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My record of the week 60 years ago

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King Rollo View member profile	18th May 2021, 05:04 PM Post #1
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	Each week, I'm going to listen to the new entries in the top 40 singles chart from 60 years ago and choose one of them as my record of the week. It's still four years before I am born so most of these songs will be new to me. 18th - 24th May 1961 20. You'll Never Know - Shirley Bassey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ceBVQHG5Y A string laden ballad with a powerful vocal. She can certainly sing. 36. Words - The Allisons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YN5NM6MZL0 A country/pop song with acoustic guitars and strings. 37. Little Devil - Neil Sedaka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll2uJPbPg5Q I like the drums on this and the interaction between the lead and backing vocals. The best of the runners up. Record of the week : 29. Mother In Law - Ernie K-Doe I'm choosing this rhythm and blues song as my first record of the week as I found the lyrics to be amusing, especially the line "She thinks her advice is the constitution but if she would leave that would be the solution". The mother in law is also compared to Satan! I like the piano solo and brass arrangement as well. The single climbed no higher than number 29 but it was a number 1 on the Billboard chart. Ernie K-Doe (Ernest Kador) came from New Orleans and had no further top 40 hits, even in his own country. He died in 2001. 6EN5eJf5h_k


Popchartfreak View member profile	18th May 2021, 07:05 PM Post #2
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	should be interesting I know La Bassey (dad is a fan so got introduced to her while at a young and tender age) and Neil Sedaka (I'm a fan, so I'd've opted for him) but the other 2 have never really registered, though I've heard of Ernie's Mother-In-Law...cue classic les dawson gag: "bought the Mother-in-law a Jaguar for Xmas. Bit her leg off"


Last Dreamer View member profile	18th May 2021, 07:16 PM Post #3
With Kristina in heart Joined: 28 March 2017 Posts: 3,799 User: 28,104	There are not many new entries in 1960s on each week, so maybe you can add your top 3 / top 5 favourite songs from UK top 40. This post has been edited by Last Dreamer: 18th May 2021, 07:17 PM


King Rollo View member profile	18th May 2021, 08:38 PM Post #4
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	QUOTE(Last Dreamer @ May 18 2021, 08:16 PM) There are not many new entries in 1960s on each week, so maybe you can add your top 3 / top 5 favourite songs from UK top 40. Well, looking at that top 40, of the ones I know, my favourite would be Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles. There's also Runaway by Del Shannon and Blue Moon by The Marcels.


Popchartfreak View member profile	19th May 2021, 07:19 AM Post #5
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	QUOTE(King Rollo @ May 18 2021, 09:38 PM) Well, looking at that top 40, of the ones I know, my favourite would be Will You Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles. There's also Runaway by Del Shannon and Blue Moon by The Marcels. Ooh 3 classics there, no question, I knew and loved them by the time I was 15 even though I wasn't aware of them at the time, being 2 years old and all


King Rollo View member profile	25th May 2021, 06:32 PM Post #6
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	25th - 31st May 1961 27. Surrender - Elvis Presley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Bj9fQkvGo This will shoot up to number 1 next week but it's not one of his better known songs. Well, I don't remember it, anyway. I like the backing vocals and instrumentation. 31. Halfway To Paradise - Billy Fury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MTXBQp5OgI A nice tune which he sings well, augmented by some orchestration which doesn't get in the way too much. 34. Why Not Now / Can This Be Love - Matt Monro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgOQsOQTUDM / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHC8y2cRuHo I listened to both of these. They were what I expected, easy listening crooning ballads aimed at the older record buyers. I preferred the first one. 36. I've Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifgpiGs_4Js A sweet song with a child like vocal but, checking up, I see she was only fifteen years old when she recorded this so that's not surprising. I don't know why the stereo mix has her vocal only coming from the right speaker. There are no backing vocals to put on the left and most of the backing music is in the centre. Still, it's an interesting way of arranging it and this was close to my favourite song this week. Record of the week : 38. Running Scared - Roy Orbison The four note riff which runs through this song is very familiar to me. It starts out on the guitar but spreads to some of the other instruments. I don't know if this is the first song to use it. I know it appears in one of my favourite songs by Prefab Sprout, 'Jesse James Bolero'. As always, Roy's vocal is outstanding and there are some fine backing vocals and lush strings. It's a pity the song is only two minutes long but that was the common length in the early sixties. The single peaked at number 9 five weeks later and reached number 1 in the US. WBAqXtaPZgQ


Suedehead2 View member profile	25th May 2021, 06:52 PM Post #7
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 13 April 2007 Posts: 36,670 User: 3,272	I'd find it hard to choose between Running Scared and Halfway To Paradise. Both great songs.


Popchartfreak View member profile	26th May 2021, 07:36 AM Post #8
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Runnin' Scared has the edge for me, Roy is just the greatest male vocalist in pop, but Billy Fury was my first fave pop star when I was pre-school and Halfway To Paradise is much better than the original US hit version. yay Billy! Surrender was also a known-fave of mine, though not rated that much as such critically, I like the Italian feel to it.


