March 25th

This week's edition of TV Guide examines the future of "Batman", which has recently added the Batgirl character trying to spice things up.  Incredibly, it is still airing twice a week … but the novelty is pretty much over.

The Who make their first US live appearance at The RKO 58th Street Theater in New York City.  Later this year, they'll enjoy their first tour of America as the opening act for, of all people, Herman's Hermits, before taking the stage, along with Jimi Hendrix and many others, at The Monterey Pop Festival in June.  (Also on the bill that night at the RKO … Cream, who wouldn't have their first big US hit until nearly a year later.  It was all part of a Murray The K concert extravaganza featuring a total of six bands that ran over the 1967 Easter Weekend.) 

After already topping the US charts for the past seven weeks, "More Of The Monkees", The Monkees' second album, is finally released in the UK.  That evening Davy Jones appears on The Miss Teen International Pageant, broadcast from The Hollywood Palladium on ABC Television.

March 24th

Neil Diamond sings "You Got To Me" and "Solitary Man" on "Where The Action Is".

"I Think We're Alone Now" begins its fifth week at #1 on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey ...

Meanwhile, you'll find "Happy Together" by The Turtles holding down the #1 spot on WCFL, where these two titles have ping-ponged the top position for the past few weeks.

Local Heroes The Cryan' Shames, The Buckinghams (with TWO Top 40 Hits), The Shadows Of Knight, The Riddles and The New Colony Six all hold down spots on this week's local charts.

March 23rd

The highest debut this week (and for the year so far) belongs to The Monkees as their brand new single, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" premiers in the #32 spot.  "Sunday For Tea" by Peter and Gordon bows at #70 and The Spencer Davis Group have a new single at #75 that will go on to become a classic rock staple … "I'm A Man", will be recorded by numerous artists over the years.  

Roger Miller premiers at #79 with "Walkin' In The Sunshine" and ? and the Mysterians, who topped the chart in 1966 with their first hit, "96 Tears", debuts in the #90 spot with a track called "Can't Get Enough Of You, Baby", a song that will gain far more recognition thirty years from now when it's covered by Smash Mouth.  

The Cyrkle perform "Turn Down Day" on "Where The Action Is".  Billy Stewart is also on hand.  

After spending fifteen hours in the recording studio yesterday, The Monkees are back at it today for another twelve hour session.  "For Pete's Sake" is recorded today.  It's a great Peter Tork tune (sung by Micky) that would play over the television show's closing credits during its second season.  They also worked further on "Shades Of Gray".  (Peter Tork explained that "Mike wrote the horn and cello parts for 'Shades Of Gray' and I notated them.  Mike wrote the two of 'em in his head and sang them to me.  I had to coach the French Horn Player on what to do.  By the time I got it done, I thought 'this is one of my favorite things that I've ever done.")

March 22nd

"Sweet Soul Music" by Arthur Conley moves from #58 to #41, a jump of 17 places, "Tell Me To My Face" by Keith climbs from #73 to #54, a move of 19 places, "Don’t You Care" by The Buckinghams jumps from #95 to #65, a leap of thirty places, "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got" by Jimmy Ruffin (brother of Temptations vocalist David Ruffin) climbs from #89 to #66 (that's a 23 point move), "At The Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel climbs twenty spots from #88 to #68 and "On A Carousel" by The Hollies makes a 17 point leap from #90 to #73.  

The Monkees spend fifteen hours in the recording studio today working on "Early Morning Blues And Greens", "No Time" and "Shades Of Gray" for their upcoming "Headquarters" LP.  (Some will say because the core group weren't really proficient in the recording studio, EVERYTHING took longer than it should have … and even the various band members admitted as much in hindsight.  But still this was a valiant effort to pull together some usable tracks for the LP.  

Principal photography for "Clambake" finally begins in Hollywood.  Meanwhile, Elvis' latest movie, "Easy Come, Easy Go" opens in movie theaters.  (Was anybody really still going to these in 1967?!?!?)  Apparently so … by week's end it will be the #1 Movie at the Box Office!  However overall it is considered to be a stiff, grossing less than $2 million and ranking at #50 at the end of the year's box office receipts.

March 21st

Prior to entering the studio to record the backing vocal tracks to "It's Getting Better", John Lennon took his first major LSD trip and, once in the studio, began freaking out.

In the now infamous story, Producer George Martin didn't know what to make of it and, thinking John was sick, took him up to the roof of Abbey Road Studios to get some fresh air, not at all realizing for a moment the danger he was actually placing The Beatles' leader in (who just as easily could have believed he could fly down in his severely altered state.)   

When George returned to the studio to continue the session and informed Paul McCartney and George Harrison where John had been taken, they rushed up to the rooftop to carefully bring him back inside.  (The roof had no railings and was a 30foot drop to the ground below!)  So as not to completely waste the evening, The Beatles worked on the piano track for "Lovely Rita" that night instead.

March 20th

Popular British DJ Brian Matthew records John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's acceptance speeches for the three 1966 Ivor Novello Awards they won:  "Yellow Submarine" (winner of "The A-Side of the Record Issued in 1966 Which Achieved the Highest Certified British Sales in the Period 1st January, 1966 through 31st December, 1966" … Whew!  Just announcing the name of that category would use up more than the allotted time for an acceptance speech on an American TV Awards Show!); "Michelle" (winner of "The Most Performed Work Of The Year") and "Yesterday" (Runner-Up to the Most Performed Work of the Year).  These speeches would be broadcast on The BBC on March 27th.  

Popular fashion model Twiggy arrives in the US for a one week stay.  

The "Monkee Mother" episode airs tonight, starring Rose Marie of The Dick Van Dyke Show.  Songs include "Sometime In The Morning" and "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow".  

After another eleven day delay, Elvis finally returns to the studio to begin rehearsals for "Clambake".

March 19th

There's only one new Top Ten entry this week as Buffalo Springfield finally make The Top Ten when "For What It's Worth" climbs from #12 to #9.  The Beatles hold on to the #1 spot with "Penny Lane", holding The Turtles and "Happy Together" off for another week … they're stuck at #2.  But what a killer top four … The Mamas and the Papas have the #3 record with their version of "Dedicated To The One I Love" and Herman's Hermits are right behind them with "There's A Kind Of Hush", up four places to #4.  

Big Top 40 movers include "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells (up from #19 to #13 ... it's already been #1 in Chicago for a month!), "This Is My Song" by Petula Clark (up to #15 from #24), "The Return Of The Red Baron" by The Royal Guardsmen (climbing from #21 to #16), "The 59th Street Bridge Song" by Harper's Bizarre (#19, up from #26), "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)" by Aretha Franklin (up to #21 from #29), "Jimmy Mack" by Martha and the Vandellas, which climbs from #27 to #22, "Bernadette" by The Four Tops, up seven spaces from #30 to #23, "Western Union" by The Five Americans, cracking The Top 40 at #27 in a leap of 17 places from their #44 showing the week before, "Somethin' Stupid" by Nancy and Frank Sinatra, up thirty places from #60 to #30 and the brand new track by The Monkees, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", written by Neil Diamond, which premiers at #32.  

The Monkees also hold the #1 spot on the album chart with "More Of The Monkees".  

Johnny Rivers appears on The Ed Sullivan Show and performs "Baby, I Need Your Lovin'".  The Lovin' Spoonful also perform three songs on this episode … "Bald Headed Lena", "Do You Believe In Magic" and "Daydream".  

Meanwhile The Turtles are back on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  

Number One at the Box Office:  In Like Flint.