1969: We Call It a Trap

 6 — Young-Holt Unlimited: "Soulful Strut"

 6 — Bee Gees: "I Started a Joke"

 5 — Tommy James and the Shondells: "Crimson and Clover"

 9 — The Doors: "Touch Me"

 3 — Brooklyn Bridge: "Worst That Could Happen"

 6 — The Foundations: "Build Me Up Buttercup"

 8 — The Turtles: "You Showed Me"

 2 — Jay and the Americans: "This Magic Moment"

 2 — 1910 Fruitgum Company: "Indian Giver"

 4 — Tommy Roe: "Dizzy" 

 8 — The Zombies: "Time of the Season"

 4 — The 5th Dimension: "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"

 7 — Blood, Sweat and Tears: "You've Made Me So Very Happy"

 8 — The Cowsills: "Hair"

 7 — The Beatles: "Get Back"

 3 — Oliver: "Good Morning Starshine"

 7 — Blood, Sweat and Tears: "Spinning Wheel"

 4 — Tommy James and the Shondells: "Crystal Blue Persuasion"

 4 — Zager and Evans: "In the Year 2525"

 8 — Andy Kim: "Baby, I Love You"

 7 — Motherlode: "When I Die"

 5 — The Guess Who: "Laughing"

 3 — The Archies: "Sugar, Sugar"

 1 — Oliver: "Jean"

 7 — Nilsson: "Everybody's Talkin'"

10 — Elvis Presley: "Suspicious Minds"

 6 — The Cuff Links: "Tracy"

 9 — The Beatles: "Something"

 8 — Blood, Sweat and Tears: "And When I Die"

 4 — Peter, Paul and Mary: "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

Average Score: 5.70

1969: The Year Canada Took Over!

Well, let's not go nuts here. The RPM hit parade was still being dominated by American and British acts, a trend that wasn't about to change anytime soon. Still, Canadians did unusually well at the top of their domestic singles chart in '69 even if it mainly established that they were a coming force. Still, with three number ones on the bounce plus five more with some kind of Canadian presence (The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" had been co-written and sung by Andy Kim, Toronto native David Clayton-Thomas was leading Blood, Sweat and Tears to what was by far their best year and longtime resident of Calgary Billy Cowsill leading his family band to their second RPM chart topper; while the latter is an admittedly spurious connection, I think he just about qualifies, especially if longtime residents and/or citizens of the United States like Paul Anka can be counted as "Canadian"), this represents a considerable upswing from years past.

As always, '69 was all over the place in terms of quality. On the negative side, there was an awful lot of bubblegum and the Hair craze sure left a lot to be desired. That said, The Cowsills' spirited version of the title track from the hit musical was one of the pleasant surprises of this year. So, too, was Andy Kim's rock solid version of "Baby, I Love You" which I wasn't expecting much from. On the other hand, there's "Sugar, Sugar" which my fellow number ones bloggers all seem fond of and which you tend to hear mostly praise for in general in these poptimist times. I respectfully disagree and even think I could've gone a bit lower in my grade for The Archies. (But not to worry, they're coming up again very soon which will give me another opportunity to give them a good slating)

So, bring on the seventies! Looking ahead to the decade in general, there's a heady mix of earnest singer-songwriters, faded pop stars looking to keep the party going by caving to the disco trend and a handful of dreaded novelty songs. And lots of Canadians on the horizon to boot! There may even be a smattering of classics along the way. As for 1970 in particular, it doesn't look up to much. Not dreadful for the most part but loaded with familiar and pleasant — if ultimately underwhelming — throwbacks to an age of grubby student protesters morphing into sharply dressed bankers. While '71 is set to be a banner year, the twelve month period prior to it is rather more like '69: good but not great. But then every year is like that, isn't it?

