Transcript
Speaker: The Beatles had this charm, John, Paul and George, and probably then Stuart and Pete, had this charm 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 didn't work properly the amps broke or whatever.
Speaker: i say, where are we going, fellas? And they'd go, to the top, Johnny. And I'd say, where's that, fellas? they'd say, to the top-a-most, to the pop-a-most. And right. And we'd all sort of cheer up.
Speaker: Where are we going, Johnny? Straight to the top, boys. Oh, yeah? Where's that? The toppermost of the poppermost.
Speaker: Welcome to toppermost of the poppermost. I'm Ed Chin. I'm Kid O'Toole. And I'm Martin Quavelle. Welcome to April of 1965. A great month. Yes, indeed. We've got a lot to cover here.
Speaker: Got some absolute cracking classics this month. Kit and I are going to do a feature on the enemy poll winner show from 1965. You may have seen it.
Speaker: It's got an amazing number of acts, as you might expect that we've talked about on this show. yep I remember seeing those when I was first going to Beetlefest back in the nineties and they had the to video rooms and everything. And I remember so they would show some of these concerts and they were just so much fun to watch. We're at the December 1964 NME poll and the show, which was on April the 11th, 1965. As Kit mentioned, you can see the majority of the show a little over two hours on YouTube.
Speaker: Yes, and fairly decent quality. I was surprised. Some of what we're missing is we know we're missing Tom Jones. here And we know we're missing our favorite, Twinkle.
Speaker: Damn. Clips of both have shown up in their own documentary, so they're out there somewhere, but yeah and they were shown on TV, so whatever we've got is from a later edited down performance of it.
Speaker: Right. So the introduction, well, the emcee is Jimmy Savile, and well, we've talked about Jimmy Savile before. Let's not talk too much more about him. No, other than he made more than one inappropriate jokes. and Yikes.
Speaker: Yeah, thankfully he only emcees bit of the show. we get some more suit and tie types coming on later on. Yep. And by the way, I'm going to be reading from this throughout this feature.
Speaker: I found the report from the concert that ran in NME on April 16th, 1965. And they mentioned with Jimmy Savile, having decided that every show must have its villain, he slunk furtively about the stage and encouraged a storm of good nature booing at his every appearance.
Speaker: The audience loved him. LAUGHTER So this is the as aired version. This is not the as performed version that we're going to go on as far as the set list and the act list. The Moody's are on first after an introduction where Jimmy Savile says, well, give me a big round of applause like and I'm all four Beatles rolled into one.
Speaker: Yikes. So the Moody's start off with Bo Diddley. The interesting thing about their performance of Bo Diddley is there is a tambourine being played with a maraca. I wasn't crazy about the arrangement they had. I didn't love the Hey Bo Diddley backing vocals, but the harmonica and drums sounded really good on this.
Speaker: You know, musicianship was really the star here. And I like this version of going out. Thank
Speaker: you. What's
Speaker: We've already said. I could bet.
Speaker: Goodbye.
Speaker: Sean Belonged. This is the first time that we're really going to see some of the issues with the sound mix. It's not great. No, and in fact, um again, going back to this report, what they said was, Denny Lane broke into Go Now as their second number, only they did not.
Speaker: The pianist had not switched on his amp. After the faulty start, their number one hit brought a rave reaction from the audience at the conclusion. I would say good, but not necessarily a rave reaction. no exactly. Exactly.
Speaker: It's a good version. Some different harmonies than on the... Yeah, particularly the end there. Yes, exactly. And I like that they were playing around with the arrangement in this case, you knowm not just slavishly copying the original recording. It's not a replacement, but it is a pretty cool live version. Yes.
Speaker: Then we get our buddy Freddy. Oh boy. With Freddy and the Dreamers. we We won't mention what they did here. We're considering doing a full review of everything for Patreon sometime soon.
Speaker: Yes. The one thing I will say about Freddy is either out of good taste or just because they seem to cut away from Freddy when he starts doing the Freddy. They did. Now, he did do a little bit of the giggling and jumping up and down, although not as much as I feared that he would.
Speaker: But yeah, maybe that was part of it, that they didn't show that stuff on camera as much. Next was Georgie Fame with Walking the Dog. I like his comment to the audience. On this one, please whistle in the appropriate places.
Speaker: There's a lot to like here. ah I like the vocal a lot, and I like the horn line. However, you will very definitely notice that this is filming from 1965. Georgie's there on the keyboards, and the trumpet player's head keeps bobbing up in front of him.
Speaker: Yeah, that's true. Music
Speaker: well thats
Speaker: That's the first time we've ever played that thing, believe it or not. It's never happened like this before. We like to do a little thing by Rufus Thomas. And on this one, please whistle in the appropriate places.
Speaker: It's called Walking the Dog. Help.
Speaker: Oh, man.
Speaker: The original report from the concert says Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames emerged victorious from chaos when it was found that he had no microphone over his electric organ. That'd be a huge problem for Georgie Fame. yeah He treated the audience to a wildly swinging version of Yeah. yeah Georgie fell off the top of his stool while announcing Walking the Dog.
Speaker: They said Walk the Dog here. And cracked, this is the first time we've ever played here and I'm sure going to remember it. Okay. The applause he received from a sympathetic audience should have proved more than antidote.
Speaker: So, yeah, interesting. But obviously they got it back together for Walking the Dog. I agree. This is a great version. That was interesting. It starts off with, I think it's the wedding march.
Speaker: And I don't know why. Maybe they are parodying the business of the going to the chapel that we so love talking about on this show. Who knows? But great lead vocal from Georgie Fame.
Speaker: Loads of horns, organ smooth, and jazz influenced. I mean, Georgie does a little scatting, despite the technical issues. Good performance. There's a Jamaican who's wearing one of those Jamaican hats.
Speaker: That just cracked me up. Interesting. Well, and that would kind of make sense, because we've talked about Georgie Fame and his love of ska. Next is another one of the songs we've talked a lot about on this show.
Speaker: I'll Never Find Another You by The Seekers. And in fact, we did a supercut of it a while back. Yes, we did. And I'll tell you, Jude Durham's voice is just even better live. I really liked her lead vocal. So much control. It's clear. It's bright.
Speaker: And the harmonies sounded very good. But know I'll never find another you
Speaker: It's a long, long journey The original report says the Seekers found instant acclaim with their number one hit, I'll Never Find Another You, and Judith Durham particularly impressed with their beautifully controlled lead voice.
Speaker: The mix strikes again. The guitars are way back, and the stand-up bass is almost completely invisible, despite the fact that it has its own mic.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, it's weird. and you know And in fact, they did another song, which was their new single at the time, World of Our Own. It says here, without amplifiers or any electronics, they sang clearly with perfect balanced arrangements on both numbers.
Speaker: So the acts which follow the first appearance of the Seekers are Herman's Hermits, the Ivy League, Sounds Incorporated, and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. Yeah.
Speaker: Peter Noon looks every bit the kid that he is. he was really playing it up, wasn't he? The prime of the toothy grin, Peter Noon. Exactly, yep Although I did notice, too, that he's really gained a lot of confidence.
Speaker: You know, when you watch his appearance, like on, say, Ed Sullivan and all earlier, know, he looked a bit nervous, a little bit overwhelmed. But here, you know, he was working the crowd and, you know, they did their cover of Wonderful World. And then Mrs. Brown, you've got a lovely daughter. And there were some big sound problems with the microphone.
Speaker: Talking about even when I cried well You pick her out Makes a bloke feel
Speaker: around to see you but he knew how to work that crowd and so this takes us to the stones everybody needs somebody everybody loves somebody and i need you you you everybody needs somebody to love is by itself and they do a medley of got live if you want it and around and around it's pain in my heart on my
Speaker: And then they do the last time.
Speaker: then they do the last time
Speaker: I have to read the report of this from the NME. It's just great. The Rolling Stones entered the arena to the biggest ovation in the first half, and Mick Jagger swung into his mean and moody routine with Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, which broke straight into the slower Pain in My Heart.
Speaker: Faultless timing and knowing just where to put the emphasis in his phrasing brought hysterical reactions from the fans. And then this part is great. The faster tempo of Around and Around provided Jagger with the opportunity of going into his more violent movements.
Speaker: He rolled around at one moment like a berserk windmill. This is the beginning of moves like Jagger. <unk> Boy, is it ever. I mean, he was really working. You could tell he had been watching James Brown because he was doing some James Brown-like footwork. So I think maybe he thought, maybe I'll try some of those James Brown moves.
