Brian's Weekly Sleevenotes - 20 December 14
Eight Days A Week - The Beatles
Taken from their album, 'Beatles For Sale' it was released in America as a single where it went to the top of their charts for two weeks due to plays by DJ’s from imported copies from England as the US album counterpart, 'Beatles ’65' didn’t include that track. It was also the first song that The Beatles took into the studio that was incomplete and the final arrangement was worked out during the session, a practise that then became a normal procedure for the band.
Rockin' Santa Claus - The Moods
This rare rock and roller was written by Clyde Allen Wallace who sang lead vocals on this 1960 track by Texas based group, The Moods, who released a number of singles in America between 1959 and 1963 and would often feature different members of the group in front of the microphone. The group still entertain their fans across America and have just recently celebrated fifty-six years in the entertainment business.
Christmas Day - Linda Scott
Linda was born and bred in New York and auditioned and won a place on Arthur Godfrey’s hit radio show in 1959. She then came to the attention of Epic Records making her recording debut under her real name, as Linda Sampson before signing with the Canadian-American label where she became Linda Scott and scored a 1961 International hit with the Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern standard, 'I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star', the same year she released this seasonal recording of 'Christmas Day'.
You're Gonna Make Me Love You - Sandi Sheldon
Written by Van McCoy and released in 1967, this became a favourite Northern Soul classic in the seventies at the famous Twisted Wheel club in Manchester where you could hear the best soul music in town. Sandi Sheldon was an alias for American soul singer Kendra Spotswood who once toured with The Shirelles as part of their backing group but never recorded with them as she was under contract to other labels. She also recorded with her then boyfriend McCoy as The Pacettes, Jack and Jills, Two Of A Kind and The Fantastic Vantastics.
From A Jack To A King - Ned Miller
A pipefitter by trade, Miller began writing songs at the age of sixteen and after being discharged from the United States Marines, two versions of his song 'Dark Moon' made the American top ten in 1957 by both Gale Storm and Bonnie Guitar. Two years later he was signed to the small Faber label finding little success with his recording of 'From A Jack To A King'. After briefly signing to Capitol, he returned to Faber in 1962 and persuaded them to re-issue 'From A Jack To A King', resulting in a worldwide hit. Miller was a shy and reclusive man who suffered from stage fright so rarely toured or promoted his material but happy trading greater success for personal contentment.
Hello It's Me - Nazz
Often mistakenly called The Nazz, the group was formed in Philadelphia in 1967 by Todd Rundgren on lead guitar, Carson Van Osten bass, drummer Thom Mooney, with vocalist and keyboard player, Robert “Stewkey” Antoni who joined before they opened a concert for the Doors in 1967. In 1968, they released their debut self titled album and from it the single, 'Open My Eyes' with 'Hello It’s Me' on the flip. But like many other stories, DJ’s began to play the ‘B’ side and soon it was climbing the American Hot 100.
Downtown - Petula Clark
Tony Hatch, who wrote the song first worked with Petula when he assisted her regular producer, Alan A Freeman who later asked him to take over as her regular producer. After coming up with five failed singles, in 1964 Hatch travelled to New York in search of new material and whilst staying in a hotel near Central Park, walked to Times Square and naively thought he was in Downtown Manhattan and dreamed up the melody to song. After playing it to Petula, slipping in the phrase ‘down town’ she enthused over it more than any of the other material he had collected and told him to go and write some great lyrics. The recording took place in October, 1964 at Pye’s Marble Arch studios and minutes before the start of the recording, Hatch was still finishing up the lyrics in the gents washroom.
Merry Gentle Pops - The Barron Knights
This became the third of four top twenty hits achieved by The Barron Knights in the sixties, all of which featured the group providing new lyrics to recent hit songs. On this 1966 Yuletide release in two parts, they offered the reworking of Donovan’s 'Catch The Wind', Marianne Faithfull’s 'This Little Bird', The Rolling Stones’ 'Satisfaction', The Hollies’ 'Look Through Any Window', The Ivy League’s 'Tossing And Turning' and Peter Cook & Dudley Moore’s 'Goodbyee'.
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Brenda actually recorded this Johnny Marks song in 1958 when she was only fourteen years old and her American label, Decca, released it both in 1958 and 1959 and on both occasions it failed to make any impact. So for the Christmas season of 1960, they tried again, this time it climbed to number fourteen on the Billboard chart. However, it wasn’t until two years later that it finally received a British release and is still one of the most popular Yuletide songs of the century.
Blowing In The Wind - The Hollies
The Hollies version of Dylan’s 'Blowing In The Wind' was recorded during the middle of August at the smaller Abbey Road Studio 3 which became a daunting experience for the group who suddenly found themselves face to face with some of the country’s leading musicians including Ronnie Scott and Ronnie Ross who were included in the impressive orchestra hired by arranger Mike Vickers for the song which featured lead vocals by Allan Clarke as parting Graham Nash was not involved in the sessions for 'The Hollies Sing Dylan' but did add his vocals to a then unreleased version of 'Blowing In The Wind'.
I Guess I'll Always Love You - The Isley Brothers
First released in 1966, the single made little impact either in the UK or America but with a huge Motown boom in Britain, the record was re-released in 1969 gaining substantial airplay and reaching number eleven on the charts. Interestingly, The Supremes recorded their own version of 'I Guess I’ll Always Love You' on their album, 'The Supremes sing Holland-Dozier and Holland' using the Isley Brothers’ backing track whilst The Isley’s released their version of The Supremes’ hit, 'I Hear A Symphony' on the ‘B’ side of this.
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Barron Knights
Bob Stanley takes a look at the highs and lows of the legendary Bedfordshire band
