This time we visit October of 1967. During this month, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox met in the World Series. This year's Series is going on right now, between the same two teams. But the music on the charts is quite a bit different now. How different? See for yourself.
40 - "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone," Martha and the Vandellas
Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, and Betty Kelley were one of Motown's stalwart acts, picking up a dozen Top 40s between 1963 and 1967. This song about trying to avoid the temptation of getting back with an ex isn't one of their best-known, but it's very good. I especially like the fuzz-guitar sound on it. And did you know that Martha Reeves served on Detroit's City Council for five years? I didn't, but I'm glad I do know
39 - "I Make a Fool of Myself," Frankie Valli
While still a member of the Four Seasons, Valli was starting to put out singles under his name alone. Earlier in '67, he scored his first solo hit with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." His follow-up was this number about not being able to keep his cool around the girl he fancies. Not all that different from the stuff he did with his group, except maybe a bit slicker. Not bad, though.
38 - "Love is Strange," Peaches and Herb
We went through the saga of Herb Fame and the many "Peaches" he's had over the years, and now we get to hear him with the original, Francine Barker, on a cover of the 1956 Mickey and Sylvia hit that was re-popularized in 1987 by Dirty Dancing. Their horn-heavy soul take has its moments, but I think the gritty blues of the original is so much sexier. And I will say that Peaches #1 is likely the best of the bunch.
37 - "Please Love Me Forever," Bobby Vinton
The Polish Prince returned to the Top Ten for the first time in three years with this countryish plea for eternal devotion. A little too mellow for me, even by his standards.
36 - "The Last Waltz," Engelbert Humperdinck
Born Arnold Dorsey, this English singer signed with Tom Jones' manager, who suggested he change his name to that of a 19th-century German opera composer. In 1967, he broke through on both sides of the Atlantic with the smash "Release Me." His third hit of the year was this tune about dancing and heartbreak and stuff. A bit cheesy, but fine. And it certainly doesn't cause "After the Lovin'" levels of nausea.
35 - "A Banda (Ah Bahn-da)," Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
More instrumental goodness from Herbie and company on this jaunty version of a song by Brazilian composer Chico Buarque. I was sure I'd heard it before somewhere, and then it hit me that it might of been the theme song for the pro wrestling shows that used to air on CHCH TV in Hamilton, Ontario during the late 70s and early 80s. And I looked it up, and I was right.
34 - "Incense and Peppermints," Strawberry Alarm Clock
This L.A. band went all the way to #1 with their first hit, this psychedelia touchstone. Swirly keyboards, distorted guitars, and cowbell-heavy percussion provide a backdrop for lyrics about "the color of time" and "meaningless nouns. A genuinely cool pop song. They only had one more minor hit after this, but this isn't a bad legacy in and of itself.
33 - "Memphis Soul Stew," King Curtis
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, saxophonist Curtis Ousley had played on records by The Coasters and Buddy Holly, among others, and had a hit of his own in 1962 with "Soul Twist." On his second hit, he outlines the recipe for the titular dish, whose ingredients include "a pound of fatback drums" and "4 tablespoons of boiling Memphis guitars." Naturally, it all cooks up into something funkily delicious. Wonderful stuff.
32 - "Child of Clay," Jimmie Rodgers
Originally from Washington state, folk-pop singer Rodgers scored a number of hits in the late 50s, including the #1 "Honeycomb." The hits dried up once the decade turned, but he did manage to scrape into the Top 40 twice in the latter half of the decade. The second and last of these minor hits was this song about a boy whose neglectful upbringing resulted in him becoming an unhappy and desperate adult. It reminds me a little of Elvis' "In the Ghetto." An interesting little artifact that I'm glad I dug up.
31 - "The Look of Love," Dusty Springfield
This sultry, almost bossa nova-ish ballad, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the original, comedic version of the James Bond film Casino Royale, has become one of Miss Dusty's best known recordings. And justifiably so. Music to make classy love by.
