Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 09:21:01 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Toppermost of the Poppermost - UK Number Ones : part 2 - The 1960s

Started by daf, June 12, 2019, 01:55:00 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
Gerry: "If it wasn't for them [The Beatles] we'd never have made it in the States so early."

No, you'd never have made it at all, ffs

machotrouts

Trying to figure out whether "I LIIIIIIIKE it! I LIIIIIIIKE it!" just sounds like an annoying playground chant, or whether it actually was one. You'd think it was forgotten at least three decades before I was in school, but by the looks of things, it was in a hideous yoghurt advert in the 1990s, so maybe this really has tapped into some traumatic seam in my memory?


MidnightShambler

My old fella used to drink with Billy J Kramer and his brother in a pub in Bootle called The Hangsman. Apparently his brother was 'backward' and had something wrong with his head that made it absolutely huge.

And my Aunty Maureen used to go out with Gerry Marsden's brother, Freddy.

I'm happy with my contribution to this thread.


daf

Pull your pants down and dance around completely naked in the middle of China town, it's . . .

153.  Frank Ifield - Confessin' (That I Love You)



From : 14 – 27 July 1963
Weeks : 2
Flip side : Waltzing Matilda

QuoteFollowing his third number 1, Wayward Wind, in February 1963, Ifield had a Top 4 hit in April with "Nobody's Darlin' but Mine", before returning to the Top Spot for the fourth and final time in July 1963, with Confessin'.

In September 1963 he released the Viva Ifield! EP, (which featured "Noche De Ronda"  /  "Siboney"  /  "Tres Palabras"  /  and "Aquarella Do Brasil"). In October 1963 his version of, 'Mule Train', rose to #22 in the charts.

Despite changing trends, Ifield continued to do well in the charts in 1964, with : "Don't Blame Me" (#8)  /  "Angry At The Big Oak Tree" (#25)  /  "I Should Care" (#33)  /  and  "Summer Is Over" (#25)

In September 1964 he released the Blue Skies EP, which featured : "Blue Skies"  / "Tumblin Tumbleweeds"  /  "My Blue Heaven"  /  and "Sweet Lorraine"

The Funny How Time Slips Away EP swiftly followed in December 1964, featuring : "Funny How Time Slips Away"  /  "Daybreak"  /  "Don't Make Me Laugh"  /  and "Without You"

 

Following the non-charting concept flop single in March 1965, "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry"  ( b/w "Lonesome Number One"), Ifield rectified his loneliness by getting married to Gillian Bowden, a dancer at the London Palladium, on 6 July 1965 at Marylbone Register Office, London.

Following his honeymoon, he returned to the mid-table Hit Parade in August 1965 with the Top 26 hit : "Paradise".

In September 1965 he released the  Love Walked In EP, which included :  "Love Walked In"  / "Take Good Care Of Her"  /  "The Hawaiian Wedding Song"  /  and "Forever Mine"

And the Hong Kong Blues EP followed in November 1965, featuring : "Hong Kong Blues"  /  "Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me"  /  "An Anonymous Phone Call"  / and "What A Way To Start The Day"

 

His next two singles :  "I Guess" in November 1965, and "There'll Be Another Spring" in March 1966 both failed to reach the charts.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In December 1965, Ifield starred as Dave Kelly, (with his wife, Gillian Bowden, appearing as a dancer), in the comedy musical film, Up Jumped a Swagman

   

The film was made when Frank Ifield was at the height of his popularity, as an attempt to reproduce the success of Cliff Richard's musicals.

Christopher Miles (director) : "When my new agent, Leslie Grade, father of Michael, suggested I directed a musical comedy with one of his other clients, Frank Ifield, I asked him why he thought it was a good idea? "Because he makes more money in Blackpool than Cliff" was Leslie's quick reply."

"Unfortunately the two writers of the Cliff pictures were not then on speaking terms, so the two halves of a rather soggy script arrived separately in the post, and not surprisingly made no sense at all. So Leslie, not one to be beaten, got an old writer friend from ITV, Lewis Greifer, saying "He's the man, I know you'll get on well" which we did.  However thinking up a credible vehicle for Frank, amiable and charming as he was, proved to me that ultimately you cannot make a celluloid purse out of a sow's ear, even though Frank was gamely willing to send himself up."

"It was going to have to be a small budget, and to save money I was asked to use a new film saving invention - the dreaded 'Techniscope' process. By only using two sprocket holes for each frame (instead of the standard four) a narrow negative was created, which had a sort of wide-screen look. However in 1965 colour film stock was still rather grainy, which showed when the final picture was blown up for the large cinema screen."

"Then the boyfriend of the leading lady rang me up a few weeks before shooting to say she was 4 months pregnant, and it was because of that I then discovered an unknown model, Suzy Kendall, to replace her."

