Every UK #1 Single of the 1960's Discussion Thread

He had written - or co-written - "Cinderella Rockefella," the big hit earlier in the year for Esther And Abi Ofarim; plus, in the U.S., he had been one of the writers for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS.

 

I like quite a bit of the Beach Boys songs, but Do it Again isn't one of them. Surprised it made #1.

 

I'm pretty sure that got some airplay here, but not necessarily as a single. It's fairly clone-ish of Pictures of Matchstick Men but still is a pretty good opener for the LP.

 

I'm surprised Do It Again reached the top spot, not because the song is lacking in any serious quality, but just that it doesn't sound like a no. 1!

Doors: one of their big hits that doesn't measure up too well even against rather sparse competition this week, or probably many others. It's far from unlistenably bad (and there have been enough of those that showed up in this thread), but in the boy-meets-stranger-girl-hoping-for-romantic-success department, it's not exactly Pretty Woman, is it? The fuzzy organ (I'm guessing it is) in the background gives it a springy and probably danceable feel, which counts for something. "When she moves, my brain screams out this song ..." -- been there, done that

Mason: well-respected (at least latterly) acoustic guitar and orchestra rave-up instrumental with a number of melodic twists and turns that hold the listener's attention

Union Gap: I said the other day that this is their best song, and here it is, with the UK releases being in 2-3-1 order. Mid-paced, glorious horns, thoughtful lyrics at least for a romance-based song, and no surprise it was a hit. "A woman wears a certain look when she is on the move, and a man can always tell what's on her mind" -- let us all in on the big secret please! Anyway, I've long thought that a rather less well-known track from as late as 1998, The Underdogs by Rialto (which is one of my 1990s top 10), has the exact same pace and rhythm as Woman Woman, although with different instrumentation and lyrics, so if you like the Union Gap song, give Rialto a listen too

Long John: another heartfelt though optimistic medium-slow track in a similar vein to the glory that was Let the Heartaches Begin a few months earlier. The verses' second chord is not one I really want to hear in the context but is resolved so very well that it doesn't bother me in the least

Vanity Fare: cover of the Sunrays' US hit three years earlier. It's alright but it sounds far too much like (1970's) Hitchin' a Ride for my liking, which to my mind is one of the worst follow-ups to a really good song (Early in the Morning) ever

Single of the Week: only five tracks but three are strong enough that I'm giving it a split, between Mason Williams, the Union Gap and Long John Baldry, in whichever order you please

 

#16 of 1968 (#257 in total) - "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" by The Bee Gees
(#1 for 1 week - 04 September 1968)

The UK single:

The US single:

Wikipedia entry - also their first US Top 10 hit, reaching #8.

 

