Time Machine co-ordinates VILXVIII510102664

Today we arrive at October 26th, 1964- and we just missed the Rolling Stones in their first appearance on Ed Sullivan!

Apparently Ed was miffed that some of them came in t-shirts and suggested that if they return, they 'reform' " in the matter of dress and shampoo"

Instead, we get:


Ten days into his new administration, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson addressed the nation and announced a 15 percent surcharge on all imported manufactured goods in order to combat the nation's trade deficit, as well as tax rebates to encourage British exports.

Dash it all, how Trump-like.  Was he a Nazi?


**************************************************

ANYway, I have no idea what is coming up on today's TM other than two new M10 debuts and a special "I have no idea what to do with Jimmy Gilmer" countdown.  Let me pop out for a minute to see if I can do anything with the 6D victim, and we'll be ready to roll!

***********************************************

In the meantime, enjoy the latest from The Knocks, with help from a duo who slightly altered their first names to come up with the nom de guerre of Sofi Tukker, and our #10 tune...






******************************************************

All right, how's this for a 6D: name the man who, already a household name in music, decided a great cure for depression would be to play professional football?  What singer had a number one hit with two football players singing backup? And what singer, despite already being a singer AND songwriter of some repute, played drums on the 6D victim?  Oh, that's only three, is it?  How's this for a fourth:  Who wrote Beechwood 45-789?


Answer to all of the above:  Marvin Gaye!  Let's start with this article from Jason Plautz of Mental Floss:


Appearing as background singers on the track  (What's Goin' On?) were two of Gaye’s friends, Lions cornerback Lem Barney and running back Mel Farr. Barney had once introduced himself to Gaye by knocking on the door of his Detroit home and the two became fast friends, eventually roping Farr into the friendship. Gaye brought them to the studio when he recorded “What’s Going On” and invited them to sing on the track. However, when Motown producers refused to release the politically-charged single, Gaye again turned to his friends to pursue his longtime dream of playing in the Super Bowl with the Lions.

Barney and Farr helped Gaye bulk up and train to become a wide receiver. He approached coach Joe Schmidt and asked him for the chance to try out. When Schmidt asked him for game film, Gaye reportedly said he had never played, not even in high school, but that he always believed he would score a touchdown the first time he touched a football.According to Schmidt, the first time he met with Gaye he said “If I could sing like you, I certainly wouldn’t want to play football.” The second time Gaye approached him for a tryout, Schmidt decided that he couldn’t put the singer in harm’s way and declined to let him on the field.

It probably all worked out for the best. A few months later, “What’s Going On” was released and Gaye was once again catapulted into the spotlight with what would become his most acclaimed album. And the Lions? Well, they’re still waiting on that Super Bowl.


And the thing that sent me on the quest that led to that gem of a story:  Despite the fact he already had NINE top fortys pop as a singer, he was still playing drums for Motown's legendary Funk Brothers as late as this week in '64, as he did on our 6D song- Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' Dancing In The Street!  It was at #4 this week without a Panel Vote.

************************************

All right, I admit, I was at a loss of a schtik to do with Jimmy Gilmer for his Sugar Shack win, but I have a sweet (see what I did there?) backup plan coming up in a bit.  In the meantime, it's time I did the Panel pi... yes, Nardole?

Well, you could let ME do them...

You don't know earth songs- except what you hear here...

I've been practicing- I've been sneaking down to the mid-seventies and watching The Midnight Special!

All right, I'll let you try- but no Wolfman Jack bits, you hear me?

Yes, Mr Crankypants.  Let me have the one vote wonder list...

Here you go- 19 contestants from 67 stations- AND it's a run-off this week!

Yes, yes... This first one was actually pretty good-  an Australian vote for the first New Zealander to hit #1 outside his own country!  He was Ray Columbus and the Invaders, and the song was She's A Mod.

The Blend wells...

That's Blendells, it's not a recipe...

Er, Blendells were at #88 with La La La La La.   Did this win a grammy for songwriting?

Don't be a cue ball, cue ball.

The Beatles' first American concert opening acts, the Sounds Incorporated, did not chart with this vote from Australia- a version of the William Tell Overture.

Travis Wammack was scratchy- no, wait, he had a song called Scratchy, at #99.

Gayle Garnett was at #2- how did she only get one vote?- with We'll Sing In The Sunshine.

Here are the Beatles with their one representative- so much for your "infestation"- the song Slow Down, which had actually fell off the chart after peaking at #34.

The Kinkys- no, wait, Kinks- were at #35 with You Really Got Me.  Such grammar!

This one is a one hit wonder with a one vote wonder- the Volumes with a song that was NOT their one hit, Gotta Give Her Love.

