Category: 1970-1974

“Window Girl” (1970) – Luiz Bonfá * Written by Luiz Bonfá * LP: The New Face of Bonfá * Produced by Ernie Alschuler * Label: RCA Victor

Brazilian composer and guitarist Luiz Bonfá wrote the song of his career, “Manha de Carnaval, in 1959 for the Black Orpheus film. (Its many cover versions often show up as the “Black Orpheus Theme.”) He released three albums for RCA in the early seventies, with the first of these, The New Face of Bonfa, showing up on Los Angeles MOR powerhouse KMPC’s album airplay list. The lead-off track “Window Girl” showcased the 12-string guitar (a Giannini Craviola) that Bonfá was favoring at the time, although the flugelhorn of Alan Rubin took the lead. Bonfá, who did the arranging for most of the album, let Marty Manning do the honors on “Window Girl.”

“My Heart Just Keeps on Breakin'” (1973) – The Chi-Lites * Written by Eugene Record and Stanley (Stank) McKenney * 45: “My Heart Just Keeps on Breakin'” / “Just Two Teenage Kids (Still in Love)” * LP: A Letter to Myself * Label: Brunswick * Charts: Billboard Hot 100 (#92)

The early seventies saw an influx of hybrid genres and formats reflecting both a new cultural complexity and more sophisticated methods of audience analysis. The idea of “soul country” thus drifted about, with the massive success of Charley Pride—himself a hardcore country singer— raising questions about such a blend. Chicago’s Chi-Lites brought particular attention to themselves as “soul country” experimentalists, prompting a name check by Nashville promotional executive Chuck Chellman in the Music City News. He referred to recent adds of the Chi-Lites to country station playlists as evidence that country’s dalliance with rock music was leading to far greater travesties. Although their “Oh Girl,” with its laid back, harmonica-driven feel, may spring to mind as an example, it was a 1972 track called “My Heart Just Keeps on Breakin'”—a unique hodgepodge of barnyard fiddle, drawled vocals, Philly soul polish, pizzicatto strings and street corner doo wop—that made the strongest pitch. This was “soul country” if there ever was any.

“Morning Much Better” (1970) – Ten Wheel Drive featuring Genya Ravin * Written by Michael Zager and Aram Schefrin * 45: “Morning Much Better” / “Stay With Me” * LP: Brief Replies * Produced by Guy Draper * Label: Polydor * Charts: Billboard Hot 100 (#74)

New Jersey’s Ten Wheel Drive competed with Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears in the thriving late-sixties/early-seventies jazz rock market, where band rosters could also function as fully-staffed softball teams. Among Ten Wheel Drive’s assets was singer Genya Ravin (formerly of ’60s girl group Goldie and the Gingerbreads), who was known to remove her upper attire and perform in body paint. Their lone charting single “Morning Much Better” now stands out for sounding like a precursor to the Family Feud TV game show theme, which debuted in 1976. Although that piece of music, written by Walt Levinski, doesn’t borrow any melodic ideas from the Ten Wheel Drive single, they both share a distinctive banjo and blaring horn DNA. Band member (and “Morning Much Better” co-writer) Michael Zager would later create the 1978 disco hit “Let’s All Chant,” while Ravin would produce Young, Loud and Snotty, the 1977 classic US punk debut LP for the Dead Boys.

“Are You Ready” (1970) – Pacific Gas and Electric * Written by Charles Allen and John Hill * 45: “Are You Ready?” / “Staggolee” * LP: Are You Ready * Label: Columbia * Produced by John Hill

This Jesus-rock track became a 1970 #14 Billboard hit for the LA multiracial soul rock outfit Pacific Gas and Electric (who would need to change its name to PG&E by 1972 to avoid ire from the real life utility company.) The song begins by acknowledging the Vietnam War and ecological concerns (“There’s rumors of war/ Men dying and women crying/ If you breathe air you’ll die”) before stirring up a fuzzed out gospel choir frenzy. The end was nigh, warned the record, and the message must have resonated. The group featured lead vocalist (and Arthur Lee lookalike) Charlie Allen along with former James Gang guitarist Glenn Schwartz, who was likely responsible for their Godward tilt, having been converted to Christianity by street preacher Arthur Blessitt. (Known back then as the “Minister of Sunset Strip,” Blessitt is now remembered for having carried a cross through every nation of the world.) Did Schwartz feel sold out by the album cover? Did God rock, already popular at the time, really need sex to sell it? The 45 for “Are You Ready” gives co-billing to the Blackberries, a group of backup singers associated with the Motown label’s LA studio.

