Coulda Been Sweet as Wine

I am pleased to report that my LastFM playlist box over there has infected at least one other blogger, Homercat at Good Rockin' Tonight, who went out and got his own after seeing mine. However: I truly intended to give him a shout-out even before he gave me one yesterday, because he's had a couple of noteworthy posts in the last week. The one from last Friday with all the hockey songs was great--although we needed those up here a couple of weeks ago when our beloved Wisconsin Badgers won both the men's and women's national championships. Last Thursday, he posted about April Wine, the hard-working Canadian band known in the late 70s for the album First Glance and the hit single "Roller"--a band that reached its greatest commercial success with "Just Between You and Me" and "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" in 1981. (Not to mention the album Live at the El Mocambo, a college radio favorite back in the day.)

Only one thing wrong with that April Wine post: Homercat mentioned, but didn't post, their first American hit, "You Could Have Been a Lady." It was originally recorded by Hot Chocolate and became a modest UK hit in 1971. Later that year, April Wine recorded it. Their version, which went to Number One in Canada, was bubbling under the U.S. Top 40 this week in 1972, on its way to Number 32 in May. So here you go. Crank it up.

PS: The playlist box isn't always up to date. Click it to see my latest-played list, and other expanded charts.