The film was shot at MGM's London studios at Boreham Wood, with exteriors at Gravesend Docks, St. Paul's Cathedral, Hyde Park, the Albert Memorial and Elstree town.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ifield returned to the chart in June 1966 with "No One Will Ever Know" (#25), and, in December 1966, made the Top 30 for the last time with "Call Her Your Sweetheart" (#24).

His non-charting singles in 1967 and 1968 included : "You Came Along (From Out Of Nowhere)"  /  "Up-Up And Away"   /  "All The Time"  /   "Some Sweet Day"  /  "(You've Got) Morning In Your Eyes"  /  and "The Swiss Maid".

In 1969 he signed to Decca, releasing : "Let Me Into Your Life" and "It's My Time". In 1970, The flops continued with "Three Good Reasons" and "Easy Come, Easy Go".

From 1971 to 1973, he saw no further chart nibbles with his singles on MAM records, including : "Beautiful Love"  /  "Hurdy Gurdy"  / "Roots And Rafters"  /  and "The Rise And Fall Of Solly Glick"

From 1973 to 1976 he was signed to Spark, and continued to fail to trouble the charts with : "Paint The World"  /  "Someone To Give My Love To"  /  "Joanne"  /  "Excuse Me Friend"  /  and "Where Is Tomorrow"

Ifield twice entered the UK heats for the Eurovision Song Contest. He came in second in the 1962 heat with "Alone Too Long" (losing to Ronnie Carroll). In the 1976 heat he tried with, "Ain't Gonna Take no for an Answer", finishing last of 12.

One final (original) single, "Crystal", was released on Warner Brothers in September 1979.

In 1986 he contracted pneumonia. The surgery to remove part of a lung damaged his vocal cords, which resulted in no singing or yodelling for years until they recovered.

Ifield and Bowden divorced in 1988 and he returned to Sydney to live. In 1992 he married his second wife, Carole Wood, an airline hostess.

In 1991, Ifield returned to the UK chart when a dance remix of "She Taught Me How to Yodel", renamed, "The Yodelling Song", was billed as Frank Ifield featuring the Backroom Boys, reached No. 40 in the UK Singles Chart.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2007 Ifield was inducted into their Hall of Fame alongside, Hoodoo Gurus, Marcia Hines, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Brian Cadd, Radio Birdman and Nick Cave. He was presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia in June 2009 with a citation, "For service to the arts as an entertainer."

Quote"Confessin' (that I Love You)" was first produced with different lyrics as "Lookin' For Another Sweetie," credited to Chris Smith and Sterling Grant, and recorded by Thomas "Fats" Waller & His Babies on December 18, 1929.

In 1930 it was reborn as "Confessin'," with new lyrics by Al Neiburg, and with the music this time credited to Doc Daugherty and Ellis Reynolds. Louis Armstrong made his first, and highly influential, recording of the song in August 1930, and continued to play it throughout his career.

The song was a number one hit for Frank Ifield in the United Kingdom and in Ireland in 1963.

Other Versions include : Guy Lombardo (1930)  /  Buddy Blue & His Texans (1930)  /  Phil Spitalny (1930)  /  Noble Sissle and His Sizzling Syncopators (1931)  /  Stéphane Grappelli & Django Reinhardt (1934)  /  Nat Gonella & His Georgians (1936)   /  Louis Prima & Keely Smith (1936)  /  Lionel Hampton (1937)  /  Ella Fitzgerald (1944)  /  Perry Como (1945)  /  Peggy Lee (1947)  /  Frankie Laine (1947)  /  Doris Day (1949)  /  The Erroll Garner Trio (1950)  /  Kay Starr (1950)  /  Charlie Ventura (1952)  /  Eddie Condon (1956)  /  Ricky Nelson (1957)  /  Bing Crosby (1957)  /  The McGuire Sisters (1957)  /  Judy Garland (1958)  /  Johnnie Ray (1958)  /  Gogi Grant (1960)  /  The Clovers (1960)  /  Timi Yuro (1961)  (a woman!)  /  Dean Martin (1964)  /  The Lonious Monk (1965)  /  Mr. Acker Bilk (1966)  /  Bobby Short (1969)  /  Peters & Lee (1973)  /  Willie Nelson (1981)  /  Wynton Marsalis (1984)  /  John Pizzarelli (1992)  /  Rosemary Clooney (1995)  /  Robert Mitchum (1997)  /  Tony Bennett & k.d. lang (2002)  /  Van Morrison (2005)  /  Karo Sarafyan (2011)  /  Danny McEvoy (2011)  /  Yvan Jacques (2012)  /  Eric Lugosch (2012)  /  Hot Club of Cowtown (2013)  /  Larry McKenna & Pete Smyser (2016) . . . Nice!Chris Smith (2016) . . .  Jaaaazz! Bruna Marcelli (2018)

On This Day :
Quote14 July : 50th Tour de France: French cyclist Jacques Anquetil wins - the first rider to win the Tour 4 times
15 July : Paul McCartney is fined £17 for speeding
25 July : US, Russia & Britain sign nuclear Test ban treaty
26 July : Syncom 2, 1st geosynchronous communications satellite, launched

sevendaughters

I Like It must have been studied deeply by John Power.
Frank Ifield absolute ear piss as usual.

