“Love Child” #1 11/30/1968

The record that finally knocked “Hey Jude” from the top after nine weeks was rather groundbreaking. The subject matter, illegitimate birth, was still taboo in those days. Once again, Diana Ross was the only Supreme on the single, backed by the Andantes. Mary Wilson said it felt weird to perform this on shows like Ed Sullivan, knowing she and Cindy Birdsong contributed absolutely nothing to the recording. One of the five co-writers was R. Dean Taylor (“Indiana Wants Me”).

“Piggies”

The White Album was like a box of chocolates. You never knew what you’re gonna get. The second of three “animal” themed songs on side 2 was a George Harrison social commentary. It wasn’t directed toward police; Harrison referred to piggies as the rich and powerful. The Beatles had no clue this, along with many other songs from that LP, would be so horribly misconstrued by Charlie Manson. But that’s another story...

“Blackbird”

The recording sessions for the White Album had deteriorated to where the Beatles more and more worked individually in separate studios. Case in point; while John was in one room putting together “Revolution 9” Paul was making this solo masterpiece, presaging his “McCartney” LP by well over a year. The subject was the American civil rights movement, not something you’d expect from an outfit that five short years earlier was all about moptops, holding hands, “yeah yeah yeah” etc. Sucks that Charlie Manson thought Paul was speaking directly to him, trying to incite a race war.

“Living In The U.S.A.” #94 11/23/1968

Normally I wouldn’t get all geeked about a #94 record, but this was the first chart single for the Steve Miller Band, way before “The Joker.” The song since became a standard on album rock radio. Boz Scaggs was in the group before he achieved solo success in the 70’s and beyond. Somebody give me a cheeseburger!

“(She’s) Some Kind Of Wonderful” (Fantastic Johnny C) #87 11/23/1968

Sometimes it takes a few tries before a record becomes a hit. This one by the Fantastic Johnny C was the second of three versions. The original was done in 1967 by Soul Brothers Six and only got to #91. The hit came in 1974 from Grand Funk Railroad and reached #3. Third time’s the charm.

“Do Something To Me” #38 11/23/1968

Here’s one originally done by ? and the Mysterians (it flopped) and re-made by Tommy James and the Shondells. Tommy was taking the band in a different direction as evidenced by their next single which became a signature song of theirs, and certainly a long way from “Hanky Panky” and the bubblegum stuff.

“I’m So Tired”

Another White Album song John wrote while in India. He was with his wife Cynthia, but was missing Yoko and couldn’t sleep. Meh. There’s a line about Sir Walter Raleigh being a stupid “get” or “git,” British slang for a total jerk. John blamed Sir Walter for bringing tobacco to England, causing Lennon’s cigarette addiction. There’s also some gibberish at the end that when played backwards is supposed to say, “Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.” Part of the hoax?

“Martha My Dear”

Another bit of odd inspiration for this White Album track which led off side 2. The title came from Paul’s Old English sheepdog named Martha. The song is in the music hall style that John derisively called “granny s**t.” Lennon didn’t play on this one; apparently, neither did Ringo. George might have contributed. It was said the lyrics described Paul’s turbulent relationship with Jane Asher, who broke up with McCartney just before this was recorded. Wonder if Martha the dog was impressed.

“1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero” #36 11/23/1968

Bobby Russell was coming off the success of writing “Honey” and “Little Green Apples” so he did this suburban domestic slice-of-life. Nothing like working in a reference to the Baltimore Colts, huh? Bobby was briefly married to actress Vicki Lawrence in the 70’s and wrote “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” for her.

“Cycles” #23 11/23/1968

A mid-career easy listening Top 5 single from the Chairman of the Board. Sinatra had just divorced Mia Farrow and switched his political allegiances from the Kennedys to Hubert Humphrey, who then lost the presidential election to Richard Nixon. Definitely an underrated gem from Frank.

