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TOTO'S
TOP TUNES
T I M E T U N N E L
on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!
PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO.
AT 9 SEC. MARK, CLICK TO
START SECOND VIDEO!
"The Pied Piper" - Crispian St. Peters
(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
Based on the German folklore fairy tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin, that was
"The Pied Piper" by English pop singer Crispian St. Peters, a cover of a song
penned and originally recorded by the American songwriting and performing
duo The Changin' Times. St. Pete made the song famous in the summer of '66
with a single that went top 5 in the U.S. and UK and topped the chart in Canada.
I'm a Cocker Spaniel, not the best of ratters,
but a loyal Dell rat, and it's all that matters.
Just ask my master Shady Del Knight.
Yes, folks, it's me - Toto Moto - The Hound
of Sound, your Musical Mutt, your All Nite
Satellite, the barker who put the "WOW!"
in bow-wow, and you've just entered my
Top Tunes Time Tunnel for another fun-
filled trip back to the sounds of the 60s.
I'm an English Cocker, and today's
Time Tunnel show is an all star
salute to UK recording artists.
salute to UK recording artists.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
All seven of these songs were hits in the U.S. but were waxed across the pond,
and I don't mean the one I just made on the floor in the hall. Let's lay the
foundation for this mini British Invasion by recalling "The Bad Bad
Old Days" before Jerky Treats were invented-- The Foundations!
"In The Bad, Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me)" - The Foundations
(Apr. 1969. highest chart pos. #26 Cash Box/#51 Hot 100)
(Apr. 1969. highest chart pos. #26 Cash Box/#51 Hot 100)
Finishing in the Top 30 on Cash Box but missing the Top 50 on Billboard,
go figure, that was "In The Bad, Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me),"
a groovy sound from the spring of '69 by the mixed race, mixed
nationality UK soul band The Foundations.
Shady's dog Toto Moto keeping you company in the
wee small hours of the morning here on S-P-M-M...
the station that's #1 for music and fun, and up next
The Hollies, an English pop-rock band known for
their glorious three part harmony and long string
of hits at home and stateside. Seems The Hollies
had more good songs than they knew what to do
with. In May of 1967 two of their singles were
released at the same time and the records
competed against each other. "Carrie-Anne"
made the top 10, eclipsing the Hollies
single on a different label that had
been released three weeks earlier.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
As a result, this song peaked near the bottom of the top 30 and shoulda gone
higher. The Hollies now with a hit that missed-- "Pay You Back With Interest!"
"Pay You Back With Interest" - The Hollies
(June/July 1967, highest chart pos. #28 Hot 100/#29 Cash Box)
Those were the Hollies and their under-performing
single "Pay You Back With Interest," a record that
died on the vine when "Carrie-Anne" came long.
I thought I'd go out of my mind the fist time
I heard the guitar at the beginning of this
next British R&B Merseybeat record.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
THE VIDEO NOW!
The sound was new, different, bold, and oh
so cool. Riding the U.S. chart the last three
months of '64, The Kinks-- "You Really Got Me!"
so cool. Riding the U.S. chart the last three
months of '64, The Kinks-- "You Really Got Me!"
"You Really Got Me" - The Kinks
(Oct. to Dec. 1964, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100)
Ray Davies and his band of Kinks with "You Really Got Me,"
their first charting record in the U.S., a single that reached
the Top 10 on Billboard and the Top 5 on Cash Box.
If you're just tuning in, you're trapped inside
Toto's Top Tunes Time Tunnel. I'm your hairy
host, blog mascot Toto Moto of The Shady
Bunch, the platter playin' pooch who starts
from scratch and aims to fleas, and we're
in the middle of a 7-in-a-row commercial-
free cruise on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.
Here's another UK record that was popular
in the fall of 1964, the same weeks that
the Kinks' song "You Really Got Me"
was hot. This one finished even
higher on the chart.
in the fall of 1964, the same weeks that
the Kinks' song "You Really Got Me"
was hot. This one finished even
higher on the chart.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Meet The Honeycombs, a band with an unusual lineup that featured
Honey Lantree, one of the few female drummers in pop at the time.
The guys and a girl ask the musical question-- "Have I The Right?"
"Have I The Right?" - The Honeycombs
(Oct./Nov. 1964, highest chart pos. #4 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100)
The Honeycombs there with their first single and
the biggest hit of their career, the top 5 charting
"Have I The Right?" As a sad footnote, the band's
original lead singer Dennis D’Ell died in 2005
at the age of 61 and drummer Honey Lantree
died just before Christmas 2018 at age 75.
