US Top 10 August 9, 1975

US Top 10 August 9, 1975

1 3 JIVE TALKIN’ –•– The Bee Gees (RSO) (1 week at #1)

2 2 I’M NOT IN LOVE –•– 10 c.c. (Mercury)
3 4 PLEASE MR. PLEASE –•– Olivia Newton-John (MCA)
4 1 ONE OF THESE NIGHTS –•– The Eagles (Asylum)
5 6 SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT –•– Elton John (MCA)
6 7 MIDNIGHT BLUE –•– Melissa Manchester (Arista)
7 14 RHINESTONE COWBOY –•– Glen Campbell (Capitol)
8 12 WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS –•– War (United Aritsts)
9 15 HOW SWEET IT IS (To Be Loved By You) –•– James Taylor (Warner Brothers)
10 13 THE ROCKFORD FILES –•– Mike Post (MGM)

    When Handlebar Mike got back from Vietnam, he enrolled in a radio broadcasting school in Los Angeles and got more than a few pointers from Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane. On air, he sounds a bit like Gary Owens as he introduces "Under the Boardwalk" from The Drifters followed by Natalie Cole's version of "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes". Handlebar Mike is one of the volunteers at the 100 watt KXPB-FM, 89.1, a one room radio station located just around the corner from the used books for sale at the Wacky Warehouse in Pacific Beach, Washington.

Reverend Wacky outside his store

Pacific Beach is an hour's drive northwest of Kurt Cobain's hometown, Aberdeen. There's not much to it to be honest. But a mile away, there's a pre-fab beach town called Seabrook, which Sunset Magazine recently hailed as an Idea Town.

Everything in Seabrook makes you feel like you're walking on the movie set of a film set in Cape Cod, Quogue or Nag's Head. 

In any case, it's nice to run into a few fellow travelers, just here for the music. My wife found her piece of paradise and I found mine.

40 Year Itch: You're Telling Me Lies

Geraldo Rivera by Ken Regan

Bee Gees : Jive Talkin (instrumental)

[Purchase]

Five Fun Facts about Jive Talkin'

1. The Bee Gees moved into Eric Clapton's old Miami home, 461 Ocean Boulevard, as they wrote and recorded the songs on Main Course. The Kool and the Gang style chicka-chicka guitar sound was inspired by the sound the car wheels made on the Julia Tuttle Causeway: "As we crossed the bridge, the bridge went 'tickety tickety tickety tick", said Barry Gibb.

2. "We were calling it 'Jive Talkin', " said Maurice Gibb. " But being British,  we thought jive was a dance, so the opening line was 'Jive Talkin', you dance with your eyes...' It was [producer] Arif Mardin who said 'Don't you know what jive talk is? He explained that it was black slang for bullshitting, so we changed the lyric to 'Jive Talkin, you're telling me lies".

3. There were two bass lines in "Jive Talkin'", the main one was played with an ARP 2500 synth. Maurice also played bass on the cut. The Bee Gees Biography author David N Meyer wrote  the ascending and descending bass lines were borrowed from the Sly Stone produced "You're The One" by Little Sister.

4. By this point in their career The Bee Gees were so cold, RSO execs decided to revive a trick they used to promote "New York Mining Disaster 1941". They released the single to radio stations on a white label. DJ's wouldn't know the name of the artist until they placed the single on the turntable.

5. "Jive Talkin'" b/w "Wind of Change" hit #1 in the US on the week of August 9, 1975. The single peaked at #5 in the UK. Other singles from Main Course, "Nights on Broadway" (US#7) and "Fanny ( Be Tender With My Love)" (US#12) sealed the deal. The Bee Gees were back. Later in the year Rufus featuring Chaka Khan covered "Jive Talkin'".