Friday, December 31, 2010

MRS BROWN YOU`VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER (Herman`s Hermits)

From Wikipedia:
"Mrs Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" is a popular song written by Trevor Peacock. It was originally sung by actor Sir Tom Courtenay in The Lads, a British TV play of 1963. The best-known version of the song is by Herman's Hermits, who took it to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April 1965. Herman's Hermits had two U.S. number-ones, the other being "I'm Henry VIII, I Am". The band never released them as singles in Britain. "Mrs Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" was recorded as an afterthought in two takes and featured unique muted rhythm guitar by Keith Hopwood and heavily accented vocals by Peter Noone with backing from Karl Green and Keith Hopwood. The band never dreamed it would be a single let alone hit number one in the U.S. According to Pete Noone, the song was well known to British bands; it would often be performed at birthday parties, substituting the name of the girl whose party was being celebrated, i.e. "Mrs. Smith" or "Mrs. Jones" instead of "Mrs. Brown".

HEART FULL OF SOUL (The Yardbirds)

From Wikipedia:
The Yardbirds are an English rock band that had a string of hits in the mid 1960s, including "For Your Love", "Over Under Sideways Down" and "Heart Full of Soul". The group is notable for having started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, all of whom were in the top fifteen of Rolling Stone's 100 Top Guitarists list (Clapton as #4, Page as #9, and Beck as #14). A blues-based band that broadened its range into pop and rock, The Yardbirds were pioneers in guitar innovations of the '60s: fuzz tone, feedback, distortion, backwards echo, improved amplification, etc. Pat Pemberton, writing for Spinner, holds that the Yardbirds were "the most impressive guitar band in rock music". After the Yardbirds broke up in 1968, their current lead guitarist Jimmy Page founded what became Led Zeppelin.

KEEP ON RUNNING (The Spencer Davis Group)

From Wikipedia:
The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England formed by Spencer Davis with Steve Winwood and his brother Muff Winwood. Their three best known songs are "Keep on Running", a number one in the UK Singles Chart written by reggae musician Jackie Edwards; and "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man". Steve Winwood left in 1967, to form Traffic before joining Blind Faith, then forging a career as a soloist. After releasing a few more singles the band ceased activity in 1968. Davis started a new group in 2006, although only he remains from the 1960s line-ups.

THE LAST TIME (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
"The Last Time" is a song by the British rock band The Rolling Stones. This was The Rolling Stones' first UK single written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It was the band's third UK single to reach No. 1 there, spending four straight weeks at the top on most of the numerous UK music charts (there was no one UK chart at the time considered to be an absolute and definitive authority) in March and early April 1965. "The Last Time" was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California in January 1965. Footage still exists of a number of performances of this song by the Rolling Stones in 1965: from the popular BBC-TV music show Top of the Pops, the 1965 New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert and American TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show, Shindig! and Hollywood A Go-Go. The footage establishes that the distinctive guitar riff was played by Brian Jones while the chords and guitar solo were played by Keith Richards.

GO NOW (The Moody Blues)

From Wikipedia:
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed. The Moody Blues have sold in excess of 70 million albums worldwide and have been awarded 14 platinum and gold discs. As of 2011 they remain active with one member from the original band from 1964 and two more from the 1967 lineup.

TICKET TO RIDE (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Ticket to Ride" is a song by The Beatles from their 1965 album, Help!. It was recorded 15 February 1965 and released two months later. In 2004, this song was ranked number 384 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was written primarily by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney), with Paul McCartney's contributions in dispute. Lennon said that McCartney's contribution was limited to "the way Ringo played the drums". McCartney said that was an incomplete description, and that "we sat down and wrote it together... give him 60 percent of it... we sat down together and worked on that for a full three-hour songwriting session." This song was also the first song by the band in which McCartney was featured on lead guitar. Lennon proudly claimed that it was the first heavy metal song given the droning bassline, repeating drums, and loaded guitar lines. The song features a coda with a different tempo that extends the song's length past three minutes, the first Beatles single ever to do so.

LOVE POTION No 9 (The Searchers)

From Wikipedia:
The Searchers are an English rock band who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers. The band's hits included a remake of the Drifters' 1961 hit, "Sweets for My Sweet"; remakes of Jackie DeShannon's "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk In The Room"; an original song written for them, "Sugar and Spice"; The Orlons' "Don't Throw Your Love Away"; and a cover of The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". They were the second group from Liverpool, after the Beatles, to have a hit in the United States when "Needles and Pins" charted during the first week of March 1964.

