April 8th

The Buffalo Springfield perform "Mr. Soul" (along with a 30-second excerpt from "For What It's Worth") on The Hollywood Palace. 



John Lennon takes his Rolls Royce to a car customizing shop in Surrey to have it painted in psychedelic colors.  He'll get it back about seven weeks later.  (Lennon first purchased the car on June 3, 1965 … and it sounds like it was Ringo who inspired him to have it painted after the two passed a fairground.)  Before the year's end, The Beatles would travel all over the British countryside in a psychedelically painted bus in their television special "Magical Mystery Tour".

 

April 7th

Hot shot debuts this week include a new track by Neil Diamond ("Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon") which premiers at #66, "I Got Rhythm" by The Happenings, debuting at #71 (talk about your old song revivals!), "When I Was Young" by Eric Burdon and the Animals (or NEW Animals if you read all of our other interesting 1967 tidbits), which premiers at #75, "Somebody To Love", the first chart hit by The Jefferson Airplane (#81) and "Here Comes My Baby" by The Tremeloes (the group that Decca Records signed instead of The Beatles back in 1962 … making their first US chart appearance with a song written by Cat Stevens.)  

Tom Donahue of KMPX-FM in San Francisco starts playing album tracks on the air … forever changing the future of The Top 40 Radio Format.  

Speaking of albums, The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was mixed for stereo today.  None of The Beatles were present … as they considered the mono mix to be the one of "paramount importance", so were always around for these … but were "generally content" to leave the stereo mixes to George Martin and Geoff Emerick.  To this day there are many fans (myself included) who prefer the mono mix of "Sgt. Pepper" to the stereo one.  

While here in America, Paul McCartney is inspired to plan out a Beatles television special built around the idea of a mystery tour where all of the participants are carted around the city and countryside in a psychedelically painted bus.  He jots down a few notes for future reference.  

The Young Rascals appear on The Mike Douglas Show.  

The movie "Good Times" starring Sonny and Cher, opens in Chicago.  

And, speaking of movies … in Chicago … Roger Ebert's very first movie review appears today in The Chicago Sun Times.  

And, speaking of Chicago, here are this week's charts from Chicago's two AM powerhouse super stations WLS and WCFL …

You'll find THREE of our Local Heroes in The Top 20 this week on WLS ... "Mr. Unreliable" by The Cryan' Shames sits in the #9 position, The Buckinghams are right behind them at #13 with their latest, "Don't You Care" and The New Colony Six move up to #19 with "You're Gonna Be Mine".

You'll also find Michael and the Messengers (actually a Wisconsin band) at #23 this week with their version of "In The Midnight Hour".

 

April 6th

Records to watch this week outside The Top 40 include "Love Eyes" by Nancy Sinatra, which leaps 28 places from #69 to #41, giving Nancy THREE records on this week's chart.  (Her duet with her Dad sits at #3 and "Summer Wine", her duet with her record producer Lee Hazlewood is holding down the #72 spot.) 

"Sunday For Tea" by Peter and Gordon climbs 19 spots from #62 to #43, "Close Your Eyes" by Peaches and Herb jumps from #73 to #49, a move of 24 places while "You Got What It Takes"  by The Dave Clark Five does even better than that, moving from #84 to #53, a jump of 31 spots! 



"I Found A Love" by Wilson Pickett is up 33 spots, moving from #89 to #56, "Friday On My Mind" by The Easybeats is up nineteen places (from #76 to #57), while "My Back Pages" by The Byrds climbs 27 places from #85 to #58, "Get Me To The World On Time" by The Electric Prunes is up to #59 from #81 (22 spots) and Andy Williams' vocal version of "Music To Watch Girls By" now sits at #60, up seventeen places from last week's showing of #77. 



The first master tape of The Beatles' new LP "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was prepared today.  The Beatles insisted on two things:  the title track would crossfade into "With A Little Help From My Friends" to start the album and the "Sgt. Pepper Reprise" would crossfade into "A Day In The Life" to end the album.  They also wanted no gaps between the rest of the songs. 

Side One also had a completely different running order at this stage than what was released on the final LP:  "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" (which ultimately closed side one) was next, followed by "Fixing A Hole", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Getting Better" and "She's Leaving Home". 

Check out this television listing from TV Guide for tonight's "ABC Stage 67" special: 

"Singer-actor Harry Belafonte produced this showcase of Negro humor, satire and self-parody.  Participants include host Sidney Poitier, Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, Dick Gregory, Godfrey Cambridge, George Kirby, Redd Foxx, Diana Sands, Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley and Pigmeat Markham."  