Capitol had a choice between releasing this or 'She Loves You' in the US. They chose the Ifield track.

Although I'm biased, I do love this Louis Armstrong version from 1944, fourteen years after his first recording of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CZJ2V4dbOY

Ballad of Ballard Berkley


Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: sevendaughters on September 02, 2019, 02:04:22 PM
Frank Ifield absolute ear piss as usual.

It really is time for Frank and his cardigan-wearing ilk to fuck off now, they're not welcome in this zesty new Merseybeat world we're digging.

The Culture Bunker

I can remember reading one of those articles the editor of Uncut did back when it started, talking about his many years on the job, in this instance covering some kind of 60s beat revue back in the early 80s. Kramer was seen backstage, wandering around asking people if they'd seen his wife's sister, as she was supposed to be cutting his hair. As I recall, Gerry and his Pacemakers headlined the night, ending with a (seemingly) 20 verse version of their final #1 hit.

MidnightShambler

Whenever Mr Kramer is mentioned around my old fella and people of his age (which happens more often than you'd think), it's not long until somebody says 'he owns half of America now'. Apparently he got involved in real estate in Florida or somewhere when the hits dried up. Although not Dakota, surprisingly.

Although I've just read an interview with him and he doesn't mention it, so maybe it's bollocks.

machotrouts

Love that Frank Ifield somehow wrung an Only Connect sequence's worth of #1s out of singing the same song all the time. I like him and I still thought "haven't we already done this one like 3 times now" when I listened to it. Maybe it's just my relative unfamiliarity with yodeling as a vocal technique and missing the nuances, but it feels like he's playing One Song to the Tune of Another, and "another" is just every other song he's done.

But what a tune! Better than the Beatles

daf

Dis Guy's in Love With You, it's . . .

154.  Elvis Presley - (You're The) Devil In Disguise



From : 28 July – 3 August 1963
Weeks : 1
Flip side : Please Don't Drag That String Around
bonus : How to Play Devil in Disguise (in German)

The Story So Further - The 1966 Films :
QuoteElvis' twentieth movie was 'Frankie and Johnny'. The budget of the film was estimated at $4.5 million. Although an United Artists film, it was shot on the MGM lot. The director was Frederick De Cordova, who was the director and producer of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson beginning in 1970.

Filming started in May 1965 and took place in Hollywood and New Orleans. Under his contract with United Artists, Presley was paid $700,000 plus 50% of the profits.

A slight change of pace for Elvis Presley, 'Frankie and Johnny' was a lighthearted musical based on the folk song, 'Frankie and Johnny'. In the original song, the title characters are lovers whose romance goes awry when red-headed Nellie Bly steals Johnny away from Frankie. Frankie gets revenge by shooting Johnny dead. The movie lightens the tone of the tale by adding a few details and changing the downbeat ending.

Elvis plays Johnny, a riverboat entertainer that has a big gambling problem. Donna Douglas is Johnny's girl, Frankie. A fortune teller tells Johnny how he can change his luck. Enter a new lady luck played by Nancy Kovack and the cat fight begins.

Donna Douglas was from Louisiana and did grow up a critter lovin' tomboy much like her character Elly May Clampett on the long running TV series 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. The 1957 'Miss New Orleans' was known for personally answering her fan mail. While shooting this movie, she and Elvis discovered they both shared a deep interest in spiritual studies and they would read and meditate together. Although her singing in this film was dubbed by vocalist Eileen Wilson, she has since recorded gospel albums. She also has authored Christian children's books.

Nancy Kovack played Nellie Bly. She began college at the University of Michigan at age 15 and was graduated by 19. She had won numerous beauty titles by the age of 20 and began acting in New York on various TV shows. She received an Emmy Award nomination for an appearance in 1969 on 'Mannix'. Today she is the long-time wife of "Maestro" Zubin Mehta.

It isn't clear how the name Nellie Bly got attached to this triangle of lovers, but there was a real Nellie Bly in history. This was the pen name of a Pittsburgh woman journalist named Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. In 1885 it was considered improper for a women writer to use her real name so Ms. Cochrane took her pseudonym from a popular song written by Stephen Foster. She was a pioneer of investigative journalism often going undercover to expose poverty, crime, housing and labor conditions of the day. An adventurer, she set a much publicized record for traveling around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds a la Jules Verne's 'Around the World In Eighty Days'.