Week Ending 04 September 1968

05 - 02 - 01 - The Bee Gees - I'VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU
07 - 01 - 02 - The Beach Boys - DO IT AGAIN
10 - 03 - 03 - Herb Alpert - THIS GUY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
05 - 08 - 04 - Aretha Franklin - I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
08 - 05 - 05 - Tom Jones - HELP YOURSELF (GLI OCCHI MIEI)
06 - 07 - 06 - Amen Corner - HIGH IN THE SKY
05 - 11 - 07 - Johnny Nash - HOLD ME TIGHT
11 - 06 - 08 - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - FIRE!
14 - 04 - 09 - Tommy James And The Shondells - MONY MONY
07 - 16 - 10 - Canned Heat - ON THE ROAD AGAIN
08 - 09 - 11 - Herman's Hermits - SUNSHINE GIRL
11 - 12 - 12 - Bruce Channel - KEEP ON
09 - 10 - 13 - Sly And The Family Stone - DANCE TO THE MUSIC
04 - 18 - 14 - Mama Cass With The Mamas And Papas - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
05 - 21 - 15 - Gary Puckett And The Union Gap - LADY WILLPOWER
18 - 14 - 16 - Des O'Connor - I PRETEND
09 - 13 - 17 - Dusty Springfield - I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN
06 - 19 - 18 - Otis Redding - HARD TO HANDLE
08 - 15 - 19 - The Kinks - DAYS
03 - 31 - 20 - Leapy Lee - LITTLE ARROWS
1 - NEW - 21 - The Beatles - HEY JUDE
04 - 24 - 22 - The Casuals - JESAMINE
09 - 17 - 23 - Simon And Garfunkel - MRS. ROBINSON
08 - 22 - 24 - Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - YOUR TIME HASN'T COME YET, BABY
10 - 20 - 25 - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich - LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
03 - 33 - 26 - The Status Quo - ICE IN THE SUN
05 - 28 - 27 - The Moody Blues - VOICES IN THE SKY
09 - 25 - 28 - The Nice - AMERICA (2ND AMENDMENT)
03 - 38 - 29 - Four Tops - YESTERDAY'S DREAMS
09 - 23 - 30 - Small Faces - THE UNIVERSAL
02 - 43 - 31 - Mason Williams - CLASSICAL GAS
04 - 36 - 32 - Grapefruit - C'MON MARIANNE
08 - 40 - 33 - Fleetwood Mac - NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD
02 - 50 - 34 - Vanity Fare - I LIVE FOR THE SUN
11 - 26 - 35 - Richard Harris - MAC ARTHUR PARK
14 - 27 - 36 - O.C. Smith - THE SON OF HICKORY HOLLER'S TRAMP
03 - 35 - 37 - The Equals - LAUREL AND HARDY
08 - 30 - 38 - Pigmeat Markham - HERE COMES THE JUDGE
18 - 29 - 39 - The Equals - BABY, COME BACK
06 - 42 - 40 - Ray Charles - ELEANOR RIGBY
04 - 34 - 41 - Anita Harris - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
14 - 32 - 42 - Ohio Express - YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY
09 - 37 - 43 - P. P. Arnold - ANGEL OF THE MORNING
07 - 46 - 44 - Roy Orbison - WALK ON
11 - 47 - 45 - Vince Hill - THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR LOVE
02 - 41 - 46 - The Doors - HELLO, I LOVE YOU
02 - 49 - 47 - Long John Baldry - WHEN THE SUN COMES SHINING THRU'
1 - NEW - 48 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - ONE INCH ROCK
1 - NEW - 49 - Mary Hopkin - THOSE WERE THE DAYS
12 - 39 - 50 - R. Dean Taylor - GOTTA SEE JANE

 

Now for what is in my collection:

Of the "newies," apart from two future #1's within here, the only other 'newie' out there - the Tyrannosaurus Rex outing - saw no U.S. single release.

 

The Bee Gees - I'VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU
Nice song...not much else to say.
3/5

 

This song still sends shivers down my spine. It's that organ part.

 

The funny thing it that this song seems like a trio of a story. First the guy's wife cheats on him. Next, the guy is so messed up by the broken relationship that he goes after a young girl he can't get out of his mind. Then he loses sleep because he can't get over one of them.

 

The Beach Boys - I've Gotta Get A Message To Go

Another Bee Gees gem that like most of their earlier catalogue, I really started to love in the noughties.

I've always appreciated their harmonies, but their songwriting prowess is incredible, the excellent arrangement / production, and more importantly Robin and Barry's sixties voices suddenly clicked for me.

 

I heard the UK 45 mix. No question, the US mix wins hands down.

 

Likes...
Week Ending 04 September 1968
1 - NEW - 21 - The Beatles - HEY JUDE
1 - NEW - 48 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - ONE INCH ROCK
1 - NEW - 49 - Mary Hopkin - THOSE WERE THE DAYS

 

Tyrannosaurus Rex - One Inch Rock




An electronic version of One Inch Rock later appeared on the T. Rex album and the B-side Salamanda Palaganda taken off the Tyrannosaurus Rex LP, Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels Of The Ages.

