Jose Feliciano Feliz Navidad - 45 stereo?

MMathews wrote: For "Feliz Navidad" it seems this one became a "sleeper hit" .. i started hearing it more and more in the late- 70's - early 80's. MM

Around here it was very much played in 1970 (and subsequent years).

AndrewChouffi mentioned "Step Into Christmas", which I rarely heard until the 80s, though for some reason the station I worked at in '74-75 played the B side "Ho Ho Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas)" instead. Doubly strange since EJ was a "must add" artist around that time.

KentT wrote: My stock original 45 is stereo, also my RCA Gold Standard 45 is also stereo. Mono promo does exist.

Thanks, Kent. Both sides are stereo on the original stock 45, right?

I can locate just 3 US stations that charted "Feliz Navidad", ever - all in
1970. Both WCFL Chicago and WCOL Columbus, OH listed it as an
"uncharted extra", for the weeks of 12/14 & 12/21. Only KGB San Diego
actually gave it a "number" for its 3 weeks on: 12/7 #30; 12/14 #27;
12/21 #14. This info appears to strongly support Paul Haney's
assessment that it simply didn't have enough reported airplay to show
up on ANY BB chart in 1970, and strongly grew in holiday
airplay/popularity in subsequent years. That is quite unusual. My only
possible explanation for this would be that just a few months after he'd
hit with "Light My Fire", Feliciano was invited by Ernie Harwell (who,
strangely was both the Tigers play-by-play guy AND the team's
"Anthem booker!") to sing the National Anthem, for Game 5 of the 1968
World Series, in Detroit, vs. St. Louis (This live version even charted on
BB.) Meaning no disrespect, but as was his wont at this time, Jose
performed it with that "unique, Feliciano musical interpretation". It
caused an uproar. I believe it was the first time EVER that a person
didn't do the anthem "straight", at a major event. In several later
interviews, Feliciano has cited that specific incident as creating "radio
hostlity/blackballing" for his later 45 releases. Up until mid-1971,
several of his later 45s did chart, but barely. Who knows, but perhaps
just 2 years later, in 1970, it still may have been "too soon" for radio to
forgive/forget him. But, over time, it's likely that both most
listeners/radio folks had simply forgotten and/or moved on from the
whole 1968 anthem incident. So when RCA subsequently re-serviced
"Feliz Navidad" in later holiday seasons, PDs & MDs likely listened to it
with a more open mind, and giving it some Christmas spins. Now I can't
confirm/deny Feliciano's take on this incident being the "real" reason
for his later airplay woes or not, but, given the "strangely slow start" for
Feliz Navidad on radio, it is least worth pondering. Because I can't recall
another instance where the MORE "DOA" a career was perceived to be,
the BETTER chance there was to get a song of his airplay! (Perhaps Gary
Mack, or someone else in radio back then, can share any
memories/opinions they may have on this.) Lastly, I decided to do a
similar check for the two most popular new-in-1970 Christmas songs
that I recall hearing back then. "Merry Christmas Darling" by the
Carpenters, and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by the Jackson 5.
Both appeared on the surveys of at least 10 different Top 40 stations,
almost always with a number, and both songs reached the Top 10 on at
least two of these stations each.

It didn't chart in Record World, either, according to the new Whitburn book. (Unless it's in the new Record World "bubbling under" book.)

Randy Price, the Cash Box chart guy, says he's fairly sure that Cash Box was still completely sales-based in 1970, while we know Record World incorporated airplay and so did Billboard for at least positions 51-100 during that time period. So the airplay factor could account for its minor showing in Cash Box and not the other magazines.

Edited by Brian W.

Brian W. wrote: It didn't chart in Record World, either, according to the new Whitburn book. (Unless it's in the new Record World "bubbling under" book.)

Nope. It didn't even "bubble under" in Record World (and that chart was 50 positions at the time)!

BTW, we are putting the finishing touches on the new #101-150 book and should have it in stock by the middle of December.