Peter, Paul and Mary: "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

December 27, 1969 (1 week)

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" was the final RPM number one of the sixties. Carrying over, it also happened to be the first Canadian chart topper of the seventies, albeit for only a couple days before giving way. It is both an apt way to close the curtain on one decade and usher in the next while also being totally out of place.

Let's begin by looking at how much they didn't fit in. I mean, the sleeve alone tells you all you need to know. Peter, Paul and Mary look as if they belonged in the coffeehouse folk scene of 1959 and not a part of the Woodstock generation. They were all in their early thirties which makes them stick out even further. More to the point, their style of cheery, characterless harmonies put them firmly as Kingston Trio-type folk, the sort act that had at least as much in common with the Four Freshmen as they did with Pete Seeger. By the time the likes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez emerged as spokespeople of their generation, this sort of crap scarcely seemed like folk music at all.

On the other hand, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was written by a young (well, he was younger than Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers at any rate) songwriter named John Denver, who had so far not broken through as a solo artist. It had appeared on a demo recording called John Denver Sings back in 1966 but he wouldn't put out a proper solo album until three years later. It was only through his connections that Peter, Paul and Mary decided to give "Jet Plane" a go. The single ended up getting to number one on Billboard's Hot 100 which no doubt opened a lot of doors for its composer.

This is why "Jet Plane" was such an appropriate single to ring in the seventies. While far from one of the more glamourous individuals in this scene, Denver was an emerging singer-songwriter just as the singer-songwriters were enjoying a boom period. We will see several of them over the course of the next several months as we traverse the early part of the decade. If the protest singers of the mid-sixties couldn't quite sweep dweebs like Peter, Paul and Mary away, then the Laurel Canyon folkies would prevail.

And rightfully so. While Denver's melodramatic singing isn't for everyone, at least his various recordings of "Jet Plane" have some shine to them. (Chantal Kreviazuk's version from the horrible motion picture Armaggedon is also far preferable to PP&M's) It's a passable song to begin with but this sucks the life out of it. While the lyrics about a guy about to catch a flight leaving his best girl behind do not relate to the conflict, there was this thought that "Jet Plane" could've been about Vietnam. I'm not so sure Peter, Paul and Mary sing it that way but at least it ensured that a very bland song would be talked about.

Which reminds me, there's another thing about "Jet Plane" that anticipates the seventies: people caught up in their own little worlds while turning their backs on shit that matters. As we'll likely see, Denver probably didn't have much to say about the issues of the time anyway. As they say, it's best to write what you know and the hippies-turned-yuppies certainly knew plenty about themselves. With that out of the way, let's close out the sixties!

Score: 4

Blood, Sweat and Tears: "And When I Die"

December 13, 1969 (2 weeks)

On April 8, 1997 the following people who are notable enough to have Wikipedia pages were born: Korean singer Kim Woo-jin, Australian singer Saygrace, American football player Roquan Smith, Belgian footballer Arno Verschueren and English footballer Keira Walsh. I hadn't heard of any of these people before looking up births on this date but, hey, they're all infinitely more well known than I am and probably have more money than I'll ever see. Naturally, they were far from the only babies who debuted that day. There were probably between 350,000 to 400,000 births around the world on that particular Tuesday. I hope they're all living their best lives even if, statistically speaking, a handful of them are no longer with us, not unlike Laura Nyro who passed away on that very same day.

Like John Lennon with "In My Life" and John Prine with "Hello in There", it is remarkable that Nyro wrote "And When I Die" at such a tender age. Quite a bit younger, in fact, than Lennon and Prince who were twenty-four and twenty-two respectively. Nyro was just seventeen when she wrote the song that anticipated her death by over three decades. Barring a serious health condition and/or loss of a family member or close friend, it's hard to imagine why she'd been considering the subject at all. (I had wondered if this was around the time she lost her mother to ovarian cancer — which would later fell Nyro herself; the two were both forty-nine at the time — but that didn't occur until the mid-seventies when the singer-songwriter's prime had already been and gone) Being so young, it is amazing how clear-headed her take on death is: a child will be born to take her spot, she's not in fear of the end and she's not counting on an afterlife awaiting her ("I can swear there ain't no heaven and pray there ain't no hell").