King Rollo View member profile	1st June 2021, 06:08 PM Post #9
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	1st - 7th June 1961 36. The Battle's O'er - Andy Stewart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nz_aU2AhLs This has a traditional Gaelic folk sound to it. It will be 28 years before his next top 40 hit, the re-issue of 'Donald Where's Your Troosers', which I know him best for. 39. Transistor Radio - Benny Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYAMEREIT7M Years before his big number 1, Benny had a few minor hits. He uses an American accent for this novelty single with Pinky & Perky also making an unexpected contribution. It was amusing but I wouldn't want to hear it again. 40. Bells Of Avignon - Max Bygraves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnkj6cYDTxY And now another entertainer I remember from watching TV in the 70s. This is his 14th top 40 single but he won't have another one until 1969. Even in 1961, I think this song would have been considered old fashioned. Record of the week : 32. Hello Mary Lou / Travelin' Man - Ricky Nelson So there's not much competition for the title this week. It has to be this rockabilly classic, 'Hello Mary Lou', with its memorable chorus and a guitar solo by James Burton which would have sounded very modern at the time. Written by Gene Pitney, the original version was recorded by Johnny Duncan the year before. I'm not very familar with the other A side, it was OK. The single would go on to reach number 2 five weeks later. AMVQCHgpYmI


Popchartfreak View member profile	1st June 2021, 06:56 PM Post #10
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Well there's a motley bunch apart from the fab Ricky Nelson. Much as I love Gene Pitney I think I prefer Travelin Man these days, which was the bigger chart-topping side in the USA. It's a bit non-pc these days, I guess, what with the "I get around a bit" lyrics - maybe that's why Sam Cooke rejected the song when offered it first.


King Rollo View member profile	1st June 2021, 07:07 PM Post #11
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	I was a bit confused when I read that the two sides had different peaks in the US but I think it's because radio airplay counted towards their chart as well.


Popchartfreak View member profile	2nd June 2021, 07:31 AM Post #12
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	QUOTE(King Rollo @ Jun 1 2021, 08:07 PM) I was a bit confused when I read that the two sides had different peaks in the US but I think it's because radio airplay counted towards their chart as well. Yes B sides often charted separately in the Billboard charts due to the airplay element, and often the A side got overtaken by the original B side. They merged tracks in 1969 though and listed them as double A sides jointly. The rules always end up mad as the industry changes, like the streaming/downloading albums that chart as individual tracks when it's really an album play/purchase minus the duff tracks. They aren't "hits" and the vast majority of people remain unaware of their existence for the entirety of their lives, in contrast say to the 90's when they didn;t bother releasing singles to push album sales to the max and promo'd "singles" to radio and TV to get chart positions for something you couldn't buy except on an album. It's always about record companies using marketing tools to influence charts to their own benefit (ie cash), rather than trying to accurately and objectively reflect reality....


King Rollo View member profile	8th June 2021, 06:16 PM Post #13
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	8th - 14th June 1961 33. Well I Ask You - Eden Kane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYMnwaS86G8 This will eventually go all the way to number 1, it will take it eight more weeks. I don't really like his vocal style or the song itself and I'm surprised it's a chart topper. He's described as a teen idol so maybe that explains the appeal. He's one of the three Sarstedt brothers. The other two will also go on to have top 3 singles. Record of the week : 38. Take Good Care Of Her - Adam Wade with the George Paxton Orchestra and Chorus There are just two new entries this week so I've chosen this one as the better song. It's a sad tale of someone who has lost the love of his life to someone else and the lyrics are a message to the other man. He sings it very well and the strings are luxuriant. The single didn't get any higher up the chart but reached number 7 in the US. It's been covered by many singers including Elvis Presley. This was the American's only UK hit. In the 70s, he became the first black man to host a TV game show and also had a career as an actor. He's still going at the age of 86. MVxlkG2cbHY This post has been edited by King Rollo: 8th June 2021, 06:19 PM


Popchartfreak View member profile	9th June 2021, 04:11 PM Post #14
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Never heard that Adam Wade single before or heard of him Seems OK, sort of pseudo Johnny Mathis. Eden Kane I saw many years ago on a tour of the 3 Sarstedt Brothers. I quite like Well I Ask You, but Forget-Me-Not is maybe a catchier hit.


