My March 2024 Charts

Guess where I’ve been…. Hint, S-o-e-e-g- or maybe -t-n-h-d-e would be better…

3rd March 2024

It’s a first week ever on top of my charts for the only posthumous centenarian to have ever managed it – Glynis Johns was 100 when she died last month, and now Send In The Clowns from A Little Night Music, the song written for her, finally tops my chart 51 years late. That’s not the oldest track to do it, but it just leaps over fellow half-century track Sebastian which recently also did the trick, neither of them charting at all for me previously. It’s never too late to discover fabulous old music!

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were childhood faves, but most of their chart hits pre-dated my charts (they’ve had 2 chart entries in 1968/69, and 2 oldies chart-toppers since) so it didn’t take much to be persuaded to chart the stompingly good Hold Tight! after it turned up on an advert this week. About time! A great singalong kiddie track, but also great guitar and drums on it, and what with Edgar Wright naming a movie after Last Night In Soho 2 years back it’s good to see they haven’t been forgotten, new in at 9, a 4th top 10 in 56 years of charting.

The highest new track is Lighter at 27, a radio 2-playlisted dance-pop track already, from Galantis, 9 years of charting including one number one, David Guetta, 21 years and still releasing stuff every other week and including 2 number ones, and 5 Seconds Of Summer who are now chart hit 6. Jungle deservedly won Best Album at the Brits – there’s a long-form video of all of the Volcano tracks on Youtube, most of which I’ve bought, and they sound just as good playing live on TV as on record, so a proper Band. So Back On 74 is back and there’s another album cut popping in, Pretty Little Thing being the 9th off Volcano, and 18th to chart.

That leaves Olly Alexander going “solo” for Eurovision, on Dizzy. The First single I ever bought was called Dizzy, 1969, aged 11, Tommy Roe was the singer. Fingers-crossed for 3-time chart-topping Years & Years then aka Olly. Gwen Stefani & hubby Blake Shelton are back for an upbeat pop track together, extending Gwen’s chart career to 27 years, and finally there’s a debut from DJO – aka Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, also good in Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds, but best known as Steve from the Netflix show as we wait for the final season. Not just Kate Bush who gets a big hit out of the show then! Moby also topped my chart after a season 4 placement, along with Kate Bush.

1 2 1 9 SEND IN THE CLOWNS – Glynis Johns 476800
2 1 1 2 THE SOUND OF THE CROWD – The Human League 285000
3 3 1 5 HOLD ON HOPE – Glen Campbell & Eric Church 431000
4 5 1 6 BLAME YOU – Nero featuring Alana Watson 665000
5 7 5 3 CARRY YOU – Martin Garrix, Third=Party & Oaks featuring Declan J Donovan 132000
6 4 1 7 BURNING IN FLAMES – Kaiser Chiefs 551000
7 6 3 6 OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT? – Nothing But Thieves 385000
8 9 8 6 LONELINESS – Pet Shop Boys 219000
9 NEW 9 1 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 45000
10 10 10 5 TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON – Billy Joel 151200

11 8 6 7 ALL NIGHT LONG – Kungs, David Guetta & Izzy Bizu 292200
12 16 12 3 TRAINING SEASON – Dua Lipa 78500
13 19 13 3 LET IT RIDE – Paloma Faith 71000
14 12 12 7 THE ANSWER – Johnny Marr 155600
15 17 15 4 CRAZY LOVE – Above & Beyond featuring Zoe Johnston 72600
16 11 7 7 SELFISH – Justin Timberlake 227200
17 13 2 6 SPITFIRE – WE ARE ONE 393000
18 15 15 5 KISS OF LIFE – Shaznay Lewis 97900
19 25 19 6 BEAT OF YOUR HEART – Purple Disco Machine & ASDIS 77300
20 30 20 7 NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS – Boney M 97300

21 14 10 7 NEVER BE ALONE – Becky Hill & Sonny Fodera 156650
22 22 22 5 STARS ON 45 THEME – Sgt Slick featuring Starsound 83200
23 31 22 8 YES, AND? – Ariana Grande 129850
24 24 24 3 THERE’S NO ME…WITHOUT YOU – Glen Campbell & Carole King 56300
25 20 20 16 MICHELLE – The Beatles 215200
26 18 15 7 SUPERNOVA – Bananarama 148400
27 NEW 27 1 LIGHTER – Galantis, David Guetta & 5 Seconds Of Summer 18400
28 21 5 10 SHADES OF LOVE – The Blessed Madonna featuring The Joy 374250
29 66 29 2 SATURN – SZA 25000
30 23 6 8 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys 282250

31 27 9 7 NO STRINGS – X Ambassadors 190550
32 26 8 7 AM I GETTING THROUGH PARTS 1 & 2 – Sheryl Crow 209300
33 38 33 4 DANCE ALONE – Sia & Kylie Minogue 64100
34 37 34 4 LONELY DANCERS – Conan Gray 56500
35 28 12 8 LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims 190000
36 29 23 8 DEEP IN YOUR LOVE – Alok & Bebe Rexha 116650
37 33 1 14 IMMORTAL – Lufthaus featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Robbie Williams 1116000
38 43 38 4 OH HI – Crowded House 45000
39 39 30 7 HIGH – Bryn Christopher 105200
40 32 19 7 CAN’T GET ENOUGH – Jennifer Lopez 127850

41 34 24 8 A LITTLE MORE LOST – Georgia Ku 142500
42 42 42 6 CREEPING ON THE DANCEFLOOR – The Zutons 69700
43 NEW 43 1 RIDE – Mia Rodriguez 13500
44 47 44 3 HIGH – Stephen Sanchez 30950
45 53 45 4 I’LL BE AROUND – The Detroit Spinners 36050
46 59 46 2 I’M NOT BITTER – Dadi Freyr 22850
47 50 47 3 IS THIS LOVE? – James 30900
48 49 48 5 NOT PREPARED FOR YOU – Beverley Knight 45600
49 35 12 6 SHAPE OF ME – Rita Ora featuring Keith Urban 143350
50 40 33 6 LIL BOO THANG – Paul Russell 98300

51 44 1 15 SEBASTIAN – Cockney Rebel 1170950
52 56 52 4 COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE – The Detroit Spinners 31900
53 45 1 16 GOOD AT BREAKING HEARTS – Jungle featuring JNR Williams & 33.3 917250
54 64 54 2 ILLUSIONS – Jalen Ngonda 18100
55 55 55 4 A PLACE IN YOUR HEART – Gabrielle 32800
56 57 56 2 BELFAST CHILD – Simple Minds 21000
57 NEW 57 1 SECRETS – Glockenbach and Ownboss featuring Jazz Montell 10400
58 62 58 2 LOCKSMITH – Sadie Jean 17600
59 46 46 6 LOVER’S LEAP – Elbow 62150
60 61 60 3 TEXAS HOLD ‘EM – Beyonce 21700

61 52 52 6 STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan 55400
62 75 62 2 GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN – UB40 featuring Gilly G 12400
63 63 63 2 I PREDICT A RIOT – Kaiser Chiefs 14400
64 41 41 5 CLARITY – 24kGoldn 47500
65 73 65 2 ENOUGH – Jess Glynne 12400
66 70 66 2 ALL OR NOTHING – Rebecca & Fiona 12800
67 54 1 24 HOLD ON TO NOW – Kylie Minogue 1054950
68 68 68 5 NOTHING BUT THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD – Glen Campbell & Eric Clapton 29800
69 69 69 4 WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE – Paul Young 23400
70 51 35 8 MIRACLE – Shaznay Lewis 84750

71 71 71 3 I’D LIKE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROBLEM – The Dandy Warhols featuring Slash 16400
72 78 72 2 COULD YOU BE LOVED – Bob Marley & The Wailers 10000
73 74 73 2 ROUND WE GO – Madness 10600
74 77 74 2 THE RIGHT WRONG – The Feeling 9800
75 79 75 2 SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST – Fall Out Boy 9200
76 76 76 2 DRIVING ME CRAZY – Rick Astley 9600
77 72 72 3 IS IT OVER NOW? (TAYLOR’S VERSION) – Taylor Swift 14200
78 RE 17 16 BACK ON 74 – Jungle 208900
79 60 39 5 MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR – Sophie Ellis-Bextor 55100
80 80 80 2 JAMMING – Bob Marley & The Wailers 8000

81 NEW 81 1 END OF BEGINNING – DJO 3800
82 NEW 82 1 DIZZY – Olly Alexander 3600
83 NEW 83 1 FLAMME – Juliette Armanet 3400
84 NEW 84 1 PRETTY LITTLE THING – Jungle featuring Bas 3200
85 NEW 85 1 PURPLE IRISES – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton 3000

36 36 15 HEY BULLDOG – The Beatles 183650
48 48 3 HAVE YOU SEEN HER – The Chi-Lites 25300
58 6 16 HOUDINI – Dua Lipa 418200
65 10 12 JAMCOD – The Jesus And Mary Chain 260900
67 67 4 FROM HERE TO ETERNITY – Engelbert Humperdinck 24000

10th March 2024

It’s up to the top spot for Carry You, that’ll be Martin Garix’s second chart-topper 9 years after the first one (Animals), and a first for the guest/associates listed in the credits. Dave Dee & Co go up to 2 with their 60’s stomper Hold Tight, making it their 3rd biggest chart hit (with loads still uncharted) and Paloma Faith makes it a hat trick of top 10’s from the new album and also debuts Sweatpants at 47. Boney M haven’t gone top 10 a previously uncharted track since 1979! So, 46 years late Nightflight To Venus becomes their 9th top 10, and the 5th charting track from their monster album of the same name.

Mia Rodriguez climbs 33 places to 10 with her very Toxic-ish Ride and SZA climbs with the second charting planet, Saturn. All we need is Drops OF Jupiter, Girl From Mars, Earth Song and Mercury Rev and The Neptunes to return to have an almost complete set of planets. Just need some to have a go at Uranus. One day I expect it will happen. Usher returns after a decade away with the very decent Kissing Strangers, and Delta Doodrem gets her 3rd chart entry, her second in a row. Wait over 20 years for a follow-up and bang, just a few weeks wait for the next one!

We lost 3 singer/musicians this week, Steve Lawrence passed away at a fair age, so my childhood fave I Just Wanna Stay Here with his wife Eydie Gormez debuts for the first time over 60 years late at 23, though the song previously charted for Dusty Springfield in her 90’s cover version. Karl Wallinger also sadly died, same age as me, formerly of The Waterboys, who topped my charts with The Whole Of The Moon, and World Party, who had a good run of chart entries but never a big hit. Ship Of Fools was my fave, from 1986 and that returns, as does Eric Carmen’s original version of All By Myself from 1976, following his passing.

1 5 1 4 CARRY YOU – Martin Garrix, Third=Party & Oaks featuring Declan J Donovan 302000
2 9 2 2 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 160000
3 3 1 6 HOLD ON HOPE – Glen Campbell & Eric Church 516000
4 6 1 8 BURNING IN FLAMES – Kaiser Chiefs 616000
5 4 1 7 BLAME YOU – Nero featuring Alana Watson 725000
6 2 1 3 THE SOUND OF THE CROWD – The Human League 340000
7 1 1 10 SEND IN THE CLOWNS – Glynis Johns 526800
8 13 8 4 LET IT RIDE – Paloma Faith 119000
9 20 9 8 NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS – Boney M 142300
10 43 10 2 RIDE – Mia Rodriguez 55500

11 7 3 7 OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT? – Nothing But Thieves 422000
12 12 12 4 TRAINING SEASON – Dua Lipa 113500
13 10 10 6 TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON – Billy Joel 183200
14 11 6 8 ALL NIGHT LONG – Kungs, David Guetta & Izzy Bizu 321200
15 15 15 5 CRAZY LOVE – Above & Beyond featuring Zoe Johnston 99600
16 8 8 7 LONELINESS – Pet Shop Boys 244000
17 27 17 2 LIGHTER – Galantis, David Guetta & 5 Seconds Of Summer 41400
18 14 12 8 THE ANSWER – Johnny Marr 177600
19 29 19 3 SATURN – SZA 46000
20 18 15 6 KISS OF LIFE – Shaznay Lewis 117900

21 16 7 8 SELFISH – Justin Timberlake 246950
22 21 10 8 NEVER BE ALONE – Becky Hill & Sonny Fodera 176150
23 NEW 23 1 I JUST WANNA STAY HERE – Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormez 19250
24 24 24 4 THERE’S NO ME…WITHOUT YOU – Glen Campbell & Carole King 75300
25 19 19 7 BEAT OF YOUR HEART – Purple Disco Machine & ASDIS 96050
26 17 2 7 SPITFIRE – WE ARE ONE 411500
27 22 22 6 STARS ON 45 THEME – Sgt Slick featuring Starsound 101600
28 46 28 3 I’M NOT BITTER – Dadi Freyr 41150
29 38 29 5 OH HI – Crowded House 63200
30 26 15 8 SUPERNOVA – Bananarama 166400

31 23 22 9 YES, AND? – Ariana Grande 147750
32 34 32 5 LONELY DANCERS – Conan Gray 74300
33 33 33 5 DANCE ALONE – Sia & Kylie Minogue 81800
34 28 5 11 SHADES OF LOVE – The Blessed Madonna featuring The Joy 391850
35 30 6 9 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys 299750
36 31 9 8 NO STRINGS – X Ambassadors 207950
37 32 8 8 AM I GETTING THROUGH PARTS 1 & 2 – Sheryl Crow 226600
38 62 38 3 GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN – UB40 featuring Gilly G 29600
39 47 39 4 IS THIS LOVE? – James 48000
40 45 40 5 I’LL BE AROUND – The Detroit Spinners 53050

41 44 41 4 HIGH – Stephen Sanchez 44950
42 37 1 15 IMMORTAL – Lufthaus featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Robbie Williams 1129750
43 35 12 9 LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims 203500
44 36 23 9 DEEP IN YOUR LOVE – Alok & Bebe Rexha 129900
45 52 45 5 COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE – The Detroit Spinners 44900
46 48 46 6 NOT PREPARED FOR YOU – Beverley Knight 58350
47 NEW 47 1 SWEATPANTS – Paloma Faith 12500
48 39 30 8 HIGH – Bryn Christopher 117500
49 41 24 9 A LITTLE MORE LOST – Georgia Ku 154600
50 54 50 3 ILLUSIONS – Jalen Ngonda 30100

51 40 19 8 CAN’T GET ENOUGH – Jennifer Lopez 139600
52 57 52 2 SECRETS – Glockenbach and Ownboss featuring Jazz Montell 21900
53 58 53 3 LOCKSMITH – Sadie Jean 28850
54 51 1 16 SEBASTIAN – Cockney Rebel 1181950
55 55 55 5 A PLACE IN YOUR HEART – Gabrielle 43600
56 56 56 3 BELFAST CHILD – Simple Minds 31600
57 53 1 17 GOOD AT BREAKING HEARTS – Jungle featuring JNR Williams & 33.3 927650
58 82 58 2 DIZZY – Olly Alexander 13800
59 49 12 7 SHAPE OF ME – Rita Ora featuring Keith Urban 153450
60 60 60 4 TEXAS HOLD ‘EM – Beyonce 31700

61 42 42 7 CREEPING ON THE DANCEFLOOR – The Zutons 77200
62 50 33 7 LIL BOO THANG – Paul Russell 105700
63 63 63 3 I PREDICT A RIOT – Kaiser Chiefs 21600
64 65 64 3 ENOUGH – Jess Glynne 19500
65 66 65 3 ALL OR NOTHING – Rebecca & Fiona 19800
66 75 66 3 SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST – Fall Out Boy 16000
67 74 67 3 THE RIGHT WRONG – The Feeling 16400
68 76 68 3 DRIVING ME CRAZY – Rick Astley 16000
69 81 69 2 END OF BEGINNING – DJO 10000
70 85 70 2 PURPLE IRISES – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton 9000

71 71 71 4 I’D LIKE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROBLEM – The Dandy Warhols featuring Slash 22200
72 73 72 3 ROUND WE GO – Madness 16200
73 67 1 25 HOLD ON TO NOW – Kylie Minogue 1060350
74 84 74 2 PRETTY LITTLE THING – Jungle featuring Bas 8400
75 NEW 75 1 SHIP OF FOOLS – World Party 5000
76 83 76 2 FLAMME – Juliette Armanet 8200
77 NEW 77 1 KISSING STRANGERS – Usher 4600
78 NEW 78 1 HEARTS ON THE RUN – Delta Goodrem 4400
79 NEW 79 1 DO NOT DISTURB (KRYSTAL KLEAR NEW WAVE REMIX) – Bananarama 4200
80 NEW 80 1 ALL BY MYSELF – Eric Carmen 4000


DROP OUTS
80 80 2 JAMMING – Bob Marley & The Wailers 8000
25 20 16 MICHELLE – The Beatles 215200
59 46 6 LOVER’S LEAP – Elbow 62150
61 52 6 STICK SEASON – Noah Kahan 55400
64 41 5 CLARITY – 24kGoldn 47500
68 68 5 NOTHING BUT THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD – Glen Campbell & Eric Clapton 29800
69 69 4 WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE – Paul Young 23400
70 35 8 MIRACLE – Shaznay Lewis 84750
72 72 2 COULD YOU BE LOVED – Bob Marley & The Wailers 10000
77 72 3 IS IT OVER NOW? (TAYLOR’S VERSION) – Taylor Swift 14200
78 17 16 BACK ON 74 – Jungle 208900
79 39 5 MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR – Sophie Ellis-Bextor 55100

17th March 2024

It’s a delayed number one for Hold Tight! Dave Dee & co were a fave band when I was a kiddie, and this was a rockin’ great song now being used in advert, and that gave me a great excuse to chart it belatedly, being as 1966 predated my first charts, so the 58-year-old stompin’ fuzzy guitar chanter gives the band their 3rd chart-topper. I was 8 years old when this was brand new and it’s one of the longest waits for any record to top my chart trailing only The Moody Blues Go Now! Dua Lipa grabs yet another top 10, and ditto David Guetta and Galantis, all of them ratcheting up the future back catalogue. Above & Beyond get a second top 10, meanwhile.

Steve Harley sadly passed away this week, I had a ticket to see him on tour, but that got postponed and now tragically cancelled, and it’s almost 50 years since Judy Teen started his chart career with Cockney Rebel, so that returns and pushes out Sebastian which flopped in 1973. His Andrew LLoyd-Webber chart hit is also returning as I under-rated it at the time (1986-ish) The Phantom Of The Opera is the title track of a fab musical.

Other new entries: Ariana follows up with a new one, Selena Gomez too, both are pretty good, Kasabian are back after a short break, James now have two in the chart, they’ve done that many times in their career, and Good Neighbours debut. Finally Pharrell has been absent a bit of late, but grabs Miley Cyrus to help get a bit of a push with his Doctor.

