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A few classic rock perennials, a full batch of soul staples, and an above average number of novelties. If this week’s countdown is a showdown between rock and soul, the latter wins, but the former scores a few good points. And soft rock sneaks its way onto the field, gently warning of things to come.
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The summer of ’75 is a little bit soft, a little bit funky, and a whole lotta “Hustle.” It was a peak era for lite-FM, the dawn of disco, and the final toll for Richard Nixon’s presidency. Casey Kasem’s countdown has a few classics in its midst. But really, this one is more a tribute…
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Rupert Holmes had a #1 hit and helped to popularize the pina colada. But the one-hit wonder has a deep dark secret. He doesn’t actually drink pina coladas.
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If you don’t love songs about boats, one-night stands, and breezy California nights, you’ve come to the wrong place. Yacht Rock embodies the singer-songwriter soft rock that dominated FM radio playlists in the ’70s. Combine slick L.A. production, earnest singing, and a touch of lite-country songwriting, and chances are, you had a Top 40 hit.…
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Jimi, Jerry and Fogerty in the army? Before they became visible and vocal critics of the Vietnam War, these hippie rock stars served in the military. Read the stories here.
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Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller formed perhaps the greatest rock and roll songwriting partnership of the Golden Age. Leiber and Stoller are credited with pathbreaking compositions like “Hound Dog,” “Kansas City,” and “Love Potion No. 9.” And as the in-house writing team for the coasters, they penned classics like “Poison Ivy,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Searchin’”.…