|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:18:28 GMT 1
08 Laura Nyro - Stoned Soul Picnic DNC (cover by The 5th Dimension USA #3)
The song was composed and recorded by the hugely influential/but commercially unsuccessful as an artist New York singer/songwriter for her album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, released in March 1968.
According to The Fifth Dimension's Marilyn McCoo, it was producer Bones Howe who suggested that it would be a good song for the 5th Dimension to cover. The result was a USA #3 (R&B #2) & Canada #3 hit.
The Californian sunshine pop group would go on to record several more hits with Nyro songs, including "Sweet Blindness", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Blowin' Away", and "Save the Country".
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:25:19 GMT 1
07 Harry Nilsson - One DNC
The haunting baroque pop self penned song by the New York singer-songwriter was from his 1968 album Aerial Ballet. It is known for its opening line "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do".
A better-known cover version, recorded by Three Dog Night, reached USA #5 & Canada #4 in 1969. The same year Australian pop singer Johnny Farnham (yes that John Farnham), reached #4 in his native country.
It has been covered several times since with perhaps the most famous, and certainly the best taken from The 1999 Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia (sung by Aimee Mann) for its intro.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:29:30 GMT 1
06 The Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow USA #25
It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic song" that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote. It featured on their December 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings of this song during his session days. Released as a single in North America it peaked at USA #25 & Canada #9. In Europe it made the top 3 in the Netherlands, & Switzerland.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:35:19 GMT 1
05 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning USA #26
The psychedelic pop song written by Lee Hazlewood and originally recorded by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra in late 1967. It first appeared on Sinatra's album Movin' with Nancy, the soundtrack to her 1967 television special of the same name, which also featured a performance of the song. It was subsequently released as a single before appearing on the 1968 album Nancy & Lee.
The male part of the song is in 4/4 time signature whereas the female part is in 3/4. Hazlewood's voice is recorded with more reverberation than is Sinatra's, making it sound bi-dimensional. The single peaked at USA #26, Canada #36, Australia #44.
Despite its modest chart success it has been covered on numerous occasions. Pitchfork placed it at the #1 spot on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever."
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:39:57 GMT 1
04 Love - Alone Again Or USA #99
Written by band member Bryan MacLean. This psychedelic folk song appears on the album Forever Changes, and was released as a single in the USA, UK, Australia, France and the Netherlands to minimal success.
In the UK, The Damned took it to #27 in 1987.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 19:48:55 GMT 1
03 The Easybeats - Good Times AUS #2
By the middle of 1968 the Australian rockers who had been based in the UK for nearly two years were beginning to fall apart due to poor management and a lack of commercial success. Whilst Australia had resented them for turning their backs on their home country. Written by the group's Harry Vanda and George Young this feel good anthem features the now shamanistic lead singer Stevie Wright (see this Beat Club performance), with a guest vocal on the chorus supplied by an uncredited Steve Marriott (Small Faces).
Despite The Beatles Paul McCartney putting out an advert in one of the music papers urging people to check out this single it flopped in the UK. In Australia it was their last major hoorah reaching #2 for a month (I guess proving they were not a Flash & The Pan ) where had the misfortune of being stuck behind the decade's biggest selling single Down Under (The Beatles - "Hey Jude"/"Revolution").
Two decades later it again peaked at Australia #2 for INXS & Jimmy Barnes.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 20:00:31 GMT 1
02 The Beatles - Blackbird LP
Written by Paul McCartney as a solo piece the (criminal underrated by the public) lyrics were inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird, and being a metaphor (Black Bird) for the racial tension in the United States, and the civil rights troubles in the 1960s US South.
(This is something he has repeated a few times throughout his career, most recently on his last album McCartney III, and its final track "When Winter Comes" about that season of the year/Covid 19).
