Sunday, July 3, 2011

MY GENERATION (The Who)

From Wikipedia:
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).

Saturday, June 25, 2011

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN (The Charlie Santos Group)

Track 7 of the album The British Invaders produced by me and Daniel Maia.
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a folk song from the United States. Also called "House of the Rising Sun" or occasionally "Rising Sun Blues", it tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. The most successful commercial version was recorded by the English rock group The Animals in 1964, which was a number one hit in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland and Canada.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I`M ALIVE (The Hollies)

From Wikipedia:
I'm Alive" is a 1965 number-one UK hit single by The Hollies. It was written especially for them by the successful US pop songwriter Clint Ballard, Jr. who also had chart-topping hits with Linda Ronstadt, Wayne Fontana and Jimmy Jones. However they originally passed the song over to another Manchester band, the Toggery Five, before changing their mind and recording the song, which became their first No 1 hit in the UK. This song appears on the US version of the 1965 Hollies album, Hear! Here!.

Friday, May 27, 2011

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
The Beatles were asked to come up with a song containing a simple message to be understood by all nationalities. "It was an inspired song and they really wanted to give the world a message," said Brian Epstein. "The nice thing about it is that it cannot be misinterpreted. It is a clear message saying that love is everything." According to journalist Jade Wright, "Lennon was fascinated by the power of slogans to unite people and never afraid to create art out of propaganda. When asked in 1971 whether songs like "Give Peace a Chance" and "Power to the People" were propaganda songs, he answered: 'Sure. So was All You Need Is Love. I'm a revolutionary artist. My art is dedicated to change.
The day before the Our World broadcast, The Beatles decided that the song should be their next single. Released in the UK on 7 July 1967, it went straight to number one and remained there for three weeks. It was similarly successful in the United States after its release on 17 July, reaching number one for a week. It was also included on the American LP version of Magical Mystery Tour in November.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

TO SIR WITH LOVE (Lulu)

Fromn Wikipedia:
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns,(born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, 3 November 1948, Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire), best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day. She is famous for the title song from the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, in North America for the film theme "To Sir, with Love" and in the UK for her first hit "Shout" and her Eurovision Song Contest winning entry "Boom Bang-a-Bang".

Monday, May 16, 2011

BABY, NOW THAT I`VE FOUND YOU (The Foundations)

From Wikipedia:
The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" (a Number One hit in the UK Singles Chart and Canada, and subsequently Top 10 in the US), written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" (a number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 in Canada), co-written by Macaulay with Mike d'Abo, at the time the lead vocalist with Manfred Mann. The group was the first multi-racial group to have a number 1 hit in the UK in the 1960s.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

NO MILK TODAY (Herman`s Hermits)

From Wikipedia:
Herman's Hermits is an English beat or pop band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. Original members were Keith Hopwood (guitar, vocals), Karl Green (guitar, vocals), Alan Wrigley (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Titterington (drums), and Peter Noone (lead vocals). Although the youngest of a remarkably young group, fifteen-year-old Noone was already a veteran actor, with experience on the British soap opera, Coronation Street. Derek "Lek" Leckenby (guitar, vocals), and Barry "Bean" Whitwam (drums) (born Jan Barry Whitwam, 21 July 1946, in Prestbury, Cheshire), joined later from another local group, The Wailers, Whitwam replacing Titterington, Karl Green switching to bass guitar to replace Wrigley, and Leckenby effectively taking Green's position. After Leckenby joined, the group obtained a deal with producer Mickie Most and signed to EMI's Columbia Graphophone label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I CAN`T EXPLAIN (The Who)

From Wikipedia:
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums). They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction. The Who have sold about 100 million records, and have charted 27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as 17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.
The Who rose to fame in the UK with a series of top ten hit singles, boosted in part by pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline, beginning in January 1965 with "I Can't Explain". The albums My Generation (1965), A Quick One (1966) and The Who Sell Out (1967) followed, with the first two reaching the UK top five. They first hit the US Top 40 in 1967 with "Happy Jack" and hit the top ten later that year with "I Can See for Miles". Their fame grew with memorable performances at the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by Numbers (1975), Who Are You (1978) and The Kids Are Alright (1979).

A WHITER SHADE OF PALE (Procol Harum)

From Wikipedia:
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Although noted for its baroque and classical influence, Procol Harum's music also embraces the blues, R&B and soul.

