Transcript
Speaker: The Beatles had this chant, John Paul and George and probably then Stuart and Pete, had this chant, when things weren't going well, which in their world wasn't very often because mostly it was an upward trajectory, but nonetheless, sometimes you they would have a bad night or the gig would and it didn't work properly or the amps broke or whatever. i say, where are we going fellas? And they go, to the top Johnny.
Speaker: And I say, where's that, fellas? And we say, to the toppermost of the poppermost. And i say, right. And we all sort of cheer up. Now then, boys, where are we going? To the top, bro.
Speaker: Where's that? To the toppermost of the poppermost.
Speaker: Welcome to Side B of Toppermost of the Poppermost, and this is Side B as we go into the U.S. for the month of August 1965. I'm Ed Chen.
Speaker: I'm Kid O'Toole. And I'm Martin Quibble. All right, we start the first week of August, the week ending August the 7th. At number one is Herman's Hermits, I'm Henry the 8th I Am, which we covered.
Speaker: Your favorite. Oh, boy. Yep, that banger. At number 41, help by the Beatles, which we covered on the UK side.
Speaker: So it's on its way up on the US charts as well. Six, seven. Seven.
Speaker: Seven.
Speaker: seven
Speaker: Awesome. It'll be at one quicker than you can say Jack Robinson's great aunt Ada.
Speaker: At number 68, I Don't Want to Lose You Baby by chad and Jeremy. It's a Van McCoy song, which is kind of weird to me. Chad and Jeremy doing a Van McCoy song?
Speaker: He was writing for everybody back then. It's not a bad record, but it is yet another copy of You Lost That Loving Feeling. It's way too big, and to be honest with you, I miss the Chad Jeremy harmonies. It's departure for both the songwriter and the act.
Speaker: I don't really have much to recommend this record for, but I guess it's good enough to be a meh. Yeah, I would agree. I mean, again, it sounds like The Righteous Brothers, i'm complete with the echo-laden production, and it's kind of a mess of a production.
Speaker: all along the road to love when it led astray and that is why I'm gonna give you all my love every day that I live because don't want to lose
Speaker: Their voices are just swimming in all the echoes, strings and drums. As you said, this is a kind of a departure for Van McCoy and in his writing style and not in a great way. Yeah, I would give it a meh at best.
Speaker: We're all in agreement. I just didn't like this. I didn't think that their vocals worked on this, what they were trying to do with them. And as a push, I'd actually say that this would probably be a better song for the Writers Brothers or the Walker Brothers.
Speaker: Yeah. So, meh as well, huh, Marv? Yes, meh. At number 76, It Ain't Me Babe by The Turtles. The Turtles very definitely taking a page from the birds, and they, in fact, named themselves The Turtles because they wanted an animal name to be kind of like The Beatles. Right.
Speaker: Right. This is a cover of a Dylan tune, but Howard Kalen lacks Dylan's grit in his vocals. The arrangement is worthwhile, but I don't love it. It's still good enough to be a low hit.
Speaker: What Kalen said at the time was that he was copying Colin Blundstone. He says, I literally lifted the zombies approach to pop. A Colin Blundstone-like minor verse bursting into a 4-4 major chorus a la She's Not There.
Speaker: Never weak, but always strong To protect you and defend you Whether you are right or wrong Someone to over meet you now
Speaker: It's good. It's not great. Low hit. Yeah, that's about the best i could say for it. Dylan's original version is just so implanted in my brain that it's hard to listen to this and there's just no comparison.
Speaker: Bob Dylan's original, I mean, he sings the lyrics with almost a sneer in his voice and resignation and on has the very bare arrangement. And the turtles, as you mentioned, it are trying to emulate the birds for sure.
Speaker: He may have said zombies, but sorry, it sounds more like the birds. But to me, it it just doesn't quite make it. I just think the turtles were stronger at maybe straight pop.
Speaker: You know, like, of course, Happy Together, yeah Eleanor, stuff like that. I just think folk rock isn't really their forte. I listened to this with Louise. She's never heard this song by anybody before.
Speaker: And she said, I quite like this. I just took that in while I was still listening to the song and I just thought, hmm, that's interesting. There was something about it that she enjoyed. She enjoyed his voice. She enjoyed all sorts of bits about it. And it's weird for me because I listened to it and I'm comparing it to Bob Dylan and other versions I've heard as well, to be honest.
Speaker: Yeah. And... So all I'm going to say is it's interesting that they're looking at it from a different angle. I'm still not a fan of this version of the song, but the caveat is I'm going to listen to this version a few more times to see if I can...
Speaker: at least get a glimpse of what Luis sees in it that I didn't because of me coming from my perspective and Luis coming to it from perspective of never hearing the song before. So I'm going to give it another few listens, but for now, it's Jaime.
Speaker: Maybe if we hadn't heard the Dylan version first, maybe we would have reacted to the song differently. But it's so ingrained in those of us who've heard the original that it's hard to hear this.
Speaker: Interesting. Well, in the same way that I don't want to hear Dylan singing Happy Together. That's right. I'm choking on my cup of tea. Thank you.
Speaker: At number 79, Houston who by Dean Martin. You won't be saying who for long. ah I will agree with you.
Speaker: it is a stereotypical country song which has very little to do with Houston. I'm a face without name Just walking in the rain Going back
Speaker: I got holes in both of my shoes, while I'm a-walkin' case of the blues. Saw dollar yesterday, but the wind blew it away, goin' back to Houston, Houston.
Speaker: Why is Dean Martin singing this song? The percussion is interesting, and there are several different versions of how it came about. It's either the daughter of the producer tapping on a Coke bottle, or it is the striker from a triangle going against a glass ashtray.
Speaker: So no one has ever explained exactly what's going on there. It's an interesting sound, but it is very definitely something hitting against a bit of glass. Yeah. But as to the record, at least Dean is not doing the drunk Dino schtick.
Speaker: It mostly works. I like the country feel of the tune, but Dean is doing his best to obliterate it. I will give it a high meh, and I will say that I like the Sanford Clark version and then the later Lee Hazelwood version from 1966 much better.
Speaker: Dean is really just singing over an inferior copy of the crisp Clark original backing. Yeah, and this was written by Lee Hazelwood. And yeah, I did not find Dean convincing as a country singer. Let's put it that way. He came very close a couple of times to the drunk Dean persona in this. I mean, there were a couple of times where i thought, oh no, and then he Didn't quite go there. Backing singers are really syrupy, but they're like the same backing singers that he uses in all of his songs in this period. And I think the Wrecking Crew may have been the backing musicians. I'm not 100% sure.
Speaker: But in any case, I just felt this was a mismatch of genres for Dean. And I just was kind of bored. I'll have to listen to the Sanford Clark version because I think it was this arrangement that made it boring. I would give this a meh at best. The percussion at the beginning sort of reminded me a little bit of King of the Road. That thing you were talking about, the chinking, it was almost like something that you had on King of the Road as well.
Speaker: But I'm sorry, Dean. I think this is actually quite forgettable and it gets low meh. I like the harmonica, though. Euston, Euston.