Despite not making the 1973 "Blue" 2LP compilation, it is the Beatles 7th most streamed song on Spotify.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 20:10:29 GMT 1
01 The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil LP
The opening track on their 1968 album Beggars Banquet produced by Jimmy Miller. In 2021 it ranked 106th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The lyrics focus on atrocities in mankind's history from Satan's point of view including the trial and death of Jesus Christ ("Made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands to seal his fate"), European wars of religion ("I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the gods they made"), the violence of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the 1918 execution of the Romanov family during World War I ("I stuck around St. Petersburg when I saw it was a time for a change/Killed the Tsar and his ministers/Anastasia screamed in vain"), and World War II ("I rode a tank, held a general's rank when the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank"). The song was originally written with the line "I shouted out 'Who killed Kennedy?'" After Robert F. Kennedy's death on 6 June 1968, the line was changed to "Who killed the Kennedys?". And the answer is "when after all it was you and me", which is a way of saying that "the devil is not the other one, but eventually each one of us.
Personnel included on the recording include Nicky Hopkins on piano, Rocky Dijon on congas and Bill Wyman on maracas. Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, producer Jimmy Miller, Wyman, and Richards performed backup vocals, singing the "woo woos". Richards plays bass on the original recording, and also electric guitar (for which Jimmy Page was around the Olympic studios in early June 1968, when it was recorded and claims he provided Keith Richards with the correct sound settings, which the Stones guitarist denies, and they still have a beef/argument over that to this day).
This album only cut was covered (badly) by Guns N'Roses who took it to UK #9 in the mid 1990s.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 4, 2022 20:11:56 GMT 1
Top 50 Non UK Chart Hits of 1968:01 Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil LP 02 Beatles - Blackbird LP 03 Easybeats - Good Times AUS #2 04 Love - Alone Again Or USA #99 05 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning USA #26 06 Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow USA #25 07 Harry Nilsson - One DNC 08 Laura Nyro - Stoned Soul Picnic DNC (The 5th Dimension cover version USA #3) 09 Friend & Lover - Reach Out Of The Darkness USA #10 10 Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie & Clyde LP
11 Monkees - Porpoise Song USA #62 12 Zombies - Care of Cell 44 DNC 13 Jerry Jeff Walker - Mr. Bojangles USA #77 14 Rolling Stones - 2000 Light Years From Home LP/Bs 15 Beatles - Helter Skelter LP 16 Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix USA #26 17 Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind Bs/LP 18 Stone Poneys ft Linda Ronstadt - Different Drum USA #13 19 Gene Pitney - She's A Heartbreaker USA #16 20 Jimi Hendrix Experience - Little Wing LP
21 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) USA #5 22 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Suzie Q USA #11 23 Al Wilson - The Snake USA #27 (UK #41 1975) 24 Big Brother & The Holding Company - Piece Of My Heart USA #12 25 Leonard Cohen - Suzanne LP 26 Frank Sinatra - Cycles USA #23 27 Dion - Abraham, Martin And John USA #4 28 Iron Butterfly - In A Gadda Da Vida USA #30 29 Archie Bell & The Drells - Tighten Up USA #1 30 Classics IV - Spooky USA #3 UK #46
31 David Bowie - In the Heat of the Morning DNC 32 Love - Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale LP 33 Byrds - Hickory Wind LP 34 Madeline Bell - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me USA #26 35 Van Morrison - Sweet Thing LP 36 Os Mutantes - A Minha Menina BRA #1 37 James Brown - Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud USA #10 38 Marty Wilde - Abergavenny AUS #8 39 Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - I Can't Dance To The Music You're Playin' USA #42 40 Pink Floyd - Corporal Clegg LP
41 Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today USA #11 42 Deep Purple - Hush USA #4 43 Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts - Angel Of The Morning USA #7 44 Nancy Sinatra - 100 Years USA #69 45 Percy Sledge - Take Time To Know Her USA #11 46 Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake LP 47 Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride USA #3 48 Jeff Beck Group - I've Been Drinking DNC 49 Spanky & Our Gang - Like To Get to Know You USA #17 50 Doors - Love Street LP/Bs
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:21:36 GMT 1
1969 The last year of the decade, and in terms of songs which did not make the UK top 40 the strongest. I could have compiled a Top 100 for this year .... 50 The Easybeats - St Louis AUS #21
