7th June 1969It's yet again another classic key track taking a turn at number one - Zager & Evans woulda been the first record I ever bought had it been available in Singapore. Compare this "charting anything as soon as it was available anywhere in the world" chart (as in the same as current music biz) vs what my chart was that week 50 years ago and there are only 3 tracks in both charts. That isn't all: most of the key singles for the rest of 1969 that I charted back in the day are already in the chart, all at once, meaning everything is underperforming on what they deserve.
In at 3, it's the 3rd record I ever bought, again in Singapore Changi evening market record stall one balmy evening a couple of weeks after buying Elvis & Tommy Roe, and with a picture sleeve, far and away the best designed of any they had, and it was Singapore-only by the look of it. This link isn't to mine but it's exactly the same:
www.rootsvinylguide.com/ebay_items/rare-thunderclap-newman-7-something-in-the-air-polydor-singaporeThunderclap Newman's was a revolutionary record in more ways than one, Something In The Air being produced by Pete Townsend epic-stylee, social commentary still applies, only without the optimism these days, it's a revolution of forces working to help destroy us all against all sanity. I was a kiddie enthusiast of all-things green, yet here we are 50 years later, pollution, environment, climate all being devastated, and human beings doubled in numbers having learned nothing from In The Year 2525, or even the bloody Archies' kiddie-pop tracks like Mr. Factory. Talking of which...
The Archies Sugar Sugar enters at a lowly 8 cos it's months early - The Archies EP (cardboard picture sleeve, 4 tracks) was the first EP I bought for the lead track (Sugar Sugar) and Everything's Archie was the first album I bought myself after Xmas/birthday cash allowed me to, lead track Sugar, Sugar. I have about 10 or 15 copies on various formats. So I was a fan of the TV show music, and rhe single, co-written by Andy Kim, dropping this week. The B side is on the album when it's released later in the year and enters lowly.
In at 7, The Beach Boys Breakaway, co-written by The Wilson brothers dad, and not just Brian, one of their most tuneful, harmonising and largely forgotten hits. One of my faves of theirs, and another one I had gifted to me a few years later by friends of mum and dad. Others: The Youngbloods future Dave Clark 5 hit, The Impressions, a track new to me, but very in tune with my opinions then and now about equality, and a fab track, Scott Walker with his last solo hit, Amen Corner doing a Roy Wood song (and one which I loved at the time, being as my pregnant cat was called Suzie), with minor Smokey & Valli singles sneaking in at the bottom. Phew!
1 ( 2 ) IN THE YEAR 2525 (EXORDIUM AND TERMINUS) Zager & Evans # 1
2 ( 1 ) A WAY OF LIFE Family Dogg # 1
3 ( NEW ) SOMETHING IN THE AIR Thunderclap Newman # 3
4 ( 4 ) THE BALLAD OF JOHN & YOKO The Beatles # 4
5 ( 5 ) CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION Tommy James & The Shondells # 5
6 ( 3 ) GOOD MORNING STARSHINE Oliver # 1
7 ( NEW ) BREAKAWAY The Beach Boys # 7
8 ( NEW ) SUGAR, SUGAR The Archies # 8
9 ( 6 ) WHAT DOES IT TAKE (TO WIN YOUR LOVE) Junior Walker & The All Stars # 1
10 ( 13 ) LIVING IN THE PAST Jethro Tull # 1011 ( 7 ) BEHIND A PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers # 1
12 ( 8 ) AH, HA, HA, DO YOUR THING The Hit Parade # 2
13 ( 15 ) IT’S GETTING BETTER Mama Cass Elliot # 13
14 ( 12 ) IN THE GHETTO Elvis Presley # 1
15 ( 9 ) LISTEN TO THE BAND The Monkees # 3
16 ( 16 ) RUBY DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN Kenny Rogers & The First Edition # 16
17 ( 10 ) RING OF BRIGHT WATER Val Doonican # 5
18 ( 14 ) OH HAPPY DAY The Edwin Hawkins Singers featuring Dorothy Combs Morrison # 1
19 ( 22 ) TRACKS OF MY TEARS Smokey Robinson & The Miracles # 19
20 ( 11 ) BAD MOON RISING Creedence Clearwater Revival # 9
21 ( 18 ) THE BOXER Simon & Garfunkel # 1
22 ( 24 ) BABY MAKE IT SOON Marmalade # 22
