for Sunday 22nd January 1967
After a dearth of new releases over the festive season, we suddenly see a huge influx of climbers

Last
This
Presented by Tony Blackburn
Week
Week
3
1
Matthew And Son Cat Stevens
18
2
Standing In The Shadows Of Love Four Tops
17
3
Let's Spend The Night Together / Ruby Tuesday Rolling Stones
15
4
I've Been A Bad Bad Boy Paul Jones
1
5
I'm A Believer Monkees
11
6
98.6 Keith
30
7
Baby What I Mean Drifters
10
8
No Fun At The Fair Bobby Goldsboro
26
9
It Takes Two Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
27
10
Here Comes My Baby Tremeloes
19
11
Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder Ken Dodd
22
12
Good Thing Paul Revere & the Raiders
29
13
Summer Of Last Year Pyramid
36
14
Try A Little Tenderness Otis Redding
4
15
Tell It To The Rain Four Seasons
8
16
(He's) Raining In My Sunshine Jay & the Americans
20
17
My Boyfriend's Back Chiffons
5
18
Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix Experience
25
19
Peek-A-Boo New Vaudeville Band
-
20
Sugar Town Nancy Sinatra
9
21
It Tears Me Up Percy Sledge
-
22
Thank You Baby Graham Bonney
31
23
What Is Soul? Ben E King
13
24
Only Your Love Kenny Damon
-
25
I'm A Man Spencer Davis Group
-
26
How Do You Catch A Girl? Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
28
27
Heartbreak Sonny Childe & the TNT
38
28
Release Me Engelbert Humperdinck
33
29
Gotta Be A First Time Riot Squad
-
30
Ooh La La Normie Rowe
-
31
The Trouble Silvers
2
32
Nashville Cats Lovin' Spoonful
34
33
But I Don't Care Claire Francis
-
34
Love Me Bobby Hebb
-
35
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night Electric Prunes
-
36
Open Your Heart Jackie Trent
-
37
Look At Granny Run Run Howard Tate
-
38
Sweet Georgie Fame Blossom Dearie
-
39
The Habit Of Lovin' You Baby Nino Tempo & April Stevens
-
40
You Only You Rita Pavone

13
24
Only Your Love Kenny Damon

KD gives ID new ID!

When Ian Davidson joined the DJ team in June '67, he was keen to retain his ID 'ID', so he borrowed a new surname from Kenny Damon who had a single out at the time called Sweet Maria.

Kenny Damon made several Fab Forty appearances, including two during the summer of '66. He also released recordings in the Sixties under the name Kenny Roberts.

(Right:) From Ian's personal archive: 'Hi there, you there!" – it's the new Mr Damon!

-
35
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night Electric Prunes Reprise RS 20564

Psychedelia and psilly group names were really getting into their pstride! The Electric Prunes from Pseattle – sorry I'll stop now – hit #11 on the US Hot Hundred, remaining in the chart for 14 weeks. The Prunes leapt up to #9 in the Fab for 29th January, but only scraped into the UK Nationals at #49, for a single week in February.

Besides climbers that were played at the time of the broadcast of the Sunday Fab Forty, Alan kept a note of others he heard later in the week and incorporated them into his list.

DJ Climbers:    
My Way Of Giving Chris Farlowe Tony Blackburn
Call My Name James Royal Chuck Blair
She Del Shannon Pete Drummond
There's A Kind Of Hush Herman's Hermits Kenny Everett
Harlem Shuffle Traits Paul Kaye
Michael Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band Mike Lennox
Words Of Love Mamas & Papas Mark Roman
This Is My Song Petula Clark Keith Skues
I've Passed This Way Before Jimmy Ruffin Ed Stewart
Niki Hoeky P J Proby Norman St John
Ol' Man River Billy Stewart Tony Windsor

Radio Caroline also picked Michael by Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band as Mike Ahern's Sure-shot.

Harlem Shuffle Traits Pye International 7N 25404

Harlem Shuffle had first been a US success for Bob and Earl in 1963/4. The Traits were the backing band of Roy Head, who had found favour on both sides of the pond in 1965, with Treat Her Right. Having merely scraped into the Hot 100 at #94 in December '66, the Traits' version of Harlem Shuffle failed to make the UK Nationals. It achieved its greatest success in the Fab, hitting #18. The song entered the US chart three times. It gained its highest position in 1986, when the Stones took it to #5.

