The Fever

I was out of town for a couple of days this past week and missed my usual Friday feature, which will return next week, and I've got other stuff I have to attend to today, so I'll let other people handle your music-blogging needs.

Get thyself over to Got the Fever, a brand-new blog that's going to be terrific. Kevin's inaugural post features Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. If you know them, you know that they're a traveling party that starts whenever you hit the "play" button. If you don't know them, well, that's why you need to visit Got the Fever, which is named for one of SSJ's best tunes.

I was pleased to see that London Lee at The Number One Songs in Heaven shares my opinion that the Four Seasons did some of their best work in the mid 1970s, and that he mentions the great "Silver Star," which followed "Who Loves You" and "December 1963" into the Top 40 in the summer of 1976. But apart from the Seasons, Frankie Valli was also enjoying some of his greatest solo success at approximately the same time. In the late summer of 1975, Valli took "Swearin' to God" into the Top 10--and The Number One Songs in Heaven has the extra-long dancefloor version posted right now.

The Stepfather of Soul has the strange history of Isaac Hayes' performances at Wattstax--and other oddities surrounding this famous soul music showcase, which is available on DVD, and is must viewing for anybody who digs 70s soul.

And that oughta hold you for a while.