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It’s the beginning of a new year here in 2025, as we wrap up 1968 in our journey through time. We were busy holidaying last week so we didn’t post – so November can be found here, for those who want to hit every note for the year before you listed to December…

Songs of the month

“Abraham Martin And John” – Dion
“Bang-Shang-A-Lang” – Archies
“Both Sides Now” – Judy Collins
“Bring It On Home To Me” – Eddie Floyd
“Chewy Chewy” – Ohio Express
[new] “Cinnamon” – Derek
“Cloud Nine” – Temptations
[new] “Crimson And Clover” – Tommy James And The Shondells
“Cycles” – Frank Sinatra
“For Once In My Life” – Stevie Wonder
[new] “Going Up The Country” – Canned Heat
“Hey Jude” – Beatles
“Hold Me Tight” – Johnny Nash
[new] “Hooked On Feeling” – B.J. Thomas
“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Marvin Gaye
“I Love How You Love Me” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” – Diana Ross And Supremes And Temptations
[new] “If I Can Dream” – Elvis Presley
“Little Arrows” – Leapy Lee
“Little Green Apples” – O.C. Smith
[new] “Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero” – Rene And Rene
“Love Child” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
“Magic Carpet Ride” – Steppenwolf
“Midnight Confessions” – Grass Roots
[new] “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” – Otis Redding
[new] “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” – Peggy Scott And Jo Jo Benson
“Promises Promises” – Dionne Warwick
“Quick Joey Small” – Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
[new] “Scarborough Fair” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“See Saw” – Aretha Franklin
“Shame Shame” – Magic Lanterns
[new] “Son Of A Preacher Man” – Dusty Springfield
[new] “Soulful Strut” – Young-Holt Unlimited
“Stormy” – Classics Iv
“Those Were The Days” – Mary Hopkin
[new] “Till” – Vogues
[new] “Too Weak To Fight” – Clarence Carter
“White Room” – Cream
“Who’s Making Love” – Johnnie Taylor
“Wichita Lineman” – Glen Campbell
[new] “Wichta Lineman” – Glen Campbell

[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 3rd The 50-minute television special Elvis, or “the comeback special”, (sponsored by American sewing machine manufacturer The Singer Company), taped in June with a live audience in Burbank, California, aired on NBC, marking the comeback of Elvis Presley after 7 years during which the legendary musician’s career had centered on the movie industry.

On the 11th the film Oliver!, based on the hit London and Broadway musical, opened in the U.S. after being released first in England. It would go on to win the Best Picture.

Then on the 21st, Apollo 8 became the first space vehicle to carry human beings beyond Earth’s orbit, and the three American astronauts on board — Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders — went further from away Earth than any people in history.

The next day…. astronaut Frank Borman vomited while in orbit, the day after taking a dose of the barbiturate drug Seconal, leaving the three astronauts with the task of avoiding the floating particles in a weightless environment. The episode marked the first experience of space-sickness by an American astronaut. In order to keep NASA from ordering the mission to be aborted before the spacecraft could pass the point where it could return without a slingshot trip around the Moon, Borman waited for a while to report that he was ill, and sent a taped message back to Earth.

What’d Sadie think?

A week at the top for Diana Ross And The Supremes with “Love Child” before a run of 3 for “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye

Sadie has been particularly enchanged by “Bang-Shang-A-Lang” by The Archies this week. I need to show her this video, “The Archies” being a fictional band from the Archie comic and TV show.

Loved ’em

• “Crimson And Clover” – Tommy James And The Shondells
• “Hooked On A Feeling” – B.J. Thomas
• “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” – Diana Ross And Supremes And Temptations
• “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” – Otis Redding
• “Scarborough Fair” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
• “Son Of A Preacher Man” – Dusty Springfield
• “Wichta Lineman” – Glen Campbell

Liked ’em

• “Cinnamon” – Derek
• “Going Up The Country” – Canned Heat
• “If I Can Dream” – Elvis Presley
• “Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero” – Rene And Rene
• “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” – Peggy Scott And Jo Jo Benson
• “Soulful Strut” – Young-Holt Unlimited
• “Too Weak To Fight” – Clarence Carter
  

Leave ’em

• “Till” – Vogues

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

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.

It’s summer holidays here in New Zealand of 2024, so let’s head back to September, 1968 and relax!