 

Beatles: very well-known track based around piano and cousin Paul's vocals, although I'm listening to a 2005 remaster that brings acoustic rhythm guitar more to the fore. Heartfelt lyrics whose concept is not far removed from She Loves You, although more about a nascent relationship than a foundering one. Long coda of more than half the song's length (and at least three-eighths of that is fade-out), more fully arranged than the first part and with brass added, although as pop and rock songs with codas go, it's not one of the stronger ones

T Rex: still a sort of mutant folk with nonsense-syllable backing vocals, and still seems to be speeding up as it goes along. Oh, but this one has two halves, and the second half is distinctly different from the first, yet the same general description applies to it, with a few random yelps thrown in for good measure. I don't think it's through-composed but it is definitely on the non-linear side. Do you think they were familiar with the Incredible String Band before recording this? It sure sounds like it

Mary: a Russian song from the first half of the 20th century given a contemporary treatment with a very nicely considered production deploying numerous elements including brass, both dreamy and staccato strings, woodwinds, choir vocals, and at least one banjo-like instrument that's probably Russian. I haven't listened to it for a while (though I don't think the gap has been 52 years) but it's a most enjoyable listen

Single of the Week: all in all, Those Were the Days is better than Hey Jude. But then the former was produced by Paul McCartney, so he's not going to be denied

 

#17 of 1968 (#258 in total, and - according to legend - Number One song for 1968) - "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
(#1 for 2 weeks - 11 September-18 September 1968)

The UK single:

The US single:

Wikipedia entry - one of the "First Four" of their new Apple label; yet, in the U.S., as you no doubt know, this topped the chart for nine weeks!

 

Week Ending 11 September 1968

02 - 21 - 01 - The Beatles - HEY JUDE
06 - 01 - 02 - The Bee Gees - I'VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU
08 - 02 - 03 - The Beach Boys - DO IT AGAIN
06 - 04 - 04 - Aretha Franklin - I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
06 - 07 - 05 - Johnny Nash - HOLD ME TIGHT
11 - 03 - 06 - Herb Alpert - THIS GUY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
02 - 49 - 07 - Mary Hopkin - THOSE WERE THE DAYS
09 - 05 - 08 - Tom Jones - HELP YOURSELF (GLI OCCHI MIEI)
07 - 06 - 09 - Amen Corner - HIGH IN THE SKY
08 - 10 - 10 - Canned Heat - ON THE ROAD AGAIN
05 - 14 - 11 - Mama Cass With The Mamas And Papas - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
05 - 22 - 12 - The Casuals - JESAMINE
06 - 15 - 13 - Gary Puckett And The Union Gap - LADY WILLPOWER
15 - 09 - 14 - Tommy James And The Shondells - MONY MONY
12 - 08 - 15 - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - FIRE!
09 - 11 - 16 - Herman's Hermits - SUNSHINE GIRL
04 - 20 - 17 - Leapy Lee - LITTLE ARROWS
19 - 16 - 18 - Des O'Connor - I PRETEND
07 - 18 - 19 - Otis Redding - HARD TO HANDLE
10 - 13 - 20 - Sly And The Family Stone - DANCE TO THE MUSIC
12 - 12 - 21 - Bruce Channel - KEEP ON
04 - 26 - 22 - The Status Quo - ICE IN THE SUN
10 - 17 - 23 - Dusty Springfield - I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN
09 - 19 - 24 - The Kinks - DAYS
03 - 31 - 25 - Mason Williams - CLASSICAL GAS
10 - 28 - 26 - The Nice - AMERICA (2ND AMENDMENT)
06 - 27 - 27 - The Moody Blues - VOICES IN THE SKY
03 - 34 - 28 - Vanity Fare - I LIVE FOR THE SUN
04 - 29 - 29 - Four Tops - YESTERDAY'S DREAMS
10 - 23 - 30 - Simon And Garfunkel - MRS. ROBINSON
05 - 32 - 31 - Grapefruit - C'MON MARIANNE
03 - 46 - 32 - The Doors - HELLO, I LOVE YOU
09 - 33 - 33 - Fleetwood Mac - NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD
09 - 24 - 34 - Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - YOUR TIME HASN'T COME YET, BABY
11 - 25 - 35 - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich - LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
05 - 41 - 36 - Anita Harris - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
03 - 47 - 37 - Long John Baldry - WHEN THE SUN COMES SHINING THRU'
10 - 30 - 38 - Small Faces - THE UNIVERSAL
04 - 37 - 39 - The Equals - LAUREL AND HARDY
07 - 40 - 40 - Ray Charles - ELEANOR RIGBY
02 - 48 - 41 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - ONE INCH ROCK
10 - 43 - 42 - P. P. Arnold - ANGEL OF THE MORNING
15 - 42 - 43 - Ohio Express - YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY
1 - NEW - 44 - Wilson Pickett - I'M A MIDNIGHT MOVER
12 - 45 - 45 - Vince Hill - THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR LOVE
1 - NEW - 46 - The Love Affair - A DAY WITHOUT LOVE
08 - 44 - 47 - Roy Orbison - WALK ON
1 - NEW - 48 - Jimmy James And The Vagabonds - RED RED WINE
12 - 35 - 49 - Richard Harris - MAC ARTHUR PARK
1 - NEW - 50 - Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra And Chorus - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY


