Missing Top 40 hit from Eddie Rabbitt
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
Forum Name: Chat Board
Forum Description: Chat away but please observe the chat board rules
URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2508
Printed Date: 29 April 2025 at 2:43am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Missing Top 40 hit from Eddie Rabbitt
Posted By: Todd Ireland
Subject: Missing Top 40 hit from Eddie Rabbitt
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 7:17am
| Does anyone know if Eddie Rabbitt's "I Don't Know Where to Start" exists anywhere on CD? Though the song isn't listed in the database presumably because it fell short of the Top 40 on some music chart publications, it did reach #35 in Billboard. Given that all of Rabbitt's Top 40 singles were released on Elektra, I'm puzzled as to why "I Don't Know Where to Start" never seems to pop up on any of the artist's many compilations. (And if you'll notice, songs like "Step by Step" and "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight" never show up on the same Rabbitt best-of CDs with other hits like "I Love a Rainy Night" and "Drivin' My Life Away". It appears his recordings have somehow ended up scattered among different owners.) |
Replies:
Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 7:34am
| Todd, I just researched that song last week, along with many other early 80s hits, that did make the BB Top 40, but didn't chart high enough in Cashbox to be included in Pat's Top 40 hits database. It IS on the "Step By Step" CD. And if you have similar inquiries of this nature in the near future, I would be happy to save you the time and trouble, and share my findngs. |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 10:29am
|
Jim is right. It is on the "Step By Step" CD... if you're willing to pay out the butt for it. I had a friend who bought the CD and spent about $40 dollars for it, though he had to do a lot of negotiating to get it down to that. To start with, they want about a hundred bucks.
That said, I do believe he still has the CD. I could ask, if you'd like. |
Posted By: edtop40
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 11:10am
|
todd...i have that song on cd, if you need a copy send me a pm...
------------- edtop40 |
Posted By: Todd Ireland
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 9:02pm
| Thanks, guys! I will very likely be taking you all up on your kind offers to help me track down and obtain these last remaining Top 40 hits missing in my CD collection. |
Posted By: BradOlson
Date Posted: 14 October 2007 at 6:32pm
| I was lucky to get the Step By Step CD at my local Goodwill recently for about $4. |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 11 March 2012 at 7:05pm
|
One heck of a deal there Brad. Over four years later, has "I Don't Know Where To Start" surfaced on another CD release since or is it just the Step By Step cd that includes this song? ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 7:09am
Sorry to go off Topic, but IS there a thread that discusses songs that hit the top 40 on Billboard but did not make Pats Database? |
jimct wrote:Posted By: jimct
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 8:13am
|
Jeff, going back to 1960, I have made notes in pencil in my BB "Pop
Annual" books as to what BB Top 40 hits Pat doesn't include in his db. There's actually a "flip side" to this as well - there are also songs that Pat does include in his db that did not make the BB Top 40, due to a higher peak in Cashbox; I've also noted these in pencil as well. The only thing to keep in mind is that Pat, on occasion, has "changed his mind" on a db track. (I recall Melanie's "Ruby Tuesday", which used to appear in his db, but no longer does, due to a later re-evaluation. His prerogative, obviously, and this was a very rare case, as best I can tell.) So my findings are based on what he had included in his db at the time I researched it. I also found that, once in a while, Pat will include a "peak year" different than BB does, always for December/January peakers. (For example, during our recent mono/stereo stock 45 project, Todd & I discovered that Ian Thomas' "Painted Ladies" appears in my Pop Annual as 1974, while Pat has it as 1973 in his db - there are others; usually a couple each year.) Jeff, I know from my years on here that Pat has long been an ardent supporter/believer in the Cashbox charts, and this fact accounts for all the above differences. Again, his prerogative. But if others feel like you, and would also like to know what these specific "straggler" titles are, feel free to chime in. This would simply be a "by popular demand" thing on my part. I can't imagine that Pat would have a problem here, as only fellow, paying db subscribers would find this type of "supplemental db info" useful. I can certainly say that making these notes has helped me "navigate" around Pat's db a little easier over the years, especially in regard to doing/not doing a specific song search, so I can see why you asked the question here, Jeff. Any others interested? Let me know, as there'll be a decent bit of work in it for me to get all these new details all up and posted. I just wanna make sure there's enough Board interest to go to all the trouble/bother. |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 14 March 2012 at 8:41am
|
Jimct.