YOU REALLY GOT ME (The Kinks)

From Wikipedia:
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorized in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognized as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a wide range of genres, including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk, and country. Ray Davies (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Dave Davies (lead guitar, vocals) remained members throughout the group's 32-year run. Original members Pete Quaife (bass guitar, vocals) and Mick Avory (drums and percussion) were replaced by John Dalton in 1969 and Bob Henrit in 1984, respectively. The Kinks first came to prominence in 1964 with their third single, "You Really Got Me", written by Ray Davies. It became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States. Between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group released a string of commercially and critically successful singles and LPs, and gained a reputation for songs and concept albums reflecting English culture and lifestyle, fuelled by Ray Davies' observational writing style
.

FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

From Wikipedia:
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry & the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the UK. The song is from the film with the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s a musical theatre production also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada. "Mersey" refers to the River Mersey in northwest England, a river that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool. The song is often misspelled as "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey", but according to the song's lyrics, the track is correctly titled "Ferry Cross the Mersey". "Cross" is not a contraction of "Across", rather, it is a request of the ferry: "Ferry, cross the Mersey."[citation needed] The ferry is the Mersey Ferry, which still runs to Liverpool from Birkenhead and Seacombe on the Wirral.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

EIGHT DAYS A WEEK (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Eight Days a Week" is the first song which The Beatles took into the studio unfinished to work on the arrangement during the session, which would later become common. The song was mainly recorded in two recording sessions on 6 October devoted exclusively to this song, which lasted nearly seven hours with a fifteen-minute break in between. Lennon and McCartney tried several ideas for the intro and outro of the song. The first take featured a simple acoustic guitar introduction. The second take introduced an "oo"-ing vocal that was experimented with until the sixth take, when it was abandoned in favour of the final guitar intro. The final outro (along with unused intro takes) was recorded separately on 18 October. The final version of the song incorporated another Beatles' first and pop music rarity: the song begins with a fade-in, as opposed to the common fade-out ending. The instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, bass and overdubbed handclaps. The fade-in and coda both include more guitar overdubs.

THE GAME OF LOVE (Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders)

From Wikipedia:
The Mindbenders (originally the backing group for Wayne Fontana) was a 1960s beat group from Manchester, England. They were part of the mid 1960s British Invasion with their chart-toppers "Game of Love" and "A Groovy Kind of Love". Wayne Fontana founded the band in 1963 with Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell, and Eric Stewart. The group was later joined by Grahame Foote. The name of the group was inspired by the title of a 1963 film, starring the British actor Sir Dirk Bogarde, called The Mind Benders. They released a few unsuccessful singles before recording "Um Um Um Um Um Um" in 1964, which was a major hit in Britain and led to a tour with Brenda Lee. They also had a number one hit in the United States with "Game of Love".

I`M INTO SOMETHING GOOD (Herman`s Hermits)

From Wikipedia:
Herman's Hermits is an English beat or pop band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's manager and producer, Mickie Most (who controlled the band's output), emphasized a simple, non-threatening and clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers. Their first hit was a cover of Earl Jean's "I'm Into Something Good" (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King), which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 in the US in 1964. They never topped the British charts again, but had two US Billboard Hot 100 No. 1's with "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (originally sung by Tom Courtenay in a 1963 British TV play) and "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" (a British music hall song by Harry Champion dating from 1911). These songs were aimed at a US fan-base, with Peter Noone exaggerating his Manchester accent; the band was not fond of either song and they were never released as singles in Britain
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DOWNTOWN (Petula Clark)

From Wikipedia:
Petula Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades. Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II. During the 1960s she became known internationally for her popular upbeat hits, including "Downtown", "I Know a Place", "My Love", "Colour My World", "A Sign of the Times", and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". She has sold in excess of 68 million records throughout her career.

I`M TELLING YOU NOW (Freddie and the Dreamers)

From Wikipedia:
Freddie and the Dreamers were an English band, who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. Their stage act was based around the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall (1.60m) Freddie Garrity, who was famous for bouncing around the stage with arms and legs flying. "I'm Telling You Now", which had been co-written by Garrity and Mitch Murray, reached Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in Spring 1965. They were the first of three consecutive groups from Manchester to have Number 1 hits that spring, the others being Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and Herman's Hermits. Their next biggest US hit was "Do the Freddie" at number 18, intended to inspire 'The Freddie' (sic) as a dance craze. The band's late 1965 album, Do the Freddie, included diagrams from dance instructor Arthur Murray on how to perform the routines.

