"Jenny Take A Ride!" #10 1/29/1966

The first hit by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. They were the walking definition of high energy rock and roll. He found his niche and took full advantage, working in a few verses from the R&B staple "C.C. Rider" as well. Great stuff.

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels - Jenny Take A Ride!

"As Tears Go By" #6 1/29/1966

A hit by Marianne Faithfull in '64, this was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the only Rolling Stones appearing on this record (albeit with a string section). Before that point, the Stones had mostly performed covers of American blues numbers. They originally called this "As Time Goes By" but that was sorta taken already, as a similarly titled song appeared in "Casablanca."

Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By

RIP, Paul Kantner

Seems like I've done a bunch of these kind of posts lately. Here's hoping the rest of 2016 doesn't keep this trend going. Paul Kantner was a co-founder of Jefferson Airplane, one of the leading counter-culture bands from San Francisco. "Volunteers" (which he co-wrote) was one of the more politically charged songs of the 60's, and a personal favorite.

Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers

"Barbara Ann" #2 1/29/1966

Brian Wilson was in the middle of creating "Pet Sounds" but Capitol Records demanded a new Beach Boys album in late '65. To buy time, with minimal effort they recorded a collection of cover songs and dubbed in party noises. Trivia: Brian shares lead vocals here with Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean, who were recording down the hall. Famed Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine played his "famous ashtrays" as well.

Beach Boys - Barbara Ann

"Look Through Any Window" #32 1/22/1966

The first Top 40 record in America for the Hollies, though they'd already had numerous hits in the UK since '63. The band name was a nod to Buddy Holly, a major influence to so many rockers. This was co-written by future 10cc member Graham Gouldman. Part of the British Invasion's second wave. Maybe a little obscure, but for sure it's in my personal Top 10 from the 60's.

Hollies - Look Through Any Window

"Sandy" #27 1/22/1966

Here's another instance of a studio-created "group," being Ronny and the Daytonas (not from Florida but from Nashville), consisting of the lead singer and a band concocted to fulfill gigs. Trivia: Ronny's mom wrote the country classic "The Long Black Veil" and the gospel standard "One Day At A Time." Several members of the road band later formed the Hombres, whose one hit was "Let It All Hang Out" in '67.

Ronny and the Daytonas - Sandy

"Thunderball" #25 1/22/1966

We give you the theme song from the latest James Bond movie, performed by Tom Jones. Johnny Cash submitted a song as well, but was turned down. Apparently, Tom fainted after the last sustained high note. This was nothing new, as Shirley Bassey was said to have removed her bra to hit the last note of the "Goldfinger" theme. Maybe he should've removed his tighty whities. Well, Tom did have women tossing their panties on stage...

Tom Jones - Thunderball

"Lies" #20 1/22/1966

By now in the 60's, there was this odd dynamic in rock music where the British bands tried to sound American and the American groups tried to sound British. Many thought the Knickerbockers (from Bergenfield, NJ) were the Beatles recording under an assumed name! Today's tune is everywhere on oldies radio, yet it only peaked at #20. Surprising. A personal favorite for sure.

Knickerbockers - Lies

"The Duck" #14 1/22/1966

I can count on one hand the 60's records that I absolutely loathe. This is one, but it made the Top 20, so someone liked it. I have nothing against Jackie Lee, whose real name was Earl Nelson and was one-half of Bob and Earl of "Harlem Shuffle" fame way before the Rolling Stones recorded it. I just think it's one of the stupidest records of the decade. But that's just me.

Jackie Lee - The Duck

"Just Like Me" #11 1/22/1966

The first big hit for Paul Revere and the Raiders propelled them into the spotlight big time. By now, they were regulars on Dick Clark's weekday afternoon TV show "Where The Action Is." They perfected that 1776 look for rock and roll, but then, they were the only ones with that look. Eventually they took up residence at Dick's theater in Branson, MO. One of my all-time faves.

Paul Revere and the Raiders - Just Like Me

"You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" #10 1/22/1966

The second hit for the Lovin' Spoonful was said to be part of Brian Wilson's inspiration for "God Only Knows," recorded later in the year by the Beach Boys. I believe today's video is from "Hullabaloo" as the group was introduced by Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits.

Lovin' Spoonful - You Didn't Have To Be So Nice

"A Must To Avoid" #8 1/22/1966

Yet another Top 10 entry from Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits. This one was written by P.F. Sloan (who passed away last November) and Steve Barri. They also wrote early hits for the Grass Roots, the Turtles, and many, many more, including "Eve Of Destruction" for Barry McGuire and "California Dreamin' " for the Mamas and the Papas.

