NEW * In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans {Stereo} 1969 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2026-09-22 | NEW * In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans {Stereo} 1969
Those Were The Days π Mary Hopkin {Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-10 | Philip H. we're on to you. Don't upload our videos.1968....#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #1 Australia, #1 New Zealand, #1 West GermanyOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put a new English lyric to the Russian romance song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" ("ΠΠΎΡΠΎΠ³ΠΎΠΉ Π΄Π»ΠΈΠ½Π½ΠΎΡ", literally "By the long road"), composed by Boris Fomin (1900β1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism. It also deals with tavern activities, which include drinking, singing and dancing.Mary Hopkin's 1968 debut single of "Those Were the Days", which was produced by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, and arranged by Richard Hewson, became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. The song was featured on her debut album Post Card.Hopkin's recording was produced by McCartney with an arrangement by Richard Hewson, and became a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (held out of the top spot for three weeks by The Beatles' "Hey Jude") and topped the Billboard Easy Listening charts for six weeks. In the Netherlands it topped the charts for two consecutive weeks. The B-side of the record in the UK and the United States was a cover of Pete Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which had been a US number-one hit for The Byrds in 1965.The Russian origin of the melody was accentuated by instrumentation that was unusual for a top-ten pop record, including balalaika, clarinet, hammered dulcimer or cimbalom, tenor banjo and a children's choir, giving a klezmer feel to the song. The cimbalom was played by Gilbert Webster. Hopkin said in 2015, " I did not play guitar on 'Those Were the Days.' Paul played acoustic guitar."McCartney also recorded Hopkin singing "Those Were the Days" in other languages for release in Spain (QuΓ© tiempo tan feliz); in West Germany (An jenem Tag); in Italy (Quelli erano giorni); and in France (Le temps des fleurs). The non-English lyrics were also recorded by Dalida and Sandie Shaw.
Baby, Please Dont Go π Them featuring Van Morrison {DES Stereo} 1964 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-08 | 1964-65....#10 UK Singles Chart, #36 BelgiumOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / NEW DES STEREO MIXTo find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"Baby Please Don't Go" was one of the earliest songs recorded by Them, fronted by a 19-year-old Van Morrison. Their rendition of the song was derived from a version recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1949 as "Don't Go Baby". Hooker's song later appeared on a 1959 album, Highway of Blues, which Van Morrison heard and felt was "something really unique and different" with "more soul" than he had previously heard.Them recorded "Baby, Please Don't Go" for Decca Records in October 1964. Besides Morrison, there is conflicting information about who participated in the session. In addition to the group's original members (guitarist Billy Harrison, bassist Alan Henderson, drummer Ronnie Millings and keyboard player Eric Wrixon), others have been suggested: Pat McAuley on keyboards, Bobby Graham on a second drum kit, Jimmy Page on guitar, and Peter Bardens on keyboards. As Page biographer George Case notes, "There is a dispute over whether it is Page's piercing blues line that defines the song, if he only played a run Harrison had already devised, or if Page only backed up Harrison himself". Morrison has acknowledged Page's participation in the early sessions: "He played rhythm guitar on one thing and doubled a bass riff on the other" and Morrison biographer Johnny Rogan notes that Page "doubled the distinctive riff already worked out by Billy Harrison".Janovitz identifies the riff as "the backbone of the arrangement" and describes Henderson's contribution as an "amphetamine-rush, pulsing two-note bass line." Music critic Greil Marcus comments that during the song's quieter middle passage "the guitarist, session player Jimmy Page or not, seems to be feeling his way into another song, flipping half-riffs, high, random, distracted metal shavings". Them's blues rock arrangement is "now regarded justly as definitive", according to music writer Alan Clayson.Decca released "Baby, Please Don't Go" as Them's second single on November 6, 1964. With the B-side, "Gloria", it became their first hit, reaching number ten on the UK Singles Chart in February 1965. In the US, the single was released by Parrot Records. On March 20, Billboard magazine first listed the song on its extended "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" chart, where it eventually peaked at number 102 on April 24. The single fared better on the West Coast, where both songs topped the weekly Top 40 playlists for Los Angeles radio stations KRLA and KFWB. Cash Box described it as "a funky, hard-driving pleader that the fellas rock out with telling effect".The song was not included on Them's original British or American albums (The Angry Young Them (1965) and Them Again). Later, it was included on several compilation albums, such as The Best of Van Morrison (1990) and The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison (1997). In 1990, Them's version appeared on the soundtrack of the David Lynch film Wild at Heart. The appearance prompted a reissue in the UK, where the single reached number 65 in the chart. Van Morrison also accompanied John Lee Hooker during a 1992 performance, where Hooker sings and plays "Baby, Please Don't Go" on guitar while sitting on a dock, with harmonica backing by Morrison; it was released on the 2004 Come See About Me Hooker DVD.
GLEN CAMPBELL π Turn Around, Look At Me {DES Stereo} 1961 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-06 | 1961......#62 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #15 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, #9 CanadaDES Stereo by Christopher Kissel / To find out more about spectral editing and music source separation, go to monotostereo.info"Turn Around, Look at Me" is a song written by Jerry Capehart and Glen Campbell, though Campbell is not officially credited.In 1961, Glen Campbell released his version as a single. This was his first song to achieve national success by means of two hit parades in the United States, hitting position No.62 on the Billboard Hot 100 hit parades and peaking at position No.15 on the Adult Contemporary hit parades. In Canada, this tune had reached No.9 in the CHUM Hit Parades. This version included session drummer Earl Palmer on drums.
THE BYRDS π The Times They Are A-Changin Live {DES Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-06 | 1965......From the LP, "Turn! Turn! Turn!".Original video edited and remastered with stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"The Times They Are a-Changin'" was one of two Dylan covers that the Byrds included on their second album, Turn! Turn! Turn!, "Lay Down Your Weary Tune" being the other. Like other Dylan compositions that the band had covered, such as "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "All I Really Want to Do", the song was intended to be the A-side of a single. It was sung by bandleader Jim McGuinn and prominently features his signature twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar. The song was often played at concerts surrounding its release.George Harrison and Paul McCartney of the Beatles attended the Byrds' recording of the song on September 1, 1965, at Columbia's studios on Sunset Boulevard. Members of the Byrds later reflected that the presence of the two Beatles prevented them from completing the track effectively. Columbia Records originally pressed thousands of cover sleeves for the intended single, but the Byrds' manager, Jim Dickson, asked for the release to be dropped because of the group's dissatisfaction, most vocally expressed by David Crosby; Dickson originally thought the song would have made a strong single. In a 2004 interview, Chris Hillman stated his dislike for the song, suggesting that "we shouldn't have bothered with that song". Another version of the song, recorded in June, is a bonus track on the 1996 reissue. "Turn! Turn! Turn!" ended up becoming the band's third single, reaching number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.The Byrds performed the song on the U.S. television program Hullabaloo, but it failed to make a long-term impact. CBS England issued "The Times They Are a-Changin'" as the lead track of an EP, along with "Set You Free This Time", written by Gene Clark, which was moderately successful. In addition to its appearance on the Byrds' second album, "The Times They Are a-Changin'" is included on several Byrds compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits Volume II, The Very Best of The Byrds, The Byrds, The Essential Byrds, There Is a Season, and The Byrds Play Dylan.
THE VOGUES π Five OClock World {DES Stereo} 1966 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-06 | 1966.....#4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #3 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 CanadaDES Stereo by goroke / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo soundTo find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"Five O'Clock World" (also known as "5 O'Clock World") is a song written by Allen Reynolds and recorded by American vocal group the Vogues. It reached number 1 on WLS on 17 December 1965 and 7 January 1966, number 1 in Canada on the RPM singles chart on 10 January 1966 (their first of two chart-toppers there that year, followed by "Magic Town" in April), and number 4 in the U.S. on the Hot 100 on 15β22 January 1966 and is one of the Vogues' best-known hits, along with "You're the One".The Vogues recording begins with a repeating modal figure on 12-string acoustic guitar (the sound reminiscent of medieval chanson, or contemporaries the Byrds), and swings into stride with a low brass drone, and work-song shouts drenched in reverb. The baritone lead vocal by Bill Burkette is punctuated by counter-melodies and harmonies from the group and rises to a lilting yodel after the chorus, with crescendoing string instruments throughout, in anticipation of the after-work freedom promised in the lyric. The sound of a piano is heard, descending the scale, during the yodel. The sound of the other members of the Vogues can be heard repeating the word "hey!". The instrumental track was a demo brought in by producer Tony Moon, cut at RCA Studio B in Nashville. The vocal was then overdubbed in Pittsburgh at Co & Ce studios, with label co-head Nick Cenci. Cenci and the group were unhappy with the drum track, which was then re-recorded using local Grains of Sand drummer, Rich Engler. Later, when the group was signed to Reprise, strings were added by arranger Ernie Freeman, overdubbed onto the original Co & Ce master.
