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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 4, 2015 21:26:23 GMT 1
Hippy Hippy Shake was of course a Lennon-McCartney song. So was "A World Without Love" that you marked down so much. And back then Lennon-McCartney songs really were that - written by both "eyeball to eyeball" as John Lennon put it. The "Peter" of Peter & Gordon was Peter Asher, brother of Jane Asher who Paul McCartney was dating at the time (and a woman I have met).
We agree about what was the worst number one of the year too. Diane is a bit old fashioned for its era. Little Children is just awful.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 4, 2015 22:10:09 GMT 1
Hippy Hippy Shake was of course a Lennon-McCartney song. Are you sure ?
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 4, 2015 23:25:51 GMT 1
actually no they didn't write Hippy Hippy shake, but the Beatles did record it. Like they recorded Twist & Shout.. yeah, it was originally a 50s song.
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Post by Milliways on Feb 7, 2015 16:06:32 GMT 1
1965
GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES - "Yeh Yeh" You quite possibly haven't heard this piece of jazz-flavoured upbeat pop, but once you do you won't forget it in a hurry as it is an earworm and a half. I've been humming the insistent vocal melody all week. While it can't be said to be one of the more important #1s of the year, I'm sure it will have had a lot of toes tapping 7
THE MOODY BLUES - "Go Now" Whereas the previous #1 was feather-light, "Go Now" seems to strive for gravity from the outset, with an imposing opening piano line that remains among the most recognisable in the genre. This is the first of many breakup songs to top the charts in 1965; great as the instrumentation is in places, the overall package doesn't bear inevitable comparisons to tracks still to come 4
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" Rather than throwing in the kitchen sink as the Moody Blues did previously, The Righteous Brothers put the vocals front and centre and the resulting record is that much more convincing as a consequence. In lesser hands it could have been dismal, but the Brothers are both vocally more than up to the task. From the opening line ("You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips") onwards, it's not difficult to see why this has become a classic. Personally, it's never going to find itself on my regular listening list, but I much prefer it to their 'other hit' that we'll meet in another 25 years' time (probably at least in part because, unlike that song, it's remained largely unruined by appalling cover versions) 8
THE KINKS - "Tired Of Waiting For You" The Kinks' second of four number ones is almost certainly the least well-remembered. Indeed, it is eclipsed by singles released either side of this one that are, respectively, a far stronger rock track ("All Day And All Of The Night") and a much more interesting pop record ("Dedicated Follower Of Fashion") but did not reach the top spot. This song is dull, doesn't suit Davies' voice and belongs tucked away at the tail-end of their Greatest Hits 3
THE SEEKERS - "I'll Never Find Another You" This starts off promisingly, with its bright, folky guitar intro, but quickly descends into a cloying morass. Tom mentioned in his review how 'church-y' this sounds, and I have to agree: listening to this is like being back in Sunday School (not for the last time in 1965). Thoroughly "wholesome" – If treacle and cod liver oil got together, and put out a single, it would sound just like this and be just as awful 1
TOM JONES - "It's Not Unusual" It's hard to imagine now, but back in 1965 Tom Jones was an unknown, his first single, a flop. This, his second, promoted by pirate radio, was impossible to ignore. A big personality and a powerful voice, coupled with a punchy song that cannot fail to grab attention while not having a lot of substance. I'd take this over the Seekers every time and then a few more, but I can't quite shake the feeling that it's just 'there' 6
THE ROLLING STONES - "The Last Time" The third #1 for the Stones and the first that Jagger and Richards wrote themselves (though they later admitted that it took a lot of inspiration from a similarly-titled traditional gospel song). But for the characteristic distortion, the influence of the Merseybeat sound is evident in the instrumentation. Aside from that, as so often with the Stones this doesn't really work for me as a recording – it's rock for a charismatic frontman to perform for a live audience 5
UNIT FOUR PLUS TWO - "Concrete And Clay" Another one that goes to show the power that pirate radio stations (particularly Radio Caroline) had in these days. This otherwise virtually unknown British group, with about as insipid a band name as it is possible to devise, achieved this unlikely hit thanks to their support. The song itself bounces along pleasantly, a love song, with a touch of the exotic (at least for 1965) about it thanks to a flourish of Spanish guitar 6
CLIFF RICHARD - "The Minute You're Gone" Cliff attempts to outdo the Seekers in the terrible record stakes. He doesn't quite manage it, fortunately – this doesn't quite reach 'actively bad' territory, it's just very, very dull 2
THE BEATLES - "Ticket To Ride" I can imagine that someone encountering this record completely unaware of how it sounds, as Beatles fans at the time of release must have, would be taken aback somewhat – neither the song's title nor any of their previous releases provide much indication. There's a clear shift in style between the previous Beatles #1s and this record, which is almost low-key musically in contrast to the instrumental menagerie that is "Hard Day's Night". I think Lennon's resigned "Aah" just at the start of the chorus is my favourite thing about the song, it's so expressive without actually saying anything! 7
ROGER MILLER - "King Of The Road" Many retrospective examinations of the trends and shifts in the world of popular music in the 1960s talk of the British Invasion - the crossing of the Atlantic of British groups to great success (in some cases, such as Herman's Hermits, somewhat greater success than they did on these shores). Here's a notable example of the reverse dynamic, for this is about as American as a song can get and yet it was a UK smash hit. "King Of The Road" is a country ode to the hobo and his self-sufficient itinerant lifestyle that clearly caught the imagination of the British public, and not because it soundtracked a hit film or anything along those lines. I've always liked this song a lot, ever since I heard the Proclaimers' faithful cover version, before the original, back in the early 90s. If anything, hearing it in context makes me like it all the more 8