1 2 1 3 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 330000
2 1 1 5 CARRY YOU – Martin Garrix, Third=Party & Oaks featuring Declan J Donovan 417000
3 3 1 7 HOLD ON HOPE – Glen Campbell & Eric Church 601000
4 9 4 9 NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS – Boney M 207300
5 10 5 3 RIDE – Mia Rodriguez 115500
6 4 1 9 BURNING IN FLAMES – Kaiser Chiefs 671000
7 12 7 5 TRAINING SEASON – Dua Lipa 163500
8 8 8 5 LET IT RIDE – Paloma Faith 167000
9 17 9 3 LIGHTER – Galantis, David Guetta & 5 Seconds Of Summer 86400
10 15 10 6 CRAZY LOVE – Above & Beyond featuring Zoe Johnston 141600

11 5 1 8 BLAME YOU – Nero featuring Alana Watson 762000
12 11 3 8 OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT? – Nothing But Thieves 457000
13 6 1 4 THE SOUND OF THE CROWD – The Human League 372000
14 7 1 11 SEND IN THE CLOWNS – Glynis Johns 555800
15 18 12 9 THE ANSWER – Johnny Marr 204600
16 13 10 7 TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON – Billy Joel 208200
17 19 17 4 SATURN – SZA 69000
18 14 6 9 ALL NIGHT LONG – Kungs, David Guetta & Izzy Bizu 343200
19 23 19 2 I JUST WANNA STAY HERE – Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormez 40250
20 16 8 8 LONELINESS – Pet Shop Boys 264000

21 20 15 7 KISS OF LIFE – Shaznay Lewis 137650
22 25 19 8 BEAT OF YOUR HEART – Purple Disco Machine & ASDIS 115550
23 24 23 5 THERE’S NO ME…WITHOUT YOU – Glen Campbell & Carole King 94550
24 22 10 9 NEVER BE ALONE – Becky Hill & Sonny Fodera 195150
25 47 25 2 SWEATPANTS – Paloma Faith 31250
26 28 26 4 I’M NOT BITTER – Dadi Freyr 59650
27 21 7 9 SELFISH – Justin Timberlake 265350
28 38 28 4 GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN – UB40 featuring Gilly G 47900
29 29 29 6 OH HI – Crowded House 81400
30 26 2 8 SPITFIRE – WE ARE ONE 429500

31 50 31 4 ILLUSIONS – Jalen Ngonda 48000
32 32 32 6 LONELY DANCERS – Conan Gray 92100
33 27 22 7 STARS ON 45 THEME – Sgt Slick featuring Starsound 119300
34 40 34 6 I’LL BE AROUND – The Detroit Spinners 70650
35 52 35 3 SECRETS – Glockenbach and Ownboss featuring Jazz Montell 39400
36 39 36 5 IS THIS LOVE? – James 65400
37 33 33 6 DANCE ALONE – Sia & Kylie Minogue 99100
38 77 38 2 KISSING STRANGERS – Usher 21800
39 30 15 9 SUPERNOVA – Bananarama 183500
40 69 40 3 END OF BEGINNING – DJO 27000

41 45 41 6 COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE – The Detroit Spinners 58900
42 58 42 3 DIZZY – Olly Alexander 27550
43 31 22 10 YES, AND? – Ariana Grande 161250
44 46 44 7 NOT PREPARED FOR YOU – Beverley Knight 71600
45 64 45 4 ENOUGH – Jess Glynne 32500
46 36 9 9 NO STRINGS – X Ambassadors 220700
47 37 8 9 AM I GETTING THROUGH PARTS 1 & 2 – Sheryl Crow 239100
48 42 1 16 IMMORTAL – Lufthaus featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Robbie Williams 1142050
49 NEW 49 1 JUDY TEEN – Cockney Rebel 12100
50 34 5 12 SHADES OF LOVE – The Blessed Madonna featuring The Joy 403850

51 56 51 4 BELFAST CHILD – Simple Minds 43350
52 35 6 10 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys 311250
53 53 53 4 LOCKSMITH – Sadie Jean 40100
54 65 54 4 ALL OR NOTHING – Rebecca & Fiona 30800
55 41 41 5 HIGH – Stephen Sanchez 55750
56 66 56 4 SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST – Fall Out Boy 26600
57 70 57 3 PURPLE IRISES – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton 19400
58 44 23 10 DEEP IN YOUR LOVE – Alok & Bebe Rexha 140100
59 43 12 10 LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims 213600
60 74 60 3 PRETTY LITTLE THING – Jungle featuring Bas 18400

61 75 61 2 SHIP OF FOOLS – World Party 12500
62 67 62 4 THE RIGHT WRONG – The Feeling 23800
63 49 24 10 A LITTLE MORE LOST – Georgia Ku 161800
64 57 1 18 GOOD AT BREAKING HEARTS – Jungle featuring JNR Williams & 33.3 934750
65 76 65 3 FLAMME – Juliette Armanet 15200
66 48 30 9 HIGH – Bryn Christopher 124300
67 51 19 9 CAN’T GET ENOUGH – Jennifer Lopez 146200
68 68 68 4 DRIVING ME CRAZY – Rick Astley 22400
69 NEW 69 1 WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE) – Ariana Grande 6200
70 78 70 2 HEARTS ON THE RUN – Delta Goodrem 10400

71 NEW 71 1 LOVE ON – Selena Gomez 5800
72 72 72 4 ROUND WE GO – Madness 21800
73 NEW 73 1 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – Steve Harley & Sarah Brightman 5400
74 NEW 74 1 BEEN LIKE THIS – Meghan Trainor & T-Pain 5200
75 79 75 2 DO NOT DISTURB (KRYSTAL KLEAR NEW WAVE REMIX) – Bananarama 9200
76 NEW 76 1 CALL – Kasabian 4800
77 80 77 2 ALL BY MYSELF – Eric Carmen 8600
78 NEW 78 1 OUR WORLD – James 4400
79 NEW 79 1 HOME – Good Neighbours 4200
80 NEW 80 1 DOCTOR (WORK IT OUT) – Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus 4000

DROP OUTS
54 1 16 SEBASTIAN – Cockney Rebel 1181950
55 55 5 A PLACE IN YOUR HEART – Gabrielle 43600
59 12 7 SHAPE OF ME – Rita Ora featuring Keith Urban 153450
60 60 4 TEXAS HOLD ‘EM – Beyonce 31700
61 42 7 CREEPING ON THE DANCEFLOOR – The Zutons 77200
62 33 7 LIL BOO THANG – Paul Russell 105700
63 63 3 I PREDICT A RIOT – Kaiser Chiefs 21600
71 71 4 I’D LIKE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROBLEM – The Dandy Warhols featuring Slash 22200
73 1 25 HOLD ON TO NOW – Kylie Minogue 1060350

24th March 2024

It’s a bop top 3 with Martin Garrix back up for a second week on top, but threatened by the Toxic-inspired Ride at 2 from Mia Rodriguez and a chart debut for Rose Gray at 3 with the clubtastic Ecstasy. I feel like clubbing, if only I had the energy! That’s Rose’s 3rd top 3 inside 3 years in my charts. Some of last week’s new crop get big leaps this week, while the new entries include a 2nd return to form this year from Lenny Kravitz, on the 80’s-ish Human at 36.

Girls Aloud have some unreleased tracks out, and in at 43 the rather nice Baby When You Go makes a decent addition to their back catalogue of the Noughties. Seeb have been charting for 7 years, including chart-topper Free to Go in 2019, and they return with Before You go at 64. The Legendary Bon Jovi return for a 38th year of charting at 70, while Fairground Attraction split up in 1988 or thereabouts, a big hit, a good follow-up and that was that apart from Eddie Reader’s solo career in the 90’s – well she and gang are back 36 years on for a pertinent song, What’s Wrong With The World? I could write a book to answer that one.

That leaves Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes on the charity 10-minute cover of his Local Hero movie theme Going Home – it’s an instrumental with more rock legends than have ever gathered together on one track before, totally guaranteed. Mark obviosuly has been charting for 45 years, since Sultans Of Swing hit 2 in my charts for Dire Straits, but it brings back Ringo Starr, Duane Eddy, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Joan Jett and many many more to the singles chart. The OCC will never bother to mention it, but Duane Eddy and Hank Marvin were active in the 1950’s, so beat that anyone! (nobody can, most others are dead) From the point of view of my charts, that gives actual chart spans of 49 years to Duane and Hank, 50 to Brian May, and 56 to Ringo, who now holds the record for longest chart-span ahead of The Beatles, oops! Had I been charting in the 60’s Hank would hold the record with 61 years, from Summer Holiday/Bachelor Boy.

1 2 1 6 CARRY YOU – Martin Garrix, Third=Party & Oaks featuring Declan J Donovan 587000
2 5 2 4 RIDE – Mia Rodriguez 230500
3 NEW 3 1 ECSTASY – Rose Gray 85000
4 1 1 4 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 395000
5 3 1 8 HOLD ON HOPE – Glen Campbell & Eric Church 661000
6 7 6 6 TRAINING SEASON – Dua Lipa 218500
7 10 7 7 CRAZY LOVE – Above & Beyond featuring Zoe Johnston 191600
8 6 1 10 BURNING IN FLAMES – Kaiser Chiefs 719000
9 9 9 4 LIGHTER – Galantis, David Guetta & 5 Seconds Of Summer 131400
10 4 4 10 NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS – Boney M 249300

11 23 11 6 THERE’S NO ME…WITHOUT YOU – Glen Campbell & Carole King 131550
12 8 8 6 LET IT RIDE – Paloma Faith 202000
13 11 1 9 BLAME YOU – Nero featuring Alana Watson 794000
14 12 3 9 OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT? – Nothing But Thieves 486000
15 16 10 8 TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON – Billy Joel 235200
16 17 16 5 SATURN – SZA 94000
17 15 12 10 THE ANSWER – Johnny Marr 227600
18 19 18 3 I JUST WANNA STAY HERE – Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormez 62250
19 28 19 5 GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN – UB40 featuring Gilly G 68900
20 25 20 3 SWEATPANTS – Paloma Faith 51250

21 14 1 12 SEND IN THE CLOWNS – Glynis Johns 575550
22 13 1 5 THE SOUND OF THE CROWD – The Human League 391500
23 18 6 10 ALL NIGHT LONG – Kungs, David Guetta & Izzy Bizu 362450
24 26 24 5 I’M NOT BITTER – Dadi Freyr 78650
25 79 25 2 HOME – Good Neighbours 22950
26 20 8 9 LONELINESS – Pet Shop Boys 282500
27 24 10 10 NEVER BE ALONE – Becky Hill & Sonny Fodera 213550
28 74 28 2 BEEN LIKE THIS – Meghan Trainor & T-Pain 23500
29 38 29 3 KISSING STRANGERS – Usher 40000
30 31 30 5 ILLUSIONS – Jalen Ngonda 66000

31 21 15 8 KISS OF LIFE – Shaznay Lewis 155550
32 71 32 2 LOVE ON – Selena Gomez 23600
33 40 33 4 END OF BEGINNING – DJO 44700
34 34 34 7 I’LL BE AROUND – The Detroit Spinners 88250
35 35 35 4 SECRETS – Glockenbach and Ownboss featuring Jazz Montell 56900
36 NEW 36 1 HUMAN – Lenny Kravitz 17400
37 22 19 9 BEAT OF YOUR HEART – Purple Disco Machine & ASDIS 132850
38 29 29 7 OH HI – Crowded House 98600
39 27 7 10 SELFISH – Justin Timberlake 282450
40 30 2 9 SPITFIRE – WE ARE ONE 446500

41 41 41 7 COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE – The Detroit Spinners 72900
42 42 42 4 DIZZY – Olly Alexander 41300
43 NEW 43 1 BABY WHEN YOU GO – Girls Aloud 13500
44 32 32 7 LONELY DANCERS – Conan Gray 105350
45 45 45 5 ENOUGH – Jess Glynne 45500
46 33 22 8 STARS ON 45 THEME – Sgt Slick featuring Starsound 132050
47 49 47 2 JUDY TEEN – Cockney Rebel 24600
48 54 48 5 ALL OR NOTHING – Rebecca & Fiona 43100
49 51 49 5 BELFAST CHILD – Simple Minds 55450
50 69 50 2 WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE) – Ariana Grande 18200

51 43 22 11 YES, AND? – Ariana Grande 173000
52 48 1 17 IMMORTAL – Lufthaus featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Robbie Williams 1153550
53 53 53 5 LOCKSMITH – Sadie Jean 51350
54 39 15 10 SUPERNOVA – Bananarama 194500
55 56 55 5 SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST – Fall Out Boy 37400
56 36 36 6 IS THIS LOVE? – James 76000
57 57 57 4 PURPLE IRISES – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton 29800
58 46 9 10 NO STRINGS – X Ambassadors 230900
59 60 59 4 PRETTY LITTLE THING – Jungle featuring Bas 29500
60 61 60 3 SHIP OF FOOLS – World Party 22500

61 47 8 10 AM I GETTING THROUGH PARTS 1 & 2 – Sheryl Crow 246600
62 37 33 7 DANCE ALONE – Sia & Kylie Minogue 106500
63 44 44 8 NOT PREPARED FOR YOU – Beverley Knight 78800
64 NEW 64 1 BEFORE YOU GO – Seeb 7100
65 65 65 4 FLAMME – Juliette Armanet 22200
66 73 66 2 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – Steve Harley & Sarah Brightman 12200
67 70 67 3 HEARTS ON THE RUN – Delta Goodrem 17000
68 68 68 5 DRIVING ME CRAZY – Rick Astley 28800
69 76 69 2 CALL – Kasabian 11000
70 NEW 70 1 LEGENDARY – Bon Jovi 6000

71 NEW 71 1 TOO SWEET – Hozier 5800
72 55 41 6 HIGH – Stephen Sanchez 61350
73 75 73 3 DO NOT DISTURB (KRYSTAL KLEAR NEW WAVE REMIX) – Bananarama 14600
74 50 5 13 SHADES OF LOVE – The Blessed Madonna featuring The Joy 409050
75 78 75 2 OUR WORLD – James 9400
76 NEW 76 1 GOING HOME (THEME FROM LOCAL HERO) – Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes 4800
77 77 77 3 ALL BY MYSELF – Eric Carmen 13200
78 NEW 78 1 WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD? – Fairground Attraction 4400
79 52 6 11 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys 315650
80 80 80 2 DOCTOR (WORK IT OUT) – Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus 8000

DROP OUTS
58 23 10 DEEP IN YOUR LOVE – Alok & Bebe Rexha 140100
59 12 10 LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims 213600
62 62 4 THE RIGHT WRONG – The Feeling 23800
63 24 10 A LITTLE MORE LOST – Georgia Ku 161800
64 1 18 GOOD AT BREAKING HEARTS – Jungle featuring JNR Williams & 33.3 934750
66 30 9 HIGH – Bryn Christopher 124300
67 19 9 CAN’T GET ENOUGH – Jennifer Lopez 146200
72 72 4 ROUND WE GO – Madness 21800

31st March 2024

It’s a brand new number one as Rose Gray does what she nearly did twice before, and is now in Ecstasy at being number one. Above & Beyond also hit a new peak with Crazy Love outdoing Another Chance which reached 4 in 2017. Good Neighbours bring Home into the top 10, and Glen Campbell gets a double posthumous top 10 with added new duet partners. Both are just wonderfully poignant. Highest new entry is Pet Shop Boys’ Dancing Star, which has Domino dancing vibes, albeit with Russian-related lyrics. In at 12 with more off the EP possibly coming next week. They still have a 100% track record for singles making my charts after 39 years.

Girls Aloud get a biggest chart hit in 15 years, there are act debuts from rocking Des Rocs and poppy RONDE, while Moby returns with new stuff to extend his run to well over 30 years following a 6-year gap, and gets a hand from Lady Blackbird on her 4th chart entry – about time she got some success in the real music world. The Vaccines drop in with ballad Hometown Of Jupiter, which means Venus and Saturn and Jupiter make 3 planets, plus Stardust and a new entry from Empire Of The Sun making for a very astronomical chart. The Vaccines haven’t charted since a Kylie collab in 2019, and this is their 5th to chart in 13 years.

Empire Of The Sun still have that distinctive synth and vocal sound on Changes, their 12th in a 15-year-chart-span. Liam Payne meanwhile nicks a Justin Timberlake style for Teardrops, a 6th charter in 7 years, and Declan J Donovan debuts a solo chart entry Hungry Heart, as his chart-topping collab with Martin Garrix and co drops off the top spot. AWOLNATION are on a 7th since debut smash Sail in 2013, Panoramic View new at 72, and it’s a welcome return to a mellow Feeder after being AWOL, as it were, for 18 years, to give them 16 chart entries in 26 years with Hey You.

Another 90’s band is also back, Eels’ Time is as quirky as ever, but keeps their trademark sound fresh, for a 14th song to chart in 27 years, including chart-topper Last Stop: This Town. Take That’s last single didnt do it for me, but they return with You And Me for 32 years of chart-bothering, Beyonce drops her new Cowboy carter album and I cherry-pick the Nancy Sinatra-sampling (Boots, of course) Ya Ya, and Richard hawley is back in reflective mood, on Heavy rain, his 14th charter in 22 years.

1 3 1 2 ECSTASY – Rose Gray 255000
2 1 1 7 CARRY YOU – Martin Garrix, Third=Party & Oaks featuring Declan J Donovan 702000
3 7 3 8 CRAZY LOVE – Above & Beyond featuring Zoe Johnston 276600
4 2 2 5 RIDE – Mia Rodriguez 295500
5 5 1 9 HOLD ON HOPE – Glen Campbell & Eric Church 721000
6 6 6 7 TRAINING SEASON – Dua Lipa 273500
7 25 7 3 HOME – Good Neighbours 72950
8 4 1 5 HOLD TIGHT! – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich 443000
9 9 9 5 LIGHTER – Galantis, David Guetta & 5 Seconds Of Summer 176400
10 11 10 7 THERE’S NO ME…WITHOUT YOU – Glen Campbell & Carole King 173550

11 8 1 11 BURNING IN FLAMES – Kaiser Chiefs 756000
12 NEW 12 1 DANCING STAR – Pet Shop Boys 35000
13 43 13 2 BABY WHEN YOU GO – Girls Aloud 45500
14 12 8 7 LET IT RIDE – Paloma Faith 231000
15 16 15 6 SATURN – SZA 121000
16 13 1 10 BLAME YOU – Nero featuring Alana Watson 819000
17 15 10 9 TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON – Billy Joel 258200
18 20 18 4 SWEATPANTS – Paloma Faith 73250
19 19 19 6 GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN – UB40 featuring Gilly G 89900
20 24 20 6 I’M NOT BITTER – Dadi Freyr 98650

21 14 3 10 OH NO :: HE SAID WHAT? – Nothing But Thieves 505750
22 10 4 11 NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS – Boney M 268800
23 17 12 11 THE ANSWER – Johnny Marr 246850
24 NEW 24 1 LET ME LIVE/ LET ME DIE – Des Rocs 19000
25 28 25 3 BEEN LIKE THIS – Meghan Trainor & T-Pain 42250
26 29 26 4 KISSING STRANGERS – Usher 58500
27 30 27 6 ILLUSIONS – Jalen Ngonda 84400
28 32 28 3 LOVE ON – Selena Gomez 41900
29 34 29 8 I’LL BE AROUND – The Detroit Spinners 106450
30 33 30 5 END OF BEGINNING – DJO 62700

31 18 18 4 I JUST WANNA STAY HERE – Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormez 80150
32 36 32 2 HUMAN – Lenny Kravitz 35200
33 21 1 13 SEND IN THE CLOWNS – Glynis Johns 593250
34 35 34 5 SECRETS – Glockenbach and Ownboss featuring Jazz Montell 74500
35 23 6 11 ALL NIGHT LONG – Kungs, David Guetta & Izzy Bizu 379950
36 NEW 36 1 UNDECIDED – RONDE 17400
37 42 37 5 DIZZY – Olly Alexander 58600
38 41 38 8 COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE – The Detroit Spinners 90100
39 64 39 2 BEFORE YOU GO – Seeb 24200
40 26 8 10 LONELINESS – Pet Shop Boys 299500

41 22 1 6 THE SOUND OF THE CROWD – The Human League 405500
42 27 10 11 NEVER BE ALONE – Becky Hill & Sonny Fodera 227300
43 31 15 9 KISS OF LIFE – Shaznay Lewis 169050
44 NEW 44 1 DARK DAYS – Moby & Lady Blackbird 13250
45 48 45 6 ALL OR NOTHING – Rebecca & Fiona 56100
46 49 46 6 BELFAST CHILD – Simple Minds 68200
47 47 47 3 JUDY TEEN – Cockney Rebel 37100
48 37 19 10 BEAT OF YOUR HEART – Purple Disco Machine & ASDIS 145150
49 NEW 49 1 HOMETOWN OF JUPITER – The Vaccines 12100
50 50 50 3 WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE) – Ariana Grande 30200

51 38 29 8 OH HI – Crowded House 110350
52 39 7 11 SELFISH – Justin Timberlake 293950
53 40 2 10 SPITFIRE – WE ARE ONE 457750
54 44 32 8 LONELY DANCERS – Conan Gray 116350
55 45 45 6 ENOUGH – Jess Glynne 56300
56 NEW 56 1 CHANGES – Empire Of The Sun 10600
57 60 57 4 SHIP OF FOOLS – World Party 32900
58 59 58 5 PRETTY LITTLE THING – Jungle featuring Bas 39700
59 52 1 18 IMMORTAL – Lufthaus featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Robbie Williams 1163650
60 51 22 12 YES, AND? – Ariana Grande 183000

61 66 61 3 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – Steve Harley & Sarah Brightman 19700
62 NEW 62 1 TEARDROPS – Liam Payne 7400
63 53 53 6 LOCKSMITH – Sadie Jean 58550
64 69 64 3 CALL – Kasabian 18100
65 75 65 3 OUR WORLD – James 16400
66 55 55 6 SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST – Fall Out Boy 44200
67 67 67 4 HEARTS ON THE RUN – Delta Goodrem 23600
68 70 68 2 LEGENDARY – Bon Jovi 12400
69 71 69 2 TOO SWEET – Hozier 12000
70 65 65 5 FLAMME – Juliette Armanet 28200

71 NEW 71 1 HUNGRY HEART – Declan J Donovan 5800
72 NEW 72 1 PANORAMIC VIEW – AWOLNATION 5600
73 NEW 73 1 HEY YOU – Feeder 5400
74 NEW 74 1 TIME – Eels 5200
75 76 75 2 GOING HOME (THEME FROM LOCAL HERO) – Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes 9800
76 NEW 76 1 YOU AND ME – Take That 4800
77 78 77 2 WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD? – Fairground Attraction 9000
78 NEW 78 1 YA YA – Beyonce 4400
79 80 79 3 DOCTOR (WORK IT OUT) – Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus 12200
80 NEW 80 1 HEAVY RAIN – Richard Hawley 4000

DROP OUTS
46 22 8 STARS ON 45 THEME – Sgt Slick featuring Starsound 132050
54 15 10 SUPERNOVA – Bananarama 194500
56 36 6 IS THIS LOVE? – James 76000
57 57 4 PURPLE IRISES – Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton 29800
58 9 10 NO STRINGS – X Ambassadors 230900
61 8 10 AM I GETTING THROUGH PARTS 1 & 2 – Sheryl Crow 246600
62 33 7 DANCE ALONE – Sia & Kylie Minogue 106500
63 44 8 NOT PREPARED FOR YOU – Beverley Knight 78800
68 68 5 DRIVING ME CRAZY – Rick Astley 28800
72 41 6 HIGH – Stephen Sanchez 61350
73 73 3 DO NOT DISTURB (KRYSTAL KLEAR NEW WAVE REMIX) – Bananarama 14600
74 5 13 SHADES OF LOVE – The Blessed Madonna featuring The Joy 409050
77 77 3 ALL BY MYSELF – Eric Carmen 13200
79 6 11 BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys 315650

My Retro October 1968 Charts

6th October 1968

It’s a brand new entry at 1, a second chart-topper for Diana Ross & The Supremes, last time it was the psychedelic drama of Reflections, this time it’s the social drama of Love Child, co-written by R. Dean Taylor, so his 3rd chart-topper as a songwriter. I adored this record over Xmas/New Year of 68/69 but it never topped my charts, peaking at 2. As the song that dethroned Hey Jude from the top of the USA charts I think keeping everything from the top in my chart is only appropriate, cos it’s still sheer brilliance.

