Time Machine co-ordinates VIVII43461663

Today we go to June 16th, 1963- the day that Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, orbiting the earth 49 times in 3 days on a trip that COULD have sent her spiralling out into space, had she herself not caught the mistake in the control program.  She would go on to be a factor in both Soviet and Russian politics (“The Soviet Union was important for more than one generation. I am not ignoring the mistakes, the highs and the lows, but as a whole … It is wrong to paint it only in dark colours. There was a lot of good as well.”), and only four years ago- when she was 76- she volunteered to lead a mission to Mars, "even if it is one-way".

Yuri Gagarin and "the female Gagarin"

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Welcome to this week's Time Machine, where we have, after weeks of runaways, a run-OFF in the Panel this week; yet another 6D that becomes a "who did it" instead; and our POTM shows up- with the #101 song this week...  and a few other things to entertain and delight you!


And first up, I mentioned a few weeks back that I knew there was a vast difference between the songs on the UK best sellers of all time, and the songs that win the polls of the best UK songs of all time.  Radio X does a yearly vote of their subscribers, and the 2017 version contained only ONE of the best sellers- Bohemian Rhapsody, which was third on the best sellers but #1 on the poll.  I actually know (or have at least heard) 34 out of the top 100;  the old boys did a bit better too, as the Beatles collected six, the Stones five, and the Who 3.  But the big winner- not unexpectedly in this era- is alt-band Oasis (which never truly hooked me).  They landed 11 in the 100, and 2 (Live Forever), 3 (Wonderwall), 4 (Don't Look Back In Anger), and 6 (Champagne Supernova) in the top ten!  Aficionados of the Martin Era would recognize David Bowie's Heroes at #9, but not a lot else.


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And about that wacky Panel:  We had a whopping 47 stations playing this week, and they netted us 12 candidates for next week's President of TM- and for a change, they were ALL on the week's national chart from Cashbox!  HOWever, 32 of those 47 votes went to just 2 songs- and they split them evenly!  So for a change, here are the also rans in chart order- since it was one and two that fought it out for the prize!

Bill Justus, who made his career in America, had a #1 in Australia (and thus his presence here), with the song Tamoure- which sat this week at #124.

Kirby St. Romain, whom I found little about, got a #1 with his song stuck at #97 with Summer's Comin'.

On the climb at #50, and gathering 5 votes, Jan and Dean's Surf City.

A song that my son loves, unusually, Essex with Easier Said Than Done, which was at #21 on the way down.

Little Peggy March, who will be back in a bit, with I Will Follow Him, on it's trip downward at #18.

Bobby Darin had 18 Yellow Roses at #13.

Bobby Vinton had the only other multi-vote tune with Blue On Blue, at #11.

Barbara Lewis with one of my faves no matter who sings it, Hello Stranger at #10.

Whispering Bill Anderson with Still, at #7.

The Crystals with a song famously destroyed by Sean Cassidy, Da Doo Ron Ron, at #4.


And that leaves us with the two 16-vote winners:  the national #2, Leslie Gore's It's My Party, and the #1, Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki.  So, who won by getting the most SECOND place votes?  Tune in at the end- even IF the rest puts you to sleep!

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Washington State's Fleet Foxes join the M10 this week, with an ethereal single from their latest lp, Crack Up.







They hop the train at #10.


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So it happens that our POTM this week, Ray Charles, has his finger in a couple of features this week!  He sits at #101 with a 2-sided hit.  The first side was called No One, and it peaked at #21.  Stopping at #29 was a somewhat more famous tune, Without Love (There Is Nothing).  This tune had a few trips into the hot 100:  Clyde McPhatter in '57 (#19), of course Tom Jones in '69 (#5)- and at #90, Oscar Toney, Jr.  Who?  Well, he was a more UK based bluesman, but the interesting thing here is that during his UK tour he insisted on a backing band called Merlin Q.  And the thing about Merlin Q is that they became the core of Edison Lighthouse (Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes)!

Now, back to Ray:  This single was a non-album disc in between his much bigger hits, Take These Chains From My Heart (#8) and Busted (#4).   And Take These Chains was the highest charting UK song on the US chart this week- with it sitting at #8 there, and #31 here.  Which prolly makes you wonder, so which Elvis Song is #1 in the UK this week?  Well, jokes on you- it was someone else mighty big over there at the top, and it wasn't Cliff Richard, either!  I'll let you in on who in a bit.


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Next up, the second debut at #9.  This song almost got in two weeks ago, and again last week.  This time, Nashville's Moon Taxi finally joins the M10...





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Now, out of the 31 songs on this week's chart I knew, time to focus on two of them.  First is the 6D song, which got ignored by the Panel at #3- Al Martino's I Love You Because.  This tune was written by a gent we looked into a while back- Leon Payne, who also wrote Hank Williams, Sr's Lost Highway.  Payne took it to the top of the C&W charts in 1949. Though Payne and Martino had the biggest hits with it, they were not alone.  Ernest Tubbs (#2 country) and Clyde Moody (#8 Country) hit in 1950; Johnny Cash took it to #20 country in 1960.  Jim Reeves, a former POTM, had a #5 hit in the UK with it in '64- and 12 years later, he grazed the country charts here.  Carl Smith, who was unknown to me but was a early country HOFer- 32 top tens and 5 #1s from 1951-67- had one of his last hits with it, reaching #14 on the country charts in '69.  And Roger Whitaker of The Last Farewell fame, took it to 91 country as recently as 1983.


The other song is our #63 in '63- and it is our other mention of Little Peggy March, who held the spot with I Wish I Was A Princess.  LPM didn't have a lot of luck on the US charts- this song, which peaked at #32, gave her two of her three T40s along with I Will Follow Him.  HOWever, she did tremendously well in Germany.  From 1965-80, Peggy racked up 23 top 40s there, 3 top tens, and the #1 Romeo Und Julia.


And speaking of "over there", that UK #1 was- the Beatles with From Me To You, which was just under 8 months away from its American debut.  And the highest US song on the Brit chart?  Brenda Lee's Losing You, which was #14 here and 21 there.

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And that brings us to the M10:


Flogging Molly slides down to #8 with The Days We've Yet To Meet.

Wet Wet Wet moves up three to #7 with Love Is All Around.

Once again, POWERS is Closer to the top this week- Closer moves up one more notch to #6.

Springtime Carnivore moves up a quick 4 to #5 with Midnight Room.

PVRIS' two week reign at the top is over- Heaven slips to #4.

Northern Faces are up to #3 with Messin' With Me.

Beach House makes it three weeks at #2 with Chariot.


And the #1s?   M10 says...

...Kidsmoke- And Mine Alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, who was it one the titanic tie at the top?  Well, by a 13-9 margin on #2s, it goes to...

...Kyu Sakamoto with Sukiyaki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Next week, 1964!  The great Beatles' first wave is over- who is left standing?  Find out next week!