“Hi-Heel Sneakers” (José Feliciano) #25 11/16/1968

A blues standard from a few years earlier by Tommy Tucker was given a Latin spin by José Feliciano. In 1967 he was to perform in the UK but customs wouldn’t allow José’s guide dog, Trudy, in the country unless she was quarantined for six months. Standard procedure, they said. Video is from the Australian TV show “Hit Scene.”

“Happiness Is A Warm Gun”

Think about it. A Beatles song about sex, drugs and guns! The side 1 closer came about from an American Rifleman magazine article actually titled “Happiness Is A Warm Gun.” (Why that was lying around the studio is anyone’s guess.) John thought it sounded so crazy he came up with this idea. It became another of those efforts where Lennon made the song’s timing fit the lyrics, causing the band to concentrate on their own musicianship. An increasingly rare moment of frivolity for the band, and not a bad outcome. George Martin was not there; his assistant Chris Thomas was behind the glass.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

The first of four George Harrison songs for the White Album, and IMHO the best track on the whole album. Probably in my all-time Beatle Top 5. George had a tough time getting any songs on a group LP; until now, John and Paul never considered him an equal writing talent. Indeed, when they began work on this, George felt the others weren’t taking it all that seriously. That changed when Eric Clapton was called in by Harrison to play lead guitar (uncredited at the time), which caused everyone to be on their best behavior during these fractured sessions. The song came off magnificently. Apparently George Martin wasn’t present and the group produced themselves.

“Keep On Lovin’ Me Honey” #24 11/16/1968

One of the last duets Marvin Gaye recorded with Tammi Terrell, as her health worsened. Her brain cancer finally got the better of her as she passed away in March 1970 at the age of 24. Marvin’s next single would be a defining landmark of his career. Gaye moved toward much more socially conscious stuff in the 70’s.

“The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”

Another one written by John as a result of their India excursion into the study of TM. A wealthy American kid, Richard Cooke III, was with his mother at the ashram. He left for a short hunting trip and bragged about shooting a tiger, giving Lennon the idea for something quite sarcastic. John was like, how can you kill an animal then try to become more spiritual? It’s noteworthy that Yoko sang (sang?) one line, the first and only time any female ever had a lead vocal on a Beatles record.

“Wild Honey Pie”

A very short experimental solo piece by Paul, definitely album filler. Numerous people have said it may be one of the worst tracks ever released under the name of the Beatles. Guess they’re forgetting “Revolution 9.”

“Fool For You” #22 11/16/1968

Our third day in a row featuring acts with deep Chicago roots. The Impressions’ R&B Top 5 here is unusual in several ways. It’s the only hit record I can think of that was written in 9/8 time. Curtis Mayfield, the song’s writer, would normally tune his guitar to an open F# chord - very uncommon, but it worked.

“Always Together” #18 11/16/1968

Even though this was a Top 5 R&B hit for the Dells, it’s one of the forgotten gems in their catalog. The group’s hallmark was their incredibly tight, smooth harmonies. No question these guys helped define R&B music in the 60’s, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.

“Hey, Western Union Man” #16 11/16/1968

The second of back to back Top 20 singles for Jerry Butler. This was also a #1 R&B hit as well for the Iceman. Jerry was tagged with his nickname by a DJ after a show in Philadelphia where he was just so cool on stage. He was a Chicago guy but had his greatest success working with Philly legends Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

Allegedly this took more than 60 takes to finish over seven sessions, fraying everyone’s nerves, yet it sounded like one of the happiest songs the Beatles ever recorded. Paul totally scrapped the track once and almost did so again, but thought better. He wanted this as a single but was outvoted; the others completely detested the song. Lennon became so frustrated he showed up for a session stoned out of his gourd and played the piano intro furiously at double speed. That’s the version we hear today. Paul made a gender error on his vocals near the end (“Mollie is a singer in the band, Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face”); it was left in. The Scottish group Marmalade soon covered the song and had a UK #1 hit.

