Barbra Streisand climbs ten places in this week's Big L Fab 40, with 'Second Hand Rose'. The song was from 1921, when Fanny Brice performed it in the Ziegfeld Follies. In April 1966, Barbra came to London to repeat her Broadway starring role in the musical 'Funny Girl' at the Prince of Wales theatre. Although 'Funny Girl' is based around events in the life of Fanny Brice, 'Second Hand Rose' is not from the show.

The sleeve on the left is a continental issue with 'The Kind of Man a Woman Needs' on the B-side. In the UK, the B-side was 'He Touched Me'. All three tracks were from, 'My Name is Barbra – Two', an album based around the singer's 1965 debut TV special.

Some sources (including CD sleevenotes) cite the song as being a cover of an original by Motown's Kim Weston, but they are confusing it with Holland-Dozier-Holland's Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While), later revived by the Doobie Brothers.

Take Me For A Little While (penned by Trade Martin) was first released in the States by Evie Sands. This much-recorded song was covered in the US by Jackie Ross and also by (former Ikettes) The Mirettes, Pattie LaBelle and the Bluebelles (#89 in the Hot Hundred, December 66) and Vanilla Fudge (#38 May 1968).

The first Brits to tackle the song were The Koobas. From Liverpool, Keith Ellis (bass) Stu Leatherwood (gtr/vocals), Roy Morris (gtr/vocals and drummer Tony O'Riley originally spelt the band name Kubas. They were signed up in 1964 by Brian Epstein and supported the Beatles on their late-1965 tour.

On January 19th, Ben Toney received a telegram from the band, thanking him for his support.

There is conflicting information as to whether or not The Koobas appeared in the Gerry and the Pacemakers vehicle, Ferry Cross the Mersey. However, their name is absent from the cast list of obscure Merseybeat groups who performed in the film alongside the likes of Cilla Black. It would appear that sadly, the bit of celluloid featuring the Koobas ended up on the cutting room floor.

The band returned to the Big L chart in April 66 with You'd Better Make Up Your Mind and reappeared in January 67 when Sally was picked as Kenny Everett's climber.

When they split in 1968, Keith Ellis joined Van der Graaf Generator, then Juicy Lucy, while Stu Leatherwood formed the duo Gary and Stu, with Gary Holton. He was later with March Hare. Koobas vinyl is highly collectible.

Stevie Lewis's first single Heard it All Before (from the pens of Roger Greenaway and Tony Burrows) was on Polydor in 1964. The accompanying press release gave her age as 20 and revealed that Stevie already had six years' of impressive vocal experience under her belt. This included work with Ronnie Aldrich's Squadronaires. Ronnie disbanded the Squadronaires in 1964 and this may have prompted Stevie to launch a solo career. She also appeared in jazz clubs with the likes of Alan Haven, a resident organist at Annie Ross's London jazz club, Annie's Room.

Unfortunately, Stevie's musical credentials did not bring her a hit and she was obliged to share her only Fab Forty success, this #3 chart placing for her second release, with the Koobas. A follow-up on Mercury, Sometimes When You're Lonely, failed to chart.

A fourth and final single, Take a Little Warning was issued by RCA in 1969 without success, but according to this website is regarded as a Northern Soul collectable.

Evie Sands info; Trade Martin info; Dive Into Yesterday blog featuring the Koobas (includes Fab pics of the band in psychedelic trousers!); Koobas CD – click on sleeve photo above. Alan Haven is best-known to Caroline North listeners for his recording of the famous station theme, Image b/w Romance on the North Sea.