"Fakin' It" #23 8/26/1967

A song where Paul Simon wondered what he would've been in a previous life. With the assistance of a little hashish, he concluded that about a century earlier, he was a tailor. There's a strange little spoken word segment in the middle where a woman welcomes a Mr. Leitch entering a tailor shop. The guy she referred to was Donovan (Leitch) and the female voice was Beverley Martyn, both British friends of Simon and Garfunkel. Since the 45 ran 3:14 and AM radio was still generally averse to playing songs over three minutes, the label was printed with a running time of 2:74. It worked.

"To Love Somebody" #17 8/26/1967

The second single from the Bee Gees has been covered numerous times by everyone from Janis Joplin to Michael Bolton. Barry Gibb was asked by the group's manager Robert Stigwood to write the song for Otis Redding, but the brothers recorded it themselves. Otis died in a plane crash before he got the chance to do so. Wonder how he would've spun it. A personal favorite of mine.

"Gentle On My Mind" (1967 Release) #62 8/5/1967

Wow. Sometimes in doing this blog, I'll miss one, especially if the record was later re-released. Even though this became a signature song for the late Glen Campbell, here it only got to #62 in the summer of 1967 and barely cracked the Top 40 (#39) on its reissue a year later. The record's history on the country charts likewise wasn't all that notable. Surprising. He'd do better. Glen already made a name for himself as a top L.A. session guitarist with the Wrecking Crew. He'd put out several solo singles with very limited success. He recorded John Hartford's "Gentle..." purely as a demo, but producer Al De Lory (himself a Crew guy) liked it so much he made the executive decision to release the song; Al had to edit out Campbell yelling instructions to the pickers after almost every line. RIP, Glen.

"Thank The Lord For The Night Time" #13 8/26/1967

The fifth straight Top 20 entry for Neil Diamond owed a significant debt to his first hit, "Cherry, Cherry." The song structure is almost identical, but this one added a horn section. Neil would soon leave BANG Records after an acrimonious dispute with label head Bert Berns, who wasn't the easiest person in the business to get along with. The accompanying video clip is a little weird but funny. You "owl" to like it!

"Heroes And Villains" #12 8/26/1967

The long-awaited followup to "Good Vibrations" from the Beach Boys was put together in much the same manner, from many discrete musical pieces that Brian Wilson would almost randomly assemble into a song. It was meant as a centerpiece for the doomed "Smile" album. The single's relative disappointment on the charts only added to Brian's crumbling, fragile mental state, detailed in "Love And Mercy." He and Van Dyke Parks wrote it on a piano inside the famous sandbox in Brian's bedroom.

Brian Epstein Dies

August 27, 1967 proved to be a pivotal day for the Beatles. Their longtime manager, Brian Epstein, was found dead in London from an overdose of sleeping pills combined with alcohol. He was supposed to join the group that week in Wales as they met with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to study transcendental meditation. Epstein ran his family's Liverpool record store when he heard of a local band making a single in Germany. He became the Fab Four's manager in November 1961, and was instrumental in turning them from a scruffy bar band into the most famous rock group ever. He tightened up their act by ridding them of leather jackets and blue jeans, dressing them in suits and ties, and giving orders to no longer smoke and drink on stage. He arranged their audition with EMI Records in 1962, working with staff producer George Martin. The rest is history. Epstein also cut a unique deal to get the group on "The Ed Sullivan Show," considered the most influential vehicle to introduce them to America. He accepted a bottom dollar fee for the band, but negotiated appearances for three consecutive weeks as well as the Fab Four opening and closing each show, a first. Although he'd felt less appreciated, his death truly was the beginning of the end for the Beatles. The group pressed on and ran their own affairs for a while, but they became rather directionless which led to considerable acrimony, especially between John and Paul. The world's greatest rock band finally called it quits in 1970.

"Cold Sweat" (Pt. 1) #7 8/26/1967

James Brown always had the funkiest, tightest sounding band in the business. A prime example is this #1 R&B record with one of the best grooves of the 60's. The great Maceo Parker, as always, played sax. It was one of the many two-part singles the Godfather of Soul released over the years. Part 2 would usually contain a very extended instrumental break.

"Ode To Billie Joe" #1 8/26/1967

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day...boy, this mysterious song just drips pure Mississippi. Bobbie Gentry, born Roberta Lee Streeter, came from Woodland, Miss. in the Delta but upon her mom's divorce they moved to Arcadia in Southern California. Bob Hope encouraged a teenage Bobbie to get into show biz. This was meant as a B-side, and the unreleased demo runs over seven minutes. The idea of a family sitting around the supper table and matter-of-factly discussing a suicide is SO very Southern. "Ol' Billie Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please." A cottage industry sprung up around the untimely demise of Billie Joe. The wooden bridge over the Tallahatchie River was burned by vandals and collapsed in 1972. These days Bobbie is basically a recluse, living in a gated community near Memphis, and she will NOT discuss the meaning of this song. Video is from the Smothers Brothers show.