Nyro was entering a period of remarkable creative growth, especially for someone of her age. "And When I Die" appeared on her 1967 debut album More Than a New Discovery (which was later changed to The First Songs, which makes it seem like a set of rough home demos rather than the first great work by a supremely talented individual). A year later she followed it with the brilliant Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. From that point, however, her work took a darker turn. While still outstanding, New York Tendaberry is filled with dense, piano-led torch songs, which would continue on 1970's Christmas and the Beads of Sweat. Had "And When I Die" been composed in, say, '69 it may well have been one of her darker numbers. Yet, it came while she was in her late teens and capable of dashing off such spirited, gospel-infused triumphs as "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoney End", "Sweet Blindness", "Eli's Coming" and "Stoned Soul Picnic", all of which were hits for other artists. (While songs such as "Save the Country" and "Time and Love" from Tendaberry and "When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag" from Christmas were similarly bouncy, they had become less commonplace) While a more mature Nyro writing about her eventual death would almost certainly have still resulted in something superlative, it likely wouldn't have been as buoyant — and, as such, wouldn't have been as big a hit.

In a vacuum you might be blown away by Blood, Sweat and Tears' third and final Canadian number one. If you'd come to it cold or had you only been previously exposed to Peter, Paul and Mary's lifeless version from two years earlier then it must have sounded revelatory. Few would've had the opportunity to hear Nyro's astonishing original (which BS&T wisely chose not to stray far from) and in that context this cover is stellar. And I don't wish to crap on BS&T here. Like The 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night and Barbra Streisand, they recorded what is by far the most famous version of a particular Nyro classic but they couldn't hope to get within a solar system of the quality of the original. Most of this is down to Nyro herself since there really isn't much to choose from when it comes to the outstanding musicianship.

Opening with a harmonica solo, the BS&T version does have more of a downhome feel than Nyro's jazzier original. While the difference isn't great, it probably had more commercial appeal, even if the presence of these newfound hitmakers (and, just in case the point needs to be hammered further home, group that was allegedly more popular than The Beatles) was probably reason enough to have greater faith in their recording. (Not that the two were ever in competition with one another; "And When I Die" was never released as a single by Nyro herself) It feels like the crack BS&T band was having a lot of fun on this one, as they should have. 

It's been nearly thirty years since Laura Nyro passed away. While it's hard to imagine what contemporaries like Nick Drake and Gram Parsons would have been up to had they lived longer, it's easy to picture Nyro as this beloved singer-songwriter veteran who puts out a new album every seven years or so and still lives a quiet, vaguely bohemian existence. A full life was denied her but at least an increasing number of music fans take take pleasure in the astonishing albums she but out while only barely out of her twenties. David Clayton Thomas did lead quite the life having only passed this past June. Hopefully they both exited this world in the spirit of this terrific song.  

Score: 8

The Beatles: "Something"

November 15, 1969 (4 weeks)

You Know I Believe — and How!: Rating the Stars of the "Something" Promo

The Beatles gradually began making pop videos as their profile grew and as they began easing up on the live appearances. This way, they could "appear" on Top of the Pops and the Ed Sullivan Show without actually showing up. (Sullivan would often introduce these promos by implying that they had been made specifically for his show which must've lent an air of exclusivity to them) With band unity waning, the vid for "Something" placed the Fab Four away from each other and with the women they were choosing to spend their lives with — along with a very special guest star. Let's look at how each pairing conducts themselves.

1) Martha. She only makes a cameo but Paul's beloved sheepdog (and, needless to say, namesake of "Martha My Dear") is by far the most delightful presence in this clip — and she is clearly the only one who really wants to be there, though I suppose Linda is a close second. With Paul entering a dark period of isolation and some heavy drinking — and, lest we forget, some serious pot smoking — the unconditional love of a dog no doubt helped get through it. That and having a devoted wife and a growing family.