Week Ending 18 September 1968

03 - 01 - 01 - The Beatles - HEY JUDE
03 - 07 - 02 - Mary Hopkin - THOSE WERE THE DAYS
07 - 02 - 03 - The Bee Gees - I'VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU
07 - 04 - 04 - Aretha Franklin - I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
09 - 03 - 05 - The Beach Boys - DO IT AGAIN
06 - 12 - 06 - The Casuals - JESAMINE
07 - 05 - 07 - Johnny Nash - HOLD ME TIGHT
09 - 10 - 08 - Canned Heat - ON THE ROAD AGAIN
07 - 13 - 09 - Gary Puckett And The Union Gap - LADY WILLPOWER
12 - 06 - 10 - Herb Alpert - THIS GUY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
08 - 09 - 11 - Amen Corner - HIGH IN THE SKY
06 - 11 - 12 - Mama Cass With The Mamas And Papas - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
05 - 17 - 13 - Leapy Lee - LITTLE ARROWS
10 - 08 - 14 - Tom Jones - HELP YOURSELF (GLI OCCHI MIEI)
08 - 19 - 15 - Otis Redding - HARD TO HANDLE
04 - 25 - 16 - Mason Williams - CLASSICAL GAS
05 - 22 - 17 - The Status Quo - ICE IN THE SUN
20 - 18 - 18 - Des O'Connor - I PRETEND
04 - 32 - 19 - The Doors - HELLO, I LOVE YOU
10 - 16 - 20 - Herman's Hermits - SUNSHINE GIRL
11 - 26 - 21 - The Nice - AMERICA (2ND AMENDMENT)
13 - 15 - 22 - The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - FIRE!
11 - 20 - 23 - Sly And The Family Stone - DANCE TO THE MUSIC
13 - 21 - 24 - Bruce Channel - KEEP ON
16 - 14 - 25 - Tommy James And The Shondells - MONY MONY
04 - 28 - 26 - Vanity Fare - I LIVE FOR THE SUN
05 - 29 - 27 - Four Tops - YESTERDAY'S DREAMS
11 - 23 - 28 - Dusty Springfield - I CLOSE MY EYES AND COUNT TO TEN
04 - 37 - 29 - Long John Baldry - WHEN THE SUN COMES SHINING THRU'
03 - 41 - 30 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - ONE INCH ROCK
10 - 33 - 31 - Fleetwood Mac - NEED YOUR LOVE SO BAD
07 - 27 - 32 - The Moody Blues - VOICES IN THE SKY
06 - 36 - 33 - Anita Harris - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME
10 - 24 - 34 - The Kinks - DAYS
02 - 46 - 35 - The Love Affair - A DAY WITHOUT LOVE
02 - 50 - 36 - Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra And Chorus - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
06 - 31 - 37 - Grapefruit - C'MON MARIANNE
1 - NEW - 38 - Jaime Robbie Robertson - Rick Danko - Richard Manuel - Garth Hudson - Levon Helm (The Band) - THE WEIGHT
1 - NEW - 39 - The Dave Clark Five - THE RED BALLOON
02 - 44 - 40 - Wilson Pickett - I'M A MIDNIGHT MOVER
10 - 34 - 41 - Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - YOUR TIME HASN'T COME YET, BABY
11 - 38 - 42 - Small Faces - THE UNIVERSAL
09 - 47 - 43 - Roy Orbison - WALK ON
08 - 40 - 44 - Ray Charles - ELEANOR RIGBY
1 - NEW - 45 - The Tremeloes - MY LITTLE LADY
11 - 30 - 46 - Simon And Garfunkel - MRS. ROBINSON
02 - 48 - 47 - Jimmy James And The Vagabonds - RED RED WINE
1 - NEW - 48 - Jose Feliciano - LIGHT MY FIRE
05 - 39 - 49 - The Equals - LAUREL AND HARDY
11 - 42 - 50 - P. P. Arnold - ANGEL OF THE MORNING