"Lovely Rita"

The Brits hardly ever heard the term "meter maid" before this "Sgt. Pepper" track. Supposedly Paul had gotten a ticket from a parking enforcement officer by the first name of Meta, and changed her name slightly for the song. He'd heard them called meter maids in America. George Martin played the honky-tonk piano in the middle on the original. Those kazoo-like noises on the original were from combs threaded with toilet paper straight from the Abbey Road washrooms, where every sheet of TP had printed upon them "Property Of EMI." Video is of Paul at a 2013 concert in Japan.

"Soldier Boy" #1 5/5/1962

Another #1 record from 1962. Sometimes a song happens after days, weeks or even months of intense effort. However, the second #1 for the Shirelles, from May 1962, was the result of filling out the last five minutes of a recording session. Luther Dixon and Scepter Records head honcho Florence Greenberg wrote the song on the spot, and the group nailed it in one take. It has since become an ode to American military members everywhere.

"Good Luck Charm" #1 4/21/1962

The King returned to the top in April 1962, succeeding his future leading lady Shelley Fabares at #1. However, this single represented a turning point in the career of one Elvis Aron Presley. Co-writer Aaron Schroeder refused to sign over the publishing rights to Col. Parker, as virtually all the other composers of Elvis's songs had done. It wound up in court, and the pipeline of tunes pretty much dried up from those songwriters. The resulting overall quality of his catalog went way downhill and Elvis wouldn't have another #1 until "Suspicious Minds" in 1969.

"The River Is Wide" (Forum) #45 8/19/1967

Third time's a charm! Two previous releases of this record did absolutely nothing for a Southern California group calłed the Forum. Good thing someone at Decca Records in the UK believed in the song. It got some airplay over there, and a Seattle DJ picked up on the single. The Grass Roots did slightly better with a 1969 remake. Front man Phil Campos was formerly in bandleader Les Baxter's Balladeers. Another ex-member of the Balladeers was David Crosby - as in the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

"Silence Is Golden" #11 8/19/1967

Originally the B-side of 1964's "Rag Doll" by the Four Seasons, this British #1 was the biggest US hit for the Tremeloes. Their bassist Chip Hawkes said that during a tour with the Hollies, Tony Hicks told Chip it was a good thing they recorded the song, or otherwise the Hollies were ready to do so. I think the video is from "Top Of The Pops."

"Pleasant Valley Sunday" #3 8/19/1967

Ahh, suburbia and its creature comforts. Gerry Goffin and Carole King had just moved from NYC to a house on Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, NJ, and wrote a song about it, though Michael Nesmith later claimed it was about a mental institution. By now, the Monkees were playing their own instruments more and more on the records - that really is Mike on the great guitar intro. This kinda fades into the ether at the end.

"All You Need Is Love" #1 8/19/1967

The quintessential 60's flower power song, from the first ever live worldwide satellite TV broadcast. The Beatles agreed to write and perform the UK's contribution, with a simple yet universal message. It has unusual timing, going between 7/4 and 4/4 with a 6/4 measure at the end of each chorus. The backing tracks were pre-recorded but the vocals, Ringo's drums, Paul's bass and George's somewhat flubbed lead guitar were all live. They invited a bunch of their friends into the studio to hang out that night, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon and Graham Nash. The next day, John re-did a few vocal parts and Ringo replaced a tambourine intro with the drum roll leading into "La Marseillaise." Notice how they refer to "Yesterday" and "She Loves You" at the end. The broadcast was a tad early cutting to the British portion, so producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick had to quickly stash a bottle of Scotch they'd been drinking to calm their nerves, knowing 400 million people would be watching!