I would especially be interested but I know it is a TON of work. I am specifically working on the 80s right now and would be especially helpful for me. Even the differences in Peak years would be great. I could also see this spin off into determining if the 45 versions of those that hit the Top 40 on BB but not in Cashbox are available on CD. I remember this came up with "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" by Paul Davis, which finally made its 45 version appearance but is not included in Pat's database. But as I said, I know it is a ton of work so hopefully, others would be as interested in this as I am. Thanks. -Jeff |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 14 March 2012 at 10:11am
|
Question for you, Fetta -- When you say: "IS there a thread that discusses songs that hit the top 40 on Billboard but did not make Pats Database?"
do you simply want a LIST of those specific songs - or do you want database type entries for those hits (i.e. some examples where the single versions can be found on CD??) Either way, it does sound like a LARGE amount of work for Jim. I agree it would be great to have a list but would also understand if Jim feels it would be too much work. Perhaps Jim could provide the list and others could chime in on where the single mix can be found in those cases where it's only on, say, 1 or 2 CDs (e.g. Paul Davis "Love Or Let...") - or if it's on 0 CDs. In that way, it could be more a community project, and not just on Jim's plate. And btw, Jim, any rough guesses as to how many songs we're talking about here? for instance, would it be under 25 per decade? Over 50? You might have a better idea since you've actually taken notes. Maybe it's not as many as we think. And a suggestion: Maybe we should copy key posts in this thread into a new thread. It dawns on me that if a person is not looking for a low-charting, missing Eddie Rabbitt top 40 hit, they wouldn't even open this post and be part of this conversation as to whether they want Jim to do this or not. |
Posted By: Fetta
Date Posted: 14 March 2012 at 10:25am
|
My original thought was to see if there was a list that showed the songs that
made the Top 40 in BB but not Cashbox (hence they would not be included in the database). If Jim WAS to compile this list (which is a huge undertaking), then I would see others in the board chiming in if they wanted to share information as to where the correct 45 version would be found on cd (as you mentioned above) But just having the list itself would be great. |
Posted By: Paul C
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 2:18pm
|
If I may return to the original topic at hand.....
Warner Brothers owns the masters to the first five albums Eddie Rabbitt recorded for their Elektra label, but the masters to the Step By Step album (his sixth for Elektra) are either owned or controlled by the Eddie Rabbitt estate. The album's only release on CD was in 1990 on Capitol Records shortly after Rabbitt signed with that label. (He had spent the second half of the 1980s on RCA.) Wikipedia claims that Capitol purchased the masters from Warner Brothers, but I doubt this is true. Since Eddie Rabbitt's death in 1998, his estate has shown no eagerness to have the recordings it controls re-released. A couple of years ago, Rhino prepared for release the album Seventeen Number Ones, containing all 17 of his number one country hits. ('I Don't Know Where To Start' is not one of them.) The Eddie Rabbitt estate objected and the album was withdrawn either right before or right after its scheduled release date. Enough copies were sold somehow for the album to reach #71 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. I note that this album is not listed in the database, but then it is not clear whether it can be considered to have been officially released. |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 2:40pm
|
Real Gone Music has a release scheduled for May 1st, 2012 titled 13 Original #1 Hits. Below is the track listing. Of course the song "I Don't Know Where To Start" is not included since it never topped the chart(s).