JACKIE TRENT - "Where Are You Now (My Love)" Drab and dated lost love song that became a hit off the back of its appearance in a TV drama 2
SANDIE SHAW - "Long Live Love" Lightweight, jaunty song with the hint of a Caribbean influence. The most striking thing about this song – or, at least, the recording that I have been listening to – is a particularly annoying noise in the right earpiece that sounds like someone scraping two pieces of metal together at regular intervals. You won't be able to not hear it now! 4
ELVIS PRESLEY - "Crying In The Chapel" As if it weren't apparent by now, this is the clearest evidence yet of an unbridgeable generational divide, played out upon the battleground of the 1965 singles charts. Elvis' star had fallen a long way by the mid-60s, but enough still revered him to give his version of this particularly supplicant gospel record a week at #1 (it would, however, turn out to be his last #1 of the decade) 2
THE HOLLIES - "I'm Alive" One of those unfortunate instances of a deserving artist getting their #1 hit with the wrong song: "Just One Look", "Stop Stop Stop" and "Bus Stop" are all much better songs than this 60s-pop-by-numbers effort 5
THE BYRDS - "Mr Tambourine Man" A brief appearance on a charity collaboration aside, Bob Dylan never had a UK #1 hit. It's likely his love-it-or-hate-it style of singing had a lot to do with that (as well as a helping of bad luck with release timings). By smoothing out the rough vocal edges, and adding the jingle-jangle that the lyrics call for, LA's Byrds turned "Mr Tambourine Man" into an iconic record and deservedly achieve what Dylan did not. Here is as good a place as any to mark the arrival of the hippie period, representing as this song does surely the most flagrant reference to psychedelics ("Take me for a trip upon your magic swirling ship...") up to this point 8
THE BEATLES - "Help" Like "Hard Day's Night" last year, "Help" stands apart from the year's other two Beatles #1s in that it was written first and foremost as a film's title song. Where "Hard Day's Night" stands as a high point in the early Beatles' timeline, full of innovation, "Help" represents a turning point. It's as though they've 'reached the top and had to stop', and are looking for a new direction. The film it soundtracked may have been a rather daft comedy, but one can't help (with some element of 20:20 hindsight) but feel that the song was also intended as a message to fans 7
SONNY AND CHER - "I Got You Babe" It's a pleasing coincidence that I happen to be covering 1965 in this particular week. February 2nd is of course Groundhog Day, and it is with this film, in which Bill Murray's hapless character wakes up to "I Got You Babe" playing on his bedside radio every morning and which I am happy to name as my all-time favourite movie, that the song is inextricably associated. It's perhaps inevitable, then, that I'm positively disposed towards it even if it wouldn't normally tick my boxes. Somehow, this is one of those classic records whose whole manages to comprise so much more than the sum of its parts 9
THE ROLLING STONES - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Some records stand as unassailable, so much have they been shored up and insulated by the volume of critical acclaim that has been bestowed upon them. 'Satisfaction' is undoubtedly one of those. It's undoubtedly a very good record, by far the strongest of the Stones' early #1s. We've seen some of the horrendous records that have been propelled to the top by the purchasing power of the older generation (and we'll see another one of those in a couple of tracks' time), and that the youthful kick back against them comes in this form is fitting, and telling. For me, though, it just doesn't quite connect in the way that "Have I The Right?" did, or indeed tracks still to come that it surely influenced – the challenge (as will often be during the course of this reviewing-and-rating marathon) is to work out why and communicate it. And, I come to the conclusion that it comes down largely to Jagger's persona. I've said in my comments on previous Stones #1s that they come across as vehicles for Jagger's showmanship. While that isn't the case here, the egotism that suffuses them is, for me, strongly in evidence and turns me off the song somewhat. Still, for its importance and impact 8
THE WALKER BROTHERS - "Make It Easy On Yourself" Maybe it's just me and mine, but the Walker Brothers got bracketed as an 'easy listening' oldies act – a categorisation which belies how powerful this song, and the Brothers' performance of it, actually is. It's a noteworthy confluence that two of the stronger #1 of 1965 are breakup songs by American acts with 'Brothers' in their name who were not actually brothers. Of the two, this is by a narrow margin the inferior 7
KEN DODD - "Tears" One wonders how a stand-up comedian best known for his 'tickling stick' ended up recording this dreary 1920s number and had such a huge hit with it. Another manifestation of that clash of generations I talked about earlier, no doubt 2
THE ROLLING STONES - "Get Off Of My Cloud" Another #1 already for the Stones – apparently this was a reaction to their dramatically increased popularity following the success of "Satisfaction". This was their heyday, and that is audible in this triumphant-sounding record 7
THE SEEKERS - "The Carnival Is Over" Oh no, they're back. Fortunately this isn't quite as dismal as their earlier chart-topper, but it's best once it's over 2
THE BEATLES - "Day Tripper" I've long been fascinated by pop's role in pushing boundaries. As well as being an iconic song with one of the most recognisable riffs in pop, "Day Tripper" stands as a landmark in that particular timeline in that it is easily the most conspicuously drug-referencing hit record up to this point. While they were understandably coy about the inspiration for the song's lyrics at the time, McCartney later revealed what the Beatles' '65 listeners surely knew all along – the "Day Tripper" of the title is an occasional user of LSD. The song's notability in this respect doesn't stop there: the lyric "she's a big teaser" is a quite obvious bowdlerisation of a somewhat coarser expression, just disguised enough for the song to slip onto the radio. Before I wrap this up, it's worth noting that this release is a landmark in another respect. in that it is recorded by pop history as the first official double A-side, together with "We Can Work It Out". The score is for "Day Tripper" only, however 8
Other hits worth a mention
Chris Andrews - 'Yesterday Man' - A bold, brash, brassy celebratory record, breakup as renewal. SOmething this in-your-face is never going to be to everyone's taste, which perhaps explains why it's taken until now for me to encounter it. My favourite discovery of this year, perhaps of the entire project up to this point.
