The Early Radio London Fab Forties
Sunday 20th June 1965

Gene Pitney's at the top, and he's climbed to the Galaxy crow's nest, to prove it!

On the other side of the pond, in Vancouver, BC, Gene has also been enjoying a hit, but with 'Last Chance to Turn Around', the B-side of 'Looking Thru...' He's on his way down the C-Fun C-FUNtastic Fifty, at #21.

The Kinks, however, are on their way up both the Fab 40 (one place) and the C-FUNtastic Fifty (six places) with 'Set Me Free'.

To compare other chart placings, see the C-FUNtastic Fifty below the Big L Fab 40.


Last
This
 
Week
Week
10
1
Looking Thru The Eyes Of Love Gene Pitney
5
2
Colours Donovan
4
3
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere Who
3
4
Crying In The Chapel Elvis Presley
6
5
Set Me Free Kinks
1
6
I'm Alive Hollies
12
7
From The Bottom Of My Heart (I Love You) Moody Blues
8
Got Live If You Want It! (EP) Rolling Stones
2
9
The Price Of Love Everly Brothers
28
10
The One In The Middle (EP) Manfred Mann
14
11
On My Word Cliff Richard
15
12
Stingray Shadows
13
13
(You've) Never Been In Love Like This Before Unit 4 + 2
29
14
She's About A Mover Sir Douglas Quintet
8
15
Long Live Love Sandie Shaw
16
16
It Ain't Me Babe Johnny Cash
34
17
Help Me Rhonda Beach Boys
9
18
Trains And Boats And Planes Burt Bacharach, his Orchestra & Chorus
19
Mr Tambourine Man Byrds
17
20
Incense Anglos
7
21
The Clapping Song Shirley Ellis
22
22
To Know You Is To Love You Peter & Gordon
18
23
Strong Love Spencer Davis Group
19
24
It's Just A Little Bit Too Late Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
11
25
Come Home Dave Clark Five
37
26
Tossing And Turning Ivy League
40
27
Maggie's Farm Bob Dylan
39
28
Woolly Bully Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
29
What The World Needs Now Is Love Jackie de Shannon
21
30
In The Middle Of Nowhere Dusty Springfield
33
31
I'll Stay By You Kenny Lynch
32
Come Dance With Me Pat Wayne
26
33
Leave A Little Love Lulu
34
Down In Mexico Boston Crabs
35
When Summertime Is Over Jackie Trent
25
36
Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter (EP) Herman's Hermits
27
37
Yeah, I'm Waiting Force Five
38
Moonglow (Introducing 'Theme From Picnic') Sounds Orchestral
39
Silver Dagger Pentad
32
40
Be My Guest Niteshades

18
23
Strong Love Spencer Davis Group

Radio London had been airing Strong Love for several weeks. It may have been faring well in the Fab Forty, but like Incense (currently at #20) many listeners were writing to complain to the station that they had gone out to buy it only to discover that their local record stores had no stock. TW devoted considerable air time to the problem and implored Fontana to do something about the poor distribution of both singles.

C-FUN was the Vancouver station that gave Dave Cash his start in radio. Dave did what he describes as "a year's unpaid dogsbody work" on the station immediately before coming to the UK to join Big L in late 1964.

To compare this week's Big L Fab 40 with the C-FUNtastic Fifty from the same week, click on the photo (above) to view an enlarged version. Fred Latrimo (real name Latremouille) was a top C-FUN DJ. 'Slivers' translates as splinters.

Notice that the Stones' Satisfaction, already released in North America, was at the top in Vancouver. It was not picked as the Radio London Club Disc of the Week till nearly two months later on August 15th, around the date of its UK release. However, as the Big L playlist always included current US hits, Radio London was already airing Satisfaction, explaining to frustrated listeners that it was not yet available in UK shops.

Another C-FUNtastic Fifty is in the Fab 40 for 18/04/65

DJ Climbers:    
(Remember Me) I'm The One Who Loves You Dean Martin Dave Dennis
All I Want Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich Kenny Everett
Hear Me A Drummer Man Phil Wainman Paul Kaye
You Got What I Want Boys Blue Earl Richmond
That's The Way Love Goes Charles Dickens Tony Windsor

Mary's fab notes:

You Got What I Want Boys Blue HMV POP 1427

There is no truth in the rumour that Boys Blue was an early incarnation of The Sorrows (as is implied on some websites) although Boys Blue was the first band to record You Got What I Want, with Take a Heart on the B-side. Micki Dallon wrote both songs and produced the versions by both bands.

Bass player Tony Hart kindly fills in some more band info:

My friend sent me a link to the Fab 40, where lo and behold, my old band Boys Blue is listed at number 38 (Fab 40 04/07/65)! I have been living in Los Angeles since 1981 and was the bass player until the band broke up in 1965. I also found our single on a compilation of mostly British bands from the 60's in a store in Austin, Texas about 3 years ago quite by accident – a story worth telling! I can update you more on the band.