Climbers:  
Tightrope Inez & Charlie Foxx
It's Too Late Kenny Lynch
One Step At A Time Madeline Bell
The Beat Goes On Sonny & Cher
All Kinds Of People Fingers
Guess I'm Dumb Johnny Wells
I've Got A Lot Of Love Left In Me Maxine Brown
Skip To Ma Loo Vince Edwards
Backstreet Girl Nicky Scott
Strange Light From The East Tuesday's Children
Hound Dog Duffy's Nucleus
We're In This Thing Together Peaches & Herb
Windows And Doors Truly Smith
Step Back Johnny Young
I Don't Want It Cymbaline
Saturday Night Julie Felix (*)
I Fooled You This Time Gene Chandler
Look What You've Done Pozo Seco Singers
Get Down With It Little Richard (*)
Over the Wall We Go Oscar
Disc of the Week:  
Stay With Me Baby Walker Brothers
Album of the Week:  
The Monkees Monkees

Skip To My Loo Vince Edwards United Artists UP1169

Skip To My Loo was recorded by British vocalist Vince Edwards and not the actor/singer of the same name who became the hearthrob medic star of the Sixties US TV series Ben Casey. The single's B-side, I Like It, was written by the singer and published by Pall Mall Music

All Kinds Of People Fingers Columbia DB 8112

Fingers, from the Southend area, had previously appeared on the Big L playlist on October 9th 1966, with I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing (the Drifters' 1965 US hit). The single, though picked as Keith Skues's Climber, remained on the playlist for only one week and failed to make the Fab.

All Kinds of People, from the pens of Carter/Lewis, was to take Fingers to #32 in the Fab, but unfortunately, nowhere near the Nationals. Pristine copies of the single are quite collectable, changing hands at around £25.

On Dec 2nd,1966, at High Wycombe College, the band, consisting of John Bobin, bs, cello (#367) Mo Witham, gtr (#368) Bob Clouter, drms, (#369) and Alan Beecham (#370) keybd, horns, with Ricky Mills (#371), gtr, and David Grout (#373) on guitar and vocals, was the last, and probably the least-known group to join the Knees Club. Fingers had (like many other bands at the time) undergone a swift change of musical direction between October and December, by which time they were well into psychedelia.

(left): Fingers and Knees – The band was the last to add its name to the Knees Club book

The band reappeared in the Fab Forty a few months later, in the new guise of Daddy Lindberg with Shirl, another Carter/Lewis composition. Also in 1967, Ricky Mills was to join forces with Force Five, as the magnificently-monikered Crocheted Doughnut Ring. John Bobin and Mo Witham later joined Southend pub-rock band, Legend.

In 2006, John Bobin got in touch to tell us: "I have written a book, the profits from which are going to Cancer Research. The book is entitled Bark Staving Ronkers and it is an autobiographical memoir of 12 hectic years in the life of a young musician.

As a teenager I played in various bands including The Orioles (with Mickey Jupp), The Fingers (allegedly one of the first UK psychedelic bands) and Legend (again with Mickey Jupp, and described on some web sites as the first pub-rock band.)

The Fingers recorded at various studios including Abbey Road. Legend recorded at Advision and Phillips.

I was born at just the right time to experience the heady delights of growing up in the sixties and early seventies. I was lucky enough to play with some very well known musicians and to record at Abbey Road and other seminal recording studios.

We did radio and TV work, played in Europe and had a minor hit record in Italy. The book describes a time when I was associated with many top stars, producers and venues during an era when the music industry was alive with excitement and spontaneity.

I still play as a regular gigging musician and the most popular songs that we do by far, are those that originated in the sixties and seventies. Every bookshop has a music section and an army of fans buys books that celebrate this golden era. TV and Radio shows also cater for eager sixties and seventies aficionados and there are popular, specialist radio stations and websites that offer their own views of the period in question.

My book is directed towards the hundreds of thousands of Rock and Roll and Pop music fans who remember a period when their entertainment was not provided by bands that had been ‘manufactured’ by TV shows."

There have been some encouraging sales via Amazon, both in the States and in the UK and I have sent a reasonable-sized cheque to Cancer Research UK. I chose to do this, even though I am still personally in the red, as I wanted to make certain that this worthy cause benefited from "the BSR experience."

John's book is receiving great reviews. Example:

You will find names of people in the bands, how they moved from one band to another, as well as their hit numbers and failures. If you own up to being a 60's and early 70's music anorak, then this book is your bible.

For more reviews, click the book jacket (right).

John has very kindly written a full history of Fingers for us.


The blue additions to the climbers indicate singles listed in Brian Long's book 'The London Sound' based on information typed in the Curzon Street offices or other sources. The symbol (*) indicates additional information from personal listings, courtesy of Wolfgang Buchholz. Alan Field did not hear these records played or announced as climbers.

In this instance, Wolfgang confirms Brian's listing of Julie Felix, and additionally lists the Little Richard record, which neither Alan nor Brian have noted.

Green additions to the climbers indicate singles sourced from 'Monty's Diary'. (See Fab Forty for 010167).
Alan Field did not hear the records listed in
blue or green played or announced as climbers.

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

This week's Radio 270 Top 40 on the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame is here

Tune in next week for another Field's Fab Forty


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