Brian's Weekly Sleevenotes - 25 October 14

Hello Goodbye - The Beatles

The Beatles

This became The Beatles’ thirteenth number one in the UK and fifteenth in The States. As was the case with several songs that Paul wrote, John Lennon is believed to have taken a disliking to it, claiming it to be an inconsequential three minute piece of meaninglessness. What added fuel to the fire, was that John’s song, 'I Am The Walrus' of which he was really proud, was confined to the ‘B’ side of 'Hello Goodbye'.

Millionaire - Dave Crawford

When the New York based Brent label began achieving success with material sourced from Florida by local group, The Movers, the company decided to search further and discovered a track by Dave Crawford who started his career as a pianist working largely with gospel singers before becoming a DJ at a local radio station and began singing and producing his own records. His debut release was 'Millionaire', a cover of a 1963 release by Billy Duke and written by Van McCoy and Luther Dixon although Crawford himself was credited as composer on the label that resulted in the music business lawyers being sent into a frenzy.

Holy Cow - Lee Dorsey

Not only was it his biggest UK hit, it was also his last. Written by Allan Toussaint with whom he formed a strong working relationship thanks largely to a man named Marshall Sehorn, who was one of the most influential behind the scenes men in the history of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues and first signed Dorsey to the small Fury label before it collapsed. Two years later in 1965, Toussaint and Sehorn formed their own partnership and their first priority was to work with Dorsey after acquiring him a record deal with Bell’s subsidiary, Amy. From thereon in, the hits kept coming. In 1979, Dorsey suffered two broken legs in a motorbike accident but still managed to appear that year at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival performing from a wheelchair. On December 1st, 1986, just before his sixtieth birthday, he died of emphysema.

Baby Stay Close To Me - Travis & Bob

The Turtles

Next a new seventy-five triple CD from Fantastic Voyage under the title of 'It Takes Two-Dynamic Duos of The Rock ‘N’ Roll Era' that include duets from Jan & Dean, Nino Tempo & April Stevens, The Everly Brothers, Ike & Tina Turner and this track by Travis & Bob who were Travis Pritchett and Bob Weaver who achieved an American top ten hit in 1959 with 'Tell Him No' but never managed to repeat that success. The duo were offered a ten thousand dollar advance to sign to Wesley Rose’s Hickory label when he lost The Everly Brothers publishing contract but Bob had little trust in the music industry and the pair went their separate ways.

When Will I Be Loved - The Everly Brothers

Released as a double ‘A’ side in America with the other track being a cover of Gene Vincent’s 'Be-Bop-A-Lula', although 'When Will I Be Loved', written by Phil Everly, won out and in the UK it was issued as the stand alone. By the time this record had been released, The Everly Brothers had left Cadence on which the record appeared in The States and had signed to Warner Brothers where they had a number one hit both here and in America with 'Cathy’s Clown'. Their former label continued to release album tracks of material they had remaining in the vaults for some time much to the annoyance of both Don and Phil and Warner Brothers.

If you want to hear audio of the Everly Brothers talking to Brian in 1963, you’ll find it here.

Elenore - The Turtles

Their third and final UK hit but their eighth of nine American top forty successes. The group’s record label constantly hounded the group to write another song along the lines of their hit, 'Happy Together', so they came up with 'Elenore' which they came up with by way of a joke thinking the label would hate it as much as the group did. They thought the bosses would give the song one listen and realise how stupid the lyrics were and allow them to get on making the records they were hoping to record. Unfortunately for them, their little scam backfired and 'Elenore' became one of their biggest hits.

Please Love Me Forever - Cathy Jean & The Roommates

Jose Feliciano

Fourteen year old Cathy Jean Giordano from Brooklyn, New York was originally asked to record 'Please Love Me Forever' as a solo performer but on completion of the track, her record label bosses, Gene and Jody Malis decided that the record sounded too sparse and decided to add some backing vocals using The Roommates whom they managed to provide the harmonies. Cathy and the group had never met in person but on release of the record, leading DJ Murray The K made it his Record Of The Week and the single climbed to number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

Together - P. J. Proby

For the follow up and to keep in the same style as his first hit, 'Hold Me', P.J. Proby selected a song called 'Together', a song written in the late twenties by Ray Henderson, Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown with early recordings by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra and Bex Beiderbecke since when there have been dozens of cover versions including the 1944 duet between Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest then Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and a later hit version from 1961 by Connie Francis.

If you want to find out more about P.J. Proby’s life and career, you’ll find an excellent article by Bob Stanley by Bob Stanley, here.

Rain - Jose Feliciano

Feliciano was born in Puerto Rico and was left permanently blind as a result of congenital glaucoma. At a young age his father gave him a guitar to which he’d play along to records of classical jazz players before having classical lessons. Leaving school at seventeen, he began giving live performances in clubs around America and Canada and in 1964 was signed to RCA releasing his first single, 'Everybody Do The Click' with further singles and albums to follow. In 1967 he was due to perform in the UK but the authorities wouldn’t grant permission for his guide dog to enter the country without six months quarantine but resulting him in writing a song called 'No Dogs Allowed'. In 1968 he achieved his biggest hit with a cover of The Doors song, 'Light My Fire' selling over a million copies in the US alone. The following year he released an album, '10 to 23' that included his composition 'Rain' that later became a UK top twenty hit in 1971 for reggae singer, Bruce Ruffin.