for Sunday 11th June 1967

Last
This
Presented by Ed Stewart
Week
Week
1
A Day In The Life Beatles
8
2
Carrie Anne Hollies
7
3
Paper Sun Traffic
12
4
Give Me Time Dusty Springfield
11
5
Night Of The Long Grass Troggs
6
6
When You're Young And In Love Marvelettes
24
7
Strange Brew Cream
20
8
She'd Rather Be With Me Turtles
18
9
I'll Come Runnin' Cliff Richard
22
10
What Good Am I Cilla Black
23
11
Respect Aretha Franklin
10
12
Tabatha Twitchit Dave Clark Five
2
13
A Whiter Shade Of Pale Procol Harum
28
14
With A Little Help From My Friends Young Idea / Joe Brown
1
15
There Goes My Everything Engelbert Humperdinck
9
16
Walking In The Rain Walker Brothers
3
17
Groovin' Young Rascals
25
18
The Man I Love Chantelles
33
19
She's Leaving Home David & Jonathan
20
Seven Rooms Of Gloom Four Tops
4
21
Don't Sleep In The Subway Petula Clark
30
22
And Suddenly Left Banke
5
23
The Happening Supremes
34
24
Can't Take My Eyes Off You Frankie Valli
25
You Only Live Twice Nancy Sinatra
39
26
Ain't No Mountain High Enough Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
32
27
No Good To Cry Jimmy James & the Vagabonds
19
28
When I Was Young Eric Burdon & the Animals
29
My Love Sonata Toys
30
Morning Dew Episode Six
37
31
Can't Seem To Make You Mine Seeds
38
32
Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be? Paul Revere & the Raiders
33
Lace Covered Window New Faces
26
34
Do It Again Just A Little Bit Slower Jon & Robin
35
Rapid Transit Robbs
36
Please Let Them Be Gerry Marsden
37
The Candy Shop Is Closed George Bean
38
Windy Association
39
See Emily Play Pink Floyd
40
So Much For Mary Jon

1
A Day In The Life Beatles

A month after Radio London's exclusive first play of the Sgt Pepper's LP, Alan Keen took the unprecedented step of giving the top Fab Forty slot to the Beatles' album track A Day In the Life. This was the only time an album track that was never released as a single featured in the Big L chart, let alone at the top slot. It was also the sole recording in Fab Forty history to leap straight in at #1 and straight out again after just one week.

A Day In the Life had been banned from the Beeb's airwaves because of its supposed drug references. Alan decided to counteract the ban by making the final track of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band a Big L #1, in hopes of causing further controversy and attracting publicity for Radio London.

Sadly, only two months later, A Day In the Life would be the last-ever track to be played on Radio London, minutes before Paul Kaye's close-down announcement at 3.00pm on August 14th.

If you've worn out your original copy of Sgt Pepper, you can of course buy a CD of the album, but you can also replace it with a real vinyl copy. (Click on the sleeve for details) This is, of course, the only way to fully appreciate the artwork at its full size.


35
Rapid Transit Robbs Mercury MF983

From Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, the Robbs signed to Mercury records and relocated to California when Dick Clark chose them for regular appearances on Where The Action Is. The ABC TV show had become a popular spin-off of Clark's famous American Bandstand, but it was cancelled in the spring of 1967. The Robbs consisted of brothers, David, Robert and George Donaldson, who all adopted the surname Robb. Known as Dee (David, lead vocals and guitar), Bruce (Robert guitar and vocals), and Joe or Joey ( George, keyboards) they were joined by their friend, drummer Craig Krampf who also took the 'Robb' moniker.
Despite their TV appearances, and local radio Top 40 placings, the band failed to have a major Hot Hundred hit. Rapid Transit peaked at #123. They probably never knew they made the Big L Fab 40.

Dee Robb who was the band's main songwriter died in February 2008. Band Wikipedia entry

Ashore

June 14th
Attending a work course in Stanmore for a week, I remarked in my diary that I "Could only get Radio 390 on the crappy radio" in the common room, so the following day I took my own trannie and we listened to Big L.

June 17th
Keith Skues took his cardboard flip-flops to Estartit on a 'Holidays With Deejays' package.

The Melody Maker music paper printed a voting form for its 1967 Pop Pol. Results were not published till September, well after the demise of Big L and it was rather sad, but not surprising to see the the Fab Forty at #1, beating the Beeb Light Programme's longstanding chart show 'Pick of the Pops' into second place.

John's Children appeared on Saturday Club on the BBC Light Programme, performing four numbers including one called 'The Perfumed Garden'.

Although it had started during May, the exact date of John Peel creating his famous programme of the same name, is not known. The show crept into the schedules by stealth. We can assume that Peelie, bored stiff with the strict Radio London format, began by introducing a few non-playlist tracks during his late-night show and when he received no management repremands, he decided to launch a full-blown programme with its own title, intoducing new music that would probably never have been aired on Radio London. It is well known that Radlon Management was unaware of John Peel's show and its listener impact until the game was given away by the arrival of an avalanche of mail addressed to The Perfumed Garden.

DJ Climbers:    
C'mon Marianne Four Seasons Tony Blackburn
Mr Abercrombie Taught Me Lady Murray Chuck Blair
Too Much Of A Good Thing Shirelles Tony Brandon
Your Love Is Everywhere Jackie Trent Pete Drummond
Here We Go Again Ray Charles Paul Kaye
Tremblin' Swinging Blue Jeans Mike Lennox
Alternate Title Monkees John Peel
Daylight Saving Time Keith Mark Roman
Every Single Day Two Of Each Keith Skues
You Can't Come Home Again P J Proby Ed Stewart
Daily Situation Simon Raverne Willy Walker



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.

Climbers:  
Riding With the Milkman Winston G (*)
Stargazer Shawn Phillips
I'm Your Witchdoctor John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red Sorrows
Photographs Nola York
At The Third Stroke Piccadilly Line
A Little Bit O' Soul Music Explosion
It's Alright Sugar Simone
Hold Me Closer Equals
Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day Bystanders
Function At The Junction Ramsey Lewis
Disc of the Week:  
Claire Paul & Barry Ryan
Album of the Week:  
The Mamas And The Papas Deliver Mamas & Papas

Ballad Box:
A Fistful of Dollars Dalys
Roses Of Picardy Vince Hill
Loving You Billy Fury
This Song Is Just For You Clinton Ford
Mary In The Morning Al Martino
I Kiki Dee

Soul Set:
Doggin' Me Around Albert Washington
Ready, Willing And Able Jimmy Holiday & Clydie King
Shake Otis Redding
Thank You John Willie Tee
Why (Am I Treated So Bad) Sweet Inspirations
Get Ready Donnie Elbert

Fab Note: I by Kiki Dee which has now moved to the Ballad Box, had previously been a Climber for two weeks.

Green additions to the climbers indicate singles sourced from 'Monty's Diary'. (See Fab Forty for 010167). As well as new addition Function At The Junction, Monty has noted that Stargazer, Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red, Photographs, At The Third Stroke and Hold Me Closer remained on the climber list from last week. It's Alright, Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day, I'm Your Witchdoctor and A Little Bit O' Soul have all been relegated from DJ picks to unassigned climbers. Monty also confirms Wolfgang Buchholz'slisting of the Winston G climber.
Alan Field did not hear the records sourced from Monty's Diary played or announced as climbers.

The symbol (*) indicates additional information from personal listings, courtesy of Wolfgang Buchholz.

The Top Ten of the Caroline 'Countdown Sixty' chart (south ship) for this week is here
This week's Radio 270 'Top Forty' on the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame is here

Tune in next week for another Field's Fab Forty


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