A stellar line-up if there ever was one … but were we REALLY still calling it "Negro Humor" in 1967?!?! 

Later that night ABC will air "ABC Stage 67:  On the FLIP Side", a musical starring Rick Nelson and Joannie Sommers.  A rare soundtrack album will be released from this special … probably one of Rick's weakest moments … but it's still notable due to the fact that the majority of the songs were written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
 

April 5th

With the "Sgt. Pepper" album now complete, Paul McCartney flies to America for a ten day stay.  First stop:  Denver, Colorado, for girlfriend Jane Asher's 21st birthday.  He gives her a diamond ring … which she later loses!  

Monkees fans marched in protest in London today when it was announced that Davy Jones was going to be inducted into The Army.  (Davy was later exempted from duty because he was his family's main provider.)  

A new Elvis Presley movie, "Double Trouble", opens in theaters, just two weeks after "Easy Come, Easy Go" premiered.  By week's end it will be this week's box office champ … but again ticket sales drop off immediately, reaching a $1.6 million gross overall.  

Al Martino records "Mary In The Morning"

April 4th

Johnny Carson quits The Tonight Show.  He returns three weeks later after NBC gives him a $30,000 a week raise.  (Man, how do you make THAT deal?!?!?)

Paul McCartney tells Beatles Press Secretary Derek Taylor about a hot new act he caught the other night ... the guitar player was nothing short of phenomenal ... and suggests that he might make a great addition to the line-up that Derek was putting together for a little summer music festival in California.

That act was Jimi Hendrix ... and that little festival was The Monterey Pop Festival, an event put together by Taylor, Producer Lou Adler, and John Phillips, leader of The Mamas and the Papas.    

Based on Paul's advice and recommendation, Taylor goes on to book The Jimi Hendrix Experience for the festival, where he proceeds to bring the house down with his incredible stage act.  (Also present at the event ... as spectators ... were Monkees Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, who were so impressed with Jimi's show that they went on to book Hendrix as their opening act for their upcoming tour.  It was a match mad in hell ... there was no chance that an audience packed with 12 and 13 year old girls screaming "We want Davy! We want Davy!" was EVER going to accept Hendrix's participation.  When all is said and done, the pairing lasts for a total of seven shows.)

Brenda Lee appears on The Mike Douglas Show.

April 3rd

"Happy Together" by The Turtles and "Dedicated To The One I Love" by The Mamas and the Papas hold on to the #1 and #2 spots respectively on this week's chart … but making a big move toward the top are "Somethin' Stupid" by Nancy and Frank Sinatra (#3, up from #8) and "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells (#4, up from #7).  Petula Clark holds at #5 with her latest, "This Is My Song."  

The Monkees climb seven places to #6 with "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" … could IT be the next new #1 Record?  "Bernadette" by The Four Tops continues its climb, moving from #11 to #7 while "Western Union" by The Five Americans cracks The Top Ten for the first time, moving from #14 to #10.  

Also on an uphill climb in The Top 40 we find "Jimmy Mack" by Martha and the Vandellas (up from #16 to #12), "The 59th Street Bridge Song" by Harper's Bizarre, jumping from #19 to #14, "Beggin'" by The Four Seasons, up seven places from #24 to #17, "Sweet Soul Music" by Arthur Conley, up to #21 from #27, "With This Ring" by The Platters, which climbs eight places from #33 to #25, "At The Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel, leaping 21 positions from #49 to #28, "Don’t You Care" by The Buckinghams (climbing from #43 to #31), "Tell Me To My Face" by Keith (up to #32 from #41), "I'm A Man" by The Spencer Davis Group, up twenty spots from #56 to #36 and "On A Carousel" by The Hollies, which rises from #57 to #40, a move of seventeen places.  

"More Of The Monkees" is still the #1 Album in the nation.  

Tonight's Monkees television episode stars Julie Newmar as April Conquest, who all four boys immediately fall in love with.  It's considered one of their classic episodes.