Speaker: Exactly. And during a round and round, you can see Mick slow dancing with the microphone. Yeah, that was interesting. There were times where I think they just were trying to be cool looking and all, but sometimes I thought the band looked a little bored and Brian Jones and Bill Wyman seemed to be talking to each other about something.
Speaker: Mick makes a comment that he's going to bow to the Queen. I'm not sure what's going on there. Yes, I noticed that too. He muttered bow to the queen and I think it was sarcastic. And I love how opposed to a lot of the other acts were coming on in matching suits and all.
Speaker: Yeah, Mick just comes on in what? Like a sweater and pants? Yeah, sweater. And Jimmy Savile did make a comment about Mick's choice of wardrobe. It's like, ah oh well, he put it in the wash and it's too small. Would any of you ladies out there like to loan him a sweater?
Speaker: Yeah, that was weird. The mix is bad at first, but it does get better during the course of the sound set here. The last time actually sounds pretty good. Yeah, that was probably the best of all them.
Speaker: Maybe the sound problems had been resolved a bit, but it is so fun to see Mick up there and being Mick Jagger, you know? mean, this was like the beginning of what we don't know now with the dance moves and great vocals.
Speaker: Imperfect, but fun performance. And the camera work is actually pretty good. It's mostly close-ups on Mick, but you do get the occasional single on Charlie. And they had a really cool three-shot with Keith and the other three Stones. Yes, that's true.
Speaker: So the Stones were followed by Scylla doing Zippity-Doo-Dah. Yeah, that's interesting. like Why that song? Very strange.
Speaker: Everything is gonna be...
Speaker: Boy, the drummer was really going to town on that. He was going crazy. And so I'll give her credit for being able to sing over the overplaying of the drummer. I mean, she gives it her all.
Speaker: Then an abrupt cut as we move to the second half of the show. Kit will appreciate this, and I'm sure when Marv hears this, he will appreciate this. The introduction is, I hate people who say he's a copy of Dylan. Well, sorry, Kathy. He is, to a certain extent, a copy of Dylan.
Speaker: Yeah. And this is interesting. The report says, this was the act so many fans had been waiting for, if only for its curiosity value. Would Donovan match up to his publicity?
Speaker: The roughly dressed folk singer... roughly answered in a way that should silence his critics forever. He came on stage to a fantastic barrage of screams.
Speaker: Again, jean jacket, cloth cap, the first song that he did, you're going to need somebody. If you want to say, I don't sound like Dylan, that's not the song should done. Of all the songs we've talked about from Donovan, that is very clearly the biggest Dylan rip of any of them. Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker: You need somebody on your bone
Speaker: That definitely sounded like Dylan combining folk and blues. Kind of repetitive. I wasn't as crazy about that. But he then goes into Catch the Wind, and that was much better.
Speaker: bet I may as well try and catch the wind
Speaker: A very simple arrangement that he uses here, and his voice sounds fantastic. That, I thought, was way better than the opening song. I agree.
Speaker: Well, try and catch the wind.
Speaker: I kind of thought the crowd response was a little bit muted, actually. Yeah, I thought so, too. yeah There were times throughout the performance, I mean, the whole thing, where thought it was interesting when the crowd was a little muted. But yeah, and clearly, according to this article, there was all this hype about him at the time. So you'd think they'd be more excited.
Speaker: And Donovan was ever so slightly nervous. He flubbed his introduction. This is called Catch catch the Wind. Mm-hmm. Exactly.
Speaker: Then them are introduced and Jimmy Savile tries to do a who's on first thing. How's about a big welcome for T-H-E-M-T-E-N. Why don't I accept the facts he showed him?
Speaker: Handsome, let them be.
Speaker: i guess that was them, or they was them, or them was them, them was. These short names are getting a bit difficult. I think it's not going to be long before we have a, or the, or an, a-n, not a-n-n-e.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. And then here's the weird comment. He said about them being on a tour of one night stands with the Luton Girls Choir and they're going to have to leave the country. Now, I don't know if that was for real or if he was making some gross Joe.
Speaker: I don't know. And so their second song was Here Comes the Night. I actually like this better than the record. It's some of those things we said about the record a couple months back. It's less sing song in the verses and it fits better with the chorus.
Speaker: Yeah, I think it is. ah It's a spirited rendition, marred a bit by the bad sound. But seeing a young Van Morrison just really let go and in this performance and the second song, Turn On Your Love Light.
Speaker: And I love this. The description in the report says, them these quiet irishman weren't so quiet after they ambled onto the stage and let there be no doubt about their popularity lead singer van morrison led the audience to fever pitch through a symbol clashing here comes the knight followed immediately by another number that had many of the audience jumping from their seats The title, Turn on Your Love Light.
Speaker: The tempo went faster and faster, and at times it sounded like some ecstatic pop version of a Cossack dance. I mean, that second performance, wow.
Speaker: There were times where I thought, is Van having an out-of-body experience? I mean, he was really into it. And if you think Mick was dressed kind of shabby, Van Morrison looks almost like he came in off the streets. He did, but he had that kind of cool look to him. And yeah, I mean, he would dance in this really bizarre way and frantically hitting the tambourine. And I mean, it was quite a performance. And of course, you really hear the huge blue influence on Van Morrison at this time.
Speaker: All right. That is followed by The Searchers with a not great cover of Good Times Roll. Come on, baby, let the good times roll. Roll all night long. I felt like it just erased the R&B elements of it. We'll just play it as a pop song. Then the echoes are introduced with the first British girl star to break through, Dusty Springfield. I thought she was terrific here. I mean, she looked great. And the report says, and there's just a hint of misogyny in this description, Dusty Springfield proved a real treat for the eye. She wore a vivid long orange skirt with a sequined top that dazzled and winked.
Speaker: as she moved about the stage. ah Yeah, she looked great, but it was her voice that was the star. And and only she could make Mockingbird. Sounds soulful and sound really, really cool. Exactly. Only she could do that. And boy, did she ever. And she just looked like the picture of confidence. Really enjoyed that.
Speaker: So the Echoes were her standard backing man. The interesting thing about this performance is in places it was almost a duet between Dusty and the lead singer of the Echoes. Yeah, that's right. Everybody, have you heard?
Speaker: He's gonna buy me a mockingbird. Oh, if that mockingbird don't sing, he's gonna buy me a diamond ring.
Speaker: And according to the report, before she did mockingbird, she did Dancing in the Street. They're dancing in the street.
Speaker: Then we get an introduction to the topest of the poppest. Not quite topper most of the popper most, but close enough. The next act is the animals. They do boom, boom, don't let me be misunderstood.
Speaker: And then ah a brief medley of talking about you with shout. This is Eric Burden we're talking about. So the vocals on these are really strong. Again, bad sound mix on boom, boom, particularly. And don't let me to be misunderstood too. You hear the keyboards too much.
Speaker: and the drums too little. But despite these issues, Eric Burden's voice was just one of a kind. It really is. And the report from it said, The animals thundered through three wild numbers.
Speaker: In true animal style, they lasted several minutes longer than usual. And at times, lead singer Eric Burden sang on his knees. The screams rose to a deafening pitch as Eric threw off his jacket in a frenzy of excitement during the final number talking about you.
Speaker: Boom boom boom boom Shoot you right down Cause I'm just a soul whose intentions are good Oh love please don't let me be misunderstood And I'm Lee Winston I'm the Boon Hedgehog Every day Hey hey hey hey
Speaker: Eric Burden was not happy about what was going on on the stage because he says, hey, have you heard the one about the group with the dodgy equipment? Okay, I couldn't tell. i heard dodgy equipment. Okay. And I didn't hear the first part, so that's what he said.
Speaker: That is what he said. And yeah, on Boom Boom, the guitars go in and out. On Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, the organ is both way too high and it doesn't sound right. It sounds awfully tootie to me.
Speaker: It was a bit better with Talking About You. i think the sound was probably the best on that. and They rock pretty hard on this. And of course, there's a callback to Shout. And the Isley Brothers, they work that in. But despite the bad sound, it's a good performance.
Speaker: And so we are to the headliners. The Beatles come on stage and they they do five songs. They get the biggest crowd response, as you would expect.
Speaker: Of course. They look great. They're wearing the shea jackets, although they don't have the badges on them yet. Now, this is really funny when you read the write-up of this. Compare Keith Fordyce's announcement was buried in a literal avalanche of applause, screams, thumping, and cheering.
