December 26th

"Magical Mystery Tour" airs on British Television (the BBC) for the very first time.  (Boxing Day in England)  It plays to unanimously poor reviews and, as such, isn't picked up for broadcast here in America.  (It will play as "The Midnight Movie" at small, artsy theaters in the late '70's). 

Despite all its vibrant psychedelia and vivid colorful images, the BBC airs the program in black and white (which, of course, makes absolutely NO sense at all) … but even this HUGE atrocity can't cover all of the blame for what is truly a lackluster and very disappointing piece of work.   (A critic for The Daily Express wrote that he had never before seen "such blatant rubbish".)

While The Monkees are currently scattered all over the globe for the holidays, sessions begin for a new version of "Valleri".  With their new record deal, The Monkees have control of their recording sessions and, as such, cannot use the tracks recorded for their television series which were produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who wrote the song.  When they just can't seem to recapture the feel of the original recording (which was played on radio stations all over the country despite the fact that the track hadn't officially been released), they bring Boyce and Hart in "off the books" to see if they can help them recapture the original groove of the record.  (As part of this arrangement, Boyce and Hart will not be credited on the record … production credit will be shown as "Produced by The Monkees".)  Happy to be back in the fold, Boyce and Hart agree and also oversee the recording of backing tracks for "P.O. Box 9847" and "Me Without You". 

And, for all of you who have asked over the years, that's session guitarist Louis Shelton playing that flamenco-like guitar riff throughout the song, NOT Glen Campbell or Michael Nesmith as has often been reported. 



Atlantic Richfield oil workers struck oil on Alaska’s North Slope at Prudhoe Bay.

December 25th

Merry Christmas, America!

The Monkees have the #1 Album in the Country again this week with "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd."  This is the fifth consecutive week they've held this spot but, much like they did in June, they are about to relinquish that position to The Beatles once again as 1967 comes to an end … their television soundtrack album "Magical Mystery Tour" will take over the top position on the album chart to kick off 1968. 

The Beatles also take over the #1 Position on the Pop Singles Chart as "Hello Goodbye" passes "Daydream Believer by The Monkees to become the most popular record in the land.  (The Monkees are now at #2.) 

This is a pretty strong Top Ten Chart this week … "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles moves up to #3, "Woman Woman" by The Union Gap climbs two spaces to #4, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight and the Pips sits at #5, Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools" climbs from #9 to #6, "Bend Me, Shape Me" by The American Breed is right behind it at #7 (up from #10 the week before), John Fred and his Playboy Band join The Top Ten with "Judy In Disguise" (#13 to #8), "Boogaloo Down Broadway" by The Fantastic Johnny C falls to #9 and "Skinny Legs And All" by Joe Tex creeps up a notch to #10. 



LOTS of great music on the chart this week … what a way to end 1967!!!  "You Better Sit Down Kids" by Cher is #11, "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" by The Cowsills is #12, "Summer Rain" by Johnny Rivers climbs up four notches to land at #14, just ahead of "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen (which moves from #20 to #15).  The rest of The Top 20 includes "She's My Girl" by The Turtles (#16), "It's Wonderful" by The Young Rascals (#17), "Massachusetts" by The Bee Gees (#18), "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys (#19) and, in its 14th week on the chart, "Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock (#20). 

"Susan" by The Buckinghams continues its climb this week (#36 to #25) as does "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers (#45 to #27), "Love Me Two Times" by The Doors moves from #37 to #29,"Monterey" by Eric Burdon and the Animals is up 31 places from #61 to #30 and "Who Will Answer" by Ed Ames climbs from #53 to #34. 



Paul McCartney announces his engagement to long-time girlfriend (and actress / model) Jane Asher.  They never marry and break up several months later, allegedly because of Paul's constant infidelities. 

The Monkees Christmas Episode airs in The United States.

December 24th

The Cowsills perform a Christmas medley and their next hit record "We Can Fly" on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Also on hand this evening is Bobbie Gentry, who sings "Niki Hokey" and "I Wonder As I Wonder". 



What a year 1967 was for movies.  Several of the films released that year remain among my all-time favorites some fifty years later … "The Dirty Dozen", "In The Heat Of The Night", "Bonnie And Clyde", "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and now this week's brand new #1 Hit, "The Graduate", which opens to the single biggest box office of the year … just under $5 million!  The Dustin Hoffman / Anne Bancroft classic is just as popular today (and has just as large a following … if not more so) 50 years later.  A TRUE classic! 

Burt Baskin, co-founder of the Baskin - Robbins ice cream chain, died. He and his brother-in-law, Irvine Robbins became partners in 1948 (although the joined Baskin - Robbins name did come into play until 1953, when they first offered 31 flavors.)  Prior to that, each ran separate businesses (Irv opened Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale, California, in 1945 and featured 21 flavors of high-quality ice cream.  The following year Burt opened Burton's Ice Cream Shop in Pasadena, California.)  By 1948, they had six stores between them.  A year later they had over 40 stores in Southern California alone … and they purchased their first dairy to insure the control and quality of the product they were producing.  Today they have over 2800 locations in the United States and over 5800 locations worldwide.  Since 1945, they have introduced over a THOUSAND new flavors into the marketplace.