 

Once again, no other Beatles are present this evening, leaving George Harrison alone in the studio tonight to complete his recording of "Within You, Without You".  George holds court with the Indian musicians especially assembled to complete this track.  And, once this recording was complete (sometime between 3:00 and 6:30 am the following morning), The Beatles had officially finished recording their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.  (In all, over 700 hours were spent in the studio making the album … and that didn't include all of the mixing time done to date and still required to finalize the LP)  

It is revolutionary in virtually every way, not the least of which is printing the song lyrics on the back cover.  It would also provide numerous clues a few years later to the whole "Paul Is Dead" theory.  (Paul's back is turned to the camera as he is no longer with us ... George Harrison's finger is pointing to the lyric "Wednesday Morning at Five O'Clock" ... the time of Paul's fatal car crash ... and, of course, the funeral flower arrangement on the front cover depicting a left-handed guitar ... and the hand raised over Paul's head signifying the blessing for his passing ... unreal in theory but some pretty interesting "coincidences" to be sure!)  

In hindsight it almost seems inconceivable that just four years earlier The Beatles were singing "She Loves You, yeah, yeah, yeah" and were now singing about "plasticine porters with looking glass ties", "tangerine trees and marmalade skies" and girls with "kaleidoscope eyes" … but they were.  Start to finish, the album took 129 days to complete … an absolutely unheard of amount of time back in the day when some artists released as many as three or four albums within a single year!   

Sessions began with "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" … but those songs were paired instead as a Double A-Side Single … the creative juices were flowing so quickly (fueled by what must have been an unlimited supply of drugs and drinks), that the idea of a "concept album" soon appeared.  What if The Beatles pretended to be somebody else … Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, for example.  Truthfully, the "concept" really only extended to the first two … and last two … tracks.  

When no singles were released from the LP, some radio stations charted the entire album as #1.  It became the official soundtrack to The Summer Of Love … and every generation since has embraced the genius of Pepper.  

 

Here in Chicago, Richard Speck's trial begins today for the murder of eight student nurses.  More on this gruesome night can be found here:
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/07/50-years-ago-today.html  

April 2nd

Sonny and Cher appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.  

With a new song ("I'm A Man") already climbing the charts by The Spencer Davis Group, keyboardist / lead vocalist / and chief songwriter Steve Winwood tells The New Musical Express, the most popular pop music publication in Great Britain, that he is forming a new band with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason which they will call "Traffic".  

An audience member threw a smoke bomb on to the stage at a Rolling Stones concert being held at The Town Hall in Vienna, Austria, which led to a riot and the arrest of 154 people.  

The Monkees perform a sold-out show at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.  

Number One at the Box Office this week:  Thoroughly Modern Millie.  

Actors Lynn Redgrave and John Clark were married.  They would go on to have three children together before divorcing in 2000.

April 1st, 1967

Paul McCartney comes up with the idea of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Reprise, which is completed in one long eleven hour session.  Having already decided that it would be impossible to follow "A Day In The Life" as the album closer, this reprise was brought in to bridge the final track, much as the lead-off track merged into "With A Little Help From My Friends".  The mono version is noticeably different than the stereo version on the reprise (and has long been my preference … as all kinds of little background, incidental bits and pieces can be heard, including McCartney's rampant screaming, not heard in the stero mix.)  

The Turtles and Freddy Cannon make appearances on this week's edition of "American Bandstand"  

Tiger Beat Magazine begins publishing an official all Monkees-only magazine called "Monees Spectacular".  

 

Chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964 to collect, preserve, and publicize information and artifacts relating to the history of country music, The Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum officially opens to the public in Nashville, Tennessee.

March 31st

In a performance at The Finsbury Park Astoria Theatre in London, Jimi Hendrix suffers minor burns after setting his guitar on fire on stage for the first time.  (He ended his set with his popular tune "Fire" … and then set his guitar on fire as part of the grand finale.)  Also on the bill that night:  Cat Stevens, The Walker Brothers and current British Chart-Topper Engelbert Humperdinck!  (Now THAT'S a line-up you don't see every day!!!)  

The final episode of "Where The Action Is" airs on ABC-Television. (It made household names of Paul Revere and the Raiders.)  Producer Dick Clark hosts the last show and interviews series regulars Paul Revere and the Raiders, Keith Allison, Steve Alaimo and Linda Scott, who perform "The Secret Of My Success" as the final number.  Local news will fill its timeslot beginning the following week.  However Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay would be back the following year hosting a brand new Dick Clark after school music series called "Happening '68".  

Brand new on the charts this week are Nancy Sinatra with "Love Eyes" (premiering at #69), a vocal version of "Music To Watch Girls By" by Andy Williams (it's in at #77), "You Got What It Takes" by The Dave Clark Five (the song they just performed on The Ed Sullivan Show ... and another remake that premiers at #84), "My Back Pages", a new track by The Byrds, debuting at #85 and "Alfie" by Dionne Warwick, her latest collaboration with Hal David and Burt Bacharach, which comes in at #98.   (Right behind her on this week's chart are The Yellow Balloon, whose track "Yellow Balloon" premiers at #99.  The Yellow Balloon features actor Don Grady from "My Three Sons" on drums.  The song comes from a Jan and Dean album and vocalist Alex Valdez has been a Forgotten Hits Member for years!)  