Speaker: Especially screams. I felt as if the roof might blow off. In seconds, John Paul George and Moringa were on stage, drawing gasps of appreciation from the girl fans at their new stage gear.
Speaker: I think you could best describe the jackets as light tan army style. a bit Russian, perhaps. and Remember, they hadn't seen Help yet at this point. Yeah, maybe. And the trousers as tight, jet black.
Speaker: ah So I feel fine. John's vocal is a bit unrehearsed, but it actually fits well after the animals performance. But yeah, it's a bit rough. And of course, the sound mix doesn't help things.
Speaker: But other than that, it's what you would expect. It's a great rollicking performance.
Speaker: is very definitely the first performance of the five that they're doing here because from there it all goes straight uphill yes it goes into paul on she's a woman a really hot she's a woman she's a woman who understands she's a woman who loves His vocals on this were superb.
Speaker: And the report, I just love this. It says, the girl next to me threw her hairbrush at them as Paul launched into the vocal of the group's second number. She's a woman. I tried to stop her throwing her wire roller comb, but no use.
Speaker: She flung it at the stage almost in a delirium, and it just missed George's head.
Speaker: And it also said that backstage, Paul... confessed he was petrified with nerves, but it didn't show. Yeah, it sure didn't. Paul is having fun. He's bopping away.
Speaker: he's evolved a little bit from the mop top version. Yes, exactly. And then George's solo, it's a little bit different. It's a great solo.
Speaker: change it up a bit, which is fine. That is a stellar version. Although it's not the best performance of the night. No, it isn't.
Speaker: They go from there into Babies in Black. This is the first time John is doing a vocal, which is much truer to the record than any of the other performances he's done. Really amazing two-part harmony from John and Paul. George is having a little bit of trouble with those bends, but not too much.
Speaker: That also may be mix issues. Yeah, mix issues, and of course, I mean, as you would expect, the screaming going the whole time, so, you know, no in-ear monitors back then. i love Paul's little yeah in there.
Speaker: know he'll never come back, she's dressed in black. Oh dear, what can I do, baby's in black.
Speaker: Just great to hear this live. And then, Ticket to Ride. John's vocals on this were really good. Better than on I Feel Fine, you know. And you could hear the harmony vocals much better, which is amazing.
Speaker: path that living with me was bringing her down, yeah. She would never be free when I was around.
Speaker: Backing vocals and their harmonies are just flawless. How did they do that with all that insanity going on? And then Paul goes high with the vocal and it's like, wow.
Speaker: And then at the end, the My Baby Don't Care, when John goes high, it's like, Ah, she's got a ticket to ride high. She's got a ticket to ride.
Speaker: She's got a ticket to ride. But she don't care. My baby don't care. They really knew what they were doing, didn't they? Yes, they did. I mean, you could just tell are pros.
Speaker: Absolute pros. And you could tell they still cared at this point. Late 64, the US 64 tour, they cared a bit, but they were definitely invested in this show.
Speaker: Because we're going to see Babies in Black and Ticket to Ride on the tour that's coming up, and they weren't nearly this good. Yeah, exactly. They were burning out, I think, at that point. And you can blame them with the constant noise and all. But here...
Speaker: They handled it beautifully. Nice little bit where John comes up and starts rubbing Paul's back. Yeah. Again, you really saw the camaraderie, that they were having some fun. It really was fun to see their chemistry on stage like that.
Speaker: Paul introduces this one, as they've done now for quite a few years. And once again, as with the previous years, they go into Long Tall Sally. And this is...
Speaker: the optimal version of Paul doing long, tall Sally life singing out of the top of his head. He has total control over his voice. George is just sitting there looking at John. Like, can you believe this is going on here?
Speaker: Yeah. There were times where, yeah, he looked a little stunned. That's true.
Speaker: Everything that need, oh baby. Yeah, now baby. Woo!
Speaker: Paul was at the top of his game, his voice, and the in certainly in the 60s and into the 70s. Nobody could sing rock and R&B like he could. This is just a great shredding vocal.
Speaker: And George does do some different flourishes during his guitar solo than on the record, which is nice. I like that. But that is a killer version. And I love the report here. it says the finale, that longtime Beatles raver, long, tall Sally, an incredible end to a truly incredible performance with the group almost struggling offstage amid a barrage of objects.
Speaker: I'm sure the fans met well.
Speaker: Then we actually get to the awards. Exactly. And who's there to present them but Tony Bennett. Every year they always brought on a star to hand out these awards.
Speaker: Roger Moore was there in previous years. Oh, really? Oh, wow. so Apparently Tony Bennett was in town anyway, doing, I think, a performance for the BBC. Okay. Okay.
Speaker: And so he that's one of the reasons why he was there. And in New Music Express, there was a very fawning article about how grateful they were that he appeared.
Speaker: and you know what a legend he is and all that stuff. I mean, it really was interesting yeah how much they went into just raptures over him. Everybody gets a brief little speech. Tony Bennett ah comes up on stage and says, it's such a thrill to see British artists getting so big in my country.
Speaker: It's your country, Tony, right? Right. ah Exactly. like And again, because of course the sound issues, I thought he got kind of a tepid response from the audience, but I guess I can kind of understand it because, you know he's not rock and roll. The winners, Jimmy Savile won Top DJ.
Speaker: Sounds Incorporated was the runner-up for Best British Instrumental Group. Scylla was the runner-up for Best British Female Singer. Dusty was the runner-up for Best World Female Singer and was the Top British Girl Singer. there's That's a little bit of sexism for you. Oh, yeah. That's what they were called at the time, girl singers.
Speaker: Yeah. The Animals were runner up for best blues act and winner for record of the year for House of the Rising Sun. Oh, interesting. Mick won for best new disc or television singer. Television singer. Okay.
Speaker: I think it's disc more than television singer. But yeah, he comes on stage and he looks a little bit confused. Yeah, I don't blame him. Yeah, he he actually gets to say thank you, though. The other actors came on and picked up their awards from Tony and walked off.
Speaker: Yep, that's true. The top R&B group was the Rolling Stones, and so Mick comes back out again with the rest of Stones. Charlie can't be bothered to stop smoking. and Of course.
Speaker: John Lennon was the runner-up for British vocal personality. Yeah, the runner-up. And he looked a little confused, too, when he was on stage. Like, where am I supposed to be?
Speaker: You get a wonder. It's like, what? Huh? Yeah. and are Are we sure this is actually the fans' votes, or did you just sort of manipulate these so the awards are close and, you know, everybody gets a little something? yeah Exactly.
Speaker: Once again, of course, ladies and gentlemen, this year, the top British vocal group, indeed the top vocal group in the world, the Beatles.
Speaker: In a stunning upset. No, I'm kidding. Of course they won. John and Paul come on and they're doing a little bit of mock fighting. Mm-hmm. Another kind of awkward where are we supposed to be? What are we supposed to say? Kind of moment.
Speaker: Yeah. Although John does have a big grin on his hands as he goes over and shakes Tony Bennett's hand. That's true. Then we get... The announcement that, oh, the presentation of the awards will go out go last, but we have more show for you. So cheer loud because I'm going to do the closing announcements for TV.
Speaker: Yeah, that was interesting. had to instruct them like, yeah, we're going to continue, but I have to do all this for the TV audience. So just bear with me and and yeah, and applaud, you know, cheer.
Speaker: Again, I don't know whether I necessarily believe this story. I do think they had intended for the Beatles to close the show, unlike the previous year. But the story is that there was an issue with the Kinks flying back from their, quote, somewhat disastrous gig in Denmark the night before.
Speaker: Oh. So they were very late and their set time had to be moved to follow the Beatles. Do we believe that? I don't know. Well, except some of this might explain things because the sound guys thought the show was over after the Beatles came on and then the Kinks come on.
Speaker: So that would explain maybe why the sound was really bad on this. So the Kinks get two songs. They do You Really Got Me and the mix is terrible. Oh, my gosh. I mean, know, and it was frustrating because the mics were like were off in all the wrong sections. i I forget if it was Dave Davies was singing a harmony part and it sounded terrible in isolation. Yeah, you really got me on.
Speaker: You got me so I can't sleep at night. Yeah, really got on. You got so know.
Speaker: Yeah, you really got me, you got me so I guess you're not that really got me, you really got me, you really got me.
Speaker: It reminded me of Linda and you know her background vocal in Hey Jude. It works as a piece. It doesn't work by itself. yeah Exactly. Exactly. So it sounded like he was way off. And he wasn't. It was just he was singing that harmony section. So I did like the guitar solo.