Friday, April 15, 2011

YES I WILL (The Hollies)

From wikipedia:
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s. They enjoyed considerable popularity in many countries, although they did not achieve major US chart success until 1966. Along with The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, they are one of the few British pop groups of the early 1960s that have never officially broken up and that continue to record and perform. The Hollies were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Friday, February 18, 2011

SUNNY AFTERNOON (The Kinks)

From Wikipedia:
Sunny Afternoon" is a song by The Kinks, written by chief songwriter Ray Davies.[1] The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well as being the title track for their 1967 compilation album. Its strong Music Hall flavour and lyrical focus was part of a stylistic departure for the band (begun with 1965's "A Well Respected Man"), who had risen to fame in 1964-65 with a series of hard-driving, power-chord rock hits. Released as a single in 3 June 1966, it went to number 1 on the UK charts on 7 July 1966, remaining there for two weeks. The track also went to number 1 in Ireland on 18 July 1966. In America, it peaked at number fourteen. "Sunny Afternoon" was placed at #200 on Pitchfork Media's list of The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s.

PAPERBACK WRITER (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Paperback Writer" is a 1966 song recorded and released by The Beatles. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon/McCartney, the song was released as the A-side of their eleventh single. The single went to the number one spot in the United States, United Kingdom, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. Written in the form of a letter from an aspiring author to a publisher, "Paperback Writer" was the first UK Beatles single that was not a love song (though "Nowhere Man", which was a single in the US, was their first album song released with that distinction). On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song was at number one for two non-consecutive weeks, being interrupted by Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night". "Paperback Writer" was the last new song by the Beatles to be featured on their 1966 tour.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

SUNSHINE SUPERMAN (Donovan)

From Wikipedia:
Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch, born 10 May 1946, in Maryhill, Glasgow), is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music. He currently lives with his family in County Cork in Ireland. Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the pop TV series, Ready Steady Go!, and his popularity spread to the US and other countries. After signing with the British label Pye Records in 1965, he recorded a handful of singles and two albums in the folk music vein. After extricating himself from his original management contract, he began a long and successful collaboration with leading independent record producer Mickie Most, scoring a string of hits in the UK, the US, Australia and other countries. His successful records in the 1960s included the UK hits "Catch the Wind" and "Colours" in 1965, while "Sunshine Superman" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year, and reached number two in Britain. Donovan was the first artist to be signed to CBS/Epic Records by then-new Administrative Vice President Clive Davis, who later became head of the CBS Record empire.

YOU ARE MY WORLD (Cilla Black)

From Wikipedia:
Priscilla White was born in Liverpool, England to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. Determined to become an entertainer, she got a part-time job as a cloakroom attendant at Liverpool's Cavern Club, best known for its association with The Beatles. Impromptu performances impressed The Beatles and others. She became a guest singer with the Merseybeat bands Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes and, later, with The Big Three. She was also, meantime, a waitress at the Zodiac coffee lounge, where she was to meet her future husband Bobby Willis. She was featured in an article in the first edition of the local music newspaper Mersey Beat; the paper's publisher, Bill Harry, mistakenly referred to her as Cilla Black, rather than White, and she decided she liked the name, and took it as a stage name. Her second UK #1 success, "You're My World", was an English-language rendition of the Italian popular song "Il Mio Mondo". She also enjoyed chart success with the song in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa and Canada. Both songs sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.

Friday, February 11, 2011

19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during their 1965 tour of the United States. The song was recorded during the Aftermath sessions between 3 and 8 December 1965 at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, at the conclusion of their fourth North American tour. The song talks of a difficult, spoiled girl who cannot appreciate life. Mick Jagger says he came up with the title first, and then wrote the lyrics around the title. It was released as a single on 4 February 1966 and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and in the United Kingdom Record Retailer chart. However, it hit #1 in the NME chart and the BBC's Pick of the Pops chart, both of which were more widely recognised in Britain at the time. The hypnotic riff Brian Jones is playing during the verses pays a tribute to Bo Diddley's song "Diddley Daddy", Diddley being a major influence on the Rolling Stones' style. The song is also well-known for Bill Wyman's so-called "dive-bombing" bass line at the end of the song.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

WILD THING (The Troggs)

From Wikipedia:
The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in Britain and the USA. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "Love Is All Around" and "With a Girl Like You". The Troggs Billboard Hot 100 chart topper "Wild Thing" is ranked #257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was an influence on garage rock and punk rock. Fronted by Reg Presley, The Troggs were from the town of Andover in southern England, and were originally called The Troglodytes.

