Tuesday, October 29, 2013

THE BEST OF THE REST: Let The Countdown Begin

Here we go ... our final '60's Countdown ...  

#100 - A Lover's Concerto - The Toys  (1965)  
A touch of the classics ... on the pop charts!  




#99 - Eve Of Destruction - Barry McGuire  (1965)
One of the last folk protest songs to hit the charts ... but it was a biggie! 

#98 - Little Bit O'Soul - The Music Explosion  (1967)
One of my favorites at the time ... but held out of the top spot by The Association's smash "Windy".

#97 - Strangers In The Night - Frank Sinatra  (1966)
A #1 Hit for Ol' Blue Eyes ... a year later he'd top the charts again thanks to a duet he sang (some might argue somewhat inappropriately!) with his daughter.

#96 - Cry Like A Baby - The Box Tops  (1968)
The Box Tops hit The Top 40 seven times between 1967 and 1969!

#95 - Let's Hang On - The Four Seasons  (1965)
These guys made our 1960 - 1963 Countdown with their first three chart-toppers ... and they were STILL hitting the top of the charts several years later.

#94 - Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds  (1965)
Electrified Dylan ... he liked it so much, he plugged in himself!

#93 - Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf  (1968)
A '60's Anthem that we STILL hear at least a dozen times a week!  (Come to think of it, have you ever gone a day WITHOUT hearing it???)


#92 - When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Slege  (1966)
A #1 Hit for Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Percy Sledge ... no, I typed that right ... it just SOUNDS wrong!!!

#91 - Ruby Tuesday - The Rolling Stones  (1967)
The World's Greatest Rock Band, slowing things down in the early months of '67.

#90 - Leader Of The Pack - The Shangri-Las  (1964)
What a hit this one was!  It even inspired the parody "Leader Of The Laundromat" by our FH Buddy Ron Dante and The Detergents.  (You'll find Ron near the top of this countdown, too ... stay tuned!)


#89 - Help Me, Rhonda - The Beach Boys  (1965)
Still playing to packed houses 50 years later ... only now Al Jardine's touring as part of Brian Wilson's back-up band!

#88 - Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations  (1969)
A major hit YEARS before it showed up in "Something About Mary".  (What's that in your hair?)

#87 - Grazing In The Grass - Hugh Masekela  (1968)
A hit as both an instrumental for Hugh Masekela and as a vocal arrangement by The Friends of Distinction.


#86 - Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith  (1968)
A little corny then ... but a bit more heart-touching now that we're all so much older.


#85 - Li'l Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs  (1966)
One of their best ... they did more than "Wooly Bully" (although you'd never know it by listening to the radio today).

#84 - Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli  (1967)
The hit that at the time only Frankie believed in ... but today considered a standard.


#83 - Lightnin' Strikes - Lou Christie  (1966)
Because one good falsetto deserves another.

#82 - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Hugo Montenegro  (1968)
Pass the spaghetti.

#81 - The Rain, The Park and Other Things - The Cowsills  (1967)
This one has turned into a timeless classic ... possibly more popular now than when it was out ... which is really saying something ... 'cause it was a HUGE hit then!



More tomorrow in Forgotten Hits.