14th - 20th April 1966

35. The Highway Code - The Master Singers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qngi_jSaXlI This is four schoolmasters reading out the part of the Highway Code that relates to pedestrians in the style of an Anglican chant. It's one of the oddest novelty records I've heard but I enjoyed it and might have made it ROTW in a quiet week. You sometimes hear a talent show judge saying "you could sing the telephone directory and I'd still like it", well, the Master Singers actually followed this up with 'Telephone Directory' but it was never released due to copyright issues. They will reach number 45 later this year with 'Weather Forecast'.

36. That's Nice - Neil Christian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KI2nuRC4MM The only hit for the London singer who puts plenty of personality into his vocal with a marching band type accompaniment.

38. Please Stay - The Cryin' Shames https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx5-XZX-XxQ A cover of a Drifters song from 1961 produced by Joe Meek. There's a delicate sound to the singer's voice and I like the electric organ in the background. It will be the group's only hit single.

39. (You're My) Soul And Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJwLEMLK_bg The Righteous Brothers are no longer working with Phil Spector but they've managed to recreate his wall of sound on this one which will top the US chart. It all sounds glorious but too similar to You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' to stand out on its own.

40. Walkin' My Cat Named Dog - Norma Tanega https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPZVrmJ2HH8 Norma's apartment building didn't allow dogs so she had a cat named Dog and took it for walks. Quite a charming little song with guitar and harmonica.

Record of the week : 23. Daydream - The Lovin' Spoonful

This is quite a simple song with a sparse production but it puts the listener in a good mood and is well suited to a summer playlist with its whistling and use of the harmonica. It will be the first hit for the Canadian/American group and will peak as high as number 2.

The Highway Code is an oddity. Not really my cup of tea beyond novelty value. That's Nice is fab, very much an influence on Prisencolen etc. sound-wise, and like the Coasters reference on Yakkety Yak. Very 1966 and charming and catchy. Please Stay was once a cult fave (made the All-time UK Radio 1 faves in 1974) and then got forgotten, I love it, unusual for the time and since. Soul & Inspiration very much taking it's influence from Spector's hits but not quite as good, though it's not bad as such, I mean Bill Medley's singing, so how can it be! Norma Tanega is another oddity, folkish, and quite likeable.

The Lovin' Spoonful were great, though, and the laid-back vibes of this song remain fresh and charming in a sort of 1930's fashion. So it wins over Please Stay and That's Nice.

21st - 27th April 1966

22. Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETyi41Us_vM A fine pop song that will give this group their second number 1. I like the use of the flute but otherwise it's structure is fairly basic so not one of the best chart toppers of the year.

40. I Fought The Law - The Bobby Fuller Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytE2JMyBAe0 First recorded The Crickets, I'm more familiar with the cover by The Clash and don't remember hearing this version before. There's plenty of energy present on the vocals and guitar work. Bobby Fuller will sadly be dead in a few months with the cause never quite being clearly proven.

Record of the week : 36. Sloop John B - The Beach Boys

Originating in the Bahamas in 1916, the Beach Boys arrangement of this song is now the definitive version. The vocal harmonies they are known for are still here but we now have a more elaborate production which will be typical of the 'Pet Sounds' album which will be released next month. The single will peak at number 2, behind 'Pretty Flamingo'.

'I Fought The Law' and 'Police and Thieves' are both good Clash covers!

I like all of these, I Fought The Law I may even prefer this version to The Clash's, Pretty Flamingo, Manfred had better singles to come but it's fine - seen The Manfreds in concert several times, always a good night out. Beach Boys I've seen 3 times, my first ever big concert in 1980 at Knebworth having bought the hits album in 1976 recognising them as all-time greats - fabulous live, but the studio perfection is the timelessness. Sloop John B isnt even in the top 5 of their timeless 1966 releases, and it's still great.

Finally caught up on the last couple of months worth of posts in this thread and my favourite to appear since I last commented has got to be 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore', so I of course approve of that top pick, plus the sentiment that it was right up there in terms of the '60s as a whole so far. What a strong, moving vocal from Scott Walker and I agree the production is really expansive, quite Spector-esque.

I wasn't aware Bobby Fuller died so young and mysteriously so your commentary and some further reading just now was quite shocking!

28th April - 4th May 1966

28. Shotgun Wedding - Roy C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3J8tKLIToE A soul/blues song with some gunshot sound effects, it was OK. The single will reach the top 10 in 1972 as well as this year.

32. Communication - David McCallum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rs4c-TEOVg It's the actor from 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' who I know best from his 70s TV series 'The Invisible Man'. Here, he's just doing some spoken word parts while some female backing vocalists do the singing. Mildly entertaining.

