The One Week Wonders - Episode 86

 

We start in the same chart week that the last episode ended, but one place lower at #49 with Duane Eddy and The Rebelettes and You're Baby's Gone Surfin' which charted almost 5 years to the day after his debut single, Rebel-Rouser, had done. This was also the last charting single of his original run, though he did chart twice more in later year, reaching #9 in 1975 with Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar, and #8 in 1986 with a re-recording of 1959 hit Peter Gunn.

 

Next up is a US number one that amazingly had only one single week in the UK chart's at #50 on w/e 3rd October 1963. It's The Angels with My Boyfriend's Back.

 

Finally for this episode we have the only week of UK chart action for Tony Sheveton with A Million Drums at #49 on w/e 13th February 1964.

Edited January 25, 20205 yr by DanChartFan

The One Week Wonders - Episode 87

 

First up at #49 on w/e 20th February 1964 we have the 9th and last uk charting single for John Leyton, Make Love To Me, which had previously been a #8 hit for Jo Stafford in 1954.

 

Next is a version of Anyone Who Had A Heart, which was a charttopper around this time for Cilla Black, and also reached #42 for Dionne Warwick at this time. This version is by Mary May, whose real name was Lily Sanderson if one of the commenters under this video is to be believed. This was #49 on w/e 27th February 1964.

 

Finally for this episode is Just A Little Bit by The Undertakers which was at #49 on w/e 9th April 1964. This was the groups only UK charting single.

 

The One Week Wonders - Episode 88

 

We start this episode with the 9th and last UK charting single by Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, Always and Ever, which was at #46 on w/e 30th April 1964. After this The Pirates went their separate ways from Kidd, whilst Kidd continued to perform with various sesssion musicians backing him. At some point in 1966 a new backing band was put together, named the New Pirates, and they and Kidd continued to perform live gigs and began to get a new following. The word was that they were on the verge of a comeback. On 7th October 1966 they were due to perform at The Imperial Bolton, but the gig was cancelled at short notice. Johnny and his bassist, Nick Simper, were travelling back from this cancelled gig when the car they were in was involved in an accident, crashing head-long into another vehicle on the A58 near Bury. Nick received some minor injuries and a broken arm, but was able to return to performing after a period of recovery. Sadly Johnny was killed in the crash, he was just 30 years old. The New Pirates continued in his memory for a while, but separated in May 1967.

 

Next we have the UK chart debut of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, as well as the second UK charting single for Mary Wells, who had just had a UK #5 and US #1 with My Guy. This is Once Upon A Time which was at #50 on w/e 30th July 1964.

 

Finally for this episode we have the only UK chart hit for Denny Seyton and The Sabres, The Way You Look Tonight, which was also a #36 hit around this time for The Lettermen. A version by actor Edward Woodward reached #42 in 1971. Denny's version was at #48 on 17th September 1964.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 89

 

First up we have ol' blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, with Hello Dolly, which was at #47 on w/e 24th September 1964. The song was taken from the stage musical of the same name, which had debuted in the US in November 1963, although the London production of the show didn't begin until December 1965. Other versions of Hello Dolly to chart in the UK in 1964 where by Frankie Vaughan (#18), Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen (#30) and Louis Armstrong (#4). There was also a version by the Bachelors which reached #38.

 

Next up is the UK chart debut of The Rockin' Berries, with I Didn't Mean To Hurt You, which was at #43 in w/e 1st October 1964.

 

And finally for this episode we have Lulu with Here Comes The Night, which was at #50 on w/e 12th November 1964. It was her second UK charting single after the #7 hit Shout. In early 1965 The Them, led by Van Morrison, took the song to #2.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 90

 

First up its Marvin Gaye's second UK chart hit, and his first truly solo, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), which was at #49 on w/e 10th December 1964.

 

Next we have pianist Mrs Mills, with Mrs Mills Party Medley, featuring two medley's of three songs, which was at #50 on w/e 31st December 1964, a chart week that was only published in Record Mirror, (who always published the Record Retailer chart by this point) and not by Record Retailer, and so was missed by early editions of Guinness British Hit Singles, and by many other chart books, meaning Mrs Mills one week wonder gets forgotten about in many sources. The A-side was a medley of You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It), Shine On Harvest Moon and I Didn't Want To Set The World On Fire. Unfortunately, though admittedly appropriately for a chart single that was nearly forgotten about, I can't find the precise medley on youtube, or anywhere else on line, but have instead found separate recordings of the first two tracks. If anyone can find an online source for the original medley then do let me know.