IT`S ALL OVER NOW (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
The Rolling Stones are a rock band from London, England formed in April 1962 by guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones, pianist Ian Stewart, vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup. Rhythm and blues cover songs dominated The Rolling Stones' early material; they are credited for raising the international regard for the more primitive blues typified by Chess Records' artists such as Muddy Waters who wrote "Rollin' Stone", the song after which the band is named. Unconcerned with being authentic blues stylists, from the start the Rolling Stones have played rock and roll, and have written and recorded in many genres. After gaining popularity in Europe, The Rolling Stones became successful in North America during the so-called British Invasion of the mid 1960s. They have released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), eight concert albums (nine in the US) and numerous compilations; their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I FEEL FINE (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"I Feel Fine" is a riff-driven rock song written primarily by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released in 1964 by The Beatles as the A-side of their eighth British single. The single reached the top of the UK charts on 12 December of that year, displacing The Rolling Stones' "Little Red Rooster," and remained there for five weeks. It also reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1964. The B-side was "She's a Woman". "I Feel Fine" was the first of six number one songs in a row on the American charts, a record at the time. The subsequent singles were "Eight Days a Week", "Ticket to Ride", "Help!", "Yesterday", and "We Can Work It Out". The record was equaled by The Bee Gees in 1979 and surpassed by Whitney Houston in 1988. It was also the first Beatles single to be released almost concurrently in the US and the UK.

SHE`S NOT THERE (The Zombies)

From Wikipedia:
The Zombies are an English rock band. Formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent on piano and Colin Blunstone on vocals, the band scored US hits in the mid- and late-1960s with "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", and "Time of the Season". Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, comprising twelve songs by the group's principal songwriters, Argent and Chris White, is ranked 80 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, The Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" (Argent's second song, written specifically for this session), which was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number 12 in the UK, where it was their only UK Top 40 hit. This minor-key, jazz-tinged number, distinguished by its musicianship and Blunstone's breathy vocal, was unlike anything heard in British rock at the time. It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964 on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot". The tune began to catch on in early fall and eventually climbed to #2.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

DON`T THROW YOUR LOVE AWAY (The Searchers)

From Wikipedia:
The Searchers are an English rock band who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers. The band's hits included a remake of the Drifters' 1961 hit, "Sweets for My Sweet"; remakes of Jackie DeShannon's "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk In The Room"; an original song written for them, "Sugar and Spice"; The Orlons' "Don't Throw Your Love Away"; and a cover of The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". They were the second group from Liverpool, after the Beatles, to have a hit in the United States when "Needles and Pins" charted during the first week of March 1964.

I SAW HER STANDING THERE (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"I Saw Her Standing There" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and is the opening track on The Beatles' debut album, Please Please Me, released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone on 22 March 1963. In December 1963, Capitol Records released the song in the United States as the B-side on the label's first single by The Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand". While the A-side topped the US Billboard charts for seven weeks starting 18 January 1964, "I Saw Her Standing There" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 8 February 1964, remaining there for 11 weeks, peaking at #14. The song placed on the Cashbox charts for only one week at #100 on the same day of its Billboard debut. In 2004, "I Saw Her Standing There" was ranked #139 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

DIANE (The Bachelors)

From Wikipedia:
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland. The founding members of the group were Conleth (Con) Cluskey (born 18 November 1941), Declan (Dec) Cluskey (born 23 December 1942), and John Stokes (Sean James Stokes) (born 13 August 1940). During the 1960s, they had many successful songs in music charts in Europe Australia, South Africa, South America, parts of the USSR, and the United States. Some of the most successful were "Charmaine" (1963); "Diane", "I Believe", "Ramona" and "I Wouldn't Trade You For The World" (1964); "Marie" (written by Irving Berlin) and "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" (1965). In 1965 they had the 'most played juke box track' with "The Stars Will Remember" from a film they made with then-current DJ Sam Costa.[1] Their last big hit in the UK was a cover of the Paul Simon song 'The Sound Of Silence' which reached No. 3 in April 1966.