37. How Does That Grab You Darlin' - Nancy Sinatra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3zjRKeEW0 They've used an almost identical backing track for this follow-up to her number 1 so it's more of the same really. It will only get to number 19.

38. Take It Or Leave It - The Searchers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK9IzSWYkM0 The Searchers' version of a Rolling Stones song is released a week before the Stones' album which contains the original version. I like the various guitar sounds and the drums but too many "la la la"s in the vocals. This will be the group's last top 40 hit. They made their final live appearance at Glastonbury in 2025.

40. Come On Home - Wayne Fontana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE-OlgmEOCE Wayne Fontana's second solo single has some depth to it with a good lead vocal supported by impressive backing vocals and expansive instrumentation.

Record of the week : 35. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) - Bob Dylan

All today's songs were new to me and this made the best impression. I really like the combination of piano and swirly electric organ in the background. The production is fuller than I'd expect for a Bob Dylan record. Lyrically, it's about a broken down relationship. The single will peak just two places higher, at number 33.

Shotgun Wedding its the 1972 Northern Soul reissue I knew it - I'm not sure Merseyside Radio or TV of the time were playing it much as it seemed new to me. I'm still fond of it. I was a member of the Man From UNCLE shop-bought club badge, loved the cool show, and Ilya Kuryakin was everybody's fave. I dont remember this at all! David McC went on to career-long success with films, Colditz, sci-fi Sapphire & Steel with Joanna Lumley and latterly NCIS. Mum used to love that show. This track is bizarre!

Nancy's copycat follow-up not quite so iconic, but greater things ahead with Lee Hazlewood. The Searchers' Stones cover is also new to me - prob time I bought their greatest hits! I quite like it. Wayne Fontana also continuing the trend of tracks I've never heard, it's OK too and my mind goes back for no reason to the electric meter in the flat when the coin box dropped off and me and my brother played a great game putting the shilling in the meter, catching it, and putting it back in again over and over. Mum thought that shilling lasted a long time! Still had to pay up when the man came round to collect and it was short.

And Bob Dylan's like all bar nancy and Roy C, is new to me. Dylan has several classics on the Most-streamed top 300 of the 60's (USA or global version, not sure which), but this isnt one of 'em. Lyrically not as interesting as, say, his Walt-Whitman-inspired Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall and the tune isnt a classic. So it's a big Roy C winner for me which says more about society than this relationship song, Shotgun Wedding's being a thing and all that.

5th - 11th May 1966

28. Sorrow - The Merseys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDKHTsOwkxU Two of the Merseybeats come together for this single, their only hit as a duo. The vocals here are quite monotone and the best parts come from the backing band. I'm more familiar with David Bowie's cover from the 70s, the original version was by The McCoys.

36. Can't Live With You (Can't Live Without You) - The Mindbenders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Todn07sHc After their last single reached number 2, this one will only get to number 28 which is a shame as there's a lot to like about it. The song wouldn't sound out of place on Pet Sounds if the Beach Boys were singing it. I like the guitar parts in particular.

37. Rhapsody In The Rain - Lou Christie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HxkaLYEYZU Not half as good as 'Lightnin' Strikes' and he's using the weather for the second time as a metaphor to describe a love affair.

Record of the week : 34. California Dreamin' - The Mamas And The Papas

As easy decision this week as a classic enters the top 40. The male and female harmonies complement each other so effectively and the flute solo in the middle is wonderful. It's a surprise to see this will only get to number 23, I know the lyrics are based on American life but it still should have made the top 10. It will finally do that in 1997 after being used in a commercial for Carling.

'California Dreamin'' is a classic, extraordinary it didn't even go Top 20 originally, but time (and an advert) would change that. Great picks from the previous two weeks too, from a couple of the year's classic albums, Pet Sounds and Blonde On Blonde.

Sorrow is also one I knew first by Bowie, so that's my go-to version too though I havent heard the McCoys original, but based on Hang On Sloopy that should be interesting. The Mindbenders single is new to me, yes I'm liking that one too. I really would like to do some charts for 1966. And 1965. And 1964. And 1963...etc. Rhapsody In The Rain is no Lightning Strikes, indeed, but it's OK. Lou Christie was always interesting, I loved his version of the charming early 20th century song, Beyond The Blue Horizon. It's pretty obscure though!

