Monday, July 24, 2017

July 24th



There's only one new song in The Top Ten this week as "White Rabbit" by The Jefferson Airplane inches up from #11 to #10.  There is definitely a "San Francisco feel" to the chart, however, as The Doors move into the #1 spot (up from #5) with "Light My Fire" and Scott McKenzie's "Summer of Love" Anthem "San Francisco" hangs on at #8 after three straight weeks at #4.  "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli slips to #2 and "Windy" by The Association falls to #3.  Rounding out The Top Ten are "Up Up And Away" by The Fifth Dimension (#5), "Little Bit O'Soul" by The Music Explosion (#6), "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum (up three spots from #10 to #7) and "C'mon Marianne" by The Four Seasons, which holds at #9.  

Big movers within The Top 40 include "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees, which climbs from #50 to #26 in its second week on the chart, "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles (up 44 places from #76 to #32) and "Baby I Love You" by Aretha Franklin, which moves from #57 to #36.  Also on the rise:  "To Love Somebody" by The Bee Gees (#46 to #38), "I Take It Back" by Sandy Posey (#20 to #14), "Carrie Anne" by The Hollies (#19 to #15), "A Girl Like You" by The Young Rascals (up ten places to #18), "Silence Is Golden" by The Tremeloes (#20, up from #26), "My Mammy" by The Happenings (#24 from #32) and "There Goes My Everything" by Engelbert Humperdinck (#25 from #30).  



In a London Times advertisement, The Beatles (along with Brian Epstein and several other British groups) urge the British Government to legalize marijuana.  (All four signatures are on the petition). 



Speaking of The Beatles, the #1 Album, once again, is "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".  

And, speaking of albums, The Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow" is certified gold today.  It contains their two recent Top Ten Hits, "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit".  And The Yardbirds released their final album, "Little Games" today as well. 




On-going Detroit riots forced the postponement of a Major League Baseball Game between The Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles.  Meanwhile, race riots broke out in Cambridge, Maryland, as well. 

Also on this date in 1967, The City of Milwaukee staged an exhibition game between The Chicago White Sox and The Minnesota Twins at County Stadium in an effort to prove that Milwaukee was still a viable home for Major League Baseball.  (They had lost their beloved Braves to Atlanta two years earlier.)

Forgotten Hits Reader Robert Campbell sent in this article celebrating the 50th Anniversary ... http://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2017/07/18/when-milwaukee-auditioned-return-big-leagues-1967/471987001/ ... which explains that over 51,000 fans showed up, proving that the city was still starving for Major League Baseball Action. 

Playing to the crowd, The White Sox started Pitcher Don McMahon, who was a rookie sensation for The Milwaukee Braves in 1957 (although he was now primarily used as a reliever.)  Sox Manager Eddie Stanky played for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers in 1942 and Minnesota Twins Coach Billy Martin also played briefly for The Braves in 1961.  

The White Sox were so impressed with the turn-out that they promised to play ten of their home games at County Stadium in 1968.  When expansion was still denied that year, The Sox returned for eleven more games in 1969.

Finally, just days before the start of the 1970 season, expansion team The Seattle Pilots filed for bankruptcy ... and Milwaukee jumped in to claim that team as The Brewers ... ironically, five future Brewers players (Rod Carew, Rich Rollins, Sandy Valdespino, Ken Berry and Jerry McNertney as well as future manager Cal Ermer) played in that 1967 Exhibition Game.  Major League Baseball would return to Milwaukee ... and it's been there ever since.  
(By the way, The Brewers went to the World Series just twelve years later.  County Stadium attendance for 1982 was just under two million ... yes, Milwaukee fans love their baseball!)

French President General Charles de Gaulle shouted "Vive le Quebec libre" (long live free Quebec!) from the balcony of Montreal's City Hall.  This was viewed as a serious breach of protocol and sparked Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to protest the remark.  (The phrase had been used by those who favored Quebec sovereignty and de Gaulle's use of it was seen as his lending support to the movement.)  Two days later, in what can only be seen as a diplomatic debacle, de Gaulle abruptly cancelled his visit to Ottawa and returned to France.