The Supremes - 'Stop! In The Name Of Love - In a year of timeless intros, perhaps the greatest of all is this Motown classic. For me this perfectly-crafted would have made for a much better #1 for the Supremes than the song that did actually reach the top, but again a US girl group's release just couldn't get enough momentum behind it on this side of the Atlantic.
Bob Dylan - 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' and 'Like A Rolling Stone' - In the year that Dylan shocked the folk music world by shifting from acoustic to electric guitar and using rock musicians for backing, two of his most celebrated songs reached the UK top 10. The rollicking "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is notable also for its accompanying film clip, sometimes said to represent the first modern music video.
Fontella Bass - 'Rescue Me' - Stretching the definition of "hit" just a little here, but I couldn't let this little gem of a pop record, one of the strongest American R&B records of the era, go without a mention. If you don't recognise the name, or worse still have only heard the abominable 2000 dance remix, go ahead and treat yourself.
Barry McGuire - 'Eve Of Destruction and Hedgehoppers Anonymous - 'It's Good News Week' - Dylan wasn't the only artist bringing a political flavour to the 1965 charts. Two other top 5 hits this year reflecting the fear of the Bomb contrasted in style: the rough and raw "Eve Of Destruction" and slightly tongue-in-cheek "It's Good News Week" (featuring perhaps the first reference to the zombie trope in pop). The former was banned by the BBC for its political content; the latter likely doesn't get much airplay these days because it was written and produced by Jonathan King.
Aside from the above, 1965 was a bumper year for superb hit records that didn't quite reach the summit. All of these just missed out (some kept off #1 by decidedly inferior releases): The Who - 'My Generation'; The Animals - 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place'; Donovan - 'Catch The Wind'; Them - 'Here Comes The Night'; The Toys - 'A Lover's Concerto'...
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 7, 2015 16:41:44 GMT 1
1965 was decidedly inferior to 1964 as far as #1s go. For me, this was a year when the Rolling Stones releases surpassed the Beatles. As far as songwriting goes, the man of the year was undoubtedly Bob Dylan, as you have rightly identified.
The one song where I vehemently disagree with you is "Yeh Yeh", which is, for me, one of the most irritating "proper" records to reach the Top 10, nevermind the top. (By "proper", I mean excluding deliberate novelty records).
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 7, 2015 20:24:46 GMT 1
Ah, while we're doing 1983 the year you were born, you were doing my year of birth.. and "The Last Time" was my actual birthday #1.
"Day Tripper" is one of my 3 top Christmas #1s of all time along with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Don't You Want Me".
I'll see how these songs actually do in my chart when I reach 1965. "Like A Rolling Stone" is out the same time as "Satisfaction" and I reckon in my chart the song about the rolling stone will succeed over the band of that name.
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vastar iner
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Posts: 17,427
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 7, 2015 22:15:15 GMT 1
Chris Andrews is probably better known as a songwriter - he wrote "Long Live Love" so he did have a chart-topper in 1965. I don't know if it's familiarity breeding contempt, but I've come to believe that The Beatles saved their best stuff for their albums. There are three songs called "Terry" on the vaspod by four different artists. The earliest and latest chronologically are the death disc written by Lynne Ripley, who took it into the top five at the start of the year under the name Twinkle. Hot on its heels came the US no. 1 death disc "Leader Of The Pack", one of the greatest songs of the sixties, by The Shangri-Las. It wouldn't breach the top ten. Yet. Producer Shadow Morton said that he had two songs which he knew would be no. 1s; the other one was "Chapel Of Love" by The Dixie Cups. How many of you knew that the Big Issue seller lookalike in the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" video was beat poet Allen Ginsberg? It wasn't really a promo - it was an integral part of a documentary about Dylan. They shot it three times in three different locations. I love The Seekers. Genuine talents. The name Unit Four Plus Two, far from being insipid, came from Fluff Freeman, who divided his show into four units - Unit Four dealt with the top ten. So it was a statement of intent. And when they were a fourpiece it made sense. When they became a sextet they added two to the name. Literally. They had an unexpected coda; their roadie Billy Moeller (brother of singer Tommy) was asked to act as frontman for the Mike Sammes Singers for their out-of-nowhere hit "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman", and so became Whistling Jack Smith. Perhaps an even more unexpected coda was that Billy Moeller could actually sing, and with Buster Meikle scored a top 10 hit in France.
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 7, 2015 23:21:12 GMT 1
Because of the fact the Smiths covered it, I always think of Twinkle's main song as "Golden Lights" rather than "Terry" although the latter was the bigger hit.
Bob Dylan ended up as composer on 3 number ones, Mr Tambourine Man and as you mentioned that cover of Knocking On Heaven's Door. The other was Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann which you will come to later.
