10th - 16th June 1965

27. Stingray - The Shadows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYWXp_Qiqfk Sadly, this is not their version of the theme tune to Stingray but, as the programme started just a year ago, maybe it inspired the song's title. Their guitars have a deeper, rockier sound to them on this one so credit to them for varying their style a bit.

32. On My Word - Cliff Richard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQHQk_XOivo Cliff's impressive run of 23 consecutive top 10 singles dating back to January 1960 finally comes to an end with this one peaking at number 12. There was some tinkly piano, acoustic guitar and brass instruments but the song itself was fairly mundane so it's understandable it wasn't a big hit.

33. From The Bottom Of My Heart - The Moody Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ7oEgpcuo8 There's a brooding rhythm to this one with Denny Laine's vocal ranging from the lower register to a wailing falsetto at the end. It will be the group's last hit until the big one in 1967.

36. My Child - Connie Francis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gJMUuizXlk An orchestral ballad with a powerful vocal from Connie will be her 22nd and final top 40 hit. She is now 87 years old.

40. Back In My Arms Again - The Supremes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7p1J39qc3g This will be a fifth US number 1 for the Supremes but it's the weakest song out of the five and will go no higher then number 40 here.

Record of the week : 28. Looking Through The Eyes Of Love - Gene Pitney

This is the best of today's bunch. It has the usual skilled vocal from Gene backed by some dramatic orchestration. The lyrics are about him being a hopeless loser who no one notices but his girl thinks differently as she's looking through the eyes of love. The single will peak as high as number 3. A cover version by The Partridge Family will be a top 10 hit in 1973.

The only one of these i knew at the time was gene pitneys and thats the best track here though i knew the partridge family hit better. the supremes is a drop in standard but i still like it and first heard it in 1970 on a hits album.

The other 4 are all new and not that fussed about any of them. Connie Francis can claim Pretty Little Baby as a sales hit in 2025 happily with her around to appreciate it. Stingray the TV theme is ten times more exciting than The Shads song. In fact one of the most exciting tv themes of all time up there with Doctor Who Thunderbirds Hawaii 5-0 in the 60s.

17th - 23rd June 1965

32. Heart Full Of Soul - The Yardbirds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrnngCgJQyA Another Graham Gouldman composition for the Yardbirds. Jeff Beck has replaced Eric Clapton and his guitar parts really stand out here. A good follow-up to 'For Your Love' and it will go one place higher at number 2.

36. I'll Stay By You - Kenny Lynch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foeanqs_9h4 This will be the last of Kenny's seven top 40 hits and it's a pleasant tune with plenty of warmth in his vocal.

37. She's About A Mover - Sir Douglas Quintet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XboE3_7KZ3Y The only hit for the Texas group has a catchy chorus, a distinctive contribution from the organ and a soulful vocal from the lead singer, Doug Sahm, who also wrote the song.

40. Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgphPFNiVZw The drawling vocal style is in full effect on this one so it's difficult to enjoy it as much as I would like.

Record of the week : 38. Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds

Another Bob Dylan song wins the accolade this week with this cover of an album track that only came out a few weeks ago. Its folk rock/jangle pop sound wouldn't be out of place in the 'summer of love' in 1967. The first hit for the Los Angeles band will spend two weeks at number 1 and also top the Billboard chart.

Oh what a great week - 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Heart Full Of Soul' are both big favourites of mine

I was watching a Youtube thingy on Graham Gouldman songs he wrote for others only this afternoon, so many great songs before he even hit 21. Heart Full Of Soul is great, but the jangly Byrds classic is even greater, what a classic. Mr Tambourine Man sounding fabulous in a way Dylan's own Maggie's Farm doesn't. Never liked it, ever. She's About A Mover is good fun, always worth catching it if it ever crops up briefly somewhere, which is getting rarer and rarer these days. The Byrds' is the only song I actually knew at the time, but I would have been likely to like Kenny Lynch's too. If it had been memorable. Ah well, never mind.

24th - 30th June 1965

37. Goodbye-ee - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKai4Ss13CI One of the worst novelty songs I've ever heard. Not only is the singing deliberately bad but the comedy bits were not funny.

38. Just A Little Bit Too Late - Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W2_2slNZ9o A cover of a Clyde McPhatter song from 1963. I like the heavy drum sound and the guitar parts from a young Eric Stewart but the song was just OK. It won't do as well (number 20) as their previous two singles which both reached the top 5.

