Previous Feature 45's — Page 18

Music composed by The Shadows for a British film "The Boys" starring Richard Todd and Robert Morley. Four tracks were released on a 45 rpm extended play (EP) but in Australia there was a single issue of two of the EP tracks. The Boys made No.1 on the 2UE Top 40 for four weeks at the beginning of 1963.

British band Brian Poole and The Tremeloes recorded this Berry Gordy song in 1963 and took it to the top of the UK singles chart. It was originally recorded by an American group, The Contours. Do You Love Me made No.1 on the 2UE Top 40 for three weeks from 20th December, 1963.

Howzat was the 14th Sherbet song to enter the 2UE Top 40 after their debut in 1971. It topped the New Zealand charts, made No.4 in the UK and No.61 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America. In Sydney, it made No.1 on 14th July, 1976 and ended ABBA's 15-week run at No.1 with Fernando.

Mainly a songwriter, Kenny O'Dell decided to record his self-penned bubble gum song, Beautiful People; it made No.38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Around the same time his composition Next Plane to London was a Top 20 hit for 'The Rose Garden'. In 1973 his song, Behind Closed Doors sung by Charlie Rich topped the U.S. Country charts.

A British quintet formed in 1964 had their first hit in 1966 with Hold Tight which peaked at No.4 in Britain. With the opening words in Spanish (Esta es la layenda de Xanadu), The Legend of Xanadu topped the British charts in March 1968 and made No.3 on Sydney's 2UE Top 40 for two weeks early in April.

Elvis Presley's hit of 1961, Can't Help Falling in Love (from the film Blue Hawaii) was revived by Andy Williams eight years later. Andy Williams began as a member of a vocal quartet in 1938 with his older brothers and went solo in the early 1950s. His first hits in Australia date back to 1956.

An answer song to Good Luck Charm was recorded by Jo (of Judy and Jo) for Capitol Records in America in 1962. In Sydney it appeared twice on 2UE's prediction list for the Top 40, peaking at No.37 on 12th May 1962 just after Elvis Presley's original had completed a 3-week run at the top of the Top 40.

A theme song to the American sitcom Happy Days which was a 70s comedy set in the 50s and 60s. The song was written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox and recorded by Pratt and McClain. An Australian version by "Silver Studs" was released in 1976 and made No.4 in Sydney for two weeks 14th and 21st July 1976.

Jimmy Duncan and Bobby Doyle wrote String Along in 1959 and it was first recorded by Fabian. In 1963 it was recorded for (U.S.) Decca by Rick Nelson, making No.25 on the Billboard charts. It failed to make the 2UE chart in Sydney but appeared twice at No.30 on 2SM's Top 100 in July 1963.

A band from California from the surf music era of 1962-63. After a couple of hits they recorded a double-sided Christmas record, A Surfer's Christmas List / Santa's Speed Shop.

Hugh Williams and Jimmy Kennedy wrote the song in 1935 and there were many recorded versions of Red Sails in the Sunset. Fats Domino recorded his version in 1963 and it made No.35 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the 4th October 1963 it appeared at Prediction No.17 for the 2UE Top 40 in Sydney.

Brother and sister, Nino Tempo and April Stevens recorded this famous Hoagy Carmichael song to follow their Top 40 hit Whispering. This version of Stardust made No.9 on the prediction list for Sydney's Top 40 (20th and 27th March, 1964).

Written by an English songwriter using the pseudonym Les Vandyke, But No One Knows was recorded by the actress Jacqui Chan in 1960. The recording was released in Australia to coincide with her working holiday during which she played in the stage version of The Wonderful World of Suzie Wong.

John Laws was a radio disc jockey at the time he wrote and recorded Someone New. It was the first of four entries on the 2UE Top 40 and made No.31 on 21st October, 1959. His recordings and TV shows were mediocre but he became arguably the best known Australian radio broadcaster during his 71 years on air.