King Rollo View member profile	15th June 2021, 10:54 PM Post #15
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	15th - 21st June 1961 23. Pop Goes The Weasel / Bee Bom - Anthony Newley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj-dA2FHB0g / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU6993mrTE4 The first A side is a novelty song while the second is a slight improvement. He had two number 1 singles in 1960. I'm sure they must be better than these two songs. 24. Pasadena - The Temperance Seven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0UdkKH-0Es The follow up to their number 1 from earlier in the year. This is in the style of 1920s jazz. I thought it was going to be an instrumental but a man starts singing halfway through and it has two false endings. I like this one, I'd never heard of the band before. 27. Temptation - The Everly Brothers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_TuuJ31bdM This will go on to be their fourth number 1. It's perhaps not as well known as the other three. I like the guitar work on this and the vocals are very good. 32. Breaking In A Brand New Broken Heart - Connie Francis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw6hjCoOLlg Another act with previous number 1s, this is a country style ballad with a fantastic vocal. 33. Exclusively Yours - Mark Wynter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCTgbj1VyJ4 Harmless uptempo pop song with the female backing vocalists playing a big role. 39. Theme From 'The Magnificent Seven' - Al Caiola And His Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drE96RI9A6A And now one we all know. A classic film theme with a great combination of orchestral instruments and guitars. Record of the week : 34. Weekend - Eddie Cochran There were some good songs to listen to this week and I'm picking this one as the best. This is one certainly aimed at the teenage record buyers with the rock'n'roll sound and the lyrics about a typical carefree weekend. I know the song best for the cover version by The Move. This was a posthumous hit, Eddie had been killed in a road accident the year before at the age of just 21 on the way back to London from a gig in Bristol. One of the other passengers in the taxi was Gene Vincent who sustained serious injuries. woyX0WXcunQ


Popchartfreak View member profile	16th June 2021, 07:35 AM Post #16
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Bowie based his vocal style on Anthony Newley (see The laughing Gnome!) and Newley could write a decent song when he felt like it. I was never a fan though.... Never heard that Connie Francis track, typically Country pop of the time, seems OK, Mark Wynter was popular in our house growing up (my brother Mark loved having a popstar with the same Christian name) and this one is the jaunty Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat rewritten, also never heard it before Pasadena I've heard before, the equivalent of a throwback to the 80's now. Temptation is very good, Magnificent Seven classic - I've considered entering it into BJSC on more than one occasion as I wasn't sure how well-known it is these days. Got my answer now and it can be dropped! Weekend is a goodie though, I knew it first from the Alvin Stardust minor hit cover in the 80's - Alvin was around at that time as Shane Fenton. One of the policemen who arrived at the scene of the Cochran crash became a pop star in the 60's and I'm seriously contemplating one his band's tracks for BJSC, partly cos it's a forgotten dramatic masterpiece, partly cos it's been used as the loose basis for an upcoming film - without actually being IN the film. Outrageous!


King Rollo View member profile	16th June 2021, 01:22 PM Post #17
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	I was only assuming everyone on here would know the Magnificent Seven music. I might be wrong. You could try entering it, I think it might qualify from a semi-final. I was reading up on that accident yesterday and saw that one of the policemen later became a pop star. I hope you do get round to entering his group into the contest.


King Rollo View member profile	22nd June 2021, 10:16 PM Post #18
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	22nd - 28th June 1961 23. A Girl Like You - Cliff Richard and The Shadows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf2Cvse5ep4 Destined for the top 3, this is a mid tempo love song with simple lyrics. The Shadows' guitar playing was the best part of it for me. 31. Ring Of Fire - Duane Eddy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAen-9ER9Gk Not to be confused with the Johnny Cash song, this features Duane's signature twangy guitar sound along with some strings, woodwind and a choir. My second favourite this week. 32. Marcheta - Karl Denver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7KTWXOAsMg Not a singer I'm familiar with but I have heard of him. He's from Scotland and this is his debut in the top 40. He has a unique vocal style which is close to veering off into yodelling territory during this song. 34. Once In Every Lifetime - Ken Dodd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n8st2yJwvc A string soaked ballad which gives him his second hit single. His pure vocal style is not what I'd expect to hear when I've been more used to hearing him telling jokes in his own spoken accent. Record of the week : 33. She She Little Sheila - Gene Vincent Gene Vincent was mentioned last week as being involved in that road accident and here he is now with his seventh top 40 single. It's a catchy rock'n'roll song with his band and backing singers playing their part. The single will peak at number 22 two weeks later. Gene died in 1971, at just 36 years of age. Cm81NpricAA


Popchartfreak View member profile	23rd June 2021, 07:25 AM Post #19
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	The only one I recognise is the Gene Vincent track If you think Karl Denver is veering into yodelling, wait till you hear Wimoweh (aka The Lion Sleeps Tonight) Ken Dodd's singing was old-school crooning style, sort of. Nice voice, nice songs, but I preferred his Diddymen in the early/mid 60's along with Andy Pandy, The Woodentops, Pinky & Perky, Fireball XL5 and Supercar in my pre-school days


King Rollo View member profile	23rd June 2021, 02:02 PM Post #20
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 3 January 2017 Posts: 10,155 User: 23,961	Yes, I noticed Karl Denver had many more hits to come so I look forward to hearing them. I have early childhood memories of the Diddymen as well.