The Righteous Brothers hit #1 with “Unchained Melody” 25 years after it first charted

Unchained Melody Les Baxter

Writer(s): Alex North/Hy Zaret (see lyrics here) First Charted: April 9, 1955 Peak: 12 US, 17 CB, 13 HR, 10 UK, 15 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.06 video, -- streaming

Unchained Melody The Righteous Brothers

First Charted: July 10, 1965 Peak: 4 US, 5 CB, 2 GR, 4 HR, 3 RR, 12 AC, 6 RB, 14 UK, 9 CN, 17 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.17 UK, 3.24 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 135.26 video, 279.3 streaming

Awards (Baxter): Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Righteous Brothers): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Thanks to Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and a pottery wheel, a quarter-century old classic was re-introduced to the hearts of radio listeners and record buyers in 1990. When Bobby Hatfield belted out “Unchained Melody” in that famous scene from the movie Ghost, it wasn’t the first time the public heard the song. It wasn’t even the first time they’d heard that version. By some counts, the song has been recorded over 500 times, making it one of the most recorded of the 20th century. WK However, the one that has become the best known is the 1965 recording by the Righteous Brothers (although technically a solo performance by Bobby Hatfield). WK “With Phil Spector’s epic production and Hatfield’s emotion-packed tenor soaring to stratospheric heights, it’s a record designed to reduce anyone separated from the one they love to ‘a pile of mush.’” SS The song first surfaced under the Righteous Brothers moniker in 1965 as a B-side to their single “Hung on You.” When DJs took to “Melody” instead, the song climbed to #4 on the U.S. pop charts and #14 in the U.K. A quarter century later, it re-gained airplay thanks to Ghost, but was only commercially available as a single in a newly recorded version. In an unsual occurrence, both versions charted and hit the U.S. top 20. On the AC charts, the 1990 version went #1, while the 1965 version scaled to the top of the U.K. charts. The song originated in an obscure prison film called Unchained in 1955. Todd Duncan sang it for the film, WK but Les Baxter took it to the top of the Billboard charts. Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler each topped the R&B charts with the song. In the U.K., Jimmy Young took it to #1. All told, the song can make the unique claim of topping four different charts with five different versions in three different decades. Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for The Righteous Brothers DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Les Baxter SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 632. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 14. TY1 Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. Quill: New York, NY. Page 164. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. WK Wikipedia.org First posted 10/27/2011; last updated 3/24/2023.

Duke Ellington Blanton-Webster Band box set released

The Blanton-Webster Band Duke Ellington

Released: October 25, 1990 Recorded: 1939-1942 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: jazz

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Disc 1: You, You Darlin’ (5/11/40, 28 US Jack the Bear Ko-Ko (6/1/40, 25 US Morning Glory So Far, So Good Congo Brava Concerto for Cootie (aka “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me”) (1/8/44, 10 US, #1 RB) Me and You Cottontail Never No Lament (aka “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”) * (5/1/43, 8 US, #1 RB) Dusk Bojangles (A Portrait of Bill Robinson) (8/14/43, 19 US) A Portrait of Bert Williams Blue Goose Harlem Air Shaft At a Dixie Roadside Diner (9/21/40, 27 US) All Too Soon Rumpus in Richmond My Greatest Mistake Sepia Panorama (11/2/40, 24 US) There Shall Be No Night In a Mellotone Disc 2: Five O’Clock Whistle Warm Valley The Flaming Sword Across the Track Blues Chloe (Song of the Swamp) I Never Felt This Way Before The Sidewalks of New York Flamingo (6/14/41, 11 US) The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You Take the ‘A’ Train (7/26/41, 11 US) Jumpin’ Punkins John Hardy’s Wife Blue Serge After All Bakiff Are You Sticking? Just A-Settin’ and A-Rockin’ The Giddybug Gallop Chocolate Shake I Got It Band and That Ain’t Good (10/11/41, 13 US) Clementine The Brown-Skin Gal in the Calico Gown Disc 3: Jump for Joy Moon Over Cuba Five O’Clock Drag Rocks in My Bed Bli-Blip Chelsea Bridge Raincheck What Good Would It Do? I Don’t Know What Kind of Blues I Got Perdido (5/22/43, 21 US) The ‘C’ Jam Blues Moon Mist What Am I Here For? I Don’t Mind (12/23/44, 9 RB) Someone (6/10/44, 7 RB) My Little Brown Book (6/3/44, 4 RB) Main Stem (3/4/44, 23 US, #1 RB) Johnny Come Lately Hayfoot, Strawfoot (11/21/42, 10 RB) Sentimental Lady (9/4/43, 19 US, #1 RB) A Slip of the Lip Can Sink a Ship (8/28/43, 19 US, #1 RB) Sherman Shuffle Total Running Time: 204:07