Don't Wanna Leave Her Scale: And how!

2) George and Patti. He wrote the song and it's about her so it makes sense that they would be the humans who make the biggest impression in the "Something" clip. Rob Sheffield describes the pair as "peacocking" around their Kinfaus garden but I get the feeling this was how they were: she had a face for being on camera anyway and he looks like her very serious guru. (Good thing they were just a few months apart in age or this could've come across as a little culty) The ultimate hippie power couple. The very fact that their relationship would begin to come apart in the early seventies doesn't undermine the way they look at each other here.

Don't Wanna Leave Her Scale: I don't need no other lover

3) John and Yoko. Ian MacDonald claimed that the two "brought out the worst in each other" which might explain their decision to sport capes. Jesus, they really deserved each other, didn't they? That said, "Something" is about love and how it can't really ever be rationalized so there you go. Given how dour they typically looked at the time, it's refreshing to see them share a smile. A recently — if temporarily — beardless John even mugs for the camera which is particularly out of place for this period. (He might've pulled one of his old cripple faces had they kept it going any longer) If the public couldn't understand what he saw in her then the very least they could've done was accepted that he nevertheless felt the way he did. Or they could've wondered what the hell she saw in him.

Don't Wanna Leave Her Scale: You know I believe

4) Paul and Linda. There's so much to unpack here. While the solo shot of Mr. Photogenic at his most unsettling is creepy, he looks at ease with his bride by his side while prancing about with the lovable Martha is the most joyous part of the entire video. Still, the McCartneys look out of place. While all four couples had their clips filmed separately, the George, John and Ringo segments all look like they could've been done on the same estate. Meanwhile, Paul's segment was probably filmed up in Scotland which is far less green and far more wind swept then down in the English Home Counties. Still, it feels like the media-savy Paul has his guard down. John and Yoko may have bared all a year earlier but did they ever reveal as much Paul and Linda on their Scots seclusion?

Don't Wanna Leave Her Scale: All I have to do is think of her

5) Ringo and Maureen. They'd been together the longest of the Beatles couples yet Mo was still the youngest of the lot. You'd think the years of experience would've made her more at ease in front of a camera but she looks painfully awkward and he isn't a whole lot better either. Being the Fab who has been the most comfortable with facial hair, it's strange that his neck beard is so bad. Similarly, for a hairdresser, what was she thinking with the peroxide blonde look? Affection between the two? None that I can detect beyond what appears to be the bond of a close friendship.

