Brian's Weekly Sleevenotes 17 October 15

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

Why Don't You Change Your Ways - Little Richard (1962)
After a number of years and several hits, Little Richard departed from Specialty Records and recorded a number of religious tracks with his friends in a group called The Upsetters. Not wanting his not wanting his name associated with the tracks, they were released under the band’s name alone. In 1962 he signed with Mercury where his old associate, Bumps Blackwell who was then head of production for the label and there he recorded an album “Little Richard, King Of The Gospel Singers” on which Quincy Jones was the musical director using a forty piece orchestra and a large choir and it was from those sessions that he recorded this Joe Lutcher song, “Why Don’t You Change Your Ways.”

Finger Poppin' Time - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (1960)
They were formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1952 as The Royals. A year later, Hank Ballard, an assembly worker at the local Ford Motors factory joined as lead singer adding his song writing skills to enhance the success of the group. In 1959, they achieved their first taste of chart success in America, reaching number 87 with “Teardrops On Your Letter”, but it was the ‘B’ side, their original version of “The Twist”, that was later to become an international hit for Chubby Checker.

Get Off Of My Cloud - The Rolling Stones (1965)
This was the first Stones single to be released by Decca after they’d renegotiated their contract, reportedly giving them the best royalty rate of any act at that time. With their enormous popularity in the US, their arrival in New York in October 1965 found fans almost crushing the roofs of their limousines with the weight of young girls desperate to follow The Stones into their hotel. The plug had to be pulled on several concerts when the fainting and screaming fans alarmed the authorities who were unaccustomed to such behaviour.

Chains - The Cookies (1963)
The group were formed in Brooklyn in New York as early as 1954 and went on to work as backing singers for many leading artists including Neil Sedaka and Carole King. In 1960, Darlene Love’s sister, Earl-Jean joined the group and went on to have a big American hit in her own right with the original version of Herman’s Hermits UK number one, “I’m Into Something Good.”

Twist and Shout - The Beatles (1963)
This was the first hit song written by Bert Berns who went on to write and produce hits for dozens of acts. Originally recorded by The Top Notes but became a hit in 1963 for The Isley Brothers whose version inspired The Beatles to record it for their first album, “Please Please Me” which eleven of the fourteen songs were completed in one ten hour recording session with “Twist And Shout” being the last and had to be completed in just two takes as John Lennon was suffering from a cold and his voice gave up at the second attempt so the initial version was released.

Some Do, Some Don't - The Lorne Gibson Trio (1963)
Lorne Gibson was born Eric Brown in Edinburgh in 1940 and he had no ambitions of becoming a singer. When he was 17, he was working in a café and a customer played him a Hank Williams record, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry”. Having learned to play basic guitar chords he started to perform the song as it was relatively easy to learn. Moving to London, he formed The Lorne Gibson Trio and landed a recording contract with Decca and a regular spot on the Light Programme’s “Saturday Club”. Gibson made many popular records and was unlucky not to have more success. His insidious "Some Do, Some Don't” was written by the US country star Freddie Hart, received much radio play and became the closest to becoming a hit. He was married to Maggie Gibbs and had one daughter, he died in May 2003 at the age of fifty-three.

World Without Love - Peter & Gordon (1964)
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and a song that The Beatles never recorded but topped the American charts for one week and for two in the UK. McCartney didn’t think the song was strong enough for The Beatles and offered it to Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas who also rejected it. John Lennon’s reaction to the song was to laugh at the first line, “please lock me away”, he’d say, “Yes, ok, end of song”. Fortunately Peter Asher’s sister was going out with McCartney at the time and suggested that her brother Peter, who had just formed the duo, Peter and Gordon attempted the song, and when they did, they proved everyone else wrong

Love Letters - Ketty Lester (1962)
Written by Victor Young and Edward Heyman, this was originally a big American hit in 1945 for Dick Haymes and was the title song to the movie of the same name starring Jennifer Jones. Ketty Lester’s real name was Revoyda Frierson who was born in Arkansas. After a residency at The Purple Onion Club in San Francisco in the early fifties, she joined Cab Calloway’s Orchestra for a European tour. After a brief stint in an off Broadway production of “Cabin In The Sky, she recorded her only top forty hit in a garage studio in Los Angeles and added her vocals in a bathroom in order to get the required echo on her voice.

Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (1960)
Johnny Kidd was born Frederick Heath in Willesden in London and learned to play the guitar and banjo before forming his own group, Freddy Heath and The Nutters in 1958, changing their name to Johnny Kidd & The Pirates the following year. An appearance on “Saturday Club” led to a recording deal with HMV releasing their first single, “Please Don’t Touch”. Both this and a cover of Marv Johnson’s “You’ve Got What It Takes” made the UK top forty. However, it was this, their fourth single that gave them their big break and a number one.

Unchained Melody - Gene Pitney (1965)
The song has been successfully recorded by dozens of artists not least of all The Righteous Brothers but this 1965 version by Gene Pitney first appeared on the American issue of his 1965 album, “Looking Through The Eyes Of Love.” The song was written by Hy Zaret and Alex North and was first performed by Todd Duncan in 1955 when featured in the less than successful ‘B’ movie, “Unchained.”

Two Lovers - Mary Wells (1962)
Mary’s American follow up to “You Beat Me To The Punch” and her third consecutive top ten hit all written and produced by Smokey Robinson. She became recognized as “The Queen of Motown” until her ill advised departure from the company in 1964, at the height of her popularity. In other circles, she was referred to as the “The First Lady of Motown” and was considered one of Motown's first singing superstars.

(You're My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers (1966)
Although sounding remarkably like a Phil Spector production, it was in fact the work of lead singer, Bill Medley who had clearly learned a thing or two from Mr S. This became the duo’s biggest hit both here and in America not to have been produced by Spector. The record became The Righteous Brothers’ second American number one and was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil who had also been responsible for their chart topping, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.”