for Sunday 12th March 1967

This was the last Fab Forty presented by Kenny Everett

Last week's Fab was full of songs about leaving. Seven days later, everyone's Goin' Where The Lovin' Is and returning to home and family with: Ain't Nobody Home, #26, Darling Be Home Soon #33, I'm Coming Home, #34 and Album of the Week, Green Green Grass Of Home.

The extended 'Fab Forty Family' live at 'Feeling Groovy' in Penny Lane, Detroit City and they command James to Drive On in a Ford Mustang. The very large Lovin' Spoonful I'm Coming Home contains the Mamas & Papas, Daddy Lindberg, the twins Baby Get Your Head Screwed On and Ciao Baby, as well as Fragile Child, Tell The Boys, Georgy Girl, Cousin Jane, the Nashville Teens, and their pet Turtles. We're sure they are all Happy Together!

Last
This
Presented by Kenny Everett
Week
Week
3
1
I'll Try Anything Dusty Springfield
31
2
Memories Are Made Of This Val Doonican
2
3
Georgy Girl Seekers
16
4
Run For Shelter Lesley Dawson
20
5
I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman Whistling Jack Smith
21
6
Touch Me Touch Me Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich
13
7
Happy Together Turtles
19
8
I Can't Make It Small Faces
18
9
I'm Going Out (The Same Way I Came In) Kiki Dee
22
10
Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear Alan Price Set
1
11
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Casinos
15
12
Keep It Out Of Sight Paul & Barry Ryan
17
13
Reservations Simon Dupree & the Big Sound
7
14
On A Carousel Hollies
24
15
You Got What It Takes Dave Clark Five
39
16
Baby Get Your Head Screwed On Double Feature
4
17
(In The) Cold Light Of Day Gene Pitney
34
18
59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy) Harpers Bizarre
19
Somethin' Stupid Frank & Nancy Sinatra
28
20
I've Found A Love David Garrick
10
21
Love Is Here And Now You're Gone Supremes
22
Stranger Dave Berry
23
Soul Time Shirley Ellis
24
Walk Away Renee Truth
25
It's All Over Cliff Richard
26
Ain't Nobody Home Chants
35
27
You'd Better Get Used To Missing Her Symbols
25
28
Cousin Jane Barry Benson
12
29
Detroit City Tom Jones
36
30
Drive On James King George
11
31
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever Beatles
32
Saturday Morning Man Paul Stewart Movement
38
33
Darling Be Home Soon Lovin' Spoonful
34
I'm Coming Home Nashville Teens
35
Fragile Child Chances Are / Golliwogs
27
36
So Good Roy Orbison
29
37
Love Makes Sweet Music Soft Machine
38
I Will Be There Shirley Abicair
39
You Can't Fool Me Chanters
40
The River Is Wide Forum

29
37
Love Makes Sweet Music Soft Machine Polydor 56151

Robert Wyatt (b Robert Wyatt Ellidge), Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper were schoolmates from Canterbury. Hopper and Wyatt formed Wilde Flowers, with Hopper's brother Brian on saxes, Richard Sinclair on guitar and Kevin Ayers on vocals.

Ayers, Wyatt and Australian Daevid Allen teamed up with Ratledge and in 1966 became the Soft Machine. Allen chose their name from the title of a William Burroughs novel; he knew Burroughs and asked his permission to use it.

Soft Machine was discovered by Kim Fowley who produced their first single (mint value around £100) Love Makes Sweet Music/Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin'. Although Kevin Ayers is usually credited with penning both sides, there is some dispute over this. Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' was published by Radio London-associated company Pall Mall Music, and according to Brian Long's The London Sound, (and the original record label) the songwriter is credited as Ellidge - i.e. Robert Wyatt.

The group was based in London during 1966/7 and gigged regularly at the UFO club. On April 29th they appeared alongside Pink Floyd at the 14-Hour Technicolor Dream, staged at Alexandra Palace. Described as a 'Giant benefit against Fuzz action' the event was in aid of IT underground magazine, which had suffered a police raid on its premises. It was somewhat ironic that such an anti-establishment event should take place at Ally Pally, once the respectable home to BBC-TV studios and the venue of the first TV broadcast in 1936. Soft Machine entertained, or at any rate attempted to entertain, thousands of stoned hippies.

At the end of 1967 the Soft Machine embarked on a gruelling six-months tour of the States with Jimi Hendrix. On their return, the band recorded an eponymous first album, but it remained unreleased till the Seventies. Kevin Ayers left and was replaced by Hugh Hopper. Ayers released solo albums in the late Sixties and early Seventies, but sadly died in 2013. Wyatt formed Matching Mole. The name was a play on words, machine moll being the French translation of 'soft machine'. After an accident left him paralysed from the waist down, Robert was no longer able to drum, but he continued to make good use of his vocal chords.

The official Robert Wyatt website is here.

Both Love Makes Sweet Music and Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' were written by Kevin Ayers.


