"I Saw Her Again" #5 7/30/1966

Way before Fleetwood Mac had all the messed up relationships within the group and became such a rock soap opera in the 70's (and I LOVED Fleetwood Mac), there were the Mamas and the Papas. See, one day Papa John Phillips walked in on his young bride Michelle doing the Big Nasty with their fellow bandmate Denny Doherty. Papa John forgave her (eventually) but wrote this song about a fling, with his wife and Denny sharing lead vocals. He hoped it would become a hit so they'd have to sing it each night as a form of penance. It worked. Michelle was kicked out of the group for several months while this was on the charts, because she was also doing the Wild Thing with Gene Clark of the Byrds. Jill Gibson replaced her, but "the chemistry wasn't right" so Michelle was brought back. Sheesh. They made this video long before it was cool to do so.

The Mamas and the Papas - I Saw Her Again

"Wild Thing" #1 7/30/1966

Another song that totally defined the 60's, as every garage band just had to play it. It was first done by a NYC band called The Wild Ones...and completely flopped. The Troggs (they were originally known as the Troglodytes) recorded it in a single take - and sure sounded that way. This record spawned a thousand cover versions, and has been used in hundreds of movies and TV shows. My second favorite usage was in "Major League" when Charlie Sheen took the mound. The best cover version was when Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire after playing this at Monterey Pop in 1967.

Troggs - Wild Thing

More popular than Jesus?

On this date in 1966, that infamous John Lennon interview was first published in America by a heretofore little-known magazine called Datebook. It first appeared in a British publication several months earlier and hardly caused a ripple, but "firestorm" doesn't even begin to describe what a backlash it caused in the States. His exact quote was:

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity."

Needless to say, that didn't sit too well with a lot of people, especially in the Bible Belt. About 30 radio stations instituted a total ban on Beatles music, including one in Longview, Texas that organized a burning of their records. The station's tower was struck by lightning the next day. The Fab Four started what turned out to be their last-ever concert tour in two weeks, and had to deal with protests and controversy in virtually every city. John had to issue a public apology at the start of the tour in Chicago. In some places like Memphis they feared for their lives. Ticket sales suffered as a result, and when the tour ended August 29th in San Francisco, they took three months off to decompress before beginning work on "Sgt. Pepper."

"Doctor Robert" Album cut

This one, from the UK "Revolver" and the US "Yesterday...and Today" was allegedly about a pill-pusher to the stars. Like many other celebrities, the Beatles supposedly made visits to a NYC physician who freely gave out B-12 shots at all hours laced with amphetamines whenever they were in town. Another story says the song was about their dentist back in London who first provided them with LSD. Who knows?

Beatles - Doctor Robert

"You Wouldn't Listen" #42 7/23/1966

Long before "Vehicle," the Ides of March were making records. The Chicago-based band (from Berwyn, IL) scored a Top 10 hit locally on legendary rocker WLS and got some national airplay a few months later with this one. Front man Jim Peterik went on to form Survivor in the early 80's and wrote the sports rock anthem "Eye Of The Tiger." Jim is still out there in Chicagoland doing shows and still rockin'.

Ides of March - You Wouldn't Listen

"Daisy Petal Pickin' " #18 2/8/1964 Bonus

Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs had the misfortune of being on top of the pop charts with their previous record ("Sugar Shack") about the time President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. Then the British Invasion came to our shores, and the careers of so many American acts were altered as a result. These guys didn't have another hit until 1967. Their producer was Norman Petty, who had a hand in so many of Buddy Holly's records.

Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs - Daisy Petal Pickin'

"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" #5 2/8/1964 Bonus

The British Invasion had just started by this point in 1964. The world was never quite the same. It would take a few months for the last vestiges of pre-Beatles music to clear from the charts and the public consciousness. Major Lance was one whose career path was definitely altered as a result, but he still had a few more R&B hits in him. Today's tune was written by Curtis Mayfield.

