Ramblin' with Roger

1965 Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles

the back of Jet magazine

Here are the 1965 Hot Rhythm and Blues singles, mostly from Billboard. From November 30, 1963, through January 23, 1965, Billboard eschewed the R&B single, assuming it was not significantly different from the pop charts. The sources I’ve been checking used the Cash Box Top 50 in R&B locations for that period.

The Billboard category changed to Top Selling Rhythm and Blues singles on June 5, 1965.

I have a book called Across The Charts: The 1960s from Record Research, written by the late Joel Whitburn. Let’s see the crossover of these songs.

I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – Four Tops, nine weeks at #1; two weeks at #1 pop

Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Part 1) – James Brown and the Famous Flames, eight weeks at #1; #8 pop. When I was a kid, James Brown dominated the charts in the back of Jet magazine, which my family got every week for several years. Many of these songs I had never heard on the pop radio stations in Binghamton, NY, at all.

My Girl – The Temptations, six weeks at #1; #1 for one week pop

I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown and The Famous Flames, six weeks at #1; #3 for three weeks pop

Rescue Me – Fontella Bass, four weeks at #1; #4 pop

Shotgun – Jr Walker and the All Stars, four weeks at #1; #4 pop

Got To Get You Off My Mind – Solomon Burke, three weeks at #1; #22 pop

We’re Gonna Make It – Little Milton, three weeks at #1; #25 pop

I Want To (Do Everything For You) – Joe Tex, three weeks at #1; #23 pop

Hold What You’ve Got – Joe Tex, two weeks at #1 per Cash Box; #5 pop

Single week at #1

Back In My Arms Again – The Supremes; #1 pop for one week

I’ll Be Doggone – Marvin Gaye; #8 pop

In The Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett; #21 pop

Ain’t That Peculiar – Marvin Gaye; #8 pop

The Jerk – The Larks, as reported by Cash Box, #7 pop

Movie: Materialists

Melanie and Don’s kid

The saga of seeing the movie Materialists began in late June. I went to see Sinners at the Madison Theatre, but my wife opted to see something presumably less intense, which started and ended a few minutes after my choice. I then went to vote at the nearby Primary Day voting site and came back.

When the theater door for Materialists opened, I waited more than five minutes before calling out to her. Yes, she was in there, and she came out, talking to two women, one of whom she vaguely had met before, still talking about the significance of the film they had just seen.

A week or so later, my wife and I went to the Spectrum 8 Theater in Albany. She was willing to see Materialists again, which is quite unusual. I saw and liked it, but I was having a dreadful time figuring out how to write about it. A part of it may have to do with personal biography.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is an excellent matchmaker at an upscale company. She is practically a human dating app. Nine of her matches led couples to the altar. She views relationships like transactions and uses that strategy to calm a skittish bride.

But she is taken aback when the perfect 10 unicorn of a guy, Harry (Pedro Pascal), whom she meets at a wedding she had put together, is interested in her. He seems to check all the boxes and would be the obvious choice.

Lucy even takes him to an Off-Off-Broadway production, where her ex John (Chris Evans) performs. He is the antithesis of a rich guy, working catering jobs between auditions while riding around in his barely roadworthy vehicle.

Not a rom-com

I came across an IMDb review: Materialists was not what I expected.

“It’s been marketed like a rom-com – but honestly? If you’re heading in expecting laughs, you’ll be disappointed. What you get instead is a sharp, quietly melancholic study on modern love, dating, and loneliness in the big city. It’s not so much about romance as it is about emotional bankruptcy – the way ambition, money, and appearances slowly chip away at real connection.” Melancholy, yeah.

So I understand why some folks, looking for a sweet rom-com, might be disappointed. I’ve read that Johnson’s performance was flat, but I think it was dead on. The “real tension[ is] in her. What does she actually want? Love, comfort, validation? Or just a life that looks good on paper?”

This is also why Lucy was so tone deaf when dealing with the bad date one of her clients experienced.

The funniest part of the movie was the clips of the clients noting their attributes and what they were looking for. (I was going to give an example, but it doesn’t read as funny.)

The Rotten Tomatoes reviews were 80% positive with critics and 67% with audiences. All I can say is that I believed these people, especially Lucy. Dakota Johnson, by the way, was the response to a recent JEOPARDY clue. HOLLYWOOD HODGEPODGE $400: She’s the actress seen here with mom Melanie Griffith and grandmother Tippi Hedren.