Speaker: But the guitars are all washed out. Yeah, that's the problem. You couldn't hear them as well as you would have liked. you know, really sad. And then they go into Tired of Waiting for You and really not any better, right?
Speaker: Please don't keep me waiting. Please don't keep me waiting. Because I'm so tired, tired of waiting.
Speaker: You know, Ray Davies' voice sounded rough. But part of it was because it was way too up front in the mix. So you heard everything. And the backing vocals, you know, you could barely hear them.
Speaker: Yeah. So that was the end of the 65 show. And that was our feature on the enemy poll winner show from 60 years ago. the Moody Blues doing Go Now, the Stones and the Beatles all in one concert. You know, some people got their money for that three and a half hour show.
Speaker: What a lineup. you imagine how much that would cost today? Thinking back to a bit of a joke we had in a previous episode, Doc, Doc, can we get the DeLorean out and go back to watch this concert, please?
Speaker: Yes. Fortunately, we have a significant chunk, although not all of it, available on video, which is, well, as we talked about. All right. This month, we are being sponsored by the Magical Mystery Camp.
Speaker: Love the Beatles? Ready to kick off your summer ride? Music Masters Collective, The Fab Faux, and RPM Music School are delighted to bring you Magical Mystery Camp.
Speaker: Join us this June 24th to 27th at the breathtaking Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, New York for Magical Mystery Camp, ah one of a one-of-a-kind music vacation exploring the music of the Beatles.
Speaker: Hosted by The Fab Faux, with special guests Peter Asher, Joan Osborne, Steve Forbard, and more, this all-inclusive event offers nightly performances, interactive workshops, jam sessions, and plenty of opportunities for relaxation. Wow. The only way that could be better would be if one of the Beatles was one of us.
Speaker: Getting the Joan Osborne joke in there. Sorry. Oh, I got it. its Don't go comparing the Beatles to God, you know. A certain Beatles got in trouble for that. ah Whether you're a musician or simply a fan, join a vibrant community to celebrate the magic of the Beatles music.
Speaker: Dive into workshops, write songs, stargaze, swim or take in the breathtaking beauty of the Catskill landscape. This unforgettable experience is crafted to refresh your spirit and ignite your creativity.
Speaker: Need a little help from your friends? Who doesn't? Music Masters Collective also offers a scholarship program to make this experience accessible to more music lovers.
Speaker: So bring your instrument or just your good spirit and prepare for an unforgettable journey. Magical Mystery Camp, where music, fun, and inspiration collide.
Speaker: And you can register today at www.magicalmysterycamp.com slash toppermost. Cool. All right. On to the April charts, starting the week of the 1st to the 7th of April, 1965. This first week, we're going to be covering a lot of songs we've already covered because, well, there aren't that many new songs for this month, but the ones that are there are crackers.
Speaker: Absolute bangers. Definitely. So... For this first week, at number one is The Last Time by The Rolling Stones, which moves from number one to number two to number six to number nine.
Speaker: At number two, Concrete and Clay from Unit 4 Plus 2, which moved from number two to a week at number one, back down to number two to number four.
Speaker: At number three, one of our supercuts from the past is Not Unusual by Tom Jones, which moved from number three to number seven, to number 13 to number 18. Marv wanted to comment about one of the versions of It's Not Unusual that did not make our supercut. There's a very small snippet of InXS doing a version of this.
Speaker: It's very tiny, hidden somewhere on their live album, Live Baby Live, or Live Baby Live, however you want to pronounce it. And InXS actually did quite a few Tom Jones cover versions, which is quite cool.
Speaker: That is cool. I didn't know that. Love and peace.
Speaker: Oh, my God.
Speaker: At number five, For Your Love by The Yardbirds, which moved from number five to two weeks at number three to number seven. At number seven, Catch the Wind by Donovan, which moved from number seven to number five to number four to number six.
Speaker: At number eight, Come and Stay With Me by Marian Faithful, which would stay at eight for another week, then move down to number 20 and number 21. At number 10, I'll never find another you by the Seekers, which moved from number 10 to number 15 to number 19 to number 24.
Speaker: Mar is going to continue from here. Okay. At number 12, we've got I Can't Explain by the Who, which will go from number 12 to number 10 to number 8 to number 15.
Speaker: At number 14, we've got Here Comes the Night by Them. which goes from 14 to 6 to 5 to number 2. At number 15, we've got The Times They Are A-Changing by Bob Dylan, which goes from 15 to 13 to number 9 to number 13.
Speaker: Blimey, we've already got some bangers in there already, haven't we? Some classics. Number 17, we've got Yes I Will by The Hollies, going from 17 to 27 to 31 to Number we've got I Know a Place by butulla clark which goes from eighteen to twenty two to twenty eight to number thirty At number 19, we've got I'll Be There by Jerry and the Pacemakers. No, not the Jackson 5-some, which will go from 19 to 16 to 15 to 16.
Speaker: At number 20, we've got I Apologise by PJ Proby, which he should apologise for, going from 20 to 29 to 42 and then out of the charts. Over to Kit.
Speaker: All right. At number 21, Game of Love by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. At 21, then down 44, down to 50, and out.
Speaker: Number 22, one of our favorites, Do the Clam by Elvis Presley. And yes, I'm being sarcastic there. Which would stay at 22, then go down 25, 30, and 33.
Speaker: Number 23 is Stop in the Name of Love by The Supremes, which would then go to number 12, 7, and then 12 again. Number 24, we have The Special Years by Val Dunican, which would stay 24 for another week, then 38, and then out of the charts.
Speaker: 25, Honey I Need by one of our favorites here, The Pretty Things, and that is not sarcastic, which would go up to 23, then down to 37, and then back up to 28. At number 29, Everybody's Gonna Be Happy by the Kinks, which would then go to 18, then 22, and back up to 17.
Speaker: Really interesting all these charts work. Yeah. And number 30, don't let me be misunderstood by the animals, which would stay on the charts another week at 30 and then out.
Speaker: Over to Marv, because, well, I'm going to have a lot of reading to do in a little bit. You have, indeed. Give you a rest. ah Number 31, goodnight by Roberson, which would go from 31 to 48 and then back out of the charts.
Speaker: At number 36, we've got a new entry, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, from 36 to 32 to 26 to 31. We've already covered that on the US side in February. And we found out something interesting, which we won't spoil, but a certain song we're going see in a about two months' time owes something to this song. I'm sure you'll all be satisfied when you find out what that is.
Speaker: At number 37, we've got Without You by Matt Munro, which will go 37 to 42 to 44, then out of the charts. At number 38, we've got I Don't Want to Go On Without You by the Moody Blues, which will go 38 to 36 to 41, and then stay at 41 for the final week of the month. At 39, we've got The In Crowd by Dobie Gray. We're going to be talking about him again later, which goes from 39 to 43 and then out of the charts.
Speaker: And then at number 40, we've got the classic to some people, The Birds and the Bees by Jewel Akins, which goes from 40 to 33 to 36 to 29.
Speaker: Over to Kit again. At number 41, we have Hawaiian Wedding Song by Julie Rogers, which would go 41, 31, 33, and then out of the charts.
Speaker: Number 42, It Hurts So Much by Jim Reeves, which would stay at 42, 33. Then down just one notch to 41 and then out of the charts. Number 43, Marianne by the Shadows, which would go 43, 46, down to 49 and then out. 44, Hey, Good Lookin' by the legend Bo Diddley.
Speaker: which would stay at 44, then go down to 47, and then out of the charts. And finally, find my way back home at number 45 by the Nashville Teens, which would stay at 45 for a couple more weeks and then go out of the charts.
Speaker: All right, at number 46, Funny How Love Can Be by the Ivy League, which would leave the next week. At number 47, the re-entry of the bad version of the Times-A-R change in the Ian Campbell Fault Group, which would only stay in the charts for this week. It would be out the next week.
Speaker: At number 48, You Can Have Him by Dionne Warwick, which we covered in the U.S. side in March, which would move from 48 to 37 to 47 to 45. And our first new song we're going to talk about this month.
Speaker: At number 49, It's Growing by The Temptations, which would also only be in the charts for one week. Out of the charts the next week. Okay, well, it's got a good vocal. It's...
Speaker: Got some nice work from the Funk Brothers, but it's maybe not the best song. It seems to be chasing the tale My Girl a little bit, both lyrically and instrumentally. It's good, but not Smokey's best work.
