1964, For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK were by British acts. Number one was “Anyone Who Had A Heart” by Cilla Black. Number two – “Bits and Pieces” by The Dave Clark Five. At number three, “Little Children “Diane” by The Bachelors. Number five, “Not Fade […]
Today in Rock History – February 10
1967, The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of “A Day in the Life.” At the Beatles’ request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clowns nose, while another a fake gorilla’s paw on his bow hand. Others were wearing funny […]
Song Of The Day – “Take A Giant Step” by Taj Mahal
There is no rhyme or reason as to how I come up with the songs I choose to write about every day. They usually spring out of something I’ve been listening to or something I’ve read. So, if you regularly follow this column, you’ll get a pretty good idea of some of the stuff I […]
Today in Rock History – January 1
1966, Simon and Garfunkel started a two week run at number one on the singles chart with “The Sounds Of Silence.” 1967, The Doors made their first live television appearance lip-synching their first single “Break on Through” on Shebang, on KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles. The single peaked number 126 on the chart mainly […]
Song Of The Day – “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (Demo) by Carole King
You know you’re really talented when you can write a song as great as “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and then give it away for someone else to record. In this case, the lucky recipients were The Monkees, who recorded the song for their “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones LTD” album in 1967, and then took the […]
Today in Rock History – June 19
1965, The Who, Solomon Burke, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Spencer Davis Group, Marianne Faithful, Long John Baldry, The Birds, (featuring a young Ronnie Wood), Dave Witting, and the Ray Martin Group all appeared at Uxbridge Blues Festival, England. 1965, The Four Tops went to number one on the […]
Today in Rock History – June 17
1965, Working at Abbey Road studios in London The Beatles completed work on the new Paul McCartney song “Yesterday” with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet. They also recorded “Act Naturally” for Ringo’s vocal contribution on the Help! album and the song “Wait” in four takes. “Wait” will […]
Today in Rock History – April 23
1965, The Rolling Stones kicked off their third North American tour at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal, Canada. 1966, The Who played at the Odeon Theatre in Rochester, Kent, England. 1967, Jimi Hendrix appeared at the Gaumont Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. 1969, The Beatles were at number one on the UK singles chart […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “It’s Too Late” Demo by Carole King
The makings of a hit record were all there on the demo. Superb, succinct lyrics that tell a story of heartbreak and disappointment with economy and little melodrama. You can hear all of the instrumentation that ended up on the final “Tapestry” version of the song in the piano accompaniment. Who could argue with her […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – The Jukebox Series #94 – The Crystals: “He’s A Rebel” b/w “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)” – Collectables/Philles Records COL 3200
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – The Jukebox Series #94 – The Crystals: “He’s A Rebel” b/w “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)” – Collectables/Philles Records COL 3200 They had a string of hits in the early ‘60s written and produced by the best of what The Brill Building had […]
