The Early Radio London Fab Forties
Sunday 28th Feb 1965
#25 Joe Tex fails to hold on to what he's got and slips two places. Altantic/Stax Appreciation Society Photo: PR 363 #31 The Stones chase Marianne Faithfull up the chart – not the last time they play with fire

Last
This
 
Week
Week
4
1
It's Not Unusual Tom Jones
2
2
Funny How Love Can Be Ivy League
5
3
The Game Of Love Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
3
4
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood Animals
8
5
Goodnight Roy Orbison
7
6
Mary Anne Shadows
11
7
I Must Be Seeing Things Gene Pitney
1
8
I'll Never Find Another You Seekers
27
9
I Apologise P J Proby
15
10
Silhouettes Herman's Hermits
19
11
Honey I Need Pretty Things
17
12
Yes I Will Hollies
14
13
I'll Stop At Nothing Sandie Shaw
13
14
Come And Stay With Me Marianne Faithfull
6
15
It Hurts So Much Jim Reeves
31
16
Do What You Do Do Well Ned Miller
39
17
The Birds And The Bees Jewel Akens
16
18
Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself Adam Faith
9
19
Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow The Sun) Del Shannon
24
20
Hawaii Tattoo Waikikis
22
21
Can't You Hear My Heartbeat Goldie & the Gingerbreads
12
22
The Special Years Val Doonican
18
23
Your Hurtin' Kinda Love Dusty Springfield
28
24
Diggin' My Potatoes Heinz
23
25
Hold What You've Got Joe Tex
26
In The Meantime Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames
27
I Don't Want To Go On Without You Moody Blues
25
28
Concrete And Clay Unit 4 + 2
37
29
I Belong Kathy Kirby
36
30
Goodbye My Love Searchers
31
The Last Time Rolling Stones
10
32
Tired Of Waiting For You Kinks
33
Where Am I Sundowners
34
Find My Way Back Home Nashville Teens
35
Give Him A Great Big Kiss Shangri-Las
40
36
The Boy From New York City Ad Libs
37
I Know A Place Petula Clark
21
38
The 'In' Crowd Dobie Gray
39
Every Little Bit Hurts Spencer Davis Group
40
If I Can Help Somebody Frenesi Watson

27
I Don't Want To Go On Without You Moody Blues Decca F12095

Released in November 1964, Go Now was one of the singles Radio London had been playing since it first went on the air. First recorded by Bessie Banks, the song was written for her by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. Go Now (a huge hit for the Moodies both in the UK Nationals and the US Hot Hundred) finally disappeared from the Big L Fab Forty last week, but their follow-up takes them straight back in at #27.

The band was formed in 1964 by Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (vocals, flute, percussion) and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). They had previously been members of Birmingham bands the Krew Cats and El Riot and the Rebels.

An unidentified band member told Teenbeat Annual, "Most groups start when two or three friends get together to make their own kind of music... but we were all leaders of our own groups playing in and around Birmingham, when the chap offered to back us if we gave up our own groups and joined together - so we became the Moody Blues."

'The chap' was Tony Seconda, who became the band's manager and got them a recording contract with Decca.

"We had the most terrible rows when we started. We were all used to having our own way, but the chap who was training us made us knuckle under to the firmest discipline and eventually, we all got pulling together. Now we trust and respect each other completely."

Official Moody Blues website


40
If I Can Help Somebody Frenesi Watson PYE 7N15751

Information about Frenesi Watson is scant, but she is known to have released three singles on the Pye label, and to have made TV appearances on ATV's Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1963 and 64. Two other known Frenesi Watson releases were Baby Don't You Weep/ Danny Boy and Happiness Train/The Green Willow. It seems the word Frenezi translates as 'frenzy' which is somewhat unusual for a singer who specialised in folk and gospel music.

If I Can Help Somebody is said to have been Dr Martin Luther King's favourite song.

Frenesi also sang on a jazz-flavoured World Record Club Christmas album, Winter Sunshine, recorded at the EMI studios in October '65 and released that year. She appears on four tracks, Jingle Bells, Twelve Days of Christmas, Little Donkey and Little Drummer Boy, duetting on Happy Holiday with Mark Richardson (who sings solo on other tracks). Richardson (assuming that this is the same singer) appears in Dateline Diamonds, during the end sequence, shot during the Radio London Night at the Rank Ballroom in Watford.

A collection of well-known jazz musicians (who were also EMI session men) enhanced the album. Bill Le Sage – piano,  vibes, marimba, Ronnie Ross – baritone and alto-saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet, Spike Heatley – bass, Tony Carr – drums and Ray Dempsey – guitar were accompanied by the Freddy Alexander 'Cello Ensemble. Bill Le Sage arranged and directed the album.

World Record Club was subscription-only and its releases were not available from record retailers.

Thank Your Lucky Stars line-ups from a now-defunct Dave Clark Five tribute site. (Thanks to Terence for the additional information concerning the Christmas album.)

Rare Dave Clark interview conducted in 2015 by Neil McCormick for the Daily Telegraph.




Hold What You've Got can be found on the 24-track Joe Tex CD Skinny Legs and All.

Come and Stay With Me
is on Marianne's 40-track double CD, The Collection.

Click on the sleeve photos for full track listings.




Climbers:
I Can't Explain Who
Wondrous Place Cherokees

We are always seeking new Fab Forty information for 1965 and are very pleased to have identified a new climber, thanks to Radio Caroline's Keith Martin. Keith played us a short recording from a February '65 Duncan Johnson show, in which Duncan announces Wondrous Place by the Cherokees (produced by Mickey Most) as a climber for this week. In 1960, Billy Fury had reached #25 on the Record Retailer Top 50, with his cover of the song released originally by American singer Jimmy Jones. The Cherokees' version, however, sank without trace. The band had made an earlier appearance in the Caroline Countdown of Oct 3rd 1964, with Seven Golden Daffodils but the simultaneous release of a version by the Mojos meant that a brief battle ensued at the lower end of the listings that nobody won. The Cherokees were back for a four-week Fab Forty residency in February 1966 with their cover of Land of a Thousand Dances. In June 1966, the band would reappear in the Fab Forty, renamed New York Public Library. See notes for 19/06/66.

Although we currently know of only two climbers for this week, the previous Disc of the Week (February 21st), the Zephyrs' She's Lost You, is very likely to have been included in the Big L playlist for a second week running, as we see the single enter the Fab Forty next week – March 7th – at #35. It's interesting to note that the Zephyrs' single was picked as a Disc of the Week, over both the Stones' The Last Time (straight in this week at #31) and the Who's I Can't Explain, (leaping in next week at #12)!

Tune in next week for another Big L Fab 40!

The Caroline Chart for this week is here


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