Joe Namath of The New York Jets became the NFL's first quarterback to pass for 4000 yards in a single season.  (He finished with 4007).

  

December 23rd

The Monkees Christmas Episode airs in Great Britain, two days before it will be shown here in The States on Christmas Day.  

President Lyndon Johnson, on his way home from a visit to Southeast Asia, held an unprecedented meeting with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.  

Jeremy Clyde (of Chad and Jeremy) appears on the hit television series "My Three Sons". 

December 22nd

The Beatles take a big tumble on the WLS Chart this week, falling from #1 all the way down to #9.  Meanwhile they still top the chart according to WCFL.

December 21st

This week's highest chart debut is all the way down at #82 where "Explosion In Your Soul" by The Soul Survivors premiers.  It's their follow up release to The Top Ten Single "Expressway To Your Heart".  Vikki Carr is following up HER recent Top Ten Hit, too, with "The Lesson," which premiers at #83.  You'll also find the latest from The Beach Boys at #84 ("Darlin'") and right behind it "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by The Foundations (#85) and another personal favorite, "Skip A Rope" by Henson Cargill (#87). 







Louis Washkansky died in South Africa today, 18 days after undergoing the world's first heart transplant.

December 20th

Jumping ten places or more we find "I Can't Stand Myself" by James Brown (#56 to #44), "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers (#75 to #45), "Dancing Bear" by The Mamas and the Papas (#62 to #49), "Watch Her Ride" by Jefferson Airplane (#67 to #50), "Who Will Answer" by Ed Ames (#82 to #53), "Best Of Both Worlds" by Lulu (#71 to #57), "Goin' Out Of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by The Lettermen (#76 to #58), "Monterey" by Eric Burdon and the Animals (#80 to #61), "Everybody Knows" by The Dave Clark Five (#78 to #65), "My Baby Must Be A Magician" by The Marvelettes (#87 to #67), "Am I That Easy To Forget" by Engelbert Humperdinck (#100 to #72), "Two Little Kids" by Peaches and Herb (#85 to #73) and "Good Combination" by Sonny and Cher (#93 to #74).

Jethro Tull is formed when vocalist Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick leave John Evan's Blues Band.  (Ironically, John Evan himself will later join the group as their keyboard player!)  They name themselves after the 18th century agriculturist who also invented numerous farm implements including the seed drill. 

Cream perform live in Chicago. 

Christmas Spirit?  Elvis buys The Colonel an 18-karat gold watch for $595 and a new grand piano for Graceland.

December 19th

More images of the era ...

 

 

  

December 18th

The Monkees hold on to the #1 position for the fourth straight week with "Daydream Believer", keeping The Beatles at bay with "Hello Goodbye" at #2 and Gladys Knight and the Pips' "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" at #3.  

In that respect it looks like The Monkees are finishing up the year the same way they started it … with both the #1 Single AND the #1 Album in the country!

"Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd." is the #1 album for the fourth straight week as well.  "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" may have been the album that turned the world on its ear in 1967 … but there is absolutely NO way to discount the contribution of The Monkees … a hit television series, five Top Five Singles and FOUR #1 Albums, all within the past twelve months!  (The Monkees ended up topping Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart for 28 of the year's 52 weeks!)

For more on "The Year of The Monkees, be sure to read our Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart feature ... along with our exclusive interview with Bobby Hart:

http://forgottenhits.com/the_music_of_tommy_boyce_and_bobby_hart

http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_bobby_hart 

The rest of The Top Five  Singles Chart shows "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" by The Cowsills flip-flopping their #4 and #5 positions, with The Miracles coming out on top this week.  

Elsewhere in The Top Ten, "Woman Woman" by The Union Gap jumps from #14 to #6, "Boogaloo Down Broadway" by The Fantastic Johnny C is up from #12 to #7, "Chain Of Fools" by Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul, enters the Top Ten at #9 (up 14 spots from #23 the week before) and The American Breed climb up ten spots from #20 to #10 with "Bend Me, Shape Me".  

Other bulleted Top 40 Hits include "Skinny Legs And All" by Joe South (#15 to #11), "Judy In Disguise" by John Fred and his Playboy Band (#24 to #13), the holiday novelty hit "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen (#44 to #20), "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys (#29 to#23), "It's Wonderful" by The Young Rascals (#39 to #25), "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (#34 to #26), "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" by Donovan (#37 to #29), "And Get Away" by The Esquires (#41 to #33), "Susan", another hit for The Buckinghams, their sixth record to make The Super Chart in 1967 (climbing from #49 to #36), "Love Me Two Times" by The Doors (#48 to #37) and "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" by Petula Clark (#46 to #39)

December 17th

Spanky And Our Gang perform "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Mama Cass (performing a classic comedic sketch with Tommy Smothers to her recent hit "Dream A Little Dream Of Me") and The Temptations appear on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. 



