Category: Sixties

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Status Quo

“Pictures Of Matchstick Men”, released at the height of the Vietnamese War, in 1968, is apparently an anti-war number. I had no idea what it was about then, all I knew is that I really enjoyed its introduction, and still do.

When Status Quo failed to follow up its initial international success with a second single people began to write off this British group as yet another one-hit wonder. Little did those who had know , that the group would still be around decades later, having churned out hit after hit.

The groups origins date back to 1962, when schoolboys, Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster, formed The Spectres. In 1963 drummer, John Coghlan, was enlisted and, in 1964, Rick Parfitt.

By 1967, the band had discovered psychedelia and changed its name to Traffic Jam and thence The Status Quo, towards the end of that year. Within a couple of years, the latter name had been shortened to Status Quo.

It was Status Quo that opened the ‘Live Aid’ concert, in 1985, at Wembley Stadium, with “Rockin’ All Over The World”.

http://youtu.be/TI1KF65beSc

Status Quo has raised millions of pounds for charity and has received a number of awards recognising its achievements. The band entered the ‘Guinness Book of Records’ for having performed four shows in far-flung locations in Great Britain, within a period of eleven hours. It has sold well in excess of one hundred million records and, on the British charts alone, has registered more than sixty hits; more than any other rock band.

While the band’s initial success in America — “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” peaked at No.12 there — could not be maintained, Status Quo’s popularity in Europe has. This is particularly the case in The Netherlands.

Various members of Status Quo wrote many of the group’s hits, however, occasionally, it did resort to reviving the hits of others. The most unlikely example of this would surely have to be the taking of Hank Thompson’s No.1 country hit, “The Wild Side Of Life” — which, in 1952, had stayed atop its respective American chart for fifteen weeks — and releasing it, in 1976, as a rock track.

In 1981, it was the turn of “Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like”, which had been on the charts for Tom Jones, in 1974. Dion’s classic, “The Wanderer”, from 1961, was covered by Status Quo, in 1984. The Searchers’ “When You Walk In The Room” (1964) and Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop”, from 1977, were both released by the band, in 1996.

As one would expect within a group possessing such longevity, there have been changes to its personnel. In fact, six members have come and gone, however, close mates Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt remain. The other members are Andy Brown, John Edwards and Matt Letley.

You can find the names of my favourite tracks by Status Quo in my list of pet recordings, which is located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time.

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Jackie Wilson

Thirty years after it had firstly entered the charts, Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite” was brought to the listening pleasure of a new generation, in countries such as Great Britain and Australia, in 1986. As it was, indeed, a posthumous hit, the video clip featured rubbery figures ‘singing’ to Jackie’s original recording.

Jack Leroy Wilson was born, in Detroit, in June of 1934. His father, an alcoholic, introduced him to alcohol when he was still a boy. “Jackie” was to spend two periods in juvenile detention and it was during his second stint that he was introduced to the sport of boxing.

Nonetheless, his first love was singing. Jackie, although he was not particularly religious, began attending church for it gave him the opportunity to sing gospel. He became a member in a succession of groups before, in 1953, Billy Ward sought to recruit him into The Dominoes. This group had already spent fourteen weeks atop the rhythm and blues charts, in 1951, with what was to prove to be by far its largest and most controversial success, “Sixty Minute Man”, and so Jackie viewed the opportunity to join it with relish.

http://youtu.be/OpQuNY3XFI0

This vacancy had been created because Clyde McPhatter was leaving the group to form his own: The Drifters. Prior to his departure, Clyde schooled Jackie on becoming the vocalist that Billy wanted him to be.

Jackie Wilson was blessed with one of the most versatile voices in popular music and, therefore, it came as no surprise when, in 1957, he embarked upon a career as a solo performer. It is almost unbelievable that this same person is singing “Reet Petite” and “Lonely Teardrops”, as is also singing “Night”. “Night”, is a quasi-operatic ballad based upon a classical piece by the French composer and pianist, Saint-Saens.