Speaker: Reportedly, they had eight separate recording sessions to complete this disc, which... For Motown, that's saying something. Yes. The finished product feels a little bit everything in the kitchen sink, but it works well enough. It's not great.
Speaker: A low hit. Yeah, this is definitely not one of my favorite Temptations songs. Like the size of a fish that the man claims broke his reel, it's rolling.
Speaker: Like a rosebud blooming in the warmth of the summer sun It's growing like a tale by the time it's been told by more than one
Speaker: Definitely sounds similar to My Girl in terms of the bass line and the overall rhythm. You know, you could tell they were like, hey, this is the old Smokey thought they did so well with My Girl. Let's try another version.
Speaker: And lyrically as well, just recycling of that same general idea. Yeah, exactly. ah But as you said, I'd say low hit. It's pleasant. Nice lead vocal from David Ruffin, although a little restrained for him. You could tell he was holding back a bit on that great rough sort of raspy voice he has. It's a little more restrained on this.
Speaker: And it was interesting because there's that weird percussion effect in the middle of the chorus. And I wondered, what the heck is that? And according to Motown Junkies, it was somebody beating out ah just one hit of the claves. So they were claves.
Speaker: actually, that sort of weird percussion effect. And I love how Motown Junkies put it. Why is it there? Smokey's answer would be, why the hell not? And we'll we'll read a little bit more. This is one that I think we can safely say we disagree with Motown Junkies on.
Speaker: It's upper middling. I'd probably give it a six out of ten, probably. Beats okay. It's a copy of everything else that they've done. The vocals are decent enough.
Speaker: It's almost like, yeah, here's a vocal for the time being. When you bring us a song that's better, we'll actually give you a better vocal performance. Yeah. In a way. If i knew you were going to mention the claves, I would have got mine out. Because basically it's just two wooden blocks that you're hit together with each other to make that sound.
Speaker: Right. Which I'd know in advance, and I'd say get them out. it Show us how it works. ye For you kids out there, they're basically the same thing as those Lincoln Logs, although I don't know if kids play with Lincoln Logs anymore. yeah probably not.
Speaker: Cool. Exactly. Yeah. So we all agree, low hit, 6 or 7 out of 10. Motown Junkies gives it an 8 out of 10 and a significantly better review than we did.
Speaker: What they say is, it takes too long for a casual listener to properly appreciate it, and I'm not sure it could ever have been a radio staple. Certainly audiences in 1965 weren't entirely convinced by its follow-up qualities, coming on the heels of one of the best records ever made that we agree on.
Speaker: But it's both insanely ambitious and impressively executed, and it adds up to yet another excellent side in this magnificent run. i mean, Motown was indeed on a good run, and this is kind of, um to us at least, on the low end of that good run. But it' it's good, just not great. I would give this a five or six.
Speaker: yeah I mean, I would not give it an eight. Low hit. So at number 50, True Love Forevermore by The Bachelors, which would move from 50 to 35 to 38 to 34.
Speaker: Oh boy. I knew we were in for some trouble with that intro. You got those overlapping harmony vocals, which don't work together. you During the course of the record, it slowly improves where it's at least listable by the end, but that's not enough to save this disc and it only ever gets as good as okay to me.
Speaker: The string break is whiny and then those kettle drums just come in and take away whatever momentum it might have been building. The piano is badly recorded and it sounds like one of those children's toys pianos, you know, The sort of thing Schroeder have been playing in Peanuts.
Speaker: A low meh or a high miss. So you really liked it.
Speaker: yeah Oh, yeah. Oh, sounds like a banyan. I always stay and fill your arms with real tenderness. See your eyes filled with happiness.
Speaker: This definitely is not a banger.
Speaker: definitely is not a banngger very sappppy stringold arrangement I just was getting so irritated when they kept repeating evermore and the introduction. I just thought, oh, this is not going to be good.
Speaker: Evermore, forevermore.
Speaker: They're decent singers, but let's just say the four freshmen have nothing to worry about. they didn't think the harmonies were that impressive. The drum that you mentioned, the bass drums, it's trying to build up something, like you're waiting for some kind of crescendo or something, and it never comes.
Speaker: And the piano, not only badly recorded, mean, the playing was like Liberace, but just the overdone playing. It's its just overall miss.
Speaker: Liberace after he's had a few of those tablets he used to take. This song is so old hat that if I had a hat that was this old, I would have thrown it out at least 20 years ago.
Speaker: We all agree. Best alone, man. Probably more a high miss. yeah If they keep putting out songs like this, they're going to stay bachelors.
Speaker: One of them's dating Twinkle, Terry. twink what but whatever Twinkle. her name was. Twinkle. Terry was the song. She was only a little star.
Speaker: All right. We move on to the second week in April. April the 8th to the 14th. At number 34 is the Animal's cover of the Sam Cooke tune, Bring It On Home To Me, which would move from 34 to 17 to interpretation.
Speaker: eleven it's an interesting interpretation I love the soul piano on here. Eric Burton's lead vocal is not as good as Sam Cooke's original, but it does have equal passion, I think.
Speaker: Big ups to Chaz Chandler and Alan Price, the bass and keyboards, respectively. yeah I didn't quite have that reaction, just because ah how can you compete with Sam Cooke?
Speaker: I'll agree. It does not beat or even equal Sam Cooke's, but is an interesting alternate interpretation. I wasn't insane about Eric Burden's voice on this. You know I laughed when you left.
Speaker: But now I know I've only hurt myself. Oh, bring it to me. Bring your sweet love in.
Speaker: Bring it on home to me. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I think the song for me may have been a little too smooth for his wonderful bluesy voice. And I felt like he was trying to kind of figure out where he wanted to go with this and in terms of his vocal style. Yes, I like the piano, but overall, I just didn't find anything particularly special about the cover.
Speaker: It's not a miss, by any means, but it's just kind of a, eh, for me. More high, man. I think it's a medium hit, but I would go to low hit, so, you know, I like it a little more than you do, but not yeah that much.
Speaker: Yeah, I thought it was okay. I sort of liked it. I mean, Eric's vocal, I thought he was going almost for a bluesy yearning. with voice. But yeah, I liked all the things that Ed mentioned. The bass and the piano is so okay. Sam Cooke is the standout, obviously, but if you want another version of this song, here go. Yep.
Speaker: So Marv and I are about the same. Kit likes it a little bit less. Yep. At number 39, True Love Ways by Peter and Gordon, which moved from 39 to 24 to 20.
Speaker: twenty ah Again, doesn't come close to beating the Buddy Holly version, but it's a very good version of the tune. I like Gordon's slightly Buddy-alike, but also slightly more soulful vocal.
Speaker: Maybe he's just slightly more emotive than Buddy, who is still kind of in pop mode a little bit. As you expect with Peter and Gordon, really great harmony singing. There may be just a little too much going on in the background, although the big crescendo was apparently Peter's idea. Still, hit. That's interesting. I didn't know that.
Speaker: Sometimes we'll sigh.
Speaker: This isn't, to be honest, one of my all-time favorite Buddy Holly songs, so I just had to put that disclaimer out there. This version, it's okay. I like the harmonies. I mean, it's Peter and Gordon. do You know you're going to get those beautiful, tight harmonies.
Speaker: And didn't love Gordon's lead on this at times, his vocal. I think he was struggling a little bit at different times. And maybe it was, as you said, ed like he was trying to give it a different spin and more emotive.
Speaker: Yeah, he both was and wasn't imitating Buddy. There's touches of Buddy's original, and then he's also trying to, well, not Eric Burden-like, it's almost, he's trying to go John Lennon-like, and John would have done something a little bit more interesting with it, I think.
Speaker: Exactly. I think that's probably it. So, yeah, I'd say it's okay. Low hit for me. Yeah, I'd sort of go with that. slightly over the top with the arrangement of the orchestration and the instrumentation.
Speaker: The vocals are good. I almost feel rude saying that to me, it's slightly above a karaoke in some ways. And I actually think that as lead vocals, if you're going for the Beatles comparison, you know, with Gordon as John,
Speaker: I personally think that this would have been about a better lead vocal for Peter. Would have made it more of a McCartney smooth vocal. Compared to Words of Love, you know, John does something interesting with the Words of Love cover The Beatles did.
Speaker: yeah Yeah, exactly. but i'm I'm glad you agree, Marv. Yeah, there was just something about the lead vocal that just didn't connect with me. Okay, this time I'm the odd one out. I like it slightly more than you two, but again, we're not that far off. No.
