Not aware of the Chris Andrews song before but it is enjoyably Yesterday Man part 2. New but familiar sounding. Like it! Till The End Of The Day another Kinks banger, and one I like but doesnt get remembered much in their back catalogue. My Ship Is Coming In another Walkers winner, Scott Could be great singing anything I reckon. The War Lord another I blank on, and the tune doesnt ring a bell - what there is of it.

Rescue Me, much covered and classic and made my charts as an oldie in the mid 70s, Cher had a crack at it in later years, but the original remains the best. On balance though, The Walkers for me as ROTW.

9th - 15th December 1965

29. Don't Fight It - Wilson Pickett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeNCcGk_Q2o A reasonable follow-up to 'In The Midnight Hour' with good contributions from the horn section and backing singers.

30. Keep On Running - The Spencer Davis Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6LVI1gDswg I like this a lot with its distinctive guitar sounds and a mature lead vocal from a 17 years old Steve Winwood. The Birmingham group had three singles peaking from 41-47 before this one which will go all the way to number 1. It's a cover of a reggae song by the Jamaican, Jackie Edwards.

36. My Girl - Otis Redding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iPtG_O8w8g The Temptations version only got to number 43 in March but this cover will do much better, reaching number 11. It's the first hit for Otis who sounds great on it but the arrangement is very similar to the original.

Record of the week : 2. Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out - The Beatles

It has to be this double A side. Day Tripper has that memorable guitar riff but I prefer We Can Work It Out which is more musically complex with the harmonium being used to good effect. This will be the Christmas number 1 and will spend five weeks at the top of the chart.

'Rescue Me' is a wonderful winner, I had no idea that it was full of future stars with Minnie Riperton and members of Earth, Wind & Fire helping out!

Yay Beatles too - I'd say 'Day Tripper' immediately grabbed me with its striking riff but 'We Can Work It Out' has been more of a slow burner, eventually creeping into my playlist of favourite Beatles songs. I enjoy the harmonium on it too, feels like a precursor to their more experimental arrangements. The comforting lyrics are also fab.

Don't know the Wilson Pickett track, but it's very Wilson - I think my basic issue with Pickett tracks and my under-enthusiasm as a kid is the lack of format variation, but the horns are cookin'. Keep On Running is a great pop track, and Stevie def sounds much older than 17! My Girl, odd to think it was associated with Otis Redding in the UK well into the 70's - I liked his version, but the revived Temptations 90's hit version from the movie was justified, it has a less histrionic vibe that has longer appeal.

But of course it's the Beatles double A side for the win - not even close. The issue is more which side is the best - Day Tripper is naughty, rifftastic and exciting, but We Can Work It Out is the best tune and the one I liked most at the time, possibly due to more airplay. I think the Optimism of Paul vs the cynicism of John's interjection works well, so that side wins.

16th - 22nd December 1965

36. Merry Gentle Pops - The Barron Knights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZvtNRlT8Qo Another medley from them, this time with a Christmas theme. Donovan, Marianne Faithfull and the Rolling Stones are among the acts being parodied but nothing here that made me laugh.

40. If I Needed Someone - The Hollies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxOmtYrPDeE The Hollies' last single, 'Look Through Any Window', was also parodied on 'Merry Gentle Pops' and they appear in the same week with the follow-up, a cover of a George Harrison penned song from the Beatles' latest album. They do a reasonable job with it, I'm not familiar with the original so I don't know how it compares. This will only reach number 20, halting a run of seven consecutive top 10 singles.

Record of the week : 37. Spanish Flea - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

This is one of those instrumentals that makes you say "oh yes, it's that one" if you don't immediately know it from looking at the title, which I didn't. It's enough to put anyone in a good mood with the trumpet to the fore and the clip clop sounds. The single will spend three weeks at number 3. Not only is Herb Alpert still alive at the age of 90, he's been touring this year with a new Tijuana Brass group, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the release of the album that this song comes from.

Oh there were medley covers in the 60's just thought it was a 1981 Stars on 45 and 1989 Jive Bunny thing?!

Also I think I prefer Mike Flowers Pops to Merry Gentle Pops!

Edited December 16, 2025Dec 16 by TheSnake

The Beatles original is the best on offer this week but other than thst Spanish Flea for me too. Loved the song as a kid esp Kathy Kirbys vocal version but Herbs is Tijuanatastic too what a legend - artist and record label owner both

23rd - 29th December 1965

31. Take Me For What I'm Worth - The Searchers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8TqphC4RAI That guitar intro was a promising start and the rest of the song is well put together with an emotive vocal from the lead singer but it lacks the hook needed to make it memorable.