Speaker: Going back to Houston, Houston. Dean has little to do with the harmonica other than he mimes to it in the video for the song.
Speaker: I do love it when people mime instruments that they can't play and have no knowledge of. There is an interesting version of this song from the group The Fall o in 2003.
Speaker: It's got a little bit of an electronica introduction, but what I like most is they change the line about a dollar to a 10 pound note. Cool. I got a hoser in both of my shoes I'm out walking, kissing venues I saw a 10 pound load yesterday But the wind just blew it away Going back to Eastern, Eastern, Eastern
Speaker: At number 80, If I Didn't Love You by Chuck Jackson. It starts with a talky bit, but the talky bit is buried and really doesn't add anything to the disc. It's a great lead vocal, but I don't care for the backing at all.
Speaker: The horns are nice, but the production is mediocre. A remix is badly needed. It's a low hit in this version, but it could be improved to at least a moderate to maybe even a higher hit if they would just mix the thing properly.
Speaker: Yeah. You ask me do I love you. That's a silly question. Listen. If I didn't love you, would I call every day?
Speaker: I didn't love you, would I act this way? So why do you ask? Do I really ask?
Speaker: This was co-written by Pam Sawyer, who we've come across many times. and She was responsible for writing some of Motown's biggest hits, including If I Were Your Woman by Glass Night in the Pips. So she's one of the co-writers here.
Speaker: Love the lead vocal. I mean, it's Chuck Jackson. What do you expect? His voice is just so rich, it just drips with soul. Otherwise, I found it a pretty average soul ballad. Female backing singers I thought were unnecessary. His voice is the star of the show. I agree with you, Ed, on the backing.
Speaker: Needed some work, needed some remixing. I would say only worth listening to for his incredible voice. So, low hit. We've done it again. The wonderful vocal of Chuck is what sells the song.
Speaker: It's not a bad song. It's middling. The arrangement and production could have been so much better. But saying that, if it came on the radio, I'd listen just for Chuck's voice.
Speaker: Yep. At number 85, Agent 00 Soul by Edwin Starr. yeah yeah This is very much a predecessor of the Blaxploitation films.
Speaker: I love this record. Edwin Starr has a great voice. The drums and horns are just right and never overtake the power of the vocal. It's got groove for miles and that bass solo is a real jam. The backing may be just a bit overdone, but that's a personal choice. As I said, a big hit. If you want to look for some other versions, Billy Preston does some absolutely amazing versions. You get a very brief excerpt of it in the Get Back film, but if you go on YouTube, you can find the entire December 1967 performance with Ray Charles behind the piano. and billy preston doing his best james brown impersonation up front from the ed sullivan show and there's also a version of billy from his shindig days where it's billy with his hair all smoothed out beetle style which is also really amazing so yeah big hit i love this don't care
Speaker: Oh, the little black man. My real name's no secret, but for me it will never be told. just lonely. Agent 006, baby.
Speaker: Agent 006.
Speaker: As soon as this started, I said, now we're talking. This was co-written by Edwin Starr under the name Charles Hatcher. Edwin clearly had a lot of fun with the lyrics. It is Motown inspired, particularly with the percussion. And that bass...
Speaker: And the bass, Motown influence there as well. When he declares himself Agent 00 Soul, you believe him. I like the fusion of rock and soul here. The piano underbed is nicely done. Even the female backing singers work here.
Speaker: Big hit. Yep. In the 1970s, this would become a huge, huge player in the northern clubs of England.
Speaker: in the northern soul and would lead to Edwin Starr having an incredible tour of Europe and the UK. and You look back at the 60s, one of the the things that stands out is the the Motown, the the soul thing that was going on. Why do you think that was so big, particularly in the 60s? Because of the fact that that was the generation of of love. That was people who fell in love with each other. They met, you know, they created relationships that even today still are lasting.
Speaker: The whole northern soul scene came out of that era as well. And that scene is very, very much alive and well even today. Northern soul in this country? You didn't have such a Northern soul thing in the States. No, I didn't have it there. Only recently, within the last 10-15 years, has America even cultured, thought about the old material.
Speaker: His voice is great. The instrumentation is super cool. Especially that really kicking bass. That is fabulous. Yep. And that one verse, there once was a fella who was down on rock and roll. He couldn't get himself together. He didn't have no kind of soul. The office put me on his case and I tracked him down right away. Now he's a DJ on a radio show, a station that everybody knows.
Speaker: Love it. wow At number 90, a song which we don't love quite so much. Well, I don't. i can't speak for the rest of you. Sad Sad Girl by Barbara Mason. It's Barbara Mason ripping herself off. It's Yes, I'm Ready Part 2.
Speaker: Overbearing backing vocalist. Uninspired instrumental backing. I guess she gets point for the effort, but eh, low, meh. Yeah.
Speaker: I'm a sad, sad girl, cause you've been gone.
Speaker: This was written by Barbara Mason, and definitely it's a retread of Yes, I'm Ready, and not nearly as good. But this is notable as, again, an early example of Philly Soul. It was produced by Dino Dynamic Productions, which was really a trio who would go on to become big names in the genre in terms of producing and writing. Luther Randolph, Johnny Stiles, and Weldon Arthur McDougall III. And they formed...
Speaker: the hearth on label which this was on it's interesting that it's another early example of philly soul but this needed a lot of work on the lyrics and it's just kind of a pale imitation of yes i'm ready so meh for me it's it's all right a little hit to me that's about as much as i've got to say about it let's face it she's going to be hard pushed trying to beat yes i'm ready that was a great song yes At number 91, You're Gonna Make Me Cry by overvri O.V. Wright. O.V. Wright, you will remember, is the artist who originally recorded That's How Strong My Love Is, which we had a supercut of, and is better known by Redding and The Stones.
Speaker: Please, please don't make me cry Oh no, oh no You're gonna make me cry Oh yes you are You're gonna make me cry
Speaker: This is gospel repurposed as pop. It's a good lead vocal, but very mediocre production. The backing isn't the best. I like it, but don't love it. a Hi, man.
Speaker: Yeah, this is another case of the song is worth listening to for his vocals. I like the blending of blues and gospel here, but don't love the song. It's just not that distinctive, not that memorable, but his vocals are outstanding. and This is one of those times where he didn't sing it, he sang it.
Speaker: He's a singer. He sings it with a emotion. And it ends very abruptly, which is strange. So I would say worth listening to for his incredible vocals. But otherwise, fairly standard soul ballad, not that remarkable. Maybe would upgrade it to a low, low hit. I like his voice a lot. The production is lacking. The writing of the song, there's some germ of an idea there, I think. The melody is almost Redding-esque in the way that it's written. And if the lyrics had been a lot tighter and a lot better and the whole thing had had been cleaned up a bit, to work around that and bring more out from that great gem
Speaker: of the melody, then we would have been talking a bigger hit, but as it is, a low hit because of his voice. At number 96, We're Doing Fine by D.D. Warwick.