The film premiered in Baton Rouge, Lousiana on 31 March 1966. Co-stars Donna Douglas, Sue Ane Langdon and Nancy Kovack attended. It was the #48 movie for the year of 1966, grossing over $2,000,000.

Howard Thompson of The New York Times reported that the film "opened with a dull thud and sheds feathers almost from the start" stating that "Presley's formula never before seemed so feeble and so obvious."

Variety wrote that the film "hits the mark as pleasant entertainment, and is certain to be another Presley money-winner."

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times felt that despite "generally mediocre production values" particularly lacking in good dance numbers, the film was "fast-moving fun and a good vehicle for Presley".

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After a long series of lifeless flops, Elvis Presley is here right back on form; or at least the film round him is (Elvis himself rarely changes) ... Although the story tends to sag a little during the romantic complications, the script is pleasantly witty, with Henry Morgan and the enchanting Nancy Kovack outstanding."


 

Recording sessions took place for Frankie and Johnny - the twelfth soundtrack album by Elvis - at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on 12, 13, and 14 May 1965. It peaked at number 20 on the Top LP's chart.

To coincide with the 19th century setting of the film, some traditional song material was utilized for the soundtrack. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is an old gospel hymn that has become a jazz standard associated with the traditional hot jazz of New Orleans. It is paired in a medley with "Down by the Riverside", another traditional gospel song dating back to the relevant time period. Both are in the public domain, and the team of Giant, Baum, and Kaye captured the publishing for Freddy Bienstock and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The title song, "Frankie and Johnny", is a variant on the American popular song first published in 1904 and credited to Hughie Cannon. With changed lyrics, another publishing royalty was secured for Gladys Music.

Twelve songs were recorded at the sessions for Frankie and Johnny, and all were used and issued on the soundtrack. "Frankie and Johnny" was issued as a single, with "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" on the B-side - which peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the B-side also charting at number 45.

Other songs on the LP included :  "Come Along"  /  "Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter"  /  "What Every Woman Lives For"  /  "Beginner's Luck"  /   "Shout It Out"  /  and "Hard Luck"

During the 1970s, Pickwick Records obtained the rights to reissue Presley albums previously issued under the budget RCA Camden label. Several tracks from Frankie and Johnny had been included on Camden releases; in 1976, Pickwick expanded its mandate and reissued the film's soundtrack album with a new cover showing a 1970s-era image of Presley and the title slightly amended to 'Frankie ♥&♥ Johnny'.

 

The running order of the tracks was altered and three songs from the original album were omitted — "Chesay", "Look Out Broadway", and "Everybody Come Aboard". The front cover does not indicate that this is a reissued soundtrack album, and it was Elvis' only soundtrack to be reissued in this way.

This oddity remained in print for several years and when, following Presley's death in August 1977, RCA began reissuing all of his albums, the agreement between RCA and Pickwick prohibited RCA from reissuing the original, complete soundtrack album in the US for several years due to the existence of this version. Not until 2010 would the complete original Frankie and Johnny soundtrack be widely available in the United States again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Elvis' twenty-first film was the 1966 Paramount release 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style', his third film based in Hawaii - a clear attempt to repeat the success of 'Blue Hawaii'. It was directed by Michael D. Moore, who had been an assistant director on six previous Elvis films. He and his brother Pat began their careers as child actors in silent films in the 1920s.

Elvis features as the singer as Greg 'Rick' Richards, a helicopter pilot who starts a charter service with his friend Danny, played by James Shigeta. Rick has coaxed three beautiful women employed at various tourist-related businesses around the Islands to steer customers to their helicopter service. Covering the office is beautiful Judy Hudson, played by Suzanna Leigh, whom Rick and Danny call 'Friday.' Danny fears that Rick will not be able to resist Judy so he tells the island Romeo that their girl 'Friday' is married. A misunderstanding involving a forced helicopter landing results in Rick having his license temporarily suspended. In the meantime, Rick discovers that Judy is not married, and the two embark on romance.

The working title for this movie changed several times. Among them were 'Polynesian Paradise', 'Hawaiian Paradise' and 'Polynesian Holiday'. Filming took place in Honolulu at the Hanalei Plantation Resort in Kaui, the Maui Sheraton Hotel and on the Kona Coast. A number of scenes were filmed at the LDS Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu were Hawaiian customs, music and culture are preserved.

Elvis was ill for the first few days of pre-production, so the instrumentals for the soundtrack were recorded without him the last week in July 1965. Elvis was well enough to report to the set on 2 August 1965 and he was assigned to Tony Curtis's former dressing room on the Paramount lot. He dubbed his vocals for the soundtrack, had costume fittings and had an insurance physical before the cast and crew flew to Hawaii for location shooting on 5 August 1965.

