Wednesday, March 29, 2017

March 29th

A 13-day TV Strike begins.  It is the first strike ever for the 30-year-old AFTRA Organization (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and even television's most popular artists and performers elect to participate. 

The Buckinghams have THREE records on the chart this week, including the back to back hits at #43 and #44, "Don't You Care" (up 22 places from #65) and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (up twelve places from #56.)  Meanwhile, their former chart-topper "Kind Of A Drag" is slowly working its way down the chart, falling this week from #31 to #55. 







Other big movers on the chart this week include "At The Zoo" by Simon and Garfunkel (up 19 places from #68 to #49), "I'm A Man" by The Spencer Davis Group (up from #75 to #56, a move of 19 places), "On A Carousel" by The Hollies (#57, up from #73), "Can't Get Enough Of You, Baby" by ? and the Mysterians, up twenty places from #90 to #70 and The Monkees (with the B-Side of their #13 Hit), "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", which now sits at #74 after a 24 point climb from #98. 

The Turtles appear on "Where The Action Is", performing FOUR songs:  "Can I Get To Know You Better", "Almost There", "You Baby" and "Happy Together". 

At the recording session held the night before, John Lennon decided that he wants to end "Good Morning, Good Morning" with animal sounds … so once again the EMI archives are scoured for pre-recorded animal sounds.  The Beatles overdub animals noises on to "Good Morning, Good Morning", officially completing that track before starting another this evening.  The new song will become another instant classic … ten takes of "With A Little Help From My Friends" are laid down tonight (including Ringo's double-tracked lead vocal).  The working title of this track was "Bad Finger Boogie" … interesting in that The Beatles would later rename The Iveys "Badfinger" after signing them to Apple Records a few years later.  Ringo refused to sing the original lyric as written "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you throw tomatoes at me?"  … (he didn't want to inspire any potential future audience from doing so should the boys ever perform the song in public ... they'd already been pelleted for years after mentioning once they they liked jelly-babies!) … forcing John and Paul to rewrite the line as "Would you stand up and walk out on me?", a FAR better line indeed!