Songs of 1976 That Should Have Been Bigger Hits Part 2

[TheGrunge619]

1976 sucked

[andrew34430]

suzie quatros can the can was first released in england and australia in 1973 and reaced number five on the charts followed by 48 crash and daytona demon and also devil gate drive and too big by the time 1975 came around she scored seven hits in australia and england by the time america picked up can the can

[arkady714]

1 - "Flick my Bic?" From the old TV ad for Bic lighters? You must be joking.

2 - The Hudson Brothers? The same ones who had a Saturday morning kids program on CBS?

3 - "Lady Bump" I do remember! It was actually a big - albeit regional - disco song in New York. (Back in the days when a song could BE a regional hit!)

[nccvball]

@arkady714

Nope, no joke. Inspiration can come from anywhere. The original music used in commercials can even become hits on their own. I have an example of this in another one of my videos.

The Hudson Brothers were a musical act for many years before switching to comedy.

Yep, and that is one of the reasons why I make these video. "Lady Bump" was huge in NYC, probably not as much in Denver. With big conglonerates and digital delivery, region hits are likely a thing of the past.

[TheTalkeetna1]

Suzi Quarto was ahead of its time, but Smoking in the Boys room like which could throw it back to 74. Sun song would have charted in late 78. I never knew the Tubes had a female lead vocalist, I guess I associate them with She's A beauty, could you have one of these for 1983, give People Living In the USA by Randy Andy a listen via You tube. Nevermind you do.

[UncleGweilo]

"Can The Can"was a monster hit- in 1974. Sherbet were basically an Australia-only band and were huge.

[sharkdiver8792]

Thank you so much for recognizing "I've Been Loving You" by Easy Street as one of the greatest overlooked singles of 1976. Their eponymous album from that year is one of the finest British pop/rock albums of the mid-70s. Sherbet were great as well, though their peak would come in 1977 with "Magazine Madonna" and the Photoplay LP.

[blankgeneration100]

funny..... you hear "Never Been Any Reason" by Head East a lot in Illinois to this day.I think it only hit #68.Not sure if it's a classic rock staple outside the Midwest.

[baggagequeen]

I like Can the Can, sounds very punk rock!

[haj1909]

A very interesting concept. Keep up the good work!

[nccvball]

@haj1909

Thank you. More are on the way.

[SkylarkGSX]

Yeah, the year I was born. Wonder which one of these was on the intercom when the doctor was spanking my ass to tears! I was born in the groove ya know...

[mariosevilio]

Can the can is from 1973

[nccvball]

@mariosevilio

True, except for the US. It did not hit the US charts until 1976. American record labels really did not know how to market Suzi.

[powergirl901]

@nccvball The didn't understand how to handle Suzi follower Joan Jett either, but they did okay without the label support.

[acctthree]

Digging your bigger hits selection.

[nccvball]

@acctthree

Thank you. More are on the way, including the first one from the 1960's.

[TheZeke1974]

Can the can sounds very late 1970s punkish. LOL "Come flick my bic."

[TheZeke1974]

Can the can sounds very late 1970s punkish.

[a7b7c78]

Isn't "Can the Can" from 1973?

[nccvball]

@a7b7c78

You are correct... except the US. It did not reach the US charts until 1976.

[elc1960]

Re nickanddeb's remark about coke on the set of the "Sgt. Pepper" movie/debacle: Several of those former RSO artists have alluded to the consumption of cocaine on the set during the making of that movie. It's very possible that they lured most of the artists who appeared in it with drugs of various types, and more than one reporter haveade remarks about cocaine being part of the "creative process" during the film's production.

[recordman64]

I love these compilations you put together of the lesser-known songs of the late '70s and early '80s...also like the little blurbs of info on each artist. Nice job!

[nccvball]

@recordman64

Thank you. I do have more on the way as time allows.

[recordman64]

@nccvball : Any chance you'll do some for the '60s?

[nccvball]

@recordman64

It is very likely, just a matter time. 1986 is due next. I have the music for 1986 already but I just lost all my notes. I also have a few more concept videos I would like to try.

[elc1960]

"Don't Touch Me There" by the Tubes - so cool to hear that one again. I always liked Head East's "Never Been Any Reason" but could never find the album. I did find their live album though. I remember "Lady Bump" and "Howzat".

[nccvball]

@elc1960

That song from the Tubes seems to be the one stand out from all the others for 1976. I am not sure why that did not do so well in 1976.

[Runrome]

Thanks for promoting some great medlys that I would never have had the plesure of hearing had it not been threw your hard work and apreciation of the music from the past I could spend all day diging out tunes from the seventies to escape the souless asembly line noise that passes for pop music in 2010

[nccvball]

@Runrome

My pleasure. It is fun for me as well, as I pull out old vinyl and cassettes and see what treasures I can find.

[safax52]

Suzi Quatro & Head East. 2 of my favourites from the 70's. Head East was every bit as good as Boston & Aerosmith, and Quatro?, well we're lookin' at a pioneer, the prototype, of women rockers there. She had a pretty good fan base here in the US [still does], but she got crappy support from her US based labels. Too bad. Our loss was the rest of the worlds gain. The original 'wild one' [Suzi] has got a new CD coming out soon. Heard a bit of one song on hr1. Great stuff!