Don't Wanna Leave Her Scale: I don't know, I don't know

~~~~~

As for the song itself, I don't know what to say. They claim it, along with fellow Abbey Road track "Here Comes the Sun", represents George Harrison's emergence as a songwriter to rival Lennon and McCartney and this is largely true, only I wish The Beatles' final studio album had more of his contributions. I know everyone else loves that medley on side 2 but I could personally do without the bulk of that stuff that precedes the magnificent "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" passage. Had "All Things Must Pass" and "Isn't It a Pity" been accepted then Abbey Road would have a far more convincing case for The Beatles' greatest album of all time. (The similarly ignored McCartney track "Come and Get It" should also have been included)

Famously and exaggeratedly described by Frank Sinatra as the "greatest love song of the past fifty years", "Something" is that rarest of Beatle numbers that doesn't quite live up to its hype. It isn't far off, mind you, but it just misses out on the absolute pinnacle tier of Fabs classics. What prevents it from climbing that one elusive step higher may well be the very thing that makes it special. McDonald argues that the song's middle eight expresses "callow sentiments" and the whole thing about this "Something" that Patti and other women possess is awfully vague. He can't quite put into words why it is he feels this way and that's how many of us as people experience love but he's the songwriter so couldn't he have tried a little harder? McCartney's love songs range from trite Hallmark greeting card sentiments all the way to expressing bleak depression while Lennon's never fail to invite the listener into his own tortured mind. Meanwhile Harrison is at a loss — and fair enough. The fact that he can't quite describe his situation is precisely what makes "Something" so good but it is a limitation nonetheless.

Score: 9

The Cuff Links: "Tracy"

November 8, 1969 (1 week)

Gosh, it's as if the bubblegum groups didn't get the memo. Then again, neither did the youngsters who kept buying up all this crap. "Sugar, Sugar" ought to have been bubblegum pop's final bit of glory before it got swept away by late sixties' stadium rock and the singer-songwriter boom but there were still enough teenagers who weren't sufficiently tired of it by this point.

Nevertheless, bubblegum was clearly on the way out. If anything, it's a wonder it lasted as long as it did. Just one lame 1910 Fruitgum Company chart topper ought to have been enough for most people but they somehow managed a trio of RPM number ones. If we go by Wikipedia's claim of the dire "Simon Says" (along with the Ohio Express' "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy") as being the sub-genre's jumping off point, "Tracy" is just the seventh bubblegum single to reach the top of Canada's pop charts, with apparently just one more to go. Actually, I say it was clearly on the way out but was that really the case in the late stages of 1969? All I know is that I have had enough it and I just assume everyone was feeling the same way.

Still, there's reason to be not quite as down on The Cuff Links since "Tracy" isn't quite as grim as many of its contemporaries. It's passable. There's oodles of energy in this single, a quality that fellow bubblegum pop records are surprisingly short on. They have a forced jovial air about them which only makes them even more irritating. On the other hand, The Cuff Links are enjoying themselves even if the lyrics are as banal as ever.

I've now rolled my eyes at the likes of the Fruitgums and Tommy Roe and The Archies but I haven't done so in the direction of The Cuffs. This not a resounding recommendation but I might as well try grading bubblegum on a curve. It's simple but that's not always a bad thing. It's moronic but pure pop is often at its best when brain cells aren't quite firing. It's repetitive but the running time is short so there's little chance of boredom entering the picture. It's a perfectly serviceable pop song in a style that struggled to be mediocre. While all the other bubblegum groups had a taste that wore out awfully fast, The Cuff Links almost make you want to keep on chewing.

~~~~~

Finally, a comment on the title which seems rather out of place for its era. Our family friends the Cunninghams have a daughter called Tracy. There was also a Tracy — possibly with an 'e' since she was from Essex — in my class in Billericay during the year I lived in England. A friend of mine in high school had a girlfriend (and, not long after, wife) called Tracy. I can't think of anyone else I've ever known with that name. Not many though I am aware that it is a fairly common name. (I teach in Korea where English names used to be commonplace but I've never once met a Tracy here either) But were there a lot of Tracies back in the sixties? I could be wrong but it strikes me as the sort of name babyboomers gave to their daughters but weren't bestowed upon many of them. Is this what songwriters Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance as well as singer Ron Dante (who, incidentally, is said to have handled all the layers of vocals here) found intriguing about our Trace? With something of an unusual name, perhaps she stood out as a free spirit befitting the wild child sixties. Even the bubblegum popsters couldn't resist these sorts of chicks and who could blame them?

Score: 6

Elvis Presley: "Suspicious Minds"

October 18, 1969 (3 weeks)

It had been just shy of five years since Elvis Presley last topped the Canadian charts but a great deal had changed during this time. The rush of Beatlemania was still very much a going concern, the United States was still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy a year earlier and the Americans were still a distant second to the hated Soviets in the space race. By the latter part of 1969, however, the Fab Four were all but done as a recording unit, guns deaths among influential individuals in the States had become an all-too common occurrence and NASA sent Apollo 11 to the Moon. Meanwhile, Elvis Presley went from being famous for being in some mighty stupid movies and a wildly erratic song catalog to someone who had become famous for being famous and who, well, had an even more wildly erratic song catalog.

