Every RPM Canadian Content #1 single discussion thread 1964-2000

Here are the Ducats appearing on CBC-TV's "Where It's At" during the 1968-69 season:



After this, they would move into the "Showband" business.

 

Peaking at #9 on November 22 would be Kitchener teen Lynda Layne (backed by the Charmaines and the Regents) with "I Don't Want To Go" b/w "I'm Your Pussycat".

 

Watching the Ducats on CBC brings up a question, How do y'all pronounce Newfoundland? The host says new-fownd-land but I was always taught "new-fund-lund" Or is it just a regional thing? I didn't notice the Ducats reacting or correcting him.
I have friends who sing"I'm a Newfoundlander, not Canadian not by a damn sight yet".

 

The strange tale of the man who was shot point-blank for mispronouncing 'Newfoundland' — in the Old West | National Post

 

Well, thats out of the old repertoire. I would screw it up and get shot! LOL

 

Someone was asking a week or two ago about 7" picture sleeves. It seems clear who was on the vanguard of 7" picture sleeves in Canada...

We've yet to have a number one with a picture sleeve. I wonder how much it drove up expenses and why RCA felt it was worth it (RCA is not a company known for lavish sleeve design!)

 

There has never been a legit CD compilation of Little Caesar And The Consuls recordings of which I'm aware, only this one of dubious legality titled Still Hangin' On:
Little Caesar And The Consuls - Still Hangin' On
Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sounding CDs I have ever heard. Not only is everything dubbed from vinyl (which, if well transferred, would be quite acceptable), but whatever whoever mastered it did in an attempt to improve the sound actually made it worse; most of the CD is horribly rechanneled. "You Really Got A Hold On Me" is fortunately not given this treatment and actually has decent sound, as it does on the first volume of the unauthorized Only In Canada series.

Our thread host explained in Post #255 how the Red Leaf label was created by a number of smaller labels joining forces. Of all the hits on these labels, the only ones that I know of that have been issued on CD from a tape source are the three Shirley Matthews songs on Ace's Where The Girls Are Volume 4 (a volume dedicated to Atlantic Records recordings, from which Ace no doubt got the tapes) and the two 'Gord Lightfoot' Chateau songs on his Songwriter box set. (Lightfoot now owns his Chateau recordings himself, and thinks so poorly of them that except for these two tracks, he has kept them out of print.) If any Little Caesar And The Consuls tapes still exist, they are likely in the Sony vaults south of the border. Mala was a subsidiary of Bell Records; when Clive Davis became the head of Bell, he renamed it Arista, which in the late 1970s was purchased by BMG, which eventually merged with Sony Music.

 

I'm quite startled by how good this clip sounds, and it makes me wonder what the uploader's source might have been. I'm not aware of any Dee And The Yeomen material ever appearing on a legit CD. "Take The First Train Home" appears on a CD of dubious legality, Wilde Canada Vol. 8, on which it sounds quite good but not as good as the YouTube clip.

 

Great song! Never heard it before. Unfortunately, not even major labels like RCA Canada preserved tapes for recordings like this one.

 

The only CanCon song to reach its peak on the main RPM chart during the CanCon reign of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" that hasn't been mentioned yet is by good ol' Bobby Curtola. After releasing a number of covers, "Forget Her" was a Hurdon & Hurdon original. It peaked at #10 on the December 13 main chart (and #3 on the CanCon chart). It is not on either of the legit Bobby Curtola CDs out there but has been legitimately released digitally.

 

A return to wholesomeness after "Makin' Love". "Bobby, you don't have to work blue!"

 

Hey, it's Canada. Gets cold up there!

 

Wow. Was the announcer the inspiration for Rockin' Mel Slirrup?

 

I believe Michelle McAdorey was Bob's niece, not his daughter, but point well taken of the various connections outlined in the post

 

Barry Allen's "A Penny A Teardrop" would reach #7 on the CanCon chart on December 6. That one isn't on youtube, but his next one "Hurry, Santa, Hurry!" is.

 

The University of Calgary Archives holds the entire archive for Capitol-EMI of Canada. I'd be curious to find out what master tapes are held there.