On the political side, 1965 was the year that the US deployed troops on the ground in the Vietnam War. It started with 3,500 marines in March and escalated to about 200,000 by the end of the year. They started using conscription too, which made it even more of an issue. This has a major effect on the usage of politics in popular music culture at the time.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 7, 2015 23:30:28 GMT 1
Bob Dylan ended up as composer on 3 number ones, Mr Tambourine Man and as you mentioned that cover of Knocking On Heaven's Door. The other was Mighty Quinn by Manfred Mann which you will come to later. 4 actually. He also co-wrote Gabrielle's "Rise" (which borrows from KOHD). But his UK best seller wasn't a #1 - Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" only peaked at #4.
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Post by Milliways on Feb 15, 2015 2:42:18 GMT 1
1966
SPENCER DAVIS GROUP - "Keep On Running" Like a lot of the emerging British bands around this time, the Spencer Davis Group are categorised as a 'beat group'. Seldom is that description so apt as it is when considering "Keep On Running". The beat makes this song, providing the sense of an ongoing chase that the lyrics demand. It's not surprising, therefore, that the song is perhaps most best known nowadays from its film soundtrack appearances 7
THE OVERLANDERS - "Michelle" A cover that was put out after the Beatles declined to release "Michelle" as a single, this version of the Anglo-French love ballad has nothing to recommend it over the cut from 'Rubber Soul' 3 NANCY SINATRA - "These Boots Were Made For Walking" Tom, whose Popular project starts with the first NME #1 in 1952, saw fit to give this song his first 10/10 maximum score. What's undeniable is its significance as a pop landmark. While we've seen hits from female vocalists, this is surely the first 'girl power' #1. "Boots" is pop as theatrical entertainment, a showpiece of a record. As if the clever musical touches and flourishes, from the step-down intro onwards, weren't enough to make that impression, the finale ("Are you ready, boots?") wipes out any last vestige of subtlety 9
THE WALKER BROTHERS - "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" Not for the last time, a tale of what could have been. Songwriting doesn't get much stronger than this, and the vocal talents of Scott Walker are up to the formidable task of imparting an authentic sense of heartbreak. If only it wasn't a strain to hear him! With better production, this could have been up there with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"; unfortunately, radio play doesn't do this one any favours 7
SPENCER DAVIS GROUP - "Somebody Help Me" At two minutes long, this certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. There isn't a whole lot of substance here, though, and particularly in a year so packed with classic hits as this it's inevitable that this gets lost in the shuffle. Feels like what it is – a record that reached #1 as a follow-up to a far superior hit 4
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" Some musical styles never go out of style: no matter what the decade, we'll inevitably encounter the diva. "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", schmaltzy as it is, is a diva song if there ever was one. Dusty Springfield carries it off with aplomb, the power of her voice covering up the song's cracks 5
MANFRED MANN - "Pretty Flamingo" For their second #1, Manfred Mann return to the theme that gave them their first – the admiration of a beautiful woman. There's an inevitable risk in that of sounding like a retread, and "Pretty Flamingo" doesn't benefit from the comparison. It's certainly a more mature-sounding record, but for me it fails to engage 4
THE ROLLING STONES - "Paint It, Black" We've encountered songs dealing with death previously, but generally these take the form of melodrama set to music ("Johnny Remember Me", "Leader Of The Pack"). To convey emotional depth within a three 3–4 minute piece of popular music, without the resulting song sounding trite or superficial, is enormously challenging. Everything that has come before from the Rolling Stones would suggest that they are unsuited to the task. Not so. Vivid imagery used to powerful effect such as is seldom seen, no accompanying movie is needed to convey meaning. It's perhaps because of its difficult subject matter that "Paint It, Black" is not regarded as highly as it deserves to be 10
FRANK SINATRA - "Strangers In The Night" The sound of motions being run through. Ol' Blue Eyes' first chart-topper was back in 1954, and from the sound of this time may as well have stood still. The closing moments of this record, in which Sinatra croons "dooby dooby doo" to the song's monotonous tune tell you all you need to know about how meaningful this song is; such an unfortunate contrast with the previous #1 2
THE BEATLES - "Paperback Writer" Ironic as it may seem, given how many variations on the theme have appeared over the years, but the one-note guitar line that backs this character tale was an early instance of musical experimentation, as well as representing a notable lyrical shift in lyrical theme from earlier material. The lyrics seem to reflect that: "It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer", i.e. the subject of the song would like to move in a more creative direction 8
THE KINKS - "Sunny Afternoon" Reading online discussions about this song make one thing clear – no matter how overtly satirical a pop record may be, a high proportion of its audience will inevitably misunderstand its meaning. The Kinks' characterisation of a wealthy man lamenting the burden of taxation while continuing to live a luxurious lifestyle is superb songwriting. Not just that, but the sense that the arrangement gives of being there with him, lazing the summer days away with his ice cold beer, takes "Sunny Afternoon" into the annals of all-time great pop songs 10
GEORGIE FAME AND THE BLUE FLAMES - "Get Away" "Get Away" sounds oddly commercial for its time; unsurprisingly, as it was originally written as a jingle for a TV petrol ad before being adapted by Georgie Fame into a hit single. The holiday record was a relatively new phenomenon, and "Get Away"'s hustling sense of urgency gives it a very different feel to that of "Summer Holiday" but no less appealing for it. While Cliff's holiday sounds like the culmination of months of planning, Georgie's is definitely a last-minute deal 6