Songs of the month

“1-2-3 Red Light” – 1910 Fruitgum Co.
“Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
“Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
“Do It Again” – Beach Boys
“Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
[new] “Fire” – Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
[new] “Girl Watcher” – O’kaysions
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” – Jeannie C. Riley
“Hello I Love You” – Doors
[new] “Hey Jude” – Beatles
“Hush” – Deep Purple
“I Can’t Stop Dancing” – Archie Bell And The Drells
“I Say A Little Prayer” – Aretha Franklin
[new] “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” – Bee Gees
[new] “Indian Reservation” – Don Fardon
“Journey To The Centre Of The Mind” – Amboy Dukes
“Light My Fire” – Jose Feliciano
[new] “Little Green Apples” – O.C. Smith
“Love Makes A Woman” – Barbara Acklin
[new] “Magic Bus” – Who
[new] “Midnight Confessions” – Grass Roots
[new] “Mr. Businessman” – Ray Stevens
[new] “My Special Angel” – Vogues
[new] “On The Road Again” – Canned Heat
[new] “Over You” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
“People Got To Be Free” – Rascals
[new] “People Gotta Be Free” – Rascals
[new] “Piece Of My Heart” – Big Brother And The Holding Company
“Please Return Your Love To Me” – Temptations
[new] “Revolution” – Beatles
[new] “Say It Loud I’m Black And I’m Proud” – James Brown
“Sealed With A Kiss” – Gary Lewis And The Playboys
“Slip Away” – Clarence Carter
“Soul Limbo” – Booker T And The Mg’s
[new] “Special Occasion” – Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
“Stay In My Corner” – Dells
“Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
“Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream
[new] “Suzie Q” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
[new] “The Eyes Of A New York Woman” – B.J. Thomas
“The Fool On The Hill” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“The House That Jack Built” – Aretha Franklin
[new] “The Snake” – Al Wilson
[new] “Time Has Come Today” – Chambers Brothers
[new] “Tuesday Afternoon” – Moody Blues
“Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Vanilla Fudge
“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 23rd TV icon Lucille Ball premiered her third television situation comedy in a row, as “Here’s Lucy” debuted with Ball and co-star Gale Gordon as different characters than they had played on The Lucy Show. This time, however, her on-screen children (Kim and Craig) were portrayed by Ball’s real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. Gordon,

The next day the CBS television news show “60 Minutes”, made its debut at 10:00pm, with Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner as the hosts. One critic acknowledged Hewitt’s attempt to make the program “look as much as possible as a magazine” and concluded that it “was bright and breezy and went a long way in bridging the great gap between the ha-ha of TV entertainment and the dolorous solemnity of public affairs programs.”

Then on the 26th, censorship of plays was abolished in the United Kingdom as the Theatres Act 1968, went into effect and ended the existence of the position of Examiner of Plays in the Lord Chamberlain’s Office after 230 years. With the government approval no longer required, the rock musical Hair (which included a scene with a fully nude cast) made its British premiere on London’s West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks at the top for “People Gotta Be Free” by the Rascals, before “Harper Valley P.T.A.” by Jeannie C. Riley takes it for two, leaving “”Harper Valley P.T.A.” – Jeannie C. Riley “Hey Jude” by the Beatles a week to reign this month.

Loved ’em

• “Hey Jude” – Beatles
• “Magic Bus” – Who
• “Midnight Confessions” – Grass Roots
• “My Special Angel” – Vogues
• “On The Road Again” – Canned Heat
• “Piece Of My Heart” – Big Brother And The Holding Company
• “Revolution” – Beatles
• “Special Occasion” – Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
  

Liked ’em

• “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” – Bee Gees
• “Indian Reservation” – Don Fardon
• “Little Green Apples” – O.C. Smith
• “Mr. Businessman” – Ray Stevens
• “Over You” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
• “People Gotta Be Free” – Rascals
• “Say It Loud I’m Black And I’m Proud” – James Brown
• “Suzie Q” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• “The Eyes Of A New York Woman” – B.J. Thomas
• “The Snake” – Al Wilson
• “Time Has Come Today” – Chambers Brothers
• “Tuesday Afternoon” – Moody Blues

Leave ’em

• “Girl Watcher” – O’kaysions

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in 2024, but back in our journey through musical history its just August of 1968. Let’s listen…