Boys Blue was formed in 1964 by singer Jeff Elroy. I happened to know the guitarist, Michael Holloway and he knew a drummer Paul Colletto. Jeff was friends with a budding songwriter Micki Dallon who actually composed most of the songs we recorded. Micki was also busy trying to launch his own solo career with his own songs.We backed Micki on at least 6 recording sessions as well as Boys Blue. Micki did have some financial backing from publishers in London that were eager to record his latest song, You Got What I Want. Session musicians were also hired for this recording, i.e. Timpani Drums, Tenor Sax and Hammond B3. There was quite a stir after the release on HMV. We were also invited on to the show Thank Your Lucky Stars in June 1965 with other incredible notables, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and Lulu. We all thought we were going to be stars!

The culmination of all this was for us to be the support band for the Chuck Berry tour that same year. Sadly, due to one thing or another the tour was cancelled at the very last moment and all the fantastic equipment we had been given was taken back. Such disappointment. After that the Boys Blue agreed to not agree on anything and that same year, 1965, the band split. We all went our separate ways and that was that for the Boys Blue. I promise to locate some of our old band photos and send them to you.

The Sorrows' first two releases had failed. Take A Heart was picked as a strong chart contender and released as their third single. After its Fab 40 and national success, the band recorded You Got What I Want as the follow-up.

That's The Way Love Goes Charles Dickens PYE 7N15887

Information about Charles Dickens is sparse. Before becoming a singer, he was a fashion photographer called David Anthony, which is probably his real name. (However, we are not talking about the 21st Century haute couture photographer, also called David Anthony.) Dickens released three singles, the second of which, I Stand Alone, also enhanced the Fab 40 – for two weeks in Oct 65.

As Charles Dickens, he joined the Stones' 4th UK tour, 5th -18th March 1965 (alongside Unit 4 +2 and the Spencer Davis Group) with The Habits as his backing group. You can just make out the names Charles Dickens and The Habits, on the tour advert (left), under the words 'Spencer' and Davis'. Dickens' 1966 release was So Much In Love, on Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. The Jagger/Richard song had already seen lower-end chart action in 1964, for the Mighty Avengers, but Dickens' version (also produced by Oldham) failed to gain similar success.

So Much In Love appears on the companion CD 1966 The Soundtrack. It's also on Let's Go Get Stoned!: The Songs of Jagger/Richard.

David Anthony, a good-looking actor with a Beatle haircut, starred in an obscure film from 1968 called The Touchables – Love in the Fifth Dimensionplaying a pop-star called Christian.

"It is true to say that this movie is not good, to say the least," begins one review. The Touchables, described elsewhere as, 'a light, nearly plotless, hip comedy' involves a 'ludicrous story'. Christian is kidnapped by 4 groovy, mini-skirted chicks, who imprison him in a PVC bubble, in order to have their evil way with him (poor soul!). Apparently the storyline has less clarity than the inflatable prison (how do you hide your captive in a see-through structure?) and as one reviewer admits, "I really can't make the slightest sense out of this thing".

What apparently is great about the film, however, is its theme. All of Us, reputed to be composed by Steve Winwood, is by the wonderful Nirvana (Alex Spyropoulos and Pat Campbell Lyons). Wynder K. Frog and Ferris Wheel (see Fab 40 info for West Five, 04/04/65) also contribute to the Touchables soundtrack.

The Nirvana CD All of Us, contains the theme song from The Touchables, All of Us, as well as Big L faves Rainbow Chaser and Tiny Goddess.

That's the Way Love Goes is on the CD Original Tracks 1965, alongside 34 other releases from that year, many of which were Fab Forty entries. All 35 are downloadable as individual tracks.

That's the Way Love Goes also appears on a 50-track CD, 1965 - The Soundtrack, alongside other rare Fab 40 entries, including Heinz's Diggin' My Potatoes, and the Sorrow's Take a Heart. (See story above)

 




Climbers:  
Cara Mia Jay & the Americans
One Sided Love Mike Hudson
Voodoo Woman Bobby Goldsboro
It Ain't Worth The Lonely Road Back Alan Klein
Don't Go Away Mad Bobby Vinton
Disc of the Week:  
Let The Water Run Down P J Proby

Alan Field's fab notes:

This is the week when all three of the EPs mentioned on the chart for 6th June '65 were in the Fab 40 at the same time. Joining Manfred Mann and Herman's Hermits are the Rolling Stones, new in at #8 this week with their Got Live If You Want It! EP (Decca DFE 8620). Good value for money this one, featuring six tracks – We Want The Stones, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Pain In My Heart, Route 66, I'm Movin' On and I'm Alright.

Phil Wainman, whose self-penned Hear Me A Drummer Man is Paul Kaye's climber this week (Columbia DB 7615), had previously been the drummer with the Paramounts, (see Fab 30/05/65). While many of his former colleagues went on to Procol Harum, Phil turned record producer and worked with The Sweet on all their biggest hits between 1971 and the beginning of 1974. He later produced tracks for many other big name artists of the 70s including the Bay City Rollers, Mud, Dollar and Darts and in 1979 produced the Boomtown Rats' I Don't Like Mondays.

It was inevitable that Kenny and Cash would award Mr Proby the nickname of 'P The Knees Proby'!

Tune in next week for another Big L Fab 40!

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