THE IMPRESSIONS π People Get Ready {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-06 | 1965......#14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #5 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #3 U.S. Billboard R&B ChartOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the People Get Ready album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number three on the Billboard R&B chart and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The gospel-influenced track was a Curtis Mayfield composition that displayed the growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing.In 2021, Rolling Stone named "People Get Ready" the 122nd greatest song of all time. The song was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. "People Get Ready" was named as one of the Top 10 Best Songs of All Time by Mojo music magazine, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2015, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance". Martin Luther King Jr. named the song the unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and often used the song to get people marching or to calm and comfort them.Various artists have covered the song, including Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1965 and 1977, the Chambers Brothers in 1968, Bob Dylan in 1975, and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck in 1985. Australian group Human Nature had a minor hit in Australia with their version in 1997.The gospel-influenced track was written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, who was displaying a growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing. Mayfield said,That was taken from my church or from the upbringing of messages from the church. Like there's no hiding place and get on board, and images of that sort. I must have been in a very deep mood of that type of religious inspiration when I wrote that song.The song is the first Impressions hit to feature Mayfield's guitar in the break."People Get Ready" is in a long tradition of Black American freedom songs that use train imagery, such as "Wade in the Water", "The Gospel Train", and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". The idea comes from the spiritualist idea that once one dies the soul goes in a journey to the afterlife.The single reached number 3 on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart.Rolling Stone magazine named "People Get Ready" the 24th greatest song of all time and also placed it at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The song was included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, and selected as one of the ten best songs of all time by a panel of 20 songwriters, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, for Britain's Mojo music magazine in 2000.
BRENDA HOLLOWAY π Every Little Bit Hurts {Stereo} 1964 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-04 | 1964......#13 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #18 U.S. Cash Box Top 100Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Every Little Bit Hurts" was originally a 1964 hit single for Motown soul singer Brenda Holloway, written by Ed Cobb. Though she was against recording the song again (she recorded it a couple of years before signing with Motown), she reluctantly recorded the song and the label released it in the summer of the year. "Every Little Bit Hurts" was a big hit peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became one of Holloway's trademark singles.
CHAD AND JEREMY π Before And After {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-04 | 1965......#17 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #15 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #31 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Before and After" is a 1965 hit single by Chad & Jeremy. It was the duo's label debut on Columbia Records, released after Columbia acquired rights to all of the duo's post-January 1, 1965 recordings. The song was written by Van McCoy, then a staff writer for Columbia's publishing arm April Blackwood Music. Artie Wayne, professional manager of April Blackwood, placed "Before and After" with Chad & Jeremy, who recorded the song in March 1965 in the sessions for their album also entitled Before and After; Lor Crane produced these sessions at Columbia's New York City studios.The song borrows the concept of "before and after" images popular in advertising campaigns for weight loss products: the song's narrator compares his image with that of the current beau of his ex-girlfriend: "He wears a smile, I wear a frown...See the difference between the old and new/ Before and after losing you.""Before and After" rose to a Billboard Hot 100 peak of No. 17 in June 1965. Its chart impact was muted by the concurrent release of other Chad & Jeremy singles by the duo's previous label World Artists (specifically "What Do You Want With Me" and "From a Window"). "Before and After" was Chad & Jeremy's fourth β and final β Top 20 hit. On Canada's CHUM Charts the song reached No. 31.An earlier recording of the song had been made by the Fleetwoods for their January 1965 album Before and After; the title track was stylized as "Before and After (Losing You)" and released as an unsuccessful single release that February. "Before and After" has also been recorded by the American Breed, Lesley Gore, and by writer Van McCoy himself on his 1978 album My Favorite Fantasy.
MR. TAMBOURINE MAN π The Byrds {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-03 | 1965....#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK, #2 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Mr. Tambourine Man" was the debut single by the American band the Byrds, and was released on April 12, 1965 by Columbia Records. The song was also the title track of the band's debut album Mr. Tambourine Man, which was released on June 21, 1965. The Byrds' version is abridged and in a different key from Dylan's original.The single's success initiated the folk rock boom of 1965 and 1966, with a number of American and British acts imitating the band's hybrid of a rock beat, jangly guitar playing, and poetic or socially conscious lyrics. The single was the "first folk rock smash hit", and gave rise to the term "folk rock" in the U.S music press to describe the band's sound.
THE BEATLES π Across The Universe Promo {Stereo} Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-03 | Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to LennonβMcCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World and later, in a different form, on their 1970 album Let It Be, the group's final released studio album. The original version featured on two different albums both titled Rarities: a 1978 British release and a 1980 US release. It was also included on their 1988 album Past Masters, Volume Two. The song has been covered by many artists, including David Bowie on his 1975 album Young Americans, which featured contributions from Lennon.One night in 1967, the phrase "words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup" came to Lennon after listening to the voice of his then-wife Cynthia:I was lying next to my first wife in bed, you know, and I was irritated, and I was thinking. She must have been going on and on about something and she'd gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into a sort of cosmic song rather than an irritated song, rather than a "Why are you always mouthing off at me?" [The words] were purely inspirational and were given to me as boom! I don't own it you know; it came through like that.The flavour of the song was heavily influenced by Lennon's and the Beatles' interest in Transcendental Meditation in late 1967 β early 1968, when the song was composed. On this basis, he added the mantra "Jai guru deva om" (Sanskrit: ΰ€ΰ€― ΰ€ΰ₯ΰ€°ΰ₯ΰ€¦ΰ₯ΰ€΅ ΰ₯) to the piece, which became the link to the chorus. The Sanskrit phrase is a tribute to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's spiritual teacher, "All glory to Guru Dev".The song's lyrical structure is straightforward: three repetitions of a unit consisting of a verse, the line "Jai guru deva om" and the line "Nothing's gonna change my world" sung four times. The lyrics are highly image-based, with abstract concepts reified with phrases like thoughts "meandering", words "slithering", and undying love "shining". The title phrase "across the universe" appears at intervals to finish lines, although it never cadences, always appearing as a rising figure, melodically unresolved. It finishes on the leading note; to the Western musical ear, the next musical note would be the tonic and would therefore sound complete.In his 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon referred to the song as perhaps the best, most poetic lyric he ever wrote: "It's one of the best lyrics I've written. In fact, it could be the best. It's good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin' it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don't have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them."During the February 1968 recording sessions, Spike Milligan dropped into the studio and, on hearing the song, suggested the track would be ideal for release on a charity album he was organising for the World Wildlife Fund. At some point in 1968, the Beatles agreed to this proposal. In January 1969, the best mono mix was remixed for the charity album. In keeping with the "wildlife" theme of the album, sound effects of birds were added to the beginning and end. The original (mono) mix from February 1968 is 3:37 in length. After the effects were added, the track was sped up so that even with 20 seconds of effects, it is only 3:49. Speeding up the recording also raised the key to E-flat. By October 1969, it was decided that the song needed to be remixed into stereo. This was done by Geoff Emerick immediately prior to the banding of the album. "Across the Universe" was first released in this version on the Regal Starline SRS 5013 album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969.This version was issued, in its stereo form, on four Beatles compilation albums: the British version of Rarities, the different American version of Rarities, The Beatles Ballads, and the second disc of the two-CD Past Masters album, released in 1988. The January 1969 mono mix, which had been considered for an aborted Yellow Submarine EP, was finally released on Mono Masters, part of The Beatles in Mono box set, in 2009.On 4 February 2008, at 00:00 UTC, NASA transmitted the Interstellar Message "Across the Universe" in the direction of the star Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. The transmission was made using a 70-metre antenna in the Deep Space Network's Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, located outside of Madrid, Spain. It was done with an "X band" transmitter, radiating into the antenna at 18 kW. This was done to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the song's recording, the 45th anniversary of the Deep Space Network (DSN), and the 50th anniversary of NASA. The idea was hatched by Beatles historian Martin Lewis, who encouraged all Beatles fans to play the track as it was beamed to the distant star.