The top end of my chart is so chocka-filled with classic faves most records are struggling to get a look-in to the upper echelons, but Billie Davis has given it a go with her Ellie Greenwich cover (it charted in 1967 in my last-year retro charts), it’s a terrific fresh-sounding song-with-a-rap from Billie herself – the video of her performing it is well-worth checking out (the one with DLT introducing), and it’s in at 17 the day after a Chinese Language cover of it featured in the film I saw yesterday: Crazy Rich Asians, largely set in wealthy Singapore. In the less-wealthy rented houses in Singapore where I lived a year later a radio fave was Glen Campbell’s version of Bobby Goldsboro’s The Straight Life, a great jaunty song, and the original enters at 45 while Glen’s album track cover of Mary In The Morning pops in lower.

New at 20, one of the all-time greatest TV themes, The Ventures’ hugely-exciting instrumental Hawaii Five-0, helped no end by the title sequence mix of exotic tropical locales, sharp, short edits, and clips of the cast – it was years ahead of it’s time, and the show ran for 12 years. By 1975 I’d been watching it for years and the single was back out in the UK where it duly made my charts then, not least because some of the title sequences reminded me of Singapore, which was undergoing full-blown nostalgia for me, then at the ripe old age of 17 harking back to the good old days.

Dion’s original version of the lament to the murders of some important political figures enters at 22, later covered by Marvin Gaye to UK success, and giving him a very different career resurgence years after the teen pop of The Wanderer and Runaraound Sue. Garage Rock from The Shadows Of Knight bounds into the 30, it’s new to me and great rocking, while The Royal Guardsmen drop Snoopy and take up covering The Rascals rather well, in at 41. The Easybeats enter at 74, years later a great hit cover for INXS and Jimmy Barnes, and at 75, it’s a 3rd Albert Hammond song in the chart (Leapy Lee, Quo and this one from British Band The Magic Lanterns who had American chart success).

1 ( NEW ) LOVE CHILD Diana Ross & The Supremes
2 ( 1 ) ELENORE The Turtles
3 ( 2 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
4 ( 3 ) ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5 ( 4 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
6 ( 8 ) MY WORLD Cupid’s Inspiration
7 ( 5 ) REVOLUTION The Beatles
8 ( 10 ) RIDE MY SEE-SAW The Moody Blues
9 ( 6 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
10 ( 7 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield

11 ( 9 ) (THE LAMENT OF THE CHEROKEE) INDIAN RESERVATION Don Fardon
12 ( 12 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
13 ( 16 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
14 ( 11 ) WITHOUT HER Jack Jones
15 ( 13 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
16 ( 20 ) WRECK OF THE “ANTOINETTE” Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
17 ( NEW ) I WANT YOU TO BE MY BABY Billie Davis
18 ( 15 ) EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Nilsson
19 ( 24 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles featuring Graham Bonnet
20 ( NEW ) HAWAII FIVE-0 The Ventures

21 ( 14 ) OVER YOU Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
22 ( NEW ) ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN Dion
23 ( 19 ) JESAMINE The Casuals
24 ( 18 ) STREET FIGHTING MAN The Rolling Stones
25 ( 21 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
26 ( 22 ) CHAINED Marvin Gaye
27 ( 27 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
28 ( 17 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
29 ( 56 ) SHAKE The Shadows Of Knight
30 ( 34 ) QUICK JOEY SMALL (RUN JOEY RUN) The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus

31 ( 25 ) I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
32 ( 26 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
33 ( 23 ) HARPER VALLEY P.T.A Jeannie C. Riley
34 ( 36 ) ALFIE Stevie Wonder aka Eivets Rednow
35 ( 31 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
36 ( 28 ) NATURALLY STONED The Avant-Garde
37 ( 32 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
38 ( 38 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck
39 ( 49 ) LALENA Donovan
40 ( 41 ) THE RED BALLOON The Dave Clark Five

41 ( NEW ) BABY LET’S WAIT The Rpyal Guardsmen
42 ( 29 ) ICE IN THE SUN Status Quo
43 ( 37 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
44 ( 33 ) PER-SO-NAL-LY Bobby Paris
45 ( NEW ) THE STRAIGHT LIFE Bobby Goldsboro
46 ( 55 ) I’M IN A DIFFERENT WORLD The Four Tops
47 ( 30 ) SWEET BLINDNESS The 5th Dimension
48 ( 57 ) LISTEN TO ME The Hollies
49 ( 35 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Billie Davis
50 ( 46 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana

51 ( 45 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
52 ( 39 ) BANG-SHANG-A-LANG The Archies
53 ( 40 ) ONE INCH ROCK Tyrannosaurus Rex
54 ( NEW ) MARY IN THE MORNING Glen Campbell
55 ( 58 ) OPEN MY EYES Nazz featuring Todd Rundgren
56 ( 54 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
57 ( 53 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
58 ( 43 ) LITTLE ARROWS Leapy Lee
59 ( NEW ) HOOKED ON A FEELING B. J. Thomas
60 ( 70 ) MARIANNE Cliff Richard

61 ( 51 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
62 ( 63 ) THE CHOICE The O’Jays
63 ( 42 ) BREAK YOUR PROMISE The Delfonics
64 ( 61 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
65 ( 66 ) GREENBURG, GLICKSTEIN, CHARLES, DAVID SMITH & JONES The Cryan’ Shames
66 ( 52 ) HIGH IN THE SKY Amen Corner
67 ( 60 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
68 ( 47 ) GIRL WATCHER The O’Kaysions
69 ( 71 ) HEARTACHE Roy Orbison
70 ( 72 ) SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost & The Troopers

71 ( 44 ) WHO IS GOING TO LOVE ME Dionne Warwick
72 ( 73 ) CHEWY CHEWY Ohio Express
73 ( 64 ) A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION Elvis Presley
74 ( NEW ) GOOD TIMES The Easybeats
75 ( NEW ) SHAME SHAME The Magic Lanterns

6th Oct Retro-Then
1 ( 1 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
2 ( 2 ) JEZAMINE The Casuals
3 ( 14 ) THE WRECK OF THE ANTOINETTE Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 ( 5 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
5 ( 3 ) THE RED BALLOON The Dave Clark 5
6 ( 6 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
7 ( 9 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
8 ( 4 ) LITTLE ARROWS Leapy Lee
9 ( 12 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck
10 ( 19 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles

11 ( 7 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
12 ( 17 ) THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro
13 ( 10 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
14 ( 11 ) GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
15 ( 8 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
16 ( 15 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
17 ( 13 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
18 ( 16 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
19 ( NEW ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
20 ( 20 ) HIGH IN THE SKY Amen Corner

 

13th October 1968

It’s 2 weeks on top for Love Child, just an epic soul melodrama. If there’s one consistent thing I love about 1968 pop, it’s the high drama, and there’s another on the way next week. Cupid’s Inspiration make it 2 consecutive top 5’s, as the Moody Blues get a 3rd of the year, and Dave Dee & Co make it 3 top 10’s. Graham Bonnet gets his first ever top 10, and The Bee Gees add to their top 10 songs, via The Marbles’ Only One Woman. Oddly enough playing marbles was a huge fave activity at that time, with other RAF kids. My faves were those with 3 colours, smaller than the usual ones. Nothing better than going home with multi-coloured new marbles you’d won. Horrible going home having lost your faves.

Highest new entry is the Nina Simone classic “Hair” cover, Ain’t Got No…I Got Life, which topped my original charts in late ’68, then lay forgotten for decades by the whole world till a 21st century remix of a different recording by Nina with different lyrics took off. That version was upbeat and annoying after a while. Give me the emotive original any day. Dion goes top 20 – he’d be back in 1976 with The Wanderer reissue, though. Ennio Morricone’s original score for The Good The Bad & The Ugly enters at 24, Hugo Montenegro’s catchier pop version already having gone top 10 earlier in the year, as The Four Tops keep up the top 30’s, and Johnny Johnson brings his Bandwagon to a Northern Soul debut at 31.

Talking of Northern Soul, Gene Chandler covers James Brown well, lower down the chart, The Locomotive’s fab reggae gem pops in at 47, Mama Cass’ dramatic California Earthquake shakes in at 52, Dionne Warwick and Elvis both replace themselves in the top 75, one with a Bacharach tune one with a standard gospel cover – no prizes for guessing which is which. That leaves funky Johnny Taylor and spaced-out Monkees and porpoises to round things off.

1 ( 1 ) LOVE CHILD Diana Ross & The Supremes
2 ( 2 ) ELENORE The Turtles
3 ( 3 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
4 ( 6 ) MY WORLD Cupid’s Inspiration
5 ( 8 ) RIDE MY SEE-SAW The Moody Blues
6 ( 4 ) ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER The Jimi Hendrix Experience
7 ( 5 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
8 ( 7 ) REVOLUTION The Beatles
9 ( 16 ) WRECK OF THE “ANTOINETTE” Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
10 ( 19 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles featuring Graham Bonnet

11 ( 9 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
12 ( 10 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
13 ( 17 ) I WANT YOU TO BE MY BABY Billie Davis
14 ( 11 ) (THE LAMENT OF THE CHEROKEE) INDIAN RESERVATION Don Fardon
15 ( 12 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
16 ( NEW ) AIN’T GOT NO…I GOT LIFE Nina Simone
17 ( 22 ) ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN Dion
18 ( 13 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
19 ( 15 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
20 ( 20 ) HAWAII FIVE-0 The Ventures

21 ( 14 ) WITHOUT HER Jack Jones
22 ( 29 ) SHAKE The Shadows Of Knight
23 ( 18 ) EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Nilsson
24 ( NEW ) THEME FROM THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Ennio Morricone
25 ( 27 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
26 ( 26 ) CHAINED Marvin Gaye
27 ( 23 ) JESAMINE The Casuals
28 ( 25 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
29 ( 21 ) OVER YOU Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
30 ( 46 ) I’M IN A DIFFERENT WORLD The Four Tops

31 ( NEW ) BREAKIN’ DOWN THE WALLS OF HEARTACHE The Bandwagon
32 ( 39 ) LALENA Donovan
33 ( 24 ) STREET FIGHTING MAN The Rolling Stones
34 ( 45 ) THE STRAIGHT LIFE Bobby Goldsboro
35 ( 31 ) I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
36 ( 32 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
37 ( 41 ) BABY LET’S WAIT The Rpyal Guardsmen
38 ( 33 ) HARPER VALLEY P.T.A Jeannie C. Riley
39 ( 54 ) MARY IN THE MORNING Glen Campbell
40 ( 35 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor

41 ( 28 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
42 ( 48 ) LISTEN TO ME The Hollies
43 ( 34 ) ALFIE Stevie Wonder aka Eivets Rednow
44 ( 37 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
45 ( 60 ) MARIANNE Cliff Richard
46 ( 30 ) QUICK JOEY SMALL (RUN JOEY RUN) The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
47 ( NEW ) RUDI’S IN LOVE The Locomotive
48 ( 43 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
49 ( 59 ) HOOKED ON A FEELING B. J. Thomas
50 ( 38 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck

51 ( 36 ) NATURALLY STONED The Avant-Garde
52 ( NEW ) CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE Mama Cass
53 ( 42 ) ICE IN THE SUN Status Quo
54 ( 70 ) SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost & The Troopers
55 ( 50 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
56 ( 51 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
57 ( 69 ) HEARTACHE Roy Orbison
58 ( 44 ) PER-SO-NAL-LY Bobby Paris
59 ( 40 ) THE RED BALLOON The Dave Clark Five
60 ( 56 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert

61 ( 49 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Billie Davis
62 ( 62 ) THE CHOICE The O’Jays
63 ( 57 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
64 ( 75 ) SHAME SHAME The Magic Lanterns
65 ( 65 ) GREENBURG, GLICKSTEIN, CHARLES, DAVID SMITH & JONES The Cryan’ Shames
66 ( 47 ) SWEET BLINDNESS The 5th Dimension
67 ( NEW ) THERE WAS A TIME Gene Chandler
68 ( 64 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
69 ( 61 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
70 ( 72 ) CHEWY CHEWY Ohio Express

71 ( NEW ) THE PORPOISE SONG The Monkees
72 ( 74 ) GOOD TIMES The Easybeats
73 ( NEW ) PROMISES PROMISES Dionne Warwick
74 ( NEW ) YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE Elvis Presley
75 ( NEW ) WHO’S MAKING LOVE Johnny Taylor

 

20th October 1968

It’s straight in on top for Barry Ryan and his brother Paul’s epic Eloise. It was a great arrangement in more ways than one: Paul gave up the pop life, Barry got centre stage, and Paul wrote some great songs. Eloise is Epic with a capital E, histrionic, lush, dramatic and full-bodied. Much as I loved The Damned version, this one is the bees-knees and should be regarded as a classic. Talking of classics, Glen Campbell’s timeless Jim Webb song Wichita Lineman enters at 3, an atmospheric evocative laid-back and emotional lush brilliance, a perfect record. Such is the quality of records that another epic, albeit a two-year-old Motown minor hit come back to the dancefloors, has to settle for 5: The Isley Brothers brilliant This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) is still one of the most exciting 60’s tracks to dance to, frantic, urgent, beats-galore with a passionate vocal from Ronald Isley and a Holland-Dozier-Holland song on the top of their game. Covered by many, not least 2 dull efforts from Rod Stewart (one of them drafting in Ronald Isley himself), nothing can touch the genius of the original.

Eloise topped my chart originally in November 1968, Nina Simone did it a few weeks later but has to settle now for 9, as Ennio’s original Spaghetti Western theme version hits the top 10, a la Hugo Montenegro, cos I love both versions. A classic I associate with Singapore 1970 (it was a UK hit that year and got radio play over there) enters early for Judy Collins at 22, and her fab version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. Pretty, and touching, still. Glen did a great cover in 1970 too. Stevie drops his pseudonym for For Once In My Life, a jazzed-up version with a bit of life to it (in contrast to Jackie Wilson’s version also in the US charts), at 34.

Others new to the chart: Marmalade back with another tuneful ballad; Tammy Wynette’s monster 1975 country ballad turns up 7 years early in the US charts for her 2nd 1975 hit of the year, and she’s still standing by her anthem. It’s a good’un but I’ll take her standing by the JAMM’s anyday. That Olympic-themed ballad enters, one I loved at the time, but not quite so much these days, Long John Baldry and Mexico. That was the first Olympics I remember watching (I was aware of the theme tune to the Tokyo Olympics, and loved it, but the games themselves didn’t stick in my memory like the Mexico games). A good Clarence Carter track enters, new to me, ditto yet another Gamble & Huff Peaches & Herb collaboration, and for old times sake as I loved Val Doonican back in the day, one of his more lacklustre country ballads taking up the weight of those above in the top 75.

1 ( NEW ) ELOISE Barry Ryan
2 ( 1 ) LOVE CHILD Diana Ross & The Supremes
3 ( NEW ) WICHITA LINEMAN Glen Campbell
4 ( 3 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
5 ( NEW ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers
6 ( 2 ) ELENORE The Turtles
7 ( 4 ) MY WORLD Cupid’s Inspiration
8 ( 5 ) RIDE MY SEE-SAW The Moody Blues
9 ( 16 ) AIN’T GOT NO…I GOT LIFE Nina Simone
10 ( 24 ) THEME FROM THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Ennio Morricone

11 ( 7 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
12 ( 6 ) ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER The Jimi Hendrix Experience
13 ( 8 ) REVOLUTION The Beatles
14 ( 11 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
15 ( 12 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
16 ( 9 ) WRECK OF THE “ANTOINETTE” Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
17 ( 17 ) ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN Dion
18 ( 10 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles featuring Graham Bonnet
19 ( 15 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
20 ( 14 ) (THE LAMENT OF THE CHEROKEE) INDIAN RESERVATION Don Fardon

21 ( 13 ) I WANT YOU TO BE MY BABY Billie Davis
22 ( NEW ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins
23 ( 19 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
24 ( 21 ) WITHOUT HER Jack Jones
25 ( 23 ) EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Nilsson
26 ( 18 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
27 ( 20 ) HAWAII FIVE-0 The Ventures
28 ( 30 ) I’M IN A DIFFERENT WORLD The Four Tops
29 ( 31 ) BREAKIN’ DOWN THE WALLS OF HEARTACHE The Bandwagon
30 ( 32 ) LALENA Donovan

31 ( 22 ) SHAKE The Shadows Of Knight
32 ( 28 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
33 ( 27 ) JESAMINE The Casuals
34 ( NEW ) FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE Stevie Wonder
35 ( 45 ) MARIANNE Cliff Richard
36 ( 29 ) OVER YOU Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
37 ( 37 ) BABY LET’S WAIT The Royal Guardsmen
38 ( 25 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
39 ( 39 ) MARY IN THE MORNING Glen Campbell
40 ( 49 ) HOOKED ON A FEELING B. J. Thomas

41 ( 35 ) I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
42 ( 42 ) LISTEN TO ME The Hollies
43 ( 36 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
44 ( 47 ) RUDI’S IN LOVE The Locomotive
45 ( 34 ) THE STRAIGHT LIFE Bobby Goldsboro
46 ( 40 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
47 ( 52 ) CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE Mama Cass
48 ( 33 ) STREET FIGHTING MAN The Rolling Stones
49 ( 38 ) HARPER VALLEY P.T.A Jeannie C. Riley
50 ( 26 ) CHAINED Marvin Gaye

51 ( 44 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
52 ( 54 ) SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost & The Troopers
53 ( 48 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
54 ( NEW ) WAIT FOR ME MARIANNE Marmalade
55 ( 41 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
56 ( NEW ) STAND BY YOUR MAN Tammy Wynette
57 ( 57 ) HEARTACHE Roy Orbison
58 ( 55 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
59 ( 56 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
60 ( 67 ) THERE WAS A TIME Gene Chandler

61 ( 51 ) NATURALLY STONED The Avant-Garde
62 ( 43 ) ALFIE Stevie Wonder aka Eivets Rednow
63 ( 60 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
64 ( 64 ) SHAME SHAME The Magic Lanterns
65 ( NEW ) MEXICO Long John Baldry
66 ( 53 ) ICE IN THE SUN Status Quo
67 ( 46 ) QUICK JOEY SMALL (RUN JOEY RUN) The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
68 ( 71 ) THE PORPOISE SONG The Monkees
69 ( 63 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
70 ( 50 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck

71 ( 73 ) PROMISES PROMISES Dionne Warwick
72 ( 75 ) WHO’S MAKING LOVE Johnny Taylor
73 ( NEW ) TOO WEAK TO FIGHT Clarence Carter
74 ( NEW ) LET’S MAKE A PROMISE Peaches And Herb
75 ( NEW ) IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW Val Doonican

retro 70’s
1 ( 1 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
2 ( 2 ) JEZAMINE The Casuals
3 ( 3 ) THE WRECK OF THE ANTOINETTE Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 ( 10 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles
5 ( 6 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
6 ( 7 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
7 ( 9 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck
8 ( 4 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
9 ( 12 ) THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro
10 ( 5 ) THE RED BALLOON The Dave Clark 5

11 ( 8 ) LITTLE ARROWS Leapy Lee
12 ( 14 ) GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
13 ( 13 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
14 ( 11 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
15 ( 15 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
16 ( 19 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
17 ( 16 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
18 ( 17 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
19 ( NEW ) MEXICO Long John Baldry
20 ( NEW ) ELOISE Barry Ryan

 

27th October 1968

It’s a second week on top for the epic Barry Ryan, holding off a 5-way challenge from 5 other very deserving shoulda-been chart-toppers. Ennio meanwhile does as well as Hugo’s cover did a few months back, with Judy Collins and The Ventures being held out of the top 10 by virtue of sheer brilliance above them. Mama Cass gets a second solo top 40, and Tammy Wynette grabs a first 7 years earlier than she did in my actual 1975 charts.

In a quiet week for new releases worth charting, it became time to scour the album charts, hence a sudden mini-invasion of musicals extracts that deserve attention, notably Barbra Streisand’s showtune stormer Don’t Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl. saw it at the pictures in 1969/70 at one or other RAF cinema, and dad bought the 4-track EP containing this track in Singapore in 1970. I wasn’t so fussed about the ballads, like People, but this one was a fabbie, and so in at 49.

Close behind at 53, Edwin Starr is back with his stonking 25 Miles – a future big part of the Cookie Crew’s 1989 smash Got To Keep On. Betty Everett’s oldie charts in the UK for some reason, a good 23 years or so before Cher blasted it into pieces, and 7 years before Linda Lewis did the definitive disco version of It’s In His Kiss (note no Shoop Shoop’s in that fab version). Ronnie Dyson debuts as one of the teenage leads in Hair, off Broadway, 3 years ahead of his own UK chart hit, and 1 year ahead of the US chart-topping superior version of Aquarius by The Fifth Dimension. Booker T & The MG’s fancy up Hang ‘Em High, much as Hugo Montenegro already did earlier in the year, giving Ennio Morricone a second chart song this week. Finally, it’s Malcolm Roberts at 75, fort some reason I was a big fan of May I Have The Next Dream’s 1930’s stylee crooning at the time – as will be shown by the actual 1930’s Donald Peers in 1969 which I also loved. Neither of them are tracks I would choose to play these days, but for old time’s sake….in at 75.

