Episode 56: The Week Ending August 3, 1974

Episode 56: The Week Ending August 3, 1974

Author: Mark Roback August 9, 2023 Duration: 2:25:43

How good was the music back in 1974? Well you might be afraid that I’m leaving it all up to you to tell me something good about it. Even if you talk in your sleep, that’s not my thang. This week as sure as I’m sitting here we go on and on about the songs in the Billboard Top 40 from the week ending August 3, 1974. Whether the artists were truly taking care of business, or just putting on a sideshow, it is certain that some of the music belongs in rock and roll heaven.


Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1974-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_Week_Ending_3rd_August_1974


Data Sources: Billboard Magazine, where the charts came from and on what the countdown was based.

Websites: allmusic.com, songfacts.com, wikipedia.com (because Mark’s lazy)

Books: “Ranking the 70’s” by Dann Isbell, and Bill Carroll

“American Top 40 With Casey Kasem (The 1970’s)" by Pete Battistini.


Rejected Episode Titles:


Chicago Died, Please Come to Boston

Rock the Boat, Rock Your Baby, Rock Me Gently

I Shot the Sheriff, Rub it In

Rickie Don’t Lose that Wildwood Weed

Don’t Rock the Boat, Fish Ain’t Bitin’

My Wild Thang

Don’t Let the Radar Go Down on Me

Taking Care of Business with a Machine Gun

You Talk In Your Sleep, On and On


Some points of interest we talked about in this episode:


Casey Kasem’s appearance on Hawaii 5-0 S6.E22 Mother’s Deadly Helper: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0598094/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1


Philippe Petit , World Trade Center Tightrope Walker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit


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Every week, Mark Roback and his friend Pete dust off a random episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from the 1970s. 70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete is more than just a nostalgic trip through the charts. Each song in that week's lineup gets a thoughtful rating and a deep dive-they unpack the stories behind the music, the artists' trajectories, and what made those particular tracks resonate. But the context is just as important as the countdown. The conversation naturally expands to include the major headlines, the TV shows everyone was watching, and the cultural moments that defined that specific week in history. Woven into the analysis are personal anecdotes from Mark and Pete, connecting the music to their own coming-of-age experiences during that era. This podcast is a layered exploration of a decade, using the pop chart as a starting point to examine the sound, the spirit, and the surprising details of the 1970s. You'll hear passionate debates, learn obscure facts, and get a feel for what it was like to live through that time, all through the shared lens of two friends who genuinely love the material.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete
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