 

I must have missed that post, but my understanding is that most picture sleeves released in Canada in the '60s were imported from the US (for example, on Beatles records). Canadian companies didn't start mass producing their own until the '70s, with a few exceptions from the last half of the '60s - RCA being one of them. Wouldn't they figure that picture sleeves would increase sales?

During the period from around 1978-1990, picture sleeves came back in a big way. Most of the picture sleeves released on US-pressed singles were also issued in Canada. I frequently check the 45cat site, and it's surprising how many Canadian picture sleeves are missing from the site. I realize that Canadian companies probably produced only 1/10th of the sleeves that the US did (because our population is roughly 1/10th) so that does make the Canadian sleeves rarer, but some are easy gets. I guess they just haven't been documented as well as the US sleeves.

 

22. THE HOOCHI COOCHI COO
by WES DAKUS
#1 for 4 weeks: December 27, 1965 and January 3, 10 and 17, 1966




​

The Youtube upload above is provided by the wonderful Paul C, who appears to be in possession of every single ever recorded by a Canadian. Thanks to him!

The last of sixteen number ones on the CanCon chart for the year of 1965 is Wes Dakus's "The Hoochi Coochi Coo". The last time we heard from Wes, he was on Quality Records, but now he's on Capitol. This particular song was first recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters in 1961, reaching number three on the Billboard R&B chart but a mere 23 on the Hot 100. Ballard's original is a saxophone-driven uptempo party tune. Dakus's version, which climbed to number four on the main chart, loses the saxophone (though there's some brass instrument in the distant background, I think - though that might be percussion too). But what's odd about Dakus's version is that it's vocal (with a handful of reverbed voices sing-shouting in unison), and so far we've seen Dakus and his Rebels as primarily an instrumental combo. In tempo and overall feel, it's in the same genre as the Ballard original. The standout is, of course, the guitar solo - where we get a taste of what a Dakus song normally sounds like. I can't necessarily say I prefer one version to the other.

Taj Mahal did a version of it in 1993, if you prefer. It's more faithful to the Hank Ballard version.

ON THE PAGES OF RPM: The January 17th RPM has, on its cover, the results of the Annual RPM Awards for 1965 (the proto-Junos). Some highlights are as follows: Top male vocalist: Bobby Curtola. Top female vocalist: Catherine McKinnon. Most promising male vocalist: Barry Allen. Most promising female vocalist: Debbie Lori Kaye. Top instrumental group: Wes Dakus (who is a person, not a group; he called his combo the Rebels). Top vocal instrumental group: The Guess Who. Top female vocal group: The Girlfriends (who appear not to have been signed to a record label). Top folk group: Malka and Joso. Top folk singer: Gordon Lightfoot. Top country singer, male: Gary Buck. Top country singer, female: Diane Leigh. Top country instrumental vocal group: Rhythm Pals. Top country instrumentalist: Roy Penney.

 

