Classic Compilation – 20 Explosive Original Hits (1971)

When I saw 20 Explosive Original Hits while flipping through used vinyl the first thing that caught my eye was that it features the original version of “Venus,” which was by Shocking Blue (most of us know, and love Bananarama’s cover of the song). As if that wasn’t enough to make it a done deal, seeing the name Mungo Jerry, and their classic “In The Summertime,” made it an easy buy.

I was also seriously intrigued by the record selector that was being offered on the back on the album. Something tells me that offer might have expired by now, with the album being over 50 years old, but damn that thing looks cool. (click photo to enlarge)

Getting back to the music, 20 Explosive Original Hits has some songs I remembered from my days listening to CBS-FM with my parents when I was kid, as well as a few classics that are now familiar due to being sampled, and a hit that was most recently burned into our brains thanks to a GEICO commercial.

Here are some of those highlights

Side A 

Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime

 

I’ve always felt that it’s wrong to use today’s standards to judge the art of a previous era, and with that in mind I believe that a lyric from this 1970 summertime classic doesn’t imply what listeners in 2022 might think it implies.

In the middle of this lighthearted song, Mungo Jerry frontman Ray Dorset sings, “If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal / If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel.”

In 2022 that’s a big yikes, but in 1970 … in 1970 it was followed shortly thereafter by, “We’re not grey people, we’re not dirty, we're not mean / We love everybody, but we do as we please / When the weather’s fine, we go fishing or go swimming in the sea.” So them doing what they feel probably involved hanging out by the water. PHEW!

The Five Stairsteps – O-o-h Child

 

Whoever was doing the copy for this album incorrectly listed this band as simply Stairsteps, when the group’s full name was The Five Stairsteps. Regardless of that, everyone in my generation knows this song – which is pretty great on its own – because it was used in 2Pac’s “Keep Ya Head Up.”

 

The Who – I Can See For Miles

 

One of The Who’s biggest hits, “I Can See For Miles” came out in 1967, and it’s wild to think about how quickly music changed, and advanced in that decade. Just four years earlier The Beatles released “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and only three years before that Elvis was singing about how he “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Rock music didn’t just explode onto the scene, it grew at a pace that was mind blowing.

Alive ’N Kickin’ – Tighter, Tighter

 

Alive ’N Kickin’ were a ‘70s one hit wonder, but “Tighter, Tighter” is a heck of a hit to be remembered for. Co-written by the legendary Tommy James – we’ll hear from him again in a bit – I’m kind of surprised this song hasn’t been sampled like crazy, it’s such a great vibe.

Side B 

Shocking Blue – Venus

 

Everyone in my generation knew “Venus” as a Bananarama song, and we all had a moment when someone older, usually a parent, turned to us and said, “You know that song was originally by a band named Shocking Blue.” Shocking was how we’d describe that revelation, but both versions of the song are fantastic.

 

Fun Fact – Both versions of “Venus” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Shocking Blue’s original ascended to the top spot in February of 1970, making it the first song by a Dutch band to reach #1, while Bananarama’s cover made it to #1 in September of 1986.



Hmm … so one version made it to #1 right after the Mets won a World Series, and the other made it to #1 right before the Mets won a World Series. I demand another cover of “Venus”!

Hugh Masekela – Grazing in the Grass

 

I feel like “Grazing in the Grass” is one of those ever-present songs that a lot of folks – myself included – may not be able to name, but immediately recognize.

Those of us who were listening to music in the ‘90s may also get a “that’s kind of familiar, but I’m not sure why” feeling from the song. If you take a listen to Sugar Ray’s 1999 mega-hit “Every Morning,” the “why” becomes a little more clear.

 

Tommy James – Ball and Chain

 

Since I mentioned Tommy James earlier, and he has two songs on this compilation, it only make sense that I feature one of them.

“Ball and Chain” probably isn’t the first song that comes to mind when someone says the name Tommy James – hits like “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “Crimson & Clover,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” and “Sweet Cherry Wine” are the more obvious choices – but “Ball and Chain” was Tommy James’ first solo effort, and it was damned good. Point blank – whether it was as Tommy James and The Shondells, or as a solo artist, the man knew how to make a song!

Canned Heat – Going Up The Country

 

Even if you didn’t know this song before 2017, a commercial for GEICO’s motorcycle insurance has forever lodged it in your brain. In a related story, although I’m a city person, I suddenly feel the irresistible urge to drive through areas of expansive farmland.

The Box Tops – The Letter

 

“The Letter” was an oldies station staple when I was a kid. So much so, in fact, that when this Box Tops classic came up on while I was listening to this compilation I went, “I remember this one! I used to love this song!”

There are probably a plethora of reasons it’s stuck with me for so long, one of which has to be Alex Chilton’s vocals. That voice is so unique, and the cadence of the song is so perfect … now I’m the one writing a letter, and it’s about The Box Tops!

All in all, I’d say 20 Explosive Original Hits has a solid number of songs that fall under the heading of “oldies but goodies,” and turned out to be a welcome addition to my collection. Now I’m off to see what I can find next!