ON THE RECORDS

KEN BARNES City To City: The Real Urban Hits By Steve Propes Throughout rock history, there have "L.A. International Airport," been thousands SURI C 1Y of about cities and towns across America, but only a War's "L.A. Sunshine" and the few real winners. Ides of March's "L.A. Goodbye." Choosing a place name that's sexy LIiIU enough is the hardest Uptown, there was Rufus & Chaka NUNUIUIU part. After all, who besides a local Khan's "Hollywood," Bob Seger's would be interested in "South $end's A Lonely Town," "I "Hollywood Nights," Billy Joel's Jan & Dean recorded the ultimate Left My Heart In West Covina," or "Boy From Eau Claire "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," Kool geographical concept . City." & The Gang's "Hollywood Swing- New York Woman," Andrea 'live nie." (Fortùnately it stopped in'," and the Eleventh Hour's be- Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas Ci- Connection's "New York You Got fore they got to "Bristol Twistin' "Hollywood Hot," among hundreds ty," the biggest hit of 1959, began Me Dancin' " (with odd references Annie Had A Baby. ") of other Tinseltown tunes. life seven years earlier as Little to then-mayor Abe Beame), and Oklahoma had "Okie From Mus- Willie Littlefield's "K.C. Loving." Rockin' To New Orleans Ace Frehley's "New York Groove" kogee" and the Don Williams /Eric The locale was chosen because pro- Johnny Horton's "Battle (again, among many others). Clapton hit "Tulsa Time." ducer Of New Ralph Bass thought it sound- Orleans" was satirized by Homer also had a few towns represented, ed "more hip." Little Richard's & Jethro as "Battle Of Kookamon- with Eugene Church's "Miami" "Hey Hey Hey Hey" also bore a ga." Jan & Dean notwithstanding, EErppic and Jan Hammer's "'Miami Vice' suspicious resemblance to Harri- most people seemed to side with Theme."' Again, Freddy Cannon son's hit. Despite and jth¡,BurdonThe Animals originally being Horton. There was Freddy Can- swamped them all with "Okefeno- written as "Birmingham," "Hey non's "Way Down Yonder In New kee" (not to be confused with Hey" MONTEREY _ later ended up reworked by Orleans," Arlo Guthrie /Steve "Okefenokee From Muskogee ") as, you guessed it, Goódman /Willie Nelson's "City and "Tallahassee lassie." "Kansas Of City." New Orleans," Redbone's "Witch The city list could go on forever, with California cities were especially Queen Of New Orleans," and Gary "Please Come to Boston" by Dave popular. CCR saluted two: "Lodi" US Bonds's "New Orleans." Fats Leggins, "Born In Chicago" by and, as the Golliwogs a couple Wilbert Harrison suffers the after- Domino, who'd already covered Paul Butterfield, "Detroit City" of by Bobby Bare, years earlier, "Porterville" (the effects of "K.C. Loving" Professor Longhair's "Mardi Gras "The Lights Of In New Tucson" by Jim Campbell, latter a rather good example of Orleans," reportedly had a Oft: ,.a= "The an Flowers In Your Hair)" t; Tóny efts, 57 9!xu. S.ns 1201 hand in Newn, N.Y. Lights Of Cincinnati" unappealing place name). Eric writing "Walking lb New N.. 400:9 by Scott Bennett of course, the Flowerpot ..-. ... Walker, the Burdon & The Animals name- Orleans" after his tour bus broke classic "St. Louis Men ( "Let's Go To San Francis- Eric Burdon checks Blues," checked "Monterey" and down on that town's outskirts. No out the West Perry Como's "Seattle," "San co"), Joe Simon ( "San r Francisco Coast vibes "Viva Francisco Nights," and the latter's other Louisiana town makes much Las Vegas" by Elvis, the Is A Lonely lbwti "), Fever Tree Beach Boys' advice to jet off to the Bay of a showing, although in "Soul did "Salt Lake City," Area ( "San Francisco Girls"),. and the best in Country hits, "Denver" was taken by Scott Meeting," Joe Tex, Ben E. King, Marty by Ronnie Milsap, McKenzie Village People ( "San Robbins' "El Paso" and "El Francisco Don Covay, Solomon Burke, "Omaha" by Moby Grape, just to ( "San Francisco ( Wear Some and Paso City," George Hamilton IYou Got Me) "), among others. Arthur IV's name a few. The floor Conley seem to spend an in- "Abilene," Glen Campbell's is open for Other Bay Area- related titles in- ordinate "Gal- more nominations. clude amount of time discussing veston" (he also tried "Houston the Sir Douglas Quintet's whether they "Mendocino," should go to Baton (I'm Coming To See You)" Guest Norman Green - Rouge. as well baum's "Petaluma," "Foxy as, in another state, "By The Time