Brian's Weekly Sleevenotes - 24 October 15

Extra notes and information on some of the tracks that Brian played this week.

Let's Slip Away - Cleo Laine (1960)
Now a track from another in the CD series, “Great British Record Labels” released by Rock History Records and this outing sees a sixty-eight double CD focusing on the Fontana label and include music by Matt Monro, The Allisons, Duffy Power and Roger Whittaker but we’ve selected this 1960 recording of the Alun Owen and Johnny Dankworth composition “Let’s Slip Away” sung by Cleo Laine.

Just Dropper In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Kenny Rogers & The First Edition (1968)
US No 5 The first American hit for the group with lead singer Kenny Rogers singer who later made a name for himself as a major country performer. This single is now a collectable amongst the psychedelic music fans. Written by Mickey Newbury who was responsible for Elvis Presley’s “American Trilogy” and Tom Jones’s “Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings”, the song was intended as a stark warning against the use of hard drugs and first recorded a year earlier in 1967 by Jerry Lee Lewis for his album, “Soul My Way” who decided not to release it as a single.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces (1968)
The Small Faces’ classic album, “Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake” topped the album charts for six weeks spending a total of nineteen weeks in the best sellers. The disc itself was packaged in a round sleeve as a parody of “Ogden’s Nut Brown Flake Tobacco” that was a product of Liverpool created by Thomas Ogden in 1899. Side one is a combination of rock and psychedelic sing along songs with the opening title track being a pure instrumental that is more than a passing resemblance to their second single, “I’ve Got Mine” that failed to chart.

Moon River - Danny Williams (1961)
UK No 1 The last UK number one of 1961 and the first of 1962 was written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for the Audrey Hepburn movie, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s.” The composers visited the UK for the premiere of the movie and Danny Williams was suggested to them to record a version of their song. They agreed to allow him to record it but Williams was reluctant because he couldn’t understand the phrase, ‘My Huckleberry Friend’, but after viewing the film, realised that the theme ran throughout the story.

Leave A Little Love - Lulu (1965)
UK No 8 After the success of her debut hit, “Shout”, Lulu had to wait another year before finding her next top ten hit. In May 1965, she was invited to sing the Les Reed and Geoff Stephens composition, “Leave A Little Love” at the much publicised Brighton Song Festival. Although it was placed second to Kenny Lynch’s “I’ll Stay By You”, chart wise it far outsold his record and gave the sixteen year old her second top ten hit.

Read more about Lulu's life in this week's article - 'Lulu - In Her Own Words'.

Sway - Bobby Rydell (1960)
The song was originally a top ten hit in 1954 for Dean Martin but in 1960, it was decided that the English version of “Quien Sera,” a mambo song written by Mexican Pablo Beltran Ruiz with English lyrics by Norman Gimbel, should be Bobby Rydell’s next release, a decision that paid off as it gave him a top twenty hit both here and in America.

Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got - Jimmy Ruffin (1967)
Written by Barrett Strong and the record’s producer, Norman Whitfield, the song tells of a man just about to be released from prison and his anticipated train journey to the girl he left behind. The song was later covered by other Motowen artists including Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Earl Van Dyke and R. Dean Taylor.

Take A Letter Maria - R. B. Greaves (1969)
Born Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves and was raised on a Seminole reservation in California. His uncle was the legendary Sam Cooke and nine years after Cooke climbed to number two with “Chain Gang”, Greaves occupied the position with this, his first chart hit. In 1963 he moved to the UK to become the lead singer for a group known as Sonny Childe and The TNT’s but returned to The States where he was signed to the Atco label recording his song, “Take A Letter Maria” that he wrote under his British alias of Sonny Childe. It was in the week of 22nd November that the single climbed from four to two but remained there for just one week.

She'd Rather Be With Me - The Turtles (1967)
This gave the group their fifth American top forty hit and their second of three top twenty hits in the UK. Although 1967 was probably the most successful year in the history of the group, it was also fraught with problems. At the start of the year, drummer Don Murray and then bassist Chuck Portz quit the group being replaced by Joel Larson and then John Barbata on drums, and by Chip Douglas on bass who also became the group’s music arranger. Impressed by Chip’s studio work, Monkee Michael Nesmith approached him to become the Monkees' new producer, as that band wanted to break out of their "manufactured" studio mold. Douglas accepted, left the Turtles and was replaced by bassist and singer Jim Pons

Hurry, Hurry Choo Choo - Sharon Tandy (1968)
We were unaware of the passing of singer Sharon Tandy earlier this year until we were contacted by Simon so by way of a tribute we’d like to play her track, “Hurry, Hurry Choo Choo” written and produced by Donnie Elbert and has just been included on a new Ace CD, “All Aboard-25 Train Tracks Calling At All Musical Stations,” that also features songs by Dusty Springfield, Chuck Berry, Neil Sedaka, James Brown and many more.

Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles (1961)
Ray Charles’s second American number one following in the footsteps of “Georgia On My Mind”. A complete change of pace with the song written by Ray’s good friend, the late Percy Mayfield who brought it to his attention after recording his own version. Ray enthused about the call and reply part that had featured so strongly on his first US hit, “What’d I Say.” The record remained at the top of the American charts for two weeks having knocked off Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care Of My Baby.”

I Can Hear The Grass Grow - The Move (1967)
UK No 5 The follow up to their number two debut hit, “Night Of Fear.” Although it was first believed the song was a reference to the effects of hallucinogenics, composer, Roy Wood claimed he got the inspiration from a friend who told him about a letter he’d received describing the place where this person lived was so quiet that during the day he said, ‘I Can Hear The Grass Grow.’ Roy thought that would make a great song title and went off and wrote the song.