CHRIS FARLOWE - "Out Of Time" The Stones #1 that wasn't. Jagger and Richards gave their song to label-mate Chris Farlowe to record and release as a single. This version of this song far outshines any of the Stones' recordings of it. The string arrangement's assertion of finality combines with Farlowe's unyielding vocals and the resulting track packs a heck of a punch 9
THE TROGGS - "With A Girl Like You" The Troggs' far more durable debut single, "Wild Thing", just missed out on the top spot. This follow-up lacks the thrill of that record, but Reg Presley's distinctive vocals lend the otherwise pedestrian tune a certain period appeal 5
THE BEATLES - "Eleanor Rigby"/"Yellow Submarine" Up to now I've considered just one track from a double A-side: the contrast between and remarkableness of both "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine" makes that seem misguided in this instance. The Beatles' experimentation with imaginative themes that we saw earlier is taken that much further, in diverging directions, in these two songs. In "Eleanor Rigby", rock instrumentation is replaced by string quartets, whereas "Yellow Submarine" is notable for its novel use of effects; chains in a bath were used to create the tidal sounds that can be heard on the record, as well as for one of the few Beatles records to feature Ringo Starr as lead vocalist. Neither record has aged particularly well, though. The way many sitcoms have 'message episodes', "Eleanor Rigby" comes across to me as the Beatles' 'message song', hitting its listeners over the head with repetition – I'm almost anticipating a voiceover at the end: "if you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this song...". "Yellow Submarine", on the other hand, cannot escape the sense it gives of a primary school sing-along. I give both songs the same score 7
THE SMALL FACES - "All Or Nothing" The Small Faces would go on to become one of the most acclaimed British rock groups of the mid-1960s. Unfortunately this, their only #1, doesn't showcase them at their best. Instead it seems a particularly run-of-the-mill genre piece that I'm sure went down a storm in front of an adoring audience, but falls rather flat on record 4
JIM REEVES - "Distant Drums" This is one of those records that I'd heard of, but never really listened to before. Reeves wrings every last drop of pathos from this tear-jerker whose subject is a soldier about to be sent off to war. Its resonance as the Vietnam War continued, perhaps along with the untimely death of its singer two years before, meant the song caught the mood of the public sufficiently to propel it to the top of the charts 3
THE FOUR TOPS - "Reach Out I'll Be There" Some records demand that you stop what you're doing and take notice. The instantly-recognisable flute intro, immediately followed by some of the most powerful soul vocals you'll ever hear, causes "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" to be one of those records. A song on such a theme as this can so easily slip into a corny complacency, but there's no danger out of here. Levi Stubbs throws everything he has into the song, there are personal touches everywhere. The resulting recording is utterly compelling, the listener left in no doubt as to his sincerity 10
THE BEACH BOYS - "Good Vibrations" The enduring popularity and regard given to "Good Vibrations" goes a long way to putting in place a pop aphorism: an attention-grabbing intro and a captivating chorus, and you're 90% of the way to success. "I'm picking up good vibrations, she's giving me excitations... good, good, good, good vibrations" – in the time that we're in, the Beach Boys could scarcely go wrong with such a lyrical hook. What's virtually inevitably forgotten unless you're actually listening to the record is what a musical mish-mash it is outside of that. Perhaps there's some appeal there: it skips from idea to idea, but the vibe is so chilled that it doesn't matter? 8
TOM JONES - "Green Green Grass Of Home" More country pathos. In a year so packed with great, forward-looking pop and rock, it's unfortunate that we end with such a throwback. Unlike "Distant Drums", its position here doesn't have the mitigating factor of topical relevance 2
Other hits worth a mention
Ike & Tina Turner - "River Deep, Mountain High" - On the whole, the Great British public did a good job in 1966 of sending the right records to the top of the charts when they had the opportunity. This is the exception – Tina Turner gives one of (perhaps the) all-time great vocal performances on this Spector-produced single, but it only reached #3 (that said, "Sunny Afternoon" - "Paperback Writer" - "River Deep Mountain High" has to be one of the all-time great top 3s). Notably, though the record is officially credited to Ike & Tina Turner, Ike had no involvement in the actual recording.
The Who - "Substitute" and "I'm A Boy" - The Who must be among the greatest and most successful singles bands ever not to have a UK #1 hit. "I'm A Boy" was their second to stall at #2 (the enduring 'My Generation' did so in the previous year). While the Stones took on weighty material, the Who retained a lightness of touch and put entertainment first. "Substitute", in particular, is a boisterous sing-along with lasting appeal.
Crispian St. Peters - "You Were On My Mind" - Here's an artist who I was completely unaware of prior to setting out on this retro mission. Perhaps his ill-advised choice of stage name didn't help matters – it's hard to conceive of a less rock'n'roll-sounding moniker! Feather-light as it is, this is one infectious, foot-tapping pop song.
The Easybeats - "Friday On My Mind" - An Australian band's take on the beat group sound, this is surprisingly one of the few hits this year that sounds as though it would have had a contemporary dancefloor jumping.
Napoleon XIV - "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" - A novelty song in the truest sense of the word. The artist who recorded under the name of Napoleon XIV was a New York sound engineer whose experimentation with a pitch shifting device led to the recording of this single. Carrying on the experimental theme, the B-side was the same song but recorded backwards. Understandably, the song is seldom heard today – even back in '66, its mental illness theme resulted in some radio stations refusing to play it.
