Time Machine co-ordinates VIXXXV4681569

Today we head to January 5th, 1969... what?  We're supposed to be going to 1968?  Funny thing, that.  You see, December of 1967 (our last regular date) looks amazingly like January of 1968 (WOW!), so we moved on to 1969 instead of giving the Beatles or Monkees another shot at winning.  As such, we come in right on the day the Soviet Union (for you kids, what Russia was in between being... well, Russia) launched the Venera satellite probe towards... well Venus (you knew it had to be that or a STD detector).  V5 would drop into the Venusian atmosphere just over 4 months later- right on my 7th birthday!  And no, I don't recall the wild celebration that followed.

Venera 5...or 6... animation

And the Musical Tardis is back, after rolling through the M50 this week, and just in time for a special event:  the Beatles give us- the Worst Songs In Beatles History?  Plus, I share with you a childhood favorite, and the year 2018's first M10!  Blasting off- now!


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Now I haven't quite researched this one, but this is a rare M10 week- as was last week- in that the entirety of the 10 is made up of acts that have hit the 10 previously! In fact, I believe it is true that those were the first two weeks that ever happened.  And this week's bunch have a total of 23 M10s between them (last week's had 21).  The reason that went up was another song from my boy Dent May comes in at #10:






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This week, I'm saving the POTMs for a special event later, so you get me doing the Panel picks on my lonesome- 21 candidates from 52 stations!  So here we go:

First up, Tyrone Davis was just climbing at #72 with Can I Change My Mind.

The Ohio Express is back this week with Chewy Chewy at #27.

Tommy James and the Shondells were at #21 flying up with Crimson And Clover.

Sly Stone et al were at #28 with Everyday People.  What, no one liked the top ten?

Oh, here we go- Stevie Wonder at #9 with For Once In My Life.

Canned Heat was Going Up The Country at #12.  Wonder if they just purchased Geico and saved a ton of money?

Then we have a one hit wonder on the Dutch charts- a band called Zen- doing their version of the theme from Hair.  A touch rougher than the Cowsills, without all the silly stuff.

Booker T and the MGs were at #64 with Hang 'Em High.

Heard It Through The Grapevine is back this week- and Marvin Gaye is at the top with it.

Our "didn't get the memo" moment goes to the Fab Four with Hey Jude- number one in Australia, but fallen to #38 here.

BJ Thomas had his version of Hooked On A Feeling at #13.

And here's a first- an M10 song with a Panel vote!  From the 10's very first week, Elvis's If I Can Dream, which sat at #18 on Cashbox this week.

The Supremes and Temptations combine for I'm Gonna Make You Love Me at #5.  Wow 13 songs into the list, and only 3 in the top 10.

The Bee Gees were on their way, though, with I Started A Joke at #20.

Next was a one-hit UK wonder- well actually two-hit-  called the Casuals.  They rode the top of the South African chart this week with Jesamine.  Not a charter here, but not too bad if you like the soft 70's style.

The next tune I'm going to pull out of the list for a bit, as it is a keystone to a lot of our further story.  But it only got the one vote, so don't worry.

The Magic Lanterns, an English band that made one-hit wonder status here, were at #30 with Shame Shame.  Man, hadn't heard this one in ages!  Great tune.

Young-Holt Unlimited's Soulful Strut was at #11.

Another top ten was the #3 Stormy by the Classics IV.

The Doors had Touch Me at #39.  No thanks, Jim!

And finally, the #2 on CB this week was Glen Campbell with Wichita Lineman.

Now, all of this basically boiled down to an entertaining three-way battle.  So pick from Marvin, the Supremes and Temps, and Tommy James and the boys.  And now, let's get to our guests...

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So our missing Panel song- which was another one on the Aussie chart- was also the UK #1- and #20!  You see, a lot of acts did chart one way or the other with this tune.  Paul Desmond had an AC instrumental hit in our current year of 1969; Arthur Conley, best known for Sweet Soul Music, also charted at #51 in '69; and so did Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, albeit only to #118. Oh, and the version at #20 on the UK chart this week, a reggae version by the West Indian band the Bedrocks.   Finally, the Beatles (more precisely, the record company) released it in 1976, and it hit #49 (despite MUCH greater airplay here).  That song, Obla-Di, Obla- Da!

John:  Oh Yes.  Paul's granny s#!t.

George.  Not one of your best, chum.

And as you may have figured, I have the Beatles here in the Tardis today.  Gentlemen, how...

John: Before we get started, I have to speak to you about putting Imagine as your most hated song.

Hey, I got you from '69- you haven't even done Imagine yet.

John: Doesn't mean I'm not imagining it already.  You certainly pissed that one bloke off, didn't you?\

Yeah, mind the language, please, but yeah.  Some people have a hard time separating their politics from other stuff.

Ringo:  Oh, this isn't going to get into politics, is it?

Absolutely not!  So boys, I have here a list from the Houston Press...

Paul: A well-respected music periodical...

Yeah, I get that, but they decided to do a piece on the worst songs you all ever did, and I thought I'd let you all respond to it.  Obla-Di was the song that started the whole thing off- and a couple of you already addressed it- so why don't you go on with the rest of the list?