"Baby You're A Rich Man" #34 8/12/1967

The quickly recorded B-side of the current Fab Four single made the Top 40 on its own. We'll feature the A-side tomorrow. Like "A Day In The Life," this combined unfinished songs by John and Paul. It centered on a theme of the "beautiful people" or moneyed class derided by the counterculture, though some say it was about their manager, Brian Epstein. A turn of events involving Epstein would soon permanently alter the Beatles' career. The song was in the animated "Yellow Submarine" movie, but wasn't included on the soundtrack album. Mick Jagger helped on backing vocals and Brian Jones of the Stones was supposedly on oboe, but the Beatles Bible website says the oboe sound was John playing a clavioline (a forerunner of the synthesizer) and Jones wasn't present. I had a very difficult time finding a song clip, and finally located one on a Slovenian website.

http://www.mojvideo.com/video-the-beatles-baby-you-re-a-rich-man/891dc870ac4bf73d0256

"In The Chapel In The Moonlight" #25 8/12/1967

Here's one that was originally done in 1936 and re-made in 1954 by former big-band singer Kitty Kallen. Numerous other versions were issued as well but the most popular cover came from Dean Martin. His #1 easy listening take was recorded in late 1964 but sat unreleased for two and one-half years. Dino truly was the King of Cool.

"Soul Finger" #17 8/12/1967

The first single from the Bar-Kays, a Memphis band that had just been hired to back Otis Redding on the road. Tragically, most of the group died along with Redding in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin six months after this was released. Trumpeter Ben Cauley survived (but passed away in 2015). Bassist James Alexander wasn't on board, as the small aircraft was full. Those two members carried on and the band had a number of R&B hits into the early 1980's. The kids heard on this record were hanging around outside the studio and were paid with bottles of Coca-Cola.

"My Mammy" #13 8/12/1967

The Happenings had several hits that were remakes of Tin Pan Alley standards, including their version of a tune most associated with Al Jolson. He had done "Mammy" on Broadway for years and included it in 1927's "The Jazz Singer," the first hit talking movie. However, the song was first performed in a 1918 vaudeville act by William Frawley - yep, Fred Mertz had a claim to fame before "I Love Lucy."

"A Girl Like You" #10 8/12/1967

The third Top 10 for the Young Rascals was a little different than their previous material. This tune was infused with an almost big-band arrangement by Arif Mardin, who went on to produce many hit records in the 70's, most notably several albums from the Bee Gees right up until their "Saturday Night Fever" days.

"Carrie-Anne" #9 8/12/1967

Wonder how many girls were named Carrie-Anne after this record? A worldwide Top 10 for the Hollies, and the first rock hit to feature steel drums. The video is from the Smothers Brothers show and features Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash taking turns on lead vocals. Nash later said the song was about a mad crush he had on Marianne Faithfull, but he changed the name to avoid being too obvious. Definitely a personal favorite.

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Buckinghams). #5 8/12/1967

The third and last Top 10 record for the Buckinghams, though they came close with their next two singles. This was a remake of a surprise instrumental hit a few months earlier by Cannonball Adderley, with lyrics added. Definitely far more bluesy and laid back than their previous stuff. Pretty sure the video is from the Smothers Brothers show. These guys were from Chicago, yet the Union Jack is behind them. Go figure.

"Within You Without You"

I would dare say that when people flipped over their copies of "Sgt. Pepper" and played the lead track of Side 2 for the first time, they weren't expecting this! It certainly turned off a lot of people, and pleased many others. On the way home after a disastrous 1966 Far East tour and being chased out of the Philippines, the Beatles stopped in India for several days of sightseeing, where George fell in love with the culture. The song isn't my cup of tea, but I can respect his admiration of their music. He brought in some musicians of Indian ancestry for the recording, and George was the only Beatle on this track. The guy playing the tablas (hand drums) is great!

"Johnny Angel" #1 4/7/1962

From April 1962, the debut record for actress Shelley Fabares. She had another record later in the year that just missed the Top 20, but was more well known for her acting. Shelley co-starred in three movies alongside Elvis and had a long career in TV, from "The Donna Reed Show" (where this video is from) to the famed TV movie "Brian's Song" to "One Day At A Time" to "Coach." Shelley was formerly married to record mogul Lou Adler, whom we've mentioned in this space many times, and is currently married to one-time "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt).

"Don't Break The Heart That Loves You" #1 3/31/1962

The second and last #1 on the pop charts for Connie Francis, from the spring of 1962. IMHO, Connie had more talent than any 10 female pop stars of today - combined. No stinkin' autotune here. A country remake by Margo Smith in the late 70's also topped that chart. No matter the genre, a great song always shines through.

"Pop A Top" #3 Country 8/5/1967

A good ol' twangy two-step get-down-and-drink song from Jim Ed Brown reached the country Top 5 this week in 1967. Love that sound of cracking open a cold one! Alan Jackson had a dynamite remake in the late 90's. Along with sisters Maxine and Bonnie, the Browns had a #1 hit on the pop and country charts in 1959 with "The Three Bells." Jim Ed passed away in 2015 from lung cancer, as did Bonnie Brown the following year. Just a great country record, and very much a fave of mine.