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Post by Shireblogger on Feb 15, 2015 8:38:12 GMT 1
I can't think of any year, ever, which had so many sophisticated chart toppers. So many records which tried hard to break the mould, to be perfect, and/or to do something really interesting. Which had so much effort put into the writing and the recording of them. And were enjoyed in such large numbers by the public:-
"Good Vibrations", "Paint It Black", "Reach Out..", "Paperback Writer", "Sunny Afternoon", Dusty, Nancy, the Walker Brothers... All are works of genius.
What an embarrassment of riches. It's no wonder that people of a certain age think that pop music peaked in the mid- to late-60s, and has never got close since.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 15, 2015 10:36:49 GMT 1
It's sobering to look at that list of no. 1s, realize they are far, far, far more familiar than the no. 1s of the last six months, and that there is more variety in sound there than in the entire chart today. It's a decrepit age for music.
I have absolute moral objections to posthumous releases. Towards the buyers. It's one thing if the song is an undiscovered treasure, but with Jim Reeves, it was more his widow carefully parcelling out his second-hand recordings bit by bit to keep his name alive as long as possible; following in the footsteps of Mrs Holly. But I simply cannot understand, or empathize with, the mentality of someone who doesn't buy someone's stuff until they die. It's insulting. Like their material is only worthwhile posthumously.
Crispian St Peters has the Sigue Sigue Sputnik push. He claimed he would be bigger than the Beatles. Whereas the Beatles could come back from claiming to be bigger than God, St Peters' was a blasphemy too far.
1966 is the year which proves beyond any doubt that the Grammy awards are worthless. Look at the list of songs above. And which one won the award for Best Contemporary Sound? None of them. It went to The New Vaudeville Band with "Westminster Cathedral". The sound of which had not been contemporary since about 1907.
1966 is a veritable year of injustice as well - it features the most astonishing error in the official charts, with Nancy Sinatra scooping an entire month on the top of the charts when she should really have been knocking around outside the top 5. Which explains her precipitous plummet. Her run at the top should at most have been one week. Whoever was totting up for Record Retailer somehow transposed her figures with those of "Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown", which was number 1 everywhere else, including on Top Of The Pops. Possibly robbed The Small Faces of a second chart-topper. Although "All Or Nothing" I rate as a fantastic track.
When I first saw footage of Chris Farlowe I was astonished he wasn't black. His week at no. 1 was a particularly brilliant one for him as England won the World Cup in it. The backing track on "Out Of Time" was an out-take from the Loog Oldham Orchestra, used for an unreleased Stones version (it was a Jagger/Richards composition). In September 1975 Dan McCafferty (of Nazareth) released a solo version; his chances for a hit were spoilt by rush-reissues of the Farlowe and Stones takes. So for w/e 27 September, "Out Of Time" was at nos. 46, 49 and 50.
Other notable songs include:
-"Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful, a languid chillout single reminiscent of "Sunny Afternoon";
-the how-was-it-not-banned "Rainy Day Women" by Dylan, becoming his biggest US success;
-"When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge, another stellar vocal performance in a year of astonishing singing;
-"Lovers Of The World Unite" by David & Jonathan, aka Rogers Cook & Greenaway, making up for being bested by The Overlanders at the start of the year;
-"Got To Get You Into My Life" by Cliff Bennett, beginning to pave a way that will end in heavy rock;
-"Stop Stop Stop" by The Hollies, with spooky doubleback banjo;
-"Groovy Kind Of Love" by The Mindbenders, Eric Stewart's second no. 2, he will have two more before finally nailing the top spot.
And in the Alternative History department. Had Tom Jones not released his biggest hit, the no. 1s at the end of the year would have been "Good Vibrations" for a month, Val Doonican, The Seekers and Donovan. That's the sixties right there. Mad.
But sales had reached a peak - within 3 years they would be back at fifties levels...
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 15, 2015 10:39:04 GMT 1
Here is D&J.
A perfect pop song. No more, no less.
They would go on to write "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing".
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Post by Milliways on Feb 15, 2015 11:09:22 GMT 1
It's sobering to look at that list of no. 1s, realize they are far, far, far more familiar than the no. 1s of the last six months, and that there is more variety in sound there than in the entire chart today. It's a decrepit age for music. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler for later posts for me to say here that I generally concur, though I'm not going to speculate too much at this point in regard to what's gone wrong in the 2010s. Many of these songs are deservedly regarded as classics. And, they are great songs in the main. It helps, though, that in the sixties the scope for originality was so wide. So many of the songs on that list represent landmark pop firsts: "These Boots Are Made For Walking", "Paint It, Black", "Sunny Afternoon", as well as all three Beatles tracks... Anything coming after that shares those songs' themes (or in the case of "Sunny Afternoon", its attitude) bears inevitable comparison and often falls short. On a separate note, and with a view to writing about '67, is there somewhere I can check out the NME charts without having to obtain a book?
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 15, 2015 11:13:51 GMT 1
1966 is the year which proves beyond any doubt that the Grammy awards are worthless. Look at the list of songs above. And which one won the award for Best Contemporary Sound? None of them. It went to The New Vaudeville Band with "Westminster Cathedral". The sound of which had not been contemporary since about 1907. You mean "Winchester Cathedral". Yeah rather interesting the US thought that song was "contemporary". Although Geoff Stephens was writing contemporary music at the time too. He wrote "The Crying Game" and "There's A Kind Of Hush". He co-wrote two #1s in the 1970s, "You won't find another fool like me" and "Silver Lady".