"Have I The Right?" As a sad footnote, the band's
original lead singer Dennis D’Ell died in 2005
at the age of 61 and drummer Honey Lantree
died just before Christmas 2018 at age 75.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
When a dog's gotta go, a dog's gotta go.
Shady forgot to put down a piddle pad
and-- "I Can't Control Myself!"
Shady forgot to put down a piddle pad
and-- "I Can't Control Myself!"
"I Can't Control Myself" - The Troggs
(Oct./Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #38 Cash Box/#43 Hot 100)
Hovering around the Top 40 mark on Cash Box and Billboard, Reg Presley
and his rowdy band of English garage rockers The Troggs aka
The Troglodytes with "I Can't Control Myself."
Here it comes again - that feeling like I've
run out of time. I hope you enjoyed zooming
back to the past with me in Toto's Top Tunes
Time Tunnel. Stick around. Coming up on the
flip side of news it's Debbie the Dellette
hosting another music packed meeting
of the Top Hit Club of America,
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
THE VIDEO NOW!
And I'll be back before you can say cat scratch fever to spin another batch
of classic Sixties toe-tappers in my Top Tunes Time Tunnel. To play us off,
The Fortunes from late '65 and "Here It Comes Again." Now this is your
K-9 Kompadre, your Hi-Fi Fido, your Rover on the Radio, Toto Moto,
saying thanks for tuning in, be good and see you soon!
"Here It Comes Again" - The Fortunes
(Nov./Dec. 1965, highest chart pos. #27 Hot 100/#37 Cash Box)
I don't seem to recall the first two artists or their songs. And while I know all the rest of the artists, I think You Really Got Me is the only song I recognize. It's a good one with some good later covers.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place, dear friend! You and Pat were in a photo finish (too close to call) as you crossed the finish line to take co-Early Bird honors. The gold is yours!
Yessum, Van Halen comes to mind as one of the acts that covered "You Really Got Me." It was Van Halen's first single and helped launch their career in early 1978.
"Pied Piper" was huge in my neck of the woods, and so were records by The Foundations. I'm sure you remember their two bigger hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" and "Build Me Up Buttercup."
Thanks again for dropping by and tuning in. Please tell Pat I say hello and enjoy your weekend, dear friend Kelly!
Hi again and greetings from Alberta, Canada :) Thank you for the show, friend Shady! Yes, the Kinks' sounds familiar :) I hope, you and your family are still happy and healthy? Spring is slow this year. Still waiting for green and colour. But one good rain/ snow will surely help that along :) I have been busy on the farm, cleaning up the yard and things. Daughter Mary is still working from home for WCB Edmonton. Son Paul and dil Leanne are finishing their Winter project, which is building a basement suite in their house. Next project is clearing land on our South Quarter, and building a yurt :) Sending love, cat. https://youtu.be/_f67XGDcmi4
ReplyDeleteHi, cat!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for bringing TT down to meet Shady's dog Toto Moto and listen to the latest installment of Top Tunes Time Tunnel.
Yessum, we are AOK down here, but it's getting too hot and humid lately. Please send a gust of cold air down to us. :)
It sounds like you are working hard on the farm, but I can imagine it is invigorating to be outdoors as spring steadily gains a foothold in Alberta. Thanks for sharing that your daughter is currently working from home for the Workers' Comp Board. Paul & Leanne's winter project sounds exciting, creating a new living space in the basement. My dad did the same, converted both sides of our basement into finished spaces, one side to hold parties for their friends, the other half equipped with ping pong and pool tables, washer & dryer, shower stall and a workbench. Thanks for providing the link to a video explaining what a yurt is and how to build one. That 30-foot diameter yurt in the rain forest of Vancouver island, B.C., is awesome. If P & L build one please post pics of it on your blog. I'd love to see it.
I send LUBBINS back to you and Theo, dear friend cat. Thanks again for coming and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Good tunes that span my early music years...11-14 yrs. Even though I was pretty much all gaga over the that mop top group I was digging the whole British invasion thing. Looking at the young faces singing I realized that we thought we'd never grow old...ha! Anyway, these brought back fun memories tonight. I hope all's well with you and your family. I'm going to be having more surgery come May 11..time to address my neck issues so I may be absent for a bit. I'll try to keep up here however! Even though we got 6 inches of snow the other day it's all melted now and will be in the 80's by Tuesday! Take care Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! In this week's race to Shady's Place you finished third, earning you the prized bronze trophy. Display it proudly. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the British artists and bands on Toto Moto's play list. It's a nice mix of major and minor hits and great UK artists of the 60s that deserve to be heard. How about those school kiddos marching around in a circle following The Pied Piper? I read that Crispian St. Peters genuinely believed he was destined to become as famous as The Beatles. Unfortunately he remained a one-hit-wonder.