Speaker: And for anyone listening who's interested, I'll just point out that Peter Asher is touring the UK later this year with Graham Nash. Oh, I heard about that. Yeah, that'd be a cool show.
Speaker: Very cool. Now we do have some extras and we also have a supercut, not necessarily because of this version, but because, well, it's a Buddy Holly song and Buddy deserves as many supercuts as we can give him. Right on.
Speaker: The extras I mentioned, going into the 1965 concert season, GAC, GAC being the company that Brian and others work with to get British acts touring the States, named Peter and Gordon as the third best British concert act Behind the Beatles in the DC-5. Wow.
Speaker: Now, granted, the Stones and the Kinks and some of these other bands hadn't really started touring the stage yet, but that's nonetheless very impressive. Wow. Along those same lines, shortly after this single, Peter and Gordon would be the canaries in a coal mine for British acts going to Japan.
Speaker: Tatsu Nagashima, who would be the same promoter that would bring the Beatles to Japan 1966, We all know how successful that was. We're responsible for booking Peter and Gordon.
Speaker: Now they did not play in a religious Shinto shrine, but okay. Yeah. And third, there is a very unintentionally funny video.
Speaker: I couldn't find it on YouTube, but I have seen it where Peter is miming to the recorded track all by himself. Jeez. Gordon's car had broken down on the way to the television studio.
Speaker: Oh no! They sent Peter out there by himself and he's amiably trying the best he possibly can. Oh, poor Peter. Jeez. The super cut we mentioned.
Speaker: Some of the versions you will hear. ah course, the original from Buddy. Bobby V. Bobby V, of course, did everything Buddy Holly did. Yes. Just not quite as well.
Speaker: Frank Ifield. ah yeah. Can't Frank. I wonder if he yodels through it. Yeah. thought that. Our old friend Skeeter Davis. um She did a cover of it. Wow.
Speaker: Mickey Gilly, years before Gilly's. Alan Price. Rick Nelson. oh Johnny Mathis. And Mar's going to love this one. Erasure.
Speaker: cool i was listening to them earlier. Buddy Holly. Thank you, Casey. Thank you. Hello.
Speaker: How you doing? Oh, man, I feel pretty good. I just talked to my wife. Let's do True Love Ways first. True Love Ways. Thank you very much. It's good to be in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Speaker: It's pretty cold up here, though.
Speaker: ah I haven't done this in a while. I'm a little nervous, so I'm going to play the hardest thing I know for someone real special. Here we go, true love, one, two, three, four.
Speaker: Just you
Speaker: And we'll know why just you and No true love waves
Speaker: Joyce to share with Sometimes we
Speaker: And we'll know why Just you and I, no truth
Speaker: At number 49, I'm Gonna Get There Somehow by Dunican, which moved from number 49 to number 32 to number 25. A good lead vocal from Val.
Speaker: However, those backing singers are corny and old-fashioned. The guitar and drums are pretty good. Decent production. Very bizarre lyrics. But I'm gonna get there somehow. And I'm ringing up to say that I'm gonna get there somehow.
Speaker: I'm leaving.
Speaker: I could jump on my toboggan, but there isn't any snow. And when I try my roller skates, the doggone wheels won't go. Johnny Cash might have been able to save this song, but with Val Dunican at the lead, it's really just meh. I agree. He sings it fine, but it's just nothing distinctive.
Speaker: Oh, those backing singers. Oh my gosh, the doo-doo-doo backing vocals throughout. I just thought, stop! i mean, it's so irritating.
Speaker: ah Definitely would not return to this. It's kind of a country track, but as you said, maybe Johnny Cash could have rescued this, but no. That's a miss for me.
Speaker: This song could have been fun if it wasn't for that dreadful back vocal with the do, da-do, da-do, da-do, but it's not even as good as that. It's a lot of doo-doo, let's be honest.
Speaker: There you go. Not as good as the doo-doos that you'll get about 10 years later by Lou Reed on Walk on the Wild Side. Oh, that's right. What about the doo-doo-doo-da-da-da?
Speaker: Well, yeah. That's all I have to say to you. thank you to It should be noted that this song was written by Don Michael, which was an alias for Michael Valentine Dunican, and Peter Steven Pavey as Steve Peters. Interesting. Hence the Michael, Peter shown as songwriters for this song. And now I know why he's called Val Dunican.
Speaker: Yep. At number 50, the dual-sided at-the-club-slash-Saturday-night-at-the-movies by the Drifters, which would move from 50 to 35 and back to 50.
Speaker: We covered both of these sides separately in the U.S., and we found both of them as shameless ripoffs of Under the Boardwalk. Yes, I remember that. Yeah. All right, we move to the third week of April.
Speaker: At number 11, the Beatles with Ticket to Ride. Which the next week would be at number one. Wow. That's fast.
Speaker: Pretty amazing stuff. Of course, we're going to talk a little bit about the song here. This is the Beatles absorbing what the Kinks and the were producing and then pointing the Stones towards Satisfaction, which we are going to see real soon now. The Stones are riding Satisfaction as we speak 60 years ago.
Speaker: Wow. Yep. This is coming out simultaneously with Mr. Tambourine Man. And George's 12-string actually sounds a little bit birdsy at the opening there. Or I guess the birds are kind of stealing from George.
Speaker: John's rhythm would beget George's lead guitar and Ringo's heavy sound on the drums, although the sound came from Paul instructing Ringo how to play.
Speaker: We've heard that story before. Yes. Despite the harder sound, there are some of those naughty jazz chords as Bob Dylan would call them, that find their way into the song, particularly in George's guitar part.
Speaker: And then at the end it goes all beatily with that My Baby Don't Care outro, which almost could have been a Please Please Me type song all by itself.
Speaker: This will be the first Beatles song to last longer than three minutes. And we're gonna talk about the writing and recording of this after you guys give your opinion. Well, what can you say? This is one of the many just great songs from one in McCartney.
Speaker: I'm glad you mentioned Ringo's drumming because whether Paul coached him on it or not, I really like his drumming on this. It's such an unusual rhythm.
Speaker: And as you said, he really goes hard on it. I mean, he really hits those drums. and
Speaker: I think it's one of his best drumming performances. I've always liked that. Is that George at the beginning? 12 string. Yeah, that's George.
Speaker: As you said, it is a birds-like sound, although, as you said, the birds probably borrowed from that. They were just masters of grabbing you immediately from the very beginning. And that riff he plays just immediately grabs your ear. And as you mentioned, the fade out, a clever thing to do. They thought about their endings as well.
Speaker: And, of course, ah you mentioned there's the naughty aspect of the lyrics. Well, the the lyrics and the chords, the the naughty lyrics and then the naughty chords, as Bob Dylan would put it, those jazz chords with George. If you look at George's solo, it's really just not a straight pop solo at all, even on a 12 string. Exactly. I mean, it just the whole song just has such a different feel to it.
Speaker: than the previous songs that that they came out with. So, again, it just shows their incredibly rapid growth as songwriters, arrangers, musicians.
Speaker: Just a great, great song. You know, you mean you mentioned that solo by George and...
Speaker: That reminds me of Robert Fripp from King Crimson, mentioning that this was a big highlight for him as a guitarist. And only now can I see a correlation there that would see what he would do as a guitarist with their solos for King Crimson songs. It's almost got that experimental look at the solo from a different angle point of view, almost. Absolute classic, like Ed said.
Speaker: You can see the build there through the kinks to like the who, with can't explain, up to this, and then it's like the music is growing, and then you know you go to satisfaction and then past there, and eventually this will lead to things like you Led Zeppelin in the late 60s and the 70s. You can see it, or at least I can.
Speaker: John Lennon would agree with you. was slightly a new sound the time. It's a heavy record, know. And the drums are heavy too. That's why I like it.
Speaker: Ticket to Ride. That's me. That was the one of the earliest heavy metal records made, I think. Paul's contribution was the way Ringo played the drums. I don't know if I'd go as far to say heavy metal, but Heart of Rock, yeah.
Speaker: yeah Again, you can definitely see how this would then become Helter Skelter. Yes. So, all right, we know exactly when this song was written, and we know pretty much the entire history of this song.
Speaker: It originated during the another Beatles Christmas show, one of our favorites. What Dick James said is that it was during rehearsals for that show at the Hammersmith Odeon that I sat with Paul in the stalls watching some of the other acts.