Speaker: D.D., Dion's sister, of course, has a great voice. This is a nice up-tempo number. It may be too slightly Motown alike. Nice horns, good backing, well-recorded, if not the best-played drums. All that keeps this from being rated any higher is the tune. It's really only so-so. Low hit. We're in agreement again. her voice is incredibly strong and soulful on this.
Speaker: With that of loving, you know I ain't going nowhere No, no, no, no, no I love until now hear what I say Six times couldn't pull me away My love is his and his love, it's mine
Speaker: There's no peace, any dark in anyone's mind
Speaker: The backing female vocalists kind of sound like a throwback to early 60s groups. The song is okay. Not only was it reminiscent of Motown, but even a little Curtis Mayfield-ish, particularly the horn arrangement, reminding me a bit of a lesser Curtis Mayfield song for sure. I would say her vocals are the only thing to keep this from being mess. So maybe low, low hit.
Speaker: Why on earth aren't they utilising the Warwick slash Houston family as the backing singers? Because that would work better. Yeah, that's a very good point. You've got Cece Houston in the family as well and all these other people and they're incredible singers.
Speaker: If you'd had them, you'd have something better there with that. I might give it a lower middling hit because of the fact of her voice. But other than that, it's just not up to speed, really. Yeah, she deserved a better song.
Speaker: She did. Yeah. How did she end up getting credited with the Warwick name? Because, of course, their actual name is Warwick. R-R. Yeah. Anybody know? Nope. Not a clue.
Speaker: No. I mean, unless they just said, well, people know the name and we want to associate you with your sister. So you're Warwick now. Yeah, probably that's it. Yeah. At number 97, Annie Fanny by The Kingsman.
Speaker: Well, it's about like what you'd expect from The Kingsman. Good enough production, playing at typical garage rock levels. It's slightly amusing, but really nothing to write home about. High, meh, low hit.
Speaker: I do have to ask, is this a comment on the whole Louie Louie is pornographic thing? Annie Fanny, who is referenced in the first line of the song, is, of course, a character from Playboy magazine. i have to read the Wikipedia description of the little Annie Fanny comic, which appeared in every issue of Playboy.
Speaker: Annie Fanny, the title character, is a statuesque, buxom, young blonde woman who innocently finds herself nude in every episode. Of course she does. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Oh, man. This is garage rock, all right. it sounded like it was recorded in someone's garage, not in an altogether charming way. It was a little sloppy, although, again, I understand there you know a Kingsman are garage rock variety. But to me, it was like they were also trying to create sort of a sing-along, a little bit like Barbara Ann, but it just sounds dashed off to me. The lyrics, the recording, everything. I would say meh.
Speaker: It also reminds me of the Jolly Green Giant, actually. Yeah, kind of. Yeah.
Speaker: There's a chick in the magazine we all know. And better, yeah, yeah, so fine. She's a springy little chick we all know.
Speaker: Hey!
Speaker: To me, i was listening to it made me think that it was almost like a parody of what 60s songs were. Unusually for a Kingsman song, you can actually hear the lyrics.
Speaker: Yes. Which makes a change. Probably not a good thing, actually, because they're not all that. It's laid back for them. But yeah, it's like you've got the hand claps in there that are very 60s. You've got all these different elements that are 60s. It's almost, like I said, somebody parodying and going, Ooh, how can we take the mickey out of 1960s music? Oh, we'll get this element from there, we'll get this element from there, and put them all together.
Speaker: It's more like that than a real song to me. Well, look at the subject matter. It's almost like an Austin Powers thing, except taken a step further. Oh, ha ha, we're going write a song about a character from Playboy magazine. And of course, you know, the Playboy clubs and Hugh Hefner were the grown-up version of Beatlemania, almost. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I'm sorry, ah all the female names from the Austin Powers films I can think of are not repeatable on this show. That's right, it's a family show. Family show, Marv. yep We've already mentioned Pussy Galore in a previous episode. true It's hard to get a little bit more than that. so Yeah, true.
Speaker: Who are you, baby? Ivana. Ivana Humperlot. Excuse me? Ivana Humperlot. Allow myself to introduce myself.
Speaker: My name is Richie Cunningham, and this is my wife, Oprah.
Speaker: My name is number two. This is my Italian confidential secretary. Her name is Alotta. Alotta for China.
Speaker: Come again. Alotta for China. I'm sorry, I'm just not getting it. It sounded like you said your name was Alotta for China.
Speaker: Nevermind.
Speaker: Moving on. At number 98, I've cried my last tear by the OJs credited to Naomi devil. And we know who that actually is. The original version was by Ernie K. Doe in 1961. This record has a very New Orleans feel for obvious reasons, although actually not as much of a New Orleans feel as in the Ernie K. Doe original.
Speaker: I'm not sure what I think of the pop touches in this song. They can work, but here in this recording, they're neither fish nor foul for the OJs. Very, very low hit.
Speaker: Yeah, I like that New Orleans style. And of course, this is an Alan Toussaint written song. So of course, it's going to have a New Orleans style. I like that strident piano along with that kind of shuffle rhythm.
Speaker: I've got all for you at last. All my plan is in the past. No more sorrow, no tears and pain.
Speaker: I'm trying hard to be your man. I have cried my last tear. Now there'll be no more, my dear.
Speaker: Tight backing harmonies. The song's okay. Certainly not what the OJs would become in the 70s. I wouldn't rate this as one of Alan Tussain's best compositions, but this is produced and executed well enough to make it a low hit.
Speaker: you I found myself tapping my foot. And I should also add, it was produced by Tommy LaPuma, who went on to be a huge fan figure in the music industry as a producer and also you know was a key figure in developing the careers of such artists as Diana Krall. You've mentioned Tommy before, actually. Yes. So here he is again.
Speaker: have cried my last tear Now there'll be no more, my dear The OJs again. The 1960s, the OJs.
Speaker: And they sound so different. Don't they just? Although I do like their voices. The music is nothing that we've not heard before. The weird thing is, because I mean, originally this was recorded by Ernie K. Doe in 1961.
Speaker: But the weird thing is, is it just me? But this version of the song, there's bits in it which sound more like Under the Moon of Love than that original.
Speaker: There's little bits in it, like the ba-dum, ba-dum. They put that in there. that isn't from the Ernie K. Doe version in 61, it is directly lifted to my ears from that.
Speaker: Interesting. You obviously know Under the Moon of Love, don't you? obviously yeah nices classic Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: Worth looking into. And I will say, if you haven't heard it, go look for the Cliff Bennett version, which I actually like better. It leans much more into that Fats Domino style piano than the OJ's version does. At number 99, Where Were You When I Needed You by Jerry Vale.
Speaker: Another one of those, gee, what is this doing in the chart songs? Where was I? like Not listening to this song, but I ended having to do for this.
Speaker: Easy listening, but ever so slightly up-tempo. Jerry Vale can sing, but there's just absolutely no feeling behind his vocal. Even at the time, it would have put an entire retirement home to sleep. And you can take that however you want to. Big miss.
Speaker: Anyway, it was like Jerry Vale trying to sound like Dean Martin here, but maybe less drunk. It has a slight country feel, particularly in the guitar and bass. The song itself is kind of a ripoff of I Want to Be Around by Tony Bennett. Kiss off kind of track. You know, I don't need you now. Where were you when I needed you? And we've heard this before and done much better. Miss.
