Babylon was an ancient city that was a bit south of present day Baghdad. It is said that several thousand years BC the Babylonians decided to organize their days in to a group of seven naming them after the sun, the moon and the five planets they could see. That is from online so it must be right though I have to wonder how they knew they were planets (sadly Carl Sagan isn’t around to help me out). Apparently you move forward to the 12th century BC and the Greeks kept the days named after the sun and moon but decided the other five needed to now be given names from their gods. About the 1st century BC the Romans changed five of the days to their own godly names then the Anglo-Saxons came along about 500 years later blah blah blah. Google it if you care, but this blog for cripes sakes is about rock and roll not astronomy or nomenclature. Your Dentist (ret’d) was thinking the other day about good songs that have a day of the week in the title. A silly idea I know, but there were enough goodies that I decided to break the list up in to two 25 song blog posts so look for part 2 on the 15th of next month. If you are wondering, not one Thursday song made the list. These songs are in some semblance of order starting with:
1.Elton John – Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Honestly this guitar-player didn’t care for the piano-centric music of Elton John till this record came out in 1973. It is one of the few songs by Elton that flat out rocks with a nasty guitar riff played by Davey Johnstone. It got to #12 on the U.S. hit parade and was the lead track from his best album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Lyricist Bernie Taupin has said that the words recall bar-fights back in his youth. While I am still not much of a fan of his earlier music, this started me on many years of more often than not buying Elton John’s records which I have grown to love.
2.The Monkees – Pleasant Valley Sunday
From 1967 we have this #2 U.S. hit by a nifty band from my youth that has not yet been inducted in to the rock and roll hall of shame in Ohio. The song was written by the husband and wife team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King as a social commentary about suburbia. They had moved from New York City to West Orange, New Jersey and apparently found life in the suburbs lacking. Looking at the personel on the recording, Mike Nesmith plays the great guitar riff sorta reminiscent of “I Want To Tell You” by The Beatles while Peter Tork tickles the keys. They were augmented by Chip Douglas on bass and ‘Fast’ Eddie Hoh on drums (not Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz as in the video) with Bill Chadwick on acoustic guitar. This is a true group song with all four Monkees singing on the record.
3.Cat Stevens – Tuesday’s Dead
London born Cat Stevens (Steven Demetre Georgiou at birth on July 21, 1948 and now Yusuf I think) released two of the greatest LPs ever recorded in Tea For The Tillerman (1970) and Teaser & The Firecat (1971). This song which was an album track from the latter could have easily been a single (along with “Bitterblue”). Not only were the songs excellent, but the sound was crisp and pristine (production was by former Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith). The song felt powerful even with just acoustic guitars. Showing his many talents, Mr. Stevens also did the cover illustrations to both records. The album which hit #2 on the U.S. and U.K. charts featured the singles “Morning Has Broken”, “Moonshadow” and “Peace Train”.
4.The Bobby Fuller Four – Saturday Night
In just over one and a half minutes this Bobby Fuller production packs in just about everything your Dentist loves about pop music – chiming guitars, vocal harmonies, powerful percussion and handclaps. Pop records are always better with handclaps. Texan Fuller brought the Buddy Holly sound in to the ’60s notably on “I Fought The Law” (1966 – #9). His Mustang label LP from that year I Fought The Law had some brillliant guitar pop including this Fuller composition. Who knows if he would have created more great music as he either committed suicide swallowing gas (hmmmm) or was murdered. He lived from October 22, 1942 to July 18, 1966.
5.Small Faces – Lazy Sunday
The album Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake from 1968 was a masterpiece of British psychedelic rock and roll (and it had a cool round fold-open cover too). This Steve Marriott/Ronnie Lane song from it was a #2 U.K. hit though it didn’t chart here. It has a Cockney sing-song vocal approach by Steve Marriott who is one of your Dentist’s favorite singers of all-time – especially with his next band, the hard-rocking Humble Pie (check out my June and July 2023 posts for the full list of fave male singers). The record tells the story of Marriott driving his fellow residents mad playing his music at odd hours and way too loud. While it sounds cheerful and light, apparently he was a rather annoying neighbor. Marriott accidently killed himself allegedly falling in to an alcohol/drug-fueled sleep with a lit cigarette that led to a fire. He lived from January 30, 1947 till April 20, 1991. They are the far right picture in the intro.
