24th May 1969It's a first week on top for the latest song from "Hair" to make my top 10 - this time, Oliver gets his only big hit (for me) with Good Morning Starshine, such a great tune bounding with flower power optimism amongst the dark themes in the musical. Straight in at 2 it's another fab melody, the glorious Way Of Life was a huge fave in the summer of '69, showcasing the lost arts of vocal male-female harmonies a la The Mamas & The Papas, and duelling hook-lines simultaneously playing over one another for the climax. Just brilliant. The Family Dogg was a UK/US combo featuring hitmaking songwriters Albert Hammond & Mike Hazelwood, and producer (and former movie star) Steve Rowland, who'd had a hand in some of the best Dave Dee & co, and The Herd, productions. All featured on vocals, along with Christine Holmes on backing vocals, later Kristine Sparkle wife of J.J. Barrie, and she co-wrote the actual Devil Woman classic for Cliff. Want more street-cred? Err, most of Led Zep played on tracks on the album of the same name, probably Bonham & Page on this track, and the star of a current movie - Rocketman - is definitely playing piano on it, though the film sadly avoids mentioning Elton John's Lulu songwriting, Family Dogg ivory-tinkling, & Top Of The Pops albums covers lead vocals
In at 8, it's the second-best track from Tommy James & The Shondells, the gorgeous Crystal Blue Persuasion, their second top 10, a track I knew of - but didn't know for many years later. It was one of the songs featured in a couple of expensive books I bought which had some of the biggest hits of latter 1969 in, from an actual musical instruments shop in Changi Village, Singapore, a few months later. It was actual sheet music, one book was blue, one was orange, and it was designed for the Far East booming cover-version market, I'd say, being locally printed and probably publishing-avoiding. I'll post some scans when I get a chance. Anyway, I so wanted to hear this record (having already got Mony Mony on album by this time), and when I did get to hear it properly in the 80's I loved it. Still do.
Singapore sheet music bookIn at 23, Kenny Rogers is back, with his greatest record, the Viet-Nam war referencing Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town - a paralysed Vet's wife goes off to play about, quite adult in theme, and one ol' Ken never bettered - yes I'm looking at you "You picked a fine time to leave me loose-heel". Peter Sarstedt replaces himself in my chart with his follow-up, largely forgotten these days, but I've always had a soft spot for the tuneful Frozen Orange Juice, Cliff is back with his endless run of pop fodder in these days, Big Ship not being one of his best, and ditto Diana Ross & The Supremes who had just the one great record left in them before going their own ways.
1 ( 4 ) GOOD MORNING STARSHINE Oliver # 1
2 ( NEW ) A WAY OF LIFE Family Dogg # 2
3 ( 2 ) AH, HA, HA, DO YOUR THING The Hit Parade # 2
4 ( 1 ) WHAT DOES IT TAKE (TO WIN YOUR LOVE) Junior Walker & The All Stars # 1
5 ( 3 ) LISTEN TO THE BAND The Monkees # 3
6 ( 6 ) BEHIND A PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers # 1
7 ( 5 ) IN THE GHETTO Elvis Presley # 1
8 ( NEW ) CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION Tommy James & The Shondells # 8
9 ( 9 ) BAD MOON RISING Creedence Clearwater Revival # 9
10 ( 7 ) RING OF BRIGHT WATER Val Doonican # 511 ( 8 ) OH HAPPY DAY The Edwin Hawkins Singers featuring Dorothy Combs Morrison # 1
12 ( 10 ) MY SENTIMENTAL FRIEND Herman’s Hermits # 10
13 ( 18 ) BLACK PEARL Sonny Charles & The Checkmates # 13
14 ( 17 ) MAMA SOUL The Soul Survivors # 14
15 ( 13 ) THE BOXER Simon & Garfunkel # 1
16 ( 11 ) RAGAMUFFIN MAN Manfred Mann # 9
17 ( 15 ) FIRST OF MAY The Bee Gees # 1
18 ( 20 ) LIVING IN THE PAST Jethro Tull # 18
19 ( 16 ) GALVESTON Glen Campbell # 1
20 ( 33 ) IT’S GETTING BETTER Mama Cass Elliot # 20
21 ( 14 ) GET BACK The Beatles with Billy Preston # 6
22 ( 12 ) JUST A LITTLE LOVIN’ Dusty Springfield # 12
