SATURDAY'S SINGLES : ALICE COOPER and ELTON jOHN

[maggot]

Good morning gang and welcome to the return of Saturday's Singles. Today we celebrate the 71st Birthday of English lyricist, poet, singer and artist, Bernie Taupin, best known for his collaborations with Elton John. Happy Birthday Bernie. In addition to his Elton connection, Bernie has also written songs for Heart, Starship, Peter Cetera, Richie Sambora, Melissa Manchester, and Alice Cooper. IN fact, it;s an Alice track that is our first Saturday's Single.

"How You Gonna See Me Now" by Alice Cooper was released October !978 on the Warner Brothers label and produced by David Foster. The song, written by Cooper, Bernie Taupin, and guitarist Dick Wagner, peaked at #61 in the UK, #22 on the Adult Contemporary charts,  #16 in Canada and the Cash Box, #12 on the Hot 100, and #9 in both The Netherlands and Australia. It's B-side, "No Tricks", featuring R&B diva Betty Wright, is a non album track was recorded at the same time as it's A-side, during the From The Inside sessions and was also written by Cooper/Taupin,/Wagner. It marked the first time in Alice's discography, that a non album track was included on a 45. 

(album credits)

Alice Cooper – vocals
Dick Wagner – lead guitar
David Foster – keyboards
Davey Johnstone – lead guitar, backing vocals
David Hungate – bass
Dee Murray – bass
Dennis Conway – drums

Fred Mandel – keyboards
John Pierce – bass
Jim Keltner – percussion
Jay Graydon – guitar, synthesizer programming
Lee Sklar – bass
Michael Ricciardella – drums

Steve Lukather – guitar
Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming
Robbie King – keyboards
Rick Shlosser – drums
Rick Nielsen – guitar

Bill Champlin, Kiki Dee, Flo & Eddie, Tom Kelly, Bobby Kimball, Sheryl Cooper, The Totally Committed Choir – backing vocals

Betty Wright - vocals

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our second Bernie Birthday single is "Daniel" by Elton John. The tune was released January 1973 on the MCA label, written by Bernie and Elton, and produced by Gus Dudgeon. Hailing from Elton's sixth studio album,  Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, the tune reached #4 in the UK and Ireland, #2 in Zimbabwe, Canada's Adult Contemporary, New Zealand, the Cash Box, and the Hot 100, and #1 in Canada and  Billboard's Easy Listening chart. It's flip side, "Skyline Pigeon", another Taupin collab is from Elton's debut album,  Empty Sky.

Elton John – Vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, "flute" sounding Mellotron, harpsichord, organ

Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, banjo
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums, maracas
Ken Scott – ARP synthesizer

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++