30 - "What Now My Love," Mitch Ryder
Born William Levise, Jr. in Hamrtramck, Michigan, Ryder had scored five Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1967 fronting The Detroit Wheels, the most famous of these being the medley "Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly." Then Ryder embarked on a solo career, but unfortunately, that only produce one hit, the English version of a 1961 French ballad called "Et Maintenant" that has been covered numerous times over the years. It's a haunting song about feeling desperate and lonely, but Ryder's vocals just seem too square and unaffected to really work, and his spoken word interlude doesn't add anything. But that high note he hits at the end has to be heard to be believed.
29 - "Ode to Billy Joe," The Kingpins
More from King Curtis, here leading his group (who also served as Aretha Franklin's backing band) on a jazzy instrumental version of a song that was quite popular at the time. I'll say more about it when the original comes up in Part II, but for now, I'll just say that this take is nice, but inessential.
28 - "Let Love Come Between Us," James and Bobby Purify
Floridian cousins James Lee Purify and Robert Lee Dickey scored the last of their four pop Top 40 hits with this snappy number about putting an end to all the fussin' and feudin' and just getting along. For some reason, my major reaction to this song was "Why didn't James Taylor cover this in the 70s? It seems like he would have." Don't know why I thought that, but there it is.
27 - "Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out)," The Hombres
This Memphis band's only hit is this drawly garage-rocker about just, you know, doing your own thing, like hanging off of a pine tree or "eating a Reuben sandwich with busauerkraut." Odd, but profound in its way. Love it.
26 - "Groovin'," Booker T. and the M.G.
The legendary house band of Memphis soul factory Stax Records, the combo of Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg, and Al Jackson, Jr. had a huge hit of their own in 1962 with the classic "Green Onions." They didn't return to the pop Top 40 until five years later (with Steinberg being replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn), when they reached those heights twice, the second time with this instrumental take on a love song that had been a #1 hit earlier in the year for The Young Rascals. Gotta say, I like this version better.
25 - "Lightning's Girl," Nancy Sinatra
The red hot period of Frank's daughter's music career spanned 1966 and 1967. During these two years, she scored all ten of her career Top 40 hits, including two #1s: "These Boots are Made for Walkin'," and the duet with Dad, "Somethin' Stupid." Her last solo hit was this song on which she assures would-be suitors that her boyfriend "Lighting" will kill them if they try anything on her. It's a bit of a dark rocker, and Nancy does her usual sassy thing. Very, very good.
24 - "It Must be Him," Vikki Carr
This El Paso, Texas native was born Florencia Martinez Cardona, but she changed it to a more Anglo-friendly name when she launched her singing career. Her second biggest hit was this ballad about getting really, really disappointed when the phone rings and the voice on the other end doesn't belong to her long-lost love. Dramatic to the point of humor. And based on a French song written by Gilbert Becaud, who also wrote what became "What Now My Love."
23 - "People are Strange," The Doors
The L.A.-based legends, fronted by the one and only Jim Morrison, broke on through to the mainstream side earlier in this year with the #1 "Light My Fire." Their follow-up single was this spooky song with lyrics about wicked women and "faces com(ing) out of the rain." The piano on this really adds to the macabre quality, making it a perfect song for this particular time of year.
22 - "Reflections," Diana Ross and The Supremes
One of the last songs recorded with original member Florence Ballard, this cry of heartbreak and betrayal is also notable for being one of the first hits to contain contributions from a Moog synthesizer. For me, those spacey sound effects don't really add anything, but neither do they detract from yet another Motown gem.
21 - "Funky Broadway," Wilson Pickett
Pickett's second and final pop Top Ten was this cover of a song originated by a Buffalo band called Dyke and the Blazers. In the song, "Broadway" is not only a street, but also a nightclub and a dance step. It's also "dirty" and "filthy." But most importantly of all, it's funky. And isn't that all that matters?
In Part 2: a song whose "radio edit" angers me to no end, some good old-fashioned folk sarcasm, and a comedy legend gives singing a try.
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