I bought Nut Rocker in 1972 with my pocket money, went mad on it for a while, and was amused it ended up as the Here's Friday/weekend theme tune on 21st century Radio 1. I even took it to the End Of Term bring-your-own-record in day for Music, as I thought the teacher might be impressed with it being a Beethoven thing. I am still fond of it but think I'd opt for Love Letters these days. Neil Sedaka is always quality, too, though it's not one I know as well as his others of the period.

 

Classical music was very much a thing in 1972 in music lessons at school, and the Nutcracker Suite was an ancient (to me) 80 years old. So, a bit like teaching schoolkids all about Glen Miller, Louis Armstrong...and Frank Sinatra these days!

26th April - 2nd May 1962

 

35. Big Man In A Big House - Leroy Van Dyke

The second and final hit from Leroy Van Dyke. It's about a teenager who leaves home with dreams of owning a big house with a big fence. After working hard for a while, he gets in with the wrong crowd and ends up in his big house with a big fence but it's a prison!

37. Ave Maria - Shirley Bassey

This is all very spectacular with the orchestra and a big choir and there's no doubt she has the voice to do the song justice but I'm not sure if I'd want to listen to it again. The song itself goes back to 1853.

 

Record of the week : 36. Cutty Sark - The John Barry Seven And Orchestra

 

In a week of few new entries, I've chosen this instrumental from John Barry who was well known for his film scores. It's a jazzy tune, not unlike 'Take Five' from last year, with the clarinet centre stage supported by the brass section. It will peak just one place higher.

 

Edited April 26, 20223 yr by King Rollo

3rd - 9th May 1962

 

32. Let's Talk About Love - Helen Shapiro

I don't think this is as good as her previous singles and the record buyers agreed with me. After four top 3 hits, this one will only reach number 23.

39. Don't Break The Heart That Loves You - Connie Francis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQxdvSApcTM As always with Connie Francis, the vocal is very good but the song is a bit dated for 1962. While it will get to number 1 in the US, this will go no higher than 39 here, breaking a run of 19 consecutive top 30 singles since her debut in 1958.

 

Record of the week : 36. Last Night Was Made For Love - Billy Fury

 

As with last week, there are just three new entries and this was the best one. He sings it well and there are some good orchestral flourishes. This will be Billy's fourth top 5 single, reaching number 4.

 

10th - 16th May 1962

 

16. Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley

This will go on to spend five weeks at number 1 but it's not one of Elvis' better known songs and also not one I particularly like myself.

20. Do You Want To Dance - Cliff Richard and the Shadows / I'm Looking Out The Window - Cliff Richard with the Norrie Paramor Orchestra

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As you might expect from a Cliff Richard double A side single, there is an uptempo song on one side and a slushy ballad on the other. I preferred the first one. These are both covers of songs from the late 50s. Cliff will lose the chart battle with Elvis with this spending three weeks at number 2 behind him.

23. As You Like It - Adam Faith with John Barry and his orchestra

A pleasant enough pop song. It will be Adam's ninth top 5 single.

35. Lonely City - John Leyton

Another John Leyton single, his fifth in nine months. This is a bit better than the last one that only got to number 40 and will return him to the top 20.

37. Caterina - Perry Como

An easy listening song in which Caterina seems to be accused of putting it about. Perry Como has been a chart regular since its inception but this is the last we will hear from him until the 70s.

40. Johnny Angel - Patti Lynn

This tale of unrequited love was the only hit single for the English singer. Shelley Fabares' version just missed the top 40 in April but was an American number 1.

 

Record of the week : 36. Ginny Come Lately - Brian Hyland

 

A very good ballad with strings, acoustic guitar and backing singers. There seem to be two main vocals, I'm assuming he's been double tracked in two different keys. This is Brian's third top 40 hit but his first since 1960. It will spend four weeks at number 5. The song he is best known for will be coming later in the summer.

 

No quibbles with any of those picks of the week there, though I quite like Elvis' and have a strange fondness for the US version of Johnny Angel in the same way I love Frankie Avalon's Beauty School Dropout in Grease. Tuneful charming cheese, albeit the Grease song was intentional nostalgic cheese.

17th - 23rd May 1962

 

28. I Don't Know Why - Eden Kane

I'm still not warming to Eden's vocal style but the song, which goes back to 1931, was alright and had a big climax to it. Just one more hit to come but that won't be until 1964.