1 ( 1 ) ELOISE Barry Ryan
2 ( 3 ) WICHITA LINEMAN Glen Campbell
3 ( 2 ) LOVE CHILD Diana Ross & The Supremes
4 ( 5 ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE (IS WEAK FOR YOU) The Isley Brothers
5 ( 10 ) THEME FROM THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Ennio Morricone
6 ( 9 ) AIN’T GOT NO…I GOT LIFE Nina Simone
7 ( 4 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
8 ( 7 ) MY WORLD Cupid’s Inspiration
9 ( 6 ) ELENORE The Turtles
10 ( 8 ) RIDE MY SEE-SAW The Moody Blues

11 ( 22 ) BOTH SIDES NOW Judy Collins
12 ( 27 ) HAWAII FIVE-0 The Ventures
13 ( 11 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
14 ( 13 ) REVOLUTION The Beatles
15 ( 17 ) ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN Dion
16 ( 14 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
17 ( 15 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
18 ( 21 ) I WANT YOU TO BE MY BABY Billie Davis
19 ( 12 ) ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER The Jimi Hendrix Experience
20 ( 19 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark

21 ( 18 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles featuring Graham Bonnet
22 ( 29 ) BREAKIN’ DOWN THE WALLS OF HEARTACHE The Bandwagon
23 ( 16 ) WRECK OF THE “ANTOINETTE” Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
24 ( 23 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Aretha Franklin
25 ( 28 ) I’M IN A DIFFERENT WORLD The Four Tops
26 ( 25 ) EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Nilsson
27 ( 24 ) WITHOUT HER Jack Jones
28 ( 20 ) (THE LAMENT OF THE CHEROKEE) INDIAN RESERVATION Don Fardon
29 ( 26 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes
30 ( 34 ) FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE Stevie Wonder

31 ( 35 ) MARIANNE Cliff Richard
32 ( 54 ) WAIT FOR ME MARIANNE Marmalade
33 ( 47 ) CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE Mama Cass
34 ( 37 ) BABY LET’S WAIT The Royal Guardsmen
35 ( 40 ) HOOKED ON A FEELING B. J. Thomas
36 ( 32 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
37 ( 33 ) JESAMINE The Casuals
38 ( 44 ) RUDI’S IN LOVE The Locomotive
39 ( 42 ) LISTEN TO ME The Hollies
40 ( 56 ) STAND BY YOUR MAN Tammy Wynette

41 ( 31 ) SHAKE The Shadows Of Knight
42 ( 30 ) LALENA Donovan
43 ( 36 ) OVER YOU Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
44 ( 41 ) I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
45 ( 39 ) MARY IN THE MORNING Glen Campbell
46 ( 52 ) SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME Max Frost & The Troopers
47 ( 43 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
48 ( 46 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
49 ( NEW ) DON’T RAIN ON MY PARADE Barbra Streisand
50 ( 38 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker

51 ( 45 ) THE STRAIGHT LIFE Bobby Goldsboro
52 ( 60 ) THERE WAS A TIME Gene Chandler
53 ( NEW ) TWENTY FIVE MILES Edwin Starr
54 ( 49 ) HARPER VALLEY P.T.A Jeannie C. Riley
55 ( 65 ) MEXICO Long John Baldry
56 ( 57 ) HEARTACHE Roy Orbison
57 ( 53 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
58 ( 51 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
59 ( 64 ) SHAME SHAME The Magic Lanterns
60 ( 48 ) STREET FIGHTING MAN The Rolling Stones

61 ( 58 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
62 ( 59 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
63 ( 68 ) THE PORPOISE SONG The Monkees
64 ( 50 ) CHAINED Marvin Gaye
65 ( 63 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
66 ( 71 ) PROMISES PROMISES Dionne Warwick
67 ( 55 ) A DAY WITHOUT LOVE The Love Affair
68 ( NEW ) IT’S IN HIS KISS (THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG) Betty Everett
69 ( NEW ) AQUARIUS (FROM “HAIR” ORIGINAL BROADWAY ALBUM) Ronnie Dyson
70 ( 72 ) WHO’S MAKING LOVE Johnny Taylor

71 ( NEW ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Booker T & The MG’s
72 ( 73 ) TOO WEAK TO FIGHT Clarence Carter
73 ( 61 ) NATURALLY STONED The Avant-Garde
74 ( 74 ) LET’S MAKE A PROMISE Peaches And Herb
75 ( NEW ) MAY I HAVE THE NEXT DREAM WITH YOU Malcolm Roberts

what I liked then via a retro chart compiled mid-70’s
1 ( 1 ) THOSE WERE THE DAYS Mary Hopkin
2 ( 2 ) JEZAMINE The Casuals
3 ( 4 ) ONLY ONE WOMAN The Marbles
4 ( 9 ) THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro
5 ( 3 ) THE WRECK OF THE ANTOINETTE Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
6 ( 6 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
7 ( 5 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
8 ( 7 ) LES BICYCLETTES DE BELSIZE Engelbert Humperdinck
9 ( 20 ) ELOISE Barry Ryan
10 ( 8 ) MY LITTLE LADY The Tremeloes

11 ( 16 ) WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS Joe Cocker
12 ( 19 ) MEXICO Long John Baldry
13 ( 12 ) GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
14 ( 10 ) THE RED BALLOON The Dave Clark 5
15 ( NEW ) BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS OF HEARTACHE The Bandwagon
16 ( 14 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
17 ( NEW ) THIS OLD HEART OF MINE The Isley Brothers
18 ( 13 ) HOLD ME TIGHT Johnny Nash
19 ( 11 ) LITTLE ARROWS Leapy Lee
20 ( 15 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams

My Retro July 1968 Charts

6th July 1968

It’s 2 weeks on top for the epic Last Night In Soho, holding off a challenge from the equally epic Dusty Springfield song I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten, my all-time fave Dusty song of many close challengers. Not only are these 2 of my fave songs of 1968, the 60’s, but easily right up there in my all-time list. How much do I love the music of this period? Well, Jackie Wilson enters at only 17 with the brilliant my-actual-chart 1972 top 10, 1975 top 30 and 1987 chart-topper, I Get The Sweetest Feeling. Mama Cass topped my chart in 1997 and is only at 6, Steppenwolf did it in the 90’s and yet can only hold at 18. Just fantastic records all.

In at 34, a song I’ve always loved – but never heard the original before! In comes Jerry Jeff Walker at 34, it’s writer. Robbie Williams did a fab cover, among many like Sammy Davis Jr. Martha Reeves and The O’Jays have good climbs into the 40 as the lower end of the chart is awash with goodies new to me, and familiar both. Tammy Wynette scrapes into the 50 – it did slightly better in 1975 when I only compiled a 50 so that’s a handy yardstick for 1968 retro charts. P.P. Arnold’s good, but not as good as Merrilee Rush’s, version of Angel Of The Morning is in at 58, Bobby Vinton’s good, but not as good as Bully Fury’s, version of Goffin & King’s Halfway To Paradise is in at 68, and The Nice’s ELP-ish (not surprisingly) good, but not as good as the movie soundtrack’s, version of America is at 73, and Otis Redding’s, and just as good as The Black Crowe’s, version of Hard To Handle is at 72.

Some familiar fab soul from The Four Tops enters at 62, and unfamiliar enters at 64 for Curtis Mayfield & chums, and some Stevie “sounding familiar but not” Wonder at 75, leaving just some brand new to me Bubblegum from 1910 Fruitgum Co. at 70. I think I’ve overdosed on Simon Says over the 50 years, cos 1, 2, 3 Red Light sounds much fresher, and makes me feel 10 years old without having ever heard it in 1968. Bizarre!

1 ( 1 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( NEW ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
3 ( 6 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
4 ( 2 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
5 ( 3 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
6 ( 12 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
7 ( 4 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
8 ( 9 ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel
9 ( 13 ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
10 ( 5 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

11 ( 7 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
12 ( 8 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
13 ( 20 ) WALK ON Roy Orbison
14 ( 11 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
15 ( 17 ) SAVE THE COUNTRY Laura Nyro
16 ( 10 ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell
17 ( NEW ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
18 ( 18 ) BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf
19 ( 15 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
20 ( 16 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis

21 ( 14 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
22 ( 19 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
23 ( 32 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
24 ( 21 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
25 ( 22 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
26 ( 23 ) NEXT Scott Walker
27 ( 24 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
28 ( 28 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
29 ( 27 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
30 ( 39 ) SOUL LIMBO Booker T. & The MG’s

31 ( 25 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
32 ( 26 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
33 ( 31 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
34 ( NEW ) MR. BOJANGLES Jerry Jeff Walker
35 ( 34 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
36 ( 35 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
37 ( 33 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes
38 ( 54 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
39 ( 60 ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays
40 ( 38 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells

41 ( 36 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
42 ( 30 ) BOY Lulu
43 ( 37 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
44 ( 29 ) ONE MORE DANCE Esther & Abi Ofarim
45 ( 47 ) WITH PEN IN HAND Billy Vera
46 ( 40 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
47 ( 49 ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
48 ( 44 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
49 ( 45 ) VALLERI The Monkees
50 ( 56 ) D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Tammy Wynette

51 ( 41 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
52 ( 59 ) SEALED WITH A KISS The Toys
53 ( 58 ) THE SNAKE Al Wilson
54 ( 52 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
55 ( 46 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade
56 ( 63 ) I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) Eddie Floyd
57 ( 42 ) YOUNG BOY Barbara Greene featuring The Dells
58 ( NEW ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING P.P. Arnold
59 ( 70 ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman
60 ( 57 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood

61 ( 43 ) WHERE IS TOMORROW Cilla Black
62 ( NEW ) YESTERDAY’S DREAMS The Four Tops
63 ( 66 ) HERE COMES THE JUDGE Pigmeat Markham
64 ( NEW ) I LOVED AND I LOST The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield
65 ( 67 ) THE STORY OF ROCK AND ROLL The Turtles
66 ( 75 ) LIFE Sly & The Family Stone
67 ( 71 ) TWO-BIT MANCHILD Neil Diamond
68 ( NEW ) HALFWAY TO PARADISE Bobby Vinton
69 ( 69 ) (LOVE IS LIKE A) BASEBALL GAME The Intruders
70 ( NEW ) 1, 2, 3 RED LIGHT 1910 Fruitgum Co.

71 ( 50 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel
72 ( NEW ) HARD TO HANDLE Otis Redding
73 ( NEW ) AMERICA The Nice
74 ( 53 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
75 ( NEW ) YOU MET YOUR MATCH Stevie Wonder

 

13th July 1968

It’s a first week on top for Dusty Springfield’s most fabulous vocal performance and melodramatic song – in my very first retro chart compiled when I got hold of a book of charts in the 70’s – Sept 1968 was my starting point – Dusty was still hanging in the UK charts and so started off at 2 before dropping out as she fell out of the UK charts (strictly based on the UK charts in those days). Most likely she would have had a good 5 chart-toppers by this point had I started earlier. Rival girliepop chanteuse Petula is back again with another of her classic Hatch/Trent tunes in at 4, quite probably my all-time fave of hers give or take Downtown or in recent years the fab cool Cut Copy which topped my chart a few years back. An obsession of mine from Singapore reel-to-reel days, Don’t Give Up is all sweeping strings and stirring melody.

Jackie Wilson enters my top 10 with the ever-recurrent classic, The Moody Blues get a 2nd top 10 with one I didn’t know until recently, and one of The Beach Boys best late-60’s post-Brian tracks is in at 22, Do It Again, nostalgia slipping in for the old surfer days. Tom Jones is also back again with another goodie, at 32, Help Yourself was upbeat and jolly and ol Tom flung ’em out with ease those days. Big climbs into the 40 for The Four Tops, The Toys and P. P. Arnold replacing the original Angel Of the Morning.

A Fleetwood Mac blues classic enters at 42, a future Kirsty MacColl hit enters at 46 for The Kinks – remarkably a record I don’t associate with 1968 at all, just don’t recall it being around then. One I very much DO associate with the Summer of ’68 is Sunshine Girl at 48 for Herman’s Hermits. There was an alternate playground version which ran rampant in the Junior School and area I lived in at the time. It went “Sunshine Girl I’m Looking down your bra, I see 2 round things, I wonder what they are, will you invite me, to squeeze them tightly – not bloody likely, my Sunshine Girl!” You had to be 10 years old, I guess…..

Some fab James Brown, some fab Bill Medley, some good Archie Bell, some good Ray Stevens, and some decent enough Bobby Vancouver, Nancy Sinatra & The Rascals bring them all back into my charts. That leaves a debut from Flavor. Who? No idea but they sound like Spencer Davis’ Gimme Some Lovin’ morphed with bubblegum, and that’s a reasonable reason to chart it.

1 ( 2 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
2 ( 1 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
3 ( 3 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
4 ( NEW ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
5 ( 6 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
6 ( 5 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
7 ( 4 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
8 ( 8 ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel
9 ( 17 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
10 ( 23 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues

11 ( 7 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
12 ( 13 ) WALK ON Roy Orbison
13 ( 18 ) BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf
14 ( 15 ) SAVE THE COUNTRY Laura Nyro
15 ( 12 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
16 ( 11 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
17 ( 10 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
18 ( 9 ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
19 ( 14 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
20 ( 19 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert

21 ( 16 ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell
22 ( NEW ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
23 ( 20 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis
24 ( 22 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
25 ( 21 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
26 ( 30 ) SOUL LIMBO Booker T. & The MG’s
27 ( 25 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
28 ( 24 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
29 ( 34 ) MR. BOJANGLES Jerry Jeff Walker
30 ( 28 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie

31 ( 26 ) NEXT Scott Walker
32 ( NEW ) HELP YOURSELF Tom Jones
33 ( 38 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
34 ( 29 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
35 ( 62 ) YESTERDAY’S DREAMS The Four Tops
36 ( 27 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
37 ( 39 ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays
38 ( 58 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING P.P. Arnold
39 ( 52 ) SEALED WITH A KISS The Toys
40 ( 35 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell

41 ( 36 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
42 ( NEW ) I NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD Fleetwood Mac
43 ( 40 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
44 ( 64 ) I LOVED AND I LOST The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield
45 ( 33 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
46 ( NEW ) DAYS The Kinks
47 ( 32 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
48 ( NEW ) SUNSHINE GIRL Herman’s Hermits
49 ( 31 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
50 ( 48 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

51 ( 49 ) VALLERI The Monkees
52 ( 68 ) HALFWAY TO PARADISE Bobby Vinton
53 ( 59 ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman
54 ( 37 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes
55 ( 56 ) I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) Eddie Floyd
56 ( 66 ) LIFE Sly & The Family Stone
57 ( 67 ) TWO-BIT MANCHILD Neil Diamond
58 ( 46 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
59 ( NEW ) I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO CRY, CRY, CRY James Brown & The Famous Flames
60 ( 54 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love

61 ( 60 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
62 ( 42 ) BOY Lulu
63 ( NEW ) BROWN EYED WOMAN Bill Medley
64 ( 75 ) YOU MET YOUR MATCH Stevie Wonder
65 ( 41 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
66 ( 70 ) 1, 2, 3 RED LIGHT 1910 Fruitgum Co.
67 ( 51 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
68 ( NEW ) I CAN’T STOP DANCING Archie Bell & The Drells
69 ( NEW ) FUNNY MAN Ray Stevens
70 ( 72 ) HARD TO HANDLE Otis Redding

71 ( NEW ) I AM YOUR MAN Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
72 ( 43 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
73 ( NEW ) SALLY HAD A PARTY Flavor
74 ( NEW ) HAPPY Nancy Sinatra
75 ( NEW ) PEOPLE GOT TO FREE The Rascals

 

20th July 1968

It’s a second week on top for Dusty in a quiet week for new entries, thankfully, giving great songs a chance to reach at least a chart position that is more deserving than the one’s they are being forced to accept. Most of my top 20 has been, or would have been if reissued, chart-toppers as oldies. It’s not just the sheer volume of great tracks, it’s the variety musically, something that modern streaming-based charts lack. I suspect growing up in an era of innovative new music across a whole spectrum, and coming across music from a wide variety of cultures in Singapore, is the reason i find the one-dimensional nature of the worldwide streaming hits a bit frustrating. Still great records in there, but many more don’t become hits like they used to.

Steppenwolf go top 10, as does Roy Orbison, technically for the first time, though it really isn’t as Pretty Woman would have topped my 6-year-old-me charts for weeks, I was obsessed with it. The Beach Boys go top 20, as is the norm, as they Do It Again, and Andy Williams covers The Impossible Dream, following in the shoes of Glen Campbell, from his then-latest album and a 2017 TV advert backdrop which worked very well. Andy was pure class when he did covers (as he usually did), crooning with style and it’s a great dramatic song and performance.

Fleetwood Mac soar into the 30, and James Brown calms down the funk to my approval, a sort of 50’s retro soul combo which works well as it cries it’s way into the 40. Bill Medley hits the emotional power soul button and leaps up too, as Bobby Vinton’s sweet cover of Halfway To Paradise isn’t far behind. Another week, another Marvin & Tammi new entry, and another great one: one of the big surprises to me of doing these retro charts is just how many hits they had, and how good they were. Pretty much from my 70’s onwards viewpoint it was The bloody Onion Song and that was it, until a few acts started covering them. Outrageous that they should hit big with one of their most annoying records in the UK.

Ray Stevens gets a 2nd chart entry hot on the heels of his serious re-record of Funny Man. Mr. Businessman was a nice spot of social commentary for the time, and still remains ideologically relevant. Canned Heat debut with On The Road Again – one I quite liked at the time, but always had slight problems with the vocal style. I’ve grown to like the late Alan Wilson vocals these days, tragically dead in 1970. Timebox cover the Four Seasons – well, who hasn’t – and Beggin’ went from being quite obscure to being one of their most-famous songs in the 21st century, following Jersey Boys and a Madcon hit cover version. Fab song, this version is decent enough. Patti Drew debuts, groovily, and lastly Nirvana grab a second much-lesser track on the chart. It’s OK but no Rainbow Chaser.

1 ( 1 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
2 ( 2 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
3 ( 4 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
4 ( 3 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
5 ( 5 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
6 ( 10 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
7 ( 9 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
8 ( 6 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
9 ( 13 ) BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf
10 ( 12 ) WALK ON Roy Orbison

11 ( 7 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
12 ( 14 ) SAVE THE COUNTRY Laura Nyro
13 ( 11 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
14 ( 22 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
15 ( 15 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
16 ( 8 ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel
17 ( 17 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
18 ( 16 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
19 ( 18 ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
20 ( 20 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert

21 ( 19 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
22 ( 21 ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell
23 ( 23 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis
24 ( 35 ) YESTERDAY’S DREAMS The Four Tops
25 ( 32 ) HELP YOURSELF Tom Jones
26 ( 29 ) MR. BOJANGLES Jerry Jeff Walker
27 ( NEW ) THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Andy Williams
28 ( 42 ) I NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD Fleetwood Mac
29 ( 37 ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays
30 ( 38 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING P.P. Arnold

31 ( 24 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
32 ( 27 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
33 ( 59 ) I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO CRY, CRY, CRY James Brown & The Famous Flames
34 ( 63 ) BROWN EYED WOMAN Bill Medley
35 ( 28 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
36 ( 30 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
37 ( 31 ) NEXT Scott Walker
38 ( 52 ) HALFWAY TO PARADISE Bobby Vinton
39 ( 39 ) SEALED WITH A KISS The Toys
40 ( 25 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones

41 ( 44 ) I LOVED AND I LOST The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield
42 ( 34 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
43 ( 26 ) SOUL LIMBO Booker T. & The MG’s
44 ( 36 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
45 ( 48 ) SUNSHINE GIRL Herman’s Hermits
46 ( 46 ) DAYS The Kinks
47 ( 40 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
48 ( 41 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
49 ( 53 ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman
50 ( 43 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells

51 ( 55 ) I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) Eddie Floyd
52 ( 33 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
53 ( 56 ) LIFE Sly & The Family Stone
54 ( 50 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
55 ( 45 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
56 ( NEW ) YOU’RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
57 ( 57 ) TWO-BIT MANCHILD Neil Diamond
58 ( NEW ) MR. BUSINESSMAN Ray Stevens
59 ( 51 ) VALLERI The Monkees
60 ( 64 ) YOU MET YOUR MATCH Stevie Wonder

61 ( 69 ) FUNNY MAN Ray Stevens
62 ( 66 ) 1, 2, 3 RED LIGHT 1910 Fruitgum Co.
63 ( 61 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
64 ( 73 ) SALLY HAD A PARTY Flavor
65 ( 60 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
66 ( 71 ) I AM YOUR MAN Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
67 ( 47 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
68 ( 68 ) I CAN’T STOP DANCING Archie Bell & The Drells
69 ( NEW ) ON THE ROAD AGAIN Canned Heat
70 ( 70 ) HARD TO HANDLE Otis Redding

71 ( NEW ) BEGGIN’ Timebox
72 ( NEW ) WORKIN’ ON A GROOVY THING Patti Drew
73 ( 58 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
74 ( 74 ) HAPPY Nancy Sinatra
75 ( NEW ) PENTECOST HOTEL Nirvana

 

27th July 1968

It’s back up to number one for Last Night In Soho, epic melodrama of the first order, and a record I never get bored with, not ever. 3 weeks on top, and so under-rated (or rather, unknown) in the wider world. When I started this re-charting, I assumed in the final weeks leading up to the point that my own charts started (with Hey Jude) that The Bee Gees and The Beach Boys would be straight in at 1, just as they topped the UK charts. Oops! The actual competition is way harder than that, so the Bee Gees enter at 7 with their classic story of a man on death row (a popular 60’s theme), and The Beach Boys are idling at 10, both records topped my charts in later decades.