I'm sorry you need to have your neck worked on a couple of weeks from now. I'll be thinking about you with fingers, toes and eyes crossed. I am shocked that Ohio received six inches of snow this late in the season, yet I do recall a freak snow shower in early May over in PA when I was a teenager.
I'm delighted that Toto's salute to Brit beat sounds of the 60s brought back fun memories. Please take good care of yourself, dear friend YaYa. Give Arnie some table craps for me and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Damn, I remember my father playing his 45 (does anyone even remember what that is?) of Pied Piper when I was little. I loved that tune!
ReplyDeleteHi, presstfortime!
DeleteWelcome to Shady's Place, my friend!
Yes indeed, I remember 45 rpm records. I collected them for 25 years before foolishly selling them and converting to CDs. I wish I had them all back! Like your father, I owned a copy of Jamie 1320 - "The Pied Piper" - by English singer/songwriter Crispian St. Peters. It was the last major hit issued on that Philadelphia-based label. Crispian also cracked the U.S. top 40 with a 1967 cover of "You Were On My Mind," the song written in 1962 by Sylvia Fricker Tyson, half of the folk duo Ian & Sylvia, and turned into a major hit in 1965 by the California quintet We Five.
I'm glad to know you like "The Pied Piper" song and appreciate your visit, presstfortime. Please visit us again soon!
Hey Tom,
ReplyDeleteI remember the Pied Piper from my childhood but the song I most recall is "You Got Me Going" by The Kinks. I thought that song was out of the 70s but 1964? I was three years old when it came out. WOW! Sometimes I'm surprised by these oldies. Great set of songs t start of the week. Have a boogietastic day, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for swinging over to Shady's Place on another busy A to Z day, dear friend!
I'm pretty sure you are thinking of the hit 1978 Van Halen cover of "You Really Got Me." It was the first single released by Eddie, Diamond Dave and their band and kick-started their career. It's cool that you were roughly the same age as I when "You Really Got Me" became a favorite song, but it was the original Kinks version that really got me going.
Thanks again for stopping in, dear friend Cathy, and have a super week!
Tom,
DeleteYes, that's probably what I'm thinking of Van Halen's cover. The Kinks' version is better but Van Halen did a good job keeping true to the original. Thanks for clearing this up for me. :)
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteYessum, given the significant difference in our ages, I have come to learn that your 1970s were roughly the equivalent of my 60s. I think we are correct in assuming it was the Van Halen hit cover that you became most familiar with as a teenager in 1978.
Thanks for following-up, dear friend Cathy. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Hey there buddy, I've heard of a lot of these bands but the only song I really know is "You've Really Got Me." The "Pied Piper" is familiar but I've never seen the video. The Troggs look like they are all cramped up there in that booth! Have a great rest of your week my friend. Just added my "V."
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
DeleteThanks for coming to Toto's platter party, dear friend! I hope you and my buddy Benny had a nice weekend.
It surprises me that you and other friends who have commented so far are not familiar with these lower charting hits by major recording artists. All of these songs were biggies in my neck of the woods. Familiar or not, I hope you like what you heard on Toto's show.
Truth be told, until recently I had never seen that creepy video of Crispian St. Peters leading school children around in a circle. The scene looks rather pervy to me, and I'm sure I could find others who agree. Yessum, that's an unusual setting to shoot a video clip of The Troggs doing "I Can't Control Myself." Many artists were experimenting during the 60s, using gimmicks in order to stand out from other bands.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Janet. Tell Benny my Toto says "Woof!" I'll see you soon on the A to Z circuit!
Hey Shady,
ReplyDeleteI've had a throbbing headache all day, so I'm going to take a raincheck today. You have some of my favourite songs listed. :) I can't wait to listen tomorrow!
Have a great evening.
Sorry your head is hurting, dear friend JM. Hope you feel better soon. Play Toto's Top Tunes when you're ready to dance, hopefully tomorrow.
DeleteHey Shady,
ReplyDeleteAfter a good night's sleep and allergy medicine, I'm back and was ready to dance. Toto's Top Tunes was just what I needed as I started my work this morning.
"You Really Got Me" has been a favourite of mine for the past 17 years or so. The Kinks are awesome and they're my go-to band, with this being my go-to song.
I also love the Troggs and the Foundations. I love this Troggs song and it's been a long time since I've listened to "I Can't Control Myself." It's been a while since I've listened to the Foundations also.
As I listen to these golden oldies, I like to compare to the newer hits. The messages really are the same, they're just conveyed differently. I think we can all relate to music, regardless of the genre. It conveys feeling and longing and everything else.
Thanks for letting me walk and dance down memory lane, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for returning, dear friend! I'm glad you're up and around and bopping to the sound of Toto Moto's 4th radio show here on SPMM.
Friends who have left comments so far best remember and favor the song "You Really Got Me." In one or two cases, they might be remembering the 1978 hit cover by Van Halen which didn't stray far from the Kinks' original. The single on Toto's play list by the British soul band The Foundations is one of my favorites. Along with members from the UK, the group consisted of musicians from the West Indies and Sri Lanka. They had a great sound. If you listen to the sexually suggestive lyrics of that Troggs song, it's a wonder it wasn't banned at the time. Maybe it actually was banned by some U.S. radio stations, which would explain why the single fell short of the top 40 on Billboard while soaring to #2 in both the UK and Germany.
I'm happy that you felt well enough to return, hit the dance floor and groove to this all-UK lineup from Toto. Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
I am late here and, to be honest, the shot I had on friday made me feel heavy in the head and tired. I am here now and listened to all these tunes. I love the Kinks and the Honeycombs with 2 very famous songs which I just love. I had no idea The Honeycombs had a female drummer so I have to look this up when I get a chance. I am not much for "Pay Back With Interest" song, its ok but nothing earth shattering. I do like the Pied Pieper song at the start and the last song as well. I hope you are doing well. Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for coming over before Toto Moto gets bumped off the front page, dearie. You aren't the only friend who was given that specific brand of the vaccine who is telling me they suffered adverse effects. I'm sorry, and hope you are starting to feel more like yourself by now.
Wow, you are the first person to let me know they remember The Honeycombs, the British band with the unusual lineup that included a female drummer, Honey Lantree. Sadly, Honey is no longer with us. She died too young in late 2018 at age 75. Dennis D’Ell, the lead singer you see in that video and hear on their hit recording "Have I The Right?" died even younger at the age of 61. I'm glad you like "Have I The Right?" along with "You Really Got Me," the latter being the song that's received the most virtual votes so far. I'm glad you also favor the folk-rock single "The Pied Piper" and the glorious harmonies of The Fortunes on the showender "Here It Comes Again."
Thanks again for making time for a visit to Shady's Place, dear friend BB!
In the original Pied Piper story, didn't the children follow the piper out of Hamelin, and then...were...never...seen...again?
ReplyDeleteBut then the piper you show has a laundry basket instead of a flute, so I guess instead he's going to lure them all to a 24-hour laundromat, where the Spin Cycle of Doom awaits. Or maybe the kids will survive, after all, but one half of their socks will vanish without a trace.
Anyway, I'm batting 2-7 this time around as I'm familiar with "You Really Got Me" and "And Have I The Right?", but not anything else (though I do like all those offerings.) Now I have HEARD of the Hollies and the Troggs. Just not those songs.
I've always felt that the Kinks version of "You Really Got Me" has a much more hard rock sound to it than Van Halen's version, even though the latter band is considered heavy metal. The Kinks may have even invented metal, though they eventually went into a different direction.
That's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteYou made it over just before the post got bumped, good buddy. I'm glad you didn't miss Toto's radio show and I thank you for visiting!
That somewhat creepy music video of Crispian St. Peters leading a large group of school children around in a circle singing "follow me" is an edited version. They chopped off the ending in which London Bobbies rush to the scene, wrestle him to the ground and haul him away to face a range of pervy charges.
After reading the comments of friends, I feel lucky to have had all of the songs in this post on the soundtrack of my youth. To me they are so familiar that I assumed everybody knew them well. I'm happy to have introduced you to new material that you enjoyed. I agree that The Kinks version of "You Really Got Me" is definitive and the heavier, wilder sound. It's a shame the band went all delicate on us in later recordings because they had me as a fan and then lost me.
Thanks again for coming to call, good buddy Kirk. A new post is already up and running. Come meet Mary-Kate & Ashley at Fuller House!
You Really Got Me is the only song here that I recognized. But I was born in 1970 so what I listened to was probably a little different.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking a look at my older posts, Mary. If you were born in 1970, then it's probably the Van Halen version you recall.
DeleteSorry it took so long to reply. I don't get notifications.
Have a great day, my new friend, and congratulations on being named to Alex J's list of bloggers that ROCK!