Speaker: Then he came around and sang a few snatches of melody, which he and John had in mind for future songs. Then soon after, John started on the same tunes that Paul had just been singing. There's a title I've got in mind, John said to me, which I can't get rid of.
Speaker: It's She's Got a Ticket to Ride. I liked the phrase, for it was a slightly more original idea than usual for expressing goodbye and parting. I encouraged John to work at it, and the matter then passed into the back of my mind.
Speaker: So that means we know that this is between the 21st and the 24th of December, since that is when the rehearsals for the Christmas show show were being Interesting. Paul and John in interviews disagreed on how much Paul contributed and that kind of thing. But Paul mentioned we wrote the melody together. You can hear it on the record.
Speaker: John's taking the melody and I'm singing harmony with it We'd often work those out as we wrote them because John's saying it, you might have to give him 60% of it. It was pretty much a work job that turned out quite well.
Speaker: And in many years from now, Paul talked about how proud he was of that double time coda that, of course, gradually fades out. He said, I think the interesting thing was a crazy ending.
Speaker: Instead of ending like the previous verse, we changed the tempo. We picked up one of the lines, My Baby Don't Care, but completely altered the melody. We almost invented the idea of a new bit of a song on the fade-out with the song. It was something specially written for the fade-out, which was very effective, but it was quite cheeky, and we did a fast ending. It was quite radical at the time.
Speaker: And we have a bit more on the development of the song. As we know, the song has started during the Beatles Christmas special. And then immediately thereafter, a lot of fun things went on.
Speaker: John would go on vacation and Ringo would get married. Yes. ah The next time it was heard, it was heard by George Martin. Kit, you want to tell us about that? So, as you mentioned, John vacationed in Switzerland and was accompanied by George Martin for part of the trip.
Speaker: John borrowed a guitar and played the half-completed tune to George Martin. and Paul was on the move, too. He was vacationing in Tunisia. As you said, Ringo got married.
Speaker: And upon return, John and Paul wrote Ticket to Ride. So Paul may have been right. you know so So John had half or maybe you a little more than half of the song. He came back. Paul was still off on vacation.
Speaker: And then when Paul came back, they finished up the tune. Yeah. Now, to throw a monkey wrench into this explanation, John was asked about the song in his Playboy in interview in 1980, and he said, That's All Me, one of the earliest heavy metal records.
Speaker: Paul's contribution was the way that Ringo played the drums. Now, to clarify this quote, McCartney responded with, well, John just didn't take the time to explain that we sat down together and worked on that song for a full three-hour songwriting session.
Speaker: And at the end of it all, we had the words, we had the harmonies, and we had all of the little bits. At any rate, this three-hour songwriting session had to have occurred at John's Kenwood home,
Speaker: on the afternoon of February the 14th, 1965. And we know this because the very next day, they were in EMI Studios recording the song in its entirety.
Speaker: Cynthia must have loved that John and Paul in the other room writing a song about another Classy. All right. And we have a cash box review. Who wants to read that? I'll do it. I love these.
Speaker: Okay. It says, the Beatles are back again, and their outrageously successful reputation should be further enhanced on the basis of this power-packed, new-y-tabbed ticket-to-ride. The tune is a throbbingly bittersweet rhythmic weeper about a fella, that's F-E-L-L-A, whose romance is headed for the rocks.
Speaker: It also mentions the flip side. Yes, it is The B side, yes, it is They describe it as a tender, shuffling, feelingfully essayed tale of devotion.
Speaker: And they couldn't get the name right. They call it Yes-t-it-is, Y-E-S-T. Maybe they thought it was yesterday or something. Yes-t-it-is. All right.
Speaker: At number 39, Not Until the Next Time by Jim Reeves, which would move from 39 to 38. Yep, it's another Jim Reeves record. Fairly stock standard.
Speaker: A good enough vocal, but nothing overly cool or unique about it. ah kind of like the piano, but I kind of hate these backing vocals too. It feels kind of like the $5 movie bin at Walmart.
Speaker: It's the definition of meh. Oh. That's an interesting description. Definitely, as you said, it's just kind of a typical Jim Reeves record. He sings it fine, but I just found it just boring.
Speaker: I rearrange each little thing As I've done so many times And I won't put them back Until the next time
Speaker: Another country-tinged ballad. Chet Atkins produced it, so it's once again the Nashville sound. And the Nashville sound, of course, could be great when it was well done.
Speaker: This, to me, was just boring. It has all the hallmarks of the Nashville sound. of that It's got the strings and more of a pop sound than straight country. But this is definitely not a great example of the genre.
Speaker: He's got a far better voice than Valdunican, if I'm going to do a comparison. But, you know, I have trouble being able to get to sleep, and I'm wondering if I made a playlist up of songs including this, I'd probably be asleep in seconds.
Speaker: Exactly. Yep. This is the very definition of yawn fest. Yes. At number 40, Oh No, Not My Baby by Manfred Mann, which would move from number 40 to number 26.
Speaker: Well, we've previously had the Maxine Brown version of this song. This is not bad. I like it. A pretty good lead, good harmony. The horns are energetic, maybe a little bit muted.
Speaker: I like the cymbal splash at the end of the tune. Yeah. Well, your bottle had a last minute fling, but I am sure didn't mean a thing.
Speaker: Cause yesterday you accepted my ring, and now I'm glad that I just kept on saying, oh no, not my pain.
Speaker: It may not even be the third or fourth best version of this song, but it is worth a listen. Low hit. I thought this was a little too poppy for Manford Man. I understand this is the same group that did Do What Diddy, you know? So, I mean, that's not like it's hard rocking or anything, but I don't know. I just felt like this wasn't quite a great match for them. I just felt like the lead vocal on this, know, he sounded kind of,
Speaker: Out of his element here, again, he like he wanted to be a little edgier and he couldn't. Did like the vibe solo. You don't hear that very often.
Speaker: I don't.
Speaker: play you don't hear that very often oh I like that. But otherwise, i just felt like definitely not one of their best. Low to meh for me.
Speaker: Again, you may like it a little bit less than I do, but not a hugely not less. No, it's not of their best. I think we can agree on that. Okay, I'm going closer to Ed on this one, I think.
Speaker: It's not bad. I like Paul's voice. I like the guitar playing. The drums are okay. It's all right. Why on earth it's a single? I've not got a clue. It would have made a really good album song to my mind. Agreed.
Speaker: So we're going different from what we normally do. Normally it's Marvin Kidd against me. This time, Marvin and I seem to be a little bit more on the same page. On this song. At number 43, A World of Our Own by The Seekers, which would move from 43 to 19. Why it moved 24 spots, I'm not sure.
Speaker: It's okay. It's it's very folky, a little bit more on up-tempo, a good Judith Durham lead vocal. The acoustic guitars are nice and uninspiring.
Speaker: I'll give it a low hit. Here we agree. That's pretty much what I thought. It was written by Tom Springfield, of course, Dusty's brother. I love Judith Durham's voice.
Speaker: She had just a beautiful, clear kind of sound. And so yeah I think her voice... elevates the song quite a bit. Nice harmonies. It's definitely folk pop.
Speaker: you know, we've talked about folk pop in the past, and I think this is another example of it. Yeah, I'm not saying it's my favorite song by the Seekers, but yeah, I'd say probably low-medium hit.
Speaker: Wow. I thought i was going to be the outlier with this one. Hmm. Because I quite liked it to a lower sort of medium hit, but From the bustle and the bright city lights Let them all fade away Just leave us alone And we'll live in a world of our own We'll build a world of our own That no one else can share All our sorrows we'll leave by the end
Speaker: I do like her vocals a lot, the gorgeous, lovely lead vocal by her. I like the folky instrumentation, the folk pop of it, and I actually think that it's a really well-written song.
Speaker: But yeah, like said, middling hit maybe. Yep. At number 45, It's Growing by the Temptations, a re-entry, which would be out the next week. At number 46, The Times They Are a Changing by the Ian Campbell Folk Group, which would stay at 46 for the next week.
Speaker: And we move on to the final week of April, the week of April the 22nd to the 28th. At number 35, Where Are You Now, My Love by Jackie Trent.
Speaker: But I don't know when I'll ever see you again. Where are you?
Speaker: This song wants to be more impressive than it actually is. Jackie Trent has a good big voice. However, the tune is overdramatic and doesn't really go anywhere. And those backing la la la las do nothing for me. Meh. Maybe if they'd add a do do do do.
