First of all, a correction from last time. I said that Michael Jackson was the only performer on Casey's last AT40 who was also on his first. I overlooked The Moody Blues, who on July 4, 1970 were at #27 with "Question," and were at #30 in August '88 with "I Know You're Out There Somewhere." Thanks as always, Jimmy, for keeping me honest.
And now, we visit August, 1964. Around the date of this chart, the space probe Ranger 7 sent the first close-up images of the moon back to Earth, Warner Brothers closed down its long-running and storied animation department, and the USS Maddox was involved in an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin that foreshadowed increased American involvement in the Vietman war. Meanwhile, the big story on the music scene was the arrival on U.S. shores of an unprecedented number of hit records by singers and groups from the United Kingdom. The sheer volume and popularity of these recordings, and the artists who preformed them, was likened in some circles to a sort of "invasion." How much sway had these Brits gained over Yankee radio listeners and record buyers? Let's find out, shall we?
40 - "Ain't She Sweet," The Beatles
And we kick off with the undisputed leaders of the invasion. This was six months after their monumental appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and American Beatlemania was in full swing, so much so that they were even able to chart with trifles like this cover of a Tin Pan Alley hit from 1927. They put their own sound to it, and the performance is spirited, but the song is too cliched to make this more than just a curiosity.
39 - "I Believe," The Bachelors
Technically, these Dubliners don't qualify as British, seeing as they're from the Republic of Ireland. But they had their first hits in 1964, the second being this cover of a 1953 Frankie Laine hit about the faith-restoring powers of rain, crying babies, and other things. Kind of square, but the harmonies are nice.
38 - "Sugar Lips," Al Hirt
This New Orleans trumpeter scored all three of his Top 40 hits in 1964, the last of which being this peppy instrumental (well, except for a female chorus occasionally interjecting with the title phrase). The kind of song that makes you imagine girls dancing to it to entertain the crowd before Don Rickles comes out for the 11 o'clock show somewhere in Lake Tahoe. At least that's what I envision. Don't ask me why.
37 - "Hey Harmonica Man," Stevie Wonder
The now-14-year-old genius had his third pop hit was essentially a showcase for his prowess on the mouth organ, which even then was formidable. It was from an LP called Stevie at the Beach, an unsuccessful attempt to associtate him with the surf craze. This was the kind of stuff he had to put up with until he got creative control in his second Motown deal.
36 - "Tell Me," The Rolling Stones
And here they are, the other titanic band that emerged from the first wave of the U.K assault on the American pop charts, with their very first U.S. hit. It's a ballad about wanting a lover to return because you've changed for the better. It's pretty good, and while it doesn't quite have the edge of much of what would follow from them, both Mick Jagger's lead and Brian Jones and Keith Richards' backing vocals give hints that these guys would be the grittier, darker counterparts of the sunny Beatles.
35 - "Bad to Me," Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas
Kramer, born William Ashton in the Liverpool suburb of Bootle, was introduced to the Manchester group The Dakotas by his manager, Brian Epstein. Together, most of their success came with songs written by a couple of guys named John and Paul from one of Epstein's other bands, including this one about how the birds and the trees would be negatively impacted if Kramer's girlfriend mistreated him. It definitely sounds like a Lennon/McCartney composition, and although it's probably below most of what they recorded themselves, that still makes it pretty damn good. And Billy and the boys do...okay with it.
34 - "Do I Love You," The Ronettes
One of Phil Spector's flagship girl groups was this Manhattan trio named after lead singer Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett, whom Spector would later marry. Their first hit, "Be My Baby," went to #2 in 1963, but although they would hit the Top 40 four more times, none of their other singles, including this declaration of undying affection, charted higher that #23. This song doesn't quite stand out as one of Spector's best productions, but his trademark Wall of Sound is in full effect, and it's well worth listening to.
33 - "Just Be True," Gene Chandler
Two years after his #1 breakthrough smas "Duke of Earl," Chicago's Chandler picked up his second pop Top 40 with this soulful plea for fidelity. Just a solid soul ballad. I don't have it ahead of "Duke of Earl," but I definitely like it better than "Groovy Situation."
32 - "Al-Di-La," The Ray Charles Singers
The Ray Charles this white-bread chorus isn't the soul legend Jamie Foxx played in a movie, but a man born Charles Raymond Offenberg, a Chicago singer-composer-conductor known for his work with Perry Como on his variety shows. His group of vocalists had their second major hit with this recording of the Italian song Emilio Pericoli had hit #6 with two years earlier. I definitely prefer that version. As for Charles, he went on to contribute to two late 70s cultural touchstones: he was heavily involved in the music for The Muppet Show, and he was also the male voice singing "Come and knock on our door" on the theme song for Three's Company. And he's still alive at the age of 94. Good for him.
