The Season 1 contemporary music thread.

[Stephen Morgan]

Right! If anyone's interested I'll continue here with my ramblings on Dr. Who contemporary music. But, be warned, going back to 1963 is stretching even my memory a bit as I was only an eight year old schoolboy who had no real interest in records, but I'll see what trivia I can dig out about some of the most important records around at what was arguably a pivotal point in pop history, the start of the Merseybeat era where The Beatles had just had their fourth hit (and second of many number ones) with She Loves You, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes had also been at number one with Do You Love Me, but number one on 23rd November 1963 was Gerry and the Pacemakers with You'll Never Walk Alone.

[SiHart]

Please do Stephen. It's always enjoyable to read your posts about the music of the times

[Andrew Curnow]

Well I think John Smith and the Common Men were doing well in November 63...

[SiHart]

They went from 2 to 19... I mean 19 to 2.

[Stephen Morgan]

Let's take a look at the charts for w/e 23rd November 1963. Dates and positions vary according to which chart you go by.

40 Just Like Eddie Heinz
39 Love of the Loved Cilla Black
38 Applejack Jet Harris and Tony Meehan
37 What Do You Say Chubby Checker
36 Mule Train Frank Ifield
35 Deep Purple Nino Tempo and April Stevens
34 Red Sails In The Sunset Fats Domino
33 Still Karl Denver
32 It's Almost Tomorrow Mark Wynter
31 It's Love That Really Counts Merseybeats
30 Girl Sang The Blues Everly Brothers
29 Hello Muddah! Hello Faddah! Allan Sherman
28 Sweet Impossible You Brenda Lee
27 Shindig Shadows
26 Searchin' Hollies
25 Memphis Tennessee Dave Berry and the Cruisers
24 Busted Ray Charles
23 Everybody Tommy Roe
22 You Were Made For Me Freddie and the Dreamers
21 Sue's Gonna Be Mine Del Shannon
20 Hello Little Girl Fourmost
19 Miss You Jimmy Young
18 Bossa Nova Baby Elvis Presley
17 Blowing In The Wind Peter, Paul and Mary
16 Maria Elena Los Indio Tabajares
15 Fools Rush In Rick Nelson
14 The First Time Adam Faith
13 If I Had A Hammer Trini Lopez
12 Secret Love Kathy Kirby
11 I'll Keep You Satisfied Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas
10 Then He Kissed Me Crystals
9 I Who Have Nothing Shirley Bassey
8 Do You Love Me Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
7 Don't Talk To Him Cliff Richard
6 Let It Rock/Memphis Tennessee Chuck Berry
5 Be My Baby Ronettes
4 Blue Bayou/Mean Woman Blues Roy Orbison
3 She Loves You The Beatles
2 Sugar and Spice Searchers
1 You'll Never Walk Alone Gerry and the Pacemakers

I said earlier that I wasn't into records as an eight year old, but looking at that chart I'm surprised at how many of those I actually remember. And thinking about it I used to go to bed with a little transistor radio and listen under the bedclothes with torchlight to Radio Luxembourg with all its pops and whistles as the signal faded in and out.
That's actually a very varied chart, something for everyone in it I think, it's got Merseybeat in there from Gerry and his Pacemakers and Billy J Kramer with his Dakotas, Cilla's in there too with her first hit which peaks at 35. You also get Phil Spectre's "Wall of Sound" with The Crystals and The Ronettes, two of the most successful girl groups of the era.
Another female singer, and my very favourite of the time as she was always on TV, the big hair and the big voice of the wonderful Kathy Kirby, my mother bought me all her records and I look back on them with fondness. Kirby died earlier this year.
Some of the old guard, the fifties rockers like Fats Domino and Chubby Checker, and former heartthrobs like Mark Wynter are slowly making way for newer acts, but none of those can hope to beat the longevity of the ever present Cliff Richard.

As I said, something for everyone, and I mustn't forget the novelty hit from Allan Sherman, "Hello Muddah! Hello Faddah! (A Letter from Camp)" based on letters of complaint he received from his son Robert while Robert attended Camp Champlain in Westport, New York. The song is a parody that complains about the fictional "Camp Granada" and is set to the tune of Amilcare Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours". The name derives from the first lines:

Hello Muddah,
Hello Fadduh.
Here I am at
Camp Granada.
Camp is very
entertaining.
And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

It's a classic.

[Stephen Morgan]

The Christmas number in 1963 was The Beatles with I Want To Hold Your Hand with She Loves You at no. 2 followed by Freddie and the Dreamers with You Were Made For Me. There weren't many novelty hits around in those days, but the biggest here was Dora Bryan with the topical All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle which peaked at 20, but for your delectation I present the top 20 for the w/e 1st February 1964.