Monday, January 24, 2011

COME TOMORROW (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'.

NOWHERE MAN (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Nowhere Man" is a song by The Beatles, from their hit album Rubber Soul (in the United States on the Yesterday ... and Today album). The song was primarily written by John Lennon but Paul McCartney helped to "polish off the rough edges". It was recorded on 21 and 22 October 1965. "Nowhere Man" is among the very first Beatles' songs to be entirely unrelated to romance or love, and marks a notable instance of Lennon's philosophically-oriented songwriting. It was released as a single (although not in the United Kingdom) on 15 February 1966, and reached #1 in Australia and Canada and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lennon, McCartney and George Harrison sing the song in three-part harmony.

GET OFF OF MY CLOUD (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
"Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. It was written as a follow-up single to the successful "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". The song topped the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom in the weeks following its release in November 1965. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was recorded in early September 1965. The song is noted for its drum intro by Charlie Watts and twin guitars by Brian Jones and Keith Richards. The lyrics are defiant and rebellious, which was common practice for the Rolling Stones around that time; they were beginning to cultivate their infamous "bad boy" image. The Stones have said that the song is written as a reaction to their sudden popularity after the success of "Satisfaction". The song deals with their aversion to people's expectations of them.

BUS STOP (The Hollies)

From Wikipedia:
"Bus Stop" is the title of a song recorded and released as a 7" 45rpm vinyl single by the British pop band The Hollies. It became a hit in 1966, reaching #5 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the Hollies' first US top ten hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard charts in September 1966. It was written by UK songwriter and future 10cc member Graham Gouldman, who also penned major hits for The Yardbirds ("For Your Love") and Herman's Hermits ("No Milk Today"), as well as The Hollies' first venture into the US top 40 with "Look Through Any Window".

Sunday, January 23, 2011

SHAPES OF THINGS (The Yardbirds)

From Wikipedia:
"Shapes of Things" is a song written by Paul Samwell-Smith, Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty, originally recorded by The Yardbirds and released as a single in March 1966 by the Columbia Graphophone Company. The song title bears a striking resemblance to The Shape of Things to Come, the "future history" book by H.G. Wells which foresaw cities being destroyed by aerial bombing. In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Shapes of Things" at number 61 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The song is considered to be one of the first psychedelic songs and features a psychedelic-style guitar solo by Jeff Beck using his Fender Esquire guitar.

Friday, January 21, 2011

YOU DON`T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME (Dustry Springfield)

From Wikipedia:
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is a song recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield. It is an English version of an Italian song called "Io che non vivo (senza te)" (translated: "I, who can't live (without you)") written by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini. Springfield heard it at the Sanremo Festival in 1965 where it was performed by Donaggio himself and his team partner Jody Miller, and she presented it to Vicki Wickham and Simon Napier-Bell, who wrote the English lyrics for the song. Released in early 1966, the single release of Springfield's recording became a huge hit and remains one of the songs most identified with her. When Dusty died the song was featured on Now 42 as a tribute to her. The song hit #1 in the UK,and #4 in the USA. The song proved so popular in the USA that Springfield's 1965 album Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty was released there with a slightly different track listing, and titled after the hit single (the B side of the US single, "Little by Little" was issued in the UK as a separate A side and reached #17 there). In 2004, the song made the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #491.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

JUST ONE LOOK (The Hollies)

From Wikipedia:
The Hollies are an English rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the era. They enjoyed considerable popularity in many countries, although they did not achieve major US chart success until 1966. Along with The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, they are one of the few British pop groups of the early 1960s that have never officially broken up and that continue to record and perform. The Hollies were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

DAY TRIPPER (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, it was released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album. The single topped the UK Singles Chart and the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Under the pressure of needing a new single for the Christmas market, Lennon wrote most of the lyrics and the famous guitar hook, while McCartney worked on the verses.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

IT`S NOT UNUSUAL (Tom Jones)

From Wikipedia:
Sir Thomas John Woodward, (born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. Jones is particularly noted for his powerful voice. Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel. Since 1965, Jones has sold over 100 million records... Many record companies found Jones' stage presence, act, and vocal delivery too raucous and raunchy. Eventually, Mills got Jones a recording contract with Decca. His first single, "Chills and Fever," was released in late 1964. It didn't chart, but the follow-up, "It's Not Unusual" became an international hit. The BBC initially refused to play it, but the offshore pirate radio station Radio Caroline promoted it. The heavily orchestrated pop arrangement perfectly meshed with Jones' swinging, sexy image, and in early 1965, "It's Not Unusual" reached number one in the United Kingdom and the top ten in the United States.