The Monkees single "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" / "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" is released in the UK.  

Gordon Lightfoot performs at Massey Hall in Toronto, giving what will turn out to be the first of his annual appearances there.  He has made over 150 appearances at this theater since his March 31st, 1967 premier.

Locally, "Happy Together" finally reaches #1 on the WLS Chart ... 

Meanwhile Larry Lujack joins WCFL doing a Midnight Show ... he will go on to become one of the most iconic jocks of our time ... Super Jock in fact!

 

March 30th

The Beatles' new album cover is photographed today by Michael Cooper (from a design by Peter Blake). 

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" will become a landmark release that influences virtually everything recorded after it.  (Manager Brian Epstein did not like the new LP cover and at one point wrote a note to The Fab Four that simply said "Brown Paper Bags for 'Sgt. Pepper'".  Ironically, John Lennon packaged his first solo album, "Two Virgins" that way a year later.)   

Each of The Beatles were allowed suggestions as to who should be depicted in the background.  Those making the cut included Actress Mae West (who later made a comment to the effect of "Me … in a Lonely Hearts Club???"), fellow musician (and collective Beatles idol) Bob Dylan, Dancer Fred Astaire, Child Actress Shirley Temple, W.C.Fields, comedian Lenny Bruce, Tony Curtis, Edgar Allan Poe, Marilyn Monroe, Laurel and Hardy, Marlon Brando, H.G. Wells, original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, boxer Sonny Liston (a surprise after The Beatles had posed for photos with Cassius Clay prior to their heavyweight bout!), Albert Einstein, actress Marlene Dietrich, Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller and more … in fact, 61 faces in all, including Madame Tredaux wax figures of The Beatles themselves.  (Photos of Jesus Christ and Adolph Hitler were reportedly later removed from the original montage … as was Bowery Boy Leo Gorcey, who demanded a $400 fee for the use of his likeness … at which point he was airbrushed out of history!  Bowery Boy Huntz Hall was used instead ... without a fee!) 

The Beatles even gave a nod to The Rolling Stones on this landmark, imaginative cover ... The Stones would repay the favor on their next LP ("Their Satanic Majesties Request"), which featured little 3-D buttons of each Beatles face.

Cindy Birdsong, formerly one of Patti LaBelle's Blue-Belles, is asked to fill in for Florence Ballard of The Supremes for the first time, as Florence has missed several recent performances in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Montreal.  She will be asked to become Ballard's permanent replacement a short time later. 

Herman's Hermits appear on The Dean Martin Show.  The band performs "Dandy" and then Peter Noone (as Herman) and Dean Martin have a go at "Mairzy Doats". 

Tommy Roe sings "Little Miss Sunshine" and Paul Revere and the Raiders perform their brand new hit "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be" on "Where The Action Is".

March 29th

A 13-day TV Strike begins.  It is the first strike ever for the 30-year-old AFTRA Organization (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and even television's most popular artists and performers elect to participate. 

The Buckinghams have THREE records on the chart this week, including the back to back hits at #43 and #44, "Don't You Care" (up 22 places from #65) and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (up twelve places from #56.)  Meanwhile, their former chart-topper "Kind Of A Drag" is slowly working its way down the chart, falling this week from #31 to #55. 







Other big movers on the chart this week include "At The Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel (up 19 places from #68 to #49), "I'm A Man" by The Spencer Davis Group (up from #75 to #56, a move of 19 places), "On A Carousel" by The Hollies (#57, up from #73), "Can't Get Enough Of You, Baby" by ? and the Mysterians, up twenty places from #90 to #70 and The Monkees (with the B-Side of their #13 Hit), "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", which now sits at #74 after a 24 point climb from #98. 

The Turtles appear on "Where The Action Is", performing FOUR songs:  "Can I Get To Know You Better", "Almost There", "You Baby" and "Happy Together". 