35
Fragile Child Golliwogs Vocalion VF 9266


After two weeks as a climber, Chances Are suddenly find themselves in the Fab, only to have to share their glory with the song's authors John and Tom Fogerty, in the guise of the Golliwogs. The Golliwogs were John, gtr, vcls, Tom, gtr, vcls, hrmnca, Stu Cook, bs and Doug Clifford, drms. From El Cerrito, near San Francisco, the band had issued one single in 1964 as Tommy and The Blue Velvets on a local record label, before being signed to Fantasy and involuntarily acquiring the Golliwogs moniker. Fragile Child was issued a couple of singles before they changed their name to the rather more PC Creedence Clearwater Revival. Pristine copies of the Golliwogs' version of the song, can fetch £35.


36
30
Drive On James King George RCA 1573

A UK tour, mainly of Big L venues, was arranged by the Philip Birch Agency (run by Radio London's MD) for Virginia's King George, (George Clemons) and the Harlem Kiddies, with the intention of promoting Drive on James. The last tour date was April 30th,at the Upper Cut Club. Unfortunately, unlike his old friend from New York, Jimi Hendrix, King George failed to achieve Royal acclaim by the British public. That didn't deter him from becoming successful elsewhere, and we are pleased to report that King George is now based in Gothenburg, Sweden and still gigs regularly. See an interesting interview with 'his majesty' here.

39
You Can't Fool Me Chanters CBS 202454

A second appearance in the Fab for the Chanters, whose first single had been in the Top Twenty in Nov '66.

Not connected to the US doo-wop group of the same name, the Chanters was origially a four-piece band from Fulham, London. The band consisted of four of nine Chanter siblings, brothers Alex and Charlie and sisters Doreen and Irene. The sisters went on the record as duo Birds Of A Feather and then as The Chanter Sisters, in addition to establishing themselves as top backing singers for artists such as Brian Ferry, Elton John and Van Morrison. Elton, in turn, played on their Birds of a Feather album.

Thank you to Katie-Anne Chanter, for supplying the correct information about the Chanters line-up.

Further information is here

Ashore this week

March 18th
This photo from the NME shows Otis Redding indicating his appearance at Billy Walker's Upper Cut Club in Woodgrange Road, London E7, on Saturday, March 18th 1967.

The Stax/Volt tour, or 'Hit the Road Stax' had been renamed the Otis Redding Show. However, the Upper Cut performance on 18th March must have been an additional date, as it is not listed on the show's printed programme. Originally, the only scheduled shows were at the Astoria, Finsbury Park on March 17th. Another additional date was added for The Roundhouse – see Fab Forty 26/03/67.) After these London performances, the tour headed north to Manchester.

Note the two 'Big L Nights' on March 16th (with Human Instinct and hosted by Mike Lennox) and 23rd (with the James Royal Set, and Tuesday's Children, hosted by Stewpot). Tuesday's Children and Episode Six were among a number of artists signed to the Philip Birch Agency, which alongside Radlon Sales, was run from 17 Curzon Street. Episode Six appeared at the Upper Cut both on March 2nd and 17th. The Birch Agency also promoted the regular 'Discoveries of Tomorrow' nights at the club. Sadly, Radio London was gone four months before the Upper Cut closed.

At the bottom of the poster, former Radio England DJs Roger Day and Bill Berry get a namecheck. Both worked at the club after the station had closed in December '66.

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:    
Hi Ho Silver Lining Jeff Beck Tony Blackburn
We'll Talk About It Tomorrow Mindbenders Chuck Blair
No Time For Lovin' Mia Lewis Pete Drummond
Dedicated To The One I Love Mamas & Papas Kenny Everett
Chain Reaction Spellbinders Paul Kaye
Saturday Night People Christopher Caine Lorne King
Ciao Baby Montanas John Peel
Beggin' Four Seasons Mark Roman
Tell The Boys/Puppet On a String(*) Sandie Shaw Keith Skues
Because I Love You Georgie Fame Ed Stewart

Chain Reaction Spellbinders CBS 202622

The Spellbinders had previously peaked at #32 in the Fab for Dec 11th 1966, with Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again), which had just scraped into the US Hot Hundred at #100.

Bob Shivers, Jimmy Wright, Ben Grant, McArthur Munford and Elouise Pennington were a soul band from Jersey City, USA, discovered by Van McCoy. However, I prefer the wording of an Internet computer translation from German, which describes them poetically as 'a group of vowels from jersey town center, the USA'!

The group was popular on the Northern Soul circuit and played Manchester's Twisted Wheel Club (with Jimi Hendrix allegedly watching from the audience). Their singles can be found on various Northern compilations.

Although Chain Reaction was being promoted as the A-side, the B-side, For You, (a Van McCoy ballad) had already charted in the Hot Hundred in 1965, peaking at #93.