Bob Harris and Al Stillman wrote the song and it was originally recorded by Sue Lyon. Primarily an actress, Lyon starred in films such as Lolita, The Night of the Iguana and Tony Rome. The recording Turn Off the Moon was the B-side of Lolita Ya Ya which was intended as a send-up of a musical style of the time.

Not the infamous 19th century cowboy, rather the younger brother of Jimmy Clanton, Ike managed to scrape into the Billboard Hot 100 twice with Down the Aisle and Sugar Plum. Perhaps he was better known as the bass player for Duane Eddy and as part of 'John Fred and His Playboy Band'.

Lawrence Welk was an American bandleader with a successful TV program that lasted more than 30 years. His famous catchphrase 'Wunnerful Wunnerful' became the title of his autobiography. In 1962 he recorded an instrumental version of Del Shannon's Runaway. It made No.37 on the 2UE Top 40 in Sydney (19th May, 1962).

Ben Raleigh and Don Wolf wrote this up-tempo song for Tommy Leonetti in 1958. Tommy was born in New Jersey and his version of The Happy Wanderer in 1954 was a popular alternative version in Australia. He hosted a television show in Sydney for two years during which time he recorded Let's Take a Walk and My City of Sydney.

Dale and Grace were brought together in 1963 by a record executive. For their first recording, they chose I'm Leaving It Up to You which was originally recorded by Don and Dewey in 1957. Their version was released and topped the U.S. charts in November 1963. It made Prediction No.19 for the 2UE Top 40 (6th December, 1963).

American singer Bobby Vee started his recording career in 1959. He visited Australia a number of times in the early sixties and scored 10 hits on Sydney's 2UE Top 40. Five of his songs made the top 5 including The Night Has a Thousand Eyes which made No.3 on 3rd February, 1963.

Austrian-born Claus Widman was a popular vocalist on Australian TV in the late sixties. The Importance of the Rose was a French song composed by Gilbert Becaud as L'important c'est la rose; English words were written by Rod McKuen.

'The Four Lads' was a male vocal quartet from Toronto, Canada. They had a number of big hits in the 50s; five of them became gold records. The song Goona Goona was composed by Al Stillman and Robert Allen in the 'Tiki' style that was popular at the time.

English comedian, Charlie Drake scored his first hit in Australia in 1961 with My Boomerang Won't Come Back. His following single included Starkle, Starkle (Little Twink) which had been released in England as the B-side to Sea Cruise almost 3 years earlier.

Melbourne band, 'Skyhooks' was described as colourful, cheeky and controversial. The band scored a number 1 with Horror Movie, their first Top 40 hit in Sydney. All My Friends Are Getting Married made No.5 on 2UE's chart dated 14 August, 1975.

Ruth Brown began as a rhythm and blues singer in the early 1950s. Her first pop hit was Lucky Lips in 1957. In the following year she recorded This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' written by Bobby Darin and Mann Curtis. It made No.7 on Billboard's R&B chart and No. 24 on the pop chart. It was listed in the Top 10 of 80 predictions for the 2UE Top 40 during November 1958.

American soul singer and songwriter, Sam Cooke began in 1950 with a group called 'The Soul Stirrers'. His first solo hit, You Send Me made No.1 on Billboard in 1957. Wonderful World was recorded in March 1959 at his last session for Keen Records; the demo recording was released in 1960 after Cooke had signed to RCA in January of that year. It made No.12 on Billboard.

The Ronettes began recording for 'Philles' (Phil Spector's record label) in 1963. The first hit was Be My Baby which made No.2 on Billboard's Hot 100. It was followed by another Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich song, Baby, I Love You which made No.24 on Billboard and Prediction No.6 for Sydney's 2UE Top 40 dated 21st February, 1964.

A country song, You're The First, The Last, My Everything, written by Peter Radcliffe in 1963, became a disco hit for Barry White in 1974. It went to No.2 on Billboard but was not a hit in Australia. Barry White toured Australia in September 1974 on the strength of 3 Top 40 hits and an instrumental, Love's Theme with his 40-piece orchestra.