One that has never been a reissued classic re-entry is in at 4 for Nilsson, the future Midnight Cowboy classic stiffed almost everywhere this week in 1968 in terms of charts, but Everybody’s Talking is one of the most beautiful and haunting songs of all-time, so good the Beautiful South had a good old go at it too in the 90’s. Nilsson’s 2nd top 10, following on from One. Andy Williams cover of The Impossible Dream follows Glen Campbell’s cover into the 20, and The O’Jays get a first top 20, and very much not the last. Big climbs for Marvin & Tammi, as always into the 40, and Ray Stevens’ Mr. Businessman.

New entries lower down for Amen Corner’s High In The Sky, still bold and brassy and uptempo, and one I liked a lot at the time, The Who with Magic Bus, their best track since I Can See For Miles, Deep Purple debut with their hit US cover of Hush, all psychedelic as opposed to blues rock like Billy Joe Royal’s version. Martha Reeves & co drop out the chart – but also enter with I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playing, a future UK hit for Betty Boo & Beastmasters, Billie Davis is back and charts a 3rd version of Angel Of The Morning inside the 75, a song that it’s hard to ruin and is open to any interpretation. The Chambers Brothers big (future) Viet-Nam psychedelic anthem pops in, Jackie De Shannon covers The Band and beats them to it, and Sly & co replace Life with M’Lady.

1 ( 2 ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 1 ) I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN Dusty Springfield
3 ( 3 ) DON’T GIVE UP Petula Clark
4 ( NEW ) EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ Nilsson
5 ( 4 ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
6 ( 6 ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
7 ( NEW ) I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU The Bee Gees
8 ( 5 ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
9 ( 7 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson
10 ( 14 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys

11 ( 8 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
12 ( 11 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
13 ( 10 ) WALK ON Roy Orbison
14 ( 13 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
15 ( 9 ) BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf
16 ( 12 ) SAVE THE COUNTRY Laura Nyro
17 ( 15 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
18 ( 27 ) THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Andy Williams
19 ( 29 ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays
20 ( 16 ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel

21 ( 17 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
22 ( 20 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
23 ( 18 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
24 ( 24 ) YESTERDAY’S DREAMS The Four Tops
25 ( 25 ) HELP YOURSELF Tom Jones
26 ( 26 ) MR. BOJANGLES Jerry Jeff Walker
27 ( 21 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
28 ( 28 ) I NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD Fleetwood Mac
29 ( 19 ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
30 ( 30 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING P.P. Arnold

31 ( 22 ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell
32 ( 33 ) I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO CRY, CRY, CRY James Brown & The Famous Flames
33 ( 23 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis
34 ( 34 ) BROWN EYED WOMAN Bill Medley
35 ( 56 ) YOU’RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
36 ( 32 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
37 ( 38 ) HALFWAY TO PARADISE Bobby Vinton
38 ( 58 ) MR. BUSINESSMAN Ray Stevens
39 ( 31 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
40 ( 41 ) I LOVED AND I LOST The Impressions featuring Curtis Mayfield

41 ( 36 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
42 ( 35 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
43 ( 37 ) NEXT Scott Walker
44 ( NEW ) HIGH IN THE SKY Amen Corner
45 ( 45 ) SUNSHINE GIRL Herman’s Hermits
46 ( 46 ) DAYS The Kinks
47 ( 51 ) I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) Eddie Floyd
48 ( 40 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
49 ( 49 ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman
50 ( 39 ) SEALED WITH A KISS The Toys

51 ( 47 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
52 ( 48 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
53 ( 50 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
54 ( 69 ) ON THE ROAD AGAIN Canned Heat
55 ( 44 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
56 ( 42 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
57 ( 54 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
58 ( 61 ) FUNNY MAN Ray Stevens
59 ( 60 ) YOU MET YOUR MATCH Stevie Wonder
60 ( 62 ) 1, 2, 3 RED LIGHT 1910 Fruitgum Co.

61 ( 43 ) SOUL LIMBO Booker T. & The MG’s
62 ( 64 ) SALLY HAD A PARTY Flavor
63 ( 59 ) VALLERI The Monkees
64 ( NEW ) MAGIC BUS The Who
65 ( 68 ) I CAN’T STOP DANCING Archie Bell & The Drells
66 ( NEW ) MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS The Grass Roots
67 ( NEW ) HUSH Deep Purple
68 ( NEW ) I CAN’T DANCE TO THAT MUSIC YOU’RE PLAYING Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
69 ( 72 ) WORKIN’ ON A GROOVY THING Patti Drew
70 ( 71 ) BEGGIN’ Timebox

71 ( 55 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
72 ( NEW ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Billie Davis
73 ( NEW ) TIME HAS COME TODAY The Chambers Brothers
74 ( NEW ) THE WEIGHT Jackie De Shannon
75 ( NEW ) M’LADY Sly & The Family Stone

My Retro June 1968 Charts

1st June 1968

It’s a first week on top for Nirvana and Smells Like Teen Spi…oops, getting ahead of myself, I mean Rainbow Chaser, party jaunty pop part psychedelic orchestral wig-out, and way under-rated generally. Peaches & Herb go top 5 some 11 years before Shake Your Groove Thing hits my top 10, and ditto Gene Chandler entering at 75, 11 years before Get Down went top 10. Scott Walker gets his 2nd biggest solo hit with Next. NEXT! Neext. Melodramatic naughtiness, never going to be a single, ever. Pity.

Highest new entry is Gary Puckett grabbing his 3rd Union Gap top 20 at 11, Lady Willpower was another huge fave of mine at the time. In fact with Herb at 3, this one at 11, the songs in my very first ever (retro) chart for September 1968 are all falling into place. My first CHART memory as opposed to song memory was Hey Jude at number one, so that’s been my previous “jumping-on” point when I compiled my first UK Top 30 based charts in the early 70’s when I got hold of a book with the official ones printed in them. My first ACTUAL chart was at the end of the year, as compiled by a 10-year-old boy.

The Delfonics get a 2nd top 20, The Beach Boys an umpteenth, Lulu has another swift chart entry with the sun shining on her verandah song, Boys, another fave of the time, while Brazilian band Os Mutantes bring some latin psychedlia fabness in at 30 hot off their June album, and future The Bees 21st century cover, A Minha Menina. Gladys Knight has big climb with future Yvonne Fair classic, It Shouldve Been Me, as does Donovan’s trippie Hurdy Gurdy Man.

Hugo’s back with his 3rd Spaghetti Western cover, Hang ‘Em High, meaning there is only one track left off the EP collection that dad bought in Singapore yet to chart. That summer I went to the pictures to see Elvis’ latest film Speedway. It turned out to be one of my faves of his. It had Nancy Sinatra, it had his current single Your Time Hasn’t Come Yet Baby which I went mad on, it had My Favourite Martian actor Bill Bixby, fantasy sitcom magic to me in the 60’s, and it was kinda cute set around kiddies and fast cars. Plus some songs, including Nancy’s Lee Hazelwood unknown gem Your Groovy Self (Elvis gets credited off the soundtrack, though he’s not on it), in at 43, Your Time in at 59, and duet at 69 between the 2. Nancy’s not on it much, but then Elvis rarely did duets so I’ll take it where I can get it!

1 ( 3 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
2 ( 1 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
3 ( 2 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
4 ( 4 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
5 ( 13 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
6 ( 8 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
7 ( 16 ) NEXT Scott Walker
8 ( 10 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
9 ( 5 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
10 ( 6 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck

11 ( NEW ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
12 ( 12 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel
13 ( 7 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
14 ( 9 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
15 ( 11 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
16 ( 14 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
17 ( 17 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
18 ( 28 ) HE DON’T REALLY LOVE YOU The Delfonics
19 ( 25 ) FRIENDS The Beach Boys
20 ( 18 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells

21 ( 15 ) LOVE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP Robert Knight
22 ( 24 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade
23 ( 19 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
24 ( 21 ) MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel
25 ( 29 ) I’M SORRY The Delfonics
26 ( 22 ) VALLERI The Monkees
27 ( 23 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
28 ( NEW ) BOY Lulu
29 ( 56 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
30 ( NEW ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes

31 ( 20 ) AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
32 ( 38 ) THINK Aretha Franklin
33 ( 26 ) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE Dionne Warwick
34 ( 34 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
35 ( 27 ) JOANNA Scott Walker
36 ( 32 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
37 ( 31 ) BABY COME BACK The Equals featuring Eddy Grant
38 ( 59 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
39 ( 45 ) BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS December’s Children
40 ( NEW ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus

41 ( 33 ) ELUSIVE DREAMS Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
42 ( 30 ) I DON’T WANT OUR LOVING TO DIE The Herd
43 ( NEW ) YOUR GROOVY SELF Nancy Sinatra
44 ( 35 ) DEBORA Tyrannosaurus Rex
45 ( 37 ) ANY OLD TIME (YOU’RE LONELY AND SAD) The Foundations
46 ( 39 ) FOREVER CAME TODAY Diana Ross & The Supremes
47 ( 43 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
48 ( 41 ) DELILAH Tom Jones
49 ( 42 ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
50 ( 50 ) A STONE GOOD LOVER Jo Armstead

51 ( 48 ) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
52 ( 61 ) SAFE IN MY GARDEN The Mamas & The Papas
53 ( 36 ) I CAN’T GO BACK TO DENVER The Gentrys
54 ( 40 ) SOMEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY Gene Pitney
55 ( 72 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
56 ( 47 ) LADY MADONNA The Beatles
57 ( 54 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
58 ( 53 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
59 ( NEW ) YOUR TIME HASN’T COME YET BABY Elvis Presley
60 ( 66 ) INDIAN LAKE The Cowsills

61 ( 55 ) I CAN’T MAKE IT ALONE Bill Medley
62 ( 49 ) HONEY Bobby Goldsboro
63 ( 63 ) SAN FRANCISCO GIRLS (RETURN OF THE NATIVE) Fever Tree
64 ( 65 ) HERE I AM BABY The Marvelettes
65 ( 52 ) CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU Andy Williams
66 ( NEW ) SOME THINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO Diana Ross & The Supremes
67 ( NEW ) ELEANOR RIGBY Ray Charles
68 ( 69 ) LET ME BE LONELY Dionne Warwick
69 ( NEW ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
70 ( 71 ) SUGAR (DON’T TAKE AWAY MY CANDY) The Jive Five

71 ( NEW ) LOVIN’ SEASON Gene & Debbe
72 ( NEW ) GRAZING IN THE GRASS Hugh Masekela
73 ( NEW ) D.W. WASHBURN The Monkees
74 ( NEW ) BABY YOU COME ROLLING ‘CROSS MY MIND The Peppermint Trolley Company
75 ( NEW ) NOTHING CAN STOP ME Gene Chandler

 

8th June 1968

It’s straight in at 1 for the first time for Manfred Mann and their charming kiddie song, which I loved then and still sounds great, My Name Is Jack. It fair brought a tear to my eye when I saw the Manfred’s with both Paul Jones and Mike D’Abo. In the week that bought the shocking assassination of Robert Kennedy, mum was upset, and even our supply teacher talked about it, so was Laura Nyro, so much so that she wrote a song which will appear in 3 weeks time, a song that resonates in 2018 to me. Save The Country.

In at 6, Mason Williams brilliant instrumental Classical Gas, Gary Puckett’s 3rd top 10, and Simon & Garfunkel’s 2nd of the year. Lulu makes it 3 for 1968 in the 20, Gladys Knight gets her 2nd top 20, and Os Mutantes their one and only. Youtube it if you don’t know it, worth it! Nancy Sinatra keeps her zillion top 40 entries from 1966 through 1969 coming on strong, and B.J. Thomas grabs a 3rd I think. Barbara Greene’s Young Boy skips over Young Girl, and sounds rather suspiciously like Hello Stranger, the old Barbara Lewis and future Yvonne Elliman fab record, and enters at 48 from nowhere never having heard it before.

Cilla’s back with a minor ballad at 60, Where Is Tomorrow, Pigmeat Markham raps his way into history with a track I found amusing at the time, being a fan of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, and Vikki Carr is back with another nice ballad written by Van McCoy, Nancy Wilson sneaks in – dad brought some of her albums back from Aden with our first record player in 1966, but she’d always been a bit too jazzy and laid back for me, though these days I like her. Martha Reeves is back as well with another 70’s UK hit, the UK really was so behind on Motown hits. That leaves Bobby Vera covering Bobby Goldsboro and dropping Judy Clay for a solo entry at 75.

1 ( NEW ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
2 ( 1 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
3 ( 2 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
4 ( 3 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
5 ( 5 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
6 ( NEW ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
7 ( 8 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
8 ( 11 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
9 ( 4 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
10 ( 12 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel

11 ( 6 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
12 ( 7 ) NEXT Scott Walker
13 ( 9 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
14 ( 10 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
15 ( 13 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
16 ( 14 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
17 ( 28 ) BOY Lulu
18 ( 15 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
19 ( 29 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
20 ( 30 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes

21 ( 22 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade
22 ( 16 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
23 ( 17 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
24 ( 20 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
25 ( 23 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
26 ( 18 ) HE DON’T REALLY LOVE YOU The Delfonics
27 ( 32 ) THINK Aretha Franklin
28 ( 34 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
29 ( 40 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
30 ( 26 ) VALLERI The Monkees

31 ( 27 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
32 ( 19 ) FRIENDS The Beach Boys
33 ( 38 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
34 ( 25 ) I’M SORRY The Delfonics
35 ( 24 ) MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel
36 ( 21 ) LOVE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP Robert Knight
37 ( 39 ) BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS December’s Children
38 ( 43 ) YOUR GROOVY SELF Nancy Sinatra
39 ( 55 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
40 ( 36 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love

41 ( 33 ) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE Dionne Warwick
42 ( 37 ) BABY COME BACK The Equals featuring Eddy Grant
43 ( 31 ) AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
44 ( 52 ) SAFE IN MY GARDEN The Mamas & The Papas
45 ( 35 ) JOANNA Scott Walker
46 ( 60 ) INDIAN LAKE The Cowsills
47 ( 50 ) A STONE GOOD LOVER Jo Armstead
48 ( NEW ) YOUNG BOY Barbara Greene featuring The Dells
49 ( 47 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
50 ( 46 ) FOREVER CAME TODAY Diana Ross & The Supremes

51 ( 41 ) ELUSIVE DREAMS Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
52 ( 45 ) ANY OLD TIME (YOU’RE LONELY AND SAD) The Foundations
53 ( 48 ) DELILAH Tom Jones
54 ( 49 ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
55 ( 59 ) YOUR TIME HASN’T COME YET BABY Elvis Presley
56 ( 68 ) LET ME BE LONELY Dionne Warwick
57 ( 71 ) LOVIN’ SEASON Gene & Debbe
58 ( 64 ) HERE I AM BABY The Marvelettes
59 ( 63 ) SAN FRANCISCO GIRLS (RETURN OF THE NATIVE) Fever Tree
60 ( NEW ) WHERE IS TOMORROW Cilla Black

61 ( 57 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
62 ( 58 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
63 ( 67 ) ELEANOR RIGBY Ray Charles
64 ( 42 ) I DON’T WANT OUR LOVING TO DIE The Herd
65 ( 51 ) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
66 ( 66 ) SOME THINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO Diana Ross & The Supremes
67 ( 69 ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
68 ( 74 ) BABY YOU COME ROLLING ‘CROSS MY MIND The Peppermint Trolley Company
69 ( 73 ) D.W. WASHBURN The Monkees
70 ( 72 ) GRAZING IN THE GRASS Hugh Masekela

71 ( NEW ) HERE COMES THE JUDGE Pigmeat Markham
72 ( NEW ) DON’T BREAK MY PRETTY BALLOON Vikki Carr
73 ( NEW ) FACE IT GIRL IT’S OVER Nancy Wilson
74 ( NEW ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
75 ( NEW ) WITH PEN IN HAND Bobby Vera

 

15th June 1968

It’s straight in on top for R. Dean Taylor, one of the few white Motown acts of the time, and his British hit Gotta See Jane, a brilliant Northern Soul epic, complete with splishin splashin, skiddin’ motor car dash themed backdrop, and future 1974 and 21st century chart-topper for me. It came back as one of the several follow-ups to the classic 1974 There’s A Ghost In My House reissued UK smash. That came out in April 1967 and it never got spotted last year by anyone so it missed out on 1967 charting, which is outrageous – so I’m going to be revisiting my Retro charts of that period and shuffling them appropriately. Tut!

In at 10 it’s the fab Cupid’s Inspiration track Yesterday Has Gone, nicely OTT, and at 39 Esther & Abi are back with the very weird but whimsical One More Dance – much better than Cinderella Rockefella these days and never played. There is an insipid version on youtube so make sure you get the right one, the best version is all Addams Family-styled. Johnny Mathis does an identikit cover of the Frankie Avalon teen classic Venus, nice it is too, Tammy Wynette is also in with an early entry for her 1975 follow-up UK hit to Stand By Your Man, the very cheerful D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Much funnier than the Billy Connolly p*ss-take.

Gene Pitney’s back with a Northern Soul effort, The Turtles get a helping hand from a Nilsson song, The Vibrations get some Gamble & Huff action, and John Rowles sneaks into my lower end for a second time. Ooooerrr missus titter ye not.

1 ( NEW ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
2 ( 1 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
3 ( 6 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
4 ( 2 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
5 ( 9 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
6 ( 4 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
7 ( 3 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
8 ( 8 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
9 ( 7 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
10 ( NEW ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration

11 ( 5 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
12 ( 11 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
13 ( 13 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
14 ( 14 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
15 ( 12 ) NEXT Scott Walker
16 ( 17 ) BOY Lulu
17 ( 10 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel
18 ( 19 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
19 ( 20 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes
20 ( 21 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade

21 ( 15 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
22 ( 16 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
23 ( 18 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
24 ( 23 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
25 ( 27 ) THINK Aretha Franklin
26 ( 28 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
27 ( 24 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
28 ( 22 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
29 ( 29 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
30 ( 25 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood

31 ( 37 ) BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS December’s Children
32 ( 33 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
33 ( 39 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
34 ( 30 ) VALLERI The Monkees
35 ( 31 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
36 ( 48 ) YOUNG BOY Barbara Greene featuring The Dells
37 ( 38 ) YOUR GROOVY SELF Nancy Sinatra
38 ( 34 ) I’M SORRY The Delfonics
39 ( NEW ) ONE MORE DANCE Esther & Abi Ofarim
40 ( 35 ) MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel

41 ( 36 ) LOVE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP Robert Knight
42 ( 44 ) SAFE IN MY GARDEN The Mamas & The Papas
43 ( 40 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
44 ( NEW ) VENUS Johnny Mathis
45 ( 60 ) WHERE IS TOMORROW Cilla Black
46 ( 46 ) INDIAN LAKE The Cowsills
47 ( 41 ) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE Dionne Warwick
48 ( 55 ) YOUR TIME HASN’T COME YET BABY Elvis Presley
49 ( 32 ) FRIENDS The Beach Boys
50 ( 42 ) BABY COME BACK The Equals featuring Eddy Grant

51 ( 26 ) HE DON’T REALLY LOVE YOU The Delfonics
52 ( 49 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
53 ( 47 ) A STONE GOOD LOVER Jo Armstead
54 ( 56 ) LET ME BE LONELY Dionne Warwick
55 ( 63 ) ELEANOR RIGBY Ray Charles
56 ( 53 ) DELILAH Tom Jones
57 ( 57 ) LOVIN’ SEASON Gene & Debbe
58 ( 54 ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
59 ( 50 ) FOREVER CAME TODAY Diana Ross & The Supremes
60 ( 66 ) SOME THINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO Diana Ross & The Supremes

61 ( 51 ) ELUSIVE DREAMS Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
62 ( 67 ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
63 ( 72 ) DON’T BREAK MY PRETTY BALLOON Vikki Carr
64 ( 69 ) D.W. WASHBURN The Monkees
65 ( NEW ) D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Tammy Wynette
66 ( 75 ) WITH PEN IN HAND Billy Vera
67 ( 71 ) HERE COMES THE JUDGE Pigmeat Markham
68 ( 68 ) BABY YOU COME ROLLING ‘CROSS MY MIND The Peppermint Trolley Company
69 ( 74 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
70 ( 43 ) AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

71 ( NEW ) SHE’S A HEARTBREAKER Gene Pitney
72 ( NEW ) THE STORY OF ROCK AND ROLL The Turtles
73 ( NEW ) LOVE IN THEM THERE HILLS The Vibrations
74 ( 45 ) JOANNA Scott Walker
75 ( NEW ) HUSH NOT A WORD TO MARY John Rowles

 

22nd June 1968

It’s a 2nd week on top for R. Dean Taylor, equalling Ghost In My House in 1967, and keeping off the fab Classical Gas. Johnny Mathis has a very unexpected surge from 44 to 10 with his lovely cover of Venus – OK it didn’t fit in with 1968 music scenes, but it’s lush and classy and I could easily see it ironically on a cult dark movie soundtrack, say David Lynch or Tarantino. One of my ab fab faves of the time is in at 12 for Bruce Channel – his best record, if not his most famous (Hey Baby is that), is Keep On. Just behind the madness that is Fire. I know of someone who used it as the final song at his cremation as the coffin chugged along. Having a laugh, I think!

Glen Campbell’s gorgeous Housewife is in at 15 – not one to play on the radio these days though, the sentiment might be well-meaning but it’s a bit out-of-step with 2018. The Mamas & The Papas, and Cilla, both add to the top 40’s, as The O’Jays get a second 1968 entry, Randy Newman gets his first chart hit (he’s in my current chart this very week with Rex Orange County) as an artist, and a second as songwriter, and I Think It’s Going To Rain would eventually make the UK charts in 1980 for UB40. The Doors over-rated Hello I Love You pops in ahead of a later reissue in decades to come, The Dells grab a third entry, quite the dramatic piece this one, and Vince Hill gives Gilbert Becaud a song in my charts 7 years ahead of his own whimsical With Love & Understanding – there are, it must be said, better versions of The Importance Of Your Love than Vince’s.