A SUMMER SONG (Chad and Jeremy)

From Wikipedia:
Chad & Jeremy were an English singing folk rock duo originating in the 1960s, comprising Chad Stuart (born David Stuart Chadwick, 10 December 1941, Windermere, Cumbria) and Jeremy Clyde (born Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde, 22 March 1941, Dorney, Buckinghamshire). The duo's first single, "Yesterday's Gone", for the Ember Records label, which was arranged by John Barry, was their only UK hit. However, Chad & Jeremy's strings-backed sound held a greater appeal in the United States, where World Artists Records released their early 1960s strain of commercial folk music. Their second single, "A Summer Song", hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. Follow-ups included "Willow Weep for Me" (a 1930s song that was recorded by Paul Whiteman and Billie Holiday; with Chad & Jeremy's cover version climbing to #1 on the Easy Listening chart) and on Columbia Records in 1965, "Before and After" reached the Top 20. In total Chad & Jeremy had seven US Top 40 hits between 1964 and 1966.

PLEASE PLEASE ME (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
Please Please Me was recorded on a two-track BTR tape recording machine, with most of the instrumentation on one track and the vocals on the other, allowing for a better balance between the two on the final quarter-inch tape mix-down in mono. A stereo mix was made at the same time as the mono mix, with one track on the left channel and the other on the right, as well as an added layer of reverb to better blend the two tracks together. This was common practice for playback on stereo consoles.Please Please Me was released as an LP album on Parlophone in the UK on 22 March 1963.

Monday, December 27, 2010

BECAUSE (The Dave Clark 5)

From Wikipedia:
Dave Clark formed the band in 1958, and was the band's drummer, placing his drum kit at the front of the stage, with the guitarists and organ to his rear and sides. He established business deals which allowed him to produce the band's recordings and gave him control of the master recordings. Originating in North London, the band was promoted as the vanguard of the "Tottenham Sound", a response to the Mersey Beat stable managed by Brian Epstein. From the outset, the band's sound was complemented by the inclusion of a saxophone. They had a series of hits, including "Glad All Over" that in January 1964 knocked the Beatles from the number one position on the UK Singles Chart.

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN (The Animals)

From Wikipedia:
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon – as exemplified by their number one signature song "The House of the Rising Sun" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life" – the band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material. They became known in the U.S. as part of the British Invasion. The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK and U.S.

AND I LOVE HER (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon/McCartney, and is the fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night. It was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard. The Beatles performed "And I Love Her" just once outside of Abbey Road Studios. On 14July 1964 they played it for an edition of the BBC's Top Gear radio show, which was broadcast two days later.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY (Manfred Mann)

From Wikipedia:
Manfred Mann were a British beat, rhythm and blues, pop, and cover band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Manfred Mann were chart regulars in the 1960s, and the first south-of-England-based group to top the US Billboard Hot 100 during the so-called British invasion. The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (as the band were originally called) were formed in London in December 1962 by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes player Mike Hugg. Born out of the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues and the Yardbirds), the band was completed by Mike Vickers on guitar, alto saxophone and flute, Dave Richmond on bass guitar, and Paul Jones fronting as lead vocalist and harmonicist; by this point, they had changed their name into Manfred Mann & The Manfreds. Gigging constantly throughout late 1962 and early 1963, the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound propelled by Mann's keyboards, Jones' soulful vocals and the group's overdubbed instrumental soloing.

A HARD DAY`S NIGHT (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
The Beatles movie A Hard Day's Night and fashions from Carnaby Street led American media to proclaim England as the center of the music and fashion world.

BAD TO ME / I CALL YOUR NAME (Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas)

From Wikipedia:
Billy J. Kramer (born William Howard Ashton, 19 August 1943, Bootle, Liverpool, England) is a former British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In sharing Brian Epstein as a manager with The Beatles he enjoyed access to the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney, recording several of their original compositions. With record producer George Martin, the song "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" was a number two UK Singles Chart hit in 1963, and was backed by another tune otherwise unreleased by The Beatles, "I'll Be on My Way". After this impressive breakthrough another Lennon/McCartney pairing, "Bad to Me" c/w "I Call Your Name", reached number one. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

P.S. I LOVE YOU (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, who are often recognized as the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in popular music. From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from folk rock to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as the "Beatlemania" fad, transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals, seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

DON`T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING (Gerry and the Pacemakers)

From Wikipedia:
Gerry & the Pacemakers are a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool and were managed by Brian Epstein. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases. It was a record that was not equalled for 20 years, until the mid-80s success of fellow Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Gerry & the Pacemakers are the second most successful group from Liverpool to hit the US pop charts, behind only the Beatles.