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Post by Milliways on Feb 15, 2015 11:32:24 GMT 1
Just a note about the 'Other hits worth a mention': I'm deliberately keeping that section down to five items -- the posts are long enough already.
Maybe its heading is a bit of a misnomer; it's not intended to imply that there wasn't anything else worthwhile out there. Donovan, Lovin Spoonful, Percy Sledge, Dave Dee et al and the New Vaudeville Band could have all been included had I not limited its length.
I mentioned "Stop Stop Stop" in my comments on the Hollies' 1965 #1, but I never knew how its evocative sound was created. It's a very interesting song all round.
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vastar iner
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I am the poster on your wall
Posts: 17,427
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 15, 2015 12:37:03 GMT 1
On a separate note, and with a view to writing about '67, is there somewhere I can check out the NME charts without having to obtain a book? You can get peak positions here.
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Post by raliverpool on Feb 15, 2015 13:54:07 GMT 1
On a separate note, and with a view to writing about '67, is there somewhere I can check out the NME charts without having to obtain a book? You can get peak positions here. What a treasure trove that Pop Music History site is .....
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Post by Milliways on Feb 28, 2015 22:26:09 GMT 1
1967
THE MONKEES - "I'm A Believer" Manufactured for a TV show they may have been, but in recording Neil Diamond's "I'm A Believer" the Monkees are responsible for a definitive pop record. Love it or hate it, almost fifty years later there's no escaping this song. Taking into account the covers by EMF with Reeves & Mortimer and Smash Mouth, I think it might actually be the Sixties song I hear in passing more than any other. It just seems like one of those songs that couldn't possibly fail to be a huge hit, its joy and excitement are so infectious 9
PETULA CLARK - "This Is My Song" We encountered Petula Clark in the very first post in this thread, where I described 1961's "Sailor" as a tedious plodder that couldn't possibly be recommended. Well, this is so much worse still. Accompanied by the music from the worst Eurovision entry you've ever heard, Clark drags out every fluffy line as the listener rapidly loses the will to live. The worst chart-topper we've encountered so far 1
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK - "Release Me" I remarked in last year's post that the people of Britain generally sent the right records to the top of the charts in '66. Well, something went horribly wrong this year. This plaintive divorce anthem at least has some semblance of a tune, and a point. That's about as much kindness as I'm prepared to send its way, though. Songs like this showing up at the top of the charts puzzle me – it's such a single-purpose record: unless you identify with the singer's predicament, why on earth would you want to listen to it? 3
FRANK AND NANCY SINATRA - "Something Stupid" The first chart-topper of the year excepted, 1967 feels so far like a year that's taken a big step backwards. In terms of this record, that applies particularly to Nancy Sinatra. In '66 she stomped across the stage in those no-nonsense walkin' "Boots". Just over a year later and she's hiding away in that shadow of her father's that she sounded so convincingly as though she'd escaped in that previous #1. For this is no duet (it's probably just as well given that it's a romantic love song!) but perhaps Nancy's credit led younger record-buyers to pay it more attention than they otherwise would have 4
SANDIE SHAW - "Puppet On A String" The Eurovision Song Contest has seldom been a venue for innovation or indeed much taste, and "Puppet On A String" was clearly expertly pitched to become the UK's first winning song. Don't get me wrong, I love the cheesiness and camp of Eurovision - but even in its mid-60s context this song sounds dated and cheap. Supposedly Sandie hated her "Puppet" and the newfound fame it brought her; one can sympathise, especially since her two previous #1s were both far better songs than this 4
THE TREMELOES - "Silence Is Golden" What a difference four years can make - who'd have thought that the same group whose "Do You Love Me?" was one of the brashest stompers of that most exciting year '63 could come out with something so drab as this? The irony of a song with such an inauspicious title topping the charts and the injustice of its keeping a record so superior in every conceivable respect as "Waterloo Sunset" off the top are far more remarkable than the song itself 3
PROCOL HARUM - "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" 'Evocative' is surely one of the most overused words in the dictionary when it comes to music reviews, but if there's any #1 hit whose cover should accompany its entry it's "Whiter Shade Of Pale". That combination of swirling, Bach-inspired organ and the enigmatic lyrics so rich with imagery has proven equally irresistible almost fifty years on as in its year of release. The vocals are unspectacular, but such is the strength of the song that it's almost irrelevant – at least as of a few years ago, it remained the single most-played track across all British broadcasting 9
THE BEATLES - "All You Need Is Love" The Beatles were certainly masters at writing catchy, immediate pop songs that just under the surface are suffused with complexity and mystery. We've seen some great examples of this already, but this might just be the single most notable instance. It's impossible to do it justice in a brief capsule review. What we do know is that it was written, in quite a tight timeframe, for broadcast on a pioneering international live satellite TV link-up. But why does it start with a clip from La Marseillaise? Why does it use such unusual time signatures? What do the verses actually mean? Why the segue into "She Loves You"? The unanswered questions are endless! 8
SCOTT MCKENZIE - "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" Whereas the previous #1 came along at just the right time to be adopted by the hippies of 1967's Summer of Love, this record was made for them. Specifically, it was released to promote the Monterey Pop Festival that marked the start of that historic Summer. As predicted by the song's lyrics, tens of thousands travelled to Northern California for the festival and many stayed in SF for the summer. While few Brits would have had the means to travel to the West Coast, clearly this hippie anthem captured the imagination of enough to take it to the top of the charts (it reached only #4 on the US Billboard chart) 7
