While most other Falls seemed somber and a time to catch one's breath, Fall '70 seemed upbeat, and a bit scary as well. A new word began to creep into the vocabulary..."Inflation"...and it would sorta be a motto for the decade (in many ways). The first big recession in years began to hit and price started to rise, and people were losing jobs. It was the first wave that would ripple through the 80s as the large economic boom that followed the end of World War II had finally played out and that future expansion would have to be in new areas. Also, that other nations had either rebuilt or risen to challenge American economic dominance.

Of course, Viet Nam was still an important milepost of the time. American troops were slowly withdrawing from the battles and the country. North Vietnam even promised not to shoot at any American providing they leave the country in 6 months...not likely. Amendments in the U.S. Congress to either curtail war participation or withdrawal were defeated as the prevailing "establishment" view was they were looking for a more graceful way out. Nearly a decade of direct involvement and five as a "hot" war had divided a nation and shaken the morale of the military. It wasn't a matter of how the war would end, just when, and how can we make a graceful exit or "Peace With Honor".

TV, again, had a big impact of the Top 40 hits of September '70. The ABC Friday Night lineup was the main source. First, there was the "Brady Bunch" (no hits, but gee how those kids were cute and trying!) and then the "Partridge Family". No sooner did the show hit the airwaves, but David Cassidy became a teen-age heartthrob. It didn't take much longer to get the "group's" first hit (ala the Kirshner play book) on the charts. Also scoring hits was another Friday Night ABC-TV denizen...Bobby Sherman, who appeared on "Here Comes The Brides". He was a constant mainstay on the charts for the next several years until the blue skies of Seattle faded and all the brides got fat.

Motown, too was launching it's most popular teen-idol yet. The company was putting all their might behind the Jackson Five, and it was paying off very nicely. The group was scoring regularly (in Motown fashion) with hit singles. More and more, the spotlight was being placed on the family's lead singer, Michael. He would soon step forward and into the ozone over the next 27 years.

Well, hope it's loaded by now...enjoy the sounds one would hear on WLS in September, 1970: