Friday 11th. January 2013

Today I will be featuring the Top 20 Hits that were in the charts during the first two weeks of 1964.
Included in that list are such memories as:-

• Do You Love Me - Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
• I Want To Hold Your Hand - the Beatles
• There, I've Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
• Java - Al Hirt
• Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
• Anyone Who Had A Heart - Dionne Warwick
• Wives & Lovers - Jack Jones
• Drag City - Jan and Dean
• I Only Want To Be With You - Dusty Springfield
• Louie, Louie - the Kingsmen
• Out Of Limits - the Marketts
• Hey Little Cobra - the Rip Chords
• Whispering - Nino Temple and April Stevens

...................and many others.

Following the 3:00 PM news and weather will be a classic Hancock's Half-hour from the late 1950s, "Agricultural 'Ancock" (February 1957).

Program for Monday 7th. January 2013.

A smorgasbord of music for today's program, from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s - so there should be a little of something for everyone.

The playlist includes the following:-

• Hello, Goodbye - the Beatles (1967)
• I Heard It On The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (1968)
• Candy Girl - the Four Seasons (1963)
• A Fool Never learns - Andy Williams (1964)
• Cotton Candy - Al Hirt (1964)
• All Kinds Of Everything - Dana (1970)
• Always Yours - Gary Glitter (1974)
• Apple Peaches Pumpkin Pie - Jay and the Techniques (1967)
• Atomic - Blondie (1979)
• Baby Love - the Supremes (1964)
• Baby, Now That I've Found You - the Foundations (1967)
• Band Of Gold - Freda Payne (1970)
• Surfer Girl - the Beach Boys (1963)
• I Should Have Known Better - the Beatles (1964)
• Begin The Beguine - Julio Inglesias (1981)
• Percolator Twist - Billy Joe and the Checkmates (1962)
• Blue Moon - the Marcels (1961)
• 500 Miles Away From Home - Bobby Bare (1963)
• Can't Give You Anything But Love - the Stylistics (1975)
• Rhythm Of The Rain - the Cascades (1963)
• Pipeline - the Chantays (1963)
• Dance On - the Shadows (1963)
• Diana - Paul Anka (1957)
• Don't Turn Around - Aswad (1988)
• Bristol Stomp - the Dovells (1961)
• Eso Beso - Cliff Richard (1965)
• Eye Level - Simon Park Orchestra (1973)
• Feels Like I'm In Love - Kelly Marie (1980)
• The Final Countdown - Europe (1986)
• Forever And Ever - Demis Roussos (1973)
• Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1973
• Have A Good Time - Sue Thompson (1962)
• Sweets For My Sweet - the Searchers (1963)
• The Last Time - the Rolling Stones (1965)
• This Old House - Shakin' Stevens (1981)
• Tiger Feet - MUD (1974)

The Comedy Spot (following the 10:00 AM news)  for today will feature another Hancock's Half-hour, this one from 1959 and entitled "Sid's Mystery Tours".

A Happy New Year! The first show for 2013.......

Well, let's hope that Lucy is totally wrong and that 2013 is a great year for everyone......we'll give it a bit more than a couple of days to make an evaluation, I think!

Kicking off the program for 2013 on Friday between 2:00 and 5:00 PM, I am featuring the Top 20 (more, if time permits) from the first week of 1963 - a return to the Hits of exactly fifty years ago.
The list includes such gems as......................

•   Tell Him - The Exciters
•   Pepino the Italian Mouse - Lou Monte
•   Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker
•   Bobby's Girl - Marcie Blane
•   Telstar - The Tornadoes
•   Up On the Roof - The Drifters
•   Big Girls Don't Cry - The 4 Seasons
•   Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
•   Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah - Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
•   Two Lovers - Mary Wells
•   Release Me - Little Esther Phillips
•   Everybody Loves a Lover - The Shirelles
•   You Are My Sunshine - Ray Charles
•   Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
•   Loop de Loop - Johnny Thunder
•   Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
•   Fly Me to the Moon Bossa Nova - Joe Harnell
•   Don't Hang Up - The Orlons
•   Keep Your Hands Off My Baby - Little Eva
•   The Lonely Bull - The Tijuana Brass
•   Popeye (The Hitchhiker) - Chubby Checker
•   You've Really Got a Hold On Me - The Miracles
•   See See Rider - LaVern Baker
•   My Coloring Book - Kitty Kallen
•   All Alone Am I - Brenda Lee
•   Chains - The Cookies
•   Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
•   Gina - Johnny Mathis
•   Love Came to Me - Dion
•   (Dance With the) Guitar Man - Duane Eddy
•   Rumors - Johnny Crawford    
•   James, Hold The Ladder Steady - Sue Thompson
•   Happy Guitar - Reg Owen Orchestra
•   Spanish Lace - Gene McDaniels

Note that there is not one Beatles track amongst that lot; they had not yet appeared on the international charts and it wasn't until (approximately) February of this year that "Love Me Do" charted at #17 in Britain.
So this first week of 1963 was Beatles-free. What became known as the "British Invasion" had yet to occur.