33. A Must To Avoid - Herman's Hermits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kXRpJh3UtY The message here is don't go out with this girl because she'll quickly dump you and move on to someone else. Musically, it was alright but one to avoid playing again.

37. A Hard Day's Night - Peter Sellers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLEMncv140s The Beatles' lyrics are spoken here in the style of Laurence Olivier in the film of Richard III. It was mildly amusing. The single will be the last of his four top 30 hits, spread across eight years.

39. The Very Thought Of You - Tony Bennett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLuFKaXEI1Y A song that goes back to 1934. This version is nice enough but goes on for a bit too long. At 4.36, it's one of the longest singles from the year. The chilled out trumpet was the highlight. It will be another 46 years before Tony makes his next appearance in the top 40.

Record of the week : 36. It Was Easier To Hurt Her - Wayne Fontana

Wayne Fontana has left the Mindbenders and this is his first solo single. I liked the dramatic production with the brass, strings and drums all playing their part. In the song, he's regretting taking the "treat her mean to keep her keen" advice. It's a cover of a song by the American singer Garnet Mimms and will go no higher than this position so not the best start to Wayne's solo career.

Peter Sellers a big fave of the time for this kiddie, and beyond - bought it on CD in the 90's as all things 60's Beatles had value, and Peter dressed up as Olivier and the mediaeval instruments still work. Fun! That said that Wayne Fontana track is a good one, I dont know it at all! Tony Bennett, a classy song, but he never appealed to me much compared to t'other crooners, though I was vaguely aware of it growing up. Herman's featured as a misheard lyric in the 70's - She's a muscular boy didnt quite have the same lyric meaning. I am still fond of Peter Noone stuff though not one of their best. The Seachers' were always worth hearing, but this one has slipped past me to date. Quite good!

For the first time since I started this in 1961, there is a repeat chart for the week after Christmas so no new records to listen to this week.

6th - 12th January 1966

31. England Swings - Roger Miller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuSwnnoW1Js A song encouraging Americans to visit England. I think he could have mentioned more than Westminster Abbey and Big Ben as places to see and then change the next line as well as children is rhyming with Big Ben each time.

33. Bye Bye Blues - Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOG8x8vkyzg An enjoyable, relaxing, easy listening instrumental with the trumpet part standing out. It will be the only hit single for the German who produced 'Ain't She Sweet' for the Beatles when they were in Germany in 1961.

35. Farewell Angelina - Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fcEd38XQU8 Now I know Marillion were not the first act to write a song about Angelina. This cover of a Bob Dylan song is well sung and I like the addition of a double bass to the usual acoustic guitar.

37. Girls! Girls! Girls! - The Fourmost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV5yucHgrbA This is what I thought I'd get when I saw the title, a 'Carry On' style depiction of women. The lead vocal is sung in a comical way and we even have Pinky and Perky turning up in the middle. The song was actually written by Leiber and Stoller so not one of their best efforts. This will be the last of The Fourmost's six top 40 hits, they are still going and their tour dates for this year are on their website if anyone wants to go and see them.

Record of the week : 39. I Hear A Symphony - The Supremes

This is not one of the Supremes' best songs but it still beats the rest of this week's new entries. It has a strong chorus and another fine vocal from Diana Ross who said it was one of her favourite songs to perform with its many key changes. The single will drop out of the top 40 next week but will do much better in the US where it will be the group's sixth number 1.

1966 was the year mum, my brother and I lived in Liverpool while dad was in Aden, 2 schools, my dog, and a one-bed flat with mice, shared bathroom facilities with 4 other flats, and poverty pretty much. But we had TV, and I loved Ingerland Swings, still catchy and fun, Roger Miller a Disney fave to boot it turned out. Ive never heard of Bye Bye Blues, but the tune is familiar, who knew?! I think it cropped up on TV behind stuff like Morecambe & Wise.

Farewell Angelina passed me by without notice, as did Joan Baez until 1971, it's very Dylan. Girls! Girls! Girls! and I think of Sailor's 1976 hit, this song is another that glided by unnoticed, but I do actually know the song it turns out, and of course all kids loved Pinky & Perky, so pretty sure this would have been a fave if I'd heard it properly. When we moved to Liverpool we first lived with my grandma, her partner, and his dad Pop, so I would have had no input onto TV and radio, sadly.

I Hear A Symphony for me too as ROTW, though, that run of hits was unstoppable Motown quality.

13th - 19th January 1966

28. You Were On My Mind - Crispian St. Peters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKOKZleJejw After a ponderous start, this builds up well with the tambourine, organ and saxophone. He's double tracked his vocal in two different keys. The cover of a song from 1961 will go all the way to number 2.

