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Jose Feliciano Feliz Navidad - 45 stereo?

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Hykker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hykker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 November 2012 at 2:38pm
Originally posted by MMathews 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.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KentT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 November 2012 at 5:32pm
My stock original 45 is stereo, also my RCA Gold Standard 45 is also stereo. Mono promo does exist.

Edited by KentT
I turn up the good and turn down the bad!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brian W. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 November 2012 at 8:50pm
Originally posted by KentT 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?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Haney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 4:26am
Prior to 1963, Christmas songs were eligible for the Hot 100.

From 1963-72, it appears that Billboard's policy was to keep all Christmas songs off the Hot 100 and on the new special Christmas charts. This kept songs like "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen (#10 in Cash Box / #17 in Record World) and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon (#28 RW / #36 CB) off the Hot 100.

The year 1973 is where it starts to get interesting, as the only 2 songs that made both the Hot 100 and the Christmas charts were "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard and "Please, Daddy" by John Denver. Both of those are "borderline" Christmas songs at best. Perhaps they intentionally kept more "overt" Christmas songs like "Step Into Christmas" by Elton John (#56 in CB / #90 in RW) off the Hot 100 for some reason.

Staring in 1974, Billboard dropped the Christmas ranking chart in favor of a simple list of "New Christmas Selections" and a few more Christmas titles popped up on the Hot 100 from that year-on. The Christmas Hits ranking chart returned from 1983-85, however the 2 that made the Hot 100 in 1984 ("Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid and "The Greatest Gift Of All" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton), didn't show up at all on the special Christmas charts!

As for "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano...I find it interesting that it didn't even appear on the 15-position deep Billboard Christmas chart in 1970. Perhaps this is one of those songs that's grown more popular over time than when it was first released.

Edited by Paul Haney
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jimct Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 6:50am
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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hykker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 7:17am
As I said earlier, the song got considerable airplay at least in Boston/northern New England. WRKO played it almost in power rotation, we played it at the small market AM I was a part timer at too. How was Billboard's Christmas chart compiled? Sales? Airplay? How many stations reported airplay of Christmas songs if they didn't include them on their weekly survey?

While Jim's theory may have some merit, I also wonder just how available the single was in stores. For years the only copy I had was a (mono) promo, didn't find the stereo reissue single until the mid-ish 70s. I can't think of anyone I knew who had a stock single of this song.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brian W. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 8:53am
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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KentT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2012 at 9:48am
Brian W,

Both sides were Stereo on the original Stock 45 single.
I turn up the good and turn down the bad!
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Paul Haney View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul Haney Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 November 2012 at 3:30am
Originally posted 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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Paul C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 November 2012 at 12:32pm
The following is plagiarized from the liner notes to the Rhino CD, Billboard's Greatest Christmas Hits 1955-Present, which was released in 1989:

"From 1955 through 1962, Billboard charted Christmas singles on their Hot 100 (pop singles) charts. From 1963 through 1973, Billboard published a Christmas Singles chart and did not show Christmas singles on the "Hot 100," charting them only on the special Christmas chart. Billboard again charted Christmas singles on the Hot 100 from 1974 through 1982. From 1983 through 1985, Billboard resumed publication of the Christmas Singles chart and simultaneously charted some Christmas singles on the Hot 100. In 1986, the Christmas Singles chart was dropped."
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