I`lLL NEVER FIND ANOTHER YOU (The Seekers)

From Wikipedia:
An Australian band discovered in the UK.
The Seekers were a group of Australian folk-influenced popular musicians that was formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were a highly popular band during the 1960s.After the release of their debut album in Australia, Introducing The Seekers, in 1963, The Seekers were offered the chance to travel to the UK on the Sitmar cruise liner Fairsky in 1964, in exchange for providing on-board entertainment. They had intended to return to Australia ten weeks later on the same ship, but on arrival in the UK they were offered work by the Grade Organization. The group decided to remain in the UK and after filling in on a bill headlined by Dusty Springfield, they met her brother, songwriter-producer Tom Springfield, who had experience with folk-pop material with his earlier group The Springfields. He penned a song for them called "I'll Never Find Another You", which they recorded in November 1964. It was released by EMI Records (on the Columbia label) in December 1964 and was championed by the offshore radio station Radio Caroline. Despite the fact that the group had not signed a contract with EMI, the single reached the UK Top 40 and began selling well. In February 1965, it reached #1 in the UK and Australia, and #4 in the U.S. where it was released on EMI's Capitol label. The distinctive soprano voice of lead singer Judith Durham, the group's harmonies, and memorable songs encouraged the BBC to give them exposure, allowing them to appeal to a broad cross-section of the pop audience.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

YEH YEH (Georgie Fame and The Blue Fames)

From Wikipedia:
Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell, 26 June 1943, Leigh, Lancashire) is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer; often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame took piano lessons from the age of seven and after leaving Leigh Central County Secondary School at 15, he worked for a brief period in a cotton weaving mill and played piano for a band called The Dominoes in the evenings. After taking part in a singing contest at the Butlins Holiday Camp in Pwllheli, North Wales he was offered a job there by the band leader, early British rock'n'roll star Rory Blackwell. At sixteen years of age, Fame went to London and entered into a management agreement with Larry Parnes, who had given new stage names to such artists as Marty Wilde and Billy Fury. Fame later recalled that Parnes had given him an ultimatum over his forced change of name. Over the following year he toured the UK playing beside Wilde, Joe Brown, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and others. Fame played piano for Billy Fury in his backing band "The Blue Flames". When the backing band got the sack at the end of 1961, the band were re-billed as "Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames" and went on to enjoy great success with a repertoire largely of rhythm and blues numbers. Fame enjoyed residences at a number of Soho nightclubs such as "The Flamingo" and "The Whiskey-A-Go-Go" (site of the latter day WAG Club) in Soho's Wardour Street.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

HAVE I THE RIGHT (The Honeycombs)

From Wikipedia:
The Honeycombs were an English beat/pop group, founded in 1963 in North London. The group had one chart-topping hit, the million selling "Have I the Right?", in 1964. After that song the interest in the group ebbed away, and they split up in late 1966. The group's most distinguishing mark was their female drummer, Honey Lantree.

Monday, January 3, 2011

CAN`T YOU HEAR MY HEARTBEAT (Herman`s Hermits)

From Wikipedia:
Herman's Hermits is an English beat or pop band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. Original members were Keith Hopwood (guitar, vocals), Karl Green (guitar, vocals), Alan Wrigley (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Titterington (drums), and Peter Noone (lead vocals). Although the youngest of a remarkably young group, fifteen-year-old Noone was already a veteran actor, with experience on the British soap opera, Coronation Street. Derek "Lek" Leckenby (guitar, vocals), and Barry "Bean" Whitwam (drums) (born Jan Barry Whitwam, 21 July 1946, in Prestbury, Cheshire), joined later from another local group, The Wailers, Whitwam replacing Titterington, Karl Green switching to bass guitar to replace Wrigley, and Leckenby effectively taking Green's position. After Leckenby joined, the group obtained a deal with producer Mickie Most and signed to EMI's Columbia Graphophone label in Europe and MGM Records in the United States.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

WE CAN WORK IT OUT (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"We Can Work It Out" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a "double A-sided" single with "Day Tripper", the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release. Both songs were recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions. The song is an example of Lennon/McCartney collaboration at a depth that happened only rarely after they wrote the hit singles of 1963. This song, "A Day in the Life", and "I've Got A Feeling" are among the notable exceptions. McCartney wrote the words and music to the verses and the chorus, with lyrics that "might have been personal" and thus a reference to his relationship with Jane Asher. McCartney then took the song to Lennon: "I took it to John to finish it off and we wrote the middle together."