His dynamism and athleticism on stage endeared his performances to many of those who were fortunate enough to witness them and it was little wonder when these led him to be dubbed ‘Mr. Excitement’. Jackie enjoyed a long association with Brunswick Records and was equally at home singing a wide variety of material, at varying tempos.

http://youtu.be/KLcmy6fsbiM

In 1959, he appeared in the film, ‘Go Johnny, Go’. Jackie was cast alongside a plethora of musical stars of rock and roll. These included Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Clanton, and The Cadillacs.

http://youtu.be/l92oMUNhgng

During 1966, Jackie moved from New York to record in Chicago. It was here that he became exposed to some refreshingly different songwriters. Pop hits, such as “Whispers (Gettin’ Louder)”, “I Get The Sweetest Feeling” and “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher”, emanated from this move.

In September of 1975, Jackie suffered a heart attack whilst performing on stage in Camden, New Jersey. As he collapsed, he struck his head so severely that he was to remain in a virtual coma until his by then merciful death, at the age of just forty-nine, in January of 1984.

In 1977, Rita Coolidge released a cover, titled “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher” and although it recorded sales in excess of Jackie’s original, music by then had mellowed and , to me, it lacks the vitality expected from one describing the ecstasy of another’s love. Therefore, it is Jackie’s original that is named in the list of my favourite recordings, located in the suggested playlists.

Australian rocker, Jimmy Barnes, also revived “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher”. It is contained on his album, ‘Soul Deep’, which was released in 1991.

Welsh rocker, Shakin’ Stevens, a performer who built a career upon his revival of hits, took “I’ll Be Satisfied” into the British Top Ten, in 1982.

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The Dell-Vikings

The Dell-Vikings’ period of success on the charts was as short as it was spectacular. This doo-wop group was formed, in 1955, by members of the United States Air Force.

Stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the composition of the quintet was open to change, as members were relocated to serve on other military bases. The Dell-Vikings originally recorded for Dot Records, a small local label. However, once the group had had significant success with its release, “Come Go With Me”, in 1957, it was decided that it should record for the much larger Mercury Records.

The group’s next sizeable hit, “Whispering Bells”, had already been recorded before it had departed from Dot and before 1957 had ended, “Cool Shake”, too, was imposing its popularity on the charts. Unfortunately, for The Dell-Vikings these three hits were to remain its claim to fame and while the group, under numerous changes in personnel, continued to re-form, as the decades past, the transient, heady days of success in the recording studio did not re-emerge.

The Dell-Vikings also remains noteworthy for it was one of the few racially integrated musical groups to achieve notable success, at a time, in America, that was marked by segregation. Furthermore, its hits have been used in films that depict its era. ‘American Graffiti’ and ‘Stand By Me’ are two such films.

http://youtu.be/wA-qJPNJnCE

“Come Go With Me” is included in the list of my favourite recordings. This can be located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time and have attempted to make it as diverse, and as entertaining, as possible.

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Barry Ryan

As Barry Sapherson, Barry Ryan was born in Leeds, England, in October of 1948. His career as a singer began in partnership with his twin brother, Paul, at the age of sixteen.

In 1965, the pair was signed to record on Decca Records as the duo, Paul & Barry Ryan. Paul learned that he could not cope with the stress associated with this and, consequently, it was decided that he would write compositions for Barry to record. One such composition was the brilliantly arranged “Eloise”, released in 1968.

“Eloise”, deservedly, sold more than a million copies. However, subsequent singles could not replicate anything like its success. That is, until “Love Is Love”, released in 1969, became warmly accepted in certain European nations. This meant that it , too, sold similarly to “Eloise”.

http://youtu.be/5BVDCjCKtuY

Due to his popularity in Europe, Barry decided to record songs in German. He ceased to record in the early 1970s but made a comeback in the late 1990s, when compact discs were released of he and his brother’s original recordings.