1.Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind) 2.You Don’t Love Me Anymore 3.I Just Want To Love You 4.Every Which Way But Loose 5.Suspicions 6.Gone Too Far 7.Drivin’ My Life Away 8.I Love A Rainy Night 9.Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight 10.You And I with Crystal Gayle 11.You Can’t Run From Love 12.The Best Year Of My Life 13.Both To Each Other (Friends and Lovers) with Juice Newton ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 6:55pm
I don't know the history of its release, but I bought a copy of "Eddie Rabbitt - Number One Hits" at Wal-Mart for $7.00 last year. They had several copies. So, it appears that it came out at some point. |
Posted By: Todd Ireland
Date Posted: 16 March 2012 at 11:42pm
Thanks for the info, Paul! |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 14 July 2012 at 2:58pm
------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 14 July 2012 at 3:31pm
Just FYI, "Solitaire" by The Embers peaked at #44 in Music Vendor (precursor to Record World), #36 in Cashbox and #103 in Billboard. |
Posted By: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 21 September 2013 at 5:13am
Getting back on topic, I just obtained the 1990 re-issue CD of Eddie Rabbitt's Step By Step album, on Capitol 90531...
Thanks for this tidbit, Paul C. Like Todd Ireland, I'd been looking to obtain his Billboard top 40 hit, "I Don't Know Where to Start", on CD, but had always been frustrated (and somewhat puzzled) by its omission from ER's numerous hits CDs. (I'd always known it wasn't one of his bigger hits, but w/ so many ER collections available, you'd think it would've appeared on at least ONE of them by now! Oh, and for the record, it hit only #65 in Cash Box, which helps explain why the song doesn't appear in Pat's book/database.) And I, too, had always noticed that "Step By Step" and "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight" never seemed to appear on any of the hits CDs that featured ER's earlier material, but now it makes sense... So w/ "IDKWTS" only ever appearing on CD on its original parent album, and "SBS" and "SCLAHT" being my favorite ER hits (along w/ "Suspicions"), after reading your post last year, I decided it would be worth the few extra bucks it would likely cost me to track down the long OOP Step By Step CD. (A shame ER passed away at a relatively early age back in '98, because if he were still alive today, I'd go see him in concert in a heartbeat - something I unfortunately never did.) "IDKWTS" has an actual time of (3:24) on Capitol 90531; that actually matches the timing given in Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual book, as well as the label on the 45 itself - so I assume the LP and 45 versions were the same...
Sorry, but that is definitely NOT true! While that IS the version of the CD that I just acquired, it was actually the second time the Step By Step album had come out on CD here in the U.S. It was originally issued on CD circa 1983-84, on Warner Bros. 64532; in fact, it was one of the first titles ever released on CD here in the U.S., and is one of the collectible "target" CDs. (Of course, since there weren't yet any CD pressing plants in the U.S. at the time, all copies of those Warner Bros. originals state "MADE IN WEST GERMANY" on them, even though they were produced for the U.S. market.) Full documentation here, complete w/ detailed pics: http://www.targetcd.com/rabstepw.html - Original U.S. 'Step By Step' CD on WB label I noticed that Warner Bros. 64532 was NOT included in the listings for "Step By Step" (the song) and "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight" in the 10th edition of Pat's book, so he will need to add it to the on-line database under both songs. (For the time being, I'd assume that the timings for both songs on Warner Bros. 64532 match those on Capitol 90531...) Also note that the artwork on Warner Bros. 64532 matched the original 1981 vinyl LP/cassette/8-track issued on Elektra 532, while for whatever reason, it was changed by Capitol for their re-issue on cassette & CD in 1990 (many of the printed song timings were also slightly revised). I scour record stores across the entire northeast for vintage/audiophile/collectible CDs (my brother has been one of the biggest sellers of them on eBay for a decade now, so I'm always contributing to his inventory), and have yet to run across a copy of Warner Bros. 64532 myself, so it's definitely a toughie. However, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the first one I find, even if it wasn't in perfect condition - will report here should that ever happen, unless somebody else beats me to it...