The narrative that typically surrounds The King's famed 1969 Comeback Special is how tranformative it was for him - although only temporarily, as it would turn out. Elvis lost weight, looked like the sex god he had always meant to be and, crucially, was finally performing some first rate material after years in the creative doldrums. Yet, things aren't nearly as simple as all that. For one thing, RPM Top 10 "U.S. Male" from the early part of '68 suggests that he hadn't completely lost his way (a powerhouse version of Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man" dates from the same session which only emphasizes how much he still had it — at least some of the time). On the other hand, the 1969 post-Comeback global smash "In the Ghetto" was then followed by the uninspired "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" from one of those dismal B movies that were supposed to have been wiped clean by his return as a rock 'n' roll rebel. The only thing consistent about Elvis was how damn inconsistent he was.

The good thing about yo-yoing is that there's the opportunity to bounce back and Elvis did so and then some with "Suspicious Minds". Again, it's tempting to put this all down to the Comeback Special as well as the early '69 sessions that resulted in the finest album of his career, the remarkable From Elvis in Memphis. Yet, a renewed Elvis was still going to Elvis about as evidenced on the Back in Memphis half of that autumn's From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis release. A part live, part studio creation, it far more accurately predicts the remaining years of Elvis' life than its far superior predecessor: The King bouncing from his Graceland home to the Las Vegas strip while quality control once again began to unravel. While not a bad work, it pales next to From Elvis in Memphis' sustained coming together of rock, soul, gospel and country.

Mercifully left off either of Elvis' 1969 album releases, "Suspicious Minds" was allowed to take on a life of its own. "In the Ghetto" proved to be a solemn conclusion to From Elvis in Memphis but I've never been convinced by it as a single. No, there was only one song from this key year that needed to come out on its own and it was "Suspicious Minds", arguably the sturdiest 45 of his career. Fans of modern pop who had associated Elvis more with his shitty movies now had a tune of his that they could fully appreciate. With fifties' revivalism gaining steam over the course of the year (John Lennon and a makeshift Plastic Ono Band performed only a month earlier at the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival Festival), it would have been seen as perfectly natural to have him right back with his old backing band and the Jordinaires but there's little of the '56 rebel present. Instead, he's accompanied by Memphis studio aces and is singing like a man in his mid-thirties.

As Tom Breihan astutely observes, Elvis chose not to read paranoia into a song about unfaithful partners. Rather, his celebratory tone suggests that he's been getting up to no good, they're both aware of this and that he's in no position to change his destructive habits. ("He's not caught in a trap at all," Breihan notes — and even if he is, he plainly doesn't give a shit anyway) For someone who never could keep to his marriage vows, this certainly tracks. (When people say they hate Elvis because he didn't write his own songs they seem to be unaware of The King's uncanny ability to take someone else's lyrics and apply them directly to himself, at least when the material he was working with inspired him enough to do so)

Considering his background in fifties' pop brevity, it's unusual to hear an Elvis song that goes on for so damn long. At around the two-and-a-half minute mark it feels like it's going to come to a close but then it keeps building with backing singers and strings filling in the gaps. Another sixty seconds and then it begins to fade only for everything to come roaring back, as if the Memphis producers and engineers had a last second change of heart on when to close out the session. While Brian Wilson may have done fade outs for effect, this sounds like a mistake being righted in real time. A two to three minute "Suspicious Minds" would have been fine but letting it go on allows the listener to luxuriate in Elvis' glory. "We could leave 'em wanting more or, fuck it, how about we just give 'em more?"