Whether “Eloise” appeals to one or not, I believe it is yet a further example of just how the standard of popular music has sunk, to find itself wallowing in the mire of mediocrity that it is in today. I was sitting in my new dentist’s waiting room just the other day having to endure what was being fed to me by the radio station that was playing. In the end I felt compelled to exclaim to the similarly aged gentleman seated opposite, “I don’t believe the dentistry that we are about to receive could be as excruciating as listening to this!” He laughed and concurred.

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Buck Owens

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr., in conjunction with his band The Buckaroos, from the late 1950s until the late 1960s took country music to a wider audience. This was, in part, due to the fact that they were based in California. Their sound was to make the town of Bakersfield famous.

http://youtu.be/BaNX55olkxw

A child of the Great Depression, poverty and smothering dust storms had forced his family out of sharecropping in Texas, and to head westwards. “Buck” sang in honky tonks, in Bakersfield, drawing upon a style of hillbilly that had once been at the root of country music.

http://youtu.be/liX6eVZsbeE

Whereas the likes of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell had drawn inspiration for their creativity from their lives of indulgence, Buck Owens was a man of principle who set high standards of professionalism. His love of rock and roll also influenced his music and made it stand out from what was being emitted from Nashville.

Buck visited Billboard’s country music charts for thirty years from 1959, racking up twenty-one No.1 hits. Recordings that contain the same vitality as when they were released.

http://youtu.be/FxtdoJN-IIw

The death of his leading guitarist, Don Rich, as the result of a motorcycle accident, in 1974, so affected Buck that he gradually drifted into semi-retirement, just as the film, ‘Urban Cowboy’, was being popularly received and bringing country music to the fore, in 1980. In 1987 he met Dwight Yoakam, a devotee of Buck’s music, and the pair recorded Buck’s recording from 1972, “The Streets Of Bakersfield”. The duet gave Buck his first No.1 since his original recording of the song.

I was firstly introduced to the music of Buck Owens in the 1970s when what was then radio station, 2KY, in Sydney, decided to play country music for a couple of years. His only hits, in Australia, coincided with that. These were “Made In Japan”, which reached a peak of No.7, in 1972, and “(It’s A) Monster’s Holiday” (No.4, in 1974); on the pop charts here.

http://youtu.be/iqfkZ_n_TzI

Buck wrote or had a hand in writing many of his recordings. “Crying Time”, which he also wrote, rose as high as No.6 on Billboard’s singles pop chart, in early 1966, for Ray Charles, and No.5 on its rhythm and blues chart.

http://youtu.be/L-magrm3Voo

Coming from abject poverty made Buck determined to create wealth from other means than selling records. Thereby, he became a diverse and astute businessman. Buck died in March of 2006, at the age of seventy-six.

The names of more recordings by Buck Owens can be found in the suggested playlists.

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Deep Purple

Along with other British bands, such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple is considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal. The band formed in Hertford, England, in late 1967.

Initially, the rock group was called Roundabout and consisted of vocalist Rod Evans, bass guitarist Nick Simper, Hammond organist Jon Lord, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and drummer, Ian Paice. Nick had been a member of Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, which had taken “Shakin’ All Over” to No.1 on the British singles charts in the middle of 1960. He had also been in the car crash that claimed Johnny’s life, in 1966.

http://youtu.be/eLzqQupzzmA

It was Ritchie who suggested the name of Deep Purple for the band, for that was his grandmother’s favourite song. Among the band’s early recordings were “Hush”, a cover of the song from the pen of American singer/songwriter, Joe South and “Kentucky Woman”, which had already been a hit for its composer, Neil Diamond.

Rod Evans and Nick Simper departed from the Deep Purple, in 1969. Ian Gillan became the band’s new singer and Roger Glover, the new bassist.