Rating: 4.761 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings) Quotable: “Perhaps…the greatest creative period by any single artist in jazz history.” – Marc Greilsamer, Amazon.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: All Music Guide calls Duke Ellington “the most important composer in the history of jazz.” WR Joel Whitburn goes even farther, saying Ellington is “perhaps the single most important creative talent in American popular music history.” JW He scored 70 hits, including three #1 songs, on the pop charts from 1927 to 1953. Ellington also racked up a dozen top 10 R&B hits in the 1940s, including five consective #1 songs, all of which are featured here (Never No Lament, A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship), Sentimental Lady, Concerto for Cootie, and Main Stem). Also included is the Grammy Hall of Fame song Take the ‘A’ Train, which became Ellington’s theme song. “This music is essential for all jazz collections.” SY “This attractive three-CD set” SY “not only represent[s] Ellington’s artistic apex, but perhaps reflect the greatest creative period by any single artist in jazz history.” MG “Several factors combine make these recordings great, not least the 78rpm format which restricted playing time to around three minutes. A lot happens in a very short time span. Often there are several themes in one arrangement and remarkably, in view of the limited time, there are transitional and developmental passages as well.” SN This collection “contains the master takes of all 66 selections recorded by Duke Ellington’s Orchestra during what many historians consider its peak period. Left out are the many alternate takes, last released by European labels, and the Duke Ellington-Jimmy Blanton duets, which are available on a different CD.” SY “Ellington had already made a lasting impression on jazz by 1940, but adding writer/arranger Billy Strayhorn, young bassist Jimmy Blanton, and tenor great Ben Webster brought the band to extraordinary new heights.” MG “The arrangements and originals of Ellington and Billy Strayhorn are full of surprises, and even the lesser-known pieces are generally gems.” SY Meanwhile, Blanton, who died of tuberculosis at age 23, changed the role of the double bass in jazz by moving it from the background to the forefront of the rhythm section. “Then there’s the unique tonal quality of Ellington’s orchestra, setting it apart from any ensemble in jazz.” SN Rounding out the band are Johnny Hodges (alto), Cootie Williams and Wallace Jones (trumpets), Rex Stewart and Ray Nance (cornets), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Barney Bigard (clarinet), Tricky Sam Nanton and Lawrence Brown (trombones), Harry Carney (baritone/alto sax), Otto Hardwick (alto sax), Fred Guy (guitar), Sonny Greer (drums), and Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries (vocals). “The set list reveals masterpiece after masterpiece.” MG “These recordings are neither landmarks of jazz improvisation or the Big Band dance music popular at the time they were recorded. Simply because neither categories seem adequate to embrace one of the finest bodies of music created this century.” SN

Resources and Related Links: MG Marc Greilsamer, Amazon.com essential recording SN Stuart Nicholson, The Wire. The Most Important Records Ever Made. (June 1992, issue 100). WR William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide bio. JW Whitburn, Joel. (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. (page 147). Menomonee Falls, WI; Record Research, Inc. SY Scott Yanow, All Music Guide Other Related DMDB Pages: Last updated 1/29/2022.