Herman's Hermits - A Must To Avoid

"Day Tripper" #5 1/22/1966

In the next few days, no fewer than four of my all-time favorites from the 60's will show up right here, including this one! John wanted this to be the A-side of the current single - the other Beatles and George Martin voted for "We Can Work It Out" so they compromised, making it a double A-sided 45. There's yet another case of somewhat risqué wordplay involving the word "teaser" - you figure it out.

Beatles - Day Tripper

"I'm Looking Through You" Album cut

Paul McCartney wrote this "Rubber Soul" track about his rocky relationship with Jane Asher; they would split a few months later. Trivia: Ringo didn't play drums here. Not only did he keep time by tapping on a box of matches, he also played organ...although it was only a two-note refrain during the chorus. The Beatles regularly used unique sounds on their records.

Beatles - I'm Looking Through You

RIP, Glenn Frey

Glenn Frey and Bob Seger both came from Detroit. Glenn's first known appearance on record was on Seger's first national hit, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" in 1969, singing backup vocals which were very, very prominent in the mix. Glenn hooked up with Don Henley when they were both in Linda Ronstadt's band a few years later before forming the Eagles.

Bob Seger - Ramblin' Gamblin' Man

"Giddyup Go" #82 (#1 Country) 1/15/1966

This week's #1 country tune from Red Sovine was also a minor entry on the Hot 100. Until "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro in '68, this was maybe the sappiest record of the decade. It's all about a father-son trucker reunion, if you will, with a few plot twists. Goes to show how all-encompassing the pop charts were back then, before musical tastes fragmented into what we have today.

Red Sovine - Giddyup Go

Holy TV Theme, Batman!

50 years ago this week (1/12/66 to be exact) the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder invaded our living rooms. Waaaay over the top. America was never quite the same.

Batman TV Theme

"I've Got To Be Somebody" #38 1/15/1966

The third straight Top 40 record to begin the career of Billy Joe Royal, this was once again written by Joe South. It was his last Top 40 entry until "Cherry Hill Park" in '69. However, he had a number of hits on the country charts in the 80's.

Billy Joe Royal - I've Got To Be Somebody

"Under Your Spell Again" #35 1/15/1966

Buck Owens had a Top 5 country hit with this originally in 1959, so here's Johnny Rivers with his somewhat rocked-up version. Not sure where the video is from - guessing some sort of local rock and roll show - but check out the black girl over on screen left. She's gettin' down like James Brown!

Johnny Rivers - Under Your Spell Again

"Satin Pillows" #23 1/15/1966

This one by Bobby Vinton is not to be confused with "Satin Sheets," the Jeannie Pruett country hit from the 70's. Same time-honored theme, however, of a girl trapped in her sugar daddy's world. Bobby did quite a lot of recording in Nashville, even though he didn't target the country audience.

Bobby Vinton - Satin Pillows

"Five O'clock World" #4 1/15/1966

The follow-up to "You're The One" by the Vogues did just as well, as both reached #4. It was used as the theme song for the second season of "The Drew Carey Show" and also appeared on the soundtrack of "Good Morning Vietnam." Not a bad career start for a group of guys from the East Hills of Pittsburgh.

Vogues - Five O'clock World

"Girl" (Beatles) Album cut

A Greek-sounding track from "Rubber Soul" that had a unique take on the male-female dynamic. Trivia: During the guitar break, it sounded like part of the backing vocals went "dih-dih-dih-dih" when they admitted later they were using a soundalike word describing a female body part. They would occasionally slip some slightly naughty little jokes like that into a recording.

Beatles - Girl

"Michelle" Album cut

We give you arguably the most recognized Beatles song of all time - and it was never released as a single in the UK or America. Paul essentially wrote it in 1959, and John helped flesh it out when he asked Mr. McCartney to resurrect the song for "Rubber Soul." The wife of the fellow who introduced John to Paul taught French, and Paul asked her to translate the phrase "these are words that go together well," but she didn't get a writing credit.

Beatles - Michelle

"Broomstick Cowboy" #53 1/8/1966

More than a few radio stations wouldn't play this Bobby Goldsboro record, due to the way the song veered sharply from youthful innocence into social commentary. A little curious, since Bobby was probably one of the least threatening performers out there in the 60's. Turned out we hadn't heard anything yet as far as biting song lyrics.