THE BEATLES π Day Tripper {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-02 | 1967......#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #2 AustraliaThis is not the official video which is owned by Apple Records.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Day Tripper" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out" in December 1965. The song was written primarily by John Lennon with some contributions from Paul McCartney and was credited to the LennonβMcCartney partnership. Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the band's Rubber Soul album. The single topped charts in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. In the United States, "Day Tripper" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and "We Can Work It Out" held the top position."Day Tripper" is a rock song based around an electric guitar riff and drawing on the influence of American soul music. The Beatles included it in their concert set-list until their retirement from live performances in late August 1966. The band's use of promotional films to market the single anticipated the modern music video.In the UK, "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work It Out" was the seventh highest selling single of the 1960s. As of December 2018, it was the 54th best-selling single of all time in the UK β one of six Beatles singles included in the top sales rankings published by the Official Charts Company.
THE DAVE CLARK FIVE π Bits And Pieces Rare {Stereo} 1964 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-01 | 1964.....#4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #4 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #2 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #4 Australia, #20 GermanyOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Bits and Pieces" is a song by British beat group The Dave Clark Five. The single hit number two in the UK and number four in the US, as well as being a success in other countries. It was number two in Australia, number one in Canada and Ireland, and number four in the Netherlands. In Germany, it reached number 20.Lead vocals are sung by Mike Smith, who also co-wrote the song. "Bits and Pieces" is one of several Dave Clark Five songs written by Ron Ryan, rather than by Clark.The song is in antiphonal style, with Mike Smith singing a solo line and the whole group responding. The drums have a very prominent part in the accompaniment. Additionally, some of the song's unique percussion was supplied by an exercise board, which two of the band members (reportedly quite intoxicated) stamped on, not always perfectly in time to the music.Robert Christgau, writing in 1969, called the song "a wonderfully serviceable rock throwaway, raucous and meaningless, perfect for shouting into the night." Cash Box described it as "a hard-hitting rocker that the boys pound out in a steady, heavy beat style."The song's distinct stomp-like pattern has been sampled by numerous musicians.The Dave Clark Five performed "Bits and Pieces" in an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
BILLY JOE ROYAL π Down In The Boondocks Rare {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-10-01 | 1965......#9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #6 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 Canada, #10AustraliaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Down in the Boondocks" is a song written by Joe South, and first recorded by American artist Billy Joe Royal as his debut single. It was a hit in 1965, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, it hit No. 38 on the Record Retailer chart. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM chart, on August 9, 1965. The song is the title track of Royal's second album, Down in the Boondocks.In the summer of 1965, "Down in the Boondocks" launched the top 40 career of Billy Joe Royal, who had recorded the song a year earlier. The song's writer, Joe South, was a longtime friend and professional associate of Royal: South had played guitar for Royal since the singer had begun performing in local venues at age 14, and from 1961 South had produced Royal's recordings of demos and low-budget singles. Some claim Royal's recording of "Down in the Boondocks" was intended to serve as a demo to pitch the song to Gene Pitney, the song being evocative of Pitney's trademark hit sound with an especial resemblance to Pitney's 1963 hit "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa". Bill Lowery, South's music publisher and Royal's manager, was so impressed with Royal's own recording of "Down in the Boondocks" as to pursue a major label release for it. Royal himself would deny any intent to pitch the song to Pitney - (Billy Joe Royal quote:)"We would've never [been able to get] a song to him...Our plan was [for Royal] to try to sing like Gene Pitney...We were so young, we thought: 'Well they'll think it's Gene Pitney, and by the time they know it's [not, it'll already be] a hit'"."Down in the Boondocks" was recorded in a four hour session at the Gearhart Building, the converted schoolhouse in Buckhead which housed Bill Lowery's business headquarters, the school's auditorium serving as a recording studio: (Billy Joe Royal quote:)"We cut it on a three-track machine - the most primitive thing in the world. How it sounded like a record I don't know": "We put a microphone down a septic tank and ran that through the recording for the echo." Session musicians included Reggie Young on electric guitar, Bill Hullett on acoustic guitar, Sam Levine on horns, Clayton Ivey on piano, Bob Wray on six string bass, Greg Morrow on drums, and Freddy Weller on rhythm guitar/background vocals. The session also yielded the original torch song "I Knew You When", plus, to serve as potential B-sides, covers of the hits "Oh, What a Night" (the Dells) and "Steal Away" (Jimmy Hughes).Royal considered "I Knew You When" - reminiscent of the Righteous Brothers' recent smash hits - as more likely than "Down in the Boondocks" to be picked up by a major label ("I Knew You When" would in fact be optioned by Vee Jay Records to be recorded by Wade Flemons with an August 1964 single release). However Bill Lowery saw the hit potential of "Down in the Boondocks", personally visiting Los Angeles to pitch the track to major labels: after Warner Bros. and Capitol Records passed, Columbia Records released "Down in the Boondocks" - backed by "Oh, What a Night" - in the spring of 1965."Down in the Boondocks" "broke out" at WCPO in Cincinnati, where Royal had been living for two years when South had phoned Royal inviting him back to Atlanta to record "Down in the Boondocks": (Billy Joe Royal quote:)"It became number one overnight in Cincinnati, because Iβd been doing sock hops with local disc jockeys. Then it became a hit in Savannah - where Royal had spent two years headlining the iconic local club the Bamboo Ranch - "then, it went crazy everywhere else." "Down in the Boondocks" rose to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 28 August 1965. Reaching number one on the Canadian hit parade published by RPM magazine, "Down in the Boondocks" also reached number 10 on the singles chart for Australia. Despite Royal making a three-day promotional visit to London in September 1965, "Down in the Boondocks" failed to become a major UK Singles Chart hit, stalling at number 38.
THE FOUNDATIONS π Baby Now That Ive Found You {Stereo} 1967 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-30 | 1967-68......#11 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #8 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK Singles Chart, #1 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Baby, Now That I've Found You" is a song written by Tony Macaulay and John Macleod, and performed by the Foundations. Part of the song was written in the same bar of a Soho tavern where Karl Marx is supposed to have written Das Kapital. The lyrics are a plea that an unnamed subject not break up with the singer.After receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1, it met with great success. Having moved up from the previous week's no. 2 spot, "Baby, Now That I've Found You" replaced The Bee Gees' single, "Massachusetts" in the no. 1 spot of the Melody Maker Pop 30 chart. The Foundations now had their picture on the front page of the November 11 issue of Melody Maker. It was still at no. 1 the following week, confirming the two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart status. It was also noted in the Melody Maker magazine that week that Ron Fairway was no longer director of Class Management. This left Barry Class in sole charge of things.The 25 November 1967 issue of Disc and Music Echo wrote that the Foundations had qualified for the Silver Disc award for British sales of the disc reaching 250,000.The record would become a number 11 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The song also reached number 1 on the Canadian RPM magazine charts on 10 February 1968.The B side "Come On Back to Me" made the Record World, One Stop Top Ten chart in the Consolidated One Stop Detroit, Michigan section. It was no. 5 on the week of February 10, 1968.The 10 February 1968 issue of Billboard ran a picture of three of the band members and Louis Benjamin, head of Pye Records presenting a gold record to them. This was to mark the million sales of their debut single. Also in the picture was the group's manager Barry Class.
PEPPERMINT RAINBOW π Dont Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael {Stereo} 1969 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-29 | 1969......#32 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #21 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #19 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.The Peppermint Rainbow was an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland, known for their song "Will You Be Staying After Sunday".The group formed in 1967 under the name "New York Times" playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states. It was signed to Decca Records in 1968 at the behest of talent agent Alan White at Action Talents in NYC, who brought it to New York and showcased it for producer Paul Leka who saw the group play and sing both a medley of the Mamas and the Papas and the 5th Dimension tunes. The group changed its name to "The Peppermint Rainbow" following its signing by Leka.Under Decca the group was produced by Paul Leka; its first single "Walking in Different Circles" b/w "Pink Lemonade" did not chart. The second single, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", reached No. 4 on KHJ on April 2, 1969. Nationally, it spent 14 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 32 on May 3, 1969, selling over one million copies and receiving a gold disc. The song also reached No. 21 on the Cash Box Top 100, and in Canada it peaked at No. 19.The group made an appearance on the 2 May 1969 episode of The Generation Gap television quiz show from which the promotional clip of the song originates. As with many television performances of the period, the song is mimed to the studio recording. The group's third release, "Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael", spent nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached No. 54 on July 26, 1969, while reaching No. 21 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. The LP, Will You Be Staying After Sunday peaked at No. 106 on the Billboard album chart.After recording three more post-album singles which also did not chart, including "Walking in Different Circles" (which had some minor airplay in the UK), and "You're the Sound of Love", the band split up in 1970, after which the chorus of the latter tune would come to be re-arranged and re-recorded in the early 1970s as "We're the Sound of Love" and used as an ID jingle for a number of radio stations featuring love songs prominently on their playlist.