1 ( 1 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
2 ( 3 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
3 ( 10 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
4 ( 9 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
5 ( 2 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
6 ( 8 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
7 ( 4 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
8 ( 6 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
9 ( 5 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
10 ( 44 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis

11 ( 7 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
12 ( NEW ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel
13 ( NEW ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
14 ( 18 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
15 ( NEW ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell
16 ( 13 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
17 ( 14 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
18 ( 11 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
19 ( 15 ) NEXT Scott Walker
20 ( 26 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge

21 ( 12 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
22 ( 16 ) BOY Lulu
23 ( 19 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes
24 ( 21 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
25 ( 23 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
26 ( 29 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
27 ( 17 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel
28 ( 33 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
29 ( 22 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
30 ( 24 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell

31 ( 39 ) ONE MORE DANCE Esther & Abi Ofarim
32 ( 32 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
33 ( 30 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
34 ( 36 ) YOUNG BOY Barbara Greene featuring The Dells
35 ( 27 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
36 ( 28 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover
37 ( 37 ) YOUR GROOVY SELF Nancy Sinatra
38 ( 20 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade
39 ( 42 ) SAFE IN MY GARDEN The Mamas & The Papas
40 ( 45 ) WHERE IS TOMORROW Cilla Black

41 ( 34 ) VALLERI The Monkees
42 ( 35 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
43 ( 25 ) THINK Aretha Franklin
44 ( 46 ) INDIAN LAKE The Cowsills
45 ( 38 ) I’M SORRY The Delfonics
46 ( 48 ) YOUR TIME HASN’T COME YET BABY Elvis Presley
47 ( 40 ) MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel
48 ( 43 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
49 ( 31 ) BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS December’s Children
50 ( 54 ) LET ME BE LONELY Dionne Warwick

51 ( 55 ) ELEANOR RIGBY Ray Charles
52 ( 62 ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
53 ( 47 ) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE Dionne Warwick
54 ( 52 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
55 ( 66 ) WITH PEN IN HAND Billy Vera
56 ( 41 ) LOVE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP Robert Knight
57 ( 57 ) LOVIN’ SEASON Gene & Debbe
58 ( 63 ) DON’T BREAK MY PRETTY BALLOON Vikki Carr
59 ( 65 ) D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Tammy Wynette
60 ( 60 ) SOME THINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO Diana Ross & The Supremes

61 ( 69 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
62 ( 64 ) D.W. WASHBURN The Monkees
63 ( 56 ) DELILAH Tom Jones
64 ( 58 ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
65 ( NEW ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays
66 ( 67 ) HERE COMES THE JUDGE Pigmeat Markham
67 ( 50 ) BABY COME BACK The Equals featuring Eddy Grant
68 ( 71 ) SHE’S A HEARTBREAKER Gene Pitney
69 ( 72 ) THE STORY OF ROCK AND ROLL The Turtles
70 ( NEW ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman

71 ( 61 ) ELUSIVE DREAMS Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
72 ( 73 ) LOVE IN THEM THERE HILLS The Vibrations
73 ( NEW ) HELLO I LOVE YOU The Doors
74 ( NEW ) STAY IN MY CORNER The Dells
75 ( NEW ) THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR LOVE Vince Hill

 

29th June 1968

It’s straight in at 1 for the 3rd chart-topper for Dave Dee & Co, presiding over a great influx of entries, many of them future chart-toppers in my charts as oldies, not least Last Night In Soho. I liked the record at the time, but had half-forgotten it by the time I bought a 1968 compilation album in 1976, and immediately I became obsessed by the epic sound of it, played it to death, but didn’t chart it as it wasn’t officially re-issued. By the time Dave Dee reformed for a final tour with the gang the hits album charted giving me an excuse to let it top my charts for ooh 9 weeks or so in the noughties. It’s their greatest record and a vastly unappreciated Howard/Blaikley moment of genius following on another moment.

That means Jose Feliciano covering The Doors brilliantly, and giving Light My Fire a UK chart presence and a template for a future Will Young UK chart-topper. The song is flawless, it can be covered in any number of styles and still sound great – unlike The Doors actual hit Hello I Love You hovering at 73, dreary in comparison to Light My Fire. Glen Campbell keeps up the top 10’s with a track off my first ever album This Is Glen Campbell, and Mama Cass, a huge fave of mine, is in with the sweet 50’s pseudo-ragtime stylee Dream A Little Dream Of Me and the sign was on the wall for a solo career.

In at 17, a song I loved in Singapore 1970 in (of course) a cover version by The 5th Dimension, Laura Nyro’s song written following the assassination of Robert Kennedy which was a huge jolt and a massively-changing experience for the USA: Save The Country is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago, moreso as it applies to the attacks on democracy across the world, and especially the USA. In at 18, the Easy Rider movie song as timelessly recorded by Steppenwolf, the ultimate motorcycle metal song Born To Be Wild. It eventually charted in the UK, and again in the 90’s shortly after I’d seen them perform it. I have the footage on video. Where’s the last place you would expect to see a Motorcycle rock song….? Disney? Yes, that’s right, at Epcot. Each summer in the 90’s they had 60’s acts doing hits-based concerts. The other one I caught was Peter Noone, doing Herman’s Hermits back catalogue.

In at 20, Roy Orbison’s last dramatic ballad till Jeff Lynne resurrected his recording career, Walk On is fab. At 32, The Moody Blues have an American severe edit of Tuesday Afternoon, which actually works in it’s own right for me, and at 39 the cricketing eternal soundtrack Soul Limbo for Booker T. 50 years and still well-known. At 58 it’s Al Wilson and a future 1975 Northern Soul UK chart hit, The Snake is still played by Steve Wright a lot, despite Donald Trump’s despicable attempts to pervert the song into a rallying call against Hillary Clinton & Angela Merkel in his detestable blatant misogyny.

At 59 The Toys are back for a final fling, a couple of years after the fab Lovers Concerto, this time it’s a cover of Sealed With a Kiss, Brian Hyland’s oldie and yet another 1975 UK charting oldie (and Jason Donovan chart-topper) – but with a difference in this instance. It’s the oldest record I’ve come across which is utterly and obviously disco. This is the sound of the mid to late 70’s screaming out to be noticed. It wasn’t. The Toys folded when it flopped, and disco had to wait a few years to break out. The Intruders are back playing baseball, Eddie Floyd has a good ballad, Neil Diamond pops in with one I’d never heard of, and ditto Sly & The Family Stone.

1 ( NEW ) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 3 ) YESTERDAY HAS GONE Cupid’s Inspiration
3 ( 1 ) GOTTA SEE JANE R. Dean Taylor
4 ( 2 ) CLASSICAL GAS Mason Williams
5 ( 6 ) LADY WILLPOWER Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
6 ( NEW ) LIGHT MY FIRE Jose Feliciano
7 ( 5 ) MY NAME IS JACK Manfred Mann
8 ( 7 ) RAINBOW CHASER Nirvana
9 ( 12 ) KEEP ON Bruce Channel
10 ( 15 ) DREAMS OF THE EVERYDAY HOUSEWIFE Glen Campbell

11 ( 9 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC The 5th Dimension
12 ( NEW ) DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME Mama Cass
13 ( 13 ) FIRE The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
14 ( 4 ) JUMPING JACK FLASH The Rolling Stones
15 ( 8 ) THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU Herb Alpert
16 ( 10 ) VENUS Johnny Mathis
17 ( NEW ) SAVE THE COUNTRY Laura Nyro
18 ( NEW ) BORN TO BE WILD Steppenwolf
19 ( 11 ) MACARTHUR PARK Richard Harris
20 ( NEW ) WALK ON Roy Orbison

21 ( 16 ) THIS WHEEL’S ON FIRE Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity
22 ( 17 ) A MAN WITHOUT LOVE Engelbert Humperdinck
23 ( 19 ) NEXT Scott Walker
24 ( 18 ) (WE’LL BE) UNITED Peaches & Herb
25 ( 14 ) IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME Gladys Knight & The Pips
26 ( 20 ) BLUE EYES Don Partridge
27 ( 21 ) STONED SOUL PICNIC Laura Nyro
28 ( 25 ) WHITE HORSES Jackie
29 ( 31 ) ONE MORE DANCE Esther & Abi Ofarim
30 ( 22 ) BOY Lulu

31 ( 24 ) ANGEL OF THE MORNING Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
32 ( NEW ) TUESDAY AFTERNOON (FOREVER TUESDAY) The Moody Blues
33 ( 23 ) A MINHA MENINA Os Mutantes
34 ( 30 ) ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY Glen Campbell
35 ( 33 ) SUNDOWN, SUNDOWN Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
36 ( 28 ) THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN B. J. Thomas
37 ( 26 ) HANG ‘EM HIGH Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
38 ( 35 ) MONY MONY Tommy James & The Shondells
39 ( NEW ) SOUL LIMBO Booker T. & The MG’s
40 ( 36 ) RAINBOW VALLEY The Love Affair featuring Sue Glover

41 ( 29 ) REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS Friend & Lover
42 ( 34 ) YOUNG BOY Barbara Greene featuring The Dells
43 ( 40 ) WHERE IS TOMORROW Cilla Black
44 ( 42 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
45 ( 41 ) VALLERI The Monkees
46 ( 38 ) LOVIN’ THINGS Marmalade
47 ( 55 ) WITH PEN IN HAND Billy Vera
48 ( 44 ) INDIAN LAKE The Cowsills
49 ( 52 ) THERE AIN’T NOTHIN’ LIKE A SONG Elvis Presley & Nancy Sinatra
50 ( 27 ) AMERICA Simon & Garfunkel

51 ( 37 ) YOUR GROOVY SELF Nancy Sinatra
52 ( 48 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
53 ( 32 ) HURDY GURDY MAN Donovan
54 ( 61 ) FORGET ME NOT Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
55 ( 47 ) MRS ROBINSON Simon & Garfunkel
56 ( 59 ) D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Tammy Wynette
57 ( 54 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
58 ( NEW ) THE SNAKE Al Wilson
59 ( NEW ) SEALED WITH A KISS The Toys
60 ( 65 ) LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER The O’Jays

61 ( 43 ) THINK Aretha Franklin
62 ( 39 ) SAFE IN MY GARDEN The Mamas & The Papas
63 ( NEW ) I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) Eddie Floyd
64 ( 49 ) BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS December’s Children
65 ( 53 ) DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO SAN JOSE Dionne Warwick
66 ( 66 ) HERE COMES THE JUDGE Pigmeat Markham
67 ( 69 ) THE STORY OF ROCK AND ROLL The Turtles
68 ( 68 ) SHE’S A HEARTBREAKER Gene Pitney
69 ( NEW ) (LOVE IS LIKE A) BASEBALL GAME The Intruders
70 ( 70 ) I THINK IT’S GOING TO RAIN TODAY Randy Newman

71 ( NEW ) TWO-BIT MANCHILD Neil Diamond
72 ( 58 ) DON’T BREAK MY PRETTY BALLOON Vikki Carr
73 ( 73 ) HELLO I LOVE YOU The Doors
74 ( 50 ) LET ME BE LONELY Dionne Warwick
75 ( NEW ) LIFE Sly & The Family Stone

My Retro February 1968 Charts

3rd february 1968

It’s a first week on top for the then-recently-late Otis Redding’s classic, talk about going out on top. One that popped “back” into my charts in 1974 and again topping in the 21st Century – actually 1974 was it’s debut as I didn’t start my actual charting till later in 1968 and these are what I like now. I will post a comparison chart when I get to my actual UK-top-30-based-only charts versus what I like now – I’m enjoying discovering stuff new to me and seeing how my tastes have changed with age.

In at 9, highest new entry is the loveable Louis Armstrong and his optimistic sentimental heart-tugger. It actually works best when shown against images of what a horrible world it can be thanks to Man. A big leap for The Delfonics, much more cult these days than in those days, and the chirpy melodic Cowsills is one I would have gone mad on as a kiddie, had I ever heard it. Reparata’s ship leaps into the 30, as befits one I actually WAS mad on (but then I was rather mad on lots of pop songs), and Madeline Bell’s I’m Gonna Make You Love Me enters at 34, I didn’t know the song till the Diana & co version, but I picked it up on a “1968 Chartbusters” LP around 1976 along with some other fab tracks still to chart. I love Madeline and Blue Mink, very under-rated.

The Fire Brigade brings teenage hero Roy Wood back into the charts, and Don Partridge was huge for 12 months on TV at the time, debuting with Rosie. Sandie Shaw is back again, ditto The Monkees with a Nilsson song, Gladys Knight, & Curtis Mayfield aka The Impressions doing an early Move On Up hook. Leonard Cohen sneaks in, he last charted with new material last year, pretty much 50 years give or take with whole decades missed out (70’s) and covers in between. The Pretty Things pop in with an obscurity, after the buzz had gone, but it’s good.

1 ( 7 ) (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY Otis Redding
2 ( 1 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
3 ( 3 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
4 ( 2 ) EVERLASTING LOVE The Love Affair
5 ( 4 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues
6 ( 8 ) PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN Status Quo
7 ( 5 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
8 ( 6 ) FOOL ON THE HILL The Beatles
9 ( NEW ) WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD Louis Armstrong
10 ( 9 ) WALK AWAY RENEE The Four Tops

11 ( 11 ) KITES Simon Dupree & The Big Sound
12 ( 12 ) JACKIE Scott Walker
13 ( 18 ) SUDDENLY YOU LOVE ME The Tremeloes
14 ( 22 ) DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL The Alan Price Set
15 ( 10 ) COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Ray Charles
16 ( 43 ) LA-LA MEANS I LOVE YOU The Delfonics
17 ( 15 ) WORLD The Bee Gees
18 ( 20 ) YOU’RE YOUNG AND YOU’LL FORGET Glen Campbell
19 ( 30 ) WE CAN FLY The Cowsills
20 ( 16 ) MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR The Beatles

21 ( 14 ) LOVE IS BLUE Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra
22 ( 23 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN The Foundations
23 ( 25 ) TOMORROW NEVER COMES Glen Campbell
24 ( 17 ) YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW The Beatles
25 ( 13 ) ONE Harry Nilsson
26 ( 26 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME Amen Corner
27 ( 21 ) I AM THE WALRUS The Beatles
28 ( 19 ) HEY LITTLE ONE Glen Campbell
29 ( 47 ) CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP Reparata & The Delrons
30 ( 36 ) MIGHTY QUINN Manfred Mann

31 ( 24 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees
32 ( 34 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Etta James
33 ( 29 ) DIFFERENT DRUM The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt
34 ( NEW ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Madeline Bell
35 ( 38 ) ANNIVERSARY WALTZ Anita Harris
36 ( 40 ) I CAN TAKE OR LEAVE YOUR LOVING Herman’s Hermits
37 ( 28 ) PARADISE LOST The Herd
38 ( 27 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME The American Breed
39 ( 32 ) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Lalo Schifrin
40 ( 35 ) GREEN TAMBOURINE The Lemon Pipers

41 ( 37 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
42 ( 48 ) DANCE TO THE MUSIC Sly & The Family Stone
43 ( 33 ) BACK UP TRAIN Al Green & The Soul Mates
44 ( 31 ) KITTY Cat Stevens
45 ( NEW ) FIRE BRIGADE The Move
46 ( 41 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
47 ( NEW ) ROSIE Don Partridge
48 ( 53 ) GUITAR MAN Elvis Presley
49 ( 39 ) YOU Marvin Gaye
50 ( 52 ) I WISH IT WOULD RAIN The Temptations

51 ( 42 ) SPOOKY Classics IV
52 ( 57 ) THAT’S ALL RIGHT Brenda Lee
53 ( 60 ) A QUESTION OF TEMPERATURE The Balloon Farm
54 ( 44 ) THERE IS The Dells
55 ( 62 ) SIMON SAYS 1910 Fruitgum Company
56 ( 65 ) TRY IT Ohio Express
57 ( 46 ) SHE’S A RAINBOW The Rolling Stones
58 ( 49 ) DARLIN’ The Beach Boys
59 ( 51 ) WHAT AM I DOING HANGIN’ ROUND? The Monkees
60 ( 56 ) WEAR YOUR LOVE LIKE HEAVEN Donovan

61 ( 63 ) CARPET MAN The 5th Dimension
62 ( 50 ) BIRDS OF A FEATHER Joe South
63 ( 45 ) DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO Al Wilson
64 ( 68 ) DEAR DELILAH Grapefruit
65 ( 55 ) THE OTHER MAN’S GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER Petula Clark
66 ( 58 ) ZABADAK! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
67 ( 71 ) JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE WHAT CONDITION MY CONDITION WAS IN) Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
68 ( NEW ) TODAY Sandie Shaw
69 ( NEW ) TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES The Pretty Things
70 ( 54 ) AM I THAT EASY TO FORGET Engelbert Humperdinck

71 ( NEW ) CUDDLY TOY The Monkees
72 ( 61 ) EVERYBODY KNOWS The Dave Clark Five
73 ( NEW ) THE END OF OUR ROAD Gladys Knight & The Pips
74 ( NEW ) WE’RE A WINNER The Impressions
75 ( NEW ) SISTERS OF MERCY Leonard Cohen

 

10th February 1967

It’s straight in at 1 for one of yet 2 more tracks from my dad’s vinyl (Australian)16 Big Hits album, and a major classic to any kids catching Dave Dee on Top Of The Pops with the Spanish sounds of The Legend Of Xanadu and his whip and leather trousers. I was SO happy to catch Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich reunited for one last tour a year or two before Dave’s sad passing, such a great under-rated back-catalogue of singles – and this one isn’t even the jewel in the crown for me, though it’s close. The other track on the album was also a UK chart-topper – but not until October! The Good The Bad & The Ugly is the second Hugo Montenegro cover of a Spaghetti western classic theme, and it will appear again later in the year when I start showcasing my charts as they were then (I started in September) but in the meantime I’m carrying on doing charts as if there was streaming in 1967 – as in, available everywhere in the world at the same time, and everything eligible to chart.

Talking of which, the Love classic flop (later covered in 1987 by The Damned very well) Alone Again Or was released in January and since it never charted is entering here and now at 3, in case no-one else picks up on it as a Bubbling Under or whatever. It’s a work of genius, understated, moody and flamenco-ish to boot. The Delfonics go top 10 for the first time (I was out the country in 1971 when it charted in the UK, so I didn’t get to hear it till a year or so later, post-chart-run) with the fab future much-sampled and Swing Out Sister hit covered, La La Means I Love You. At 10, The Cowsills get a second top 10 – not bad for a melodic pop ditty I’d never heard until a few weeks ago, but which I’m currently obsessed by on my car CD.

Had I been charting in Feb 1968 the record most-likely to have topped my chart enters at 52, Esther & Abi Ofarim – I was a huge fan of Morticia-like Esther and the song. My love hasn’t stayed over the years, but it’s sweet enough in an oddball fashion. O.C. Smith is another US (minor) hit I associate with being bigger later in the year, but at the time I totally thought it was a Tramp – a stick and rolled-up hanging bag, top-hat-wearing moth-eaten be-suited Hobo. How naive I was! I always wondered what Hickory Holler was doing hanging around with a Tramp! O.C had to wait 9 years for another hit.

Otis gets knocked off the top spot, but posthumously covers the Temptations classic to great effect, new in, Pet Clark has a melodic minor one I actually do know, and ditto Sky Pilot, but the rest of the new entries are all new to me. Billy Vera & Judy Clay get a second entry with a good country-soul blend, Bowie improves on The Laughing Gnome and somehow I have managed to never hear this one in my life! Who Knew! Raymond Levere, is lush and instrumental and very 1968, but nice, and that’s all folks!

