The first in a new series. I have chosen a random date and will review each single in the top 20. I chose the date before knowing what was in the chart for that week.

 

If you know any of these songs,please share your thoughts.

 

I will listen to each song on Spotify so I won't have the distraction of what the singer or group looks like. It will be a bit like The Voice.

 

I will review two singles each day so this will last 10 days.

20. Little Bernadette - Harry Belafonte

 

Peak position - 16

 

Approriately on a Sunday,we start with a religious song. This seems to be the story of how Bernadette became a saint. He sings it well and I like the strings so it's a good start to this thread. Harry is probably best known for the original version of Mary's Boy Child which got to no.1 the year before. He's still going at the age of 89.

 

 

19. Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy

 

Peak position - 19

 

The master of the twangy guitar. This was his first hit single. It sounds a bit like 'When The Saints Go Marching In' but my research shows he denied this and said that he was inspired by a song by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It starts with just his guitar and builds up with the addition of drums,a saxophone and backing singers. It sounds like it was recorded in one take as I suppose of lot of songs were in those days. Another thumbs up from me for this one. Duane is 78 now. I liked that collaboration he did with the Art Of Noise in the 80s.

Both Harry and Duane are living legends to me :lol:

One of my dad's first albums ever was a Harry Belafonte, and us kids loved his Hole In My Bucket novelty hit, as well as the Banana Boat song and others.

 

Duane had a good album the other year, with Richard Hawley on production masterminding (so really a British album) B-)

 

Rebel Rouse rwas good fun, dont know Harry's track tho'

19. Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy

 

Peak position - 19

 

The master of the twangy guitar. This was his first hit single. It sounds a bit like 'When The Saints Go Marching In' but my research shows he denied this and said that he was inspired by a song by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It starts with just his guitar and builds up with the addition of drums,a saxophone and backing singers. It sounds like it was recorded in one take as I suppose of lot of songs were in those days. Another thumbs up from me for this one. Duane is 78 now. I liked that collaboration he did with the Art Of Noise in the 80s.

 

 

This is one of my all-time favorite songs....almost sounds like he's playing with slightly loosened guitar strings for that 'twangy' effect he came up with for the song....makes me wonder if he was an influence of any kind for the late-lamented Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead....

18. Girl Of My Dreams - Tony Brent

 

Peak Position - 16

 

I've not heard of him before. He was born in Bombay and moved to England in 1947. I like the backing track with the tinkly piano and the jazz band but the song wasn't particularly memorable. Tony had 8 hit singles in the 50s before emigrating to Australia in 1961 where he opened some Indian food restaurants. He died in 1993.

17. Rave On - Buddy Holly

 

Peak Position - 5

 

I know a few of his songs but this one is new to me. The backing track is similar to the Tony Brent one but this is more of an upbeat song. It was alright but I wouldn't want to hear it again. It was only five months later that he died in a plane crash at the age of just 22.

16. Bird Dog - The Everly Brothers

 

Peak position - 2

 

This comes under the country genre but from this top 20 so far it's the closest to a pop song. I like the drums and guitar on this one and their harmonies are very good. Some of their singles from this era are very well known but I haven't heard this one before.

Edited January 24, 20178 yr by King Rollo

14. Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley

 

Peak position - 2

 

I haven't missed out no.15,there are two no.14s tying on this week's chart. There was bound to be an Elvis song somewhere in this top 20. He's at his peak with seven hit singles in 1958. This is from his movie 'King Creole'. It's the fastest paced song so far. They would have been spinning round in the dance halls,is that what discos were called in the 50s? There's a generous amount of trumpet on this one.

Don't know the Tony Brent track or him, but all the others pop up on Hits collections, Bird Dog is probably the best to a modern ear of the next batch reviewed.

17. Rave On - Buddy Holly

 

Peak Position - 5

 

I know a few of his songs but this one is new to me. The backing track is similar to the Tony Brent one but this is more of an upbeat song. It was alright but I wouldn't want to hear it again. It was only five months later that he died in a plane crash at the age of just 22.

 

Legend. Love his music, his version of Brown Eyed Handsom Man is cool

14. Yakety Yak - The Coasters

 

Peak position - 12

 

A classic from the rock'n'roll era. Written by Lieber and Stoller,it's about not answering back to your parents when they give you chores to do. I like the saxophone on this one. Only one of the original Coasters line up is still alive.

that's a goodie, best track so far. Used to be played as the intro to a Radio 1 thing back in the 70's, so it's well-known by older folk :P

 

"Take out the papers and the trassshhh.."

13. Tulips From Amsterdam/You Need Hands - Max Bygraves

 

Peak position - 3

 

One of 13 top 20 singles,Tulips From Amsterdam is probably his signature song. Most of us who grew up in the 70s will remember him more for his TV programmes. I like the accordion and the female backing singers on Tulips but not his vocal,he seems to be singing through his nose. As for You Need Hands,it's awful. Max is the only British male to be part of the first singles chart in November 1952. It consisted of just 12 singles.

12. Mad Passionate Love - Bernard Bresslaw

 

Peak position - 6

 

I know him well from the Carry On films in which he was always very funny. I didn't know he was a singer although he's closer to talking on this one rather than singing. It was his only hit single and has an innocent charm about it. At the start,it seems to be about two people in a park,but it turns out to be about two birds with some Pinky and Perky style speeded up vocals thrown in.

Edited January 26, 20178 yr by King Rollo

11. Patricia - Perez Prado And His Orchestra

 

Peak position - 8

 

A song most of us would probably have heard somewhere as it's been used in many films or TV series. Lots of organ and brass instruments on this one,I liked it.

10. Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) - Domenico Modugno

 

Peak position - 10

 

Probably second only to Waterloo by Abba to be Eurovision's most well known song. Indeed,it was voted 2nd behind Waterloo in a 2005 poll to mark 50 years of Eurovision. It only finished 3rd in the contest behind France and Switzerland and only just scraped into the top 10 singles here. It was better received in the USA where it was Billboard's song of the year and the only Eurovision song ever to win a Grammy. Good chorus but I wouldn't put it into my top 10 favourite Eurovision songs. I know it best as a football chant for Patrick Vieira.

9. Fever - Peggy Lee

 

Peak position - 5

 

A timeless classic with a sparse arrangement of finger clicks,double bass and the occasional drum accompanying her sultry vocal. Very good. It's a cover version of a song by Little Willie John from 1956. Another version,by Madonna,was a top 10 single in 1993.

8. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson

 

Peak position - 4

 

A mid-tempo country/rock'n'roll song written by a 15 year old girl. I'm not too keen on this one. Ricky Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985 at the age of just 45.

7. Splish Splash - Charlie Drake

 

Peak position - 7

 

Charlie Drake's only top 10 single,it's a novelty song,produced by George Martin,which sounds a bit like 'Great Balls Of Fire'. I liked it. Bobby Darin did the original and his version is just outside this top 20 at no.21.