GENE McDANIELS π A Hundred Pounds Of Clay {Stereo} 1961 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-29 | 1961......#3 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #3 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #3 New ZealandOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 β July 29, 2011) was an American singer, producer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" and number five with "Tower of Strength", both hits in 1961. He had continued success as a songwriter with "Compared to What"."A Hundred Pounds of Clay" is a song written by Kay Rogers, Luther Dixon, and Bob Elgin and performed by Gene McDaniels. The song was produced by Snuff Garrett. Earl Palmer played drums on the song. The song appeared on McDaniels' 1961 album 100 Lbs. Of Clay!The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart and No. 11 on the R&B chart in 1961. The song peaked at No.3 in New Zealand.
JOHNNY NASH π Hold Me Tight {Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-26 | 1968......#5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #7 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #5 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #4 AustraliaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Hold Me Tight" is a song written and performed by Johnny Nash. It was featured on his 1968 album Hold Me Tight, was arranged by Arthur Jenkins and produced by Jenkins and Nash.The single's B-side, "Cupid", reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart, #38 on the adult contemporary chart, and #39 on the U.S. pop chart in 1969."Hold Me Tight" reached #1 on the Canadian chart. In the US, it went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Cash Box Top 100 as well as #20 on the adult contemporary chart. It peaked at #21 on the U.S. R&B chart and #5 in the UK Singles Chart, all in 1968. The song ranked #37 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1968 and #47 in Canada.
THE SHANGRI-LAS π Out In The Streets Full Version {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-26 | 1965......#53 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #73 U. S. Cash Box Top 100, #6 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Out in the Streets" is a song written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. It was first recorded by the American girl group the Shangri-Las in 1965 and released as their fifth single. The song was produced by Shadow Morton, arranged by Artie Butler and released on Red Bird Records (RB 10-025) with the Morton composition "The Boy" on the B-Side. It reached number 53 on the US Billboard Top 100.The Shangri-Las performed "Out in the Streets" on the TV show Shindig! in 1965. Later that year, the song was added to their second album, Shangri-Las-65!The song was covered by Blondie in 1975; but this cover was not released until 1994, when it was included on The Platinum Collection. Blondie subsequently covered it again in 1999 for their album No Exit.The song was used in artist Elizabeth Price's 2012 Turner Prize winning video installation The Woolworths Choir of 1979.The song is sampled in Sharleen Spiteri's song All the Times I Cried.
THE ROYAL GUARDSMEN π Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron {DES Stereo} 1966 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-26 | 1966-67......#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #6 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #1 AustraliaA Hotpot DES Stereo / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" is a novelty song written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based pop group The Royal Guardsmen. The song was recorded at the Charles Fuller Productions studio in Tampa, Florida, and was released as a single on Laurie Records. Debuting at #122 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 on December 10, 1966, the single skyrocketed to #30 on December 17, 1966, shot up again to #7 on December 24, 1966, and peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 during the week of December 31, 1966 (behind the Monkees' "I'm a Believer"); made #6 on the Record Retailer (UK) chart in February 1967; was #1 in Australia for 5 weeks from February 1967; and #1 for 3 weeks in Canada. On the Hot 100, "Believer" at #1 kept "Snoopy" at #2 from reaching the Hot 100 summit from December 31, 1966, through January 21, 1967, after which "Snoopy" fell off while "Believer" stayed at the top for another 3 weeks. The song sold close to three million copies.
THE BROTHERS FOUR π Greenfields {Stereo} 1960 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-26 | 1960......#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.Greenfields" is a song written by Frank Miller, Richard Dehr, and Terry Gilkyson (The Easy Riders) and performed by the Brothers Four. In 1960, the track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 in Canada, and No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart.It was featured on their 1960 album, The Brothers Four.The Brothers Four version ranked No. 13 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 songs of 1960. It was also nominated for Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group and Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.
THE LEMON PIPERS π Green Tambourine {Stereo} 1967 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-25 | 1967-68......#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #7 UK Singles Chart, #3 Canada, #3 Australia, #3 New Zealand, #10 GermanyOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Green Tambourine" is a song written and composed by Paul Leka (who also produced it) and Shelley Pinz. It was the biggest hit by the 1960s Ohio-based rock group the Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track of their debut album, Green Tambourine. The song was one of the first psychedelic pop chart-toppers and became a gold record.Released toward the end of 1967, it spent 13 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 1 on February 3, 1968, and sold over a million copies. The record remained on the chart for three months. It was also the first U.S. No. 1 hit for the Buddah label. The Lemon Pipers never repeated this success, though their "Rice Is Nice" and "Jelly Jungle", both also written by Leka and Pinz, made the charts in 1968.The song's lyricist, Rochelle "Shelley" Pinz (1943β2004) was a writer at the Brill Building, working with Leka. She said:In early Spring, 1966, while standing in front of the Brill Building I watched a man holding a tambourine begging for money. I wrote a poem about him and called the poem 'Green Tambourine.' I added it to my lyric collection ... Sometimes I wonder what happened to the man in front of the Brill Building, holding a tambourine begging for money. I remember writing the lyric, 'watch the jingle jangle start to shine, reflections of the music that is mine. When you toss a coin you'll hear it sing. Now listen while I play my Green Tambourine' as if it were yesterday..; in the 60s, on the streets between Seventh Avenue and Broadway there was a magic one could only imagine.The song tells the story of a street musician pleading for someone to give him money. In exchange he offers to play his green tambourine. The song's instrumentation contains the titular tambourine as well as an electric sitar, a frequent signature of the so-called "psychedelic sound". Another hook is the heavy, psychedelic tape echo applied to the word "play" in each chorus and at the end, fading into a drumroll ("Listen while I play play play play play play play my green tambourine"). The echo is noticeably different in the mono and stereo mixes. The mono version also starts fading out slightly earlier than in the stereo version.The musical arrangement also features sweeping orchestrated strings and the distinctive vibraslap percussion instrument. While the Lemon Pipers played on the record, producer and joint author-composer Leka hired a string section to accompany the band, to add extra depth to the already psychedelic arrangement.The single's B-side, "No Help from Me," featured lead vocal by keyboardist Bob Nave and did not appear on either of the group's two albums.
BRENDA LEE π Im Learning About Love Live {DES Stereo} 1960 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-24 | 1960-61.....#33 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #32 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #20 AustraliaA Hotpot DES Stereo / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"I'm Learning About Love" is a 1961 song by Brenda Lee. Written by Innis and Grady Martin, it was originally released and appeared as the B-side of Lee's single "Emotions" in December 1960.Both songs were featured on her 1961 album, also titled Emotions. While "Emotions" was the A-side and became a bigger hit, "I'm Learning About Love" also had success on the charts, peaking at #33 on the US Billboard chart.
THE SEEDS π Mr. Farmer {DES Stereo} 1967 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-24 | 1967......#86 U.S. Billboard Hot 100Edited mono single version with cold ending.A Hotpot DES Stereo / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"Mr. Farmer" is a song by American garage rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Marcus Tybalt. It was released as a single in 1967 and peaked at number 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was banned on many radio stations during the time of its release because of its drug references.Written by Sky Saxon, "Mr. Farmer" depicts the tale of a man who becomes dissatisfied with city life and moves to the country, buys five acres, and spends time watering crops. Though Saxon attempted to disguise the lyrics to make the song's message appear anti-drug, the song was widely interpreted as a tribute to marijuana growers and was banned on many radio stations.Keyboardist Daryl Hooper later recalled discussing the song's bassline with Harvey Sharp, who had often played bass with the band in studio. Because the Seeds did not employ a bassist during live performances, Hooper used the left-hand bass on a Wurlitzer during small club performances, and later used a Fender Rhodes bass for larger shows."Mr. Farmer" was released as a single in February 1967 and peaked at number 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the "Monkees on Tour" episode of The Monkees, a promotional copy of the single is shown being played by Phoenix radio station KRIZ when the band visits. Music historian Domenic Priore compared the song's piano sound to that of early Pink Floyd records. Author Harvey Kubernik called the song a "punk-pop classic", and writer Malcolm Russell described it as a "tight groover"."Mr. Farmer" appears on the 1987 compilation More Nuggets: Classics from the Psychedelic Sixties Volume 2 and is featured on the 2000 soundtrack to the film Almost Famous. Sky Saxon revisited the song on his 2008 solo album The King of Garage Rock. Psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock recorded a cover version of the song on their 2012 album Wake Up Where You Are.