Aha released East of the Sun, West of the Moon

First posted 1/18/2009; updated 9/12/2020.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon A-ha

Released: October 22, 1990 Peak: -- US, 12 UK, -- CN, 122 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK, 0.06 world (includes US and UK) Genre: synth pop

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Crying in the Rain (10/1/90, 13 UK) Early Morning (2/25/91, 78 UK) I Call Your Name (12/3/90 44 UK) Slender Frame East of the Sun Sycamore Leaves Waiting for Her Cold River The Way We Talk Rolling Thunder Seemingly Nonstop July Total Running Time: 42:46 The Players: Morten Harket (vocals, guitar) Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitar, bass) Pål Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars, drums, percussion)

Rating: 3.500 out of 5.00 (average of 3 ratings)

About the Album: The synth-pop trio best known for the international 1985 hit “Take on Me,” showed they deserved to be taken more seriously. “This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music…It’s an album that's a pleasure to listen to and one that deserves a better reception than the one, unfortunately, that it seems to have gotten.” AMG The album, with a title taken from a Norwegian fairy tale, was co-produced by Ian Stanley, formerly of Tears for Fears. than “the band’s earlier radio-friendly sound” WK on hits like the aforementioned “Take on Me” and “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.” and songs from the 1988 Stay on These Roads like “Touchy!” and “You Are the One.” Still, the “darker, moodier tone” WK of East of the Sun isn’t a complete surprise. The Norwegian trio had hinted at more serious work, especially on their sophomore album Scoundrel Days on songs like the title track and “Manhattan Skyline.” In Norway, the album was a-ha’s fourth consecutive #1, led by their cover of the Everly Brothers’ Crying in the Rain. The song was the band’s sixth #1 song in Norway. In the UK, it was a top-20 hit. Follow-up singles I Call Your Name and Early Morning didn’t chart in Norway, but were minor hits in the UK. The Way We Talk is an album highlight. At only a minute-and-a-half, it’s the shortest song in the trio’s catalog. It features a faraway sounding voice accompanied by a moody piano, an interesting departure from the band’s typically more synth-heavy sound.

Resources and Related Links: A-ha’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG Steven McDonald, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia

a-ha “The Way We Talk” released

The Way We Talk A-ha

Writer(s): Magne Furuholmen (see lyrics here) Released: October 22, 1990 (album cut) First Charted: -- Peak: 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.06 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The new wave group a-ha formed in Norway in 1982. The trio consisted of singer Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktar-Savoy, and keyboardist/guitarist Magne Furuholmen. Their 1985 debut album Hunting High and Low produced the U.S. #1 single “Take on Me” and was followed up by top-20 hit “The Sun Always Shines on TV” (despite often being said to be a one-hit wonder). Of course, those were the band’s only two top-40 hits in the U.S. However, in their native Norway, A-ha was far from a one-hit wonder. That debut album generated four top-10 hits, including the #1 songs “Take on Me” and “Train of Thought.” Their sophomore album, 1986’s Scoundrel Days, produced three more top-5 hits, including “Cry Wolf” and the #1 song “I’ve Been Losing You.” The former was the group’s only other chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (#50). The next album, Stay on These Roads, produced twp more #1 songs in Norway – 1987’s “The Living Daylights” (the theme song from the James Bond movie of the same name) and the title cut from the album. In 1990, East of the Sun, West of the Moon gave the band another #1 hit with their cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Crying in the Rain.” All told, a-ha has racked up nine #1 hits and another nine top-10 hits in Norway as of this post. The song from that latter album which became my favorite, however, was “The Way We Talk.” It has the lilting quality of a slow jazz number, feeling like it could noodle along for ten minutes or so, despite a mere minute-and-a-half run time. It wasn’t a single and wasn’t even sung by the band’s usual vocalist, Morten Harket, but by keyboardist and guitarist Magne Furuholmen. Those first four albums made me an a-ha fan and convinced me how criminally underappreciated they were in the United States. The showcased a bounty of shouda-been hits and above-average album cuts that won me over. East of the Sun, West of the Moon marked the moment I became hooked. I knew I was likely to buy everything they released from that point on – which I have. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for A-ha Related Links: First posted 9/3/2022.