Major Lance - Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um

"You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd" #40 7/23/1966

Roger Miller was known for writing and performing some pretty weird, nonsensical songs. This may be close to the top of that list. Perhaps he wore out his welcome for a while with the country crowd here, as it was his first record to miss the country Top 20 in almost three years. Even on the Billboard pop charts, known in the 60's for weirdness, it just barely cracked the Top 40.

Roger Miller - You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd

"Love Letters" #19 7/23/1966

An oddity in that Elvis re-recorded this a few years later. The newer version was added to a 1971 album of leftovers from some marathon Nashville sessions that had already produced two other albums. They just had to squeeze out a third album. This 1966 version, even though it made the Top 20, kind of gets passed by in the Elvis catalog. And it shouldn't.

Elvis Presley - Love Letters

"The Work Song" #18 7/23/1966

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass were on quite a streak in the mid 60's, as they had one or more albums in the Top 10 LP chart for 81 straight weeks. Pretty impressive, when you consider the competition in all forms of music in that era. Herb and the TJB were one of the top easy listening acts of the 60's. This instrumental was written by the brother of jazz legend Cannonball Adderley.

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - The Work Song

"The Pied Piper" #4 7/23/1966

And we're back from vacation! Crispian St. Peters, whose real name was Robin Peter Smith, had his second and by far his biggest Top 40 record with this one, based on the children's tale. He previously made the US Top 40 with his version of "You Were On My Mind" which was also a UK Top 5 tune. Our song today was originally done by the Changin' Times. Half of that duo, Arnie Kornfeld, went on to be a co-promoter of the Woodstock festival in 1969.

Crispian St. Peters - The Pied Piper

"Drag City" #10 1/18/1964 Bonus

As mentioned in our previous post today, the British Invasion messed with a lot of musical careers over here. Jan and Dean came through the onslaught relatively OK, as this hot rod tune was the first of seven chart records for them in '64. It was co-written by Jan Berry, Brian Wilson and Los Angeles DJ Roger Christian. This feature will be on vacation and off the grid for the next week or so, as we shall return on the 26th. Miss me!

Jan and Dean - Drag City

"Forget Him" #4 1/18/64 Bonus

We return to January 1964 today. The Beatles and the British Invasion had just begun to take hold over here, blowing the careers of a lot of American acts out of the water. Bobby Rydell was one of many that the sudden change in musical tastes affected, as this was the last of 19 Top 40 hits for the Philly guy. Bobby had a double organ transplant (liver and kidneys) a few years ago, but he's back doing gigs and even wrote a book about his story. He even had the high school in "Grease" named after him.

Bobby Rydell - Forget Him

"You Better Run" #20 7/16/1966

The followup to "Good Lovin' " for the Rascals just made the Top 20. It was remade in 1980 by Pat Benatar. Her version became the answer to a trivia question - what was the second music video ever shown on MTV, after "Video Killed The Radio Star"? These days with Google, radio trivia contests are almost a thing of the past.

Rascals - You Better Run

"(I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water" #19 7/16/66

Like so many 60's records, this song was from another genre and given a rocked-up arrangement. Johnny Rivers took a 1965 Top 10 country hit by Stonewall Jackson (yes, that was his given name, after the Confederate general) and got it into the pop Top 20. My wife and I saw Johnny in concert on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2014, and he put on a most enjoyable show.

Johnny Rivers - (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water

"Ain't Too Proud To Beg" #13 7/16/1966

Berry Gordy and his Motown label had a "quality control" section that met once a week to decide which songs would be put out as singles. This one by the Temptations kept getting passed over in the selection process, which led to some heated behind the scenes office politics that the group really wasn't aware of. Finally, after Smokey Robinson was ousted as their producer, it was released and the Temps had another #1 R&B and another Top 20 pop hit. The group was preparing to appear on "American Bandstand" when Mr. Gordy ordered them (an hour before the show) to perform this instead of the song they had planned to do. Wow.

Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg

"Along Comes Mary" #7 7/16/1966

The Association started out calling themselves The Men - sort of an odd choice for a band name, but hey, it was the 60's. They had this kind of preppy image, which made it all the more curious that their first hit was an ode to...pot, with "Mary" being a popular slang term for weed. But hey, it was the 60's. Much of their music was augmented by the Wrecking Crew, like so many others did.