Production on the film moved back to the mainland. A few days later on 27 August 1965, The Beatles visited with Elvis at his Bel Air home. Only a small group of family and friends were on hand for this historic meeting that resulted in an impromptu jam session.

Principal photography for 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' finished on 30 September 1965. Elvis completed dubbing and publicity photos by 4 October 1965 and returned to Memphis. There was a sneak preview of the movie in Memphis on 9 June 1966. It premiered in New York a week later and it opened nationwide on 6 July 1966. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 million in theatres.

Released in June 1966, despite its stunning aerial photography, the film inspired a collective yawn with film critics.

The New York Times film reviewer Vincent Canby compared the film to the formulaic 1930s musicals that Bing Crosby used to star in, concluding that it was "all harmless and forgettable."

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "pleasant hot-weather diversion. Pretty much the usual Elvis Presley formula of songs and romance, this Paramount release ... has the added bonus of lush tropical scenery in color. And Elvis, as always, remains a relaxed, enjoyable entertainer."

Variety called the film "a gaily-begarbed and flowing musical, with the Hawaiian setting seldom before having been utilized to such lush advantage."

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "This is Elvis Presley right back in the old rut, parading his talents as a man of action while women swoon at his passage. The script is rather worse than routine, and the songs and choreography are undistinguished; which leaves very little but Wallace Kelley's colourful photography of the strictly tourist-eye view of the islands."

 

Recording sessions took place for Paradise, Hawaiian Style - Elvis' thirteenth soundtrack album, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on 26 and 27 July, and 2 August 1965. Released in June 1966, it peaked at number 15 on the Top LP's chart.

Presley found himself in 1965 recording soundtrack albums for films that were almost a year away from release — gone were the days when the turnaround time from the final session for Elvis Is Back! to its arrival in the shops was less than one week. While working on this album, his most recent film in the theaters was 'Tickle Me', and Presley had completed three more movies since then. With titles like "A Dog's Life" and "Queenie Wahine's Papaya" he openly ridiculed the material, wasting time before finally approaching the microphone to do the job. He begrudgingly accepted songs given him that he would have rejected outright years earlier. He always finished the work, but in essence Presley had become a hired hand in his own career.

Ten songs were recorded at the sessions for the soundtrack, but only nine were used in the film. The omitted song, "Sand Castles", was included on the album to bring the running order to ten tracks. Sales for the album were under 250,000, a new low for Presley's LP catalogue. The good news was the single issued in June 1966 two days before the album, the 1945 Victor Young standard "Love Letters" backed with Clyde McPhatter's 1958 rhythm and blues hit "Come What May", made a respectable number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at least reflected Presley's actual tastes away from obligations to the soundtrack recordings.

Other songs on the LP included : "Paradise, Hawaiian Style"  /  "Scratch My Back (Then I'll Scratch Yours)"  /  "Drums of the Islands"  /  "Datin'"  /  "House of Sand"  /   "Stop Where You Are"  /  and  "This Is My Heaven"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Elvis' twenty-second film was 'Spinout'. The script was written by Theodore Flicker and George Kirgo. They originally pitched the idea of a film based on Presley's life, but this was vetoed by Col. Parker. Flicker eventually left the project and Michael Hoey worked on the script uncredited with Kirgo.

This film began with the working title of 'Never Say Yes'. In January 1966 producer Joe Pasternak asked Elvis' manager Tom Parker if he had any suggestions for a better title. Parker came up with 'Jim Dandy' and 'Clambake'. Other titles considered were 'Never Say No', 'After Midnight', and 'The Singing Racing Car Driver'. In Britain it was finally released as 'California Holiday', while in the U.S. they ended up using 'Spinout' and saving 'Clambake' to use for a later film.

Elvis stars as dashing Mike McCoy, yet another race car driver. Mike fronts a popular singing group, and he is also the defending champion on the racing circuit. Vying for Mike's affection is Les, played by perky Deborah Walley, who works as the drummer in Mike's band, and sophisticated Cynthia Foxhugh, played by Shelley Fabares, who is the daughter of wealthy auto magnate Howard Foxhugh, and writer Diana St. Clair, played by Diane McBain, who falls in love with Mike while finishing her book 'The Perfect American Male'.

In an ending that seems to mock Elvis films in general, Mike does not end up marrying any of these women. Instead, he succeeds in wedding them to friends and associates, while he remains free to begin a new romance.

Principal photography for 'Spinout' began on 21 February, and finished on 8 April 1966. The racing scenes were shot at Paramount Ranch Raceway. During the shooting of this film Elvis told a reporter that he wanted to do another gospel album. He had in fact been working on new music at home with entourage members Charlie Hodge and Red West. His latest inspiration had come from folk singers Peter, Paul and Mary and Odetta singing songs written by Bob Dylan. He also told the reporter that he would always keep Graceland because of the memory of his late mother.