Now that 1965's over, here are all the Canadian Top 40 hits:
1965’s Biggest Canadian Hits
TITLE ARTIST WP
Shakin’ All Over The Guess Who 1
You Really Got a Hold On Me Little Caesar and the Consuls 1
Makin’ Love Bobby Curtola 2
If You Don’t Want My Love Jack London and the Sparrows 3
Walk That Walk David Clayton Thomas 3
Mean Woman Blues Bobby Curtola 3
Tossin’ and Turnin’ The Guess Who 3
Walkin with My Angel Bobby Curtola 3
Sloopy Little Caesar and the Consuls 3
Hey Ho The Guess Who 3
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues Gordon Lightfoot 3
It Was I Big Town Boys 5
Poor Little Fool Terry Black 6
Our Love Is Passed Jack London and the Sparrows 7
So Many Other Boys The Esquires 9
It’s About Time Bobby Curtola 9
Hobo Wes Dakus 9
A Million Tears Ago Johnny and the Canadians 9
Little Liar Terry Black 10
Take the First Train Home Dee and the Yeomen 10
Forget Her Bobby Curtola 10
Baby Ruth The Butterfingers 11
Alone and Lonely Bobby Curtola 11
Give Me Lovin’ The Great Scots 11
Ain’t Love a Funny Thing Robbie Lane and the Disciples 12
I’m Not Sayin’ Gordon Lightfoot 12
It’s All Right with Me Now Barry Allen 12
Remember the Face The Allan Sisters 13
Hard Times with the Law The Sparrows 13
Put You Down Big Town Boys 14
Easy Come, Easy Go Barry Allen 14
Only Sixteen Terry Black 14
C’est un secret Michel Louvain 14
Won’t Be a Lonely Summer Dianne Leigh 16
He Belongs to Yesterday Pat Hervey 18
Must I Tell You Liverpool Set 18
I’ll Be the Boy Jack London and the Sparrows 19
Love’s Made a Fool of You The Esquires 19
Don’t Ask Me to Be True J.B. and the Playboys 20
Small Town Girl The Staccatos 20
Say It Again Terry Black 24
Move to California The Staccatos 26
Because You’re Gone The Nocturnals 28
Think About Me Pat Hervey 31
Out of the Sunshine David Clayton Thomas 31
Ringo Deer Garry Ferrier 33
Leaning on the Lamp Post The Bradfords 33
One Good Reason Ritchie Knight and the Midnights 33
I Can’t Live Without You Joe Popiel 35
Till We Kissed The Guess Who 36
Sandy Robbie Lane and the Disciples 36
Weepin’ Willow Tree Ray Griff 39
Cry is All I Do The Esquires 39

Because of RPM's policy of eliminating songs from the chart as soon as they started to drop, all but the #1 songs will always have an air of mystery towards their actual chart positions. Of note: 4 songs by Terry Black that made the top 25, but never placed on the CanCon top 20.

 

On January 3, peaking at #10, is "I Hear You Say (I Love You Baby)" by Montreal's Andy Kim (who will will hear a lot from later).

 

The same week, right behind at #11, is Ernie Lyons with "Baby What Yo Do To Me". Born in Ireland, his family emigrated to Saskatoon and he later moved east to Toronto. This would be the first of three 45s for Capitol, he would later move to the technical side of the music industry.

 

On January 10, squeaking into the chart at #20, our our favourite kiltsmen, the Great Scots, with "Lost In Conversation" b/w "That's My Girl (Rotten To The Core").

 

Catherine McKinnon was named Top Female Vocalist in the RPM awards, but it was her younger sister Patrician-Anne who would be the first member of her family to have a Top 40 hit. She peaked at #13 on the big chart (#4 on the CanCon chart on January 10) with "Blue Lipstick", written for her by P.F. Sloan.

 

She would appear on the TV shows Frank's Bandstand and Singalong Jubilee for several years. She also was (as Trish McKinnon) the voice of "Mother" on Alice Cooper's Welcome To My Nightmare LP.



She battled Hodgkin's disease for nearly 30 years before passing away in 2000.

 

Starting with the January 3, 1966, issue, RPM's "GMP Guide" (an adult contemporary album chart) became a singles chart. It would only last until March; an adult contemporary chart would not return until 1969. Unlike the RPM country chart at the time, the adult contemporary chart was not a CanCon only chart. During its brief initial run, no Canadian would top the chart. The first #1 was Frank Sinatra's "It Was A Very Good Year".

Speaking of which, in late 1965/early 1966, Quality Records released two singles by American bands that were "released in Canada only". One of them was The Turtles' recording of "It Was A Very Good Year", which would reach #7 on the RPM chart and was never released as a single in the US (or anywhere else as far as I know).

Quality also issued The Lovin' Spoonful's "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind" as a second single from their Do You Believe In Magic album. It initially reached #10 on the RPM chart. Several months later, even though they had already released two hit singles from their second album, Daydream, Kama Sutra in the US went back to the band's first album and released "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind" as a single. Since it had already been a hit in Canada, Quality released "Jug Band Music" as a single, which would reach #2 on the RPM chart and was never issued as a single in the US. When "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind' was finally released as a US single, it became a hit in Canada all over again, this time reaching #6.