The Early Radio London Fab Forties
Sunday 10th April 1966

Scarcely any records held the #1 Fab Forty slot for more than one week, but the Spencer Davis Group (pictured here half-way up the stairs) and Somebody Help Me, was one of the FFFF – Fab Forty Fortunate Few!

Last
This
 
Week
Week
1
1
Somebody Help Me Spencer Davis Group
3
2
Substitute Who
8
3
That's Nice Neil Christian
11
4
I Put A Spell On You Alan Price Set
20
5
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me Dusty Springfield
31
6
The Pied Piper Crispian St Peters
17
7
Alfie Cilla Black
4
8
A Legal Matter Who
12
9
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Cher
5
10
Homeward Bound Simon & Garfunkel
28
11
Daydream Lovin' Spoonful
2
12
Super Girl Graham Bonney
26
13
(You're My) Soul And Inspiration Righteous Brothers
6
14
Someday, One Day Seekers
30
15
Twinkle Toes Roy Orbison
16
16
(You Got) The Power Of Love Everly Brothers
9
17
You Won't Be Leaving Herman's Hermits
29
18
Frankie And Johnny Elvis Presley
10
19
The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore Walker Brothers
37
20
Something On My Mind Chris Andrews
22
21
I Think Of You Chantelles
15
22
My Life Overlanders
18
23
Elusive Butterfly Bob Lind
24
Pretty Flamingo Manfred Mann
27
25
Run For Your Life Harbour Lites
35
26
Let's Run For Cover Zoot Money's Big Roll Band
27
Little Latin Lupe Lu Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
34
28
If You've Got A Minute Baby Freddie & the Dreamers
13
29
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion Kinks
7
30
Blue Turns To Grey Cliff Richard & the Shadows
36
31
Don't Stop Loving Me Baby Pinkerton's Assorted Colours
32
I Feel A Cry Coming On Hank Locklin
33
33
Walkin' My Cat Named Dog Norma Tanega
34
A Sign Of The Times Petula Clark
35
How Can I Tell Her Foresters
36
Secret Agent Man Johnny Rivers
37
Got To Run Echoes
38
Splendor In The Grass Gullivers People
39
Baby Don't Push Me Alan Bown Set
14
40
Love Me With All Your Heart/The Sound Of Silence Bachelors

38
Splendor In The Grass Gullivers People Parlophone R 5435


Jackie de Shannon was inspired to write Splendor (US spelling) in the Grass after watching the Oscar-winning 1961 movie of the same name, starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.

Gullivers People, a six-person harmony group, was the resident band at Tiffany's nightclub in Piccadilly Circus (club publicity shot, left) where they were discovered and signed up by Norman 'Hurricane' Smith. For some reason, the band name never acquired the missing apostrophe from 'Gulliver's', so we have listed the band name and the American spelling of 'Splendour', as they appear on record labels

Billy Butler (not the well-known Liverpudlian DJ) joined the band in 1965.

The film Splendor in the Grass is available in various formats.

DJ Climbers:
How Does That Grab You Darlin' Nancy Sinatra Dave Cash
Magic Town Vogues Dave Dennis
I Take It That We're Through Riot Squad John Edward
Take It Or Leave It Searchers Ed Stewart
You'd Better Make Up Your Mind Koobas Duncan Johnson
Together Again Ray Charles Paul Kaye
Cheat And Lie Miki Dallon Mike Lennox
You've Got To Learn Diane Ferraz & Nicky Scott Earl Richmond
One Track Mind Knickerbockers Mark Roman
I'm Comin' Home, Cindy Trini Lopez Tony Windsor

Climbers:
Three Thousand Miles Brian Hyland
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) Isley Brothers
Disc of the Week:
Sloop John B Beach Boys
Album of the Week:  
Aftermath Rolling Stones

Take It Or Leave It Searchers Pye 7N 17094

Take it Or Leave It is a Jagger/Richards composition, but the Searchers' version, produced by Tony Hatch, was released first. The Stones' own recording of the song appears on their Aftermath LP, chosen as this (and next) week's Album of the Week.

This week aboard the Galaxy

Earl Richmond left Big L around Saturday, April 16th, but was retained by Radlon Media for live work ashore.

This week Ashore

On Friday, April 15th 1966, at Beaconsfield Youth Club, a year after their hit Concrete And Clay, the Knees Club recruited Unit 4 + 2 Rod Garwood (#203), Pete Moules (#204), Dave 'Buster' Meikle (#205), Hugh Halliday (#206), Tommy Moeller (#207) and Lem (Howard) Lubin, (#202).

For more about Unit 4 + 2 see Fab Forty for 14th March 1965.

Tommy's brother Billy Moeller (#209), who was acting as the band's roadie, also joined. The following year, in the guise of Whistling Jack Smith (see Fab Forty 26th Feb '67), Billy did what might be termed a 'whistle-stop tour' (sorry) to perform the hit single I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman.

Click on the picture for info on the 30-track Unit 4 + 2 The Singles CD, containing both 'A-' and 'B-sides' of the band's singles released between 1964 and 1969.


The information coloured PURPLE was kindly provided by Roy Taylor.
Kees Brinkerink heard I Take It That We're Through announced as John Edward's climber
on an archive Radio London recording – accurately dated to the week commencing 10.4.66 – from Javed Jafri's 'Let The Universe Answer' blog.

The Caroline 'Countdown Sixty' chart (south ship) for this week is here
This week's Radio City 'City Sixty' on the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame is here


Tune in next week for another Big L Fab 40!


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