Climbers:  
Goin' Out Of My Head Zombies
Pay You Back With Interest Corsairs
Shirl Daddy Lindberg
Goin' Where The Lovin' Is Marshall Scott Etc
I'll Always Love You Michael Cox
My Cup Runneth Over Ed Ames
Don't Do It Micky Dolenz
Mercy Mercy Mercy Marlena Shaw
Why Mustang
If I Were A Rich Man Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (*)
The Town I Live In McKinley 'Soul' Mitchell
Movin' Man Dion & the Belmonts (*)
On The Beach Extreem
Bernadette Four Tops
Give And Take Jimmy Cliff
Disc of the Week:  
Jimmy Mack Martha & the Vandellas
Album of the Week:  
Green Green Grass Of Home Tom Jones

Shirl Daddy Lindberg Columbia DB 8138

Daddy Lindberg was the new recording name for the Fingers (see Fab 22nd January). The songwriting team of Carter/Lewis penned Shirl and former Finger (would that be index or little?) John Bobin (#367), (see Fingers feature) co-wrote the Pall Mall-published B-side Wade in the Shade with some other 'digits' – Ricky Mills and Peter Ducky.

Goin' Where The Lovin' Is  Marshall Scott Etc HMV POP 1585

Cumberland band Marshall Scott Etc were originally a five-piece outfit, Marshall Scott and the Deputies. After the departure of lead vocalist Don Pattinson, the quartet of John Holden, George Scott, George Reid and John Armstrong relocated to London in search of fame. They signed to the Norton York Agency and gained an HMV recording contract, but EMI deemed the band name too long and shortened it to Marshall Scott Etc. Early in 1967, Londoner Alan Coleshill took over from John Holden on bass guitar, but it is unclear which of the two guitarists played on Goin' Where The Lovin' Is.

The full history of Marshall Scott Etc is on the band's webpage.

Goin' Where The Lovin' Is features backing vocals by Kiki Dee, Madeleine Bell and Lesley Duncan*, who at the time were Dusty Springfield's backing singers. All pursued successful solo careers and Madeleine also recorded jingles for Radio Caroline.

Drummer George Reid told us:
"We were a four-piece group who after having a lot of success locally decided to give the bright lights of London and Tin Pan Alley a go. We were all single and after all, it was the early Sixties. After being in the smoke for four months, we made a demo disc at the Norton York studios in Chiswick, West London. Norton York, the manager, took a shine to us immediately. He seemed to have connections in the music industry and soon we were auditioning for Walley Ridley and George Martin at EMI.

We recorded our first single Same Old Feeling at Abbey Road, St. John's Wood and appeared in a short film shot at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. This was one of the series of Pathé Pictorial short features that were made specially to be shown in the cinemas of the day to promote new record releases.

We were also climber of the week with one of our releases with DLT on Radio London."

Webmaster notes:
There is some confusion here. Goin' Where The Lovin' Is spent this week, 12th March '67, as a Big L climber and the next at #40 in the Fab Forty, but it was never selected as a DJ climber or Disc of the Week. DLT never broadcast on Radio London, but he did work on both Caroline North and South. Caroline had DJ Sureshots rather than climbers. Unlike the Radio London climber lists, we have very little information about the Caroline Sureshots, but do know that Goin' Where The Lovin' Is failed to make the Caroline Countdown of Sound. It has been stated elsewhere that it was the Radio Caroline policy for promoters to pay for their bands to appear in the lower end of the Countdown of Sound. Therefore, it's feasible that being played as a Sureshot, but failing to subsequently make the chart, ties-in with George's comment on his webpage about, "being asked for £250 to ensure further plays on the station".

* although the band webpage lists Dusty's third backing singer as Leslie Dawson, I'm inclined to believe that it was actually Lesley Duncan. Lesley Dawson has a single at #4 this week with Run For Shelter, but so far I have unearthed no references to her having backed Dusty Springfield.


The blue 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. The symbol (*) indicates additional information from personal listings, courtesy of Wolfgang Buchholz. Alan Field did not hear these records played or announced as climbers.

In this instance, Wolfgang (*) confirms Brian's listing of Herb Alpert, and additionally lists the Dion record, which neither Brian nor Alan have noted, but Hans Evers confirms Wolfgang's listing. Wolfgang also notes hearing 'Puppet On A String' played as a double A-side along with 'Tell The Boys', as Keith Skues' climber. However, 'Tell The Boys' was the side receiving heavier promotion at this time, being the only side featured in the Curzon Street list and the only side played on the Fab 40 show.

Green additions to the climbers indicate singles sourced from 'Monty's Diary'. (See Fab Forty for 010167). Monty has noted that two climbers from last week, On the Beach and Bernadette were retained for a second week. He has also listed Give and Take, which appears in the following week's Fab Forty and Bernadette which next week becomes Tony Blackburn's climber.
Alan Field did not hear the records listed in
blue or green played or announced as climbers.


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

Tune in next week for another Field's Fab Forty


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