Association - Along Comes Mary

"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" #4 7/16/1966

A personal fave. My wife Susan and I heard this on satellite radio a few weeks ago and we marveled at how Dusty Springfield could belt this one out. Dusty attended the San Remo music festival in Italy and fell in love with the song, even though she didn't speak the language. She was able to have English lyrics written, and scored a UK #1 plus a US Top 5 with it. Elvis covered this quite well in 1970 and performed it on stage the rest of his life.

Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

"Hanky Panky" #1 7/16/1966

One of the sloppiest records ever - and one of the best stories. There was a teenage band who made a record in their hometown of Niles, Michigan. It flopped and the band split up. Fast forward a few years, and one day the former lead singer got a frantic call from a Pittsburgh DJ. He found their single in a stack of rejects, started playing it at dance parties and people loved it! Some radio stations in the Steel City picked up on it, so he asked if the group could go there to promote the record. The lead singer said the band broke up years ago. The DJ said don't worry, we'll find someone to back you. They found a Latrobe, PA band called the Raconteurs willing to change their name and go along. The record then took off nationally, and that, boys and girls, is how Tommy James and the Shondells got their first #1 hit. Or was it the Raconteurs?

Tommy James and the Shondells - Hanky Panky

"I'm Only Sleeping" Album cut

We recently featured "Rain" by the Beatles, the first use of backwards vocals on record. Today's song has what's thought to be the first backwards guitar track. George was said to have spent an entire day in the studio working on just this one part. John wrote the song basically to address his own laziness. The writer of a magazine interview (the one where he said "we're more popular than Jesus") was quoted in the article as saying John was the laziest person in England by now. We'll address that interview and the firestorm it caused in about two weeks on the 50th anniversary of its American publication. From the UK "Revolver" and the US "Yesterday...And Today" albums.

Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping

"All These Things" #97 7/9/1966

Another two-fer! The Uniques were a Shreveport-based group who appear to have barely reached the national charts just this one time. Their version of today's tune was a somewhat larger regional hit in parts of Dixie. Their lead singer, Joe Stampley, went on to a very successful career in country music in the 70's and 80's. Joe re-did this a little bit faster, and in 1976 racked up his third #1 country hit.

Uniques - All These Things

Joe Stampley - All These Things

"Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)" 7/9/1966

Some more unadulterated R&B from "Wicked" Wilson Pickett. Supposedly the "Wicked" thing came about from a conversation between him and a secretary when he showed up for a meeting at Atlantic Records. The secretary was wearing quite the short miniskirt and Wilson made a remark about what he could see, to which she replied, "You is wicked!" It stuck. Creedence Clearwater Revival had a version of this on their first album.

Wilson Pickett - Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)

"Peter Rabbit" #45 7/9/1966

The area around Spirit Lake and Milford, Iowa wasn't exactly known as a center of popular culture. A local band called Dee Jay and the Runaways knew that, so several of the guys built their own recording studio. They shopped around an original song and landed a deal with a Chicago-based label. Though it just missed the Top 40 nationally, the song, based on the children's book character, got a lot of airplay in a few larger cities like Minneapolis, Baltimore, and so on. Not bad for small town rock and roll. Great organ solo here.

Dee Jay and the Runaways - Peter Rabbit

"Younger Girl" #42 7/9/1966

A two-fer of competing versions of this song, written by John Sebastian and done first as an album track by the Lovin' Spoonful. The Critters had the higher charting one, and their next record would reach the Top 20. The other version by the Hondells got to #52 the previous week, and was their last chart effort before they broke up.

Critters - Younger Girl

Hondells - Younger Girl

"Hey Joe" #31 7/9/1966

Our song today has floated around in one form or another since at least the 1930's. Jimi Hendrix had the definitive, albeit slower version. The Byrds did it in concert in their early days but never put it to vinyl. The Leaves, a one-hit wonder from the San Fernando Valley in the L.A. 'burbs, appear to be the first to actually record this. It showed up on the "Nuggets" compilation LP of obscurities in the 70's.

