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The One-Hit Wonder Thread!


Anderton

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Didn't Hardcastle also have a hit with "Rain Forest"? It's a staple on "smooth jazz" stations.

 

 

Yeah, the "one hit wonder" qualification of some of these tunes is a little dodgy, maybe. Especially when you figure that some of the artists who only surfaced with 1HW's in the USA might've had a more thriving, fleshed-out career on the UK/Australia/Dutch charts, etc.

 

For example, I remember Gary Numan's OTHER hit, "Are Friends Electric?" but that may have been a UK hit only...

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Speaking of Tony Burrows, here's another session singer who incarnated in different records... She had a solo 1HW hit in 1963 with this lovely record:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've always liked this production... a bit more sophisticated than other Girl Group-style records of the era.

 

From what I understand, Robin went on to provide backup vocals in a lot of hits thereafter for other artists; some cognoscenti even claim to be able to pick out her voice in any record she appeared in...

 

I know that she did the overlay vocals in the sound that was "The Partridge Family"...

 

Oooh, and here's a 1HW I used to love as a 6-year-old in 1969:

 

"Love Can Make You Happy" by Mercy

 

Here's a 1HW produced by Tommy James, that still kicks arse, bigtime. From 1971:

 

"Tighter, Tighter" by Alive 'N' Kicking

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How about Peter Sarstedt, "Where Do You Go To, My Lovely"
:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqLH2Sjatn0


 

This record, one of the saddest and most beautiful ever, did not have a life on the USA charts in 1969; I first discovered it in 1979, in South Africa (whose charts have largely echoed the UK charts).

 

Anyone remember the

 

This might've been a regional hit in the USA, I dunno...

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I'm not sure what you're referring to.
:o
I was actually listening to that, as well as Flying Machine's "Smile A Little Smile For Me" last night.
:)
Another classic: White Plains "My Baby Loves Lovin'".


Terry Jacks: Seasons In The Sun. Hey, I was a kid at the time - I'm allowed some songs that, in retrospect, I don't like as much as I once did.
;):D

 

I got two CDs of Bubblegum classics PLUS another two CDs called The Best Of Buddah Records......Amazing how enjoyable I find this stuff now.....

 

Leon Russell was in Le Cirque which did "Land Of Oz" ...what a trippy song..Plus, I cant believe I found a YouTube of it (granted its not really a video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atnR0u_Ojhs

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Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas - Little Children

I believe this was their only US hit, though they had some success in the UK.

 

 

 

Didn't "Bad To Me" by Billy J. (written by Lennon/McCartney) chart in the USA?

 

BTW, those are two of my alltime FAVE records from the 60's British Invasion!

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Ted, are you referring to Tony Burrows? He had a lot of groups he was involved in that were "one hit wonders"... Another example (along with the aforementioned Edison Lighthouse and White Plains tracks) is The First Class "Beach Baby".


Tony's voice is uber cool IMHO.
:)



I am indeed. Tony Burrows can't really be a "one hit wonder" because he's like the only artist to be on the top twenty, I believe, four times with four different acts simultaneously. "Rosemary", "My Baby" (White Plains) "Gimme Dat Ding" (novelty song, The Pipkins), and there was one other I can't remember right off...was it "United We Stand"???

And "Rosemary" is like one of my all time "feel good" songs. That song just flat out rules.

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Nu Shooz "I Can't Wait". One helluva catchy bit o' 80s pop. "Point of No Return" wasn't as big, correct?

 

Did The Left Banke have another hit besides "Walk Away Renee"?

 

"Mary's Prayer"...what was the name of the band, Meet Danny Wilson?

 

Archie Bell and the Drells "Tighten Up"

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And "Rosemary" is like one of my all time "feel good" songs. That song just flat out rules.

 

 

You bet. It's just pop perfection. The arrangement, I now find, is somewhat more complex than I had remembered.

 

Most men long to write symphonies; me, my holy grail is The Perfect Pop Song. Short duration (and, used to be, lousy audio) forces record-makers to be concise, precise, direct, focused, stylish. The aural equivalent of the literary short-story or the artist's matchbook.

 

My credo: If it cain't be said in 3:00,

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Sugar Sugar: the Archies. Actually one guy(no group) named Ron Dante. He was producing/A-Ring my current group at the time, and actually wanted us to dye our hair red, paint freckles on our faces, and go out as the Archies :D . We politely said "no thanks". Next time I heard of him he was producing the first Barry Manilow sessions.

Best, Paul
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Great story, Paully.

Rasputin...I agree with you on the 3 minute pop song. And originally, it used to be even shorter than that, like 2:30 or so. The philosophy was to cram as many spots as possible into an hour of music...plus, they were playing to that "short attention span" factor. But there is something great about those three minute tunes.

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Sugar Sugar
: the Archies. Actually one guy(no group) named Ron Dante. He was producing/A-Ring my current group at the time, and actually wanted us to dye our hair red, paint freckles on our faces, and go out as the Archies
:D
. We politely said "no thanks". Next time I heard of him he was producing the first Barry Manilow sessions.


Best, Paul

 

wait-a-minnit... am i right in remembering that Ron Dante also was "Andy Kim" who had the 1974 hit with "Rock Me Gently" (another fantastic 1HW, BTW)

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Am I too late for the party? I have a thing for one hit wonders. I think these qualify.

 

The Politics of Dancing - Reflex

Hold Your Head UP - Argent

How Long - Ace (One of my favorite guitar solos.)

Der Kommissar - After The Fire

Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis

The Captain Of Her Heart - Double

Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy

Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant

Best Of My Love - Emotions

Hocus Pocus - Focus

Funk #49 - The James Gang

Too Shy - Kajagoogoo

Toy Soldiers - Martika

Promises, Promises - Naked Eyes

Jackie Blue - The Ozark Mountain Dardevils

Are You Ready? - Pacific Gas & Electric

Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs

Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor

Driver's Seat - Sniff 'n The Tears

Tainted Love - Soft Cell

I Got A Line On You - Spirit

Greeneyed Lady - Sugarloaf

True - Spandau Ballet

Don't Disturb This Groove - The System

If You Could See - Tonic

Digging Your Scene - Blow Monkeys

Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik

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"Liar Liar" by The Castaways.

I bought this record while it was in the top 10 when I lived in the D.C. burbs in 1965. In December of that same year we moved to Minneapolis (brrr). Being the new kid in high school at the time I was VERY impressed when I saw posters all over the school promoting the homecoming dance featuring "The Castaways". I thought to myself, "This is great, they bring national acts in from California for a high school homecoming dance". Little did I know that "The Castaways" was a Minneapolis based band that was made up of "kids" just a couple of years older than I was at the time.

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Nu Shooz "I Can't Wait". One helluva catchy bit o' 80s pop. "Point of No Return" wasn't as big, correct?

 

Good stuff. These guys recorded at least a portion of their second national release album in Minneapolis and stopped by the store where I worked in the pro audio business at the time. They were very nice folks. I think they may have bought some tape or a microphone or some such thing from me.

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