23 ( NEW ) RUBY DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN Kenny Rogers & The First Edition # 23
24 ( 21 ) MY CHERIE AMOUR Stevie Wonder # 5
25 ( 22 ) NOWHERE TO RUN Martha & The Vandellas # 22
26 ( 23 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac # 10
27 ( 32 ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Smokey Robinson & The Miracles # 27
28 ( 30 ) WHERE’S THE PLAYGROUND SUSIE Glen Campbell # 28
29 ( 19 ) COME BACK AND SHAKE ME Clodagh Rodgers # 5
30 ( 24 ) ISRAELITES Desmond Dekker & The Aces # 4
31 ( 25 ) HURTING EACH OTHER Ruby & The Romantics # 5
32 ( 34 ) WHAT IS A MAN The Four Tops # 32
33 ( 27 ) HARLEM SHUFFLE Bob & Earl # 2
34 ( 36 ) SOMEDAY MAN The Monkees # 34
35 ( 28 ) GOODBYE Mary Hopkin # 1
36 ( 29 ) AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN (THE FLESH FAILURES) (MEDLEY) The 5th Dimension # 1
37 ( 39 ) LODI Creedence Clearwater Revival # 37
38 ( 26 ) TOO BUSY THINKING ABOUT MY BABY Marvin Gaye # 26
39 ( 40 ) IT DIDN’T EVEN BRING ME DOWN The Sir Douglas Quintet # 39
40 ( 42 ) LOVE ME TONIGHT Tom Jones # 40
41 ( 31 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING The Righteous Brothers # 1
42 ( 46 ) SNAKE IN THE GRASS Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich # 42
43 ( 59 ) HIGHER AND HIGHER (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) Jackie Wilson # 43
44 ( 35 ) YOU CAME YOU SAW YOU CONQUERED The Ronettes # 9
45 ( 45 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Chicken Shack # 45
46 ( 48 ) THE APRIL FOOLS Dionne Warwick # 46
47 ( NEW ) FROZEN ORANGE JUICE Peter Sarstedt # 47
48 ( 65 ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO WALK IN THE RAIN The Turtles # 48
49 ( 41 ) DON JUAN Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich # 4
50 ( 61 ) GROOVY BABY Microbe # 50
51 ( 51 ) BABY I LOVE YOU Andy Kim # 51
52 ( 55 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Joni Mitchell # 52
53 ( 49 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe # 1
54 ( 37 ) ANY DAY NOW Elvis Presley # 25
55 ( 58 ) WITHOUT HER Herb Alpert # 55
56 ( 38 ) I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT ANYMORE Dusty Springfield # 30
57 ( 63 ) I CAN SING A RAINBOW/LOVE IS BLUE The Dells # 57
58 ( 54 ) I STARTED A JOKE The Bee Gees # 1
59 ( 69 ) I TURNED YOU ON The Isley Brothers # 59
60 ( 67 ) I WANT TO TAKE YOU HIGHER Sly & The Family Stone # 60
61 ( RE ) LET ME Paul Revere & The Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay # 61
62 ( 47 ) CUPID Johnny Nash # 18
63 ( 52 ) WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND Noel Harrison # 6
64 ( 50 ) I CAN HEAR MUSIC The Beach Boys # 7
65 ( 43 ) ROSE GARDEN Joe South # 36
66 ( 44 ) HAPPY HEART Andy Williams # 19
67 ( 70 ) BUT IT’S ALRIGHT J.J. Jackson # 67
68 ( 71 ) I CAN’T QUIT HER The Arbors # 68
69 ( 72 ) LET’S DANCE Ola and The Janglers # 69
70 ( 74 ) TOMORROW TOMORROW The Bee Gees # 70
71 ( 57 ) PINBALL WIZARD The Who # 7
72 ( 73 ) SPINNING WHEEL Blood Sweat & Tears # 72
73 ( NEW ) BIG SHIP Cliff Richard # 73
74 ( NEW ) NO MATTER WHAT SIGN YOU ARE Diana Ross & The Supremes # 74
75 ( NEW ) MOODY WOMAN Jerry Butler # 75
Then charts
1 ( 1 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe
2 ( 2 ) GOODBYE Mary Hopkin
3 ( 3 ) RAGAMUFFIN MAN Manfred Mann
4 ( 6 ) THE BOXER Simon And Garfunkel
5 ( 13 ) GALVESTON Glen Campbell
6 ( 10 ) LOVE ME TONIGHT Tom Jones
7 ( 4 ) MY SENTIMENTAL FRIEND Herman's Hermits
8 ( 8 ) GET BACK The Beatles
9 ( 5 ) COME BACK AND SHAKE ME Clodagh Rodgers
10 ( 11 ) AQUARIUS/ LET THE SUN SHINE IN The Fifth Dimension 11 ( 19 ) DICK A DUM DUM Des O'Connor
12 ( NEW ) SNAKE IN THE GRASS Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
13 ( 7 ) BEHIND A PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers
14 ( 18 ) MY WAY Frank Sinatra
15 ( 9 ) GROOVY BABY Microbe
16 ( 17 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac
17 ( 12 ) THE ISRAELITES Desmond Dekker and The Aces
18 ( NEW ) OH HAPPY DAY The Edwin Hawkins Singers
19 ( NEW ) I'D RATHER GO BLIND Chicken Shack
20 ( NEW ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