Speaker: Yep, basically I'm just going to do my best Simon Cowell and say, it's a no from me. And if for some reason...
Speaker: You want more Jerry Vale in your life. Go and look for Jerry Vale on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, where he does an absolutely terrible version of Those Were the Days.
Speaker: Ed, we're supposed to be telling the toppers good songs to go and check out, aren't we? Yes. Well, I mean, ah you somebody might want to check out more Jerry Vale. I think they would want to check out more Jerry Vale than this next tune we've got. You're not wrong.
Speaker: ye At number 100, our old buddy Wayne Newton is back with, believe it or not, this is the first English version of Summer Wind.
Speaker: oh What is Wayne Newton doing here? Does he have of a lisp in this song? Yes.
Speaker: It lingered there to touch your hair and walk with me All summer long we sang a song and strolled the gold
Speaker: He almost sounds prepubescent here. The horn is annoying. The whole record is just a mess and a big miss. All I have to say is thank you, Frank s Sinatra. a You and Nelson Riddle will provide the proper gravitas and produce a good version of this song in the next year.
Speaker: Yes, indeed. Warren's welkish corny arrangement Particularly, I guess that's the marimba that's throughout that just adds to the corniness. Yeah, I would say Wayne Newton's voice here, it's an a acquired taste. Let's put it that way. It's just a mess. As you said, skip this version and listen to Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle who do this song justice.
Speaker: so But this version, missed. Yeah, a song that's been done many times. Sorry, Wayne, but this doesn't even come close to Frank's version. See, I'm giving you good songs to check out.
Speaker: As we mentioned, Summer Wind was a 1965 song originally released in Germany as Der Sommerwind. Nice good German pronunciation. Sommerwind, S-O-M-M-E-R-W-I-N-D. Written by Heinz Meyer and German language lyrics by Hans Brodke.
Speaker: Johnny Mercer would rewrite the song into English using the same themes as the original, which talked of the changing of the seasons using the Southern European Sirocco wind as a metaphor.
Speaker: It's a beautiful song. Oh, it is. So in addition to the Wayne Newton version, Bobby Venton, Perry Como, and Frank Sinatra would subsequently re-record it. So that is the first week in August, and we're going to move on to the next week, the week ending August the 14th.
Speaker: At number one is I Got You, Babe by Sonny and Cher. Not our absolute favorite song, but I think we'll take it. Yeah, I can do. Yep. At number 14 help.
Speaker: We'll take that for sure. And it's on its way up. who It doesn't need any help getting there. That's right. At number 71, action by Freddy Cannon.
Speaker: Please no. It's a dreadful Palisades Park-alike. Dance, dance, dance, when you hear that beat. Dance, dance, dance, get up what you'll see.
Speaker: Dance, dance, dance, let your backbone slip. Let's go to the place on the Sunset Strip. Oh, baby, come on.
Speaker: This was the theme to the Dick Clark TV show. I don't like anything about this record. Big miss. If you want something from the TV show, and we'll talk a little bit about the TV show after we get Kit and Marv's opinion, the Boyce and Hart closing theme is much better.
Speaker: Not that that's a great song. Yeah.
Speaker: This was so repetitive, particularly in the chorus. This needed at least one more verse. You know, it's just one of those songs you just think, I've heard that something like this before and done better. And it sounds so dated, early 60s at least.
Speaker: It's crazy, where the action is. and ah ah maybe has a tiny bit of catchiness to it, but it's annoying enough. And also Freddie Cannon's over-the-top delivery. By the way, this was recorded by a lot of the members of the Wrecking Crew, Leon Russell, James Burton, Glen Campbell, and David Gates.
Speaker: Were they stoned? I'd have to be to get through this. So, yeah, Miss, maybe a low, low, low, Matt, for just the catchiness, of course, but that's about it.
Speaker: That dreadful whooping that they're doing to try and make it feel like it's, hey, this is a happening tune and there's all that. Oh, the whooping is really irritating. Got on my nerves. There's as much action in this song as there is anger in Paul McCartney's angry.
Speaker: yeah Nice tie-in. yeah So you're going with a miss, huh, Marv? How did you guess? Okay, so, Marv, have you ever seen any clips or there are now whole episodes on YouTube of Dick Clark's Where the Action Is?
Speaker: No. Is it Where the Action Was? You certainly remember MTV's Spring Break from the 80s and 90s. Yeah. They would go out to the beaches of Miami predominantly and show off the kids dancing to the hits from, oh, let's say mid-February to about the end of March.
Speaker: Because, you know, everybody has spring break at slightly different time. A bit like a real-life version of when they used to do the Saved by the Bell during the holiday time sort of show.
Speaker: Exactly. The place you might have seen it is there was an episode of Friends which had like a flashback which was set in and around MTV Spring Break.
Speaker: I'll get back to that episode because I'm doing a viewing of that at the moment. Louise is making me watch the, well not making me, but getting me to watch um Friends. Friends. Ah. So where the action is, is basically MTV Spring Break 1965.
Speaker: Cool. Oh boy. Dick Clark would go around. The description from TV Guide is that it was a traveling rock and roll variety show that toured the U.S. and globally in the spring and fall with Malibu beach shows in summer and Big Bear ski resort shows in winter. Wow.
Speaker: featured hit music acts miming with games and star interviews hu come on along to king harbor probably america's most modern boat marina 30 million dollar project present slips for more than 1300 boats here for chip beach boys classic these are the knickerbockers with fun fun fun
Speaker: She got her daddy's car and she's driven through the hamburger stand now. Seems she forgot all about the Lafayette. She told her
Speaker: The one that i watched was poor Chad and Jeremy stuck up on some wooden stairs outside of a beach hut with their acoustic guitars, dreadfully playing along while they're surrounded by kids.
Speaker: Oh, dear. So the one group which we really got out of that, which made a big splash, was Paul Revere and the Raiders. This was the first time that people really got to know them.
Speaker: Worth watching the show as a novelty and to see where Dick Clark was in 1965. But yeah, the theme fits the show. That's about all I can say for it.
Speaker: Okay. At number 73, who will be the next in line by the Kinks? It's not bad, but it's also not particularly good Kinks.
Speaker: I was the best one you had. I was the one who gave you love. Who'll be the next in line.
Speaker: Who'll be the next in line for heartaches. Who'll make the same mistakes I made over you. Good vocal and guitar, but the horns and rhythm never quite gel together. And it fades before it has the chance to get going more than a little bit. Meh.
Speaker: Yeah, that's pretty much my response. I just thought the repetition of the title phrase, it's actually ah almost wrapped. I found that kind of irritating.
Speaker: The whole thing just sounded almost dashed off, like it needed a lot more work with the lyrics in particular. There's a bit of Fats Domino-style piano backing, which is interesting, but otherwise...
Speaker: Yeah, I thought this was definitely lower-end kinks. Maybe, meh, if I'm generous. I'll just talk about this then, and I'll just put my rap to the side, because I did have a rap written, but we'll forget it.