The movie opened on 23 November 1966. Theaters sponsored 'The Perfect American Male Essay Contest' as a way to promote the movie. It was a play on the character Diana St. Clair's book and the best essays won Elvis records as prizes. Radio stations received promos of the 'Spinout' single and prerecorded open-ended interviews with Shelley Fabares, Deborah Walley and Dian McBain. The film was the 57th highest grossing film for the year. Elvis, who was paid $750,000 plus 40% of the profits, was the tenth highest paid actor in 1966.

Variety declared it "an entertaining Elvis Presley comedy-tuner ... Well-produced by Joe Pasternak and directed with verve by Norman Taurog."

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "perhaps Presley's best picture yet, with a first-rate cast, while writers Theodore J. Flicker and George Kirgo have managed to parody the typical Presley plot so deftly that they neither insult Elvis nor alienate his devoted fans.""

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the film was "delivered with sufficient joie de vivre to make its nonsensical compound of ballad and beat, car racing and unlikely romantic complication, entertaining enough in its own way," though the review noted that Presley "largely maintains a rather morose demeanour throughout the film and that even his singing style seems to have lost some of its old bounce and energy."

 

Recording sessions took place for Elvis' fourteenth soundtrack album, 'Spinout' at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on 16 and 17 February 1966. It peaked at number 18 on the Top Pop Albums chart.

In early 1966, executives at RCA and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had arrived at the same conclusion. They could no longer expect records of only soundtrack recordings and session leftovers to perform as strongly as in the past. Popular music was rife with changes in the mid-1960s, and with chart dominance from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Dave Clark Five and The Brumbeats, Presley no longer reigned supreme in the marketplace.

The Spinout sessions still adhered to the same formula of the past four years. Nine songs were recorded for the soundtrack, all of which appeared in the film. Most of the songs derived from the standard pool of songwriters, their publishing rights signed over to Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music, the companies owned by Elvis and the Colonel.

A highlight of the film and album was the tremendously groovy song "Stop, Look, and Listen" which had previously been recorded by Ricky Nelson and Bill Haley & His Comets.

Acknowledging shifts in taste, three additional tracks of a contemporary nature were added as a "special bonus" to bring the album up to a more acceptable running time - "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" written by Bob Dylan, "Down in the Alley" previously recorded by The Clovers in 1957, and "I'll Remember You" which had been a record by Don Ho, and reflected Presley's infatuation with Hawaii and its culture. Even with these inclusions, the album fared little better than its predecessors in 1966.

"Spinout" was released as a single in October 1966 with "All That I Am" as its B-side. The songs reached number 40 and 41, respectively, in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and, respectively, numbers 21 and 18 in the United Kingdom (this was probably only in the NME chart - as it ascribed chart positions for the A and B sides seperately).

Other songs on the surprisingly 'quite good' LP included :  "Adam and Evil"  /  "Never Say Yes"  /  "Beach Shack"  /  "Smörgåsbord"  /  and  "I'll Be Back"

Quote"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" was written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye.

Bill Porter engineered the song for the Elvis Presley recording session on 26 May 1963, at RCA Studios in Nashville. Bass singer Ray Walker, of the gospel vocal group The Jordanaires, is featured in the song, singing the repeated phrase, "Oh, yes, you are," before the song's fade.

"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" and its flipside, "Please Don't Drag That String Around", was recorded for a full-length album that was scheduled for release in 1963, but RCA chose instead to release the album piecemeal on singles and as soundtrack album bonus tracks. 'LP Fans' had to wait five years to hear "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" rotating at 33⅓ rpm - when it was finally included on the 1968 compilation 'Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4'.

The song peaked at number three in the US on the Billboard singles chart on 10 August 1963, and number nine on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues singles chart, becoming his last top ten single on the Rhythm and Blues charts.

In 1963, when the song was debuted to a British audience on the BBC television show Juke Box Jury, the celebrity guest John Lennon voted the song "a miss" stating on the new song that Elvis Presley was "like Bing Crosby now". The song went on to reach number 1 in the UK for a single week.

