September 7 was a notable date in each the early and late chart historical past of the Righteous Brothers. A comparability of the 2 singles in query, from the Sixties and the ’70s, additionally provides an fascinating demonstration of how Invoice Medley and Bobby Hatfield’s fashion matured throughout their lengthy recording span.
The Billboard Scorching 100 for that date in 1963 had the duo making their second look within the hallowed countdown. After a No.49 peak for his or her first chart single “Little Latin Lupe Lu” in June, they broke into the survey with “My Babe.” A unique music from the Little Walter blues gem of the mid-Fifties, this brassy, self-penned affair carried the hopes of the Moonglow label that it could present the Righteous Brothers’ huge breakthrough, which have been dashed when it peaked at No.75.
As we all know, the pair’s emergence as one of many main pop points of interest of the center Sixties wasn’t distant. Late in 1964, “(You’ve Lost) That Lovin’ Feelin’” raced to the highest of the US chart and heralded a golden interval on the Philles and Verve labels that lasted into 1966.
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Then got here Invoice and Bobby’s outstanding chart comeback of 1974. Now on the Haven label, run by the distinguished manufacturing group of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, they delivered a brand new sound that mirrored the extra subtle manufacturing of the day, however saved their distinctive twin-vocal signature to the fore. The outcome was an enormous No.3 hit with Alan O’Day’s “Rock and Roll Heaven,” through which they sang evocatively about much-missed music figureheads from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix.
On September 7 of that yr got here the chart debut of the follow-up single “Give It To The People.” Written by Lambert & Potter themselves, it was the title music from an album that had charted every week earlier than and itself reached No.27. The one climbed to No.20 and, whereas the identical album’s “Dream On” was a subsequent High 40 entry and the duo loved huge new success with the “Unchained Melody” reissue of 1990, “Give It To The People” grew to become the duo’s final new music to hit the US High 20.
Purchase or stream “My Babe” and “Give It To The People” on the Righteous Brothers’ compilation Gold.
