FIRST HOUR
Summer In The City (The Lovin' Spoonful)
(1966)... a rockin' '60s classic which has stood the test of time as a really cool song, a complete contrast from their other big hit earlier the same year, the very hummable but much more laid back Daydream
Echo Beach (Martha & The Muffins)
(1980) ... only in Canada, their home country could Martha and co. escape the one hit wonder tag, but the combined influence of a classic track and a memorable band name ensure the legend lives on
You Can Get It If You Really Want (Desmond Dekker)
... from the first of today's featured years ~ boom time for reggae- pop crossover artists, of which the Dekker man was one of the most successful. You Can Get It..., a rock-steady Jimmy Cliff song, was his third big hit in just over a year
Much sought-after Northern Soul
I've Been Hurt (Guy Darrell)
(1966 /1973)... a good old stomper which finally made it into the Top 20 as a re-issue seven years after its original release, having become a favourite on the Northern Soul scene
I'll Do Anything (He Wants Me To) (Doris Troy)
(1965) ... a much loved anthem, sadly never a hit ~ co-written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who later created the Philadelphia sound, working with artists including The O'Jays, The Three Degrees and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
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Shiny Happy People (REM)
(1991)... radio friendly single from the album Out of Time, featuring guest vocals by Kate Pierson of The B-52's, who also appeared in the video
Newsround pre-Tameside: 51 years ago ~ 1970
In The Summertime (Mungo Jerry)
... with spot-on timing, one of the year's top selling singles, seven weeks at No.1 through June and July. Always their signature song, it was far from being their only chart success, a point which still comes as a surprise to some people. Their credits in the Guinness Book of Hit Singles include a second (and final) # 1 Baby Jump (1971), and Top 10-ers Lady Rose ('71) and Alright Alright Alright ('73)
Love Is Life (Hot Chocolate)
... debut hit for Errol Brown and co ~ who would have thought they would go on to have at least one song on the chart every year until the end of the decade, an incredible run of success which continued through until the mid '80s
It's Like A Sad Old Kinda Movie (Pickettywitch)
... the middle one of three hits all within the same year.for the pop-soul group who briefly found fame via the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. Singer Polly Brown returned to the chart in '74 as one of the duo Sweet Dreams (Honey Honey) and just missed out on the Top 40 with a much played solo single Up In A Puff of Smoke
I'll Say Forever My Love (Jimmy Ruffin)
... his best ever year in the UK ~ one of three UK Top 10-ers during the year ~ the others were Farewell Is A Lonely Sound and and It's Wonderful
Vehicle (The Ides of March)
... apparently the fastest-selling single in the history of Warner Bros at the time, peaking at # 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and # 31 in the UK, ~ renowned for its very distinctive horn section - of the kind often deployed by the much better known Blood Sweat and Tears. Despite their rapid rise, it was the Ides' one and only troubling of any major chart
Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
... an 'almost' Top 10-er (# 11), just a few months after Judy Collins took Joni's Both Sides Now into the Top 20. Big Yellow Taxi has been successfully covered by Amy Grant (1995, # 20) and Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton (2003, # 16)
Cotton Fields (The Beach Boys)
... their final UK Top 10-er for almost a decade, before returning with Lady Lynda (1979, # 6)
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SECOND HOUR
My Girl Lollipop (My Boy Lollipop) (Bad Manners)
(1982) ... in typically raucous style, the incomparable Buster Bloodvessel and co with a boy-girl re-working of the 1964 hit for Millie
Summerfling (kd lang)
(2000) ..... much played song but only a very minor hit (#83) for the Canadian singer-songwriter - full name Katherine Dawn Lang - best known in the UK for Constant Craving (1993, # 15) and Crying, her duet with Roy Orbison (1987, # 13)
The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Bobby Vee)
(1963) ... ... teaser track for our second featured year with a terrific title and lyrics, which recommend honesty as the best policy ~ don't tell porky pies, there is always someone watching, waiting to catch you out
Absolutely Lyricless ~ the instrumental break
... with a 'wheel of fortune' connection
Roulette (Russ Conway)
(1959) ... second of his two chart-topping piano tunes within a few months of each other ~ follow-up to Side Saddle
Casino Royale (Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass)
(1967) ... from the film of the same name ~ 14 weeks on the chart, but never got any higher than # 27
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Duel (Propaganda)
(1985) ...... biggest UK hit (# 21) by the German synth-pop combo signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label which had recently achieved phenomenal success with Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Ti Amo (Gina G)
(1997) ... Australian singer who had represented the UK at Eurovision a couple of years previously, continuing a run of chart entries with the Italian-titled Ti Amo which went on to top the charts - in Lebanon
Newsround pre-Tameside: 58 years ago ~ 1963
From Me To You (The Beatles)
... already the year's best selling single before Beatlemania erupted later in the year.
Twist And Shout (The Beatles)
... live recording from the Royal Variety Show of the Fab Four's ultimate crowd-pleaser, which eventually saw the light of day on the double CD Anthology I, released in the mid '90s. This was the occasion when John Lennon famously addressed the audience: "Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewellery."
(You're The) Devil In Disguise (Elvis Presley)
... British pop was riding the crest of a wave – with a plethora of Liverpool and Manchester groups about to follow in the Fab Four's footsteps. For the time being, tho' there was still room for the 'old guard' especially Elvis - the only non-British artist to take the No.1 spot in the UK during '63, albeit for just one solitary week
Dance On (Kathy Kirby)
... vocal version of The Shadows' # 1 from the previous year. Her best known hit was the big ballad Secret Love, which became her next single
I'll Keep You Satisfied (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)
... completing a hat-trick of Top 5 hits in the space of just a few months, all of them written by John Lennon although credited on the label to Lennon & McCartney. First of the three was a cover of Do You Want To Know A Secret which The Beatles had already included on their debut album but the next two Bad To Me (# 1) and I'll Keep You Satisfied (# 4) were songs which John wrote specially with Billy J in mind. The rest of the band also had a side project on the go...
The Cruel Sea (The Dakotas) ... Top 20 instrumental hit for Billy J's band, who hailed not from Liverpool as you would expect, but from Manchester
Lucky Lips (Cliff Richard & The Shadows)
... a 1956 US hit for R&B singer Ruth Brown, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the prolific duo who first came to the fore supplying hit songs for Elvis Presley, including Jailhouse Rock and King Creole.
Just Like Eddie (Heinz)
... dedicated to the late Eddie Cochran. Singer Heinz had previously been part of the successful instrumental combo The Tornados ~ their mentor Joe Meek also produced and engineered Heinz's one and only solo single to make the Top 10
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SHOW THEME:
Rhapsody In Blue (Rick Wakeman)
written by George Gershwin, arranged by Tony Visconti
from the album Rhapsodies (A&M Records, 1979
Please bear in mind: it's a live show and so, occasionally I might need to change the running order, leave a song out, or play an unplanned extra song which will not be shown in this weekly music blog.
- MW