 

Finally for this episode we have the first UK charting single for The Peddlers, Let The Sunshine In, which isn't the song from Hair, but a different song with the same title. It was at #50 on w/e 7th January 1965. They would have to wait until 1969 and 1970 for their other two chart hits, Birth (#17) and Girlie (#34) respectively. Guinness says that the Milk And Sugar track of the same name which reached #18 in 2003 was a version of the Peddlers song, but after listening to it I suspect it is actually based on the other song, the one from Hair.

 

And now I'm nearly caught back up to where I wanted to be by this date in the first place. When I uploaded the first few posts on this thread in late October and early November it was suggested I do one three song episode a night, which began to be my plan with episode 7 on 3rd November, so by my reckoning today (26/1) should have been episode 91, which will appear this evening. From now on I aim to return to one episode per evening, and to stick to that more reliably than I have managed over December and January. The original idea was to introduce us all to the singles over the years that were good enough to get into the chart in the first place, yet obscure enough to get only one week on chart and then disappear. A voyage of discovery, if you will, through a lot of old music we may otherwise not have heard. I feel that part of that journey is discussing what we think of the songs we've discovered, so I am always interested to hear any views any of you may have. I know I don't tend to say my own views in this thread, as I feel as host I ought to remain fairly neutral and present all the singles equally for my readers/viewers to decide how they feel about them, but perhaps I'm wrong to think that, maybe. In any case I, and the other contributors so far, don't usually bite, so don't be shy... join in and help make this voyage even better for everyone on it. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon, and see you this evening for Episode 91!

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) is a familiar song to me but not that version. I've listened to the other charting version by Junior Walker & the All Stars and it's not that one either. Checking the wiki page for the song,I see James Taylor's version reached no.5 in the US in 1975. That's the version I know. It's been played a lot on the radio in the UK over the years but has strangely never been a hit single here.

 

I like the keyboard solo on that Peddlers song. Now that we've reached the mid 60s,some of these songs are sounding more modern.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) is a familiar song to me but not that version. I've listened to the other charting version by Junior Walker & the All Stars and it's not that one either. Checking the wiki page for the song,I see James Taylor's version reached no.5 in the US in 1975. That's the version I know. It's been played a lot on the radio in the UK over the years but has strangely never been a hit single here.

 

 

Yep I know James Taylor's version best.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 91

 

We start with Ned Miller and Do What You Do Do Well, which was at #48 on w/e 18th February 1965. This was his second and last UK charting single, after the #2 hit From A Jack To A King two years previously to the week.

 

Next up is Frankie Vaughan and Someone Must Have Hurt You A Lot, which was at #46 on w/e 11th March 1965. Unfortunately I can't find any trace of it anywhere online, despite the vast number of other Frankie Vaughan tracks available on Youtube, Spotify and other sites. This is only the second single on this thread (after Mrs Mills Party Medley) that I haven't been able to link to, but I suspect it has to do with having reached the mid 1960s, and to do with copyright laws regarding recorded music. In the Uk, for all work published, or peformed to or communicated to the public, by 31st October 1963 the copyright period of 50 years has expired, and the same applies to all unpublished music recordings made prior to the same date. Things are different though for music recorded after that date, or recorded before that date but published after it (provided the publication was within 50 years of the recording date) as there was a change in law on 1st November 2013 that extended their copyright's to 70 years instead of 50, meaning that a few episodes back we moved from music that was out of copyright and in the public domain, and so was easy to find on youtube and streaming sites, to music that is for the most part still under copyright for many years to come, and can therefore only be found online if the copyright holder allows it to be. I hope the majority of songs on this thread will still be findable, but if I had to guess I think we'll have the biggest problem between the late 80s and early 00s, when the number of new entries per week was much higher, so there are many more obscure songs in the first place, and independent labels were behind a fair few of them which also doesn't help, and then once we enter the digital era of the late 00s on I expect it will be less of a problem again as the majority of tracks will then have been licensed with digital methods of distribution in mind from the outset, but we shall see.