29. Take Me To Your Heart Again - Vince Hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj7pT2LwDM4 The first top 40 hit for the easy listening singer who I remember from 70s TV programmes. It's a ballad that really belongs in the early 50s.

30. You Make It Move - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfVvgoElhM A promising chart debut for this group. A good rhythm is maintained throughout and the vocals are shared around.

36. Michelle - The Overlanders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-i7YW6JMrc A one hit wonder for this group covering the Beatles' song. They make a decent job of it but not half as good as the original. It will spend three weeks at number 1.

38. Hello, Dolly! - The Bachelors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4wqlCQZCYI The fourth version of the song to reach the top 40. It's done in the traditional music hall style starting with one of them imitating the ringing of a telephone.

39. Michelle - David and Jonathan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AIJX2semYI A rival version of the song which will only get to number 11. This has a simpler arrangement, not much to choose between them but I think I prefer the Overlanders.

Record of the week : 34. A Groovy Kind Of Love - The Mindbenders

The Mindbenders' first single without Wayne Fontana will be a huge success, reaching number 2 in March and repeating that peak position in the US. Eric Stewart sings the lead vocal so it's a pleasure to see him in this clip when I'm more used to seeing him in 10cc videos. The production is straightforward so I'm picking this as record of the week just because it's a great tune which has endured, with a future version by Phil Collins topping the chart. Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine based the melody on a classical piece by the composer Muzio Clementi.

Oh we are well into Cool Hip Swinging 60's London era now, as I move from suburban Chesham/Tube access to urban Liverpool Kirkdale/St James Park so it's a mix of vibes for me some are massive emotional call-backs, some are obscure. The Vince Hill track I though was obscure, but it's actually one I know well but didnt know I knew it! Awww I always liked Vince, and this one is old-fashioned but sweet. Dave Dee and co always big faves, but You Make It Move is another that is more familiar than I thought it would be, sort of pseudo-Hold Tight but weaker. Like it.

Hello Dolly was always Louis Armstrong, or Barbra Streisand, in my memory, so The Bacholers must have come and gone with little hurrah, that said it does sound familiar. But not as good. The competing Michelle's I'm not so sure either of them punctured my awareness at the time as it was always Beatles to me - that said covering Beatles songs was a major thing on telly in those days as everyone rushed to get a hit cover when the albums dropped, so it's not so surprising. David & Jonathan (aka Rogers Cook & Greenaway aka major hit songwriters aka Blue Mink Mr Cook) is not as good as Overlanders, which apes The Beatles note for note but more shambolic. The Beatles would have been my fave record at the time, loved it.

You Were On My Mind, didnt know it was an older song, but it was very much in the pop protest ballad vibe of 65/66, and a great record, one of my lesser faves at the time and still rate it. A Groovy Kind Of Love, though, big fave of mine in 1966 and part of that whole period nostalgia for me, always has been, and still the definitive version, what a classic, and what a pedigree bouncing from it, with 10CC, The Archies and Carole Bayer-Sager all having future hits and faves for me - Toni Wine is the female voice on Sugar Sugar. All 3 are happily all still with us.

20th - 26th January 1966

30. Like A Baby - Len Barry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtASr311eE This is OK, with good contributions from the brass section, but sounds too similar to 1-2-3.

31. Love's Just A Broken Heart - Cilla Black https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XObJClY7kc This builds up nicely and she delivers an accomplished vocal. There were several lines with words ending in 't' and she made sure she made the 't' heard clearly. After her last single only got to number 17, this one will return her to the top 5.

33. Girl - St. Louis Union https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8jPEieHVEQ This cover of a Beatles song will be their only hit. I don't know the original that well but I think it will be a lot better than this version.

35. Thunderball - Tom Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7SWNnGECjU One of the weaker James Bond themes despite Tom Jones' best efforts. It will go no higher than this position.

38. I Stand Accused - The Merseybeats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kauiPm1d4NI The lyrics reminded me of 'Love In The First Degree' by Bananarama. I liked the harpsicord and other instruments chugging away in the background. This will be the last of their seven top 40 hits, they are still going today.

Record of the week : 40. Mirror Mirror - Pinkerton's Assorted Colours

Nothing really stood out but I enjoyed this one more than the others and I think it would grow on me with a few more listens as it has the sort of chorus that will stick in my head. I liked the use of the autoharp and the orchestration. The single will reach a peak position of number 9 and be the only top 40 hit for the group from Rugby. They will split up in 1969.

Like A Baby is good, but as you say, a bit similar to 1-2-3. Love's Just A Broken Heart is a Cilla goodie, but not a classic, the cover of Girl is very much better by The Beatles, and Thunderball may well be the least memorable Bond song. I Stand Accused I don't know, but it's not too bad as I play it.