Speaker: It's a bit normal for the kinks. What he said about the horns and everything else not quite gelling. You're right there. I can see what they're doing. I think they're trying to experiment with what they can add to the band to see what they can do outside of that and see what they can experiment with. But yeah, it probably needed a few more runs through and get the arrangement better for it to have worked. But even still, it's just a dare I say, ordinary song for Ray to have written.
Speaker: Yep. Now there is a reason for that. I don't know for certain, but at least in part, the reason this song exists is record company shenanigans.
Speaker: Shenanigans. Yeah. So there was a UK single, Everybody's Gonna Be Happy, backed with Who Will Be The Next In Line. Reprise refused the single. So that was not released in the States.
Speaker: We had that in the past. We had Everybody's Gonna Be Happy over on the UK side. Right. Okay. So the next single, Set Me Free, backed with I Need You, Reprise did release in the States. Hmm.
Speaker: The single after that, the one we just had over on the UK side, See My Friends, back with Never Met a Girl Like You, was also refused by Reprise.
Speaker: Wow. So what Reprise did was, okay, we still need a new kink single. They went and released Who Will Be Next in Line, backed with Everybody's Gonna Be Happy as the B-side.
Speaker: oh So it may be that this was just something that the kinks had lying around, not quite knowing what they were going to do with it. And reprice it, guys, we need another single.
Speaker: ah we We don't have time enough to record something here. Take this. Well, that would explain, then, the dashed-off quality of it. Yeah. and And then putting the A side of a British single on the B side of that.
Speaker: Hmm. Turning Down, See My Friend. Indeed. And we've got both a Billboard and a Cashbox review. Billboard described the song as... A pulsating, funky blues rhythm number which rocks all the way.
Speaker: Not quite. No. Barf, you already the cash box. Ah, yes. The wonderful cash box. The Kinks' phenomenal, best-selling run should be further enhanced on the basis of this top-flight newie, tabbed who'll be the next in line.
Speaker: The tune is a fast-moving, rollicking thumper about a fella who... who has plenty of regrets about his romantic involvements. I had regrets about releasing this as well. Everybody's Gonna Be Happy is a catchy, high-spirited, rhythmic, multi-beat, teen-oriented, tepsichorean item. Oh, it's got your favorite word there again, Ed. Yep. Yay! It's a return of tepsichorean. Yeah.
Speaker: Yes, it's the return. Yes. Fancy. Remember, it means a song about dancing. true Yeah.
Speaker: Good Lord. At number 74, Summer Nights by Marion Faithful, which we covered on the UK side. At number 75, You Been In Love Too Long by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.
Speaker: Good vocals, good backing. I don't love the keyboard. I like the horns. Nice driving song, but not the greatest melody. I like it enough to give it a low hit, but probably not much more than that.
Speaker: I like this. Now, definitely not on the level of nowhere to run or dancing in the street, but I kind of liked that tinkling piano. was just something different. Maybe it's used a little too much in the song, but it was kind of an interesting touch.
Speaker: And I like that typical Motown tambourine and hard-hitting drums, the pulsating bass line, love the horns, particularly toward the end. It's a hit for me. i liked it. But again,
Speaker: Not on the level of Martha and the Vandellas' all-time best, but this is kind of a hidden gem. I enjoyed this. The voices are good, the instrumentation is good, the arrangement's okay, and the production's okay, but there was just something about the song that made it a middling hit to me. ah I'd say five out of ten, which is nowhere near what Motown Junkies gave it No.
Speaker: We've got both the Cashbox and a Motown Junkies review on here. I'll read the Cashbox, and since it agrees most with Kit, we'll let her read the Motown Junkies review.
Speaker: All right. What Cashbox said is, Martha and the Vandellas have enough built-in success ingredients going for themselves here to charge up the charts like a runaway locomotive.
Speaker: The top lid, you've been in love too long, is a rollicking, rhythmic, pop, R&B item about a twosome who have been together a wee bit too long.
Speaker: Gee, that's original. yeah All right. don't you tell us what Motown Junkies had to say? Martha Reeves and the Vandellas take possession of something new, something more dangerous and exciting and grown up, something that had lain just out of the Marvelette's grasp and was now seated forever.
Speaker: From here on in, this is the Vandellas' home turf, and they occupy it with panache and with a super catchy chorus to boot. brava and they give it an eight out of ten it sounds like marv actually likes at least i'd probably go six and a half seven and it sounds like kit would agree with the motown junkies and probably go about eight yeah i think that's fair for me yeah at number 80 we got to get out of this place by the animals the u.s s chart debut we covered it back in the uk in july at number 81 first i look at the purse by the contours now let's See if we're going agree or disagree on this one. Smokey co-wrote it.
Speaker: Some fellows look at the smile they wear. Some fellows look at the legs, that's all. Some fellows look at the style they wear.
Speaker: Some fellows hold the waist in the smile.
Speaker: It is more or less a throwback. Well performed, but with maybe just a touch too much of the sax. Great playing from the Funk Brothers, but I don't love the lyrics.
Speaker: Sly humor almost saves it, but doesn't do it for me. Meh to high meh. I thought this was kind of fun. Co-written by Smokey and Bobby Rogers, also of the Miracles.
Speaker: Are the lyrics a bit misogynistic? Yeah, but it's kind of done tongue-in-cheek. So it didn't upset me as much as you might think. We'll talk about Motown Junkies' take on it in a minute. But...
Speaker: I thought it was more kind of a satire and funky backing track. The Funk Brothers just bring it on this love the drums bass. And I like the sax solo. I thought that was a lot of fun. So I would give this a low hit.
Speaker: Yeah, it's interesting. It's soulful. Yeah, it is a throwback. The vocals are good. The instrumentation is good. Mix isn't perfect. Another one where I'm going to say five out of ten.
Speaker: Okay, well, why don't you read the Motown Junkies section that we've got here, Marv? Okay, so Motown Junkies say, I get the feeling that Smokey and Bobby had a blast writing this nonsense, like a busman's holiday from Temptations, songs full of exquisite pain and love-lorn beauty. This is just a load of silly semi-puns, Smokey Robinson sitting down and thinking, well,
Speaker: If I were some street corner would-be Lothario, what would I say? Seven out of ten. Again, kit basically completely agrees with them. you know I would if I liked the puns a little bit more. Yeah. But otherwise, yeah Again, Marv seems to have the lowest opinion of the three of us. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, that's the thing. I think part of it is the lyrics are kind of tongue in cheek. And as I think Motown Junkies talked about, that the narrator, the lead character is kind of a buffoon. I love how he put it, that it's like a woman walking by and a guy throwing out cheesy lines to her and she just rolls her eyes and keeps walking. I mean, that's kind of what this is like.
Speaker: At number 86, My Girl Sloopy by Little Caesar and the Consoles. This is a less interesting version of the tune than the one we're going to get shortly. The backing and lead vocals don't work as well at a slower tempo. The horns never quite take off.