BRENTON WOOD π Gimme Little Sign {Stereo} 1967 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-24 | Rest In Peace, Brenton Wood.1967......#9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #7 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #8 UK Singles Chart, #17 Canada, #4 AustraliaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Gimme Little Sign" is a song by the American R&B musician Brenton Wood. Released as a single in 1967, it was written by Wood (under his real name, Alfred Smith), Joe Hooven and Jerry Winn. The charted versions were by Wood, Peter Andre, the Sattalites, and Danielle Brisebois.The song was released in 1967 on the album Oogum Boogum. Wood's version peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the weeks of October 14 and 21, 1967, and also was top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, Australia and Italy (April 1968). Mighty Mo Rodgers played the electronic organ on the recording.
THE YARDBIRDS π For Your Love {DES Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-22 | 1965......#6 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #6 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 UK Singles Chart, #1 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound. This DES stereo video has been modified to support the hard work of its creators. Without sales of the CD on which this first-time DES song appears there can be no more new stereo like this based on mono originals. Please visit ericrecords.com to order and express your support! To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in favour of a commercial pop rock sound. Guitarist Eric Clapton disapproved of the change and it influenced him to leave the group.The Yardbirds recorded "For Your Love" at the IBC Studios in London on 1 February 1965. The majority of the song was recorded with singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty backed by session musician Ron Prentice on bowed bass, Denny Piercy on bongos, and Brian Auger on harpsichord. Guitarists Eric Clapton and Chris Dreja perform only during the song's middle break section. Bassist Paul Samwell-Smith assumed the production duties and is listed as musical director on the 45. At the conclusion of the session, Auger wondered, "Who, in their right mind, is going to buy a pop single with harpsichord on it?"Shortly after its release by Columbia on 5 March 1965, it became a hit in the UK. When it was released a month later by Epic Records in the US, it became the group's first charting single. By then, Clapton had already left the group for various reasons, including their more commercial aspirations.
THE BANDWAGON π Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music {Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-22 | 1968......A single that was a hit in several US states but failed to chart nationally.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music" is a song by Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon, released in 1968 on Epic Records. While it was a regional hit in the US, the song, written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, did not become a national chart success, though its B-side, "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache," fared better in the UK. The song's writers and producers, Linzer and Randell, also worked with the group on their earlier single."Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" fared marginally better, peaking at number 115 on the Billboard chart and number 100 on the Cash Box chart. It was released in June 1968 with the B-side "Dancin' Master", with both sides written and produced by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, and arranged by Charles Calello. It was released in the UK over a month later, but did not enter the Singles Chart until the third week of October, reaching its peak five weeks later and spending a total of fifteen weeks on the chart. "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" has been re-released several times in the UK, notably peaking at number 56 in September 1974.
THE BEATLES π Taxman {Stereo} 1966 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-20 | 1966......From the album, "Revolver".Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Taxman" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album Revolver. Written by the group's lead guitarist, George Harrison, with some lyrical assistance from John Lennon, it protests against the higher level of progressive tax imposed in the United Kingdom by the Labour government of Harold Wilson, which saw the Beatles paying over 90 per cent of their earnings to the Treasury. The song was selected as the album's opening track and contributed to Harrison's emergence as a songwriter beside the dominant LennonβMcCartney partnership. It was the group's first topical song and the first political statement they had made in their music.The Beatles began recording "Taxman" in April 1966, a month after Wilson's landslide win in the 1966 general election. Coinciding with the song's creation, Harrison learned that the band members' tax obligations were likely to lead to their bankruptcy, and he was outspoken in his opposition to the government using their income to help fund the manufacture of military weapons. Drawing on 1960s soul/R&B musical influences, the song portrays the taxman as relentless in his pursuit of revenue and name-checks Wilson and Edward Heath, the leader of the Conservative Party. The recording includes an Indian-influenced guitar solo performed by Paul McCartney."Taxman" was influential in the development of British psychedelia and mod-style pop, and has been recognised as a precursor to punk rock. The Jam borrowed heavily from the song for their 1980 hit single "Start!" When performing "Taxman" on tour in the early 1990s, Harrison adapted the lyrics to reference contemporaneous leaders, citing its enduring quality beyond the 1960s. The song's impact has extended to the tax industry and into political discourse on taxation.George Harrison wrote "Taxman" at a time when the Beatles discovered they were in a financially precarious position. In April 1966, a report from the London accountancy firm Bryce, Hammer, Isherwood & Co. advised them that despite the group's immense success, "Two of you are close to being bankrupt, and the other two could soon be." In his 1980 autobiography, I, Me, Mine, Harrison says: "'Taxman' was when I first realised that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes; it was and still is typical." As their earnings placed them in the top tax bracket in the United Kingdom, the Beatles were liable to a 95 per cent supertax introduced by Harold Wilson's Labour government; hence the lyric "There's one for you, nineteen for me".John Lennon helped Harrison complete the song's lyrics. Lennon recalled in 1980: "I threw in a few one-liners to help the song along, because that's what he asked for. He came to me because he couldn't go to Paul [McCartney], because Paul wouldn't have helped him at that period." Lennon said he was reluctant to agree to Harrison's request, since it was "enough to do my own and Paul's [songs]", but he did so "because I loved him and didn't want to hurt his feelings".Aside from the financial imposition, "Taxman" was informed by Harrison's consternation that the vast sums the Beatles paid in tax were being used to fund the manufacture of military weapons. Harrison voiced this concern in his "How a Beatle Lives" interview with Maureen Cleave of the Evening Standard, in late February, in addition to railing against all forms of authority and speaking out against the Vietnam War. He likened Wilson to the Robin Hood character the Sheriff of Nottingham.The song includes references to "Mr Wilson" and "Mr Heath", the latter being Ted Heath, the leader of the Conservative Party. In June 1965, during his first term as prime minister, Wilson had nominated the four Beatles as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs). An unprecedented award for pop musicians, the MBEs recognised the group's sizeable contribution to the national economy, as their international breakthrough in 1964 created an export market for British pop for the first time. The band's international success also benefited the country's tourism and fashion industries, and entertainment generally; the surge in exports revenue extended to film and other commercial artistic pursuits, and by early 1966, recognition of London as the "Swinging City" of international culture. According to author Ian MacDonald in his discussion of "Taxman", the substantial tax the Beatles paid to Britain's Treasury was the "price" they paid for their MBEs.EMI's Parlophone label released Revolver on 5 August 1966, with "Taxman" sequenced as the opening track, before "Eleanor Rigby".