29. Come Outside - Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard

This novelty song will go on to replace Elvis at number 1. It does have a certain charm to it but not enough to be record of the week. Wendy Richard was 18 years old when this was recorded and had already appeared on a couple of TV programmes.

34. Lover, Please / You Know What I Mean - The Vernons Girls

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These songs have an amateur sound to them but I think that's the idea as they were presented as girls next door who worked for Vernons Pools. They started out in the late 50s as a choir but they are now down to a trio.

40. Clown Shoes - Johnny Burnette

An OK country/pop song. This will be the last of his five top 40 hits. He sadly died in a boating accident in 1964.

 

Record of the week : 36. Unsquare Dance - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

 

Dave Brubeck gets his second ROTW award. I've heard this instrumental before. I think most of us have, without knowing what it's called or who it's by. Gradually speeding up, it uses double bass, piano, a snare drum and hand claps. Peaking at number 14, it will be the last of his three hit singles.

 

Come Outside for me, I was 4 and I was MAD on that record, I absolutely loved it. I will never not love it, quaint, period-piece and tuneful, amusing. And it got Wendy onto Are You Being Served and then Eastenders, so she did alright out of it :)

24th - 30th May 1962

 

24. Green Leaves Of Summer - Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen

This will be Kenny's third consecutive top 10 single. I liked the stereo mix here with the main brass instrument melody coming from the right speaker and the rhythm section coming from the left.

27. A Picture Of You - Joe Brown and the Bruvvers

A fairly good pop song. It was actually the B side of the single and got as far as number 2, giving Joe his highest chart position.

33. Funny Way Of Laughin' - Burl Ives

The second of Burl Ives' two hits and he manages to include the title of the first one, 'A Little Bitty Tear', in the lyrics. There's plenty of personality in his vocal.

35. Besame Mucho - Jet Harris

Jet Harris has left The Shadows and this is his first solo single. There are some really low notes on his bass guitar here. It's not an instrumental, there are some backing vocals.

36. Jezebel - Marty Wilde

There's a Wild West sound to this one and the rhythm track reminded me of Peter Gunn. It's a cover of a Frankie Laine song from 1951.

 

Record of the week : 25. How Can I Meet Her? - The Everly Brothers

 

There isn't a standout this week but I think this was the best one. It's about 'the prettiest girl in town' who's stuck up and in love with herself. However, the person in the song still wants to know her phone number and address. The vocals are very good and there is a great harmonica solo. We have an unofficial video for the song featuring Judy Garland. The single will peak at number 12.

 

 

 

and was amused it ended up as the Here's Friday/weekend theme tune on 21st century Radio 1.

This was how I discovered it :lol: my mind was blown that "the Radio 1 song" was actually a #1 hit back in the day. It's great fun anyway!

 

Will need to check out that Jet Harris song.

I dont know that Everly song, seems OK! My preference is for Joe Brown though, nice tune and I loved Joe as a kid, he still does it in concert and is still loveable. Plus he's Sam Brown's dad. Jezebel is a well-covered tune, plus Marty is Kim Wilde's dad. Burl Ives is another kiddie fave singer beloved of Disney movies and Ive always liked Funny Way Of laughing. Kenny Ball is not one I recognised till I played it at which point it sounded vaguely familiar from long long long ago. Like something I've not heard for nearly 60 years but definitely had heard a few times once upon a another lifetime ago :D Dont know the Jet Harris version (I thought) of the standard Besame Mucho but now I hear it that might explain why I was such a fan of a 1973 version by European classical experimentalists Apollo 100's fab version, which keeps the twangy guitar and the chorus hook but drops the sung bits for a more rounded catchy production. I knew I knew the tune from somewhere but knew not where exactly. Puzzle solved, thanks! :lol:

This was how I discovered it :lol: my mind was blown that "the Radio 1 song" was actually a #1 hit back in the day. It's great fun anyway!

 

Will need to check out that Jet Harris song.

 

I like to think I was ahead of my time going mad on Nut Rocker during Glam Rock but had to wait 40 years to be justified :lol: I just found out this year why it was reissued in 1972 - Emerson lake & Palmer did it live in concert and got a US minor hit out of it!

 

Try this very-Jet-Harris cover version:

 

 

Turns out they are British! Makes sense, I just assumed they were European as they were bigger outside the UK....