Songs of the month

[new] “1-2-3 Red Light” – 1910 Fruitgum Co.
[new] “Alice Long” – Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart
“Angel Of The Morning” – Merrilee Rush
“Autumn Of My Life” – Bobby Goldsboro
[new] “Baseball Game” – Intruders
[new] “Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
“Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
[new] “Do It Again” – Beach Boys
“Don’t Take It So Hard” – Paul Revere And The Raiders
“Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
“Face It Girl It’s Over” – Nancy Wilson
“Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
[new] “Halfway To Paradise” – Bobby Vinton
[new] “Harper Valley P.T.A.” – Jeannie C. Riley
“Hello I Love You” – Doors
“Here Comes The Judge” – Shorty Long
“Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan
[new] “Hush” – Deep Purple
[new] “I Can’t Stop Dancing” – Archie Bell And The Drells
[new] “I Say A Little Prayer” – Aretha Franklin
“Indian Lake” – Cowsills
[new] “Journey To The Centre Of The Mind” – Amboy Dukes
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Rolling Stones
“Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
[new] “Light My Fire” – Jose Feliciano
[new] “Love Makes A Woman” – Barbara Acklin
[new] “People Got To Be Free” – Rascals
“Pictures Of Matchstick Men” – Status Quo
[new] “Please Return Your Love To Me” – Temptations
“Reach Out Of The Darkness” – Friend And A Lover
[new] “Sealed With A Kiss” – Gary Lewis And The Playboys
“Sky Pilot” – Eric Burdon And The Animals
[new] “Slip Away” – Clarence Carter
[new] “Soul Limbo” – Booker T And The Mg’s
“Stay In My Corner” – Dells
“Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
“Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream
[new] “The Fool On The Hill” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“The Horse” – Cliff Nobles And Co.
[new] “The House That Jack Built” – Aretha Franklin
“The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
“Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
[new] “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Vanilla Fudge
[new] “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 9th U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Samuel C. Phillips, Director of NASA’s Apollo lunar landing program, announced that it was “clearly possible” for a crewed landing on the Moon to happen in 1969, fulfilling the goal announced by the late President Kennedy in 1962 to land a man on the Moon, and return him to Earth, “before the end of the decade”.

And in “things that didn’t happen this month” history… according to an urban legend which would begin circulating on the Internet around 2014, every television in America shut down for about 25 seconds on this date, during which a murmuring sound was heard. Snopes would rate this story as “False” in March 2023, stating that there was no historical or eyewitness evidence to support it. One of those videos that won’t embed about it here.

Then on the 30th, William Talman, 53, American actor best known for portraying “television’s biggest loser” as Los Angeles prosecutor Hamilton Burger, who was bested every week by the title character on the popular mystery and courtroom series, Perry Mason. Six weeks before his death from lung cancer, Talman— who had smoked three packs of cigarettes a day— filmed a 60-second television commercial for the American Cancer Society, urging viewers to avoid cigarette smoking and would set a trend for other such “warnings from beyond the grave”.

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks at the top for “Hello I Love You” by the Doors before “People Got To Be Free” by the Rascals take it for the last three weeks of the month.

Loved ’em

• “Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
• “Do It Again” – Beach Boys
• “Harper Valley P.T.A.” – Jeannie C. Riley
• “Hush” – Deep Purple
• “I Can’t Stop Dancing” – Archie Bell And The Drells
• “I Say A Little Prayer” – Aretha Franklin
• “Slip Away” – Clarence Carter
• “You’re All I Need To Get By” – Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell

Liked ’em

• “1-2-3 Red Light” – 1910 Fruitgum Co.
• “Alice Long” – Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart
• “Baseball Game” – Intruders
• “Halfway To Paradise” – Bobby Vinton
• “Journey To The Centre Of The Mind” – Amboy Dukes
• “Love Makes A Woman” – Barbara Acklin
• “People Got To Be Free” – Rascals
• “Please Return Your Love To Me” – Temptations
• “Sealed With A Kiss” – Gary Lewis And The Playboys
• “The House That Jack Built” – Aretha Franklin
• “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Vanilla Fudge
  

Leave ’em

• “Light My Fire” – Jose Feliciano
• “Soul Limbo” – Booker T And The Mg’s
• “The Fool On The Hill” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s getting sweltering hot in December of 2024, so let’s go listen to the cool sounds of July, 1968…