THE LEWIS & CLARKE EXPEDITION π Chain Around The Flowers {Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-20 | 1968......"B" side of"Why Need They Pretend?"Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Chain Around The Flowers" is a song by the American rock band The Lewis & Clarke Expedition. It was released as a single in 1968 and is featured on their 1967 album Earth, Air, Fire & Water. The track is available to stream on platforms like Spotify and is on their first self-titled album.The band was fronted by Travis Lewis, whose real name was Michael Martin Murphey. The group was active in the late 1960s and released music under the Colgems label. The song was released as the B-side to their single "Why Need They Pretend?" in 1968. Lewis & Clarke Expedition evolved out of several folk bands operating around Los Angeles during the mid-'60s. Formed by Dallas songwriter Michael Martin Murphey (under the guise of Travis Lewis) with Owen Castleman (performing as Boomer Clarke), the band recorded one LP in late 1967 for the Colgems label then making pots of money off sales of the first two Monkees albums. Not quite a coincidence then, that Lewis, Clarke, and bassist John London were all old friends of country-minded Monkee Michael Nesmith (London even worked as Nesmith's stand-in on the television show).Well before Nesmith was hired to the Monkees, though, London performed with him in San Antonio as a folk duo, and after moving to California, all four native Texans appeared in a large folk group called the Survivors. Nesmith dropped out because of a commitment to the Air Force, and the remaining trio added guitarist Ken Bloom and drummer John Raines, coming together in 1966 as the Lewis & Clarke Expedition. Since Lewis and Clarke both worked at Monkees corporate Screen Gems as writers, a recording contract with Colgems was a natural. The band was hyped not only to young girls as another version of the Monkees, but also to older rock fans as a cutting-edge country-rock band that played up their association with Native American elements. Colgems released The Lewis & Clarke Expedition in November 1967, and the single "I Feel Good (I Feel Bad)" was a local hit, though nothing from the band ever charted and they were soon dropped. Michael Martin Murphey, soon to leave Los Angeles to concentrate on his songwriting at a home in the San Gabriel Mountains, wrote a song ("What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?") recorded by Nesmith for the 1968 Monkees LP Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. Owen Castleman played on an album with Earl Scruggs, and later played on several of Murphey's solo LPs, while London played with Michael Nesmith's First National Band, Bloom performed on several folk records, and Raines went on to play with the Dillards.
MARIANNE FAITHFULL π As Tears Go By {DES Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-19 | 1965.....#9 UK Singles Chart, #22 U.S. Billboard Hot 100Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / DES Stereo courtesy of Eric Records. For the highest quality available purchase the CD here: ericrecords.com/htf_stereo.htmlTo find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"As Tears Go By" is a song written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Marianne Faithfull recorded and released it as a single in the United Kingdom in 1964. Her song peaked at number nine on both the UK and Irish singles charts. Later, the Rolling Stones recorded their own version, which was included on the American album December's Children (And Everybody's). London Records released it as a single, which reached number six in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS π Chitty Chitty Bang Bang {Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-19 | 1968......From the LP, "Big Hits from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the film of the same name.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a song performed by The New Christy Minstrels. From that year's film of the same name, it was released on their album Big Hits from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968.The New Christy Minstrels are an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. The group has recorded more than 20 albums and scored several hits, including "Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Today", "Denver" and "This Land Is Your Land". The group's 1962 debut album, Presenting the New Christy Minstrels, won a Grammy Award and remained on the Billboard 200 albums chart for two years.The group sold millions of records, was in demand at concerts and on television shows and helped launch the musical careers of several musicians, including Kenny Rogers, Gene Clark, Kim Carnes, Larry Ramos and Barry McGuire.
DEL SHANNON π Little Town Flirt {Stereo} 1962 Hit Recording Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-18 | 1962-63......#12 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #11 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #4 UK Singles Chart, #9 Canada, #1 Australia, #7 New ZealandOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Little Town Flirt" is a song by Del Shannon, which was released as a single in 1962 from the album Little Town Flirt in 1963.It spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 12, while reaching No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart, No. 1 in Australia, No. 4 on the UK's Record Retailer chart, No. 7 on New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade", and No. 9 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade.The song was ranked No. 88 on Billboard's end of year ranking "Top Records of 1963".
THE TURTLES π The Story Of Rock & Roll Live {DES Stereo} RIP Mark Volman Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-17 | From Kraft Music Hall, 1968.A Hotpot DES Stereo / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info
The Bells Of Rhymney π The Byrds {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-17 | 1965......From the album "Mr. Tambourine Man". Recorded April 14, 1965 and released June 21, 1965.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."The Bells of Rhymney" is a song by the folk singer Pete Seeger, which consists of Seeger's own music accompanying words written by the Welsh poet Idris Davies. Seeger first released a recording of the song on a live album in 1958, but it is the American folk rock band the Byrds' 1965 recording that is the best known version of the song.Arguably the most famous rendition of the song is the version recorded by the American folk rock band the Byrds. The Byrds' recording of "The Bells of Rhymney" was committed to tape on April 14, 1965, and released as part of the band's debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man.At the time of recording, the song was a relative newcomer to the Byrds' repertoire, having first been performed during the band's March 1965, pre-fame residency at Ciro's nightclub on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Lead guitarist Roger McGuinn (at that time known as Jim McGuinn) had brought the song to the band after becoming familiar with it as an arranger on Judy Collins' third album, Judy Collins 3, which itself included a cover version of "The Bells of Rhymney". Although the Byrds were anxious to correctly pronounce the Welsh place-names in the song's lyrics on their recording, they, like Seeger, actually mispronounced the name Rhymney as "Rimney" (it should be pronounced as "Rumney").Author Chris Smith has made mention of the presence of a number of the Byrds' early musical trademarks in their recording of "The Bells of Rhymney", including their complex harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar playing. In his book Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever, author Scott Schinder has noted that the band's rendition of the song "managed to craft the dour subject matter into a radio-friendly pop song without sacrificing the song's haunting message."The Byrds' recording of "The Bells of Rhymney" was also influential on the Beatles, particularly George Harrison, who constructed his song "If I Needed Someone" around the same guitar riff that the Byrds had used in the song.
THE TAMS π What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) {DES Stereo} 1963 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-17 | 1964......#9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #9 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #13 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound. This DES stereo video has been abridged to support the hard work of its creators. Without sales of the CD on which this first-time DES song appears there can be no more new stereo like this based on mono originals. Please visit ericrecords.com to order and express your support! To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" is a 1964 single written by Ray Whitley and recorded by the Tams.This track was one of the many hit records recorded at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Musicians on this track included Norbert Putnam on bass, Jerry Carrigan on drums, David Briggs on piano, Terry Thompson and Earl "Peanut" Montgomery on guitar, and Jill Shires on flute.The single was the group's most successful release on both the United States R&B and pop charts. "What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)" went to number one on the Cash Box R&B chart and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.
TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART π Alice Long {DES Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-16 | Rest In Peace, Bobby Hart.1968......#27 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #25 U.S. Cash Box Top 100Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.infoAlice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)" is a 1968 single by the pop-rock songwriting and performing duo Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.Sidney Thomas "Tommy" Boyce (September 29, 1939 β November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman; February 18, 1939 β September 10, 2025) were an American duo of singer-songwriters. In addition to three top-40 hits as artists, the duo is well known for its songwriting for the Monkees.While working with The Monkees, Boyce and Hart embarked on a successful career as recording artists in their own right, releasing three albums on A&M Records: Test Patterns, I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight, and It's All Happening on the Inside (released in Canada as Which One's Boyce and Which One's Hart?). The duo also had five charting singles; the most well-known of these was "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight", which reached No. 8 in early 1968. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. "Out & About" (#39) and "Alice Long" (#27) were their other Top 40 hits.The duo also performed "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" on the television show Bewitched, in one of several TV series appearances that included guest spots on The Flying Nun and I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie the Hip Hippie" performing "Girl, I'm Out To Get You"). All of these shows were produced by Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. Each of the three sitcom guest appearances featured their music, including two unreleased covers they performed on The Flying Nun.Boyce and Hart had filmed video promos for their songs "Out and About" and "Alice Long".Boyce and Hart were involved in producing music for Columbia Pictures' motion pictures during the mid-late 1960s, including two Matt Helm movies (The Ambushers and Murderers' Row), Winter A-Go-Go and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows. They also provided the music score for a TV movie called Three's a Crowd starring Larry Hagman and Jessica Walter. Boyce and Hart did promos for the U.S. Army Reserve and Coca-Cola. This included the creation of two Coca-Cola commercial jingles, one being a powerful psychedelic song, "Wake Up Girl", while the other was their single "Smilin'" with totally different lyrics.In 1971 a sitcom named Getting Together appeared on ABC-TV, starring Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as two struggling songwriters, who were friends of The Partridge Family (and were introduced on their show in the last episode of the show's first season). The series was reportedly based loosely on Boyce and Hart's partnership. At this point, they decided to work on various solo projects. Hart co-wrote the 1974 Helen Reddy hit "Keep On Singing" with Danny Janssen.