“Glass Onion”

Back in the day, people tended to overanalyze Beatles songs, and this was no exception. Much like “I Am The Walrus,” John deliberately wrote confusing lyrics just to tick people off. It was also said that a glass onion is a casket with a see-through lid. There were plenty of hints dropped concerning the “Paul is dead” grand hoax soon to be perpetrated. That subject is worthy of a book, or a hundred books. Or were they even clues? Was it an elaborate inside joke? Was the walrus really Paul? Video is brand new and in conjunction with the 2018 reissue. I dig this!

“Alfie” (Eivets Rednow) #66 11/9/1968

A mellow, very unusual album of easy listening instrumentals from Eivets Rednow (that’s Stevie Wonder spelled backwards, folks) produced this cover of the Bacharach/David title song from the movie starring Michael Caine. Didn’t do much, but not to worry, though. Stevie’s next single did far, far better.

“Sweet Blindness” #13 11/9/1968

Drinking songs have been around since the dawn of music. Laura Nyro wrote a pretty good one here, made into a hit by the 5th Dimension. As usual, the Wrecking Crew contributed mightily, with the usual suspects - Hal Blaine on drums, Joe Osborn on bass, Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Larry Knechtel on piano, etc. The video was shot along the Mediterranean coast in Cannes, France.

“Piece Of My Heart” #12 11/9/1968

Janis Joplin didn’t just sing. She screamed. AND. WE. LOVED IT! Co-written by the infamous Bert Berns just before his death (he wanted Van Morrison to record this!), it was done first by Aretha Franklin’s sister Erma. Janis took the song to a whole different level. Faith Hill had a #1 country hit with her two-step version in 1994, and claimed to have never heard Janis’s take prior to recording it herself.

“White Room” #6 11/9/1968

Rockers have all lifted ideas from one another at some point. Eric Clapton’s use of a wah-wah pedal on this record came from Jimi Hendrix, who got the idea from Frank Zappa, etc. Clapton plays an unbelievable lead guitar here but while this was on the charts, Cream decided at the height of their fame to break up. Wow.

“Hold Me Tight” #5 11/9/1968

One could be forgiven in thinking Johnny Nash was Jamaican. He was actually from Houston and had a couple of minor chart records in the 50’s and 60’s. He was on tour in Jamaica supporting one of those singles and was exposed to the burgeoning local reggae scene. Johnny was the first American artist to have a US hit based on that style. He even helped out a young Bob Marley along the way.

“Dear Prudence”

One that John wrote while the band was in India. Mia Farrow’s sister Prudence was so into TM she locked herself in her room almost every waking hour trying to become all cosmic. John and George were assigned to coax her back into the study group. (“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play...”) John used a fingerpicking style for acoustic guitar he learned from Donovan, another TM student. Since Ringo was still AWOL, Paul played drums on the session.

“Back In The USSR”

The opening track of the White Album was a nod to Chuck Berry’s “Back In The USA” and the Beach Boys’ harmonies, with a little Ray Charles thrown in. Mike Love was in India with the Beatles when Paul came to him with a rough version of the song. Mike subtly suggested doing it Beach Boys style, and McCartney agreed. Ringo had temporarily quit the band, so the others pieced together a drum part. Clip is from the 2018 box set.

The White Album

Heads up, folks! We’ll begin reviewing tracks from the Beatles’ White Album which will be re-released tomorrow as a box set for its 50th anniversary, complete with alternate takes, demos, etc. When the LP was first issued in the UK on November 22, 1968 and three days later in America, it was mixed so that most songs on the four sides cross-faded seamlessly into one another, start to finish on each side. So it’s almost impossible in today’s mp3 world to separate individual tracks without very abrupt starts and/or stops, i.e., the intro of “Dear Prudence” includes the close of “Back In The USSR.” No way around it.