Songs of the month

“Angel Of The Morning” – Merrilee Rush
[new] “Autumn Of My Life” – Bobby Goldsboro
“Choo Choo Train” – Box Tops
[new] “Choo Choo” – Box Tops
[new] “Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
“D.W. Washburn” – Monkees
[new] “Don’t Take It So Hard” – Paul Revere And The Raiders
[new] “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
[new] “Face It Girl It’s Over” – Nancy Wilson
[new] “Grazin’ In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
“Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
[new] “Hello I Love You” – Doors
[new] “Here Comes The Judge” – Pigmeat Markham
“Here Comes The Judge” – Shorty Long
“How’d We Ever Get This Way” – Andy Kim
[new] “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan
“I Love You” – People
[new] “I’m A Midnight Mover” – Wilson Pickett
“Indian Lake” – Cowsills
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Rolling Stones
“Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
“Licking Stick” – James Brown
“Macarthur Park” – Richard Harris
“Mony Mony” – Tommy James And The Shondells
[new] “Mrs Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
“Mrs. Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
“Never Give You Up” – Jerry Butler
[new] “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” – Status Quo
“Reach Out Of The Darkness” – Friend And A Lover
“She’s A Heartbreaker” – Gene Pitney
[new] “Sky Pilot” – Eric Burdon And The Animals
[new] “Some Things You Never Get Used To” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
[new] “Stay In My Corner” – Dells
“Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
[new] “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream
“The Good The Bad And The Ugly” – Hugo Montenegro
“The Horse” – Cliff Nobles And Co.
“The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“Think” – Aretha Franklin
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
[new] “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips” – Tiny Tim
[new] “Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Joe Simon
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” – Ohio Express

[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 17th “Yellow Submarine”, a psychedelic animated film that was inspired by a 1966 song of the same name, premiered at the London Pavilion. The Beatles had a cameo appearance, but their animated characters were voiced by other actors (John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten and Paul Angelis). Most critics enjoyed the animation style, although TIME magazine would later describe the film as “too square for hippies and too hip for squares.”

Then the next day, Intel which would become one of the world’s leading computer semiconductor manufacturing companies, was founded by two engineers who had worked at Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert Noyce and Gordon E. Moore in Mountain View, California. They initially called the company and given the name “N M Electronics, Inc.”, then soon changed it to “Intelcorporation” before settling on a shorter and more memorable name, Intel, derived from a combination of the words integrated and electronics and suggestive of the word “intelligence”.

Then on the last day of the month, the popular British TV situation comedy Dad’s Army, based on life in World War II for members of the Local Defence Volunteers (the Home Guard), was launched on BBC1 as a six-part series. It would prove so successful that it would run for nine years, with 80 episodes. Some fond childhood memories watching this one in the ’80s!

What’d Sadie think?

It’s two weeks at the top for “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert then two for “Grazing In The Grass” by Hugh Masekela.

This week Sadie was heard to remark, “What is this? this is dope!” about Pigmeat Markham’s “Here comes the judge” (indeed it is!) and asked for “Hello I Love You” by Doors to be “put on the list”.

The former sounds every bit like a piece of early hiphop and i’m surprised I hadn’t come across it before. Apparently it’s based on Markham’s skit from a TV sketch show, you can watch a small piece here.

It’s also not only song by that name on the chart, as Shorty Long also have a song with that title, apparently inspired by the show but in quite a different style.

Loved ’em

• “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – Mama Cass
• “Hello I Love You” – Doors
• “Here Comes The Judge” – Pigmeat Markham
• “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan
• “Mrs Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
• “Some Things You Never Get Used To” – Diana Ross And The Supremes
• “Sunshine Of Your Love” – Cream

Liked ’em

• “Autumn Of My Life” – Bobby Goldsboro
• “Choo Choo” – Box Tops
• “Don’t Take It So Hard” – Paul Revere And The Raiders
• “Face It Girl It’s Over” – Nancy Wilson
• “Grazin’ In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
• “I’m A Midnight Mover” – Wilson Pickett
• “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” – Status Quo
• “Sky Pilot” – Eric Burdon And The Animals
• “Stay In My Corner” – Dells
• “Turn Around Look At Me” – Vogues
  

Leave ’em

• “Classical Gas” – Mason Williams
• “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips” – Tiny Tim

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

It’s 52 years and 2 months before Sadie is born and 8 years and 8 months before Thomas is…it’s June, 1968 in our journey so let’s hear what it sounds like!