 

At this point we could have been finishing this episode with My Girl by The Temptations, had it not been for the cinematic success of Macaulay Culkin and Anna Klumsky's film of that name, which led to the Temptations single being reissued in 1992, when it reached #2. Originally it had had one week at #43 on w/e 18th March 1965. Sticking with the same chart week, but moving down to #48 we instead find The Zephyrs only week of UK chart action with She's Lost You.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 92

 

First up we have Heinz, or Heinz Burt to give him his full name, with Digging My Potatoes, which was at #49 on w/e 18th March 1965. It was Heinz' fifth and last UK charting single, and his most succesful had been his first, Just Like Eddie, which hit #5 in 1963.

 

Next up is Quiet Five, with When The Morning Sun Dries The Dew, which was at #45 on w/e 13th May 1965. They had one other charting single, Homeward Bound, which reached #44 in April 1966.

 

Finally for this episode we have the In Crowd, who were having their only week of UK chart action on w/e 20th May 1965 at #48 with That's How Strong My Love Is.

I hadn't realised My Girl was such a minor hit over here on its original release, for a song so ubiquitous in association with Motown that is a surprise.

 

How Sweet It Is by Marvin Gaye is the version I know best, as Terry Wogan used to play it a lot (back in the 00s my car sharers would always have R2 on in the mornings). Although for Twist And Shout, I think there's little argument the best known version is The Beatles, which also charted but not until 2010 when their whole catalogue went digital.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 93

 

First up today we have the only week of UK chart action for The Birds (not to be confused with The Byrds), and Leaving Here, which was at #45 on w/e 27th May 1965.

 

Next is the only week of chart action for The Cadets and Eileen Reid. Jealous Heart was at #42 on w/e 3rd June 1965. Connie Francis released a version in January 1966 which reached #44 and was her 24th and final UK charting single.

 

We could have been ending today's episode with Nina Simone's I Put A Spell On You, which had one week at #49 on w/e 5th August 1965, however it then reentered in January 1969, when it got as high as #28. Other versions of the song have faired better with The Alan Price Set reaching #9 in 1966, Bryan Ferry #18 in 1993, and Sonique #8 on her second try in 2000, two years after her first attempt to chart it. Annie Lennox also got to #63 with it in 2015. Seems a bit weird that Nina's sublime version is pretty well known, but there are 3 other versions that have charted higher than hers. Anyway we instead end with the only week of chart action for Spanish duo Johnny and Charley, and La Yenka, which was at #49 on 14th October 1965, and which apparently was a minor dance craze at the time. Maybe time to revive it to join the ranks of Macarena, Saturday Night and Cha Cha Slide in the cheesier nightclubs of a Saturday night? I know I'd have a go after a bevy or three....

 

PS: This slightly odd footage shows what the actual dance looked like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbCp_qZOCTw

Edited January 28, 20205 yr by DanChartFan

The One Week Wonders - Episode 94

 

We start with Roger Miller's Kansas City Star which was at #48 on w/e 21st October 1965. This was Roger's third charting single, and his first, King Of The Road, had been a charttopper.

 

From one Miller to another, this time Jody Miller, who was one place lower at #49 that week with her only Uk charting single Home Of The Brave.

 

Finally for today we have the 3rd and final new charting single for Millie, who was at #48 on w/e 11th November 1965 with Bloodshot Eyes. Her first single was the #2 hit my Boy Lollipop, which did manage to also reach #46 in a re-issue in 1987.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 95

 

We begin today with a woman called Barry! Bary St John to be precise who sings an anti-war duet called Come Away Melinda with a small girl. The song was Barry's only Uk charting single and was at #47 on w/e 9th December 1965.

 

Next up are The Pretty Things with Midnight To Six Man which was at #46 on w/e 20th January 1966.

 

Finally for this episode is Ray Charles with Crying Time, or to give the full credit, Ray Charles with The Jack Halloran Singers and the Ray Charles Orchestra with The Raeletts. Crying Time was at #50 on w/e 10th February 1966.

'Come Away Melinda' was certainly an interesting listen. We have reached my own lifetime now.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 96

 

First up we have the 4th and last Uk charting single from Unit Four Plus Two, Baby Never Say Goodbye, which was at #49 on w/e 17th March 1966. Their second single, Concrete And Clay, had reached #1.

 

Next is Ray Charles with Together Again, at #48 on w/e 21st April 1966.