CATCH US IF YOU CAN (The Dave Clark Five)

From Wikipedia:
After the success of the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night in 1964, the band released their own film, Catch Us If You Can (directed by John Boorman) in 1965. It also starred Barbara Ferris, and was released in the United States as Having a Wild Weekend. The short film Hits in Action highlighted a series of Dave Clark Five hits.
The Dave Clark Five had 17 records in Billboard's Top 40, with 12 Top 40 United Kingdom hits between 1964 and 1967. Their song "Over And Over" went to number one in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of December 1965, despite less than impressive sales in the UK, and they played to sell-out crowds on their tours of the U.S. Promoted as having a "cleaner" image than the Beatles,[citation needed] the Dave Clark Five were among the first British bands to tour the USA, and they made 18 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT (The Kinks)

From Wikipedia:
"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the British band The Kinks from 1964. It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart and #7 on the United States Charts. Like their previous hit "You Really Got Me", the song relies on a simple sliding power chord riff, although this song's riff is slightly more complicated, incorporating a B Flat after the chords F and G. Otherwise, the recordings are similar in beat and structure, with similar background vocals, progressions, and guitar solos. In 2003 it appeared as #57 on Pure Pop's list of The 100 Best Singles of All Time.

YOU`VE GOT YOUR TROUBLES (The Fortunes)

From Wikipedia:
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat group. Formed in Birmingham, The Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US and UK Top 10s. Afterwards they did a succession of hits including "Here It Comes Again" and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again"; continuing into the 1970s with more globally successful releases such as "Storm in a Teacup" and "Freedom Come, Freedom Go".

AS TEARS GO BY (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
"As Tears Go By" is a song written by The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, and their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and was a popular hit for both British singer Marianne Faithfull in 1964 and The Rolling Stones in 1965. The song is one of the first original compositions by Jagger and Richards, as until that point The Rolling Stones had chiefly been performing covers of blues standards. The myth surrounding the song's genesis has it that Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham locked Jagger and Richards in a kitchen forcing them to write a song together, even suggesting what type of song he wanted: “I want a song with brick walls all around it, high windows and no sex.” The result was initially named “As Time Goes By” the title of the song Dooley Wilson sings in the film Casablanca. It was Oldham who changed “Time” for “Tears". Oldham subsequently gave the ballad (a format that the Stones were not yet known for) to Faithfull, then 17, for her to record as a B-side. The success of the recording caused the record company, Decca, to switch the song to an A-side, where it became a very popular single. It reached # 9 in the British charts and launched Faithfull's career as a major singer. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in America the week ending November 28, 1964, where it stayed for nine weeks peaking at # 22.

I GO TO PIECES (Peter and Gordon)

From Wikipedia:
Peter and Gordon were a British Invasion-era duo and formed by Peter Asher and Gordon Waller, who achieved fame in 1964 with "A World Without Love", and had several subsequent hits in that era. Other hits for the group included "I Go to Pieces" (U.S. #7), which was written by Del Shannon and given to the duo after the two acts toured together, and remakes of "True Love Ways" by Buddy Holly and "To Know Him Is To Love Him", by the Teddy Bears, retitled "To Know You Is To Love You." Peter and Gordon had their last hits in 1967, with "Lady Godiva" (US #6), "Knight In Rusty Armour" and "Sunday for Tea."

DON`T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD (The Animals)

From Wikipedia:
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell and Sol Marcus for the singer/pianist Nina Simone, who first recorded it in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been recorded or performed by many artists, and is widely known by the 1965 blues rock hit recording from The Animals. A 1977 disco/Latin rendition by Santa Esmeralda was also a hit. The Animals' lead singer Eric Burdon would later say of the song, "It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately." The Animals gave it one of their trademark R&B-unto-rock workups, speeding up the tempo and starting off with a memorable electric guitar-and-organ doubled riff from Hilton Valentine and Alan Price, that was picked out and expanded from an element that originally appeared in the Simone recording's outro. This riff immediately led into Burdon's trademark deep, impassioned vocal line.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

LOOK THROUGH ANY WINDOW (The Hollies)

From Wikipedia:
The Hollies are an English rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the era. They enjoyed considerable popularity in many countries, although they did not achieve major US chart success until 1966. Along with The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, they are one of the few British pop groups of the early 1960s that have never officially broken up and that continue to record and perform. The Hollies were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. The Hollies were known for their bright vocal harmonies. Though initially known for its cover versions, the band moved towards written-to-order songs provided to them by such writers as Graham Gouldman. Soon after, the group's in-house songwriting trio of Clarke, Hicks and Nash began providing hits.

