The Early Radio London Fab Forties

Sunday 7th March 1965

A new climber, soon to be a huge hit. For Your Love and other Yardbirds Fab 40 entries can be found on The Ultimate Collection, a total of 36 tracks on CDs.

Click on the sleeve for a full track
listing.
Last
This
 
Week
Week
10
1
Silhouettes Herman's Hermits
31
2
The Last Time Rolling Stones
1
3
It's Not Unusual Tom Jones
7
4
I Must Be Seeing Things Gene Pitney
9
5
I Apologise P J Proby
13
6
I'll Stop At Nothing Sandie Shaw
14
7
Come And Stay With Me Marianne Faithfull
12
8
Yes I Will Hollies
11
9
Honey I Need Pretty Things
26
10
In The Meantime Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames
28
11
Concrete And Clay Unit 4 + 2
12
I Can't Explain Who
4
13
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood Animals
17
14
The Birds And The Bees Jewel Akens
29
15
I Belong Kathy Kirby
2
16
Funny How Love Can Be Ivy League
3
17
The Game Of Love Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
24
18
Diggin' My Potatoes Heinz
5
19
Goodnight Roy Orbison
30
20
Goodbye My Love Searchers
35
21
Give Him A Great Big Kiss Shangri-Las
27
22
I Don't Want To Go On Without You Moody Blues
33
23
Where Am I Sundowners
36
24
The Boy From New York City Ad Libs
6
25
Mary Anne Shadows
16
26
Do What You Do Do Well Ned Miller
27
At This Moment Crispian St Peters
37
28
I Know A Place Petula Clark
8
29
I'll Never Find Another You Seekers
30
Do The Clam Elvis Presley
20
31
Hawaii Tattoo Waikikis
39
32
Every Little Bit Hurts Spencer Davis Group
33
Hawaiian Wedding Song Julie Rogers
21
34
Can't You Hear My Heartbeat Goldie & the Gingerbreads
35
She's Lost You Zephyrs
15
36
It Hurts So Much Jim Reeves
34
37
Find My Way Back Home Nashville Teens
40
38
If I Can Help Somebody Frenesi Watson
18
39
Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself Adam Faith
40
He Doesn't Love Me Adrienne Poster

March 11th
The date of the first assignment of a title to Pall Mall Music, the publishing company in which Radio London's managing company, Radlon Sales had a 50% shareholding. The deal, for an arrangement of the old song Little Brown Jug, was made with a composer by the name of Richard Blackmore, better known as Knees Club member Ritchie Blackmore. See a scan of the contract in Mini-Memories

March 13th
Keith Skues
(at the time still working for Caroline South) appeared as the guest DJ on ATV's Thank Your Lucky Stars, alongside The Bachelors, Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, The Moody Blues, Marianne Faithfull and Them. Around the end of 1964 and beginning of 1965, there was a tradition of the show having a co-host appearing with either Brian Matthew or Pete Murray. A number of guest DJs came from 208 and other offshore jocks who appeared on TYLS around this time were Ed Moreno and Simon Dee. The co-host idea appears to have been dropped once Brian Matthew became the show's permanent host. Thank Your Lucky Stars tribute site



33
23
Where Am I Sundowners Parlophone R5243

From Scotland, the Sundowners were Steve Robbins (bass, vcls) Dave Silverman (various instruments) and Barry Weitz (banjo, gtr, vcls). They were classically-trained musicians, who became the backing band for vocalist Tommy Truesdale.

Tommy had started his career with the Joe Duffy Rock 'n' Roll Band before fronting The Andy Curry Big Band. He formed the Sundowners in 1963 and the band released House of the Rising Sun as the B-side of their first single Baby Baby a year before the Animals. The Sundowners' fifth and final single was the intriguingly-titled Gloria the Bosom Show, in 1968.

The website for the Pavilion Ballroom in Strathpeffer, Ross and Cromarty, lists several band appearances, both as The Sundowners and as Tommy Trousdale (sic) and the Sundowners. In 1967 they were billed as "Scotland’s Top Showband Tommy Trousdale and the Sundowners." Best-selling country singer Barbara Ray was a one-time Sundowner vocalist who returned to the UK from South Africa to record an album with Tommy in 1985.

In addition to presenting a Sunday-afternoon Country Music show on West Sound Radio in Ayr, Tommy still performs with the current version of the Sundowners. (Website here).

The band name comes from the title of the 1960 motion picture starring Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum. It proved a popular moniker with musicians, with another early Sixties outfit of the same name originating from Birmingham. Other Sundowners formed in Lake George, New York and Sonny Day and the Sundowners came from Auckland, New Zealand. Yet another Sundowners formed in the UK in 1988 and a version of the band is still performing.



DJ Climber:
Pretty Girls Everywhere Walker Brothers Dave Cash
Climbers:
Gonna Work Out Fine Owen Gray
For Your Love Yardbirds
Fancy Pants Al Hirt

Pretty Girls Everywhere Walker Brothers Philips BF 1401

Dave Cash's climber was the first UK release for the Walker non-brothers John Maus, Scott Engel and Gary Leeds and the first of several Fab 40 entries. Around this time, they recorded the frequently-featured jingle 'Kenny and Cash, in London', which Kenny and Dave absolutely loved. The Walkers appeared (and were mobbed) at many Big L events, including the Radio London Trophy Meeting at Brands Hatch in June 1966, where they presented the winners' trophy to Peter Gethin and screaming fans invaded the motor racing track.

A longer Walker Brothers item, with additional great photos from Chris Walter's archives is in the Fab 40 for 28th May 1967.

Gary Walker's personal site, with photos and video clips from his visit to the Cashman's morning show aboard Pirate BBC Essex 2007, is here

(Photo ©Chris Walter, used with permission)




Gonna Work Out Fine Owen Gray Aladdin WI 603

Expert on West Indian music, Mark Griffiths, says:

I don't believe I've heard this particular version of Gonna Work Out Fine although I do have a later (Reggae) version of it by Owen Gray from '69. Aladdin was a short-lived subsidiary of Island. Owen did quite a few soul things on the main Island label including Shook, Shimmy and Shake which is a real goody. Sadly, he never achieved any success with Blackwell and co.

In recent years, Owen has appeared with the Goldmaster All Stars. He must be the most under-represented Jamaican artist of his calibre on CD - practically none of his '60s/'70s material is available.

Gonna Work Out Fine was recorded by Ike and Tina Turner and released on Sue, in 1964.

Tune in next week for another Big L Fab 40!

Back to 'Lil's 60s Scrapbook'
Fab Forty Index
Home