6.The Rubettes – Saturday Night
The only U.S. hit for British band The Rubettes was “Sugar Baby Love” (#37 in 1974), but they had nine chart records in England. That song (a #1 U.K. single) was a studio creation with Paul Da Vinci on vocals. When it became a hit, some of the musicians from that session became the real Rubettes along with new singer Alan Williams. “Saturday Night” was an album track found on their self-titled U.S. LP (Wear It’s ‘At in the U.K.). Like many of their songs, this cut (and “Sugar Baby Love”) was written by the team of Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington. They are the far left picture in the intro.
7.Gary Moore – Friday On My Mind
The Easybeats originated this song, but this is my fave version – by the late great guitarist from Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore. Robert William Gary Moore was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952. His later career was heavily in to the blues (he bought a 1959 Gibson Les Paul from bluesman Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac), but it was his hard rock stuff that got to me at first. The 1987 LP Wild Frontier is my fave by him containing “Over The Hills & Far Away” plus this hard-edged cover. He died from a heart attack while in Spain February 6, 2011. The original was written by George Young and Harry Vanda. I will save more discussion of that version since something tells me we might revisit it in the next blog post. He is the middle picture in the intro.
8.The Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
The 1967 (1968 in the U.S.) album Days of Future Passed was a radical move for that psychedelic era – record an album with orchestrations plus underpin the sound with a new instrument called a Mellotron – a mini-orchestra in a keyboard. If you want to read about my take on my favorite musical instrument, the Mellotron, check out my June and August 2021 posts. Hitting #24 in 1968, this was the first chart hit for the reconstituted Moody Blues. They had been a blues band with the late Denny Laine in ’65 (“Go Now”) then changed their sound when he left. The Moodies became the face of a new style later called progressive rock with the additions of John Lodge (bass) and Justin Hayward (guitar). This was written and sung by Hayward (born October 14, 1946 in England) about a Tuesday sitting in an English park. Ray Thomas plays the flute solo that fades at the end of the single, but leads to the orchestrated section on the LP. The first single from the album didn’t chart at the time (“Nights In White Satin”), but finally hit #2 in 1972 here which pushed that album to belated success.
9.Cat Stevens – Another Saturday Night
Steven Georgiou would have been a few months shy of his fifteenth birthday when the original Sam Cooke 45 was a hit (#10 in 1963). Once again I won’t go in to detail about Cooke’s version as it will likely show up in part 2 of our theme. This track by Stevens was a non-LP #6 U.S. hit in 1974 and was a rarity for him being a cover song. The 45 was produced by Stevens and had a bit of a ska feel with horns and organ over island percussion.
10.The Mamas & The Papas – Monday Monday
This John Phillips composition was their only #1 hit. Following the #4 success of their first single “California Dreamin'”, this certainly helped push their 1966 debut LP If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears to #1 as well. The lead vocal is by Denny Doherty who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on November 29, 1940 and passed January 19, 2007 in Mississauga, Ontario.
11.Spanky & Our Gang – Sunday Will Never Be The Same
To some extent Spanky & Our Gang had the same sound as The Mamas & The Papas with intricate vocal harmonies over sunshiny folkish pop rock. Lead singer Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane (born June 19, 1942 in Illinois) got her nickname after George McFarland who played Spanky in the old Our Gang comedy movies (also known as The Little Rascals). This single was a #9 U.S. hit in 1967 that was written by Terry Cashman and Gene Pistilli. That duo along with Tommy West formed The Buchanan Brothers who had the hit “Medicine Man” (#22 1969). Cashman and West also produced the Jim Croce records.
12.Melanie C – Suddenly Monday
In 1999 former Spice Girl Melanie Chisolm released her debut solo LP Northern Star which proved that the lady could sing. It used several different producers which gave it a diverse sound. This album track was handled by Def Jam’s Rick Rubin and certainly sounds nothing like the hip-hop or metal he was producing. Instead it has a jaunty “Penny Lane” Beatles feel that really appealed to your Dentist. The track was written by Chisholm with Matt Rowe, Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher. It was used in the 2000 British comedy film Maybe Baby which had a really nifty soundtrack that included Paul McCartney performing the old Buddy Holly title tune.