 

^^^

I think I prefer that version.

 

31st May - 6th June 1962

 

34. Swinging In The Rain - Norman Vaughan

This is a version of Singin' In The Rain. "Swinging!" was one of Norman Vaughan's catchphrases from Sunday Night at the London Palladium which he hosted. There are some comedic spoken sections and backing vocals by children. I quite enjoyed listening to it. This is the first version to chart. As well as Mint Royale's 2005 number 1, Sheila B Devotion will have a hit with it in 1978.

 

Record of the week : 29. Deep In The Heart Of Texas - Duane Eddy

 

Only two new entries but this is still a worthy winner. As well as the twangy guitar, we have drums, hand claps, a brass and woodwind section, and some "yee-haw"s. It would certainly be ideal for a barn dance. The first version of the song had lyrics and was recorded in 1941 by Ted Weems and His Orchestra with a vocal by Perry Como. Duane's version will peak at number 19.

 

 

 

 

 

I remember Norman vaughan on TV a lot, but I'll stick with Gene Kelly I think :)

 

I know the Texas song and Duane is always good, so no prob with choosing that one over Rain!

7th - 13th June 1962

 

38. Soldier Boy - The Shirelles

When I looked at the list of new entries, I expected this to be my record of the week based on their their last hit, 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', but it was a big disappointment. It's not quite a ballad but has a slow pace to it and the vocals sound a bit laboured. There's also quite a long country sounding instrumental break in the middle of the song. This will be a US number 1 but will only reach number 23 here.

40. Theme from 'Dr Kildare' (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight) - Richard Chamberlain

We had the instrumental in March, now we have a vocal version from the star of the programme. This will chart three places higher at 12 but I think I preferred the original version.

 

Record of the week : 32. A Little Love A Little Kiss - Karl Denver

 

And so it's another ROTW award for one of my favourites, Karl Denver. After a guitar based intro, his unmistakeable vocal comes in. There's also a fine xylophone solo in the middle of the song. The xylophone is actually present throughout most of the record. Karl's first four hits all reached the top 10 but this one will peak at number 19.

 

Yes that Karl Denver is unexpectedly decent in a quiet week for options. Richard Chamberlain, nah! I had to watch a lot of Doctor Kildare as a kid, so it would be a no from me just for that! And The Shirelles Soldier Bpy has never been a radio staple. I was also a bit disappointed when I heard it for the first time, though the name has lived on - The Boys TV show, and a stripper on the London scene to name but 2. I would have asked Soldier Boy for an autograph but he didn't have a pen handy that I could see...

14th - 20th June 1962

 

18. Sharing You - Bobby Vee

It seems polyamory isn't just a 21st century thing. According to the lyrics of this song, it was going on 60 years ago. Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, the song was alright.

26. Far Away - Shirley Bassey

Another great vocal from Shirley on this ballad with an orchestra and choir added to give it some drama. The song was written by Lionel Bart for his musical Blitz!

30. Ain't That Funny - Jimmy Justice

Just looking back at my review of his first single, I see I noted the harpsichord on the intro and this one has it as well. Nothing much else to say here, it was an OK pop song which I won't remember soon.

34. English Country Garden - Jimmy Rodgers

I know this tune very well. It goes back as far as 1728 and is often used for Morris dancing. This version also makes good use of the harpsichord. It will be the last of Jimmy Rodgers' five top 40 singles and will give him his highest chart position, number 5.

36. Stranger On The Shore - Andy Williams

Acker Bilk's version is currently at number 11 in its 29th week on the chart and we now have a satisfactory vocal version from Andy Williams which gives him his first UK hit since 1957.

 

Record of the week : 35. Orange Blossom Special - The Spotnicks

 

I've chosen this fast paced guitar instrumental from the Spotnicks. I know the tune already as I have an ELO live album from 1974 which includes Mik Kaminski playing it as his violin solo turn. The song was written in 1938 by Ervin T Rouse to be played on the fiddle and had some lyrics about a luxury passenger train called the Orange Blossom Special. The Spotnicks were a Swedish group and this will be the first of four top 40 singles for them, spending three weeks at number 29.

 

 

 

Sharing You I know, not one of Bobby Vee's great tracks but it's OK, Shirl's is new to me, Lionel Bart wrote some songs of my childhood, we had an EP of songs from the musical Oliver! Food Glorious Food, As Long As He Needs Me, I'd Do Anything, Consider Yourself, Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two, Oom-Pah-Pah are all great songs. Shirley did a version of As Long As He Needs Me. She should have done another song from Oliver! instead of this.