31 - "People Say," The Dixie Cups
This New Orleans trio, consisting of sisters Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins and their cousin Joan Marie Johnson, found success after relocating to New York and signing with Red Bird Records, the label formed by legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Earlier in '64, they'd topped the charts with "Chapel of Love," and their follow-up single, this assertion that a "summer romance" will last longer than others think, went to #12. It's okay, but not a girl-group essential. They'd pick up two more Top 40s, most notably that wonderfully strange Mardi Gras song "Iko Iko."
30 - "Don't Worry Baby," The Beach Boys
This was just a B-side, and it only hit #24, but this song about pre-drag-race jitters that Brian Wilson apparently wrote to try and capture the spirit of Thexth Ronettes' "Be My Baby," had gone on to be regarded as one of the band's masterpieces. And I agree with that assessment. It's just everything you want a pop song to be. And don't even bother with the B.J. Thomas version. As for the A-side of this single, we'll catch up to it later.
29 - "Walk Don't Run '64," The Ventures
This group helped popularizee the genre known as "surf rock" with "Walk, Don't Run," their version of a 1954 jazz instrumental, which hit #2 in 1960. They charted a few times afterward, but they didn't return to the Top Ten. The guitar is a little different on this, and I think it also has organ on it, but overall, it's inferior to the original and thus unnecessary. The group would pick up one more Top 40 right after this, then returned with one more big hit in 1968, the indelible theme song for Hawaii Five-0.
28 - "I Like it Like That," The Miracles
The eighth pop Top 40 by Smokey and the boys, is this swinging, grooving love song that features handclaps and crowd noises for a "party feel" Just good. I like it like that, or like this, or like anything else.
27 - "Handy Man," Del Shannon
Shannon's sixth Top 40 is a cover of the 1960 Jimmy Jones hit that James Taylor would also succeed with in 1977. Del's version has kind of a Buddy Holly feel to it, and also feels keyboars squeals in the middle similar to "Runaway." I'll definitely take this one over JT's
26 - "You're My World," Cilla Black
The Brit brigade also included this Liverpool lady, ironically born Priscilla White, who was managed by the ever-present Brian Epstein. She'd rack up quite a few hits at home, but her only major impact on the American charts came with this dramatic ballad that was originally written in Italian. I like the haunting arrangement, as well as the range of Black's voice, which goes from sultry to belting. And when she sings the line "with your hand resting in mine" she actually sounds a bit like Patti Smith, of all people, to me. This is great. Yeah, I know Helen Reddy did it to, but her version is owned many times over by this one.
25 - "Don't Throw Your Love Away," The Searchers
More from Liverpool in the form of a former skiffle band whose name came from a John Wayne movie. Their second U.S. hit was this cover of a B-side by Philadelphia soul group The Orlons. It's a song about being discriminating with one's affections. It's a fair example of the "beat group" style that powered much of the British Invasion, but it's not one of the essentials.
24 - "C'mon and Swim," Bobby Freeman
San Francisco soul man Freeman had his first hit in 1958 with "Do You Want to Dance," which went to #5 and has been covered hundreds of times since. He had a couple other minor hits afteward before finally returning to the Top Five with this dance craze number. You can probably figure out how to do it. Or ask your grandparents. And the song is a fun listen even if you don't want to try the move. It's like a three-minute party.
23 - "People," Barbra Streisand
The showbusiness dynamo that is Streisand had her first Top 40 hit with this ballad about how good it is to need someone that came from the musical Funny Girl, in which she was starring on Broadway at the time. It's a showy, emotional song, and might as well have been tailor-made for her. If you like what she does, this is her doing it about as well as she can.
22 - "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," Gerry and the Pacemakers
Another Liverpool act managed by Brian Epstein, this band's first American hit was this ballad about how the dawning of a new day is a chance to find happiness after heartbreak. Well-written, gorgeously played and sung. A clear classic.
21 - "My Boy Lollipop," Millie
Jamaican-born Millie Small had made a couple of recordings in her native land when she went to England in 1963, but it was there where she became an international star at 17 with this exuberant ska cover of a song that had been a minor hit in New York City for another teenage singer, Barbie Gaye, in 1956. Her unique voice, the springy arrangement, and that surprising-yet-perfect harmonica solo make it a one-of-a-kind listening experience. Which makes it this week's Uneasy Rider. But the song makes me feel anything but uneasy. Happiness on wax.
In Part Two: more from across the pond, a South American beauty, and one of the coolest men ever stops by to show the kids how it's done/
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