Leaves - Hey Joe

"The Land Of Milk And Honey" #29 7/9/1966

Here's a record from the Vogues that took its title from a Biblical verse (Exodus 33:3). This was their last Top 40 entry until 1968 when these guys made the Top 10 twice. As with so many groups, several competing versions of the band had been out on the road in recent years, each with one or two members of their classic lineup. Kind of a buyer beware situation when you see an oldies act in person these days.

Vogues - The Land Of Milk And Honey

"Please Tell Me Why" #28 7/9/1966

An extremely short (1:35) record from the Dave Clark Five. It was their last Top 40 effort for a while. They had one last chart run here in 1967 and that would be it, though they continued to have success in the UK into the 70's. They were one of the few 60's acts who had sizable control over their musical output and income. Dave Clark was not only the drummer and group leader, but their business manager as well. He was a smart negotiator.

Dave Clark Five - Please Tell Me Why

"Rain" #23 7/9/1966

Probably the first record containing backwards vocals, this was the B-side of "Paperback Writer." It came from a concert tour stop in Melbourne, Australia where it was pouring down rain. John said he got home from a recording session around 5 AM (stoned out of his gourd) and accidentally loaded an early tape of this on his reel-to-reel deck backwards...and liked it. Ringo said this was his favorite drum work out of anything he ever did with the Beatles. His part is pretty strong, as is Paul's bass track. Today's clip is a "promotional film" (kind of a primitive music video) they made for the Ed Sullivan show. This was 15 years before MTV.

Beatles - Rain

"Popsicle" #21 7/9/1966

Recorded in 1963, this was the final Top 40 record for Jan and Dean. In April 1966, Jan Berry had been in a near-fatal car accident. Dean Torrance made the executive decision to put this out as a single, along with an album consisting of previously released material. It didn't sell much. Their hot rod and surf sound had become a relic, as even the Beach Boys had moved on with their "Pet Sounds" LP. Still, Jan and Dean occupy a significant place in 60's music.

Jan and Dean - Popsicle

"He" #18 7/9/1966

A rarity in pop music - a hit record with strong religious overtones. It was the last Top 20 effort for the Righteous Brothers in the 60's. They went their separate ways until 1974 and "Rock And Roll Heaven." Originally an instrumental by Les Baxter, the first vocal version of this song was in 1954 by Al Hibbler, who had also scored with "Unchained Melody," which was later a huge hit twice...for the Righteous Brothers, in 1965 and again in the 90's from the movie "Ghost."

Righteous Brothers - He

"Dirty Water" #11 7/9/1966

Although this record became an unofficial anthem for Boston and their sports teams, the Standells were from Los Angeles, and today's record got airplay first in Orlando. Their producer wrote the song after a real-life encounter he and his girlfriend had with a mugger down by the river...down by the banks of the river Charles. No, really. Their drummer and lead singer, Dick Dodd, was an original Mouseketeer from TV's "Mickey Mouse Club."

Standells - Dirty Water

"Little Girl" #8 7/9/1966

The Syndicate of Sound was a garage rock band from San José who had a couple other charting records, neither of which made the upper half of the Billboard Hot 100. The generally accepted criteria in order to call an act a one-hit wonder is for them to reach the Top 40 once and only once in their career. These artists may be a fleeting footnote in music history, but that's one more hit record than you or I will probably ever have. Video is from "Where The Action Is."

Syndicate of Sound - Little Girl

"Red Rubber Ball" #2 7/9/1966

Gonna double up on our posts over the next few weeks. Lots of good chart stuff this week, then we'll be on vacation soon afterward. The Cyrkle started out as a frat party band called the Rhondells at Lafayette College in Easton, PA and were brought to the attention of Brian Epstein. He agreed to manage them, and John Lennon drew a circle and gave the group the stylized spelling of their new name - kind of the way "Beatles" was a play on beetles, as in Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Paul Simon co-wrote this along with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers. Their lead singers, Tom Dawes and Don Dannemann, later became ad jingle writers. Tom created "plop plop fizz fizz" for Alka-Seltzer and Don wrote the original Uncola jingle for 7-Up in the 70's.

