Category: Music

The rule on Big Planet Noise is there are no rules during the third set. Anything goes, and this week’s set finished with some super Psychedelic Power Pop by the short-lived Canadian band, Plastic Cloud.

I’m yanking something from the Little Steven show that’s linked in the previous post. It’s Jeff Beck’s one and only 1960’s 45 in America under his own name. It’s a British riff on the Lone Ranger’s trademark call, “Hi-Ho, Silver… awaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

According to Joel Whitburn, the release date of “Hi-Ho Silver Lining” was 5/20/67, and it sat at #123 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart for only two weeks. The sound of this fantastic single scratches a major musical itch for me. Rod Stewart is lurking in the chorus. The guitar break sounds like it could have been an influence on Queen’s Brian May.

There’s a lot of disagreement about the now-legendary “Beck’s Bolero” on the B-Side, that was recorded almost a year earlier. Everything about this recording seems to be in dispute, from who wrote the track, to the producer credit, to the musician line-up.

Something that’s certain is “Hi-Ho Silver Lining” was first done by The Attack, a British band that never reached the American charts. It’s worth comparing this recording, excellent in its own way, to Mickie Most’s production.

Joel Whitburn has passed away. Whitburn’s scrupulous cataloguing of the Billboard song charts is appreciated by many who enjoy popular music and the radio biz, pros and fans alike.

https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/joel-whitburn-dead-charts-books-record-research-1235087319/

Whitburn’s determined realization of his obsession reminds me of Andrew Sandoval, whose impeccable work I enjoy very much. Whitburn tracked everything that charted, while Andrew devotes a great deal of effort into finding the countless obscure 45’s from the 60’s that never charted.

https://wfmu.org/playlists/CZ