But if the White Album proved anything, it was that the Beatles weren’t all rowing in the same direction. There wasn’t much cohesiveness - Lennon admitted it was more like John and the band, Paul and the band, etc., and it showed. Only 16 of the 30 tracks had all four of them even playing as a unit. Obviously, while in India something altered their interpersonal relationships. You could tell they were on the verge of breaking up; George Martin even briefly abdicated his producer duties. This could’ve been a great single disc; the reason for a two-record set was to wrap up their EMI contract sooner...but mostly, due to egos. They were quite directionless and really needed some time off, but Paul talked (or pushed) them into starting a new project less than six weeks after this was released. That became a disaster waiting to happen...

“Feelin’ Alright” (Traffic) #123 11/2/1968

One that’s been covered by dozens of people over the years, most notably Joe Cocker. Here’s the original from Traffic, sung by its writer, Dave Mason. Traffic was definitely not a singles act, as this just bubbled under. They were one of those bands that was really good, but just couldn’t overcome those pesky personality clashes.

“Gentle On My Mind” (1968 reissue) #39 11/2/1968

Sometimes a signature song by an artist didn’t do as well as you may think. This Glen Campbell tune written by John Hartford had two chances. The first time around it got to #62 in August 1967 (but Top 5 on the country chart), and only did marginally better on the pop side with its re-release just over a year later. Go figure.

“Lalena” #33 11/2/1968

Donovan admitted the title of his current single was adapted from “The Threepenny Opera” which featured Lotte Lenya in the role of Jenny Diver. Yes, Ms. Lenya really existed, forever immortalized in “Mack The Knife.” Donovan was fascinated by the play and wanted to do a song paying homage to the actress.

“Susie Q” #11 11/2/1968

The first chart record from the best American group to never have a #1 single, though Creedence Clearwater Revival had five that reached #2. This remake of a 1957 Dale Hawkins tune just missed the Top 10. CCR hailed from El Cerrito, CA (Bay Area) but sounded like they came from the swamps of Louisiana. Front man John Fogerty said they purposely added an extended jam (which became Part II of this 45) hoping to get airplay on a San Francisco progressive rock radio station. Fogerty shopped “Susie Q” to labels as the band’s demo tape. Fantasy Records, a small jazz-oriented label in Berkeley, CA, took a chance and signed them.

“Elenore” #6 11/2/1968

Sometimes bands fall out with their label and will slyly try to sabotage the working relationship. The Turtles did just that, and still made the Top 10. Co-front man Howard Kaylan said the label kept pestering them for another “Happy Together” so he inverted that melody while writing insipid lyrics. “Elenore, gee I think you’re swell...you’re my pride and joy, etcetera”?? Yet it became a hit! Listen closeły and you’ll hear a very primitive Moog synthesizer after the first chorus.

“Midnight Confessions” #5 11/2/1968

The biggest hit to date for the Grass Roots featured an outrageous bass intro by Carol Kaye of the Wrecking Crew. But that’s nothing compared to what she played throughout the record. I encourage you to listen closely to Carol’s part here. No wonder she was the most in-demand L.A. session bassist of the 60’s. BTW, the band’s guitarist at the time, Creed Bratton (“The Office”) is in this video clip.

“Those Were The Days” #2 11/2/1968

Mary Hopkin was just 17 (you know what I mean) when she appeared on the long-running UK TV show “Opportunity Knocks,” a predecessor to “Britain’s Got Talent,” etc. The supermodel Twiggy spotted her and tipped off Paul McCartney, who signed Hopkin to the Beatles’ brand new Apple label. Mary’s first single was a re-arrangement of a traditional Russian folk song, and knocked “Hey Jude” from the top of the British charts. In America, she got stuck at #2 behind the Fab Four.

“Ride My See-Saw” #61 10/26/1968

Another track from the Moody Blues that became a standard of album rock radio, but didn’t do all that well as a single. It was their first 45 featuring a John Lodge composition as the A-side. It was also around this time most of the group took LSD together. Not sure if there’s any correlation. A spoken intro was cut from the single.