First up, a Canadian Chart from CKLG 73 and their Boss Radio 30.
#1 in Vancouver this week in '69 were The Beatles with their two-sided hit "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe", a record that DIDN'T top the charts here in the States (probably because it was banned on any number of radio stations at the time.) Incredibly this record didn't chart at all on the CHUM Hit Parade, most likely for the same reason.
We have another unlikely candidate at #2 ... Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away", a song that crapped out at #60 on the U.S. National Charts. (It only reached #85 in Billboard).
Elyse Weinberg has the #12 hit this week (down from #9) with something called "Oh Deed I Do". I'm assuming this was a Canadian talent (?) ... but this record didn't make the Billboard or CHUM Charts either.
Hot "Hitbound" premier of the week belongs to The Guess Who with their second million-selling single "Laughing". It was the success of this single, Burton Cummings told us a couple of weeks ago, that convinced the band that they might actually make it in the music business. "Too many groups had that one hit, flash in the pan success ... and 'These Eyes' could have been it for us ... but 'Laughing' proved that we were on to something and we knew it when Dick Clark himself presented us with the gold record for this single. That gold record still hangs on my wall today and looks as beautiful now as it did the day I received it, especially when the sunlight comes through the window and catches it just right."
Looks like surfin' was all the rage in Riverside and San Bernardino, California on this date back in 1963.
The Surfaris have the #1 Record with their two-sided hit "Wipe Out" / "Surfer Joe", followed right behind by Jan and Dean's "Surf City" and the very surf-guitar-sounding version of "Memphis" by Lonnie Mack. You'll also find "Baja" by The Astronauts in The Top Ten along with something called "Johnny Surfboard" by Barry Mann at #14. Future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston is at #32 with "Original Surfer Stomp", a solo record released several months before he teamed up with Terry Melcher to record all those "Bruce And Terry" records.
Look closely and you'll see that "From Me To You" by The Beatles made a HUGE leap this week from #39 to #17 with "From Me To You", a song that wouldn't chart nationally for another nine months when it was re-released as the B-Side of their "Please Please Me" single. ("From Me To You" was a pretty big record in certain parts of California ... yet still did nothing nationally at the time, Bubbling Under at #116 in Billboard.)
Once again we have two songs by Them in The Top 20 ... competing with the likes of Patti Page (?!?!), Steve Alaimo and Esther Phillips, with her reworking of The Beatles' hit, now titled "And I Love Him".
And even as late as The Summer of '65, KEWB was still reporting The British Beat as part of its survey. Incredibly you'll find just as many American artists there, many enjoying greater success overseas than they were here at home at the time. (Elvis, The Everly Brothers and Burt Bacharach all have Top Ten Hits in the UK this week.) You'll also find Sandie Shaw topping the charts with other British artists The Rockin' Berries and Tony Hatch's partner Jackie Trent not far behind.
And finally, we take another look at the VERY psychedelic-looking chart from KYA, 1967.
I love the way they salute their own by promoting "The Sounds Of San Francisco, Heard Daily on KYA", spotlighting artists like The Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Country Joe and the Fish, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band ... and hip tracks like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and new music by The Grass Roots, Donovan, The Byrds and The Youngbloods.
You'll find "heavier" sounds within their weekly countdown, too ... The Jefferson Airplane are at #2 with "White Rabbit", followed by The Doors at #4 with "Light My Fire", "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix at #7 and "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum at #9.
Further down the countdown you'll find "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" by our FH Buddies, The Fifth Estate, "Bluebird" by Buffalo Springfield, "Step Out Of Your Mind" by Chicago's own American Breed and brand new two-sided hit premiers by both The Monkees ("Pleasant Valley Sunday" / "Words") and The Beatles ("All You Need Is Love" / "Baby You're A Rich Man").