Other Versions include :   Wayne Harris (1963)  /  Tony Steven (1963)  /   "Un diablo disfrazado" by Micky y Los Tonys (1963)  /  Luis Aguilé (1963)  /  Mike Rios (1963)  /  "Liebe kälter als Eis" by Rex Gildo (1963)  /  "Tu n'as rien de tout ça" by Eddy Mitchell (1963)  /  Johnny Hallyday (1963)  /  The Boston Show Band (1968)  /  The Residents (1989)  /  Showaddywaddy (1991)  /  Trisha Yearwood (1992)  /  Scum Rats (1993)  /  Eilert Pilarm (2003)  /  The Misfits (2003)  /  Karel Gott (2006)  /  Danny McEvoy (2011)  /  Ynos & Plume (2012)  /  Amanda Lear (2014)  /  Farofa Musical (2017)

On This Day :
Quote30 July : Lisa Kudrow, actress, born in Encino, Los Angeles, California
30 July : Soviet officials announced that they had granted British spy Kim Philby political asylum in the USSR.
31 July : Fatboy Slim, (The Housemartins), born Norman Quentin Cook in Bromley, England
1 August : Coolio, (rapper), born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. in Monessen Pennsylvania
1 August : Arthur Ashe becomes first African-American tennis player to be named in the US Davis Cup team
3 August : Beatles final performance at Cavern Club in Liverpool
3 August : James Hetfield, (Metallica), born in Downey, California
3 August : "No Strings" closes at 84th St Theater NYC after 580 performances

sevendaughters

started singing (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame over that Elvis one


purlieu

From Me to You - yeah, good song that.
Do You What to Know a Secret? - was going to say "this sounds like a song The Beatles might have rejected". Good job I read the details before posting that.
I Like It - I don't like it.
Confessin' (That I Love You) - where the fuck did this come from? After the '60s have finally arrived, this crud reappears.
(You're the) Devil in Disguise - yeah, you're not helping either Elvis, this song belongs in 1958 and you know it.

QuoteDo You What to Know a Secret? - was going to say "this sounds like a song The Beatles might have rejected". Good job I read the details before posting that.

They recorded their own version for their debut album. 'How Do You Do It?' was the one they totally hated, and didn't write.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on September 04, 2019, 12:39:40 AM
They recorded their own version for their debut album. 'How Do You Do It?' was the one they totally hated, and didn't write.

Quote from: purlieu on September 03, 2019, 05:27:53 PM
Do You Want to Know a Secret? - was going to say "this sounds like a song The Beatles might have rejected". Good job I read the details before posting that.

machotrouts

The slow bits are good, not in and of themselves obviously, but for building anticipation for the fast bit. Ooh what's the fast bit going to be like... it's going to get fast in a moment. What'll that be like. Very exciting. Then the fast bit comes and it's shit. The song I've extrapolated from the slow bits is good though.

Quote from: daf on September 03, 2019, 02:00:00 PMthe tremendously groovy song "Stop, Look, and Listen"

Ugh I assumed this would be the Paul Oakenfold one and it's not. Can he get on with recording that so I can officially put the 5% of me that still doesn't mind Elvis to bed.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Rubberneckin'? The original is groovier than Oakenfold's half-arsed remix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxeCTSnQ0Q

In case you hadn't already guessed, in the film from which that clip is taken, Elvis plays a caring inner city doctor.

Captain Z

Quote from: daf on September 03, 2019, 02:00:00 PM
154.  Elvis Presley - (You're The) Devil In Disguise

(Do you) think they added the "(You're The)" prefix for the people that stood in the record store going "I want that song that goes "you're the devil in disguise"... it could be this one that's titled 'Devil In Disguise', but I'm not going to risk buying the wrong record", or for the religious nuts that would have gone "Ah ha, see! Elvis is admitting he is the devil in disguise!".

daf

Fudge my Hat!, it's . . .

155.  The Searchers - Sweets For My Sweet



From : 4 – 17 August 1963
Weeks : 2
Flip side : It's All Been A Dream

QuoteFounded as a skiffle group in Liverpool in 1959 by John McNally and Mike Pender, the band took their name from the 1956 John Ford western film The Searchers.

The band grew out of an earlier skiffle group formed by McNally in 1957, with his friends Brian Dolan (guitar) and Tony West (bass). When the other two members lost interest, McNally was joined by his guitarist neighbour Mike Prendergast. They soon recruited Tony Jackson with his homemade bass guitar and amplifier, who was recruited as a lead singer, but took a back seat at first in order to learn the bass.

The band styled themselves as "Tony and the Searchers" with Joe Kennedy on drums. Kennedy soon left to be replaced by Norman McGarry, and it is this line-up — McNally, Pender (as Prendergast soon became known), Jackson and McGarry — that is usually cited as the original foursome.

McGarry did not stay long and in 1960 his place was taken by Chris Crummey who later changed his name to Chris Curtis. Later that year Big Ron had a successful audition with Decca and became a ballroom singer. He was replaced by Billy Beck, who changed his name to Johnny Sandon. The band had regular bookings at Liverpool's Iron Door Club as "Johnny Sandon and The Searchers".