Speaker: The yeah, yeah, yeah, then good, good, good, followed by the twist and shout stack vocal, which incidentally is part of the Yardbirds cover, which seems to precede both of these. Just feel like a ripoff.
Speaker: Meh. Go listen to the McCoy's version. I agree. This is a slower tempo than the McCoys. Faster tempo is the better choice. Definitely, shall we say, some nods to the Beatles, as you mentioned, the stacked harmonies a la Twist and Shout. And of course, this has the same chord changes as Twist and Shout.
Speaker: Yeah, but again, as I say, they are copying the Yardbirds version. And it's the Yardbirds who actually did that first. The ironic thing is, apparently, it was Eric Clapton who brought this tune to the Yardbirds. And you can't get much more pop than this.
Speaker: Hang on, Snoopy. Snoopy, let your head.
Speaker: Come on, come on, come on, girl. Come on, come on, say yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good, good, good. Good, good, good, good, good. Good, good, good, good.
Speaker: This sounds like garage rock with pop kind of combined. This is a Canadian band, by the way, and an early member, but not on this record, he had left by this time, was Robbie Robertson of the band.
Speaker: So, yeah, I'd give this a meh. We're already talking about six or seven years since Robbie Robertson left the consoles, and apparently he left because they wanted him to go to bass, and he just wasn't going to do that. Ah, yeah.
Speaker: Moving Robbie to bass, how dare they? All right, Marv. This version of this song is so laid back in comparison to better versions that it's almost horizontal.
Speaker: The voices are great, but it's just, how can they make the song so, for want of a better word, bland? I was going to say boring. Boring. Yes. Boring. Yes. Yeah.
Speaker: So some of the other versions in, well, we are going to have a super cut, just not here. The Vibrations did a version in 1964. As mentioned, the Yardbirds just after Eric Clapton left. So Eric brought the song to the Yardbirds, then left the band.
Speaker: Their cover of this version, the My Girl Sloopy version, appears as the A-side of the Five Yardbirds EP. Cool. Now, as to this group, they would record several Canadian hits, including If I Found a New Girl and My Girl Sloopy.
Speaker: Then later on, You Really Gotta Hold On Me, which would reach number one in the RPM charts in 1965, making them only the second Canadian band after Chad Allen and the Expressions to top that chart.
Speaker: Their version of Really Gotta Hold On Me, is available on YouTube. It is a fairly straight version of the original. Yes. They're not doing the Beatle-isms there.
Speaker: Really? Cool. At number 87, I'll take you where the music's playing by The Drifters. Hey,
Speaker: little girl, I hear somebody broke your heart.
Speaker: heavy harmonica good lead vocal nice ever so slightly latin horns they do get a bit busy but once again we get a little bit of twist and shout in them they're setting
Speaker: Well-written, well-produced, but still probably only a low hit for me. Yeah, I wasn't crazy about this. It was co-written by Ellie ah Greenwich and Jeff Berry, and Jeff Berry also co-produced this.
Speaker: I feel like they're trying to update the drifter sound somewhat with the horns taking the lead role, but I just didn't love the recording. The drums aren't as clear as they could be. The backing threatens to overtake. the drifters harmonies at times. And we've heard this kind of song before, uptempo, take me dancing track before and better than this. Drifters deserve better. i would actually give this maybe a high meh.
Speaker: A cliched song that's saved by the horns to a degree, i suppose, that other than those horns sounds more like 1959 than 1965. Yep. at number No.
Speaker: is it really over by jim reeves and Yes. Yet another one of those songs from Jim Reeves capitalizing on the unfortunate accident.
Speaker: It's usual Jim Reeves. It's a well-produced vocal, but I don't want to hear it. Yeah. Yeah. This was one that Jim Reeves wrote and Chad Atkins, of course, once again producing. And, of course, this takes on such a creepy tone since this was released after Jim Reeves' untimely death. I mean, here you I wonder who stands.
Speaker: Yikes. Obviously not what they had originally intended. It's just a typical country ballad with very syrupy strings. And even my mother, this isn't quite on the level of a Big Betty-ism, but she even said, we've heard this before.
Speaker: She's not wrong. That's right. So not only meh, I would say snooze. Oh, boy. Another song about something coming to an end released as a posthumous single by Jim.
Speaker: I will say one thing, though. Whoever RCA Victor have got doing their card index system I want to employ them because they're darn good at finding songs by Jim about people dying and ends of relationships.
Speaker: True. And believe it or not, this was nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1966 for the year Well, thankfully, it did not win.
Speaker: The nominees were Make the World Go Away by Eddie Arnold, Talk Me Some Sense by Bobby Bear, Crystal Chandelier by Carl Ballou, This Song by Jim Reeves, and King of the Road by Roger Miller, thankfully the correct song won, King of the Road.
Speaker: Good. Well, it's the better one of the choices. Yes. At number 92, Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead by the Marvelettes, as with many of their other songs written by Hunter Paul and Stevenson. Clever lyrics, driving tambourine, great bass line and vocals. It's a bit derivative, but still lots of good in the horns playing an arrangement. Low hit.
Speaker: I really like this. I love the gospel piano in it, the funky bass line, the throbbing drums. The piano might be a little too prominent, but that's a pretty small critique. Love the horns and the bridge. That section even predicts 70s soul, maybe even Philly soul in the chord changes. It just really struck me. I couldn't really pinpoint a specific song. but I just thought, wow, can't believe this is from 65. Written by the great team of Hunter Reinhardt. Paul and Stevenson, Motown, great songwriters. Fun title phrase. That's a great line. So I would give this a hit. I enjoyed it.
Speaker: I quite liked this. I liked the look forward in the instrumental section with the horns that remind me of, you ready, Kit? Yep. It reminds me of the i Want You era of Marvin Gaye.
Speaker: Interesting. Okay. I could see that. Which he did work on with Stevenson, I believe. I think so. That album. But yeah, it reminded me of that era of Marvin a lot. Yeah, I liked their voices. I thought it was good. So yeah, I'm actually probably a six and half.
Speaker: Yeah, actually, I think we're all more or less in the same range and the same range as the Motown Junkies. Go read their review. It's interesting because they talk about how this song more or less predicts a number of trends in a similar way, but better spelled out than what Kit just did. So what they say is, if this had been the Marvelettes' first jaunt into doing something in that, I love this, they have created the Vandal-Valettes mold.
Speaker: Nice. sassy and moody and full of driving horns and menacing stopand listen to me tambourine it might have floored me instead for me while danger heartbreak dead ahead is an excellent record well again for me it's certainly a less immediate and arresting song than the marvelettes previous effort i'll keep holding on to which this is a particularly close relation Seven out of ten, they give it. Yeah, I'll take it. And it sounds like Marv is not too far off. Kit might go slightly higher, but not that much. Not that much. I think that's a pretty good summary.
Speaker: Yeah. At number 95, Colors by Donovan, the US chart debut. At number 96, Liar Liar by the Castaways.
Speaker: This is guitar rock. A bit overdone, driven by the organ, drums, and vocal, none of which are technically good, but they are all still catchy. Guitarist Robert Falshow contributed the distinctive falsetto on Liar Liar, and Dick Roby did the scream on the song.