NEEDLES AND PINS (The Searchers)

From Wikipedia:
The Searchers are an English rock band who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers. The band's hits included a remake of the Drifters' 1961 hit, "Sweets for My Sweet"; remakes of Jackie DeShannon's "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk In The Room"; an original song written for them, "Sugar and Spice"; The Orlons' "Don't Throw Your Love Away"; and a cover of The Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". They were the second group from Liverpool, after the Beatles, to have a hit in the United States when "Needles and Pins" charted during the first week of March 1964.

CAN`T BUY ME LOVE (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
On February 7, 1964 the CBS Evening News ran a story about The Beatles' United States arrival that afternoon in which the correspondent said "The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania". Two days later (Sunday, February 9) they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Seventy five percent of Americans watching television that night viewed their appearance.

A WORLD WITHOUT LOVE (Peter and Gordon)

From Wikipedia:
Peter and Gordon were a British Invasion-era performing duo and formed by Peter Asher and Gordon Waller, who rocketed to fame in 1964, with "A World Without Love" and had several subsequent hits in that era. Peter Asher's sister, actress Jane Asher, dated the Beatles' Paul McCartney, so Peter and Gordon recorded several songs that were solely written by McCartney but credited, as most compositions by either were at the time, to Lennon/McCartney. Those hits included "A World Without Love" (U.S. #1), "Nobody I Know", "I Don't Want To See You Again", and "Woman".

SHE LOVES YOU (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
On December 10, 1963 the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite ran a story about the Beatlemania phenomenon in the United Kingdom. After seeing the report, 15 year old Marsha Albert of Silver Spring, Maryland wrote a letter the following day to disc jockey Carroll James at radio station WWDC asking "why can't we have music like that here in America?"

Saturday, December 25, 2010

GLAD ALL OVER (The Dave Clark 5)

From Wikipedia:
The Dave Clark Five (also known as "The DC5") were an English pop rock group. They were the second group of the British Invasion, after The Beatles, to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show when the single "Glad All Over" knocked "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the British charts, then in February 1964 went to #6 in the United States. The Dave Clark Five had several more hit songs in the United States during 1964-67, including "Bits and Pieces" (#4, April 1964), "Can't You See That She's Mine" (#4, June 1964), "Because" (#3, August 1964), "Anyway You Want It" (#14, November 1964), "I Like It Like That" (#7, June 1965), "Catch Us If You Can" (#4, August 1965), "Over And Over" (#1, December 25, 1965), and "You Got What It Takes" (#7, April 1967). The group disbanded in late 1970. On 10 March 2008 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
On January 18, 1964, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" reached number one on the Cash Box chart, the following week it did the same on Billboard. On February 7 the CBS Evening News ran a story about The Beatles' United States arrival that afternoon in which the correspondent said "The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania". On April 4 the Beatles held the top 5 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the only time to date that any act has accomplished this. The group's massive chart success continued until they broke up in 1970.

TELSTAR (The Tornados)

From Wikipedia:
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s which acted as in-house backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions. The Tornados enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" (named after the satellite and composed by Meek). It was the first U.S. #1 by a British group. Since World War II only three British singles had topped the U.S. chart: "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn in 1952, before the Billboard 100 charts were produced, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by Laurie London (which only topped the Billboard chart of 100 songs most played by disc jockeys) in 1958, and "Stranger on the Shore" by Acker Bilk in 1962, the first to top the combined list now called the Hot 100, doing so four months before Telstar. For a time the Tornados were considered serious rivals to The Shadows. The Tornados single "Globetrotter" made it to number 5 in the UK Singles Chart, but when bassist Heinz Burt left in 1963 for a solo career, the group began to fall apart.

I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU (Dusty Springfield)

From Wikipedia:
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien(16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s. She is best known for her work during the 1960s, when she released singles such as "I Only Want to Be with You" (1963), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966) and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968), and her acclaimed album Dusty in Memphis (1969). With her distinctive sensual sound, she is an important white soul singer, and at her peak was one of the most successful British female performers, with 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970. Her image, supported by a peroxide blonde beehive hairstyle, evening gowns, and heavy make-up, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.