for Sunday 4th June 1967

Alan notes: This was the first of just two occasions when Chuck Blair presented the Fab 40 show (he did it again on 16th July). We've still got two Fab Forty first-timers to go. Tony Brandon presented the show on 25th June (his one and only time), and of course Tommy Vance famously presented the very last Fab 40 on 6th August 1967.

This week's Fab tells a tale of D-I-Y disaster with a 'Happy' ending. Engelbert's wife grumbles, There Goes My Everything (#1) and says She's Leaving Home (#33) when the Changing Rooms team paints their house A Whiter Shade Of Pale (#2) and leaves Seven Rooms Of Gloom. She thought the Dream Merchants would use fancy Paper (Sun-coloured) (#7) with Patterns #17) and fancied a Lace Covered Window. "Calm down," says Eng. "Don't Sleep In The Subway (#4) or You Can't Come Home Again. It's No Good To Cry(#32) It's Alright, It'll be Okay (#13) Let's Build A World Of Our Own. Give Me Time (#12) and I'll Do It Again Just A Little Bit Slower (#26) With A Little Help From My Friends (#28). And Suddenly (#30) she was Happy.

Do It Again Just A Little Bit Slower reached #18 in the US Hit Hundred. The duo from Dallas, Texas, was John 'Jon' Abdnor and Javonne 'Robin' Braga. Jon's father, John Abdnor Senior was the owner of Abnak, an important local record label. Do It Again... recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, was the biggest production success for producer Bobby Patterson, a singer, musician and former classmate of Jon's. Patterson's party piece was playing guitar with his teeth – well before Jimi Hendrix gave new meaning to the term 'tooth picks'! It was Patterson's first single You Just Got To Understand, that prompted Abdnor Snr to start an R & B subsidiary of Abnak, called Jetstar, where Patterson wrote, produced and promoted his own music.

The song also has a great connection with Big Lil's Dallas cousin, Big K - KLIF! In May 1966, station owner Gordon McLendon had been sued by the Abnak label for failing to give sufficient airplay to a Five Americans single. (Distributed nationally by HBR). The case was reported as a likely candidate for the first instance of a computer being admitted to the witness stand! Said machine, employed by Compass Record Data Computer Service, participated via a telephone line from Los Angeles.

Steve Eberhart, curator of the fascinating History of KLIF website, kindly took the trouble to tell tale of this bizarre court case and its outcome:

Steve wrote:

The song in question that Abnak records sued KLIF over was "Evol, not Love " by the Five Americans. (Webmaster note: The band's second release, which charted nationally in 1966.)

KLIF chose not to play the record for some unknown reason. Abnak sued in court, alleging that KLIF's music survey stated, "The most accurate music survey in Dallas". Their contention being that if it was the most accurate survey in Dallas it should contain "Evol, not love " by the Five Americans, a local Dallas group, since it was outselling well over half of the records listed on the KLIF survey! Abnak prevailed in one motion only: getting the court to ban KLIF from using the phrase, "the most accurate music survey in Dallas" on their KLIF Top 40 Music Survey. KLIF subsequently replaced that phrase with, "based on record sales, listener requests, and KLIF's opinion of appeal". Interestingly, later the record was played as a "KLIF KLASSIC" oldie long after it descended from the national charts.

The mid 60's regional hits were numerous for local Texas and Dallas groups. Mouse and The Traps with Public Execution; "Not Too Long Ago" and "All These Things" by The Uniques (featuring a young Joe Stampley in lead); 13th Floor Elevators were also a favorite. There's a lot of music history in Abnak Records and legendary 60s producer Robin Hood Brian's studios out in Tyler, Texas.

Robin, of Jon and Robin and the In Crowd, married one of the Five Americans and at last report was living in Denison, Texas! One of their biggest regional hits was not "Do It Again" but "Dr. Jon, The Medicine Man". Although it garnered little attention outside the Southwest, it was a number one song on KLIF in Dallas and KTSA in San Antonio, to name a few.

Jon Abdnor Jr. was convicted of murder in the early 1970s and served many years in prison, only being paroled in the last couple of years. At last report, he was living his father's home in North Dallas.

KLIF's ex-Music Director, Jimmy Rabbitt, became Abnak's National Promotions Director and is credited as the man responsible for 'breaking' both Do It Again... and the Five Americans' Western Union.

Western Union and the follow-up, both released in the UK on Stateside, had already received airplay on Big L. Western Union was in the Fab Forty in April '67, but the Five Americans were obliged to compete with the British version by the Searchers. Sound of Love ( a US # 36), was released shortly afterwards, but Big L favoured the B-side, Sympathy, which made its only Fab appearance in the climber list of May 21st. However, over a month later, the single resurfaced. On June 25th, Sound of Love was picked as Tony Brandon's climber, and this time it was on its way into the Fab Forty.

Do It Again... was covered in the UK by New Formula, from Corby in Northants (Piccadilly label) and also by a girl group called Val and the V's (CBS)

June 8th

Lord and Lady Arran visited the Galaxy, lunched with the DJs and made a guest appearance on the Ed Stewart show. His Lordship was well-acquainted with Phillip Birch and was a great supporter of the offshore radio cause.

Mike Lennox who had left the Galaxy on Jan 31st 1967, but continued to work for Radio London ashore, returned to the ship. The exact return date is unknown, but it was probably during this week, as this is the first time since January that Mike is allocated a climber.

Ashore

June 4th

Today, Brian Epstein presented a show at his Saville Theatre. On stage between 6.00 and 8.30pm, were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, The Chiffons, and Denny Laine (and his Electric String Band). The compere was Radio Caroline's Rick Dane.

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.

A real summer feel-good sound, "In the bright golden haze, it's the first of the golden days... and nobody's wearing a coat", Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day is a perfect example of a record doing well on one offshore station and doing nothing on another. Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day, was a Big L climber for just one week, but fared far better on Radio Scotland's Super Fifty.

Like fellow Welsh musicians, Eyes of Blue (see Fab 19/02/67), members of Merthyr Tydfil's Bystanders form part of the complicated Family Tree of the cult band Man.

Big L had totally ignored the Bystanders' double-sided cover single 98.6, (backed with Marvin Gaye's Stubborn Kind Of Fellow) in favour of the US hit version by Keith. Nationally, Keith had the biggest hit (#24) with the song, but the Bystanders also charted at #45 with 98.6, on February 9th 1967, remaining there for just one week.

The Bystanders formed in 1963, when their line-up was Jeff Jones, (drms), Micky Jones , (gtr) Clive John ( aka Clint Space), (keybds), Ray Williams, (bass) and Gerry Braden on vocals.

In 1965, Gerry Braden was replaced by Vic Oakley from the Meteorites, and the Bystanders began issuing singles in 1966.