Oh, I liked the cave people, too, who appeared in the beginning and then the end credits.

Music composed by Francis Johnson

Lafayette and Queen Victoria?

In an online article, I read “Tyler Diaz… played music composed by Charles Francis Johnson, University of Pennsylvania, in 1824 for Lafayette’s visit. This was an exceptional honor for a Black composer.” A Black American composer in the first quarter of the 19th century?

The reference was in Peter Feinman’s Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education piece titled July 3, 1825/July 3, 2025: Lafayette’s ‘Naturalizes’ Americans at Federal Hall.

There is a Wikipedia page: “Francis ‘Frank’ Johnson (June 16, 1792 – April 6, 1844)… wrote more than two hundred compositions of various styles—operatic airs, Ethiopian minstrel songs, patriotic marches, ballads, cotillions, quadrilles, quicksteps and other dances. Only manuscripts and piano transcriptions survive today.

“Johnson was the first African American composer to have his works published as sheet music. He was also the first African American to give public concerts and the first to participate in racially integrated concerts in the United States. He led the first American musical ensemble to present concerts abroad, and he introduced the promenade concert style to America.”

Victoria!

I don’t know this guy at all! More info from here:

“Johnson’s band toured here and abroad, and, in 1837, played before Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace. The young queen was so impressed that she gave Johnson a silver bugle as a memento.

“Besides entertaining white audiences abroad, Johnson performed at African American churches in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. In 1841, he organized a performance of Haydn’s Creation at the First African Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

“Francis Johnson died in 1844 in Philadelphia at 52. During his funeral march, hundreds of mourners, including his brass band, followed his casket, on which his silver bugle was placed.”

Six-minute video by Krystal Thomas

U Penn bio

The innovations of a forgotten genius who laid the groundwork for the nation’s signature music (Smithsonian)

Some music:

A Soundtrack to Antebellum Black Philadelphia

A Collection Of New Cotillions (1818) – Donald Lee III, piano

Honour To The Brave: General Lafayette’s Grand March

Johnson’s March

Dirge – the last three: Performed by The Chestnut Brass Company and Friends. Diane Monroe, Violin. Tamara Brooks, Conductor.

Maybe I can intrigue one of my blogger buddies, who knows way more about classical music than I, to find out more about Francis Johnson.

Top 50 films of the 21st Century

a bad day?

Here’s the Top 50 films of the 21st Century, per the New York Times poll of 500 creatives in cinema. I’m ignoring that 2000 is in the 20th century, not the 21st.

If I saw it and wrote about it, I will link to that post. I will note movies I have NOT seen this way:

DK—I don’t know this film and have never heard of it before, except if it was listed in previous lists.

WS- I’m familiar with the film and would have seen it, but it fell through the cracks, usually during the Oscar rush to see movies in December through February.

FF – There was a fear factor that it would be too violent or otherwise upsetting to watch.

50 Up, Pete Docter, 2009. It’s good, though the first minutes always gets to me.

49 Before Sunset, Richard Linklater, 2004. WS – I need to see ALL of the Before pics!

48 The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007. WS: Whom can you trust in circa-1984 East Berlin?

47 Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe, 2000: enjoyed this a lot, actually. A music film is in my emotional wheelhouse.

46 Roma, Alfonso Cuarón, 2018. “Cuaron is a bit too close to the material.”

45 Moneyball, Bennett Miller, 2011. I liked it, but would I have liked it if I did not like baseball? One of the two I saw at home.

44 Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino, 2019. WS/FF. Love the Hollywood angle, but the Sharon Tate murder?

43 Oldboy, Park Chan-wook, 2005. DK

42 The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012. WS

41 Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001. I adored this film.

40 Yi Yi, Edward Yang, 2000. DK

Not Claudia Johnson

39 Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, 2017

38 Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma, 2019. DK

37 Call Me by Your Name, Luca Guadagnino, 2017. WS

36 A Serious Man, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 2009. WS

35 A Prophet, Jacques Audiard, 2010. DK

34 Wall-E, Andrew Stanton, 2008. I liked it more in the latter half.

33 A Separation, Asghar Farhadi, 2011. WS

32 Bridesmaids, Paul Feig, 2011

31 The Departed, Martin Scorsese, 2006. When my kid was little, I tried to avoid violence in films. Maybe I’d see it now.

30 Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola, 2003. Sometimes, when almost everyone I trust likes a film but I don’t, I think maybe I was tired or having a bad day.