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK - "The Last Waltz" As a vehicle to showcase Humperdinck's appreciable vocal talents, this song at least serves its purpose. Beyond that, it's barely worthy of comment, an aberration of formulaic drabness in what is otherwise a strong run of chart-toppers 3
THE BEE GEES - "Massachusetts" If someone who'd never heard of the Bee Gees were played this record I'm sure they'd swear that the brothers Gibb are American, so convincing is the pastiche of the 'Summer of Love' sound and the last-but-one record in particular. Like several of this year's hits it is very much of its time, reflecting the mood as the love-in inevitably came to an end as surely as Scott McKenzie and the Beatles soundtracked the pilgrimage. The strength of the song is such, however, that it has endured despite its sepia-tinged lyrics 7
THE FOUNDATIONS - "Baby Now That I've Found You" With the Motown sound by now a familiar feature of the music landscape on both sides of the Atlantic, it was inevitable that British imitators would begin to gain a foothold. The Foundations were among the most successful, though it's unfortunate that of their two major hits it's by some distance the weaker song that gave them their only #1 (more on the other record next year...). "Baby Now That I've Found You" is a satisfactory pop record, one that is unlikely to provoke a strong opinion either way 5
LONG JOHN BALDRY - "Let The Heartaches Begin" Listening to this set of #1s consecutively, the smoothest segue is between this and the previous song. On the face of it, that seems strange given the tracks' contrasting subject matter and the dissimilarity of the recording artists. It turns out, though, that it's no surprise at all: the same songwriters (Tony Macauley and John Maclead) wrote both songs. For me this is easily the stronger song of the two – perhaps the lyrics here suit their musical style better. There's a rather theatrical feel to "Let The Heartaches Begin", a musical arrangement that approaches over-egged without ever quite tipping over the edge and those hammy backing vocals in the final chorus, but what's pop about if not entertainment? 8
THE BEATLES - "Hello Goodbye" Over on Tom's Popular blog, there's a comment on the entry for this #1 suggesting that when people who profess to dislike the Beatles think about the Beatles this is what they have in mind. Indeed, of all of their chart-toppers up to this point this is easily my least favourite. Once again, the amount of musical variety that they manage to fit into the three-and-a-half minutes of "Hello Goodbye" is impressive. Unfortunately, this time it doesn't compensate for the song's lack of substance. This is weak indeed, especially when we all know they were capable of far, far better - indeed there is something far, far more interesting (though outside the scope of this project) in "I Am The Walrus" on the other side of this disc 4
Other hits worth a mention
The Beatles - 'Penny Lane' - Easily the best of the Beatles' three singles this year (together with its flipside "Strawberry Fields Forever), and arguably their finest hour of all, is the one that didn't officially reach #1 (the Melody Maker chart dissented from the consensus in this respect). On the face of it a whimsical pen-portrait of Liverpool suburban life, but with more than enough musical complexity beneath the observational lyrics, "Penny Lane" is truly a wonderful record, and would have given the Beatles their first 10-score had Englebert Humperdinck just not sold quite so many copies of "Release Me".
The Move - 'Flowers In The Rain' - The song that's made its indelible mark on British music history as the first record to be played on BBC Radio 1, "Flowers In The Rain" is another great track that was unfortunate not to top the charts. "Flowers In The Rain" is one of several British records with a broadly 'natural' theme, as the hippie philosophy and psychedelic experiences inspired songwriters... "Itchycoo Park" (The Small Faces), "Autumn Almanac" (The Kinks) and "Hole In My Shoe" (Traffic) are all great songs from this period that didn't quite reach #1.
Aretha Franklin - 'Respect' - Aretha Franklin did eventually get her name on a UK #1, but none of her deservedly highly-regarded solo singles achieved the feat. If Nancy Sinatra's chart-topper last year was the first great female empowerment hit single, this must surely be the second. If anything it has aged better than that song: an enduring classic indeed.
The Rolling Stones - 'Let's Spend The Night Together' - The sexual revolution may have been in full swing by this point over in San Francisco, but 1967's arbiters of taste and decency in popular culture hadn't quite kept up. Quaint as it may seem in this era of Minaj and Cyrus, but the Stones' suggestion of pre-marital sex was truly controversial. The resulting lack of airplay may well have contributed to the failure of "Let's Spend The Night Together" to reach the top spot.
The Supremes - 'The Happening' - If you've never heard "The Happening" before, familiarity with the Supremes' other big hits won't prepare you for it. This is a whirling, bucking carnival ride of a song, the soulful harmonies replaced by a haphazard and at times discordant melee. And, I love it. I've never heard anything else quite like it – it's certainly not going to be to everyone's taste, but this is one of my all-time favourite pop songs.
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 1, 2015 11:00:21 GMT 1
I believe you are factually incorrect as to which number one kept out Waterloo Sunset, I believe it was kept out by A Whiter Shade Of Pale. The Tremeloes had the Mamas and Papas at #2 behind it with "Dedicated To The One I Love".
In 1966 I was 1 and the best songs peaked at #1 on the whole. In 1967 I was 2 and that's where a lot of the best songs peaked. I don't think this pattern will continue though...
And of course Petula Clark's greatest moment was "Downtown" which was held off #1 by the Beatles "I Feel Fine". From 1961 "Romeo" was slightly better than "Sailor". I'll see how they all get on when I reach that year.
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