In 1970, the group, sporting a new, more progressive sound took the single, “Black Night”, to No.2 in Great Britain. “Strange Kind Of Woman” (No.8, in 1971) and “Fireball” (No.15) came from the album, ‘Fireball’.

http://youtu.be/9ZpHl1x6JNc

In December of 1971, Deep Purple was in Switzerland preparing to record the album, ‘Machine Head’, when its members witnessed the fire that destroyed the Montreux Casino, situated across Lake Geneva. This event was to inspire the writing of “Smoke On The Water”, a single that was to sell well in the United States where it peaked at No.4. Deep Purple’s initial hit, “Hush”, had also reached its zenith there, in this same position, in 1968.

http://youtu.be/9f7LwuVF8Oo

Essentially, Deep Purple has primarily been a prolific producer and seller of albums. Sales in regard to these are in excess of one hundred million copies.

Deep Purple split up in 1976, only to re-form in 1984. The band continued to experience changes to its personnel although Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice remained loyal for years to come.

“Strange Kind Of Woman” is listed amongst that of my favourite recordings. This is located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list it from time to time.

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The Jive Five

Eugene Pitt, Richard Harris, Thurmon Prophet, Jerome Hanna and Norman Johnson comprised this American doo wop group. The quintet formed in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1950s.

The Jive Five experienced its only major hit, in 1961, when “My True Story” peaked at No.3 on the American Billboard’s pop singles chart and spent three weeks atop that country’s rhythm and blues chart. While the group was unable to attain such dizzying heights again it continued to record and perform, for decades, utilising differing personnel.

The names of more of my favourite recordings can be found in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time.

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Sandy Nelson

Sander Nelson was born, in December of 1938, in Santa Monica, California. He attended the same high school as Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, who were also to have success in the recording industry, under the name of Jan and Dean.

A drummer, Sandy played on many recordings by other artists as well as achieving success in his own right, as a solo performer. Of these, “Teen Beat” peaked at No.4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, in 1959, selling in excess of a million copies.

“Teen Beat” was followed, in 1961, by “Let There Be Drums” (No.7) and “Drums Are My Beat”(No.29). Sandy struggled to chart after that and an accident suffered while riding his motorcycle, did not help. His right foot and a part of that leg had to be amputated.

In spite of this, Sandy continued to record into the early 1970s. In all, he released more than thirty albums.

The names of more of my favourite recordings appear in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to it from time to time.

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Johnny Cymbal

Johnny Cymbal was born in Scotland but spent his formative years in Canada. In 1963, at the age of eighteen, he had the novelty hit, “Mr. Bass Man”.

Five years later, under the pseudonym of ‘Derek’, he wrote and recorded the catchy ditty, “Cinnamon”.

http://youtu.be/707gZq_nCdE

A prolific songwriter, Johnny co-wrote the multi-million seller, “Mary In The Morning”. His songs have been recorded by many and varied artists, including Elvis Presley.

Thrice married and divorced, Johnny overcame his addictions while rediscovering Christianity. Johnny died suddenly, in Nashville, in March of 1993, at the age of forty-eight.

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The McCoys

The Rick Z Combo formed in Indiana, in 1962. Thence this band became known as Rick and The Raiders before eventually evolving into the rock group, The McCoys. It was under this name that it experienced its initial and most successful hit, “Hang On Sloopy”, in 1965. This recording sold well in excess of a million copies.

http://youtu.be/Gi1WXYHHc2s

As the group sought to find sequential glory, it turned to reviving hits from the past. “Fever” had initially entered the charts for Little Willie John, in 1956 — two years before Peggy Lee’s definitive version — and “Come On Let’s Go” had meant success for the late Richie Valens, in 1958. “Fever” did rise as high as No.7 on Billboard’s pop chart for The McCoys but “Come On Let’s Go” could climb no higher than No.22, and was a sign of things to come.

http://youtu.be/saBtR_wv070

The B-side of “Fever”, “Sorrow”, was covered by the British male vocal duo, The Merseys, and peaked at No.4, in 1966, on the British singles charts. “Sorrow” was again revived, in 1973, this time by the significantly more famous David Bowie, who, on this occasion, took it to No.3 in Britain.

http://youtu.be/iDWCsp3Y-oU

“Hang On Sloopy” is just one title named in the list of my favourite recordings, located in the suggested playlists. I shall be adding to this list from time to time.