California Dreamin' is timeless brilliance. One I liked at the time, by 1974 I was into a full-on Mamas & Papas obsession, buying two hits albums and then later that same year mourning Mama Cass' sudden death. This single is the central diamond amongst of lot of gems, and the 1997 hit re-issue gave me an excuse for it to top my charts. For a record-breaking 17 weeks in a row, never-bettered consecutively. It's an eternal great, time has shown.

12th - 18th May 1966

13. Wild Thing - The Troggs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtJyfRCW3Ng A first hit for the English band is a cover of a song by The Wild Ones. I like the guitar riff and the way it slows down a couple of times. It will go all the way to number 2 and will top the Billboard chart. Listening to it will always bring to mind the Goodies' version which they performed on their TV show.

23. Hey Girl - The Small Faces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pg_UjueB7I There's quite a raw sound to this which I think would be similar to way it would sound live so not too difficult for their manager Don Arden, who is on production duties for the first time, to put together. He will go on to manage The Move and ELO. It was OK, plenty of energy to it.

26. Promises - Ken Dodd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AK2PDmf1z8 Another old fashioned song from Ken which will be the last of his four top 10 hits.

32. Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35 - Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-po_FUmvM This was recorded in one take and has a deliberately casual, informal sound to it. All of the musicians sound like they are enjoying themselves.

36. I Feel A Cry Coming On - Hank Locklin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU3VEIxoQ-Q Four years after his last top 40 hit, Hank is back with another of his country songs which is fine enough for anyone who likes that particular genre.

39. You Can't Sit Down - The Phil Upchurch Combo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdXISHqSV5w A four minute instrumental split across the two sides of the single. This would a good record to play if you were hosting a party in the 60s, it would get everyone on their feet which, I assume, is why it's called You Can't Sit Down. The guitars, saxophone and organ all play their parts well.

40. Strangers In The Night - Frank Sinatra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sek1vLw3s20 Frank's first top 10 hit since 1959 and his first number 1 single since 1954. He sings it well, backed by exuberant orchestration. The song will win three Grammys.

Record of the week : 31. Monday Monday - The Mamas And The Papas

This might explain why California Dreamin' only got as high as number 23 if the Mamas and Papas had two singles in the UK shops at the same time. They now have the honour of being the first act to have the record of the week in two consecutive weeks. I don't like Monday Monday as much as California Dreamin' but it's still the highlight from this week. Once again, the male and female vocals intertwine perfectly and I like the flourishes from the string section. The single will spend two weeks at number 3.

Didn't know 'Wild Thing' was a cover. I wonder will you like The Troggs' other really well known song or will it be ruined by future overplay of a cover of it?!

Thought 'Strangers In The Night' was a 50's song.

Edited Thursday at 20:451 day by TheSnake

Wild Thing is fabulous, as is The Goodie's cover (and B side of Nappy Love, which I bought for that version)😄"Hold me! Tight! ---- Not. Quite. That. Tight!" RIP Tim Brooke-Taylor. Hey Girl I've never heard before. Quite raw sounding but not as epic as The Troggs. S'alright though, quite upbeat and chirpy! Ken Dodd as per usual in 1920's/30's mode. Not as good as the Diddymen and tickling stick. Missus!

Dylan goes New Orleans Marching Band 19th century stylee, the title has always been annoying as it gives no clue to the hook which is "They Stone You" The more I hear Dylan lyrics the more I see a direct line from Walt Whitman's Leaves Of Grass in structure. I knew that American Literature part of my Uni course would in handy one day.... This is fun. Yes Dylan actual fun! A one-off!

Hank Locklin another one I dont know, very 50's-ish singalong version of Country which would be about to get way more sophisticated in the late 60's. It's OK but forgettable. The Phil Upchurch Combo I have never heard of and I have read through the Guinness Book Of Hit Singles in the 80's and 70's! This sounds like the sort of background upbeat instrumetal jazz-soul sound they used to bung in 60's films and TV because they couldnt afford copyright on actual hit records, on scenes showing young people dancing at discotheques to bland stuff they wouldn't really dance to. Only this is much better. Jazzy and smooth and street-cred.

Frank disliked Strangers In The Night (the outro Doobie Doobies are reputedly because he couldnt be bothered to sing any more of the lyrics), but his sales had been declining for years and this one did the trick. Me, I love it, one of his most accessible hits with a proper tune. Which leaves Monday Monday as the best track of the 3 top tracks here, those harmonies, the wistful sadness, what a classic!

Cannot argue with that double Mamas and Papas victory! Their harmonies are always so gorgeous and evocative, particularly on 'California Dreamin', which is one of my all-time favourite songs. I agree the flute solo really enhances it too. What a haunting masterpiece. Glad it made the top 10 eventually!