for Sunday 24th July 1966

Ken Dodd was tickled to jump straight in at #28, while fellow Liverpudlians the Merseys were picked as Mark Roman's climber. Billy Fury had a climber too, but an LP by some other guys from the city was Album of the Week, even though the album in question was not released till August.

 

Last
This
Presented by Ed Stewart
Week
Week
3
1
Black Is Black Los Bravos
10
2
With A Girl Like You Troggs
7
3
Love Letters Elvis Presley
8
4
(Baby) You Don't Have To Tell Me Walker Brothers
11
5
Oops Neil Christian
22
6
Summer In The City Lovin' Spoonful
17
7
Hi-Lili Hi-Lo Alan Price Set
23
8
Visions Cliff Richard
4
9
Goin' Back Dusty Springfield
2
10
Out Of Time Chris Farlowe
1
11
I Couldn't Live Without Your Love Petula Clark
18
12
No 1 In Your Heart Herbie Goins & the Night-Timers
36
13
The Man Who Took The Valise Off The Floor Of Grand Central Station At Noon She Trinity
31
14
Barefootin' Robert Parker
16
15
I Love How You Love Me Paul & Barry Ryan
9
16
Get Away Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames
27
17
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever Four Tops
15
18
Mama Dave Berry
6
19
A House In The Country Pretty Things
20
20
Lil' Red Riding Hood Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
13
21
The More I See You Chris Montez
24
22
Hanky Panky Tommy James & the Shondells
19
23
Counting Marianne Faithfull
5
24
You Gave Me Somebody To Love Manfred Mann / Fortunes
32
25
How Long Is Time Odyssey
-
26
God Only Knows Beach Boys
-
27
I Want You Bob Dylan
-
28
More Than Love Ken Dodd
32
29
Lovers Of The World Unite David & Jonathan
38
30
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water Johnny Rivers
-
31
I Saw Her Again Mamas & Papas
-
32
Sh-Boom Sh-Boom Diane Ferraz & Nicky Scott
35
33
Green Light Tony Blackburn
-
34
Doctor Love Bobby Sheen
-
35
The Moment Of Truth Three Good Reasons
-
36
Tell Her I'm Not Home Ike & Tina Turner
-
37
Half A Picture Daemon Dee
-
38
See Me Cry Bobby Shafto
37
39
It's An Uphill Climb To The Bottom Sharon Tandy
39
39
Little Girl Syndicate Of Sound
-
40
You Better Run Young Rascals

Besides climbers that were played at the time of the broadcast of the Sunday Fab Forty, Alan kept a note of others he heard later in the week and incorporated them into his list.

DJ Climbers:    
Where Were You When I Needed You? Grass Roots Tony Blackburn
The Joker Went Wild Brian Hyland Chris Denning
Look At Me Girl Bobby Vee Dave Dennis
5D (Fifth Dimension) Byrds Kenny Everett
Things Get Better Rey Anton & The Pro Form Bill Hearne
Tar And Cement Verdelle Smith Duncan Johnson
Friday's Child Nancy Sinatra Paul Kaye
Big Time Operator Zoot Money's Big Roll Band Mike Lennox
So Sad About Us Merseys Mark Roman
Headline News Alan Bown Set Keith Skues
This And That Tom Jones Ed Stewart
Forbidden Fruit Nashville Teens Norman St John
Hungry Paul Revere & the Raiders Tony Windsor

Things Get Better Rey Anton & The Pro Form Parlophone R5487

Rey Anton had released a handful of solo singles before his previous band The Peppermint Men had accompanied him into the Fab Forty in August '65, but somehow there was always confusion over the correct name of the new backing boys. The band got labelled variously Pro Forma, The Pro Forma, and even Pro Formula – sometimes as one word, sometimes two! In more recent years, Rey confirmed to us personally that the correct name was Pro Form and this was a collective name for various musicians who were available for recording and gigs when required by him. When the band appeared in the film Dateline Diamonds, released April 66, the billing was 'Rey Anton and The Pro Forma.'

Brian Long's Curzon Street listings for Things Get Better's three weeks of Fab Forty activity, had the recording artists down as 'Rey Anton and The Pro Forma'. Rey penned the Pall Mall-published B-side, although his real name of Leonard Hirons appeared on the publishing contract. (The following year, the song became a UK hit for Eddie Floyd.)

Sadly, Rey died in May 2011 after a short illness.

Alan Field observes that the B-side of the Nashville Teens' Forbidden Fruit is called Revived 45 Time. The song references 'Revived 45s' and 'Blasts from the Past', which is perhaps an insight into how catchphrases imported from the USA and heard on the pirate stations, particularly on Radio London, were by mid-1966 becoming part of our everyday language.

Climbers:  
Just Like A Woman Manfred Mann
Just Like A Woman Jonathan King
Give Me Your Word Billy Fury
5 O'Clock World Greg Hunter
Warm And Tender Love Percy Sledge
Working In The Coal Mine Lee Dorsey
I Feel Something In The Air Cher
Disc of the Week:  
Got To Get You Into My Life Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers
Album of the Week:  
Revolver Beatles

Radio London's Album of the Week was not officially released till August 5th.A mono First Pressing of Revolver can command as much as £400.

On next week's Big L playlist, 31st July, the double-sided single taken from it and released the same day, Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine is Radio London Club Disc of the Week. The following week, August 7th, the Fab Four take it straight to #1 on the Fab Forty.


The red additions to the climbers indicate singles listed in Brian Long's book 'The London Sound' based on information typed in the Curzon Street offices or other sources.
Alan Field did not hear them played or announced as climbers.


The Caroline 'Countdown Sixty' chart (south ship) for this week is here

This week's Radio City 'City Sixty' on the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame is here

Tune in next week for another Field's Fab Forty!


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