29 Arrival, Denis Villeneuve, 2016.

28 The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan, 2008. I think I just wasn’t into superheroes at the time. WS

27 Adaptation, Spike Jonze, 2002. As I recall, I liked much of it but hated the end.

French jurisprudence

26 Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, 2023. Intriguing; I liked it.

25 Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017. It’s fine, though a little slow.

24 Her, Spike Jonze, 2013. Is this movie prescient? I’ve seen the mainstream news about “romances” people have with their AI constructs.

23 Boyhood, Richard Linklater, 2014. Very good, but impressive as all get out in making a film over a dozen years with the same core cast!

22 The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson, 2014. My favorite Wes Anderson film

21 The Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anderson, 2001. My least favorite Wes Anderson film

20 The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese, 2013. We were considering it, though my parents-in-law HATED it. It’s also very long, and ultimately, I never saw it.

19 Zodiac, David Fincher, 2007. FF/WS

18 Y tu mamá también, Alfonso Cuarón, 2002. I recall enjoying it.

17 Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee, 2005. I enjoyed it a great deal, though I never wrote about it.

16 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee, 2000. I recall it fondly.

15 City of God, Fernando Meirelles, 2003. FF. “A teenager forces a younger teenager to kill an even younger child. The victim cowers inside a fenced patio that resembles a playpen. Nearby sobs another child, who looks about 5; he’s been shot in the foot — to send a message, but also for fun.” Yeah, there’s also dancing and joy, but…

QT

14 Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino, 2009. FF

13 Children of Men, Alfonso Cuarón, 2006. WS

12 The Zone Of Interest, Jonathan Glazer, 2023. Shows well the banality of evil.

11 Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller, 2015. Just not my thing.

10 The Social Network, David Fincher, 2010. Surprisingly effective.

9 Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki, 2002. Wonderful

8 Get Out, Jordan Peele, 2017. FF. Maybe I’ll see it eventually.

7 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry, 2004. I watched this on VHS tape, I think, and saw only half of it before going to bed. Got up early and watched the rest. And STILL loved it. I relate to stuff about memory, and whether one can/should block them out.

6 No Country for Old Men, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 2007. FF

5 Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, 2016. Effective coming-of-age triptych.

4 In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-Wai, 2001. DK

3 There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007. FF. I saw one (Ratatouille) of the seven 2007 movies on this list.

2 Mulholland Drive, David Lynch, 2001. WS

1 Parasite, Bong Joon Ho, 2019. You can’t always get rid of the stench of poverty.

My wife was reading my blog

a whoa moment

Much to my surprise, my wife was reading my blog. She mentioned to me in last week of June, she perused the post about our daughter coming back from South Africa, and also the next one.

Then, on Saturday morning, June 28th, I heard music from her office. Usually, if she has any audio entertainment, it’s either talk from NPR or classical music, but this was distinctly not that. No, she was listening to links from my post about the #1 country songs in 1955. This is fascinating because I’ve been writing for two decades, and that hasn’t always been the case.

I remember the days when we would visit my friend Fred Hembeck and his wife and child. Fred and I would talk about things we had in our blogs. My wife is trying to understand what we were talking about.

FGH

In fact, I wrote about it here in 2008: Fred, “our wives and I also had a philosophical conversation about blogging. My wife chastised me for saying that she should look at my blog, rather than me having to explain what I had written. I noted that it isn’t just the information in the blog that I was trying to convey, but the style and manner in which I said it.” Ultimately, I resigned myself to making inadequate bullet points if she asked.

She intellectually knew that I always wrote about her on her birthday and our anniversary, and occasionally on Mother’s Day, though our anniversary and Mother’s Day are very close together.

Now she’s reading the blog, at least sometimes. I’d taken it as a matter of faith that she’s not reading it, so the change is a whoa moment.

Anyway, today is her birthday. She’s taken off work for the summer, though I know at least a few work-related calls. This means that all things she can’t get done during the rest of the year are going on. My wife had to go through that stuff after her mother moved from one retirement facility to another, smaller location.

Things are already better. She’s cleared off the dining room table of the material that had been there since we filed our taxes in April. (Why didn’t I put it away? Because our filing systems are mutually confounding.) She probably has more projects to do than time to do them in the next four weeks, but she’ll use the time well—she likes morning walks—and I’m sure I will be enlisted to work on many of those projects.

Happy birthday, dear. I love you.