1 ( NEW ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 1 ) (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY Otis Redding
3 ( NEW ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
4 ( 2 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
5 ( 9 ) WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD Louis Armstrong
6 ( 3 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
7 ( 5 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues
8 ( 16 ) LA-LA MEANS I LOVE YOU The Delfonics
9 ( 4 ) EVERLASTING LOVE The Love Affair
10 ( 19 ) WE CAN FLY The Cowsills

11 ( 7 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
12 ( 6 ) PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN Status Quo
13 ( 8 ) FOOL ON THE HILL The Beatles
14 ( 11 ) KITES Simon Dupree & The Big Sound
15 ( 10 ) WALK AWAY RENEE The Four Tops
16 ( NEW ) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
17 ( 12 ) JACKIE Scott Walker
18 ( 14 ) DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL The Alan Price Set
19 ( 34 ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Madeline Bell
20 ( 23 ) TOMORROW NEVER COMES Glen Campbell

21 ( 17 ) WORLD The Bee Gees
22 ( 22 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN The Foundations
23 ( 13 ) SUDDENLY YOU LOVE ME The Tremeloes
24 ( 20 ) MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR The Beatles
25 ( 15 ) COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Ray Charles
26 ( 29 ) CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP Reparata & The Delrons
27 ( 18 ) YOU’RE YOUNG AND YOU’LL FORGET Glen Campbell
28 ( 30 ) MIGHTY QUINN Manfred Mann
29 ( 27 ) I AM THE WALRUS The Beatles
30 ( 36 ) I CAN TAKE OR LEAVE YOUR LOVING Herman’s Hermits

31 ( 25 ) ONE Harry Nilsson
32 ( 24 ) YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW The Beatles
33 ( 21 ) LOVE IS BLUE Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra
34 ( 31 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees
35 ( 26 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME Amen Corner
36 ( 33 ) DIFFERENT DRUM The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt
37 ( 32 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Etta James
38 ( 42 ) DANCE TO THE MUSIC Sly & The Family Stone
39 ( 45 ) FIRE BRIGADE The Move
40 ( 47 ) ROSIE Don Partridge

41 ( 35 ) ANNIVERSARY WALTZ Anita Harris
42 ( 28 ) HEY LITTLE ONE Glen Campbell
43 ( 48 ) GUITAR MAN Elvis Presley
44 ( 50 ) I WISH IT WOULD RAIN The Temptations
45 ( 41 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
46 ( 53 ) A QUESTION OF TEMPERATURE The Balloon Farm
47 ( 56 ) TRY IT Ohio Express
48 ( 46 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
49 ( 37 ) PARADISE LOST The Herd
50 ( 52 ) THAT’S ALL RIGHT Brenda Lee

51 ( 40 ) GREEN TAMBOURINE The Lemon Pipers
52 ( NEW ) CINDERELLA ROCKEFELLA Esther & Abi Ofarim
53 ( 38 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME The American Breed
54 ( 55 ) SIMON SAYS 1910 Fruitgum Company
55 ( NEW ) THE SON OF HICKORY HOLLER’S TRAMP O.C. Smith
56 ( 39 ) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Lalo Schifrin
57 ( 69 ) TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES The Pretty Things
58 ( 43 ) BACK UP TRAIN Al Green & The Soul Mates
59 ( NEW ) MY GIRL Otis Redding
60 ( 61 ) CARPET MAN The 5th Dimension

61 ( 51 ) SPOOKY Classics IV
62 ( 71 ) CUDDLY TOY The Monkees
63 ( 68 ) TODAY Sandie Shaw
64 ( 64 ) DEAR DELILAH Grapefruit
65 ( NEW ) KISS ME GOODBYE Petula Clark
66 ( 74 ) WE’RE A WINNER The Impressions
67 ( 67 ) JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE WHAT CONDITION MY CONDITION WAS IN) Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
68 ( 44 ) KITTY Cat Stevens
69 ( NEW ) IN THE HEAT OF THE MORNING David Bowie
70 ( NEW ) SOUL COAXING (AME CALINE) Raymond Lefevre & His Orchestra

71 ( 49 ) YOU Marvin Gaye
72 ( NEW ) COUNTRY GIRL – CITY MAN Billy Vera & Judy Clay
73 ( 73 ) THE END OF OUR ROAD Gladys Knight & The Pips
74 ( 54 ) THERE IS The Dells
75 ( NEW ) SKY PILOT Eric Burden & The Animals

 

17th February 1968

2 weeks on top for the epic Xanadu, keeping the almost-as-epic Love at 2, and the gorgeously sentimental Louis at 3. Highest new entry is a second top 10 for Gary Puckett, Union Gap and their ever-changing credits, in at 9 for Young Girl, back in 1974 the record voted the UK’s fave oldie, which triggered a reissue hit and a number one in my charts of the time. yet again another “16 Big Hits” Aussie compilation track, so another song that remained a key dramatic pop track throughout the early 70’s. It also offers reasonable advice to wannabe popstars when faced with too-young fans who look older than they are. R. Kelly clearly never listened to it.

Hugo M goes top 10 8 months earlier than he actually did in my charts of late ’68, the cool Roger Miller brings his Little Green Apples in at 23, a subtle and classy track still, and deserves to be better known. Deep Purple (sort of) enter with a cover of Green Tambourine one spot behind the original, and Donovan simpers about Jennifer Juniper whimsically, while Simon & Garfunkel are back with a 2-year-old folk album track, from Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme, which inspired The Herbs. Sort of.

In at 67, an obscure band with an obscure pop song, quite decent though, although the melody is more than a little bit like I Can Hear Music, the future Beach Boys hit as done originally by The Ronettes and purely by co-incidence one of the musicians on The Ronettes and other Phil Spector productions (along with other musician mates who helped on The Parade tracks such as Hal Blaine), Jerry Riopelle, co-wrote and sang on this along with actor friend Murray MacLeod, and co-written help from Stuart Margolin – later better known as the wonderful Angel in The Rockford Files. I had never heard the song before this week.

Future Walker Brothers 1976 hit debuts for Tom Rush, No Regrets from me cos it’s a great song, though the biggest version was Midge Ure’s 1982 release. I think I’d plump for the Walker Brothers though, on balance. The Sweet Inspirations, Elvis’ backing band, are back giving Whitney Houston’s mum and early chart appearance. That leaves Smokey Robinson and Ray Charles to add to their tally of chart hits, both building up nicely during 1967.

1 ( 1 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 3 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
3 ( 5 ) WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD Louis Armstrong
4 ( 4 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
5 ( 2 ) (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY Otis Redding
6 ( 8 ) LA-LA MEANS I LOVE YOU The Delfonics
7 ( 6 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
8 ( 10 ) WE CAN FLY The Cowsills
9 ( NEW ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
10 ( 16 ) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus

11 ( 7 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues
12 ( 11 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
13 ( 9 ) EVERLASTING LOVE The Love Affair
14 ( 14 ) KITES Simon Dupree & The Big Sound
15 ( 13 ) FOOL ON THE HILL The Beatles
16 ( 12 ) PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN Status Quo
17 ( 19 ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Madeline Bell
18 ( 15 ) WALK AWAY RENEE The Four Tops
19 ( 20 ) TOMORROW NEVER COMES Glen Campbell
20 ( 17 ) JACKIE Scott Walker

21 ( 18 ) DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL The Alan Price Set
22 ( 26 ) CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP Reparata & The Delrons
23 ( NEW ) LITTLE GREEN APPLES Roger Miller
24 ( 28 ) MIGHTY QUINN Manfred Mann
25 ( 21 ) WORLD The Bee Gees
26 ( 24 ) MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR The Beatles
27 ( 22 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN The Foundations
28 ( 40 ) ROSIE Don Partridge
29 ( 27 ) YOU’RE YOUNG AND YOU’LL FORGET Glen Campbell
30 ( 30 ) I CAN TAKE OR LEAVE YOUR LOVING Herman’s Hermits

31 ( 23 ) SUDDENLY YOU LOVE ME The Tremeloes
32 ( 25 ) COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Ray Charles
33 ( 29 ) I AM THE WALRUS The Beatles
34 ( 38 ) DANCE TO THE MUSIC Sly & The Family Stone
35 ( 39 ) FIRE BRIGADE The Move
36 ( 34 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees
37 ( 46 ) A QUESTION OF TEMPERATURE The Balloon Farm
38 ( 31 ) ONE Harry Nilsson
39 ( 36 ) DIFFERENT DRUM The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt
40 ( 43 ) GUITAR MAN Elvis Presley

41 ( 32 ) YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW The Beatles
42 ( 33 ) LOVE IS BLUE Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra
43 ( 35 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME Amen Corner
44 ( 47 ) TRY IT Ohio Express
45 ( 55 ) THE SON OF HICKORY HOLLER’S TRAMP O.C. Smith
46 ( 59 ) MY GIRL Otis Redding
47 ( 45 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
48 ( 52 ) CINDERELLA ROCKEFELLA Esther & Abi Ofarim
49 ( 37 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Etta James
50 ( 48 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell

51 ( 41 ) ANNIVERSARY WALTZ Anita Harris
52 ( 42 ) HEY LITTLE ONE Glen Campbell
53 ( 63 ) TODAY Sandie Shaw
54 ( 62 ) CUDDLY TOY The Monkees
55 ( 65 ) KISS ME GOODBYE Petula Clark
56 ( 49 ) PARADISE LOST The Herd
57 ( 51 ) GREEN TAMBOURINE The Lemon Pipers
58 ( NEW ) GREEN TAMBOURINE Sun Dragon
59 ( NEW ) JENNIFER JUNIPER Donovan
60 ( 67 ) JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE WHAT CONDITION MY CONDITION WAS IN) Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

61 ( NEW ) SCARBOROUGH FAIR (CANTICLE) Simon & Garfunkel
62 ( 54 ) SIMON SAYS 1910 Fruitgum Company
63 ( 70 ) SOUL COAXING (AME CALINE) Raymond Lefevre & His Orchestra
64 ( 66 ) WE’RE A WINNER The Impressions
65 ( 75 ) SKY PILOT Eric Burden & The Animals
66 ( 69 ) IN THE HEAT OF THE MORNING David Bowie
67 ( NEW ) THE RADIO SONG The Parade
68 ( 50 ) THAT’S ALL RIGHT Brenda Lee
69 ( 44 ) I WISH IT WOULD RAIN The Temptations
70 ( 72 ) COUNTRY GIRL – CITY MAN Billy Vera & Judy Clay

71 ( NEW ) NO REGRETS Tom Rush
72 ( 73 ) THE END OF OUR ROAD Gladys Knight & The Pips
73 ( NEW ) SWEET INSPIRATION The Sweet Inspirations
74 ( NEW ) IF YOU CAN WAIT Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
75 ( NEW ) THAT’S A LIE Ray Charles

 

24th February 1968

It’s Xanadu for 3 weeks still holding off Love, for a very Spanish-flavoured top 2. There will be Portuguese-flavoured later in the year. The Delfonics hit 3 with the lush La-La beating Naughty Boy and Sam Smith’s La La La by decades and Massiels’ La La La La La La by months. It’s a great track, it works without the vocals as an instrumental, but the lyrics and vocals are the icing on the cake. The Cowsills continues to be a new obsession making it another top 5, I shouldnt love it in theory, but I do. Highest new entry is the melodramatic murdersong genius that is Delilah, and another 16 Big Hits key track that got played over and over through to 1971. people often seemed to be murdering in the 60’s, when they weren’t dying in motorbike crashes, lyric-wise. I can’t imagine these days the likes of Ed Sheeran getting all bitter and twisted by love, too busy simpering.

O.C. Smith’s ode to his fictional late mom (another 60’s theme) leaps into the 30, as Lulu leaps back into the 40 with Me The Peaceful Heart, one of my kiddie faves, tuneful pop with half of Led Zeppelin on it. Honest! Written by Tony Hazzard, of Ha ha Said The Clown and future fave Fox On The Run for Manfred Mann. Manfred going top 20 with Mighty Quinn, another Bob Dylan hit cover that is better than Dylan’s version. Pretty much most Dylan covers in fact, bar Like A Rolling Stone, Knocking On Heaven’s Door and Lay Lady Lay. Maybe.

Jeff Beck, another Micky Most act (see Lulu, Donovan etc etc), gets the 3rd hit version of Love Is Blue, and another future 1971 Northern Soul hit (see Delfonics) enters for The Formations, At The Top Of The Stairs being one I never got to hear in the 70’s. Marvin & Tammi get another duo entry, keeping a continuous presence on my charts that I never anticipated – I hadn’t realised just how often they charted in the USA at the time.

1 ( 1 ) THE LEGEND OF XANADU Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 2 ) ALONE AGAIN OR Love
3 ( 6 ) LA-LA MEANS I LOVE YOU The Delfonics
4 ( 8 ) WE CAN FLY The Cowsills
5 ( 9 ) YOUNG GIRL The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett
6 ( 3 ) WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD Louis Armstrong
7 ( 5 ) (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY Otis Redding
8 ( 4 ) SOME VELVET MORNING Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
9 ( 10 ) THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
10 ( NEW ) DELILAH Tom Jones

11 ( 7 ) WORDS The Bee Gees
12 ( 17 ) I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME Madeline Bell
13 ( 11 ) NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN The Moody Blues
14 ( 12 ) HELLO GOODBYE The Beatles
15 ( 23 ) LITTLE GREEN APPLES Roger Miller
16 ( 24 ) MIGHTY QUINN Manfred Mann
17 ( 16 ) PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN Status Quo
18 ( 14 ) KITES Simon Dupree & The Big Sound
19 ( 13 ) EVERLASTING LOVE The Love Affair
20 ( 22 ) CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP Reparata & The Delrons

21 ( 15 ) FOOL ON THE HILL The Beatles
22 ( 28 ) ROSIE Don Partridge
23 ( 18 ) WALK AWAY RENEE The Four Tops
24 ( 20 ) JACKIE Scott Walker
25 ( 19 ) TOMORROW NEVER COMES Glen Campbell
26 ( 21 ) DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL The Alan Price Set
27 ( 45 ) THE SON OF HICKORY HOLLER’S TRAMP O.C. Smith
28 ( 30 ) I CAN TAKE OR LEAVE YOUR LOVING Herman’s Hermits
29 ( 25 ) WORLD The Bee Gees
30 ( 26 ) MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR The Beatles

31 ( NEW ) ME THE PEACEFUL HEART Lulu
32 ( 35 ) FIRE BRIGADE The Move
33 ( 34 ) DANCE TO THE MUSIC Sly & The Family Stone
34 ( 37 ) A QUESTION OF TEMPERATURE The Balloon Farm
35 ( 29 ) YOU’RE YOUNG AND YOU’LL FORGET Glen Campbell
36 ( 46 ) MY GIRL Otis Redding
37 ( 33 ) I AM THE WALRUS The Beatles
38 ( 27 ) BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN The Foundations
39 ( 36 ) DAYDREAM BELIEVER The Monkees
40 ( 44 ) TRY IT Ohio Express

41 ( 48 ) CINDERELLA ROCKEFELLA Esther & Abi Ofarim
42 ( 32 ) COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Ray Charles
43 ( 39 ) DIFFERENT DRUM The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt
44 ( 38 ) ONE Harry Nilsson
45 ( 31 ) SUDDENLY YOU LOVE ME The Tremeloes
46 ( 40 ) GUITAR MAN Elvis Presley
47 ( 55 ) KISS ME GOODBYE Petula Clark
48 ( 41 ) YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW The Beatles
49 ( 53 ) TODAY Sandie Shaw
50 ( 54 ) CUDDLY TOY The Monkees

51 ( 47 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
52 ( 59 ) JENNIFER JUNIPER Donovan
53 ( 42 ) LOVE IS BLUE Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra
54 ( 50 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
55 ( 43 ) BEND ME SHAPE ME Amen Corner
56 ( 58 ) GREEN TAMBOURINE Sun Dragon
57 ( 64 ) WE’RE A WINNER The Impressions
58 ( 61 ) SCARBOROUGH FAIR (CANTICLE) Simon & Garfunkel
59 ( 66 ) IN THE HEAT OF THE MORNING David Bowie
60 ( 63 ) SOUL COAXING (AME CALINE) Raymond Lefevre & His Orchestra

61 ( 52 ) HEY LITTLE ONE Glen Campbell
62 ( 65 ) SKY PILOT Eric Burden & The Animals
63 ( 70 ) COUNTRY GIRL – CITY MAN Billy Vera & Judy Clay
64 ( 67 ) THE RADIO SONG The Parade
65 ( 51 ) ANNIVERSARY WALTZ Anita Harris
66 ( 71 ) NO REGRETS Tom Rush
67 ( 73 ) SWEET INSPIRATION The Sweet Inspirations
68 ( 72 ) THE END OF OUR ROAD Gladys Knight & The Pips
69 ( 57 ) GREEN TAMBOURINE The Lemon Pipers
70 ( NEW ) LOVE IS BLUE Jeff Beck

71 ( 74 ) IF YOU CAN WAIT Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
72 ( 56 ) PARADISE LOST The Herd
73 ( NEW ) AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS The Formations
74 ( 75 ) THAT’S A LIE Ray Charles
75 ( NEW ) IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

My Retro October 1967 Charts

7th October 1967

It’s 3 weeks on top for the fab Gibbs and their Massachussets, but it was a close call with the classic Jimmy Webb UK-non-hit, one of the greatest travesty’s in chart history, as Glen Campbell enters at 2 (where Gentle On My Mind peaked) with By The Time I Get To Phoenix. Dave Dee & co enter with their best track, despite a deliberate attempt from Howard & Blaikley to write a song with nonsense lyrics, cos it’s just a brilliant tune and production, and one I was mad on at the time. Very under-rated songwriter-producers, they could tackle multiple genres and make mini-pop-gems out of ’em.

Harry Nilsson gets his first top 10, and not his last, with the gorgeous Without Her – Jack Jones did a good cover, unlikely as it sounds, as I may have said already. New at 17, David McWilliams with another UK chart non-hit travesty, though Marc Almond and Trevor Horn took it into the top 5 in 1992 (and topped my chart), The Days Of Pearly Spencer. Nico enters at 31 with another non-UK-hit gem, in any version: 16-year-old precocious Jackson Browne wrote it, Nico did the first version of dozens, and 5 years ahead of Jackson Browne’s own version seeing the light of day. Mature in the extreme for a teenager, for me the definitive version was recorded in 2008 on Glen Campbell’s brilliant Meet Glen Campbell and should have been a single – it topped my charts and was one of my tracks of the decade, suiting a great singer nearing the end of his life and career more than one starting out.

In at 40, one new to me, Giant Sunflower, girl/boys harmony band sort of Mamas & Papas crossed with Middle Of The Road (in vocal style), and a very minor US chart entry, despite impeccable production credentials from Lou Adler and yet another of the many1967 covers of a Smokey Robinson song (The Miracles did it first). 60’s soul star Chuck Jackson pops in with another goodie new to me (he had many US hits, and his best-known song is I Keep Forgettin’ as covered by Michael McDonald) Shame On Me, funk legend George Clinton is back again for a second chart entry at 52, Gladys & her family are in with a song made immortal by Marvin Gaye (Berry Gordy shelved it and funked it up for a huge US hit), I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Shirley Bassey enters with a song that was all over British TV and radio for years, hugely well-known at the time and one of her signature tunes, Big Spender. The Kinks pop in with a future hit for The Jam, Barbara Randolph does a good Motown cover of a Holland-Dozier-Holland Four Tops song, Scott McKenzie gets a second John Phillips gift (not as good a prezzie this one though), Sandy Posey gets a 3rd chart entry of the year, and finally obscure band The Messengers tackle another Motown song: R. Dean Taylor’s Window Shopping (the only white songwriter on the label at the time, I think), which eventually became a UK single for R. Dean himself in 1974 following There’s A Ghost In My House and Gotta See Jane having Northern Soul chart success. It also charted in my charts then.

1 ( 1 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
2 ( NEW ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
3 ( 4 ) BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU The Foundations
4 ( 8 ) I CAN SEE FOR MILES The Who
5 ( 3 ) FROM THE UNDERWORLD The Herd
6 ( 9 ) (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN Aretha Franklin
7 ( 2 ) TO SIR WITH LOVE Lulu
8 ( NEW ) ZABADAK! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
9 ( 5 ) HOW CAN I BE SURE The Young Rascals
10 ( 16 ) WITHOUT HER Harry Nilsson

11 ( 6 ) THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS The Cowsills
12 ( 18 ) MATHILDE Scott Walker
13 ( 7 ) EXCERPT FROM ‘A TEENAGE OPERA’ Keith West
14 ( 20 ) SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART Gene Pitney
15 ( 10 ) REFLECTIONS Diana Ross & The Supremes
16 ( 12 ) YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
17 ( NEW ) THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER David McWilliams
18 ( 21 ) GET THE MESSAGE Brian Hyland
19 ( 15 ) LET’S GO TO SAN FRANCISCO The Flowerpot Men
20 ( 17 ) ODE TO BILLIE JOE Bobbie Gentry

21 ( 13 ) FLOWERS IN THE RAIN The Move
22 ( 23 ) HOLIDAY The Bee Gees
23 ( 19 ) THE DAY I MET MARIE Cliff Richard
24 ( 22 ) TAKE A LOOK Aretha Franklin
25 ( 11 ) EVERLASTING LOVE Robert Knight
26 ( 14 ) MONTAGUE TERRACE (IN BLUE) Scott Walker
27 ( 37 ) STRAIGHT SHOOTER The Mamas & The Papas
28 ( 29 ) HUSH Billy Joe Royal
29 ( 25 ) JILL Gary Lewis & The Playboys
30 ( 27 ) GET TOGETHER The Youngbloods

31 ( NEW ) THESE DAYS Nico
32 ( 26 ) TRY MY WORLD Georgie Fame
33 ( 24 ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
34 ( 38 ) LIGHTNING’S GIRL Nancy Sinatra
35 ( 32 ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles
36 ( 30 ) ANYTHING GOES Harpers Bizarre
37 ( 39 ) PATA PATA Miriam Makeba
38 ( 40 ) SOUL MAN Sam And Dave
39 ( 35 ) I FEEL GOOD (I FEEL BAD) The Lewis And Clarke Expedition featuring Mike Nesmith
40 ( NEW ) WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT GOOD-BYE Giant Sunflower

41 ( 31 ) YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY The Four Tops
42 ( 34 ) TWELVE THIRTY (YOUNG GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE CANYON) The Mamas & The Papas
43 ( 33 ) YOU’VE MADE ME SO VERY HAPPY Brenda Holloway
44 ( 28 ) THE LETTER The Box Tops
45 ( 46 ) AMSTERDAM Scott Walker
46 ( 54 ) IF THIS IS LOVE (I’D RATHER BE LONELY) The Precisions
47 ( NEW ) SHAME ON ME Chuck Jackson
48 ( 41 ) TO LOVE SOMEBODY The Bee Gees
49 ( 63 ) WHEN WILL THE GOOD APPLES FALL The Seekers
50 ( 65 ) KING MIDAS IN REVERSE The Hollies

51 ( 36 ) HOLE IN MY SHOE Traffic
52 ( NEW ) ALL YOUR GOODIES ARE GONE The Parliaments
53 ( 56 ) PEOPLE ARE STRANGE The Doors
54 ( 43 ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT The Hombres
55 ( 51 ) GENTLE ON MY MIND Glen Campbell
56 ( 52 ) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (JOHN BARRY MOVIE VERSION) Nancy Sinatra
57 ( 42 ) GIMME LITTLE SIGN Brenton Wood
58 ( 49 ) YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN The Turtles
59 ( 48 ) I MAKE A FOOL OF MYSELF Frankie Valli
60 ( 72 ) YOU’VE NOT CHANGED Sandie Shaw

61 ( 50 ) TELL HIM Patti Drew
62 ( 69 ) LOVELY RITA The Beatles
63 ( 57 ) RANDY SCOUSE GIT (ALTERNATE TITLE) The Monkees
64 ( 58 ) I WAS MADE TO LOVE HER Stevie Wonder
65 ( NEW ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Gladys Knight & The Pips
66 ( 73 ) HOMBURG Procol Harum
67 ( 62 ) SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR) Scott McKenzie
68 ( 61 ) SUNNY GOODGE STREET Tom Northcott
69 ( NEW ) BIG SPENDER Shirley Bassey
70 ( NEW ) DAVID WATTS The Kinks

71 ( NEW ) I GOT A FEELING Barbara Randolph
72 ( NEW ) LIKE AN OLD TIME MOVIE Scott McKenzie
73 ( NEW ) ARE YOU NEVER COMING HOME Sandy Posey
74 ( 75 ) (LONELINESS MADE ME REALIZE) IT’S YOU THAT I NEED The Temptations
75 ( NEW ) WINDOW SHOPPING The Messengers

14th October 1967

A first week at one for Glen Campbell’s brilliant Jimmy Webb Phoenix ballad, the first of a trilogy of Americana Cities-themed classics. Dave Dee and co echo the future Family Dogg hit Way Of Life up to 2, and Gene Pitney makes the top 10, though sadly almost all his great hits predated 1967 so not many more to come. The Bee Gees make it two in the 20, Giant Sunflower blossom into the 20, and Nico’s original of the Jackson Browne classic as done definitively by Glen Campbell (one day) beaks into the 20.