The Comedy Spot following the 3:00 PM news & weather will feature Tony Hancock, Sid James and Bill Kerr in a gem from 1959 - "The Elopement".

UPDATE:
In memory of the wonderful Miss Patti Page, who died at age 85 on January 1st., I will be playing two of her hits - from 1950, "Tennessee Waltz" and from 1953, "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window".

I look forward to your company.

New Year's Eve - Monday 31st. December

For this final program for 2012 I thought that I would feature the Top 20 for the year 1962 - a look at what were the most popular hits fifty years ago.
And here is what the DJs were playing and what we were buying back then, counting down from No. 1 to No. 20.......

1. Working For The Man - Roy Orbison
2. Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole
3. Multiplication - Bobby Darrin
4. Alley Cat - Bent Fabric
5. Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
6. Wolverton Mountain - Claude King
7. The Lonely Bull - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
8. Telstar - the Tornadoes
9. Stranger On The Shore - Acker Bilk
10. The Boys - the Shadows
11. Dance With The Guitar Man - Duane Eddy
12. The Swiss Maid - Del Shannon
13. I've Been Everywhere - Lucky Starr
14. The Cha Cha Cha - Bobby Rydell
15. Midnight In Moscow - Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen
16. If I Didn't Have A Dime - Gene Pitney
17. Do You Want To Dance - Cliff Richard and the Shadows
18. Roses Are red (My Love) - Bobby Vinton
19. He's Not A Rebel - Vikki Carr
20. Big Girls Don't Cry - the Four Seasons

In addition to the above, the following were the Top 10 Australian Hits for that year:-

1. I've Been Everywhere - Lucky Starr (included above)
2. Si Senor - Rob E.G.
3. Sing - Johnny O'Keefe
4. Southern 'Rora - the Joy Boys
5. I Remember You - Frank Ifield
6. Wolverton Mountain - Kevin Shegog *
7. Get A Little Dirt On You Hands - the Delltones
8. 5-4-3-2-1-Zero - Rob E.G.
9. Girl From Wolverton Mountain - Dorothy Baker
10. Midnight Bus - Betty McQuade

I will be playing all of the above tracks (* sorry but I don't have this one) during the show, along with other hits from 1962.

I was prompted by a news item last night, in which the Red Cross were appealing for blood donors across the region, to feature a classic Hancock's Half-hour, "The Blood Donor", in the comedy spot following the 10:00 AM news and weather.
If you have not heard this previously, then you'll love it. And if you have heard it before then I'm sure you will enjoy the re-run.

Happy New Year to you all!

Friday 28th. December - Penultimate Show for 2012.

This second-last show for the year will be a mixture of all things Pop and Easy-listening from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s; I will not be focusing at any one decade or year.

The Comedy Spot following the 3:00 PM news and weather is another from the Hancock's Half-hour series, this one entitled "The Threatening Letter", from 27th. May 1958, and featuring all five regulars for this period - Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams.

Please join me and spend three hours wallowing in radio-nostalgia!

Christmas Eve - Monday 24th. December

This is, to all intents and purposes, my Christmas show so I will be playing whatever the lucky-dip comes up with over the 3 hours from 9:00 AM until midday.

Forties, Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, Eighties, Nineties, Easy-listening, Soft Jazz, Latin, Contemporary.......plus comedy snippets and, following the 10:00 AM news, a Goon Show entitled "The Missing 10 Downing Street", from 1957.

Join me for a nostalgic Christmas Eve listening experience.

Friday 21st. - Santa Is Nearly Here!

Only a couple of days to go before Christmas!
Today's program will mostly be a mix of hits and easy-listening music from the "Baby-Boomer" decades of the 1950s and 1960s.

The comedy spot following the 3:00 PM news is a Hancock's Half-hour show with a Christmassy theme from December 1958.
Entitled "Bill and Father Christmas", it features the regular cast for that period but Kenneth Williams' place is taken by a one-off appearance by Warren "Alf Garnett" Mitchell.

Please join me for this next-to-last show before Christmas Day.

NOTE!
I will also be on air in the regular morning timeslot on Christmas Eve, Monday 24th., from 9:00 AM until 12:00 Noon.