Speaker: Yeah, I like Jackie Trent's voice. Very rich sounding, precise, has a mature sound to it. So I did like her voice on this. Definitely, I would say this has shades of Burt Bacharach and Hell David in terms of the chord changes.
Speaker: But I'm not crazy about the lyrics. I thought they were even a little clumsy at times. And as you said, Ed, wanting to be more important and significant than they are.
Speaker: I think if the lyrics had been rewritten, this could have been a bigger hit. It just didn't have that hook that you were looking for. There was nothing like really catchy about it.
Speaker: But her voice saves the song for me. Low hit. You like it slightly more than I do. Yeah. Needed some work. It was interesting listening to it, and and also while I was listening to it I was thinking, now, I wonder what this would have been like if Petula Clark had sung it. She'd just done Downtown, which was one of their writings. It's so so okay. Like you said, clean up of Jackie's lyrics.
Speaker: Lower Midland, perhaps. I don't know. i think Jackie would go on to write better lyrics with the Neighbors theme tune, maybe. That brings us to our Beatles connection. As Marv mentioned, Jackie Trent was married to Tony Hatch.
Speaker: Tony Hatch, who was also the producer of this record. In addition to the theme for the Australian soap Neighbors, Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch wrote the theme for Crossroads.
Speaker: And as we know, that song would be covered by one Sir James Paul McCartney. Ah, six degrees of Paul McCartney. Yes. Well, it can't be Kevin Bacon because Paul's a vegetarian.
Speaker: That's right. Exactly. At number 37, a tune which surprised me, A Little You Freddie and the Dreamers. Freddie is finally doing something without any of the shtick.
Speaker: It's pretty straightforward and it's actually a pretty good, not great, but pretty good song. Just little you There's a little truth in every lie you tell me
Speaker: Nice vocal from Freddie, except for that big reverb they put on it, which, well, that's not his fault. The guitars maybe even slightly surf. The strings are subtle, but they are probably ultimately unnecessary.
Speaker: Nothing earth-shattering, not a real banger or a really great record, but it's well enough played and sung. It's entertaining, and I'll give it a low hit. Okay, yeah, I mean, it was kind of because as you said, the surf rock sound, the surf guitar, i mean, the way it started, that beginning riff, I thought, is Freddie and the Dreamers, are they trying to do surf song? Are they trying to cash in on the trend? But then, of course, you know, it changes.
Speaker: I felt like this could have been recorded by Jerry and the Pacemakers. yeah I don't know if he was... intentionally imitating Jerry's delivery, but Freddie sounds like him a bit at points. And I kind of sat there thinking, I wonder if Jerry the Pacemakers recorded this, if this would have been a better song.
Speaker: But I agree that it's nice not to hear Freddie doing the shtick. Doing the giggling and doing the... Exactly. Thank you. I'm glad. Yes, exactly. I mean, singing it in a more straightforward way. I don't know if I liked it quite as much as you did, Ed, but as you said, it's it's a nice change to not hear the giggling and all that stuff.
Speaker: yep and And luckily, he doesn't have to do the Freddie dance. That's right. Stay tuned for the American side where we will have some comments on that. Heck yes.
Speaker: This song, though, but Pacey, well played. Surprisingly normal voice from Freddie. So, yeah, sort of middling. But my take on this would also be it's interesting in a sense, almost as though Freddie and the Dreamers are trying to change or something, transition,
Speaker: to something that, unfortunately for them, the record label would not allow them the time or chance to be able to do, possibly.
Speaker: At number 40, the re-entry of the wedding song, La Novia by Julie Rogers. Kit has let us know what she thinks about this song before. Yeah, not one of my favorites.
Speaker: No, there's no bells ringing for you on that one. No. yeah At number 43, Cilla Black's follow-up to her cover of the Righteous Brothers tune. This is I've Been Wrong Before. It's a Randy Newman song. Randy,
Speaker: The night we met
Speaker: A very good Scylla vocal, but she doesn't quite capture the world weariness of the lyrics. I like the George Martin piano and arrangement. Good and tasteful strings that add a bit, but the tune never really gives into the pain that is inherent in those lyrics.
Speaker: Still, it's good enough to be a low hit. And I would say go look for Elvis Costello's cover of this version. It very definitely takes the best of this version and also the best of another version, which is coming up from Dusty Springfield that we will see in a bit.
Speaker: have been wrong
Speaker: She used to smile at me and hold my hand like you do. Then she left me in broken arms.
Speaker: Elvis Costello's version's got a bit more snark in his voice, which puts it a bit closer to maybe a Randy Newman take on it, essentially. Yeah, that would sound more in line with Randy Newman.
Speaker: It was kind of an odd melody, very rangy, and I don't think this is one of Randy Newman's most memorable compositions, but it's interesting to hear, even though, it's as you rightly said, Ed Silla,
Speaker: Black doesn't really give in as much to the very melancholy lyrics. This whole song sounds a little dark for her, but I think maybe she had leaned into it more, it would have been a better track. The Dusty Virgin is definitely a step in that direction. And then Elvis Costello goes all the way. Yeah, that doesn't surprise me that you do that, and and I think it would work better that way. And as I said, nice arrangement from George Martin, but it's like they wanted to firmly keep it in the pop mode, you know, and not make it too dark.
Speaker: Yeah, damn it. Am I really going to diss George Martin? I think the orchestration lends it too much to sweetening it, whereas a vocal might have worked, might have been a bit darker if the orchestration and the arrangement would have leaned into that a bit more, perhaps. Yeah. know what I mean? It's almost like your hands were tied behind the back.
Speaker: before she even appeared in the studio, because that arrangement was already sweetened up for that performance in a way. Yeah, I can see that. But yeah, I like Scylla's voice here. It's just that I think she's just stuck there with an arrangement that she can't put that emotion in that needs to be in there to give it that bit of dark edge to it.
Speaker: All right, our final new song for the month of April on the British side. At number 44, I Keep Ringing My Baby by the Soul Brothers.
Speaker: The first thing which I think we're all going to agree, somebody pick up that darn phone.
Speaker: Every time open my mind She tell me she's not phone They managed to capture the sound of a phone ringing very realistically.
Speaker: to the record, it's not a bad soul record, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Good enough vocal and playing, but it's meandering and more than a little bit pointless. Hi, man. I've got to agree with you 100%, Ed. First of all, yes, that ringing phone, i just, it was really getting on my nerves.
Speaker: It was otherwise like I wanted to like it more than I did because, you know, hey, soul, that's my thing. But it was just kind of of an average soul track. I mean, there was just nothing...
Speaker: very distinctive about it. As you said, I think meandering is a great way to describe it. So I think even if they had gotten rid of the ringing phone, i don't know if it would have improved it dramatically. So yeah, a meh for me.
Speaker: A song that has elements in it that could have made it a really good soul song, they're so few and far between that the rest of it is like, that ringing effect was terrible.
Speaker: And I even said that with that ringing going on, I just want to open a window and throw it into a gorge that will just send it into the core of the earth and we'll never have to listen to this dang thing again with that phone.
Speaker: Dang it! Dang it! I got it in here. There is Beatles connection here. This was co-written by Tony Wilson and Norman Oliver, who was a group member, but Tony Wilson would go on to found hot chocolate.
Speaker: Yes. They were part of Apple for a time. And the way it happened was in 1969, they were demoing a sort of slight reggae version of Give Peace a Chance with a group of friends. And they changed the lyrics, um but they were informed they could not change John's song without his permission.
Speaker: So a copy of this demo was sent to apple And John loved the version, and it was released, of course, on the Apple label. And they were given the name The Hot Chocolate Band by a secretary at the company, but then they would later change it to Hot Chocolate.
Speaker: And also one of the strangest versions of Give Peace a Chance that you will hear. yep All right, we close out the British side, and we're finishing the British side in one side. Hey, how about that? At number 49, the re-entry of the special years by Val Dunican. I don't think it's value for money, though. For sure the winner on the British side this month is Ticket to Ride.
Speaker: Yes, absolutely. Join us soon when we're going to hop over to the American side, the Billboard charts for April of 1965. See you then. See you soon.
Speaker: Take care, everybody.
Speaker: There was a piece in the NME, a news piece, that said the top rank records, remember when top rank had a record label? and They introduced an LP series next week that will be called Toppermost.
Speaker: And it's coinciding with their current advertising slogan, Toppermost of the Poppermost. I thought, they got it from somewhere. They saw that, they must have seen that in either the NME or Record Mirror or Disc.
Speaker: Record and Show Mirror as it was then. 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.
