The Saturday Survey

 

Sonny and Cher hang on to the #1 spot, holding The Beatles to a #2 showing for "Help!," up ten places from the week before in its third week on the chart.  (Sonny's also got his first solo hit as "Laugh At Me" debuts at #83.)

"California Girls" by The Beach Boys and "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers are both big Top Ten movers while "Like A Rolling Stone," "Nothing But Heartaches" and "You Were On My Mind" retain their bullets this week, now all solid Top 20 Hits.

The Turtles climb twenty places with their version of a Bob Dylan tune, "It Ain't Me Babe" ... and Dean Martin is also up twenty spots with "Houston," one of my favorite recordings by him.  (I remember reading in Howard Kaylan's book many years ago that when he finally met Bob Dylan, he blurted out "We recorded one of your songs" to which Dylan replied "Oh yeah?  Is it any good?")

Freddy Cannon's "Action" theme is a big mover this week ... it rockets from #82 to #48.  And premiering at #58 is what may be the first most blatant protest song to ever appear on the pop charts, Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction."  (Some radio stations will ban this tune ... but it will still work its way up to the #1 spot in all three of the major trades.) 

Evoking a completely different mood, "Hang On Sloopy" by The McCoys premiers at #67.  (This one's purely for fun!) 

And WAY down at #93 (without a bullet!) is The Dave Clark Five's latest, "Catch Us If You Can."

  

August 15th, 1965

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

8/15/65 – The Beatles perform at Shea Stadium to a then record crowd of 55,000 fans.  Two of the screaming girls in the audience that night were Linda Eastman and Barbara Bach, each of whom would go on to marry a Beatle!

More here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t4pIOBCtIc&list=RD9t4pIOBCtIc&start_radio=1

Tonight, the 60^th Anniversary of this landmark concert will be celebrated with a performance by 1964, one of the premier tribute bands in front of the Shea Bridge at 6:15 p.m. ET, prior to the game between The New York Mets and The Seattle Mariners with the first 15,000 fans entering Citi Field getting an exclusive mini Shea Stadium replica. In addition, there will be a fireworks display cued to the Beatles’ music after the game and the first pitch will be thrown out by members of the gameday staff who worked the August 15, 1965 concert.

1964 will perform the same 12-song set list that The Beatles performed for 55,000 screaming fans exactly 60 years ago:  “Twist and Shout,” “She’s a Woman,” “I Feel Fine,” “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Everybody’s Tryin’ to Be My Baby,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Baby’s in Black,” “Act Naturally,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Help!” and “I’m Down.”  (I don’t know if The Mets, 64-57, will draw 55,000 fans tonight or not … but they sure were a noisemaker back in ’65!)

The original concert was later broadcast as a CBS television special, hosted by Ed Sullivan, who first introduced The Beatles to most of America the year before.

Meanwhile, here in Chicago ... 

A SPECIAL BROADCAST THIS EVENING:  WGN RADIO HOSTS BOB SIROTT AND JOHN LANDECKER RETURN WITH A VERY SPECIAL THREE-HOUR FRIDAY NIGHT NOSTALGIA RADIO SHOW

Back by popular demand, 'For Radio Geeks Only' to air Friday, August 15th, 7 - 10 pm 

WGN Radio announced that its hosts Bob Sirott and John Records Landecker will return for another night of radio nostalgia. Back by popular demand, “For Radio Geeks Only,” sponsored by Apple Chevy, is expanded to a three-hour show airing on Friday, August 15th from 7 to 10 pm. Sirott and Landecker first united in July for an hour’s show, reminiscing about their days as music DJs.

“Listeners to our first ‘For Radio Geeks Only’ special told us they wanted more – and John and I did, too! We’re glad to bring it back with an even longer show this time,” said Bob Sirott.

Go back to the days before streaming, cable, VCRs, DVDs, and smartphones when rock and roll radio was a source of entertainment. Sirott and Landecker will play their favorite jingles and will be joined by special guests, including 1960s disc jockey Ron Riley and Spike O’Dell, one of WGN Radio’s very own.

wgnradio.com 

August 14th, 1965

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

8/14/65 - The Beatles taped an appearance for CBS-TV's “The Ed Sullivan Show” at Studio 50 in New York City. They performed a total of SIX songs:  “I Feel Fine,” “I'm Down,” “Act Naturally,” “Ticket to Ride,” the infamous Paul McCartney solo performance of “Yesterday” and “Help!”

The very next day, they'd play their first concert at Shea Stadium, introduced by Ed Sullivan.

The program they taped today won't air until Sunday, September 12th.  

(Incredibly, they didn't stop the tape and redo the blown lyrics on both "I'm Down" and "Help!," both sides of their latest single, now climbing the charts. Ringo also had trouble with the lyrics on "Act Naturally" ... and George hit more than a few bad notes as well.)  

I guess their schedules were so tight, there just wasn't enough time.  Or, they just figured the girls in the audience would be screaming so loudly that nobody would notice!

Also on 8/14, Carl Fizer of The Olympics (“Western Movies”) is shot and killed during rioting in Watts