 

Now, here's what'd be amongst my collection from this period:

(That's the stock, of course; but I only have a promo with this on both sides.)

 

Now for the rest of the 'newies':

 

'Course, with The Beatles, we can't discuss their #1 here without a shout-out to its flip, "Revolution":


Which, in the U.S., managed to make it all the way to #12 on Billboard's Hot 100 - while reaching #11 in Cash Box and peaking at #2 in Record World.

 

The Beatles - HEY JUDE
What can you say about this song???
4/5

 

Likes...
Week Ending 11 September 1968
1 - NEW - 44 - Wilson Pickett - I'M A MIDNIGHT MOVER
1 - NEW - 48 - Jimmy James And The Vagabonds - RED RED WINE
1 - NEW - 50 - Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra And Chorus - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Week Ending 18 September 1968
Nope....

 

I'd agree especially with regard to Feliciano's "Light My Fire" cover. For me it's The Doors' or nothin' . . . however, "The Weight" marked the beginning of a legend . . .

 

Wilson: rhythmically, quite a bit like Mustang Sally. A typical, pretty decent effort

Love Affair: the production is on the full side, although not taken to the hilt. The song seems to have some aspects of "trying too hard", with a lot thrown in, but it works pretty well. I like it already (first time listen) and it's probably a "grower". Nice wrap-up too

Jimmy: Jamaican band covers Neil Diamond far more faithfully than does English reggae band (that would be UB40). Go figure. This is very nice actually, slow-ish (like the original) with a solid beat and a very pretty flute-like instrument (which I think is a keyboard) rolling around too

Hugo: spaghetti Western instrumental (except for the grunts of course), and sounds exactly like you'd expect. Twangy guitars, either whistling or whistled keyboards or both, horns, harmonica and strings too, all of which combine to provide that dusty, desert, western atmosphere

Band: one of their iconic songs. It tells quite a tale, which puts it in the category of the likes of Ode to Billie Joe. I'd be lying if I said I was a big fan, but an occasional listen (such as right now) is worth it. I wonder why they used their full names on the 45 rather than just "The Band". Even a list of nicknames would have been shorter, e. g. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

DC5: musically this is good classic DC5, but it's dragged down immensely by awful lyrics that make a line about leaving a cake out in the rain seem transcendent. And it's not just one line, it's the entire damn song!

Trems: this sounds like a filler track or an outtake from one of the albums based around their Big Three hits of the previous 18 months. It has a decent sound and has a prominent Spanish-style trumpet, but it might have been improved by being slowed down a bit. Lots of "la la las" near the end, not the first time they've resorted to this

Jose: it's not often that a cover is so vastly different from the original than this one, so full marks for that. With the added presence of all those dreamy strings in the background, you gotta admit it's a pleasant listen while admiring the guitar virtuosity, even if it's nowhere near your favourite song

Single of the Week: I think The Good, the Bad and the Ugly gets it this week, and we even have all three featured this week with (the good) Love Affair and Jimmy James, (the bad) Tremeloes and (the ugly) Dave Clark Five