20 Whispering Nino Tempo and April Stevens
19 She Loves You The Beatles
18 We Are In Love Adam Faith
17 I'm In Love Fourmost
16 Swinging On A Star Big Dee Irvin
15 I Think Of You Merseybeats
14 Do You Really Love Me Too Billy Fury
13 Baby I Love You Ronettes
12 Stay Hollies
11 I Only Want To Be With You Dusty Springfield
10 Don't Blame Me Frank Ifield
9 5-4-3-2-1 Manfredd Mann
8 Diane Bachelors
7 I Want To Hold Your Hand The Beatles
6 Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa Gene Pitney
5 As Usual Brenda Lee
4 Glad All Over Dave Clark Five
3 Hippy Hippy Shake Swinging Blue Jeans
2 I'm The One Gerry and the Pacemakers
1 Needles and Pins The Searchers

A couple of notable entries there which have become standards over the years, Pitney's Tulsa and Dusty's hit which has been covered by many artists down the years including The Bay City Rollers who took the song to number four in late 1976.
Again, even though I have no recollection of watching Dr. Who around this time, some of those records ring loads of bells.

[Rob McCow]

One of those in particular is well-known thanks to appearing on an advert in the late eighties - step forward 5-4-3-2-1 and your associated chocolate bar!

[Andrew Curnow]

Oh they were lovely, why did they stop making them? Yum yum!

[Stephen Morgan]

Time for an update on the charts of early 1964 I think.

Number one throughout the two episodes of Edge of Destruction had been The Searchers with Needles and Pins, with Gerry and the Pacemakers with I'm The One and The Bachelors with Diane knocking at the door of the top slot. The Bachelors, a popular Irish trio who were ever present on TV at this time eventually made the top slot for one week on 22nd February before being displaced by Cilla Black's Anyone Who Had A Heart, a cover of Dionne Warwick's American top ten hit written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Black spent three weeks at number one before being displaced by one of the biggest hits of 1964, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas Little Children, which spent two weeks at the top. Come the final episode of the epic Marco Polo we saw The Beatles once again at the top of the charts with Can't Buy Me Love.
So, here's the top forty for w/e 4th April 1964.

40 Juliet Four Pennies
39 Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa Gene Pitney
38 It's A Open Secret Joy Strings
37 For You Ricky Nelson
36 You Were There Heinz
35 Mary Jane Del Shannon
34 I'm The Lonely One Cliff Richard
33 5-4-3-2-1- Manfred Mann
32 My World Of Blue Karl Denver
31 Everythin'g Alright Mojos
30 New Orleans Bern Elliot and the Fenmen
29 As Usual Brenda Lee
28 I'm The One Gerry and the Pacemakers
27 My Boy Lollipop Millie
26 Eight By Ten Ken Dodd
25 If He Tells You Adam Faith
24 Borne On The Wind Roy Orbison
23 Move Over Darling Doris Day
22 Candy Man Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
21 Needles and Pins Searchers
20 Good Golly Miss Molly Swinging Blue Jeans
19 Stay Awhile Dusty Springfield
18 Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley
17 Let Me Go Lover Kathy Kirby
16 Over You Freddie and the Dreamers
15 I Think Of You Merseybeats
14 Theme For Young Lovers Shadows
13 World Without Love Peter and Gordon
12 Boys Cry Eden Kane
11 Tell Me When Applejacks
10 Anyone Who Had A Heart Cilla Black
9 That Girl Belongs To Yesterday Gene Pitney
8 Diane The Bachelors
7 Bits and Pieces Dave Clark Five
6 I Believe The Bachelors
5 I Love You Because Jim Reeves
4 Not Fade Away Rolling Stones
3 Just One Look Hollies
2 Little Children Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas
1 Can't Buy Me Love The Beatles

Over the years many of those have become standards, 60s classics. I think that chart is particularly good, a lot of those singles are commercially available today on sixties compilations and/or greatest hits comps, apart from the number 38 sound from Joy Strings which rings no bells with me at all, all the other tracks are easy to come by in some form or another. All those artists would have appeared on TV promoting their particular single, Indeed I remember Kathy Kirby and The Bachelors always seemed to be on the telly, and, as we've seen from previous threads, there seemed to be a lot of pop music shows on telly at this time such as Ready Steady Go and Juke Box Jury. Some of the stars even had their own shows, Adam Faith and Cliff Richard to name but two, and don't forget, on 1st January 1964 the BBC launched their own chart show, Top Of The Pops.

[Stephen Morgan]

Time for an update on the music of 1964.

Throughout the run of Keys of Marinus in April/May '64 the charts were ruled by the ever present Beatles with Can't Buy Me Love, followed by a classic from Peter and Gordon with World Without Love. This spent two weeks at number one. The Searchers were then number one for two weeks with Don't Throw Your Love Away, interestingly The Bachelors were at number two with the oft covered I Believe followed by Millie at three with the bouncy My Boy Lollipop.
In the week beginning 23rd May The Four Pennies were at the top with Juliet followed by Cilla Black with Your My World, spending four weeks there until Roy Orbison takes over with the classic It's Over.