AS TEARS GO BY (Marianne Faithfull)

From Wikipedia:
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull began her singing career in 1964, landing her first gigs as a folk music performer in coffeehouses. Faithfull soon began taking part in London's exploding social scene. In early 1964 she attended a Rolling Stones launch party with John Dunbar and met Andrew Loog Oldham, who discovered her. Her first major release, "As Tears Go By", was penned by Jagger/Richards, and became a chart success. She then released a series of successful singles, including "This Little Bird", "Summer Nights" and "Come and Stay With Me".

YESTERDAY (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. According to Guinness World Records, "Yesterday" has the most cover versions of any song ever written. The song remains popular today with more than 3,000 recorded cover versions, the first hitting the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone. The song was not released as a single in the UK at the time of its release in the United States, and thus never gained number 1 single status in that country. However, "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners. In 2000, "Yesterday" was voted the #1 Pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Yesterday" is a melancholy acoustic guitar ballad about a break-up. It was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band, Paul McCartney. He was accompanied by a string quartet. The final recording was so different from other works by The Beatles that the other three band members vetoed the release of the song as a single in the United Kingdom. (However, it was issued as a single there in 1976.) Although credited to "Lennon/McCartney", the song was written solely by McCartney. In 2002 McCartney asked Yoko Ono if she would allow reversing the credit on the song to read "McCartney/Lennon". Ono refused.

(There`s) ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME (Sandie Shaw)

From Wikipedia:
Sandie Shaw (born Sandra Ann Goodrich, 26 February 1947) is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest. She has been described as "the barefoot pop princess of the 1960s". Sandra Goodrich was born and brought up in Dagenham, London, England. On leaving school, she worked at the nearby Ford factory, and did some part-time modelling, before coming second as a singer in a local talent contest. As a prize, she appeared at a charity concert in London, where her potential was spotted by singer Adam Faith. He introduced her to his manager, Eve Taylor, who won her a contract with Pye Records in 1964 and gave her the stage name of "Sandie Shaw".

SATISFACTION (The Rolling Stones)

From Wikipedia:
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. The song is notable for Richards's three-note guitar riff which opens and drives the song, and for the lyrics, which include references to sexual intercourse and a theme of anti-commercialism. The latter in particular caused the song to be "perceived as an attack on the status quo". The song was first released as a single in the United States in June 1965 and also featured on the American version of Out of Our Heads, released that July. "Satisfaction" was a hit, giving the Stones their first number one in the United States. In Europe, the song initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive. In Britain the single was released in August 1965; it became the Rolling Stones' fourth UK number one. The song is considered to be one of the all-time great rock songs. In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed "Satisfaction" in the second spot on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, while in 2006 it was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU (The Kinks)

From Wikipedia:
"Tired of Waiting for You" was a hit 1965 rock song by the English band The Kinks. It reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart[1] and #6 in the USA. It was recorded late August 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London, with additional guitar overdub at IBC Studios, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded 22 or 23 December 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2). The single was released on 15 January 1965 in the UK and on 17 February 1965 in the USA.

HELP (The Beatles)

From Wikipedia:
Help! is the title of the fifth British and ninth American album by The Beatles, and the soundtrack from their film of the same name. Produced by George Martin for EMI's Parlophone Records, it contains fourteen songs in its original British form, of which seven appeared in the film Help!. These songs took up the first side of the vinyl album and included the singles "Help!" and "Ticket to Ride". The second side contained seven other releases including the most covered song ever written, "Yesterday". In 2003, the album was ranked number 332 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART (Cilla Black)

From Wikipedia:
Cilla Black OBE (born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, 27 May 1943) is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous worldwide for her successful singles "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "You're My World", and "Alfie". After a successful recording career and a brief time as a comedy actress, she became the best paid female presenter in British television history. In September 2009, Black's 45 years in showbusiness was celebrated by EMI (the record label which launched her career in 1963) with the release of a new CD/DVD set alongside an album of club remixes (aka Cilla All Mixed Up). In May 2010, new research published by BBC Radio 2 revealed that Cilla Black was the biggest selling female chart star of the 1960s in Great Britain with her single 'Anyone Who Had A Heart.