Songs of the month

“A Beautiful Morning” – Rascals
[new] “A Man Without Love” – Engelbert Humperdinck
[new] “Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing” – Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell
“Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” – Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell
[new] “Angel Of The Morning” – Merrilee Rush
[new] “Choo Choo Train” – Box Tops
“Cowboys To Girls” – Intruders
“Cry Like A Baby” – Box Tops
[new] “D.W. Washburn” – Monkees
“Delilah” – Tom Jones
[new] “Do You Know That Way To San Jose” – Dionne Warwick
“Do You Know The Way To San Jose” – Dionne Warwick
[new] “Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
[new] “Here Comes The Judge” – Shorty Long
“Honey” – Bobby Goldsboro
[new] “How’d We Ever Get This Way” – Andy Kim
“I Could Never Love Another” – Temptations
[new] “I Love You” – People
“I Will Always Think About You” – New Colony Six
“If I Were A Carpenter” – Four Tops
[new] “Indian Lake” – Cowsills
[new] “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Rolling Stones
[new] “Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
[new] “Lickin’ Stick” – James Brown
“Like To Get To Know You” – Spanky And Our Gang
“Love Is All Around” – Troggs
[new] “Macarthur Park” – Richard Harris
“Master Jack” – Four Jacks And A Jill
“Mony Mony” – Tommy James And The Shondells
“Mrs. Robinson” – Simon And Garfunkel
[new] “Never Give You Up” – Jerry Butler
[new] “Reach Out Of Darkness” – Friend And A Lover
[new] “She’s A Heartbreaker” – Gene Pitney
“She’s Lookin’ Good” – Wilson Pickett
“Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day” – Stevie Wonder
“Soul Serenade” – Willie Mitchell
[new] “Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
“Take Time To Know Her” – Percy Sledge
“The Good The Bad And The Ugly” – Hugo Montenegro
“The Happy Song” – Otis Redding
[new] “The Horse” – Cliff Nobles And Co.
[new] “The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66
“The Unicorn” – Irish Rovers
“Think” – Aretha Franklin
“This Guy’s In Love With You” – Herb Alpert
“Tighten Up” – Archie Bell And The Drells
[new] “Tip-Toe Thru The Tulips” – Tiny Tim
[new] “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Joe Simon
“Young Girl” – Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
“Yummy Yummy Yummy” – Ohio Express

[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 5th, moments after thanking supporters for his win in the California primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and fatally wounded while walking through a corridor at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy would die the next day, 5 years after his brother’s assassination. 56 years later… yeah let’s stay in the past!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjmW153nTkM

Then on the 20th a US federal law, that had prohibited the printing of color images of United States postage stamps, was repealed as President Johnson signed legislation. “Since stamp counterfeiting is today virtually nonexistent,” a White House statement said, “this restriction is no longer necessary. There is no reason now why the full meaning and beauty of our postage stamps cannot be communicated to all the world in color reproduction.” Previously, stamp catalogs and encyclopedias could only display black-and-white images. The law had become obsolete after U.S. stamps were “impregnated with an invisible phosphor which causes canceling machines to reject counterfeits”.

I can’t find a video on this specifically, but here’s a video of US stamps from ’68-’69:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_ul0l5YsY

Also on the 20th, David Ruffin was fired from The Temptations for missing a performance, after he developed a cocaine addiction and began questioning Berry Gordy’s handling of the group’s financial affairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9JcariNKV4

What’d Sadie think?

Three weeks at the top for “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon And Garfunkel then two for “This Guy’s In Love With You” by Herb Alpert.

Loved ’em

• “Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing” – Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell
• “Angel Of The Morning” – Merrilee Rush
• “Do You Know That Way To San Jose” – Dionne Warwick
• “I Love You” – People
• “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” – Rolling Stones
• “Stoned Soul Picnic” – 5Th Dimension
• “The Look Of Love” – Sergio Mendes And Brasil ’66

Liked ’em

• “A Man Without Love” – Engelbert Humperdinck
• “D.W. Washburn” – Monkees
• “Grazing In The Grass” – Hugh Masekela
• “Here Comes The Judge” – Shorty Long
• “How’d We Ever Get This Way” – Andy Kim
• “Indian Lake” – Cowsills
• “Lady Willpower” – Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
• “Lickin’ Stick” – James Brown
• “Macarthur Park” – Richard Harris
• “Never Give You Up” – Jerry Butler
• “Reach Out Of Darkness” – Friend And A Lover
• “She’s A Heartbreaker” – Gene Pitney
• “The Horse” – Cliff Nobles And Co.
• “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – Joe Simon
  

Leave ’em

• “Choo Choo Train” – Box Tops
• “Tip-Toe Thru The Tulips” – Tiny Tim

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.