THE SHANGRI-LAS Give Him A Great Big Kiss π {Stereo} 1964 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-15 | 1964-65......#18 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #15 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #9 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Give Him a Great Big Kiss" (sometimes titled "Great Big Kiss") is a song written by Shadow Morton and performed by the Shangri-Las. It was released as a single in December 1964, debuting at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late December, and peaking at number 18 for two weeks in late January and early February 1965. The song was the Shangri-Las' fifth single, their third to hit the charts, and later became the opening track on their 1965 debut album Leader of the Pack. It was produced by Shadow Morton and released by Red Bird Records.In a contemporary review, New Musical Express wrote: "This is a happy and tuneful disc with a great shake beat, and so much better than 'Leader of the Pack'."The song was ranked number 200 among the greatest singles ever made in Dave Marsh's book The Heart of Rock & Soul (1989). Marsh describes the song as "one of the greatest pieces of teen dialogue ever recorded, not to mention possessed of a great beat." He highlights the bit "when the music virtually ceases except for basic drumbeats and a riffing trumpet," and the ensuing girls' dialogue ("I hear he's bad." "He's good bad, but he's not evil").Pitchfork magazine named the song number 96 on its 2006 list of the best songs of the 1960s. In 2017, Billboard magazine's editorial staff ranked it number 51 on their list of the 100 greatest girl group songs of all time. In 2023, they listed the song number 481 on their 500 best pop songs of all time list.The Shangri-Las promoted "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" on several TV shows, including Hullabaloo, Shindig!, The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Where The Action Is and Shivaree.Musicology professor Jacqueline Warwick characterized the song's musical language as "upbeat and infectious" and added:The song begins with Mary Weiss's spoken "When I say I'm in love, you'd best believe I'm in love, L-U-V!" setting the tone for a sassy and delightful declaration of adolescent love on the part of a confident girl. Rhythmically energetic percussive forces soon come to the fore, with a horn section and piano providing syncopated R&B-styled riffs over a harmonic foundation that alternates jauntily between the home key and its relative minor. At various points in the song, the backing vocalists collude with the horns to provide a fanfare-like riff that descends low into their range on the syllables "da da da," a light-hearted and amusing effect contributing to a cheerful mood.The Shangri-Las: Mary Weiss β lead vocals Marge Ganser β backing vocals Mary Ann Ganser β backing vocals Betty Weiss β backing vocals
THE TURTLES π The Battle Of The Bands Live {DES Stereo} RIP Mark Volman Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-15 | From Kraft Music Hall, 1968.A Hotpot DES Stereo / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info
THE SEARCHERS Love Potion No. 9 π {Stereo} 1964 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-12 | 1964......#3 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #6 Canada, #4 New ZealandOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Love Potion No. 9" is a song written in 1959 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by the Clovers, who took it to No.23 on the US as well as R&B charts that year. It reached #20 in Canada.The Searchers recorded it in 1964 and reached No.3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No.2 on Cash Box during the winter of 1965.Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass did an instrumental version (side 2, track 1) on his 1965 album Whipped Cream and Other Delights.The Coasters released their take in December 1971 with "D. W. Washburn" on the B-side. It reached No.76 on the Billboard Pop chart and No.96 on the Cash Box chart.It's also track 1 on the studio album Two Days Away, released in 1977 by Elkie Brooks and produced by the song's writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
THE TURTLES You Baby π {Stereo} 1966 RIP Mark Volman Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-12 | 1966......#20 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #17 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #11 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."You Baby" is a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri and was originally recorded by the Vogues in 1965, though their version was not released until 1996.A cover version was released by the Turtles in 1966. The song spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 20, while reaching No. 15 on the Record World 100 Top Pops, No. 17 on the Cash Box Top 100, and No. 11 on Canada's "RPM Play Sheet". Billboard described the song as a "rocker with a surf in' sound in the vocal" and a "winner." Cash Box described it as an "easy-going, handclappinβ warm-hearted pledge of romantic devotion."
Girl Watcher π The OKaysions {DES Stereo} 1968 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-12 | 1968.....#5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #5 U.S. Cash Box Top 100Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"Girl Watcher" is a song written by Ronald B. Killette and Wayne Pittman and performed by The O'Kaysions. It was produced by North State Music. The single was first released in March 1968 on North State Records, but it did not become a hit until re-released in June 1968 on ABC Records."Girl Watcher" received gold record status for a million sales from the R.I.A.A. in December 1968.It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in 1968 and was featured on the group's 1968 album, Girl Watcher.The single ranked #45 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1968.
My Pledge Of Love π The Joe Jeffrey Group {DES Stereo} 1969 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-11 | 1969......#14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #13 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #6 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.infoFootage is from '67 American Bandstand."My Pledge of Love" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter Joe Stafford, Jr. of the American rhythm-and-blues band Joe Jeffrey Group. It was released in April 1969, as the group's first single, and was produced by Jerry Meyers and Alan Klein. It appeared on the group's only album My Pledge of Love, which was released in 1974.The 2-minute-43-second song is in the key of C major with a tempo of 75 beats per minute.The song, presumably sung to Stafford's significant other, is about how he "felt so fine" thinking about her one morning, how badly he needs and loves her, and how the song acts as his "pledge of love". In the bridge of the song, Stafford repeats the words "Baby I need your loving, got to have all your loving," which intentional or not, is an interpolation of the chorus from the Four Tops' 1964 hit "Baby I Need Your Loving". On the B-side is a song titled "Margie".Billboard called the record a "driving rhythm ballad by a potent group, given an exceptional vocal workout," while Record World wrote of it, "Teens will be feeling fine when they hear this pick-me-up rock. Joe and [the] gang are infectious," referencing the song's lyrics. Cashbox described it as "pretty kind-of-an-oldie, with an easygoing beat and fine vocal showing that gives the newcomer act a solid piece of hit material."The song was initially sent to radio stations in Vancouver, (CKLG) and Cleveland, Ohio, before it took off nationally in May and June, entering the Bubbling Under Hot 100 at number 26 for the week of May 31, 1969, and the Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 for the week ending June 7, 1969, going on to peak at number 14, and spending a total of 12 weeks on the chart. It also charted in several other countries, including Canada, Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. It was the group's highest charting hit, and only hit to reach the Hot 100, and as far as known, any of the five other charts, with the exception of their cover of White Plains' "My Baby Loves Lovin'". However, they did reach the Bubbling Under chart with a few future releases, following the success of "My Pledge of Love."
Hotcha Cha-Cha Brown π The Flares Rare (DES Stereo) 1960 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-11 | Original video edited and remastered with stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.infoMiller, Hollis, Davis, and Collins recorded only briefly as the Flairs, before changing their name to the Flares in 1959. Buck Ram had actually proposed a different name, the Peppers. After a two-year break, the Flares began to record again. By this time, however, both of the former Cadets had left, and the group was now Miller, Hollis, Eddie King, Robbie Robinson, and Beverly Harris. This lineup recorded for Felsted Records. Then the lineup returned to Miller, Hollis, Willie Davis, and Aaron Collins (possibly featuring Harris). They recorded as Bennie Bunn and the Cadets for Sherwood Records in 1960.At that time, Hollis left and was replaced by a former Flair, Randy Jones and Patience Valentine was added as a fifth member. Once again as the Flares, the group recorded for Jan-Lar Records. The group's lineup shifted rapidly at this point- later, Davis was out and Hollis was in. Then, Jones and Valentine were out, and Davis and Collin's sister Rose Collins were in. Rose was only in shortly, then she and Aaron's sister Betty Collins. Then, Davis was out again, replaced by the returning Vince Weaver for a short time, before Davis returned.As the Flares, their biggest hit was the 1961 release "Foot Stompin' Part 1", which hit #20 on the Black Singles chart and #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.In 1961, the group took Buck Ram's previous suggestion and recorded as the Peppers for Ensign Records. Then it was back to the Flares for Ram's Press Records. They alternated between the Peppers and the Flares through 1964. At that point, the group split.