"Bluebird" #58 8/5/1967

This band took its name from the Buffalo-Springfield Roller Company, maker of steamrollers. The acoustic guitar of Stephen Stills underlies the song, almost (but not quite) overrun by Neil Young's screaming lead guitar. Great banjo from Stills at the end, making the song a real gem and a standard of album rock radio.

"Pictures Of Lily" #51 8/5/1967

A UK Top 5 that just missed the Top 50 in the States for the Who. A fictional pin-up girl from World War I was called Lily in the song. Apparently the kid had a healthy wank to the pictures of Lily his dad gave him, and went off to sleep. Typical males. Video is from the German "Beat Club" TV show (no pun intended). Check out the Seinfeld-style poofy pirate shirts worn by Keith Moon and John Entwistle!

"For Your Love" #20 8/5/1967

The second hit single for Peaches & Herb was written and first done in 1958 by Ed Townsend, and his version became an R&B standard. Ed pitched the song to Capitol Records hoping Nat "King" Cole would sing it, but the suits at the label offered him a record deal instead. Along with Marvin Gaye, Ed co-wrote "Let's Get It On" in 1973.

"Hey! Baby" #1 3/10/1962

From March 1962 (and the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack), the first #1 rock record with an exclamation point in the title was from Bruce Channel (sha-NEL) of Jacksonville, Texas. He did the song at his gigs for a couple of years before recording it. While on tour in England, a guy from the opening act asked Bruce's harmonica player, Delbert McClinton, how to play that intro. So he showed John Lennon, and John incorporated a harmonica part into the Beatles' first UK single, "Love Me Do." The rest is history. Delbert went on to become a first-rate blues singer.

"Duke Of Earl" #1 2/17/1962

A #1 from early 1962 sprung from some nonsense warm-up vocal exercises by the Dukays. Eugene Dixon modified them into "du-du-du-duke of Earl" as a nod to bandmate Earl Edwards, and based a song around those syllables. The master tape was sold to Vee-Jay Records, so to summarize, Dixon left the group, changed his stage name to Gene Chandler, bought a tux, top hat, monocle and cane, and rode the wave from this. Gene had a big hit with "Groovy Situation" in 1970.

"Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"

Side 1 of "Sgt. Pepper" closes with this track. The inspiration for a song can come from some really odd places. John saw a poster in an antique shop advertising a mid-1800's circus. The lyrics are almost word for word from the poster. George Martin said later that to give the song a proper atmosphere, he assembled tapes of calliope sounds, had them cut up and tossed on the floor and randomly spliced together. Paul's bass part is on fire. Lennon considered the song a mere throwaway. Another clip from the Beatles Rock Band video game.

"My Elusive Dreams" #89 7/29/1967

This duet by Tammy Wynette and David Houston would be #1 on the country charts in a few weeks. It snuck into the lower reaches of the pop charts this week in 1967. The song was about a guy who roamed from place to place with his wife in tow, always trying to chase his dreams and coming up short.

"You Only Live Twice" #44 7/29/1967

Frank Sinatra was approached about doing the title song for this James Bond flick, but he gave the opportunity to his daughter Nancy. For the movie, it was pieced together from some 25 different vocal takes, as Nancy said she was incredibly nervous. She later recorded a different version with the Wrecking Crew in L.A. with Lee Hazlewood producing, which reached the Top 5 on the easy listening charts.

"I Like The Way" #25 7/29/1967

Tommy James and the Shondells were no longer a band with a fluky #1 hit, but were for real. As a result, the release schedule of their records got a little crazy. This came out only eight weeks after "Mirage," and still did reasonably well. The craziness also took its toll with rampant pill use, which Tommy acknowledged in his book, "Me, the Mob, and the Music." Remember, he was only 19 at the time. It also brought about personnel changes within the band.

"More Love" #23 7/29/1967

A very personal song that Smokey Robinson wrote for his wife, Claudette. She was part of the Miracles for years but had to leave the group in 1964 after a series of miscarriages. Claudette felt as though in some way she disappointed Smokey, and this was his way of letting her know that wasn't the case at all. It was recorded not in Detroit but in Los Angeles, as Motown took more of their business to the Left Coast.

"There Goes My Everything" #20 7/29/1967

The original of this one spent seven weeks atop the country charts in 1966 for Jack Greene, the first of his five country chart-toppers. Elvis also made the country Top 10 with his version in 1971. Written by Dallas Frazier (who wrote "Elvira"), this remake became the second hit record for Englebert Humperdinck.