 

Jimmy Justice is another I dont know. S'alright-ish. Jimmy Rodgers and English Country Garden is one I always liked a lot. I'd prob have opted for that one just for old time's sake. Never heard Andy Williams' version of Stranger On The Shore, but Andy could do no wrong for me up to about 1974, loved his TV show and vocals. This is passable but Acker Bilk any day. Never heard The Spotniks' record, but it is good and it's interesting.

21st - 27th June 1962

 

34. Yes My Darling Daughter - Eydie Gorme

A cover of a song from 1940 by Dinah Shore. The melody is derived from a Ukrainian folk song. Here, it's given a 1920s jazz sound. The highlight was certainly at the end when Eydie holds a long note which seamlessly turns into a siren. This is her first hit single since 1958.

37. Follow That Dream (EP) - Elvis Presley

I don't think this is an official release. Good Luck Charm is still at number 1 and this EP will only get to number 34. I only listened to the title track which was an uptempo song with the drums, piano and backing singers all making good contributions.

38. Don't Ever Change - The Crickets

This will be the Cricket's highest charting single without Buddy Holly, reaching number 5. Another Goffin/King composition, it was a good pop song, I liked the piano part.

 

Record of the week : 16. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles

 

An easy decision this week, this is one of my favourite number 1 singles from the early 60s. The backing singers play a huge part in this as well as the strings, the piano and Ray Charles' fine lead vocal. The backing vocals came from the Randy Van Horne Singers who also performed the theme songs for many Hanna-Barbera cartoons including The Flintstones and Top Cat. The original version was recorded by its writer, Don Gibson, in 1957. As well as spending two weeks at number 1 here, it will top the Billboard chart for five weeks.

 

 

 

I know of the song Yes My Darling Daughter, but have never actually heard it. Very jazzy. Eydie for me will forever be a childhood rave fave singer of I Just Want To Stay Here. Love it still.

 

Don't know the Elvis track either but it's not bad at all. Undoubtedly an EP of tracks from his latest film. EP's were big in the 60's, LP's were hugely expensive to the average pay packet, EP's filled the gap between the albums and singles and you got 4 tracks for your money - I still have a few dad bought. They sold pretty well till they got booted out of the singles chart. Notably The Beatles would have had many more hits like Twist & Shout if EPs were eligible for the official chart.

 

The Crickets hit is one I know and like very much, but it's just not in the same league as Ray Charles. What a corker! Topped my charts as an oldie in 2001. My mum and dad both loved this one, we had a Ray Charles EP (Hit The Road Jack) and so did I, and still do. Country Soul is what it is.

28th June - 4th July 1962

 

35. Our Favourite Melodies - Craig Douglas

Many of the singles I've been reviewing are mentioned in the lyrics of this one. The person in the song doesn't want to hear them on the radio or when he passes the record store as they remind him of the girl he's split up with. We have a rarity for chart geeks here, this will be the fourth consecutive single by Craig Douglas to reach a peak position of number 9.

37. Conscience - James Darren

An interesting one here, it's about a philanderer who wants to take a girl out (and to bed, it's insinuated) and then break her heart. His conscience then comes in and tells him to treat her with respect. That part is in a slower tempo and has a flute playing so I'm giving the song a good review based on it being a bit different in structure to most of the pop songs in the chart at this time. This is the last of James Darren's four top 40 hits but as Popchartfreak has mentioned, he will appear in some sci-fi programmes later on.

39. Drummin' Up A Storm - Sandy Nelson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QLOUTEIFpo We also say goodbye to Sandy Nelson with the last of his drum based instrumental hits.

40. Old Rivers - Walter Brennan

An emotional country ballad about an old farmer which is spoken by Walter Brennan, rather than sung. This will be a top 5 single in the US. At the time, he was the oldest living person to have a top 40 hit over there. He is also one of only three male actors to win three Academy awards. They were all for best supporting actor.

 

Record of the week : 22. Here Comes That Feeling - Brenda Lee

 

In a good week for new entries, I'm choosing this one based on another great lead vocal from Brenda, supported by a string section, a double bass and a faster piano break. It will be her third top 10 single, peaking at number 5.