[SpankRamen2]

OMG! Suzy Quatro's "Can The Can" is played during a scene in "Tattoo Connection" starring Kim Kelly & Tan Tao Liang! I really like that song & I've always wondered who sang it. Now, to find the mp3.

[KevinMeeds]

Brilliant set of songs brings back so many memories

[28if]

Only guy in my dorm 1979 nplaying Suzi "Can the Can" Love it

thanks

[lumabi25]

Not sure why Howzat wasn't a bigger hit in the US, except to say that the cricket analogy in the lyrics was probably lost on Americans who don't play the game.

It certainly was a massive hit here in Australia though, and is still regularly heard as background in some TV shows where a person has done the wrong thing and was caught out for it, or simply where the game of cricket is involved in the report.

Daryl Braithwaite is still active. I saw him a few weeks ago. He's still got it!

[28if]

@lumabi25 Still have the single, I think it was a regional thing, bigger in the San Francisco area perhaps? Got a lot of airplay here

[LolaCrazy222]

Now I'm listening to these collections after 2:30 in the morning. Thats O.K. I love listening to these! The U.S. vs. Canada hockey game on the last day of the Oylmpics doesn't start till 3 p.m. so I can sleep in. Luckly I got Gallagher and Lyle's "Heart On My Sleeve" on a complimation of lost hits from the 70's.

[nccvball]

@LolaCrazy222

Thanks for all the comments. I do the same thing. One video leads to another, then another, then another... then it gets to be 2:00 in the morning. More videos are on the way, once I find the time.

[icekarma2752]

great find...thx for posting

[beeprobins]

Gallagher & Lyle released a good one "I Want To Live You" the same year. That's how I knew about that duel.

[mugwamp4]

opinion only but DONT TOUCH ME THERE is the only song thats underrated in this list,, the rest deserved the chart listing they achieved gallagher and lyle did a great song called '"i want to stay with you"  far better than h.o.m.s

[1AussieAvenger1]

"suzi quatro - can the can" is 1973. it's the second album i ever bought

"the tubes - dont touch me there" is immortal. it was a top ten hit here in australia.

sherbet - howzat? wasn't their best song, by far, and was more of an embarrassment than a decent track. summer love was way better.

penny mclean - lady bump was a hit in various countries

all the other songs are average and should be left in the 'where are they now' file.

[tyronelovejoy]

What happened to the Easy Street "I've Been Lovin' You?" It was posted here last weekend. Put it back, PLEASE. I haven't heard that song in years.

[xeuropn]

Suzi Quatro has an oldies show on BBC2 every Saturday Night. You can pick it up on the internet.

[Ariamaluum]

Sounds like "Hi, Hi, Hi" by Wings.

[nickanddeb]

"can the can" was a hit in 1973, not 1976, but reached #1 in the uk.

[nccvball]

"Can the Can" was released in the UK in 1973 but did not see a stateside release until 1976. I get the sense that the US labels had no idea how to market a hard rocking female guitarist in the 1970's. She only received US success with the duet "Stumblin' In".

[nickanddeb]

i still have suzi's first 3 albums on lp. i was hooked with "48 crash", although i swear i remember hearing "can the can" on the radio back in '73 as well. could have been regional popularity, too (i grew up in the akron, ohio area; chrissy hynde territory!).

i saw suzi live at the old ritchfield coliseum in '75 when she opened for alice cooper's "welcome to my nightmare" tour. great show! i was 10 rows from the stage; my ears didn't stop ringing for 2 days!

[nccvball]

You could be correct about the radio play. Suzi had about three or four labels in the early days. That sounds to me like she was getting passed around to different labels. Not a lot of support. I believe she was on the RAK label in England the whole time.

[nickanddeb]

suzi's first two albums were released in the u.s. by bell, which later became arista who released her third album, then passed her off to big tree records who released her fourth. after her "leather tuscadaro" period, she was signed to rso, who released two more albums. she's been pretty much off the radar since then. her early albums have been reissued on cd by several different independent labels; both in single and "two-fer" formats.

[nccvball]

Yep, that looks like the list of labels I saw under her hit list. She also recorded for Dreamland in 1981. She scored most of her hits on RSO (at least in the States) but RSO was having money issues by the late 1970's. I think "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" may something to do with that.

[nickanddeb]

lol. i think you're right on that count! i made the mistake of watching that piece of sh*t once on tv. it featured an en-mass walk-on, while the closing credits were running, of almost all of the artists signed to rso at the time; getting "also appearing" credit. i've always theorized the only reason they and anyone else even showed up to make that movie in the first place is because the producers must have supplied a continuous line of cocaine on the set while it was filming!

[heine71]

Glad Penny McLean's Lady Bump is there in this 1976 songs that should have been big hits montage, but no "Hey Shirley, This is Squirrely" by Shirley and Squirrely? Maybe there could be another 1976 songs that should have been big hits set soon!