“Te juro que te amo” (1972) – Los Terrícolas * Written by Bruno Lauzi, Mogol, Oscar Prudente, and J. Ramirez * 45: “Te juro que te amo” / “Lloraras” * Venezuela LP: Lloraras * Label: Discomoda

Nowadays one will likely hear the Terricolas’ mid-seventies Mexican radio ballad, with its eerie sci-fi organ and disembodied female backing vocal, fighting through static on an AM station. The band name, which translates to the Earthlings, contributes to the record’s odd dimensionality. They were a group of young adults from Venezuela who released the record in 1972, then saw it get much bigger in 1975. Counterfeit versions of the original combo will occasionally surface in Latin American oldies circuits or mimed videos due to messy legal ownership of the name. The “Te juro que te amo” single had followed the familiar seventies procedure of reworking a European schlager hit to regional effect. This one had originally been a 1970 Italian hit for singer Michele (Maisano) as “Ti giuro che ti amo,” although the J. Ramirez who gave it Spanish lyrics is a puzzle. (Adapted from a previous post at Boneyard Media.)

“666” (1970) – Dave Bixby * Written by Dave Bixby * LP: Ode to Quetzalcoatl

Before breaking away in the early seventies, Dave Bixby belonged to an insular religious cult in Grand Rapids, Michigan, known as “The Group,” an offshoot of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His Ode to Quetzalcoatl album featured a combination of lonely acoustic guitar, heavy reverb, and affable vocals, making for a hypnotic (if not disquieting) listen that developed a cult of its own over time. The track “666” on side 2 is one of the record’s crescendos on the way to the flute-enhanced finality of “Peace.” In 2014, Far Off Sounds unveiled a short documentary called God’s Singing Man that found the lost troubadour to be every bit as charismatic as the album’s fans might have hoped.

“Brown Paper Bag” (1970) – Syndicate of Sound * Written by Steve Jenkins * 45: “Brown Paper Bag” / “Reverb Beat” * Producer: Garrie Thompson * Label: Buddah Records * Charts: Billboard #73

San Jose’s Syndicate of Sound had three US charting singles. The first two, the garage band classics “Little Girl” and “Rumors,” happened in 1966, while the third one, “Brown Paper Bag,” appeared in 1970. Newly signed to Neil Bogart’s Buddah label, which was at the tail end of its bugglegum experiment with hits by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. and Ohio Express, among others, the band in all likelihood aimed their record toward preteens. At the time of its release, though, the George Baker Selection was already on the radio with their “Little Green Bag,” hampering promotional efforts for “Brown Paper Bag.” Another publicity challenge: the otherwise loveable Creedence-tinged stomper focused overtly on the plight of a wino.

“Got to Be There (Stripped Mix)” (2009) – Michael Jackson * Written by Elliot Willensky * LP: The Stripped Mixes * Produced by Tom Rowland and Jeff Moskow with Harry Weinger and Doug Schwartz * Label: Motown

After Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009, State Farm ran a commercial featuring a new, understated mix of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” that focused on the voices and acoustic guitar. Demand prompted not only a new jingle single, but a full album of “stripped mixes” of early vintage Michael Jackson tracks. The collection’s jewel is “Got to Be There” because it rescues the 1971 #4 hit outright, scrapping the double-tracked vocal that made the shrill sharp IV in “beside me” such an uncomfortable listen. The lone vocal track now allows listeners to marvel in Michael’s delivery.

“On and On” (1974) – Gladys Knight and the Pips * Written and produced by Curtis Mayfield * 45: “On and On” / “The Makings of You” * LP: Claudine * Label: Buddah

Although the ads billed director John Berry’s Claudine as “a heart and soul comedy,” the film’s sobering depictions of inner city reality overshadow any laughs. Harlem visuals give it added punch, as does the music, written by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The hit single “On and On” (Billboard #5) explodes in the opening credits as the big screen urban scenes unfold. Here’s a rare situation, though, where a film made a song seem better than it actually was. (It’s usually the other way around.) No one who experiences “On and On” away from the film would rank it with Knight’s or Mayfield’s best work.