Highest new entry is one of 2 from Dionne Warwick, the movie theme big USA hit Valley Of The Dolls, at 23 ahead of the future Aretha Franklin classic, I Say A Little Prayer, as Aretha peaks at 5 with Carole King’s classic, and Aretha’ sis Erma enters at 37 with future Janis Joplin classic Piece Of My Heart. That leaves second-highest new entry a second song from The Kinks – Autumn Almanac at 26, and a childhood fave – and an anecdote from me: picture it. RAF Valley, Anglesey married quarters, 9 Tro Minfordd, and the song comes on the new BBC radio station. 9-year-old John rushes to the Weekend mag his mum had bought, and digs out the newly-discovered hit-song-lyric-of-the-week published inside: One Autumn Almanac, and sings along. Mum comments impressed about him knowing the lyrics, and young John says he’s reading and singing along. Cue young John cutting them out and saving pop song lyrics from here-on until Disco 45 gets published…

OK, not riveting, but it’s of the time!

Others: Wet Wet Wet are in, oops, I mean the much better original of Love Is All Around, Nancy & Lee are back while Nancy is still in the 40, with a song I assumed was for the First Lady of the USA (Probably not!), Neil D is back again, Val Doonican is in with a lesser song from his repertoire (which I loved as a kid pre-1967) and Bob Seger debuts with a track new to me a full decade before he started with hits proper. Who knew?!

1 ( 2 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
2 ( 1 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
3 ( 8 ) ZABADAK! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 ( 4 ) I CAN SEE FOR MILES The Who
5 ( 6 ) (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN Aretha Franklin
6 ( 3 ) BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU The Foundations
7 ( 10 ) WITHOUT HER Harry Nilsson
8 ( 5 ) FROM THE UNDERWORLD The Herd
9 ( 7 ) TO SIR WITH LOVE Lulu
10 ( 14 ) SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART Gene Pitney

11 ( 11 ) THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS The Cowsills
12 ( 17 ) THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER David McWilliams
13 ( 9 ) HOW CAN I BE SURE The Young Rascals
14 ( 22 ) HOLIDAY The Bee Gees
15 ( 13 ) EXCERPT FROM ‘A TEENAGE OPERA’ Keith West
16 ( 15 ) REFLECTIONS Diana Ross & The Supremes
17 ( 40 ) WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT GOOD-BYE Giant Sunflower
18 ( 18 ) GET THE MESSAGE Brian Hyland
19 ( 31 ) THESE DAYS Nico
20 ( 20 ) ODE TO BILLIE JOE Bobbie Gentry

21 ( 12 ) MATHILDE Scott Walker
22 ( 16 ) YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
23 ( NEW ) (THEME FROM) VALLEY OF THE DOLLS Dionne Warwick
24 ( 19 ) LET’S GO TO SAN FRANCISCO The Flowerpot Men
25 ( 27 ) STRAIGHT SHOOTER The Mamas & The Papas
26 ( NEW ) AUTUMN ALMANAC The Kinks
27 ( 24 ) TAKE A LOOK Aretha Franklin
28 ( 26 ) MONTAGUE TERRACE (IN BLUE) Scott Walker
29 ( 23 ) THE DAY I MET MARIE Cliff Richard
30 ( 21 ) FLOWERS IN THE RAIN The Move

31 ( 29 ) JILL Gary Lewis & The Playboys
32 ( 25 ) EVERLASTING LOVE Robert Knight
33 ( 34 ) LIGHTNING’S GIRL Nancy Sinatra
34 ( 30 ) GET TOGETHER The Youngbloods
35 ( 50 ) KING MIDAS IN REVERSE The Hollies
36 ( 28 ) HUSH Billy Joe Royal
37 ( NEW ) PIECE OF MY HEART Erma Franklin
38 ( 47 ) SHAME ON ME Chuck Jackson
39 ( 46 ) IF THIS IS LOVE (I’D RATHER BE LONELY) The Precisions
40 ( 35 ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles

41 ( 38 ) SOUL MAN Sam And Dave
42 ( 36 ) ANYTHING GOES Harpers Bizarre
43 ( 33 ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
44 ( 39 ) I FEEL GOOD (I FEEL BAD) The Lewis And Clarke Expedition featuring Mike Nesmith
45 ( 45 ) AMSTERDAM Scott Walker
46 ( 32 ) TRY MY WORLD Georgie Fame
47 ( NEW ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Dionne Warwick
48 ( 42 ) TWELVE THIRTY (YOUNG GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE CANYON) The Mamas & The Papas
49 ( 52 ) ALL YOUR GOODIES ARE GONE The Parliaments
50 ( 53 ) PEOPLE ARE STRANGE The Doors

51 ( 37 ) PATA PATA Miriam Makeba
52 ( 48 ) TO LOVE SOMEBODY The Bee Gees
53 ( 44 ) THE LETTER The Box Tops
54 ( 41 ) YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY The Four Tops
55 ( 60 ) YOU’VE NOT CHANGED Sandie Shaw
56 ( 43 ) YOU’VE MADE ME SO VERY HAPPY Brenda Holloway
57 ( NEW ) LOVE IS ALL AROUND The Troggs
58 ( 71 ) I GOT A FEELING Barbara Randolph
59 ( 65 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Gladys Knight & The Pips
60 ( NEW ) LADY BIRD Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood

61 ( 56 ) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (JOHN BARRY MOVIE VERSION) Nancy Sinatra
62 ( 55 ) GENTLE ON MY MIND Glen Campbell
63 ( 54 ) LET IT ALL HANG OUT The Hombres
64 ( 51 ) HOLE IN MY SHOE Traffic
65 ( 66 ) HOMBURG Procol Harum
66 ( 69 ) BIG SPENDER Shirley Bassey
67 ( 49 ) WHEN WILL THE GOOD APPLES FALL The Seekers
68 ( 70 ) DAVID WATTS The Kinks
69 ( 75 ) WINDOW SHOPPING The Messengers
70 ( 73 ) ARE YOU NEVER COMING HOME Sandy Posey

71 ( NEW ) NOBODY BUT ME The Human Beinz
72 ( 72 ) LIKE AN OLD TIME MOVIE Scott McKenzie
73 ( NEW ) HEAVY MUSIC PART 1 Bob Seger and The Last Heard
74 ( NEW ) IF THE WHOLE WORLD STOPPED LOVING Val Doonican
75 ( NEW ) KENTUCKY WOMAN Neil Diamond

 

21st October 1967

It’s a first week on top for Dave Dee and co and the tuneful fun Zabadak! It won’t be the last time they top my charts…. nor for Nancy Sinatra – who is back in at 7 with the nominal B side of Lady Bird (up inside the 40), but which is the trippy hippy cult classic that is Sand, Lee Hazelwood was definitely on something, but those lyrics are pure poetry. I have managed to get the record played twice on the BBC – first on Simon Mayo’s Radio 1 obscure track with a story, and later on Radio 2’s Brian Mathews Sounds Of The 60’s with the same story: dad bought a reel-to-reel tape recorder in RAF Changi, Singapore in 1970, and I was obsessed with pop music to put it mildly. Dad & I both bought some blank tapes (not cheap) and while we were out at work and school, respectively, mum was at home at our house which was overlooked by the armed guard tower for Changi Prison in lush tropical equatorial Singapore. If a song came on the radio she liked she’d start the tape recording – and then forget to turn it off. So we got all sorts of radio tracks I never knew, including this one (mum loved men with gruff voices and Lee Hazelwood fit that bill perfectly). Sand should be better known.

Another Singapore reel-to-reel track enters at 31 for Felice Taylor, her second Barry White track of the year in my charts, and her first hit (and his), I Feel Love Comin’ On. It was groovy. More tape faves from a fave Disney animation enter lower down – and they would eventually become a mashed-up 90’s hit – The Jungle Book’s Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You. So you see, in 1970 I was discovering and rediscovering 1967 music big-time. In my mind it’s a mash-up of sunny RAF Valley on Anglesey and tropical Singapore at RAF Changi.

Future Vegas act Wayne Newton, though, is new to me, and is in with an early version of Love Of The Common People, future much-covered hit, The Left Banke debut ahead of their later hit classic with cult fave Desiree, while minor tracks for The Four Seasons, Mamas & The Papas, and Tommy James keep up the hit tally.

1 ( 3 ) ZABADAK! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
2 ( 1 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
3 ( 2 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
4 ( 4 ) I CAN SEE FOR MILES The Who
5 ( 5 ) (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN Aretha Franklin
6 ( 7 ) WITHOUT HER Harry Nilsson
7 ( NEW ) SAND Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
8 ( 6 ) BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU The Foundations
9 ( 10 ) SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART Gene Pitney
10 ( 12 ) THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER David McWilliams

11 ( 14 ) HOLIDAY The Bee Gees
12 ( 8 ) FROM THE UNDERWORLD The Herd
13 ( 11 ) THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS The Cowsills
14 ( 19 ) THESE DAYS Nico
15 ( 23 ) (THEME FROM) VALLEY OF THE DOLLS Dionne Warwick
16 ( 17 ) WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT GOOD-BYE Giant Sunflower
17 ( 9 ) TO SIR WITH LOVE Lulu
18 ( 27 ) TAKE A LOOK Aretha Franklin
19 ( 13 ) HOW CAN I BE SURE The Young Rascals
20 ( 26 ) AUTUMN ALMANAC The Kinks

21 ( 18 ) GET THE MESSAGE Brian Hyland
22 ( 15 ) EXCERPT FROM ‘A TEENAGE OPERA’ Keith West
23 ( 16 ) REFLECTIONS Diana Ross & The Supremes
24 ( 20 ) ODE TO BILLIE JOE Bobbie Gentry
25 ( 25 ) STRAIGHT SHOOTER The Mamas & The Papas
26 ( 21 ) MATHILDE Scott Walker
27 ( 22 ) YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
28 ( 24 ) LET’S GO TO SAN FRANCISCO The Flowerpot Men
29 ( 38 ) SHAME ON ME Chuck Jackson
30 ( 35 ) KING MIDAS IN REVERSE The Hollies

31 ( NEW ) I FEEL LOVE COMIN’ ON Felice Taylor
32 ( 28 ) MONTAGUE TERRACE (IN BLUE) Scott Walker
33 ( 31 ) JILL Gary Lewis & The Playboys
34 ( 29 ) THE DAY I MET MARIE Cliff Richard
35 ( 37 ) PIECE OF MY HEART Erma Franklin
36 ( 32 ) EVERLASTING LOVE Robert Knight
37 ( 60 ) LADY BIRD Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
38 ( 30 ) FLOWERS IN THE RAIN The Move
39 ( 34 ) GET TOGETHER The Youngbloods
40 ( 47 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Dionne Warwick

41 ( 33 ) LIGHTNING’S GIRL Nancy Sinatra
42 ( 40 ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles
43 ( 57 ) LOVE IS ALL AROUND The Troggs
44 ( NEW ) I WANNA BE LIKE YOU Louis Prima, Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman
45 ( 36 ) HUSH Billy Joe Royal
46 ( 42 ) ANYTHING GOES Harpers Bizarre
47 ( 44 ) I FEEL GOOD (I FEEL BAD) The Lewis And Clarke Expedition featuring Mike Nesmith
48 ( 48 ) TWELVE THIRTY (YOUNG GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE CANYON) The Mamas & The Papas
49 ( 49 ) ALL YOUR GOODIES ARE GONE The Parliaments
50 ( 39 ) IF THIS IS LOVE (I’D RATHER BE LONELY) The Precisions

51 ( 43 ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
52 ( 59 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Gladys Knight & The Pips
53 ( 58 ) I GOT A FEELING Barbara Randolph
54 ( 65 ) HOMBURG Procol Harum
55 ( NEW ) THE BARE NECESSITIES Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman
56 ( 41 ) SOUL MAN Sam And Dave
57 ( 52 ) TO LOVE SOMEBODY The Bee Gees
58 ( 70 ) ARE YOU NEVER COMING HOME Sandy Posey
59 ( 53 ) THE LETTER The Box Tops
60 ( 69 ) WINDOW SHOPPING The Messengers

61 ( 51 ) PATA PATA Miriam Makeba
62 ( 45 ) AMSTERDAM Scott Walker
63 ( 55 ) YOU’VE NOT CHANGED Sandie Shaw
64 ( NEW ) LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE Wayne Newton
65 ( 46 ) TRY MY WORLD Georgie Fame
66 ( 71 ) NOBODY BUT ME The Human Beinz
67 ( 68 ) DAVID WATTS The Kinks
68 ( 72 ) LIKE AN OLD TIME MOVIE Scott McKenzie
69 ( NEW ) DESIREE The Left Banke
70 ( 73 ) HEAVY MUSIC PART 1 Bob Seger and The Last Heard

71 ( 61 ) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (JOHN BARRY MOVIE VERSION) Nancy Sinatra
72 ( 74 ) IF THE WHOLE WORLD STOPPED LOVING Val Doonican
73 ( NEW ) WATCH THE FLOWERS GROW The Four Seasons
74 ( NEW ) OUT OF THE BLUE Tommy James & The Shondells
75 ( NEW ) GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY The Mamas & The Papas

 

8th October 1967

The day before my brothers’ 8th birthday and it’s a new entry at 1 from The Stone Poneys, with a sublime version of Mike Nesmith’s A Different Drum. Not a song I knew at the time (being as it wasn’t a UK hit) but one I got to know and like in 1978 when it finally charted as the other side to Linda Ronstadt’s current cover of Roy Orbison’s Blue Bayou, which was neither anywhere near as good as Roy’s version nor her lead singer oldie. Very Monkees, and just perfect.

Sand goes up to 4, for some hippie psychedelia as Nancy & Lee also go into the 20 with Lady Bird, both are fab. In at 16 a record I loved at the time, Everybody Knows, The Dave Clark 5 at their most tuneful, and one that is very nostalgic for me when I hear it. Another “5” track enters for The 5th Dimension, there’s a great video performance of them doing Paper Cup on US TV (likely The Ed Sullivan Show, they were always on it) all facing each other in a moving circle.

At 24, Brenda & The Tabulations just can’t stay out of my 1967 charts, just love the sweet, melodic singles they put out, if occasionally a little shrill, but endearing. Debuting at 30, it’s Hugo Montenegro who was making a career out of making Sergio Leone spaghetti western soundtracks into pop hits, instrumental, and a year ahead of THE biggie. Dad bought an EP of 4 of them in Singapore which I played to death, including this one.

The Dells enter with a bit of soul passion, as they would with a medley cover of Love Is Blue/I Can Sing A Rainbow 2 years on, and having had a 12 year career already without success. Smokey Robinson is also unable to stay out the 1967 charts, here with the famous I Second That Emotion, or I Second That Emulsion, as Japan almost sang when they turned it into plodding fodder. The Turtles sneak another minor hit in before year-end, ditto The Beach Boys, and a second version of Love Of The Common People enters – for The Everley Brothers! Who knew they were covering future famous songs and still not having hits as their career tailed off!

1 ( NEW ) DIFFERENT DRUM The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt
2 ( 2 ) BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX Glen Campbell
3 ( 1 ) ZABADAK! Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
4 ( 7 ) SAND Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood
5 ( 3 ) MASSACHUSSETS (THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN) The Bee Gees
6 ( 4 ) I CAN SEE FOR MILES The Who
7 ( 10 ) THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER David McWilliams
8 ( 6 ) WITHOUT HER Harry Nilsson
9 ( 9 ) SOMETHING’S GOTTEN HOLD OF MY HEART Gene Pitney
10 ( 5 ) (YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE) A NATURAL WOMAN Aretha Franklin

11 ( 15 ) (THEME FROM) VALLEY OF THE DOLLS Dionne Warwick
12 ( 14 ) THESE DAYS Nico
13 ( 8 ) BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU The Foundations
14 ( 16 ) WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT GOOD-BYE Giant Sunflower
15 ( 12 ) FROM THE UNDERWORLD The Herd
16 ( NEW ) EVERYBODY KNOWS The Dave Clark Five
17 ( 13 ) THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS The Cowsills
18 ( 11 ) HOLIDAY The Bee Gees
19 ( 20 ) AUTUMN ALMANAC The Kinks
20 ( 37 ) LADY BIRD Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood

21 ( 29 ) SHAME ON ME Chuck Jackson
22 ( 31 ) I FEEL LOVE COMIN’ ON Felice Taylor
23 ( 17 ) TO SIR WITH LOVE Lulu
24 ( NEW ) WHEN YOU’RE GONE Brenda & The Tabulations
25 ( 23 ) REFLECTIONS Diana Ross & The Supremes
26 ( 22 ) EXCERPT FROM ‘A TEENAGE OPERA’ Keith West
27 ( 21 ) GET THE MESSAGE Brian Hyland
28 ( 18 ) TAKE A LOOK Aretha Franklin
29 ( 30 ) KING MIDAS IN REVERSE The Hollies
30 ( NEW ) FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra

31 ( 24 ) ODE TO BILLIE JOE Bobbie Gentry
32 ( 19 ) HOW CAN I BE SURE The Young Rascals
33 ( 26 ) MATHILDE Scott Walker
34 ( 44 ) I WANNA BE LIKE YOU Louis Prima, Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman
35 ( 35 ) PIECE OF MY HEART Erma Franklin
36 ( 28 ) LET’S GO TO SAN FRANCISCO The Flowerpot Men
37 ( 33 ) JILL Gary Lewis & The Playboys
38 ( 40 ) I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER Dionne Warwick
39 ( 27 ) YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
40 ( 34 ) THE DAY I MET MARIE Cliff Richard

41 ( 43 ) LOVE IS ALL AROUND The Troggs
42 ( 25 ) STRAIGHT SHOOTER The Mamas & The Papas
43 ( 32 ) MONTAGUE TERRACE (IN BLUE) Scott Walker
44 ( 55 ) THE BEAR NECESSITIES Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman
45 ( 42 ) ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The Beatles
46 ( 36 ) EVERLASTING LOVE Robert Knight
47 ( 52 ) I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE Gladys Knight & The Pips
48 ( 38 ) FLOWERS IN THE RAIN The Move
49 ( NEW ) OOH I LOVE YOU The Dells
50 ( 53 ) I GOT A FEELING Barbara Randolph

51 ( 46 ) ANYTHING GOES Harpers Bizarre
52 ( 54 ) HOMBURG Procol Harum
53 ( 47 ) I FEEL GOOD (I FEEL BAD) The Lewis And Clarke Expedition featuring Mike Nesmith
54 ( 58 ) ARE YOU NEVER COMING HOME Sandy Posey
55 ( 39 ) GET TOGETHER The Youngbloods
56 ( NEW ) PAPER CUP The 5th Dimension
57 ( 51 ) (YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTING ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER Jackie Wilson
58 ( 48 ) TWELVE THIRTY (YOUNG GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE CANYON) The Mamas & The Papas
59 ( 66 ) NOBODY BUT ME The Human Beinz
60 ( 64 ) LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE Wayne Newton

61 ( 41 ) LIGHTNING’S GIRL Nancy Sinatra
62 ( 45 ) HUSH Billy Joe Royal
63 ( 57 ) TO LOVE SOMEBODY The Bee Gees
64 ( 69 ) DESIREE The Left Banke
65 ( 68 ) LIKE AN OLD TIME MOVIE Scott McKenzie
66 ( NEW ) I SECOND THAT EMOTION Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
67 ( 75 ) GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY The Mamas & The Papas
68 ( 50 ) IF THIS IS LOVE (I’D RATHER BE LONELY) The Precisions
69 ( 49 ) ALL YOUR GOODIES ARE GONE The Parliaments
70 ( 73 ) WATCH THE FLOWERS GROW The Four Seasons

71 ( NEW ) SHE’S MY GIRL The Turtles
72 ( 60 ) WINDOW SHOPPING The Messengers
73 ( 74 ) OUT OF THE BLUE Tommy James & The Shondells
74 ( NEW ) LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE The Everley Brothers
75 ( NEW ) WILD HONEY The Beach Boys