Record of the week: 25. Leave A Little Love - Lulu

Since 'Shout' was a big hit, four singles by Lulu have failed to reach the top 40 so she will be relieved to be back with this one. There are some tempo changes and she sings the soft parts and the louder sections equally well. The single will reach a peak position of number 8.

Goodbyee was everywhere at the time, one I could singalong to on the telly, but yes it was of its' time, silliness. Just A Little Bit Of Love is new to me, fun seeing Eric Stewart in the video, but they all did better stuff than this, split up and elsewhere. Lulu an easy win, morphing from soulful young gutsy screamer to lush ballad on her way to Mickie Most tuneful pop hits. Leave A Little Love is pretty good.

1st - 7th July 1965

15. To Know You Is To Love You - Peter and Gordon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dKg9BRkTbQ A cover of a 1958 US number 1 by The Teddy Bears. Rather than starting quietly, the orchestra, choir and drums come straight in before the song quietens down at the 25 second mark. Not for long though, the sweeping strings compete with the vocals for most of the song.

21. Tossing And Turning - The Ivy League https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6MNwtwdci4 This will be the group's biggest hit, reaching number 3, but also their last top 40 single. The song peaked for me in the first four seconds with that electric keyboard intro. The rest of it was just OK.

23. In The Middle Of Nowhere - Dusty Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybf3apqPSq8 Another great vocal from Dusty along with the backing singers who play their part. The brass instrumentation gives this a Motown type of sound.

39. When The Summertime Is Over - Jackie Trent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MiAyEdx24 Jackie's follow-up to her number 1 is a forgettable ballad and will not go any further than this position.

Record of the week : 29. Wooly Bully - Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs

It wasn't an easy decision but I chose this one for being a bit different. It's like the 1965 equivalent of Madness or Bad Manners with the sax solo and how the band are dressed in this clip, great fun to listen to and watch. It will become the first Billboard song of the year not to reach number 1, a record it will hold until 2000 when Faith Hill's 'Breathe' will do the same thing. In the UK, it will peak at number 11 and be their only top 40 hit.

Peter & Gordon losing the subtlety of the original lovely track a bit, but they were on their way to back-stage employment so it's all fine. Tossing & Turning I have as a double-A-side yellow vinyl late 70's reissue, and I'm rather fond of the track. Funny How Love Can Be is Ivy League's best track though. Even better was to come from John Carter and Ken Lewis though, in 1967 and 1974 under new names The Flowerpot Men and The First Class along with singer Tony Burrows. Woolly Bully is great fun and ahead of it's time, and Jackie Trent is better as co-songwriter to her hubbie Tony Hatch by and large, total classy hit machines in the 60's.

Dusty was alternating classy ballads with r'n'b in her heyday, and In The Middle Of Nowhere is brassy funk-gospel fabness and is my track of the week - Madeline Bell was among a handful US future hitsters backing Dusty in those days, and I'm pretty sure that's her on the record, she did a tribute live version on youtube to her late old friend Dusty in 2011 and was talking about the pre-Blue Mink days to Paul Gambaccini when I saw her in concert last year. Still as great a singer as ever and Dusty is timeless.

8th - 14th July 1965

32. There But For Fortune - Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4BYOJ1tc-k A cover of a Phil Ochs song from 1963. It's about good or bad luck dictating whether or not we end up in prison, homeless, drunk or killed by bombs. It's just her and her guitar and she sings it well, this week's runner-up.

33. Let The Water Run Down - PJ Proby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDh7ghopLxI This is a bit of a mess of a record with Elvis style vocals over a rock'n'roll rhythm. I did listen to it earlier without the screaming girls we have here but it didn't sound any better.

34. Someone's Taken Maria Away - Adam Faith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erlOu6Bulr4 This will be the last of Adam's 23 top 40 hits and he provides a very clear vocal with a bossa nova style backing track.

38. That's The Way Love Goes - Charles Dickens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De0hcdFABa0 A straightforward and harmless pop song by a singer whose real name was David Anthony. It will be his only hit and he will quickly return to his career as a photographer.

Record of the week : 37. You've Got Your Troubles - The Fortunes

I've chosen this familiar song which has some good vocal harmonies and that effective use of the trumpet which makes it stand out. It was the fifth single to be released by the Birmingham group who were close to being dropped by their record label but this one will change their fortunes, spending three weeks at number 3 before peaking at 2.

absolutely love You've Got Your Troubles, a fave at the time and ever since, what a melody and a half. Love The Fortunes too, under-rated pop band of the 60's and early 70's. Joan Baez, not a big fave of hers, PJ Proby my mum and Aunty were big fans, this one I have no memory of, but he always gave it his all, Adam Faith a fave act of mine, but another I dont remember, I'd put this one as my 2nd fave of the batch, decent enough. Charles Dickens was good in the 19th century, big fan of his comedy turns and social commentary. This incarnation sounds like someone doing Adam Faith, wo-ho-ho's and all.