23 ( 20 ) FIRST OF MAY The Bee Gees # 1
24 ( 26 ) FROZEN ORANGE JUICE Peter Sarstedt # 24
25 ( 17 ) MY SENTIMENTAL FRIEND Herman’s Hermits # 10
26 ( 19 ) RAGAMUFFIN MAN Manfred Mann # 9
27 ( 23 ) GALVESTON Glen Campbell # 1
28 ( 21 ) BLACK PEARL Sonny Charles & The Checkmates # 13
29 ( 33 ) HIGHER AND HIGHER (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) Jackie Wilson # 29
30 ( 36 ) LOVE ME TONIGHT Tom Jones # 30
31 ( 27 ) GET BACK The Beatles with Billy Preston # 6
32 ( 30 ) JUST A LITTLE LOVIN’ Dusty Springfield # 12
33 ( 29 ) MY CHERIE AMOUR Stevie Wonder # 5
34 ( 38 ) SNAKE IN THE GRASS Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich # 34
35 ( 31 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac # 10
36 ( 28 ) WHERE’S THE PLAYGROUND SUSIE Glen Campbell # 28
37 ( 42 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Joni Mitchell # 37
38 ( 43 ) THE APRIL FOOLS Dionne Warwick # 38
39 ( 34 ) HURTING EACH OTHER Ruby & The Romantics # 5
40 ( 32 ) LODI Creedence Clearwater Revival # 32
41 ( 25 ) MAMA SOUL The Soul Survivors # 14
42 ( 53 ) I CAN SING A RAINBOW/LOVE IS BLUE The Dells # 42
43 ( 35 ) ISRAELITES Desmond Dekker & The Aces # 4
44 ( 37 ) HARLEM SHUFFLE Bob & Earl # 2
45 ( 46 ) GROOVY BABY Microbe # 45
46 ( 41 ) AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN (THE FLESH FAILURES) (MEDLEY) The 5th Dimension # 1
47 ( 40 ) GOODBYE Mary Hopkin # 1
48 ( 48 ) YOU DON’T HAVE TO WALK IN THE RAIN The Turtles # 48
49 ( 39 ) COME BACK AND SHAKE ME Clodagh Rodgers # 5
50 ( 44 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Chicken Shack # 44
51 ( NEW ) GET TOGETHER The Youngbloods # 51
52 ( 45 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING The Righteous Brothers # 1
53 ( 55 ) I TURNED YOU ON The Isley Brothers # 53
54 ( NEW ) CHOICE OF COLORS The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield # 54
55 ( 59 ) I WANT TO TAKE YOU HIGHER Sly & The Family Stone # 55
56 ( 60 ) LET ME Paul Revere & The Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay # 56
57 ( 52 ) DON JUAN Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich # 4
58 ( 56 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe # 1
59 ( 61 ) PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART Jackie DeShannon # 59
60 ( 65 ) TOMORROW TOMORROW The Bee Gees # 60
61 ( 51 ) BABY I LOVE YOU Andy Kim # 51
62 ( 63 ) CAPTAIN GROOVY AND HIS BUBBLEGUM ARMY Captain Groovy And His Bubblegum Army # 62
63 ( 64 ) I CAN’T QUIT HER The Arbors # 63
64 ( NEW ) LIGHTS OF CINCINATTI Scott Walker # 64
65 ( 67 ) I’M STILL A STRUGGLING MAN Edwin Starr # 65
66 ( 47 ) IT DIDN’T EVEN BRING ME DOWN The Sir Douglas Quintet # 39
67 ( 69 ) GIRL YOU’RE TOO YOUNG Archie Bell & The Drells # 67
68 ( 62 ) I STARTED A JOKE The Bee Gees # 1
69 ( 71 ) BIG SHIP Cliff Richard # 69
70 ( 70 ) THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL AND JOHN THE DIVINE (SIX-SIX-SIX) The Cowsills # 70
71 ( NEW ) HELLO SUZIE Amen Corner # 71
72 ( NEW ) MELODY HILL The Archies # 72
73 ( 57 ) YOU CAME YOU SAW YOU CONQUERED The Ronettes # 9
74 ( NEW ) DOGGONE RIGHT Smokey Robinson & The Miracles # 74
75 ( NEW ) THE GIRL I’LL NEVER KNOW (ANGELS NEVER FLY THIS LOW) Frankie Valli # 75
7th June Retro-Then
1 ( 1 ) DIZZY Tommy Roe
2 ( 2 ) GALVESTON Glen Campbell
3 ( 13 ) BIG SHIP Cliff Richard
4 ( 17 ) THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO The Beatles
5 ( 3 ) RAGAMUFFIN MAN Manfred Mann
6 ( 6 ) DICK A DUM DUM Des O'Connor
7 ( 5 ) THE BOXER Simon And Garfunkel
8 ( 12 ) OH HAPPY DAY The Edwin Hawkins Singers
9 ( 11 ) I'D RATHER GO BLIND Chicken Shack
10 ( 4 ) GOODBYE Mary Hopkin 11 ( 7 ) GET BACK The Beatles
12 ( 8 ) LOVE ME TONIGHT Tom Jones
13 ( 14 ) MY WAY Frank Sinatra
14 ( 9 ) AQUARIUS/ LET THE SUN SHINE IN The Fifth Dimension
15 ( 16 ) MAN OF THE WORLD Fleetwood Mac
16 ( 10 ) MY SENTIMENTAL FRIEND Herman's Hermits
17 ( 15 ) BEHIND A PAINTED SMILE The Isley Brothers
18 ( 20 ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
19 ( NEW ) FROZEN ORANGE JUICE Peter Sarstedt
20 ( 18 ) COME BACK AND SHAKE ME Clodagh Rodgers