Speaker: She'll keep on telling me those lies Still going out, other guys They'll come and age, I'll be gone Take my advice, hope you'll be fine
Speaker: Low Hit will talk a little bit about the creation of the song after everybody else's reviews. Yeah, I've heard this many times. This was a staple of Oli's radio here. It's kind of a cross between garage rock and almost a surf rock. And i was today years old when I learned that that opening... voice was a man. but Until now, I thought that was a woman.
Speaker: So that's impressive that you could get up that high. The organ, you know, normally, as we all know, I'm not a big organ fan, but I think overall it works on this track. It doesn't bother me as much. I like the drums, some of the drum parts in between the verses.
Speaker: I've always kind of liked this. I don't know what it is about it. It's just catchy. I would give it a low hit. I like the bass on this. The organ is decent for organ, and it reminds me of what Ray Manzarek would do with the doors. Low hit, maybe, but I almost laughed out loud when they were actually singing Liar Liar Pants on Fire.
Speaker: We had nursery rhymes and other things come into pop lyrics a lot recently, haven't we? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Now. Yeah. Liar Liar was written by Jim Donna on a napkin in his parents' house.
Speaker: well He was assisted by drummer Dennis Craswell and Jim Donna's sister, Joanne. He says they wrote it in two hours, and after that, it was completed.
Speaker: wow Donna and Craswell took the song to the other members of the castaways, and they liked it The song was then recorded on March 2, 1965, shown off to SOMA Records founder and president Amos Heiliger, and he liked it and signed the castaways to a contract based on this song.
Speaker: Now, I will say there is a much better version of Liar Liar recorded by Debbie Harry for the soundtrack to the 1988 film Married to the Mob,
Speaker: That version was produced by Mike Chapman. Another instance of Blondie, well, not Blondie, but Debbie Harry, improving on a garage-style classic.
Speaker: who At number 97, I Need You by The Impression. So this is the third song called i Need You. You know, George was listening, I guess. Yes.
Speaker: Horns and drums, almost falsetto lead vocal. Great backing. ah No doubt about who wrote this, though. It's another Curtis Mayfield tune in a good way. i hit. i agree. From the moment the horns and chord changes started, you're like, this is Curtis Mayfield.
Speaker: to be happy.
Speaker: somebody else. When know in my mind I'll be wasting her time. No need a fool in my
Speaker: I wish the recording had been a little more polished, but overall, I like it. It's, as you said, classic Curtis Mayfield. For some reason, some of his songs, the unique style he has, there's just something that screams summer to me, warm, sunny weather. I don't know what it is, but I could picture relaxing in the hammock in the yard and listening to this. I don't know what it is. But Curtis's lead vocal, terrific on this track, and the horns are another thing.
Speaker: one of my favorite parts of this track hit. Great listen. Voices were superb. I love how their voices work together. Instrumentation's decent. The production was just slightly lacking. That's my only gripe with it. Otherwise, I think it's great song.
Speaker: And we have a cash box review. The impressions have meant sales dynamite for a number of years, and this new ABC entry, I Need You, should be busting, B-U-S-T-I-N, b us t i n out all over the place in no time flat.
Speaker: Deck is a first-rate pop R&B slow shufflin' again no G lament about a decidedly one-woman fella. The bottom lid, Never Could You Be, is a tradition-style bluesy tale of remorse.
Speaker: I was waiting for Gal. they Didn't say that. Well, we got fella. It's one or the other. Yeah, true. At number 98, Give All Your Love to Me by Jerry and the Pacemakers. It's a Jerry Marsden song. It's good, but it's a little too close to Never Walk Alone territory.
Speaker: Give me all.
Speaker: Give me all your love.
Speaker: Good vocal, well played. The strings are well recorded, but maybe overdone a bit. There is a no strings version, which they released in the 80s, and I much prefer that version.
Speaker: It was recorded in the U.S. the first time the pacemakers recorded in the U.S., so it's probably not a George Martin production. Low hit. I didn't like this quite as well. Jerry Marston wrote this. I'm just not that crazy about the song. Now, maybe if I heard the later version without the strings, maybe I'd think differently. I haven't heard that.
Speaker: Oh, I beg of you
Speaker: Give me all
Speaker: It sounds like kind of 50s throwback ballad with the arpeggiated chords. It's Jerry Marson, great vocalist. He sings it with gusto. But it's just overall not that distinctive a song for me.
Speaker: I'd have to give it a meh. Yeah, I want to hear the version now without the orchestration because putting that orchestration on there, where it doesn't sound like it's a George Martin arrangement either, the orchestration. It just makes it sound even more like a throwback.
Speaker: Yes. So that's why I want to listen to the non-orchestrated version because I'm wondering if that probably loses that throwback to it and might give it a bit more edge with it just being the basic band.
Speaker: Well, You'll Never Walk Alone isn't exactly modern-sounding tune even in 1964. That's true, but there's something about that that worked, whereas the arrangement in this, the orchestration is just too heavy-handed for me in this.
Speaker: Yeah, because I think You'll Never Walk Alone is almost like a Broadway musical kind of song. It's understated in that. Exactly. So I just feel like, you know, maybe the arrangement there and the fact that you could say, well, that's a bit of a throwback. I don't know. I think that was intentional to make it kind of a timeless sort of song. But yeah, this one, that orchestration really dated the song.
Speaker: While there's stars above
Speaker: Oh, I beg of you
Speaker: Give me all your love. Give me all your love.
Speaker: Very definitely worth listening to, and and you will probably have at least a better impression of the song as opposed to the record, yes. Gotcha. And now we're going to a classic.
Speaker: Mm-hmm. At number 99, Hang On Sloopy by the McCoys. So they have changed the title from My Girl Sloopy to Hang On Sloopy. ah Rick Derringer's guitar drives this record. Good enough lead vocals, although maybe not the best.
Speaker: Nice drums, great arrangement, and I really like the kinks-inspired, yeah, yeah, call and response, both echoing and moving away from the same lyrics in She Loves You.
Speaker: The guitar solo resembles the bits Beck is playing on the Yardbirds version. It's a hit, although I do have to say the external things Derringer would get into at the end of his life pull back my enthusiasm for this record just a little bit. Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Okay, well, I thought this was nicely recorded and arranged. Much better tempo than the previous version we just heard. You know, a little bit faster. Love the drums, the pounding drums on this. That memorable guitar riff and that guitar solo.
Speaker: It's kind of unusual. It's not perfect. It's a little sloppy in places, but it somehow works. And yes, they throw in a little Beatles references too, like particularly when they're singing Shake It.
Speaker: Well, come on, Slupey! Oh, make me feel...
Speaker: close to Twist and Shout, but it's not an outright rip-off or anything. So I've always liked this. This is just some good, fun, rock-slash-pop hit.
Speaker: yeah Get on the floor and get your dancing shoes out. There you go. Yep. The version that I know of this song from years back, listening to it. I like the vocals and the music.
