It’s a merry Xmas from the Scovells to all, from 2024, before we dive back to October of 1968 to hear the sounds.
Songs of the month
“1-2-3 Red Light” – 1910 Fruitgum Co.
[new] “All Along The Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix Experience
“Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
[new] “Court Of Love” – Unifics
[new] “Elenore” – Turtles
“Fire” – Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
[new] “Fool For You” – Impressions
“Girl Watcher” – O’kaysions
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” – Jeannie C. Riley
“Hey Jude” – Beatles
[new] “Hey Western Union Man” – Jerry Butler
[new] “Hold Me Tight” – Johnny Nash
“Hush” – Deep Purple
“I Say A Little Prayer” – Aretha Franklin
[new] “I’ve Got To Get A Message To You” – Bee Gees
“I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” – Bee Gees
[new] “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” – Iron Butterfly
“Indian Reservation” – Don Fardon
“Light My Fire” – Jose Feliciano
“Little Green Apples” – O.C. Smith
[new] “Love Child” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
“Magic Bus” – Who
[new] “Magic Carpet Ride” – Steppenwolf
“Midnight Confessions” – Grass Roots
“My Special Angel” – Vogues
“On The Road Again” – Canned Heat
“Over You” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
“People Got To Be Free” – Rascals
“Piece Of My Heart” – Big Brother And The Holding Company
“Revolution” – Beatles
“Say It Loud I’m Black And I’m Proud” – James Brown
[new] “Shape Of Things To Come” – Max Frost And The Troopers
“Slip Away” – Clarence Carter
“Special Occasion” – Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
“Suzie Q” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
[new] “Sweet Blindness” – 5Th Dimension
“The Fool On The Hill” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“The House That Jack Built” – Aretha Franklin
“The Snake” – Al Wilson
[new] “Those Were The Days” – Mary Hopkin
“Time Has Come Today” – Chambers Brothers
[new] “White Room” – Cream
“You’re All I Need To Get By” – Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On the 1st, “Night of the Living Dead” premiered in the United States. Originally titled “Night of the Flesh Eater”s, and filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the movie’s first showing was in that city at the Fulton Theatre with admission by invitation only. An advertisement for the first week of showings said that “If ‘Night of the Living Dead’ frightens you to death…. You are covered for $50,000”, with the disclaimer that the guarantee was valid only for death from a “heart attack only during performances October 2 thru 8, 1968” and that the insurance company reserved the right to require a medical examination before the viewing.
On the 11th , Apollo 7, the first American crewed space mission with three astronauts, was launched from Cape Kennedy at 11:02:45 a.m. local time. The purpose of the 11-day mission, the first with three astronauts (Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham) was to test the docking manoeuvres between the lunar module and the lunar orbiter to take men safely to the Moon and back. The flight was the first to feature a live television broadcast from inside an orbiting spaceship.
Then on the 20th, five years after the assassination of her husband, former U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in a ceremony on the Greek island of Skorpios. In doing so, she forfeited $200,000 per year of financial support from the Kennedy family (part of a pre-nuptial agreement with John F. Kennedy) and a $10,000 widow’s pension from the U.S. government. Onassis provided her $3,000,000 and set up trusts of one million dollars apiece for Caroline Kennedy and John Kennedy Jr.; the marriage lasted until the death of Onassis on March 15, 1975.
What’d Sadie think?
The Beatles “Hey Jude” continues is number one spot from last month for all of October, might have a bit of longevity this one!
Naturally Sadie was a big fan of, “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf this week. And clearly “Girl Watcher” by the O’kaysions is an earworm, as she spontaneously sung that during the week after hearing it. In a modern context the song is thematically a little out-of-touch of course, but more amusingly in 1987, the song was reworked as “I’m A Wheel Watcher” and was used to promote the TV game show, Wheel of Fortune.. This reworked version was performed by Kool & the Gang! This promo video has to be seen.
Loved ’em
- “All Along The Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix Experience
- “Elenore” – Turtles
- “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” – Iron Butterfly
- “Those Were The Days” – Mary Hopkin
- “White Room” – Cream
Liked ’em
- “Court Of Love” – Unifics
- “Fool For You” – Impressions
- “Hey Western Union Man” – Jerry Butler
- “Hold Me Tight” – Johnny Nash
- “I’ve Got To Get A Message To You” – Bee Gees
- “Love Child” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
- “Magic Carpet Ride” – Steppenwolf
- “Shape Of Things To Come” – Max Frost And The Troopers
- “Sweet Blindness” – 5Th Dimension
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.