The musical chairs continued when Sandon left the band in late 1961 to join The Remo Four in February 1962. The group settled into a quartet named "The Searchers", with Jackson becoming the main vocalist. They continued to play at the Iron Door, The Cavern, and other Liverpool clubs. Like many similar acts they would do as many as three shows at different venues in one night. They negotiated a contract with the Star-Club in the St. Pauli district Hamburg for 128 days, with three one-hour performances a night, starting in July 1962.



The band returned to a residency at the Iron Door Club and it was there that they tape-recorded the sessions that led to a Pye Records recording contract with Tony Hatch as producer. The first single, "Sweets for My Sweet", featuring Tony Jackson as main vocalist supported by Pender and Curtis, shot to number one in the UK in 1963, firmly establishing the band as a major spearhead of the "Merseybeat" boom, just behind The Beatles and alongside The Fourmost, the Merseybeats, the Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Quote"Sweets for My Sweet" was written by the songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Originally recorded by The Drifters, featuring Charlie Thomas on lead vocal, "Sweets for My Sweet" reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1961. This was one of the few post-1958 Drifters singles that did not feature a string section.

The song has a strong piano and bongo- led Cuban-style cha-cha rhythm. It also featured Jimmy Radcliffe and four female backup vocalists, all of whom would later have hit records, Cissy Houston, Doris Troy, Dionne Warwick, and Dee Dee Warwick. The recording also features an up in front piano provided by the song's co-writer, Mort Shuman. Other musicians on the recording included George Barnes and Allan Hanlon on guitar, Abie Baker on bass, Ed Shaughnessy and Gary Chester on drums and Bobby Rosengarden and Ray Kessler on percussion.

The Searchers' version, which was produced by Tony Hatch, climbed to the top of the UK charts following an appearance on the Merseybeat edition of the TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars.

The songwriter Mort Shuman commented on the Searchers cover : "Well, they got the words wrong - it's 'Your tasty kiss,' not 'Your fair sweet kiss' - but I thought it was fine. They had a different sound to the Drifters but it wasn't necessarily inferior. It was so infectious and that is all you wanted from those singles."

In 1994, British reggae singer C.J. Lewis reached #3 in the UK with his remake of "Sweets for My Sweet", with the female vocals performed by singer Samantha Depasois.

Other Versions includeBee Gees (1963)  /  "Ma biche" by Frank Alamo (1963)  /  Johnny Lion with The Jumping Jewels (1963)  /  Paul Reverre & The Raiders (1964)  /  The Buckinghams (1965)  /  Gil Fuller and the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra (1966)  /  Don & The Goodtimes (1966)  /  The Mods (1966)  /  The McCoys (1966)  /  Harry Deal & the Galaxies (1966)  /  Alfredito (1966)  /   The Riddles (1967)  /  Central Park West (1969)  /  The Sweet Inspirations (1969)  /  The Carnival (1969)  /  Magnum (1975)  /  Delroy Wilson (1975)  /  Tina Charles (1977)  /  Hans Edler (1978)  /  Tony Orlando (1979)  /  Mick Rowley (1980)  /  Chriss  (1986)  /  Super Cat (1987)  /  Neil Diamond (1993)  /  Brian Wilson (1995)  /  Germ Attack (2005)  /  Danny McEvoy (2011)  /  a robot (2016)  /  Saturday Sing (2018)  /  Harris & Son (2018)

On This Day :
Quote5 August : Craig Breedlove sets world land speed record of 407.477 mph in Spirit of America at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
6 August : Charles Ingram, "The Coughing Major", born in Derbyshire
8 August : The Kingsmen release "Louie, Louie"
9 August : Whitney Houston, singer, born in Newark, New Jersey
9 August : First edition of TV Pop show Ready Steady Go!
12 August : Sir Mix A Lot, rapper, born Anthony L. Ray in Seattle, Washington


sevendaughters

prefer the CJ Lewis version! nice little song but it never really develops.

purlieu

Gotta be honest, I hate I IV VI sequences. 'Sweets for My Sweet', 'Louie Louie', 'Wild Thing', they all do my head in.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: purlieu on September 04, 2019, 03:51:25 PM
Gotta be honest, I hate I IV VI sequences. 'Sweets for My Sweet', 'Louie Louie', 'Wild Thing', they all do my head in.

We once had a thread on here about songs which nobody dislikes, and I'm pretty sure the Kingsmen's version of Louie Louie was nominated as a good example. So there you go!

purlieu


kalowski

Quote from: purlieu on September 04, 2019, 03:51:25 PM
Gotta be honest, I hate I IV VI sequences. 'Sweets for My Sweet', 'Louie Louie', 'Wild Thing', they all do my head in.
Louie Louie is I IV v. Specifically A, D Em.

Stop getting Louie Louie wrong!

purlieu

Oops, I meant I IV V. My right-hand middle finger got carried away.