1974: The Hideaway 100 (Part X: 10-1)

 

After spending a recent weekend enjoying more than 50 records  (I know there were more but I stopped counting after 50) from the vinyl wall, I realized how lazy and out of shape I am. Listening once again to the unique sound of vinyl was a joyous experience. The following Monday however, every joint in my limbs was aching from the physical exertion required for a vinyl-listening marathon. Especially jumping up every three minutes or so while listening to a stack of 45s. Among the many 45s that crossed the turntable during that weekend were the Top 10 of the 1974 Hideaway 100 we'll be covering today. I'm planning another vinyl weekend soon-ish so I'll be sure to stretch thoroughly beforehand. And now, on with the countdown.

When Casey announced "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" for the first time on the June 8, 1974 episode of American Top 40, he said:

"Don't let this throw ya. Written by Dillon and Cash. Not THE Dylan or THE Cash but a couple of newcomers, John Dillon and Steve Cash, members of the group Ozark Mountain Daredevils. And their song is "If You Want To Get To Heaven" at number thirty-seven, a debut record."

Dad had picked up the eight-track of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils self-titled album, the one with the colorful quilt on the cover, maybe just a month before that episode, after first hearing "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" on his favorite radio station, and played it often. We still think it's a great song fifty years later and our furry ears perk up whenever we hear that harmonica kick things off. The single spent sixteen weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at number 25 in June 1974. Watch the Ozark Mountain Daredevils perform "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

Carole King's "Jazzman" is one of a few songs on the 1974 Hideaway 100 that failed to register with us in 1974. In our defense, we were nine years old. We only recall getting into the song in the late Nineties when we resumed doing deep dives into artist discographies. Thought it was cool to learn Tom Scott plays the song's sax solo (does that make him the titular Jazzman?) and that former Steely Dan vocalist David Palmer wrote the song's lyrics. Sometimes while listening, we imagine it has a trippy animated music video that we've managed to miss seeing through the years. "Jazzman" peaked at number 2 for a week in November 1974 during a twelve-week stay in the Top 40, held out of the top spot by "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet". Listen to "Jazzman".

Billy Swan's "I Can Help" features Good Samaritan lyrics over an organ-driven country soul riff and was quite popular on the Cow Talk jukebox...in 1975 and 1976. The song may have been popular during the latter part of 1974 when it was released but by then we were already back home in Illinois, unaware of what songs were earning the most quarters. "I Can Help" was another instant winner for us but it wasn't until 1982 that we added the song to our collection via the tasty Columbia (House) Musical Treasury set All Star Hits of the 70s. The single spent eighteen weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at Number One for two weeks in November 1974. Listen to "I Can Help".

We never realized how divisive pop music was until we helped launch The Drive in August 2019. There was an accompanying article in the morning paper that day and within 15 minutes of going on air, we began hearing from listeners telling us what songs we should be playing and which songs need never be heard again. Two of our own jocks hated playing Three Dog Night's "The Show Must Go On". We have always liked the song and especially enjoy hearing it during the middle of the day for some unknown reason. We enjoy songwriter Leo Sayer's earlier version but the better-sounding production and the edgy vocal from Chuck Negron in Three Dog Night's version make it our favorite. "The Show Must Go On" spent twelve weeks in the Top 40, peaking at number four around Memorial Day 1974. Listen to the album version of "The Show Must Go On".

Gordon Lightfoot is a great storyteller and "Sundown" is one of his best songs. The gentle melody of the guitars makes a perfect bed for the jealous and obsessive lyrics to hide. We were more attuned to the acoustic sound of the song as a youngster but now, after a lifetime of loves lost and found, we love the song's dark brooding underbelly. "Sundown" lasted eighteen weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at Number One for a week in late June 1974. Watch Gordon perform "Sundown" as the credits roll on The Midnight Special episode he hosted on February 22, 1974.  

It's all about Anthony Jackson's effects-laden bassline for this listener. "For The Love Of Money" is a great track, highly effective on headphones, car systems, or full-blown hi-fi setups. The lyrics tell a cautionary tale of how money brings out the worst in people set to a relentlessly funky beat, the very definition of music with a social conscience. We don't recall hearing the radio edit of "For The Love Of Money" but Uncle Sam had the eight-track of the Ship Ahoy album and we enjoyed hearing the full-length version many times over a couple summers. The single peaked at number nine in June 1974 during a sixteen-week run on the Hot 100. Watch The O'Jays perform a slightly sped-up version of "For The Love Of Money" on The Midnight Special.

Grand Funk has quite a few radio hits but their exuberantly sloppy cover of "The Loco-Motion" may be their best as it simply roars out of the speaker at about the 20-second mark. Todd Rundgren's production elevates what could have been an informal jam to a mammoth-sounding muscle car essential. The song was Number One for two weeks in May 1974 during a twenty-week journey up and down the Hot 100. Listen to "The Loco-Motion".

"Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" rocks with a playful abandon often missing from John Lennon's solo work. Elton John (singing and playing along on piano) famously made a wager with his friend Lennon that their song would go to the top of the chart. And it did. The payoff was Lennon had to join Elton on stage at Madison Square Garden for a live performance of "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night". (The duo also performed "I Saw Her Standing There" in what turned out to be John Lennon's final live performance.) It is still a great song that never fails to put us in a great mood and we love the lyrical message of "just do what works for you". "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" quickly sailed up the Hot 100 chart, cracking the Top 40 during the second week of its fifteen-week chart stay including one week at Number One in November 1974. Listen to "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night".

This list of our 100 favorite songs from 1974 is filled with tunes we loved in 1974 but there are just as many songs from 1974 that caught our attention later. "She's Gone" is another one of our late bloomers. Actually, an argument could be made that it was a late bloomer for the majority of listeners after barely making it up to number 60 on the Hot 100 in March 1974 before falling completely off the chart just two weeks later. Maybe the slow-burning song with the soaring harmonies was ahead of its time. It certainly sailed over our eight-year-old head. Then "Sara Smile" hit in June 1976 and the duo re-released "She's Gone" in July 1976, watching it climb its way into the Top 40 where it spent an incredible sixteen weeks, peaking at number seven for a couple of weeks as October turned to November 1976. Watch "She's Gone" and a couple other songs from Hall & Oates in this 1977 medley from The Midnight Special.

Another late bloomer tops our countdown. "Help Me" was around, we recall hearing it frequently on the radio but "Help Me" remained just a wonderful-sounding song on the radio. Then, shortly after the birth of our first child in September 1987, we picked up 3 CDs that were ridiculously cheap at the time. We didn't make a note of their price but want to say they were $6.99 or so which was unheard of at the time for new discs housed in longboxes. The three discs were from a Warner Bros. Special Products series Classics in Digital. Among the three discs was one titled Storytellers: Singers And Songwriters, chosen to add "Midnight at The Oasis" to our CD collection. The first track on that disc is "Help Me" and it just sounded and still sounds amazing. Through the years, successive remasters have only improved the sound to these ears culminating with the 2022 Remaster which pushed the song to the top for this listener. "Help Me" logged nineteen weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at number seven in early June 1974. Listen to the 2022 Remaster of "Help Me". (The other two discs we bought that day in 1987 were Classic Rock and 20 Party Classics.)

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Thanks for joining us on our journey. If you missed any stops along the way, they are available here.

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Listen to the 1974 Hideaway 100 on Spotify.