13.The Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday
You wouldn’t expect rocker Keith Richards to write ballads, yet he was responsible for many of them by The Stones including “Angie” and this song about his then girlfriend Linda Keith. Before the drugs took down Brian Jones, he was a wonderful musician that made the music of The Stones more interesting – here using recorder. It was released in early 1967 as the b-side to “Let’s Spend The Night Together” which was too controversial for most U.S. radio stations who flipped the record to make “Ruby Tuesday” a #1 hit. This has some of Charlie Watts’ best drumming I think.
14.The Monkees – Saturday’s Child
Your writer loved the first Monkees album in 1966 which had a plethora of songs that could have been singles (though only “Last Train To Clarksville” was pulled for a 45). Don Kirshner had a number of songwriters and producers submit tunes which The Monkees recorded their lead vocals on. It was written by David Gates who wouldn’t have his own success until 4 years later with Bread. The personnel on the record was listed as Micky Dolenz on lead vocal with backing by Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Wayne Erwin and Ron Hicklin. The guitarists were Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee and Louis Shelton. Hart played the organ and Billy Lewis the drums (with Gene Estes on tambourine). Future Canned Heat member Larry Taylor handled the bass. The garage-rock guitar riff almost gave the song a Paul Revere & The Raiders sound.
15.Fleetwood Mac – Monday Morning
Here is another album track that easily could have been a single from the 1975 self-titled Fleetwood Mac LP. It was the lead-off track from that record and was written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham. It has an almost Buddy Holly feel and was originally written by Buckingham for a second Buckingham Nicks LP that didn’t happen before they joined Fleetwood Mac.
16.Dave Edmunds – Almost Saturday Night
It was hard to decide which version of this John Fogerty composition to use, but as Dave Edmunds is your Dentist’s favorite solo act I had to go with this one (but the original may appear next month – stay tuned). The Fogerty recording was on his self-titled 1975 LP and was a #78 charting single. Dave’s 45 got to #54 in 1981 as taken from his LP Twangin… which was his swan song for Swan Song. Welshman Edmunds was born April 15, 1944. Backing here is by his Rockpile mates – Nick Lowe on bass, Billy Bremner on guitar and Terry Williams on drums.
17.Jimmy Buffett – Come Monday
Your Dentist is not a Parrothead being a non-drinker of alcoholic beverages so I have never been a fan of Mr. Buffett’s music. I did however buy this 45 which is a nifty ballad with gorgeous production by former Neon Philharmonic member Don Gant. It might have been the line about wearing Hush Puppies shoes that first appealed to me having worn them on my feet for much of my life (till an old skiing accident required a switch to harder soles – sigh). This was his first U.S. chart hit getting to #30 back in 1974 when taken off the album Living & Dying in 3/4 Time. He was born on Christmas day 1946 in Mississippi and spent much of his early life in Alabama. He passed Sept. 1, 2023.
18.Fats Domino – Blue Monday
Antone ‘Fats’ Domino is never given enough credit for helping to birth what became rock and roll music having waxed “The Fat Man” at the end of 1949. Born in New Orleans February 26, 1928 he passed away in Harvey, Louisiana on October 24, 2017. The man charted 66 singles during the rock era starting in 1955 with his last being a cover of the Beatles song “Lady Madonna”. Paul McCartney has stated that he was trying to sound like Domino on the original. Writing credit here was at first just Dave Bartholomew with the original recording by Smiley Lewis in 1953. His version was a mid-tempo guitar blues with lyrics about how much fun the weekend was compared to the mess that was Monday. Fats made it a piano swinger with his name added to the writing credits on his version. Gotta say that Lewis’ guitar lead break blew away the awful sax solo on Domino’s hit version.
19.Badfinger – Sweet Tuesday Morning
Straight Up was the fourth Badfinger album and was released here just before Christmas 1971 on the Apple label which was owned by The Beatles. It is a toss-up whether this or No Dice was their best record, but if you are a fan of Beatley rock and roll you need both for sure. Badfinger’s tragic story can be found online, but suffice it to say that the stress of poor management and lack of money killed Pete Ham and Tom Evans via suicide. Badfinger are still one of my favorite bands of all-time. This song was an album track written and sung by Joey Molland who at the time of this blog is the last surviving band member. Molland was born June 21, 1947 in Liverpool. His most recent album was back in 2020 when he released Be True To Yourself.
