Here we go again!
The second (first, chronologically) of the
Radio 2UW "Fabulous Fifty Top Hits" to be re-broadcast 54 years later is this one from the week-ending 1st. March 1959.
Although a Sunday, it was beautifully coincidental that the date just happened to align with my Friday edition of the Baby-Boomer Radio Show.
So this Friday's show will feature 48 of the Fab Fifty - the two songs that won't be included are those by UK artist Ronnie Hilton -
"I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and
"The Street Where You Live" (sitting at #6 and #9 respectively back then). I have not been able to source the 45 disc which featured these tracks (A and B sides of the one 45).
However, that still means that 96% of the list will be broadcast and in addition to the Fifty there are also the ten "Best New Releases" of that week and ten "Up-And-Coming" songs.
Just take a look at the playlist (counting down from #1 to #50), taken from the chart shown above:-
FABULOUS 50 TOP TUNES
- Beep Beep - the Playmates
- Summertime, Summertime - the Jamies
- Bim-Bom-Bay - Jimmie Rodgers
- Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochrane
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - the Platters
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face - Ronnie Hilton (not available)- Topsy II - Cozy Cole
- Old Black Magic - Louis Prima & Keely Smith
The Street Where You Live - Ronnie Hilton (not available)- She Was Only Seventeen - Marty Robbins
- Walking Along - the Diamonds
- A House, A Car, A Wedding Ring - Mike Preston (before he came to Australia from the UK)
- Mr. Success - Frank Sinatra
- I Got Stung - Elvis Presley
- What Do I Care - Johnny Cash
- Come Prima - Tony Dallara (Dalardo)
- Mandolins In The Moonlight - Perry Como
- The Children's Marching Song - Cyril Stapleton & Chorus
- Lazy Summer Night - the Four Preps
- Lonesome Town - Ricky Nelson
- La Paloma - Billy Vaughn
- Hard-Headed Woman - Elvis Presley
- Treasure Of Your Love - Eileen Rodgers (plus Australian Laurel Lea's cover)
- To Know Him Is To Love Him - the Teddy Bears
- I Ain't Gonna Do It - Fats Domino
- Heartbeat - Buddy Holly
- I Wanna Be Happy Cha Cha - Enoch Light Orchestra
- Bing Bang Bong - Sophia Loren (Yep...you read it correctly!)
- The Teen Commandments - Paul Anka, Johnny Nash & George Hamilton IV
- Red River Rose - the Ames Brothers
- Cimarron - Billy Vaughn
- Forget Me Not - the Kalin Twins
- Tom Dooley - the Kingston Trio
- Ain't I The Lucky One - Marty Robbins
- It's So Easy - Buddy Holly
- Volare - Domenico Modugno (Eurovision winner & a year before Bobby Rydell's cover)
- Born Too Late - the Poni-Tails
- Problems - the Everly Brothers
- Saturday Girl - Johnny O'Connor <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
- Baby Face - Little Richard
- Lonely Tear Drops - Jackie Wilson
- Sweetie Pie - Tommy Blake
- The Magician - Dean Martin
- Firefly - Tony Bennett
- A Lover's Question - Clyde McPhatter
- Pretend Cha Cha - Carl Mann version (reference could not be found to "Cha Cha" suffix)
- Blue Ribbon Baby - Tommy Sands
- It's Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty
- Hey, Sheriff - Johnny Rebb <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
- Gotta Travel On - Ray Melton (Cover of the Billy Grammer version) <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
BEST NEW RELEASES
- Hawaiian Wedding Song - Andy Williams (A year before Elvis' "Blue Hawaii")
- Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simione Chorale
- (Oh) Donna - Richie Valens
- My Happiness - Connie Francis
- It's Only The Beginning - the Kalin Twins
- La Bamba (flip) Plain Jane - Bobby Darin ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
- A Letter To An Angel - Jimmy Clanton
- Philadelphia, USA - the Nu Tornados
- Blue Hawaii (flip) Tico Tico ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
- Woman From Liberia - Jimmie Rodgers
UP-AND-COMING DISCS
- Enchanted Island - the Four Lads (Jane Morgan also had a version)
- Big Bopper's Wedding - the Big Bopper
- The Blob - the Five Blobs
Turvy I and II - Cozy Cole (neither tracks available)- All American Boy - Bill Parsons
- Ta
rrytown - Harry Belafonte (not available)
- May You Always - the McGuire Sisters
- Cocquette (flip) Whole Lot Of Living - Fats Domino ("Flip" = A-side & B-side of the same 45)
- What Do You Know - Johnny O'Keefe <<<< AUSTRALIAN!
- Caravan I & II - Cozy Cole
- The World Outside - the Four Aces
- The Diary - Neil Sedaka
There are several things that stand out in neon lights a mile high in the above list of 70 songs.
One is the fact that there is only one British artist. One - Ronnie Hilton.
Boy, was all that to change in about 4 year's time!
Secondly, from a parochial viewpoint, only
four Australian artists (not including Laurel Lea).
Another obvious fact is that male artists outnumbered females by a HUGE majority. The girls hardly had a look-in.
And the oddest sight of all is that of Sophia Loren's name up there at #28!
Things have certainly changed in 54 years!
But put those "let's be wise in hindsight" observations aside and WOW!, what a list of 50s/60s music that is! Fabulous examples of the formative years of rock 'n' roll.
Like the first show of this type (Friday 22nd. March), what cannot fit into the three hours will be carried over to the Monday program.
I hope that you can join me in our time-capsule and travel back to
March 1st. 1959.
If you were a Sydney-sider (like me) then we can imagine that we are sitting in our cars overlooking Bondi Beach, or whatever it was that took your fancy back then. :)