So that leaves me also going with Mirror Mirror, the song I knew at the time, and one that became an obscure "oh yes I liked that one" re-discovery in the 70's. Still sounds charming, well overdue from being sampled in something.

27th January - 2nd February 1966

17. Can You Please Crawl Out Of Your Window - Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUeyZs9LV6Y Bob has a full band behind him on this one so musically it's a bit broader than I would expect from him. The lyrics are not easy to interpret but I think the subject of the song has a partner who exerts too much control over her.

34. Second Hand Rose - Barbra Streisand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCtrcAp3TEY Barbra's only hit in the 1960s is a version of a Fanny Brice song from 1921 which she does in the same music hall style from that era. It will go on to be used in her 1968 film, 'Funny Girl'.

35. Recovery - Fontella Bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8mGiTwLFYs Not as engaging as 'Rescue Me' but she sings it well, aided by backing vocalists and the brass section.

36. Attack - The Toys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4otDkwwNryo The Toys reach some high notes on this follow-up to 'A Lover's Concerto'. Quite an enjoyable listen.

37. Breakin' Up Is Breakin' My Heart - Roy Orbison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYksZ_GGHLk A faster pace to this than most of his songs and it's OK but not one of his best.

39. Don't Make Me Over - The Swinging Blue Jeans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNXkisV-1Sk A Bacharach & David song first recorded by Dionne Warwick. There's a good package here with the vocals, melody and string arrangement all coming together nicely. It will be the last of their five top 40 hits. They are still going but with none of the original members.

40. Tchaikovsky One - Second City Sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NCe7cl7cis A piano led instrumental with some vocal 'aaahs' coming in towards the end. It's a bit of a curiosity but a welcome addition to the top 40.

Record of the week : 38. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - Nancy Sinatra

By a large margin, this takes the award. It's that descending double bass line that really makes it stand out along with the sassy vocal from Nancy and the brass instrumental parts. The single will spend four weeks at number 1.

Great choice of favourite! The Jessica Simpson cover with altered lyrics was the first version I knew, but the original is infinitely better. I agree that the double bass is a real highlight of this and gives it a bit of a sinister edge, away from Nancy's more playful vocal. That brassy instrumental is the perfect outro too. I watched Full Metal Jacket for the first time a couple of years ago and this song was one of a few memorable needle drops in it!

I’ve just been back over 1965 - listened to the playlist while playing Scrabble with my parents and went over your commentaries.

I’ll try and follow 1966 properly as I remember it being one of my favourite years.

I agree with the ROTW for each of the first 4 weeks but Nancy > Mindbenders > Pinkerton > Supremes.

well not heard that Dylan track before, sounds like a prototype for Positively 8th Street but not as good. I can sing like Dylan. Yes I'm really that bad! Odd choice bearing in mind songs that didnt get to be singles but were covered by others. A bit shambolic. My dad bought the Funny Girl EP for Don't Rain On My Parade, which really should have been a hit, it's a showstopper, but Second Hand Rose is on it too, so is a forgotten goodie, playful. Recovery not one I know but that's really good, thats one to add to my itunes basket I think.

A Lover's Concerto is in my current chart for the very first time, following a live performance in a 50s to 80's That'll Be The Day show, this one wont be joining it though. Not in the same league. The Big O not on the Greatest Hits album mum and dad had, which seemed to tail off in late 1964, so pretty much all Roy hits of 65 onwards were unknown to me. This is OK, I guess he felt he had to go more upbeat to keep up with the British Invasion.

Don't Make Me Over is well know to me by Dionne Warwick's original, that version is fabulous, this loses the sophistication and class but the song is strong enough to carry the Blue Jeans. Not bad, but there are better covers (Sybil). Second City Sound is also one I dont know, but the tune is instantly familiar as with most classical pieces even if I dont know what they are called, and Tchaikovsky is one of my fave tunesmiths. Can't beat a good tune, lyrics not essential to my enjoyment of music. The beat doesnt exactly improve the original in any way, and it's all a bit plinketty plonk. Nut Rocker did it better.

Nancy is still famous for Boots, and it's a Lee Hazlewood debut that was beloved by me at the time and since, attitude for the new generations striking a blow for women, and with humour. Nancy & Lee's work together is amongst the greatest of the 60's. Lee was def on something! Many have covered Boots but none have improved on the original. Other non hits to mention include: Elusive Dreams, Sand, Some Velvet Morning, Summer Wine, Sundown Sundown, Ladybird - all from their only album collab Nancy & Lee. The only duff track is a misguided cover of Youve Lost That Loving Feeling. ROTW obv, I'm a fan, followed Nancy right through to her Morrissey comeback (among others) in the 2000's and online these days too.