Another one of my very favorite movies of all time tops the box office chart this week as "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner", starring  Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn takes over the top spot, with box office receipts of close to $3.7 million. 

John Lennon and George Harrison hosted a Christmas party for the secretaries of their British Fan Club, during which time their new television film "Magical Mystery Tour" was shown for the very first time.  

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt plunged into the surf during a stroll along the beach at Victoria and vanished.  While it was never reported that his body had been found, a coroner in 2005 confirmed that Holt had drowned.

December 16th

Here's the way the Chicagoland Charts shaped up the middle of December, 1967 ...

The Beatles top both Top 40 Powerhouse stations this week ...



Also common to both Top 10's are "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees (#2 on both charts), "Judy In Disguise by John Fred And His Playboy Band (#3 on both charts), "Bend Me, Shape Me" by Chicago's own American Breed (#4 on both charts), The Royal Guardsman and Cher holding down the #5 and/or #6 spots (in one form or another) and "Woman Woman" by The Union Gap (at #7 or #9).





The Cowsills hang on to the #7 spot on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey with their first hit, "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" (it has already fallen off The WCFL Sound 10 Survey) and "Neon Rainbow" by The Box Tops sits nine places higher on WCFL than it does on WLS.

December 15th

The Beatles' brand new "Magical Mystery Tour" album is certified gold.  

The Beach Boys travel to Paris to meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and study transcendental meditation.  Mike Love (who was also with The Beatles in India a few months earlier) says that he still meditates every single day, fifty years later.  (In the '70's, The Beach Boys would actually TOUR with The Maharishi, where they would perform concerts together!)

The Silver Bridge, linking Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Kanauga, Ohio, since 1928, collapses and tumbles into the Ohio River, killing 46 people in the process and leaving towns on either side stunned and grief-stricken.  (Over the years this has been linked to the so-called Mothman Mystery.)

Joe Garagiola joins NBC's "The Today Show".  He'll remain a host until 1973.  He would return to the program from 1990 - 1992.  Next year he'll be subbing for Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" on the day John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared as live guests.  I remember Paul quipping "Came to see Johnny ... got Joe." 

John Patler is convicted of the August 25th murder of George Lincoln Rockwell, head of the American Nazi Party.   Although he was sentenced to 20 years, he was paroled in August, 1975.

The US Age Discrimination Employment Act becomes law.

December 14th

DNA is created in a test tube.  

You've got to go all the way down to #76 to find this week's highest charting debut … it's an interesting medley put together by The Lettermen that combines Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Goin' Out Of My Head" with Frankie Valli's big solo hit from earlier this year, "Can't Take Me Eyes Off You" … and it really works.  

Also new on the chart this week are The Dave Clark Five with "Everybody Knows", which premiers at #78.  The DC5 had an earlier hit with the same title a couple of years ago but there's no mixing up these two … this new version is a very lushly produced ballad … and I like it!  

Eric Burdon and the Animals are back with "Monterey", their tribute to the big folk / rock music festival held a couple of months ago in California.  Burdon (who participated in said event) sings a play by play accounting of the whole experience … and it's good enough to debut at #80 this week.  

Rolling Stone Bill Wyman has a SOLO hit premiering at #81 with "In Another Land", which also appears on the new Stones' album.  Ed Ames, who charted earlier this year with "My Cup Runneth Over" is back on the charts with "Who Will Answer", new at #82.  

And way down at #100 we find Engelbert Humperdinck with his latest, "Am I That Easy To Forget".  (With a name like Engelbert Humperdinck, I should think not!)

December 13th

Moving up the charts this week (with leaps of ten places or more) are "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen (#76 to #44), "Susan" by The Buckinghams (#74 to #49), "I Can't Stand Myself" by James Brown (#70 to #56), "Dancing Bear" by The Mamas and the Papas (#84 to #62), "Dear Eloise" by The Hollies (#79 to #64), "Watch Her Ride" by The Jefferson Airplane (#86 to #67), "Best Of Both Worlds" by Lulu (#89 to #71), "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers (#98 to #75) and "Dancin' Out Of My Heart" by Ronnie Dove (#94 to #84).





Jamie Foxx is born.

December 12th

Herb Alpert hosts The Hollywood Palace and introduces several of the artists signed to his A&M Record Label, including Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who perform a medley of Monkees hits ("I Wanna Be Free" and "Last Train To Clarksville") as well as their soon-to-be hit single "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight".  Also onboard are The Baja Marimba Band, Burt Bacharach, Wes Montgomery and Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66.