20.The Bangles – Manic Monday
Under a pseudonym (Christopher) this #2 1986 hit was actually written by Prince and was the first Bangles single to chart here. They included it on their second album Different Light. The lead vocal was sung by guitarist Susanna Hoffs (born in L.A. January 17, 1959).
21.The Hummingbirds – Tuesday
From the 1986 U.S. power-pop of The Bangles, let’s transition to the jangle-pop of The Hummingbirds who formed that same year in Australia. The first album by The Hummingbirds loveBuzz (1989) was produced by Mitch Easter from Let’s Active who also handled the first R.E.M. records. It charted in Australia at #31 spawning the Aussie hit single “Blush”. This song was an album track written by singer Alannah Russack and to these ears was better than their hit. The rest of the album was written by the male singer of the band, the late Simon Holmes. By the way their last single (1992) was a non-LP cover of a 1965 song written by Donovan (“You Just Gotta Know My Mind”) for his then girl-friend Dana Gillespie. Her version didn’t come out till 1968 so Karen Verros recorded and released it on Dot first. All 3 versions are great and head-scratchers as to why none ever charted anywhere.
22.David Bowie – Love You Till Tuesday
Speaking of Dana Gillespie in the last entry, another song was written for her to record – “Andy Warhol” (1971). It was composed by David Bowie who also recorded the track for his Hunky Dory album. David Jones tried to have a hit record from 1964 to 1967 with various singles and an album under his own name or as David Bowie. “Space Oddity” finally broke in to the U.K. charts in 1969 and eventually people noticed his much poppier Deram label records like “The Laughing Gnome”. His final stab at a hit on Deram was this single which was a re-recording of a track from his first album (David Bowie June 1967). The initial version had the riff played on vibraphone and featured his then band. The single version had bassoon, oboe, etc. playing the riff and felt very British music-hall (think Anthony Newley). This video was filmed in ’69 (along with several other songs) to promote Bowie but wasn’t released till 1984. He lived from January 8, 1947 (London) till 10 January 10, 2016 (New York).
23.Mott The Hoople – Saturday Gigs
In 1972 David Bowie rescued Mott The Hoople from certain dissolution after their album Brain Capers (1971) had failed to chart anywhere. Bowie at first offered Ian Hunter’s band the song “Suffragette City” but they passed so he gave them the better tune “All The Young Dudes” which started their short run of hit singles. This non-LP 45 which started life as “Saturday Kids” was their last studio recording and featured new guitarist Mick Ronson from Bowie’s band. When it could only get to #41 (1974) in the U.K. charts, Ian and Mick split leaving Mott to carry on for a bit with a new singer and guitarist. This song is essentially an autobiographical tune that in retrospect neatly wrapped things up.
24.Def Leppard – High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)
Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott is an unabashed Ian Hunter/Mott The Hoople fan even to the point of fronting Down ‘n’ Outz who cover Hunter’s music along with Mott’s other offshoots. His main band Def Leppard (Sheffield, England) came to be in the late ’70s when metal was certainly not a popular genre in the face of disco. It was their third album Pyromania (1983) that led to their breakthrough. This track was from their second LP High ‘N’ Dry – 1981 (the one with the man diving in to a pool) and was produced by Mutt Lange. The late Steve Clark (guitar) plus Rick Savage (bass) wrote the song along with Elliott.
25.The Shirelles – I Met Him On A Sunday (Ronde-Ronde)
It wasn’t till “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” became a #1 in January 1961 that The Shirelles hit the big-time. This 45 was their first charter here in the U.S. at #49 (1958). Shirley Owens, Doris Kenner, Beverly Lee and Addie (Micki) Harris wrote and sang this song at their Passaic, New Jersey High School talent show as The Poquellos. Luckily for them, one of their fellow students had a mother (Florence Greenberg) who owned a record label (Tiara). Greenberg leased the recording to Decca records. By the way, after a couple of flops, Decca dropped them allowing their hit run on Greenberg’s new label Scepter records. Harris and Coley are deceased.
Rock 'n' Roll Reviews and Trivia 