 

Finally we stay with the same week and move one place lower to #49 for Petula Clark's A Sign Of The Times.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 97

 

We start this episode with Pinkerton's Assorted Colours and Don't Stop Loving Me Baby, which was at #50 on w/e 21st April 1966. It was the follow up to their #9 hit Mirror Mirror, and was their only other charting single.

 

Next we could have been hearing The Isley Brothers with This Old Heart Of Mine, as it initially had one week at #47 on w/e 28th April 1966, however it then reentered the charts in October 1968 and reached #3 during that run. Instead our next song is Once by Genevieve, which was at #43 on w/e 5th May 1966. The 9th edition of Guinness says she was a French vocalist, but the 17th edition says she was a British vocalist with the decidely unfrench name of Susan Hunt. Whoever she is, this was her only week of UK chart action.

 

Finally for this episode we have Kenny Damon with While I Live, which gave Kenny his only week of UK chart action on w/e 19th May 1966. According to my chart advisor for the sixties, KingOfSkiffle, it was at #45, though Guinness says #48, and another book Record Hits says it had two weeks and peaked at #45. I know how much time and effort KingOfSkiffle has spent researching accurate charts, so one week at #45 is likely to be right (certainly I don't believe Record Hits which is full of inaccuracies).

Next we could have been hearing The Isley Brothers with This Old Heart Of Mine, as it initially had one week at #47 on w/e 28th April 1966, however it then reentered the charts in October 1968 and reached #3 during that run. Instead our next song is Once by Genevieve, which was at #43 on w/e 5th May 1966. The 9th edition of Guinness says she was a French vocalist, but the 17th edition says she was a British vocalist with the decidely unfrench name of Susan Hunt. Whoever she is, this was her only week of UK chart action.

This is a case of beware what you read from a publicist! She was indeed Susan Hunt, and listed as French in the first Guiness editions because they went off the record publicity. This was later corrected and she now has three lines of biography in the 1960's Graham Betts book rather than the 5 or 6 words in the Guiness editions.

 

Finally for this episode we have Kenny Damon with While I Live, which gave Kenny his only week of UK chart action on w/e 19th May 1966. According to my chart advisor for the sixties, KingOfSkiffle, it was at #45, though Guinness says #48, and another book Record Hits says it had two weeks and peaked at #45. I know how much time and effort KingOfSkiffle has spent researching accurate charts, so one week at #45 is likely to be right (certainly I don't believe Record Hits which is full of inaccuracies).

Guiness - since the first edition - listed this as one week and a peak of 48. This is in error, as I have the scan for that week which does indeed show it as being at 45. The Complete Book of British charts was, until recently, the only book to show that it was actually a #45 record. I say until recently, because Graham Betts 1960's books for the Official UK Charts also now shows it as number 45. The record had 3 weeks on the Disc chart, hence why Record Hits probably gave it two weeks (splitting the difference?)

The One Week Wonders - Episode 98

 

First up are the Dave Clark Five with Look Before You Leap, which was at #50 on w/e 19th May 1966. There previous charting single was Over And Over, which reached #44 here at the end of last year, but was a US #1.

 

Next is Bob Lind with Remember The Rain, which was at #46 on w/e 26th May 1966. It was the follow up to the #5 hit Elusive Butterfly, and was his only other charting single.

 

Finally for this episode we stay with the same chart week and move down to #50 where we find Mr Zero by Keith Relf. This was Keith's only week of chart action as a soloist, but he experience more as lead singer of the Yardbirds.

The One Week Wonders - Episode 99

 

First up is Tony Merrick with a version of the Rolling Stones song Lady Jane, which was at #49 on 2nd June 1966, and was his only week of UK chart action. Another version of Lady Jane, by David Garrick, got to #28 in the same year.

 

Next is Making Time by Creation, which was at #49 on w/e 7th July 1966. They followed this up with their only other charting single, Painter Man, which hit #36 later in the year.

 

Finally for this episode the Ivy League with Willow Tree, which was at #50 on w/e 14th July 1966. This was their fourth and final UK charting single. Their biggest had been their third, the #3 hit Tossing And Turning.

'Come Away Melinda' was certainly an interesting listen. We have reached my own lifetime now.

"Interesting" is one way of describing it :lol: We reached my lifetime several episodes ago.