Paul:  But wait, that song wasn't that bad.  It was a charming little ditty...

George:  Paul, it was rubbish.  We all know it was rubbish.

John:  So let's look at the rest of the list.  What?  Strawberry Fields was on the list?  Bloody  nitwits.

Yeah, I didn't like that pick either.

John: They must have been on something.

Paul:  Like you were when you wrote it.  Next?

John: She Loves You?  I rather thought that aged well.

Ringo: Of course, that's from a five years on perspective...

Paul:  Maybe we should have sung, "Yes, Yes, Yes," like me Da suggested.

George:  Are ya daft?  What's next?

John: Now I AM upset- Revolution # 9.

Paul:  Well, it did drone on a bit.

John: It was PROGRESSIVE!

Paul: Progressively boring.  Next?

John:  Oh, look, Paul- one of yours- Paperback Writer.

That one really upset me- it's one of my favorites!

George:  Hey, who's doing this, us or you?

John:  Oh, look, more Paul!  Good Day Sunshine...

George:  I don't grasp that.  What was wrong with that?

Writer just thought it was a "little tra-la-la" for Revolver.

John:  Great Jesus, everything Paul wrote was a little "tra-la-la"!

Paul: Better that than self-serving, egotistical...

OKAY, moving on...

John: Oh, look, more Paul- Digging A Hole.

Ringo: GGGK!

Paul:  All right, that one I'll grant ya...

John:  Next Is Drive My Car...

Paul:  WHAT on earth is wrong with that?

John:  Nothing, after I fixed the lyrics...

George: Who is this nit, anyway?

He was the HP's music editor.

Ringo: Betting he was more of a Philharmonic guy.

John:  Next- oh, look, Paul again, with Birthday.

Ringo: GGGK!

Paul:  Well, that was a bit too "tra-la-la", wasn't it?

John: And last was Back In The USSR.

Ringo:  Oh thank God!  I was afraid Octopus' Garden or Yellow Submarine would be on here...

Well, he kinda threw Yellow Submarine in with Good Day Sunshine.

Ringo:  The nerve!  Cheeky sod didn't even give it it's own spot?

John: Well, at least that rot's over.  Are we done here?

Pretty much.  I...

John:  Good, cause I have something for you, in honor of your putting Imagine on that list.

Paul:  Oh. geez...

Wow, and I thought Yoko had the fat butt in your family.  Okay, time for us to move along, and I have a surprise in lieu of a 6D.  Because the song without a Panel vote was at #4 this week- Bobby Vinton's I Love How You Love Me.  What I didn't remember/realize until now was that I REALLY played the grooves off the flip side of that hit...





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What's left of the stat pack:

John Wesley Ryles, a teenager at the time, was at #101 with Kay, which went on to become a top ten country song.  He's a background vocalist these days, notably with Clint Black and Alan Jackson.


The Turtles sat at #69 in '69 with the very groovy You Showed Me, which would eventually get to #6


And finally, our big mover was the Foundations' Build Me Up Buttercup, which jumped 27 spots from 84 to 57.

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The remaining M10:

Plume Of Feathers hangs on for a ninth week with the former #1 Rhyl Love, dropping 2 to #9.

Sunflower Bean moves up 2 spots to #8 with I Was A Fool.

Shilpa Ray's Got not only A Heartful Of Dirt, but a hit at #7, up one spot.

POWERS slides 4 to #6 with Beat Of My Drum, another former #1.

And at #5, the ultimate former #1- in its record breaking 11th week on the chart, Mo Kenney's Unglued slips but one.

Which clears the way for Strawberry Runners to reverse their slide of last week, moving up 2 to #4 with Garden Hose.

Lats week's #1 is also a former #1- Shilpa Ray moves down to #3 with Manhattanoid Creepazoids.

Which means SOMEBODY is about to get their second #1- but not Mo, who moves up just one spot to #2 with On The Roof.

And this week's #1- up from #5-

...The Shacks with Audrey (Spending All My Time With You)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And who will be next week's Beauty Contest edition President Of Time Machine?  Well, the Supremes/Temptations alliance netted 13.5%...

Tommy James et al got 23.1%...

And that means the next POTM, ready to bring some Sexual Healing to the Beauty Contest, is...

...Marvin Gaye, who garners 26.9 % of the vote for Heard It Through The Grapevine!

And now, a little tease on the Beauty Contest:  Out of 73 Candidates- here are the Final 12:

Krista Ru of POWERS
Peggy Lipton
Melody Prochet of the Echo Chamber
Justine Brown of Easy Love
Marilyn Monroe
Amber Coffman
Amber Bain AKA The Japanese House
Elizabeth Ellison of Radiation City
Ksenia Pobuzhanskay of Alkonost
Yolanda Charles of Squeeze
Julia Cumming of Sunflower Bean
 and Jessica Maros of Escondido!

Now, you can perv look on the net in order to cast your votes, but keep in mind they will mean nothing- I choose the last 6, and Scrappy picks the winner!  Who will join the list of winners:

2012 Brandy
2013 Patty Boyd
2014 Tina Louise
2015 Linda Ronstadt
2016 Natalie Imbruglia
and 2017's Jane Birkin?  Tune in in seven days, God willing, for the answer!