Girls New York City got mentions In Oakland" by Rodger I Get To Phoenix "), Floyd Collins, from the Ad Libs/ Manhattan Column and "Sausalito Summer Night" by Cramer's " Rose," Transfer's "Boy From . . Diesel, which. for Tanya Tucker's "San Antonio a Dutch group, Frank Sinatra's "Theme From seemed to know an awful lot Stroll," George Strait's "Amarillo Time about the Tradewinds' non -surf the drive between Los Angeles and By Morning," and Waylon Jenn- When I invited surfing hit "New York's A Lonely readers to submit San Francisco. (Unlike the British ings's "Luckenbach, Texas." ideas for guest lbwn," B.J. Thomas's "Eyes Of A columns to run in group First Class, who in "Beach There was also Dean Martin's the On The Records section, I Baby" proposed a casual "Houston," Lou Christie's "Waco," didn't really after - expect to receive a school drive from L.A. to San Jose.) and Neil Sedaka's "Amarillo." flood of essays. (I wouldn't have minded: Memories Are Made The Kids In Bristol think of all the vacations I Tennessee had the much -remade could take.) But I was pleased to Of El Monte "Memphis" get a column from Steve Propos, Southern Californians (as well as King Cur - retaliated tis's "Memphis who wrote at some length on songs with the Marketts' "Balboa Soul Stew," Buddy Blue," Miles's named after cities. (Some astute and "Memphis Train," John Jan & Dean's "Little Old Lady Elton would rather be in Phila- readers Fogerty's "Big Train (From Mem- may recall I did a column on From Pasadena" and "The Ana- delphia. phis)," and Herbie Mann's hits titled after geographic locations heim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing "Mem- phis Underground"), along - June 28, 1985. if anyone's Circle, Book Review & Timing As- with RCA's Bruce Meltzer wrote to in- the Lovin' Spoonful's "Nashville counting. But that one was limited sociation." (Jan & Dean did a form me that the Burt Bacharach Cats" (and Vicki to Top 15 hits only and included whole album of city songs following Lawrence's far "I'll Never Fall In Love less-known states and countries as well as "Surf City." Great..concept.) "There's A Gun Still Again," performed by Dionne The Smokin' War- cities.) Penguins doo-wopped In Nashville "), Cash & wick, was not the same song in with an Carter's "Jackson" as the Of course I couldn't leave well early Frank Zappa composition, (which could Tom Jones hit of the same title. Is be about this town enough alone. so I (and the indefati- "Memories Of El Monte," and or the one in that clear, or do I need that begin- gable Sean Ross) added some Christie and the Lemonade Char- Mississippi), and Tina Turner's ning writer's refresher class at the hometown tribute more. and the result is the column ade chose the equally odd location "Nutbush City local JC? Limits." The urbane on this page. Steve Propes, by the "San Bernardino." San Diego, the Freddy Can- R&R's own Greg Agnew, who's is non was, of course, in way, the Sunday morning oldies third largest city in the state, is rel- there with lately been the custodian of our DJ for "Chattanooga Shoe Shine KLON/Long Beach, teaches atively underrepresented (an ob- Boy." "One/Five /lèn Years Ago Today" a Pennsylvania had Elton course in the "Roots of Rock- & scure Billy J. Kramer single called John's feature. appearing weekly on the keystone 1975 hit, Roll" at Cal State Long Beach. and "San Diego" comes to mind). "Philadelphia Image & Marketing page (plug), is the Freedom." The Nu Tornados author of several historical/ Los Angeles, ever alert for its did points out that in the last week of record "Philadelphia U.S.A. ", Billy collecting books. including own lbny Bennett, got a boost from Joel August, Ronnie Milsap had the No. the forthcoming charted with "Allentown," "The Rock & Roll the Doors' "L.A. Woman" and and the 1 Country song a year ago (1985's Record." which he describes Kendalls saluted the "Pittsburgh "Lost as a Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." In The Fifties Tonight") , five song -by -song Stealers." The Dovells placed history of rock. There was also Jerry Jeff Walker's Andreu two years ago ( "No Gettin' Over Me "), True: New York had the hits on the dance floor L.A. Freeway," with "Bristol and ten years ago ( "Stand Susan Raye's Samantha Fox of ner aay aancing Stomp" By My 38/ R&R FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31,1986 and "Bristol Twistin' An- Woman Man"). Quite a feat.