Cyrkle - Red Rubber Ball

"Michelle" (Overlanders) Bonus

The Beatles never released any singles from "Rubber Soul" but plenty of others cherry-picked songs from that classic album. Today's tune went to #1 in early 1966 for the Overlanders in Great Britain and was their only major hit. To my knowledge this wasn't released in America. If so, it did nothing on our charts.

Overlanders - Michelle

"When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" #23 1/11/1964 Bonus

The Supremes had been with Berry Gordy and Motown for over three years with hardly any success, so this was a make or break release in late 1963. Either it would be a hit, or they were in danger of being dropped from the label. With that pressure, it became their first Top 40 record as well as making the R&B Top 5 and kept them employed. Their next five singles all reached #1.

Supremes - When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes

"Girl In Love" #21 7/2/1966

Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps the Outsiders would've been better served by releasing their next single instead of this one as the followup to "Time Won't Let Me." Today's tune is a decent ballad, but may have been too abrupt of a change from their uptempo previous record. Maybe that affected the band's career path, as there were only two more Top 40 records in their future. That could be why I'm not a music business executive.

Outsiders - Girl In Love

"Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" #17 7/2/1966

One of the great frat party tunes of the 60's by a one-hit wonder, the Swingin' Medallions from Greenwood, S.C., a true hotbed of rock and roll. No stinkin' harmony vocals here - the whole band is singing in unison. I love the organ on this one! These guys (along with a few of their sons) are still out there doing gigs across the Southeast, as this record is a staple of the Carolina beach music scene.

Swingin' Medallions - Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)

The Beatles in Manila

On July 4th, 1966, the Beatles had one of the most disastrous gigs of their career In the Philippines. They were coming off three days of shows at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo. President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos expected - no, demanded the boys appear at their palace in Manila prior to the concert. However, nobody told the Fabs about it. The mixup caused a nightmare after the show when they tried to leave the country, as they had no police protection and were kicked and punched and then detained as they had to haul their own equipment through the airport terminal. This was pretty much the last straw insofar as ever playing live again, after finishing a scheduled American tour commencing in August.

"Don't Bring Me Down" #12 7/2/1966

For a time, the Animals' then-producer, Mickie Most, requested songs for the group from writers based in the famed Brill Building on Broadway. That caused a rift within the band, as Eric Burdon wanted to do more blues-based and experimental music while most of the others were OK with a pop direction. Several personnel changes resulted, and Mickie parted ways as well. This may be the hardest rocking arrangement of a Gerry Goffin-Carole King tune of the 60's.

Animals - Don't Bring Me Down

"Cool Jerk" #7 7/2/1966

Another one-hit wonder, this time by the Capitols with music provided by the moonlighting Funk Brothers (Motown's house band) recording for a different label. The Jerk was a dance of the day, and this record was inspired by a popular local variation in Detroit called the Pimp Jerk. The song title was changed because "pimp" wasn't going to fly with radio programmers. How times have changed.

Capitols - Cool Jerk

"Strangers In The Night" #1 7/2/1966

Doo bee doo bee dooooo...yes, Frank really did forget the lyrics at the end. Although this was his first #1 record since 1955, Sinatra absolutely HATED it, saying it was "a piece of ****" and "the worst ****ing song I ever heard." Members of the Wrecking Crew were on the session, including Hal Blaine on drums, Chuck Berghofer (who played that sliding bass intro on daughter Nancy's "Boots..."), plus Tommy Tedesco and Glen Campbell on guitar. Glen was in awe of the moment, a country boy from Delight, Arkansas playing on a Frank Sinatra record.

Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night

"As Usual" #11 1/11/1964 Bonus

We harken back to January 1964 and what went on with the pop charts just before the Beatles hit America. Brenda Lee didn't have an easy upbringing, as her dad died when she was 9. Her family moved a lot as a result and she became the chief breadwinner. Like so many other performers of that pre-British Invasion era, Brenda gravitated into country music in the 70's and found considerable success with a number of Top 10 country hits.

Brenda Lee - As Usual