The Turtles Golden Hits Radio Spot {Stereo} RIP Mark Volman Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-10 | 1967......Promotional radio spot for The Turtles Golden Hits album.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.The Turtles' Golden Hits was first released in October 1967 in the US by the White Whale record label. This initial release was a compilation album of songs from the band's recordings.Track listing: - Side 1-"You Baby" (P.F. Sloan, Steve Barri) β 2:19 (from You Baby)"So Goes Love" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) β 2:37 (new track)"She'd Rather Be with Me (Gary Bonner, Alan Gordon) β 2:17 (from Happy Together)"Is It Any Wonder" (Kaylan) β 2:28 (previously unreleased)"Let Me Be" (Sloan) β 2:20 (from It Ain't Me Babe)"Grim Reaper of Love" (Al Nichol, Chuck Portz) β 2:45 (non-LP single) -Side 2-"It Ain't Me Babe" (Bob Dylan) β 2:10 (from It Ain't Me Babe)"Can I Get To Know You Better" (Sloan, Barri) β 2:32 (non-LP single)"Happy Together" (Bonner, Gordon) β 2:50 (from Happy Together)"Outside Chance" (Glenn Crocker, Warren Zevon) β 2:02 (non-LP single)"You Know What I Mean" (Bonner, Gordon) β 2:38 (new track)
The End Of The World π Skeeter Davis {Stereo} 1963 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-10 | 1963......#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #18 UK Singles Chart, #2 Canada, #3 New ZealandOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."The End of the World" is a pop song written by composer Arthur Kent and lyricist Sylvia Dee, who often worked as a team. They wrote the song for American singer Skeeter Davis, and her recording of it was highly successful in the early 1960s, reaching the top five on four different charts, including No.β―2 on the main Billboard Hot 100. It spawned many cover versions."The End of the World" is a sad song about the aftermath of a romantic breakup. Dee, the lyricist, said she drew on her sorrow from her father's death to set the mood for the song.Davis recorded her version with sound engineer Bill Porter on June 8, 1962, at the RCA Studios in Nashville, produced by Chet Atkins, and featuring Floyd Cramer. Released by RCA Records in December 1962, "The End of the World" peaked in March 1963 at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (behind "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby & the Romantics), No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, No. 1 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, and No. 4 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart. It is the first, and, to date, only time that a song cracked the Top 10 (and Top 5) on all four Billboard charts. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 2 song of 1963.In the Davis version, after she sings the whole song through in the key of B-flat-major, the song modulates up by a half step to the key of B, where Davis speaks the first two lines of the final stanza, before singing the rest of the stanza, ending the song."The End of the World" was played at Atkins' funeral in an instrumental by Marty Stuart. The song was also played at Davis's own funeral at the Ryman Auditorium. Her version has been featured in several films, TV shows, and video games .
Let Me Be π The Turtles {Stereo} 1965 RIP Mark Volman Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-10 | 1965......#29 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #26 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #14 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Let Me Be" is a song by the American rock band the Turtles. It was released in 1965 as the band's second single, following their successful cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". In the United States, the single peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1965. It reached number 14 on Canada's RPM chart.The song was written by P.F. Sloan and produced by Bones Howe. The lyrics served as a message of defiance against societal norms and a call for freedom for personal expression. Turtles vocalist Howard Kaylan recalled that the band first turned down Sloan's song "Eve of Destruction", which became a number 1 hit in the U.S. for Barry McGuire, recognizing that, with its uncompromising message, "You just couldn't make a statement like that and ever work again." He said that they accepted "Let Me Be" because it represented "just the perfect level of rebellion β¦ haircuts and non-conformity".Author Peter Doggett describes "Let Me Be" as a "perfect encapsulation of teenage angst". In his book 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, Andrew Grant Jackson identifies it as part of a "subgenre" of protest songs that emerged during 1965, in which musicians railed against "oppressive conformity itself" rather than political issues. He adds that, in a cultural climate influenced by mass media, hallucinogenic drugs, and the introduction of the contraceptive pill, this and contemporary songs by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who "chronicled and propelled a social reformation as the old world forged its uneasy synthesis with the new".
Shed Rather Be With Me π The Turtles - RIP Mark Volman {Stereo} 1967 Hit Record Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-09 | 1967......#3 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #2 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 U.S. Record World 100 Top Pops, #4 UK Singles Chart, #1 Canada, #21 Australia, #8 New ZealandOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ studio stereo sound."She'd Rather Be with Me" is a song written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon and released by the Turtles in 1967. The song was the follow-up to "Happy Together".Allmusic critic Stewart Mason described "She'd Rather Be with Me" as a "big, brassy pop song" that was "probably the least ironically cheerful single the Turtles ever did." Mason describes Howard Kaylan's lead vocal as evoking "unfeigned giddiness" and comments on the "huge production" including a full orchestra and prominent cowbell.The song was a major international hit, and spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 3, while reaching No. 1 on Record World's "100 Top Pops", No. 1 on Canada's "RPM 100", No. 1 in South Africa, No. 2 on the Cash Box Top 100, No. 3 in Denmark, and No. 3 on the Irish Singles Chart. The song also spent 15 weeks on the UK's Record Retailer chart, peaking at No. 4, making it The Turtles' biggest hit in the United Kingdom. The song was a major hit in many other nations as well.
Almost There π The Turtles - RIP Mark Volman {DES Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-08 | Rest In Peace, Mark Volman.B-side to The Turtles' debut hit single, a cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe". Fro The Turtles' 1966 debut album, It Ain't Me Babe, though some versions of the single included on retrospective albums were released later.Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info
Look Through Any Window π The Hollies {Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-08 | 1965-66......#32 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #34 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #4 UK Singles Chart, #3 Canada, #14 AustraliaA Hotpot Stereo Remix / Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Look Through Any Window" is a song by the British beat group the Hollies. It was their follow-up single to their first UK chart-topper, "I'm Alive", and reached No.4 in the UK Singles Chart at the beginning of October 1965."Look Through Any Window" was The Hollies' first American Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at No.32 on 22 January 1966 ("Just One Look" in 1964 had been the band's first American chart hit). It made No.3 in Canada in the RPM Magazine charts, as well as in South Africa. Written by songwriters Graham Gouldman and Charles Silverman, it features a distinctive 12-string guitar riff, soaring harmonies and Bobby Elliottβs explosive drumming. They also recorded a version in French (titled "Regardez par des fenΓͺtres") that was not officially released at the time but was included on the 1988 compilation Rarities.Cash Box described it as a "medium-paced laconic teen-slanted ditty with a contagious repeating rhythmic riff."First released as a single in the UK, it was included in the US version of the band's 1965 album Hollies titled Hear! Here! by their US label, Imperial Records.The B-side, "So Lonely", later included on Hollies and Hear! Here!, was also recorded by the Everly Brothers and released in July 1966 on their Two Yanks in England album.
The Game Of Love π Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders {DES Stereo} 1965 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-06 | 1965......#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #2 UK Singles Chart, #3 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound / To find out more about spectral editing and sound source separation, go to http://www.monotostereo.info"The Game of Love" is a 1965 song by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, released in the United States as "Game of Love".The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 week of April 24, 1965 and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1965.
Shop Around π Smokey Robinson & The Miracles {Stereo} 1960 Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine 2025-09-06 | 1960......#2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #1 U.S. Billboard R&B, #11 CanadaOriginal video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound."Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by the Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.The single was a multiple award winner for the Miracles, having been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and honored by Rolling Stone as number 500 in their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, dropping it five spots from number 495 in the 2004 version.The original version of "Shop Around" by the Miracles (credited as "The Miracles featuring Bill 'Smokey' Robinson"), was released in 1960 on Motown's Tamla label, catalog number T 54034. The song, written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, depicts a mother giving her now-grown son advice about how to find a woman worthy of being a girlfriend or wife ("My mama told me/'you better shop around'"). The original version of the song had a strong blues influence, and was released in the local area of Detroit, Michigan, before Gordy decided that the song needed to be re-recorded to achieve wider commercial appeal. At 3:00 one morning, the Miracles (Robinson, Claudette Rogers Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, and Pete Moore) recorded a new, more pop music version of the song that became a major national hit. The original record label credits Robinson as the writer, with Berry Gordy as producer. On the American Top 40 program of July 4, 1987, Casey Kasem reported that Gordy had previously rejected 100 songs by Robinson as "garbage" before accepting the 101st, "Shop Around", as "a hit".The single was the first Motown record to be released in the UK, on Decca Records' London label. The subsequent EP release, coupled the "Shop Around" single with its follow-up, "Ain't It Baby". The two singles and the EP were the only Motown releases on the London label."Shop Around" was a big hit for the Miracles, becoming the group's first number-one hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart, spending eight weeks at the top, and also hitting number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind "Calcutta" by Lawrence Welk. "Shop Around" also reached number one on the Cashbox magazine Top 100 pop chart, and is also noted for being the first million-selling record for the Miracles and for the Motown Record Corporation, as well as a 2006 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. The B-side to "Shop Around", "Who's Lovin' You", also had a plethora of covers, including a version by the Jackson 5 in 1969.
