Stone updated the list again in February 2024. I only stumbled upon this update while researching where "September Gurls" ranked on that original 2004 list. The song was initially ranked #178 in 2004 before dropping to #180 in 2010. The 2021 list had "September Gurls" down to #239 where it remains for the 2024 ranking. I don't know Jack about December boys but I know a thing or two about the girls of September: Mrs. HERC and our daughter both have September birthdays. One of the greatest power-pop songs of all time, "September Gurls" failed to chart but you can listen to the song HERE.

Another pretty love song I avoided in 1974. Well, not so much avoided as passed through one big ear and out the other without a thought. Then the boy grows up, falls in love, and suddenly all those love songs he ignored have been unlocked. Flack glides over the soft jazzy groove setting the mood in "Feel Like Makin' Love". Unlike the Bad Company song of the same name which basically clubs the listener over the head with its intent, Flack playfully tempts and teases. In the sixteen weeks "Feel Like Makin' Love" spent on the Hot 100, thirteen were spent in the Top 40 including a week at Number One in August 1974. Listen to the all-too-brief song or spend ten minutes with the DJDiscoCat Soul Purrfection version of "Feel Like Makin' Love" HERE.

Another Cow Talk Jukebox staple, my hazy memory has this song staying on the jukebox into the Eighties as it got so many plays. Makes me wonder how jukeboxes were programmed. Did they rotate out the old records, replacing them with the new stuff? Were they able to tell which songs were getting the most plays so they could keep them in rotation until their play counts and revenue fell off? I remember a note taped to the side of the jukebox one day saying a particular record skipped or was scratched so the guy could check it or change it. What we have with "Drinkin' Thing" is the perfect voice for this particular set of lyrics. Honky tonk music was out of fashion in Nashville in the early Seventies, having been replaced by the polished countrypolitan sound. Gary Stewart and his album Out Of Hand, which "Drinkin' Thing" preceded by a few months, helped revive honky tonk. The song failed to cross over to the Hot 100 but spent eighteen weeks steadily climbing the country chart peaking at number 10 in September 1974 before making a hasty exit three weeks later. Listen to the quiverin' twang and wounded jealousy of "Drinkin' Thing".

Elton John is just one artist who has gained new levels of appreciation since we upgraded the sound systems here at The Hideaway. The subtle nuances in his voice as he brings Taupin's lyrics to life, the wonderful sounds of his piano playing, and the inspired interplay from his bandmates all leveled up when we upped our audio game. "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" is one of dozens of John/Taupin songs we've been hearing again for the first time. The single dwelled in the Billboard Top 40 for nine weeks, peaking at number 2 for two weeks in July and August 1974. Listen to Elton John sing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". 

Though I'm certain I had heard "Hollywood Swinging" a few times on the radio through the years, it didn't really make my regular listening rotation until after its use in the climatic scene of 2005's Roll Bounce. The funky, energetic tune never fails to get heads bobbin' and rumps shakin'. "Hollywood Swinging" spent nineteen weeks on the Hot 100 from April through August 1974, peaking at number 6 in July. Listen to "Hollywood Swinging" or get your skate on with DJDiscoCat's Funky Purrfection Version of the song.

Here at The Hideaway, we're huge fans of the music of Sam Cooke so we're always up for a new interpretation of his work. One of the things we appreciate about Cat Stevens's calypso-flavored take on "Another Saturday Night" is how he manages to still convey the frustration that comes with loneliness while upping the tempo, concealing a sad song within happy music. "Another Saturday Night" spent nine weeks in the Top 40, peaking at number 6 in October 1974. Listen to Sam Cooke's original "Another Saturday Night" or listen to the Cat Stevens cover.

We're halfway through the 1974 Hideaway 100. Feel free to time travel to other years HERE.