Of course, there are two ways to buy CDs. If you want it right then & there, you can do a "Buy It Now" for one of the copies that always seem to be listed on eBay or several other sites, such as GEMM, etc. - and yes, if you go that route, expect to currently pay at least $40-$50 for the Capitol re-issue of Step By Step, and over $100 for the Warner Bros. original (since it's one of those coveted "target" CDs). Or, you can wait patiently until one gets listed auction-style on eBay - which is what I did - and almost always pay a bit less. (For the record, I got mine for only $30, inc. shipping.) Ultimately, it of course comes down to just how bad you want something - but the Step By Step CD CAN be had for less, at least on today's market. (I realize you made the above comment almost six years ago.) Or better yet, you might just get lucky like BradOlson did, and find one in a used record store or thrift shop for a mere $4 (I find stuff that way all the time) - but as much as I still enjoy hitting the road and getting my hands a bit dirty, in the case of ER, I wasn't willing to be THAT patient, lol... :-) |
Posted By: EdisonLite
Date Posted: 21 September 2013 at 11:10am
|
I'd been looking for this CD the past 3 months and the cheapest I found it for was $35 so I held off. After reading this post (and seeing it was $30 recently), I decided to look around again and just found a CD in VG condition for $16 (+$3 postage), so I bought it. Interesting to learn why this song so rarely appears on compilations.
I recently bought an Eddie Rabbitt CD called "Number One Hits" and this song was excluded ... for the obvious reason that it didn't reach #1 country. But despite the fact that people here are saying it wasn't a big hit, it did reach #2 on the country charts, and I consider that big. Had it gone one notch higher, it would have been included on this "Number One Hits" CD, along with "Step By Step" and the other #1s from the "Step by Step" album, which were all included on the #1's CD. |
Posted By: 80smusicfreak
Date Posted: 21 September 2013 at 3:21pm
If it's an original on Warner Bros. 64532, I'll trade ya... ;-)
While I don't dispute that "IDKWTS" hit #2 on the country chart in Billboard, don't forget, back in the early '80s, it was MUCH more fluid than the pop chart. In fact, when I started buying the magazine weekly back in '83, even though I've never been a huge fan of country music, it was always interesting to open it up & see what the new #1 country song was, lol. In fact, it just so happens that the only country chart book I even own is Whitburn's lone Country Annual from 1998, and since we're talking 1981-82 here, it reveals the following: 1981 - a whopping 47 #1 country hits, w/ only FIVE lasting two weeks there, vs. a mere 16 #1 pop hits, w/ THREE holding there for 9-10 weeks! (And total chart hits were 561 country vs. only 408 pop.) 1982 - again, a whopping 47 #1 country hits, w/ only FIVE lasting two weeks there (carbon copy of '81), vs. a mere 15 #1 pop hits, w/ FOUR holding there for 6-7 weeks! (Total chart hits were 510 country vs. only 424 pop.) So in those days, it was much easier to have a high-charting song on the country chart, especially if you were a veteran (which of course ER was, by '81). And after hearing "IDKWTS" on my newly-acquired Step By Step CD for the first time in what must be 30 years (never bothered to look it up & play it on YouTube, or the like), I can certainly hear why it's more or less been forgotten over time. It's obvious to me that as the third single from the album, its high performance on the country chart was merely due to being a "coattail rider" on the first two (i.e., the title track and "Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight"), both of which genuinely deserved to be big, and certainly earned their pop crossover appeal (and thus reached a wider audience)... |
Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 21 September 2013 at 4:06pm
|
Heh. The country chart in the '80s was just funny. You stopped too soon. Go back to your annual and look at 1985 & 1986. Each of those years had 51 #1 hits, with only one spending two weeks at the top. In both cases, that 2 week stay can directly be attributed to Billboard's frozen chart at the end of the year.
I read that program managers at country stations in the '80s were encouraged by labels to "drop" songs off their playlists (the source that Billboard used to determine the charts at the time) once they reached the top. If you look at the week-by-week listings under each #1 hit in 1986, you'll see that it's not unusual for a song to drop from #1 out of the Top 10 or, in a few cases, all the way out of the Top 20. This practice caused lots of criticism of the country charts at the time, and was the main reason why Billboard made the country chart the first one they used monitored airplay to create. |
Posted By: Santi Paradoa
Date Posted: 28 February 2014 at 7:58pm
|
BTW, in case anyone is still looking for this song on CD:
Universal Music recently released an Eddie Rabbitt volume in their Icon budget CD series that includes "I Don't Know Where To Start." This disc only has songs from the later part of Eddie's career since his catalog is currently split and not all under UME. ------------- Santi Paradoa Miami, Florida |