Here then is the top twenty for w/e 13th June 1964:

20 I Will Billy Fury
19 Ramona Bachelors
18 Hello Dolly Louis Armstrong
17 Hon Lo L'Eta (Per Amarti) (I'm Not Old Enough) Gigliola Cinquetti
16 I Love You Baby Freddie and the Dreamers
15 My Boy Lollipop Millie
14 A Little Loving Fourmost
13 Walk On By Dionne Warwick
12 I Love You Because Jim Reeves
11 Can't You See That She's Mine Dave Clark Five
10 Shout Lulu and the Luvvers
9 My Guy Mary Wells
8 Here I Go Again Hollies
7 Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt Shadows
6 Constantly Cliff Richard
5 Juliet Four Pennies
4 Someone Someone Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
3 No Particular Place To Go Chuck Berry
2 It's Over Roy Orbison
1 You're My World Cilla Black

Still loads of classics in that chart, as before many if not all of them available in some form or other today. Good to see Lulu there at #10 with her most famous hit, and also Mary Wells at #9 with an early Motown entry, My Guy.
Also, at #17, Gigliola Cinquetti with Italy's 1964 Eurovision entry. Cinquetti also represented Italy in 1974 with the song Si, coming second to ABBA's Waterloo.

[Stephen Morgan]

Before we move on to season 19 It's time for an update of the charts between June and September of 1964, ending with the final episode of The Reign of Terror on September 12th.

At the end of June we saw Roy Orbison claim the number one spot from Cilla Black, he stayed there for two weeks with It's Over, followed by The Animals with the classic House Of The Rising Sun. This spent just one week at the top before The Rolling Stones got there with It's All Over Now, itself spending just the one week at the top of the charts. The Beatles were back on 25th July with Hard Day's Night from the film of the same name which topped the cinema charts all over the country that summer. However, it was only a matter of time, three weeks, before that was displaced by Manfred Mann's Doo Wah Diddy Diddy which itself spent two weeks at number one before being replaced by The Honeycombs Have I The Right for one week on 5th September 1964. When the final episode of Reign of Terror was shown on 12th September Ray Davies' Kinks were number one with You Really Got Me. This was to spend two weeks there before the face of 1964's Peter Noone with the group Herman's Hermits got to number one with the monster smash, I'm Into Something Good.

Here then we have the top 20 for w/e 12th September 1964.

20 Nashville Teens Tobacco Road
19 Barron Knights Call Up The Groups
18 Supremes Where Did Our Love Go
17 Rolling Stones It's All Over Now
16 Julie Rogers The Wedding
15 Beach Boys I Get Around
14 Jim Reeves I Love You Because
13 Elvis Presley Such A Night
12 Zombies She's Not There
11 Cilla Black It's For You
10 Beatles Hard Day's Night
9 Marianne Faithful As Tears Go By
8 Four Seasons Rag Doll
7 Herman's Hermits I'm Into Something Good
6 Manfred Mann Doo Wah Diddy Diddy
5 Dave Berry The Crying Game
4 The Bachelors I Wouldn't Trade You For The World
3 Jim Reeves I Won't Forget You
2 Honeycombs Have I The Right
1 The Kinks You Really Got Me

As usual some really good stuff there, and nothing that you can't get in some form or other today.

I've enjoyed looking at these charts, it's not an area I visit that often, but I've surprised myself at how many I've remembered. Hope my fellow posters here have enjoyed looking at them too and I hope to continue with some more sixties charts should we cover any other seasons from this era of Doctor Who.

[SiHart]

There's some great songs in that line up (and indeed from Nov 63 to the summer of 64 in general) that have had real longeivety and you still hear today. It was an incredibly fertile time for pop music.

Thanks as always for doing these Stephen

[Stephen Morgan]

There's some great songs in that line up (and indeed from Nov 63 to the summer of 64 in general) that have had real longeivety and you still hear today. It was an incredibly fertile time for pop music.

Thanks as always for doing these Stephen

It certainly did seem a fertile and creative time for pop music, there were loads of music shows on TV and a lot of these artists appeared on most of them, including, as I've recently discovered, Sunday Night at the Palladium, which was a big draw on Sunday evenings. The Rolling Stones famously refused to parade themselves on the revolving stage at the end of the show after their appearance claiming it was "too establishment". It didn't do them any harm as they later achieved several number ones throughout the sixties.

Thanks for the aknowledgment Si, glad to know my posts are appreciated. but where's Jonno lately? I'm sure he'd be interested in these charts.