Bobby Goldsboro - Broomstick Cowboy

RIP, David Bowie

Bowie. Damn. It's been said he was Lady Gaga 40 years before Lady Gaga. He put the glam in glam rock. A whole genre of music owes its existence to him. 80's music may not have happened as it did without him coming along in the 70's. KISS or Poison or 1000 other groups - the list goes on of those that owe him big time. Wow. And he gave Stevie Ray Vaughan his first big break. My favorite of his is "Changes." RIP, David Bowie. You will be missed.

David Bowie - Changes

"Ebb Tide" #5 1/8/1966

Our song today was probably the best known version of this chestnut that dates from the early 50's. It was the last big hit produced by Phil Spector for the Righteous Brothers, as they would have a very messy professional split. The Wall Of Sound is fully evident here, with L.A.'s famous Wrecking Crew supplying the music.

Righteous Brothers - Ebb Tide

"Flowers On The Wall" #4 1/8/1966

Playing solitaire til dawn with a deck of 51. There were two legendary country music acts who hailed from my old stomping grounds, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia - Patsy Cline and the Statler Brothers. The Statlers were part of the Johnny Cash road show for years before setting off on their own, and proved you didn't have to uproot your family and move to Nashville to succeed in that field. This was their only Top 40 record, but they were one of the top country acts of the 70's and 80's.

Statler Brothers - Flowers On The Wall

"She's Just My Style" #3 1/8/1966

The fifth of seven straight Top 10's to begin the career of Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Gary said they were going for a Beach Boys vibe with this one. Like all their hits, the Wrecking Crew provided pretty much all the music, and Snuff Garrett (who passed away just a few weeks ago and was in the Wrecking Crew documentary) was behind the glass at the controls.

Gary Lewis and the Playboys - She's Just My Style

"We Can Work It Out" #1 1/8/1966

This and "The Sound Of Silence" traded the #1 spot for the first few weeks of 1966. With this, the Beatles started to make a very primitive form of actual music videos, pre-dating MTV by 15 years. The Fab Four began doing "promotional films" to avoid live appearances. They would no longer play concerts at all by later in the year. George Harrison suggested doing part of the chorus in 3/4 waltz time. I'd say his idea worked!

Beatles - We Can Work It Out

"The Word" Album cut

Another track from "Rubber Soul" that pushed the Beatles still farther away from the "hand" or "kiss" or "lips" notions of love song lyrics and into more abstract areas. Other than one or two items, they were on a solid three month break prior to starting the "Revolver" sessions, which expanded their horizons even more. Well, that and all the substances...

Beatles - The Word

"Think For Yourself" Album cut

We give you a lesser-known Beatles track (if there is such a thing) from "Rubber Soul." It's a George Harrison song, but with an unusual twist - the lead instrument is Paul's bass running through a then-new device, the fuzz box. They certainly weren't afraid to try a different approach to their music.

Beatles - Think For Yourself

"Harlem Nocturne" #39 1/1/1966

Here's a record from the Viscounts that lingered in the Hot 100 for over six months - plus it charted five years earlier, too! The Jersey group had one of over 100 known versions of this song which dates from 1939. It's a suitably creepy inclusion to the soundtrack of the 80's movie "Christine" based on Stephen King's book.

Viscounts - Harlem Nocturne

"It's My Life" #23 1/1/1966

Not to be confused with the similarly titled Bon Jovi record, here's another tune that surprisingly didn't chart all that highly at the time. The Animals were in a stretch of singles turned out by songwriters from NYC's famous Brill Building. I believe the video is from "Hullabaloo" with models mounted like deer heads on a wall. That is soooo 60's.

Animals - It's My Life

"The Little Girl I Once Knew" #20 1/1/1966

I'm always surprised to find a record that didn't do as well chart-wise as I thought. This Beach Boys 45 barely made the Top 20. It's said part of the reason was there were too many pauses, and radio programmers didn't like dead air - too confusing to the listener. These same people said a single ought to be no longer than three minutes, too. How'd that work out?

Beach Boys - The Little Girl I Once Knew

"One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" #13 1/1/1966

The only hit for Barry Young, a Dean Martin sound-alike, dates from 1948 when Jimmy Wakely took the song to #1 on the country charts. This tune would be part of the resurgence of Jerry Lee Lewis's career in the late 60's when The Killer went country. Barry would pass away later in 1966 at the age of 35 from a brain abscess.

Barry Young - One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)

"The Sound Of Silence" #1 1/1/1966

We begin 1966 with an acoustic tune that flopped on its release in '64 to where the duo split up. The song gained traction on college radio and the record was remixed, adding electric guitar, bass and drums, which was hard since the tempo was uneven. Paul Simon heard the remix on the radio and was horrified, so much that he and Art Garfunkel reunited and it felt so good, as it hit #1.

Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound Of Silence