Speaker: Yeah, Louise said that there's a bit of a Beatlesque thing going on there that she noticed. Louise also loved the ooh vocals in the background that held oohs. And she said to ask, do we know if Sloopy is a pet name for somebody? there's a couple of possibilities as to who Sloopy is. There is one woman named Sloop who claims to be the person that the song is named after. Right. Okay.
Speaker: So the woman in the hang on Sloopy was inspired by one Dorothy Sloop, a jazz pianist, nicknamed Sloopy. She was a native of Steubenville, Ohio, and a regular at Dixie's bar of music in new Orleans, where West Farrell and Burt Burns,
Speaker: may have encountered her. While the exact circumstances of how the song came to be named after her are debated, it is widely accepted that her nickname and presence at the club inspired the song.
Speaker: Then there is a video of the McCoy's version, and there is a different woman, and Rick Derringer does indeed talk about the woman that is in the video who is not the actual Dorothy Sloop. I see.
Speaker: So the song was first released by the Vibrations in 1964, and we did actually cover it back then. Felben Goldstein and Gutter, who wrote My Boyfriend's Back and then did I Want Candy, had originally intended to follow up with a cover of My Girl Sloopy.
Speaker: My Girl Snoopy, the Vibrations version being the original from 1964. They were on tour with the Dave Clark Five, and the DC Five convinced them to give it to somebody else because I Want Candy was still hot on the charts at that point in time.
Speaker: The Strangelove had an opening band at the time who they felt, well, they look kind of like the Beatles. So they recruited them, and that is where Rick Derringer came from. Interesting.
Speaker: Cool. And so this version, the Strangelove's version with Derringer singing and playing guitar over it. You know, I can actually imagine the Dave Clark Five doing this, you know, with mark Mike Smith singing it.
Speaker: It works nicely here with Rick Derringer on lead vocal and that, yeah. Yeah. And we have a supercut of this song. Yay. Included are the original, the vibrations version, the Yardbirds version, which we mentioned.
Speaker: Jan and Dean covered it. Barry Maguire covered it. As with every good garage rock song, The Kingsmen covered it. Of course they did. Yes.
Speaker: Going completely in the other direction, The Supremes covered it. Oh, interesting. With or without Diana? With. Cool. The Bo Brummles covered it. Right.
Speaker: Billy Joel did a version when he was in Ohio. Oh, wow. Wow. Johnny Rivers did a version in 1973. Of course. And because no supercut is a supercut without The Boss, Bruce Springsteen did it in 2009. Right. There you go.
Speaker: The Stones did it. Our friend Sandy Nelson did a version of it. Big Truman on that one. And Xavier Kugat and his orchestra.
Speaker: Wow. So as mentioned, yes, Derringer played with the All-Stars and was a member of Ringo's All-Star Band for a couple of years. And we lost Derringer not too long ago, earlier this year.
Speaker: As you know, my name is Ringo and this is the All-Star Band.
Speaker: What we do is we put this together in the summer so we can come out to places like this and have a lot of fun, play good music and generally have a good time. Are you ready to have a good time?
Speaker: We're going to start the role this evening with the incredible Rick Derringer. Who, by the way, happy birthday to Rick. It's Rick's birthday today.
Speaker: Happy birthday, Rick. All right. Thank you, Ringo. I'll tell you, I'm so happy to be here tonight, I'm gonna say, yeah!
Speaker: I might even say it one more time, yeah!
Speaker: Now, not everybody knows that the first band I started was called the McCoys.
Speaker: And to this day, my parents keep the Billboard Hot 100 chart that shows Hang On Sloopy as number one.
Speaker: And it also shows Yesterday by the Beatles as number two with a bullet.
Speaker: That bullet meant they were on their way up quickly.
Speaker: But Hang On, Sluvy has the distinction of being the only rock and roll song in the history of the world that's ever been voted an official state rock and roll anthem. And believe it or not, it wasn't California.
Speaker: But it was the great state of Ohio. Also happens to be the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. So you happen to go to Cleveland soon, you can go there and check out a permanent exhibit they've got running called Hang On Sloopy, the music of Ohio.
Speaker: And we plan to do it for you right now. So it, boys.
Speaker: I said hang on, Sluppy, Sluppy, hang on. Come on, now, one more time. Oh, yeah, hang on, Sluppy, Sluppy, hang on.
Speaker: lives in every bad part of town.
Speaker: Ah, Snoopy, I don't care what your daddy do.
Speaker: Don't you know, Snoopy, girl, I'm so much in love with you.
Speaker: stupid stupid
Speaker: No time, no time.
Speaker: Hang on, Snoopy.
Speaker: Sloopy, let your love shine, boy. Let it shine over me.
Speaker: Sloopy, let your love shine, boy. Let it shine over me.
Speaker: Shake it, shake it, so
Speaker: at number 100 what are we going to do by david davy jones this was davy jones just coming off of the artful dodger era and just before the monkeys would start up it's basically a less well-produced and played version of what the monkeys would do in cuddly toy the overly baby voice jones with honey voice backup singers and instruments borrowed from jimmy fallon's classroom instrument segment
Speaker: yeah that's what we're going to do we're going to tell them we're in
Speaker: Not bad, but that makes it a low hit for me. Wow. I thought, what were those bells? Xylophone? I mean, it made it sound like a children's song. I actually said that. So that's funny you picked up on that. Boy, sounds like a baby here, doesn't he? It's so young. To me, this sounds like they're almost trying to do a Herman's Hermits-like song. mean, parts of it, in terms of like that guitar, that kind of scratchy riff, it sounded a little like Mrs. sp Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter.
Speaker: But between... The vocals and the sort of tired sound, as I said, trying to imitate hermit servants and others. I did not like this.
Speaker: Yeah, but but it is very much in line with the young thing that Davey would do with the monkeys. Sort of, but not nearly as well as as the monkeys. i mean there were all Of course, and I mean, Cuddly Toy was written by Harry Nilsson. That's a great song. Yeah, I mean, this is definitely not on the level of any of those. So maybe, okay, I was originally going to say Miss, but maybe I'll give it a meh, but I mean, like, low meh. I did not like this.
Speaker: Yeah, you can hear that it's Davey, but it's very theatrical, Isn't it? Yeah. Not in the best way possible. Sorry, Dave. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. Meh. All right. So that is the end of the first two weeks on the Billboard charts. We're going to get away with another three-sided month here.
Speaker: All right. Cool. We'll be back soon with Side C, wrapping up the month of August 1965. Talk to you then. See you soon.
Speaker: Take care.
Speaker: There was a piece in the NME, a news piece, that said that Top Rank Records, remember when Top Rank had a record label? and They introduced an LP series next week that will be called Toppamos.
Speaker: And it's coinciding with their current advertising slogan, Toppermost of the Poppermost. Yes, I thought, they got it from somewhere. They saw that, they must have seen that in either the NME or Record Mirror or Disc, Record and Show Mirror as it was then.
Speaker: And they've taken it from there. They've obviously thought how stupid that is. How stupid is is one of those phrases that someone, an older person who doesn't understand teenagers comes up with a slogan that they think is going to be the hip slogan of the month.
Speaker: Toppermost of the poppermost.