At the recording session held the night before, John Lennon decided that he wants to end "Good Morning, Good Morning" with animal sounds … so once again the EMI archives are scoured for pre-recorded animal sounds.  The Beatles overdub animals noises on to "Good Morning, Good Morning", officially completing that track before starting another this evening.  The new song will become another instant classic … ten takes of "With A Little Help From My Friends" are laid down tonight (including Ringo's double-tracked lead vocal).  The working title of this track was "Bad Finger Boogie" … interesting in that The Beatles would later rename The Iveys "Badfinger" after signing them to Apple Records a few years later.  Ringo refused to sing the original lyric as written "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you throw tomatoes at me?"  … (he didn't want to inspire any potential future audience from doing so should the boys ever perform the song in public ... they'd already been pelleted for years after mentioning once they they liked jelly-babies!) … forcing John and Paul to rewrite the line as "Would you stand up and walk out on me?", a FAR better line indeed!

March 28th

Van Morrison records his big breakthrough solo hit, "Brown Eyed Girl".  

Tommy Roe appears on "Where The Action Is".  

A Made-For-Television movie called "Ironsides" is shown on NBC.  Based around the storyline of a wheelchair bound detective, and starring Raymond Burr, long associated with the character of Perry Mason, in the title role, the program acts as a springboard pilot to Burr's new television series of the same name, which will start airing new episodes in September of this year.  It will run on NBC for a total of eight seasons.

March 27th

"Happy Together" by The Turtles finally hits the #1 spot as The Beatles' "Penny Lane" falls to #4.  (After a huge leap from #11 to #3, "Happy Together" inched its way to the top, stopping at #3 and #2 before finally hitting #1).  The Mamas and the Papas are right behind it as "Dedicated To The One I Love" climbs a notch to #2.  "There's a Kind Of Hush" by Herman's Hermits does the same thing , crawling from #4 to #3.  

Biggest mover in The Top Ten?  "Somethin' Stupid" by Nancy and Frank Sinatra which jumps from #30 to #8 this week, a climb of 22 places.  Petula Clark's "This Is My Song" climbs from #15 to #5, a ten point leap while Tommy James and the Shondells move from #13 to #7 with their latest, "I Think We're Alone Now".  (You saw yesterday in Forgotten Hits that by this time "I Think We're Alone Now" had already been the #1 Record in Chicago for the past five weeks!!!)  Meanwhile, The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" finally makes The Top Ten, moving from #11 to #9.  

The rest of The Top 40 shape up this way …  

"Bernadette" by The Four Tops leaps twelve places from #23 to #11.  The Monkees are up from #32 to #13 with their latest, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You".  "Western Union" by The Five Americans climbs thirteen spots from #27 to #14.  Arthur Conley makes an impressive move as "Sweet Soul Music" climbs from #41 to #27, a move of 14 places. 

"Detroit City" by Tom Jones jumps eighteen places, from #48 to #30 … and one of the biggest acts of the '50's, The Platters, are back in The Top 40 this week as "With This Ring" moves from #44 to #33, a jump of eleven places.  

The Monkees hold on to the #1 Spot on the Album Chart again this week with "More Of The Monkees".  

The Young Rascals are in the recording studio today in New York City, recording their '60's classic "Groovin'". 

The Beatles win three Ivor Novello Awards for best-selling single of 1966 ("Yellow Submarine"), most-performed song of 1966 ("Michelle") and second most-performed song of 1966 ("Yesterday").  The ceremony takes place at The Playhouse Theatre in London.  (You may recall that John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded their acceptance speeches a few days earlier as part of an interview done with BBC Disc Jockey Brian Matthew as they were unable to attend this ceremony in person.) 

Hard to believe but tonight Fats Domino is appearing in his first ever UK Concert at London's famed Saville Theatre, performing with The Bee Gees and Gerry and the Pacemakers.  (After our anniversary celebration last year of the Tommy Roe / Chris Montez / Beatles concert in 1963 … after Chris and Tommy had exactly ONE big chart hit each … it is almost unthinkable that The Fat Man wouldn't make his first trip over to England until 1967 … especially when you consider the number of American artists from the late '50's and early '60's that preceded him!!!)

*****

The Turtles had had hit records before and were certainly no strangers to the charts ... "It Ain't Me, Babe" and "You Baby" were both Top 20 Hits and they regularly appeared on all the hot television shows ... but NOTHING could have prepared them for the success of their latest record, "Happy Together", a '60's anthem that has literally kept them on the road for the fifty years since its first release back in 1967.  (The Annual Happy Together Tour is one of the most successful franchises in Rock And Roll History!)

Starting with the crudest of demos, they crafted a pop masterpiece that, once completed, they knew was destined for #1.

Here Howard Kaylan explains the evolution of "Happy Together" during an appearance at The Grammy Museum.