Oh, how delightful- one vote for Elvis and Ask Me at #67.  Well done, sir!

E:  All right, Shorty, gimme the next runners-up list for I put your head on a golf tee!  Have I The Right by the Honeycombs was at #9 an' got 4 votes...

Chad n' Jeremy, couple'a sissies from England, had A Summer Song at #8 with 2 votes...

The Zombies got three votes for She's Not There at #44.  She ain't here, either, hyuk!

An' Roger Miller got two votes for Chug-A-Lug at #6.  Back to you, El Capitan!

Gee thanks, Elvis.  So like I said, two of our finalists went OT in this battle!  Choose from Leader Of The Pack By The Shangri-Las (#29); Baby Love by the Supremes (7); Doo Wah Diddy-Diddy by Manfred Mann (the top dog); O Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison (4); or Last Kiss by J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers (3)!  I will be back in a bit to let you in on the last two.


**********************************************************

Ready for our second debut- all the way up at #6?  From 2006's 30th anniversary re-release w/bonus tracks of A New World Record, here's ELO!





************************************************

So to do something in honor of Sugar Shack, I decided that I would look into songs that had sugar in the title- and there were so many, I hadda go take a metformin after compiling my top ten!  So here ya go, Chris' top ten sugar songs:

10- Sugar Shack, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs.  Honestly, I don't care for the song that much, so this is an honorary position.  In fact, I spent half the day changing the lyrics:

Drink a lot of coffee, smoke a lot of hash, but the cops pulled me over- and took my stash
That's why I've got to get back, o to that sugar shack...

9- Sugar Town- Nancy Sinatra.  Again, not a huge fan, but it was gonna be Sugar In The Morning or A Spoonfull Of Sugar- or worse yet, Sheena Easton's Sugar Walls- if I didn't...

8- Sugar And Spice, The Cryan Shames.  It barely cracked or barely missed the top 50 in 1966, and deserved better.

7- Sugar On Sunday, the Clique.  Almost entered the early M10, and hit #22 in 1969.

6- Pour Some Sugar On Me, Def Lepperd.  Oh, come on, you knew this would be on here somewhere...

5- Brown Sugar, Rolling Stones.  One of those songs, along with Sweet Home Alabama, I can't figure out why it hasn't gotten PCed off the radio...

4- Sugar Sugar, The Archies.  I thought I was going to have this at #1, until I found...

3- No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature, The Guess Who.  And I thought THIS was going to be #1 until I hit...

2- I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), The Four Tops.  And I certainly thought THAT would be my top, until...

1-  





***************************************************

And did you get one of the two who split 15 votes apiece? You did if you picked The Supremes or J Frank Wilson!  If not, you picked one of the three that had 17 combined.  Make your best guess at the winner...


**************************************************


Stat Pack!

I should note what Nardole missed on the Ray Columbus Panelist She's A Mod:  While it hit #1 in Australia in '64, it never CHARTED in New Zealand until 1981- and finished at #2...

Big mover was the a-side to Elvis's Panel song- Ain't That Loving You, Baby.  It went from 53 to 21, 32 spots.

The #64 in '64  nets you a bargain- the ep 4 By The Beach Boys.  EPs were big in the UK, but not so much here.  This was the only one to chart here by the boys, and included Wendy (which peaked at #44), Don't Back Down, their gorgeous rendition of Hushabye, and Little Honda- which peaked at #65 for them, but the Hondells had it at #11 as we speak (relatively).  The ep peaked 57 here and 11 in the UK.

The Ventures held the #101 slot with Slaughter On 10th Avenue.

I knew 31 here and 15 of 50 in the UK, which had several Panel songs aboard (Baby Love #24, Have I The Right 25, O Pretty Woman 2, She's Not There 45, and You Really Got Me 26) and at the top was Sandie Shaw's cover of Always Something There To Remind Me.


***********************************************


The rest of the M10:

ELO is on twice this week, with Train Of Gold falling from 6 to 9.

Also slipping were Escondido's Crush On Her (5 to 8) and Rad City's Ghost Organ (4 to 5).

Alkonost's instrumental of Paporotnik climbs 3 to #7.

Roseanne Cash, makes the 8 to 4 jump with Not Many Miles To Go.

And the top three holds, with What I Want at 3 for Anna Burch, Frankie Cosmos and Apathy at 2, and still at the top...

The Decemberists with Sucker's Prayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


***************************************

Now the final battle seemed at first to be going nowhere- I was through over a dozen stations before either one got a #2!  But then one of them picked up momentum and won the run-off by a 6-2 margin!  Who was it?  Why, it was...

...the Supremes with Baby Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So you know there'll be good stuff coming next week when the girls and I visit- 1965!