for Sunday 23rd October 1966
Followed by the Kenny Everett/Tony Blackburn Climber Review
Last
This
Presented by Ed Stewart
Week
Week
2
1
Reach Out, I'll Be There Four Tops
5
2
Stop Stop Stop Hollies
4
3
If I Were A Carpenter Bobby Darin
3
4
I Can't Control Myself Troggs
7
5
Time Drags By Cliff Richard & the Shadows
9
6
Beauty Is Only Skin Deep Temptations
11
7
I Love My Dog Cat Stevens
10
8
High Time Paul Jones
19
9
A Fool Am I Cilla Black
8
10
Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? Rolling Stones
22
11
Marble Breaks, Iron Bends Peter Fenton
6
12
No Milk Today Herman's Hermits
14
13
You're Ready Now Frankie Valli
32
14
A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Every Day) Ike & Tina Turner
34
15
Last Train To Clarksville Monkees
1
16
Winchester Cathedral New Vaudeville Band
38
17
Friday On My Mind Easybeats
16
18
All That I Am Elvis Presley
30
19
Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud Jimmy James & the Vagabonds
18
20
Walk Away Renee Left Banke
26
21
My World Fell Down Ivy League
40
22
Mr Spaceman Byrds
23
Wrapping Paper Cream
36
24
Ride On Baby Chris Farlowe
25
25
Two At A Time Neil Christian & the Crusaders
26
Don't Worry Mother, Your Son's Heart Is Pure McCoys
27
Rain On The Roof Lovin' Spoonful
29
28
Que Sera Sera Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band
29
Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James Manfred Mann
30
Coming On Strong Brenda Lee
31
Help Me Girl Eric Burdon & the Animals
33
32
Climb Ev'ry Mountain Frankie & Johnny
32
I Could Feel The Whole World Turn Round Shotgun Express
33
33
The English Girl Bruno
33
All Strung Out Nino Tempo & April Stevens
34
Hooray For Hazel Tommy Roe
34
Stormy Weather Cloda Rogers
37
35
Over The Hills And Far Away Barry Mason
36
Holy Cow Lee Dorsey
24
36
High On A Hill Tuesday's Children
37
Emergency 999 Alan Bown Set
39
37
I Can't Make It Alone P J Proby
38
What Would I Be Val Doonican
39
Boulevard De La Madeleine Moody Blues
40
This Thing Called Love Johnny Wyatt

11
7
I Love My Dog Cat Stevens

Kenny Everett (during his show following the Fab Forty): "The flipside is just as lovely – if not lovelier – Portobello Road."

6
12
No Milk Today Herman's Hermits

Radio London was playing a 'phased' version of No Milk Today, specially produced by the on-board engineers. The track sounds an unlikely candidate for phasing, but the experiment worked so well that the record no longer sounds right to us (or probably any of Big L's other fans) without it. The engineers turned their same talents to a number of other tracks, eventually including A Day in the Life.

26
21
My World Fell Down Ivy League

The picture sleeve on the right was released in the Netherlands, where it appears the typographer had two attempts at getting the title right!

This Carter/Lewis composition was covered in the USA by studio band, Sagittarius. Curt Boettcher, the producer of both Along Comes Mary and the Association's debut album, And Then Along Comes the Association, formed the band with Byrds' producer Gary Usherwith. The Ivy League's Beachboyesque harmonies were recreated by Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher. The Sagittarius version of My World Fell Down scraped into the US Hot Hundred at #70 in July '67.

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:    
You Keep Me Hangin' On Supremes Tony Blackburn
Turn On Your Love Light Dean Parrish Dave Dennis
The White Cliffs Of Dover Righteous Brothers Pete Drummond
Psychotic Reaction Count Five Kenny Everett
The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs Paul Kaye
I Feel So Bad Jackie Edwards Mike Lennox
Come On Up Young Rascals Mark Roman
Walking On New Grass Buddy Greco Keith Skues
Just One Smile Gene Pitney Ed Stewart
Look Through My Window Mamas & Papas Norman St John
Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels Tony Windsor

You Keep Me Hangin' On holds the record for the longest-standing Big L climber. It was unheard of for a single to spend longer on the climber list than in the Fab Forty, but that was what happened with the Supremes' new single, probably because Radio London started playing it seven weeks before its UK release. (It was already big in the USA) It remained on the climber list for no less than five weeks, finally entering the Fab Forty at a joint #27 on November 27th. It peaked at #4 on Dec 11th and spent its final week in the chart on December 18th – a grand total of eight weeks on the Big L playlist.

Climbers:  
Green Green Grass Of Home Tom Jones
I Was Only Playing Games Unit 4 + 2
Anything That You Do Chapter Five
Dandy Clinton Ford / Rockin' Vickers
Road To Nowhere Judy Henske
Secret Love Billy Stewart
A Satisfied Mind Bobby Hebb
Good Vibrations Beach Boys
Ten Storeys High David & Jonathan
Gimme Some Loving Spencer Davis Group
Girl On A Swing Gerry & the Pacemakers
Feeling Gidian with Chris Lambe & the Universals
Too Much On My Mind Gates Of Eden
Disc of the Week:  
Nineteen Days Dave Clark Five
Album of the Week:  
Face To Face Kinks

Anything That You Do Chapter Five

Alan Field:
Anything That You Do
is the title that appeared on promo copies of the record, and reflects the way it was announced on Big L in its one week on the climber list (it never made the Fab 40). When released, on Friday 28th October, the title on stock copies was shown as Anything You Do Is Alright.

Feeling Gidian with Chris Lambe & the Universals Columbia DB8041

This was Gidian's third and final shot at the Radio London Fab Forty. He first appeared on the climber list in February 66 with There Isn't Anything, then returned in May with See if She Cares. He would finally make the lower reaches of the chart next week, October 30th 1966, with his third single, Feeling, for which he had written both the A-side and the Pall Mall-published B-side, Don't Be Sentimental.

On both the pre-release and released versions of Feeling, The Columbia label credits 'Gidian with Chris Lambe (sic) and the Universals. Exactly who backed Gidian on the single is hard to pin down, as it is not known exactly when it was recorded, but according to the Forgotten Bands blog, the Universals line-up for July 1965 - September 1966 (their 5th – and quite possibly the musicians on this single) was: Chris Lamb (no 'e') (Trumpet), Mort Sullivan (Tenor Sax), Brian Keith (Vocals/Trombone), Bill Parkinson (Lead Guitar), Tony Dangerfield (Bass), Paul Raymond (Keyboards) and Carlo Little (Drums)

Version #6 of the Universals, late 1966 - December 1967, saw Foggy Little taking over the lead guitar and either Terry Parsons on drums, or someone called Eddie.

Fight for Your Love (penned by Gidian) the B-side of See if She Cares, appears on Mix a Fix Floor Fillers Vol 2. Spot the name of the Big L DJ on the sleeve? Yes, it's Mike Quinn, who worked for the station ashore. Mike has a single of his own in next week's chart.

What did Kenny Everett and Tony Blackburn have to say about this week's Climbers?

Click here to read (and hear an extract from) their Climber Review, which followed this week's Fab Forty between 4.00pm and 5.00pm

"At four till five, Tony Blackburn joins me and we squash every Climber that we've got dead flat – except for the ones we like, of course!"


The red addition to the climbers indicates a single 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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