15th - 21st July 1965

31. He's Got No Love - The Searchers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDk5LBckE9I There's a hint of the early 90s Britpop sound from the guitars on this one which was the first top 40 hit by The Searchers that they wrote themselves.

33. With These Hands - Tom Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wv_13iTwpE A cover of an Eddie Fisher song from 1953 which showcases his vocal abilities but he's only 25 and I'd like to see him going back to the more contemporary sound of his number 1 single, 'It's Not Unusual'.

34. Cry To Me - The Pretty Things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVk18F2chbM This will the last of the band's three top 40 hits and it has the same raw, blues rock sound to it, maybe not commercial enough to keep them in the charts for any longer. They will, however, keep going well into the 21st Century.

35. The Ballad Of Spotty Muldoon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQQTvnTnlY Just a month after 'Goodbye-ee' comes another novelty song from Peter Cook. This one, about someone with spots on his face, is not quite as bad but maybe not the right subject for humour as plenty of teenagers at the time might have been suffering from the same affliction.

38. Catch Us If You Can - The Dave Clark Five https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKw9AYPeCz8 After some lower charting singles, this one will return the group to the top 5. I've always found the "mmm"s to be irritating but I like the chorus and the harmonica solo.

Record of the week : 23. I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops

Formed in 1953, The Four Tops did not have their first US hit single until 1964 and this will be their first UK hit. It's just so joyous and catchy and there's a fine lead vocal from Levi Stubbs. It will go no higher than this position but a re-issue will make the top 10 in 1970. The single will also top the Billboard chart.

Don't know that Searchers track, nice to see them end their career at Glasto, going out on a high. It's pretty good, and yes very Brit-pop-ish. Tom on ballad mode, With These Hands is on my Hits CD but not one I've ever especially noticed. The Pretty Things also not one I know, it's OK. Spotty Muldoon was a schoolyard chance, so it might well have caused some anguish for older kids than me. For 7-year-olds it seemed mildly amusing, but its not Pete n Duds finest moment. Seek out the best of the comedy sketches instead, esp where Dud loses it and cant stop laughing. Catch Us If You Can was easily my fave track of this bunch at the time, Dave Clark 5 were big and this was a film song, is how I remember it.

In retrospect though, The Four Tops is easily the classic single this week, and I managed the feat of missing it's chart career both in 1965 and 1970 (out the country) and first getting to know it via the Donnie Elbert hit cover, which I still prefer (but only just).

22nd - 28th July 1965

37. This World Is Not My Home - Jim Reeves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndMZqT6i4I Quite a religious song about wanting to be in Heaven so I hope for his sake it turned out to be what he was expecting.

38. In Thoughts Of You - Billy Fury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUbw1CxsRiQ Billy's last top 10 hit is OK with good use of the piano and orchestra.

40. This Strange Effect - Dave Berry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7kFT8BNj8 Written by Ray Davies, this is a sparsely produced love song that I think would sound better if someone else was singing it. I don't like his tuneless sounding vocal. Hooverphonic, The Undertones and Squeeze have all covered it so there is potential in the song and maybe I might prefer one of the other versions if I check them out.

Record of the week : 17. We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place - The Animals

I like how this builds up steadily over the first minute and a quarter before we get to the first chorus. It's another fantastic vocal from Eric Burdon who I'd certainly put down as one of my favourite singers from the 60s. The single will peak at number 2 and end up in the Grammy Hall Of Fame.

Jim Reeves is a twangy guitar mild singalong I dont know, but Jim was best on sad ballads. Billy's is a decent late-hit for my pre-school fave pop singer and he was still popping up telly at this time, but the song didnt register on me at the time. The Dave Berry I have never heard of, and had no idea it was Ray Davies - I have almost certainly heard Dave do it live back in the 80's on one of the many 60's multi-artist shows I went to, but The Crying Game is the one that stuck in my mind, not this.

An easy win then for The Animals, one I knew at the time and since, and it still sounds great.

Agreed that Eric Burdon and Levi Stubbs are mighty fine vocalists, two great favourite picks there.