This Rolling Stones/CCR type rocker was co-written by its members Harry Vanda and George Young. This would be the Australian band's farewell single. It peaked at Australia #21, and Canada #57 & USA #100 despite the band having split.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:28:12 GMT 1
49 Bob Seger System - Ramblin' Gamblin' Man USA #17
The Detroit based musician's debut heartland roots rock USA #17 Canada #18 hit was the title track of his band's debut hit. His band included drummer Don Henley; and rhythm guitarist & backing vocalist Glenn Frey ... both of whom flew on to brighter things in the 1970s resulting in Seger disbanding The System and putting together a new backing band, The Silver Bullet Band.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:36:13 GMT 1
48 Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is? USA #11
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and the title track of the easy listening jazz singer's Randy Newman produced 1969 album is this USA #1 (AC #1), Canada #6, Australia #62. It won Lee the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and then later was named to the Grammy Hall of Fame. This song is unique in the way it addresses the disillusionment of life. A lyrical journey in philosophy. It would turn out to be Peggy Lee's 55th & final US hit in a 28 year career.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:40:48 GMT 1
47 Marvin Gaye - That's The Way Love Is USA #7
This cover of the Barrett Strong & Norman Whitfield penned 1967 Isley Brothers song was produced by Norman Whitfield resulted in a USA #7 (R&B #2) & Canada #14 hit.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:44:31 GMT 1
46 Crosby, Stills, Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes USA #21
Written by Stephen Stills, it appeared on the group's self-titled debut album in 1969 and became a USA #21, Canada #11, Australia #50 hit for the folk rock supergroup trio consisting of former members of The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; & The Hollies.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:52:47 GMT 1
45 The Youngbloods - Get Together USA #5
The New York rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young (vocals, bass), Jerry Corbitt (guitar), Lowell "Banana" Levinger (guitar and electric piano), and Joe Bauer (drums). They were critically acclaimed at the time, but became known as "one hit wonders" via this USA #5, Canada #6, Australia #9 cover of Chet Powers paean to universal brotherhood. It was originally released in 1967 stalling at USA #62. But was a far bigger hit two years later via Woodstock.
Unusually I prefer the 1970 UK cover version by The Dave Clark Five (their final top 10 hit) for which Madeline Bell's vocal near the end steal the show: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsbydYXaIU
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 12:59:37 GMT 1
44 The Monkees - Listen To The Band USA #63
Written by Michael Nesmith, it is the first time Nesmith sang lead vocals on a Monkees single A-side. This psychedelic country rocker was recorded in Nashville, and produced by Nesmith with all the band contributing musical instrumentation to it in contrast to the beginning of their career. It reached USA #63, Canada #53, and Australia #8. Within a year the band would split.
|
|
|
Post by Earl Purple on Mar 6, 2022 13:00:14 GMT 1
Sympathy For The Devil was one of the songs I used for the Rolling Stones in Haven Factor.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 13:04:43 GMT 1
43 MC5 - Kick Out The Jams USA #82
Along with Iggy & The Stooges the Michigan based MC5 (= Motor City 5; Motor City = Detroit) was one of the first bands who started a prototype of what would later be called punk rock today also known as protopunk. Founded by the two friends and guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, the band is best known for the controversial USA #82, Canada #51 song "Kick Out The Jams" from their debut album. It was produced by Bruce Botnick & Jac Holzman.
It would subsequently become a staple to cover for numerous punk, indie & garage rock bands; and be sampled on a number of occasions, most notably by the KLF.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 13:09:07 GMT 1
42 Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown LP/Bs
Taken from the band's March 1969 released self-titled debut album on Atlantic Records. It was also used as the B-side of the group's first single in the US, "Good Times Bad Times". It developed from a guitar riff played by Jimmy Page, while the rest of the band wrote the song around it. Bassist John Paul Jones later said "This is Page's riff – you can tell instantly".
The Ramones' guitarist Johnny Ramone's has stated his downstroke guitar style came from his love of this track, and the "punkish" sound of Page's guitar.
|
|
|
Post by raliverpool on Mar 6, 2022 13:13:01 GMT 1
41 Harry Nilsson - I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City USA #34
The self penned song was written for, but not included in, the movie Midnight Cowboy. The track was taken from his fourth studio album, Harry, it became his second charting single (USA #34, Canada #25, Australia #66).
|
|