No longer serving up pablum to accompany terrible movies, nor particularly interested in market trends, Elvis was at long last able simply to be Elvis. He had excellent songs to choose from and a peerless group of musicians at his beck and call. The Vegas residency had begun but he seemed to take much of what he'd acquired back home in Memphis with him. Yet, the momentum following his Comeback Special was gone and even at his best his output was all over the place. (His version of "Hey Jude" from around this time is appalling) Elvis could rise to incredible heights but the inevitable falls from grace were just as dramatic. And if you thought that nearly five years without a number one hit had been a long time then get ready for a bit of a wait until we encounter him again. If only someone had demanded a little more action from him following his extraordinary Comeback.

Score: 10

Nilsson: "Everybody's Talkin'"

October 11, 1969 (1 week)

There are numerous examples of pop songs that became hits by accident. (So numerous that I couldn't possible begin to list them here; either that or I just don't feel like doing so) Numbers earmarked as B sides that became unexpected sensations after DJ's flipped them over or afterthought compositions that a group or artist had to be cajoled into recording only for it to become a surprise smash. The pop instincts of musicians, songwriters, producers and, in particular, record execs can seldom predict what will or will not catch on.

This is more or less the story of how "Everybody's Talkin'" came to life. Singer-songwriter Fred Neil was set to finish recording his second album in the autumn of 1967 when he was informed by his manager that he had to have at least one more track recorded (what with nine cuts presumably being considered insufficient for pop-rock LPs). With no desire to belabour the process any longer than necessary, Neil dusted off a ditty that he had written a year earlier and had it in the can in one take. "Everybody's Talkin'" was thus added to the running order of his self-titled sophomore release.

The thing about this anecdote is that it tracks. "Everybody's Talkin'" is brief but nevertheless stretched out to two minutes and forty-five seconds. Verse, chorus, rinse, repeat. If the record buying public hadn't been so touched by Harry Nilsson's recording of it, they might have considered it insubstantial. It doesn't even sound like Neil bothered to finish writing it. (What sounds like an attempt at a second stanza — "I won't let you leave my love behind..." — pops up near the end, a line many of the acts who have since covered it chose to leave off their versions)

On the Fred Neil album "Everybody's Talkin'" is just another track that blends in with the whole, a languid drifter that is very much in the shadow of the record's one real highlight, the magnificent "The Dolphins". As recorded by Nilsson, however, it becomes breezy, a sailboat gently rocking as its anchored in a bay. Now, the obvious point in its favour is the singer. While Nilsson's status as an "American Beatle" is ludicrous (a moniker that even members of the Fab Four themselves misguidedly applied to him), there's no denying that he does this song justice. (Though frequently described as a singer-songwriter himself, there's no doubt in my mind that he really excelled was standards) The musicianship is similarly first rate and a marked improvement on Neil's original uninspired original. Of note is the lovely guitar picking of veteran sessioner Al Casey, whose seemingly hurried style of playing rather neatly suits the song's origins.

Its one real weakness is just how undercooked the writing is. An initial listen doesn't reveal much beyond its strengths but repeated plays start unraveling just how little there is to this thing. While he isn't the first city dweller to long for "where the sun keeps shinin'" — and is by no means the last either — why is such a blissfully unaware individual so bothered about escaping? Their whispers and their stares don't matter to them so there's no need to get the hell out of New York City or Hong Kong or wherever. A fuller lyrical narrative might have answered these concerns.  The end result is enchanting enough that few noticed — not at first at any rate — but it's a flaw that can't be unheard once you've become aware of how its composer tossed it off. On the other hand, the fact that this isn't immediately apparent is a credit to Nilsson and merits an extra point on the score sheet. Someone should've called him Nilsson Skillsson.

Score: 7

Oliver: "Jean"

October 4, 1969 (1 week)

Ruining a fairly good song is one thing but what about when you aren't able to do anything with rubbish material? Does this further condemn a crummy artist or should we take pity on him or her?

Oliver was the third and last act to have a Canadian number one with a song taken from the smash musical Hair. He was also the only one of the lot to then follow it up with another chart topper. (Both The 5th Dimension and The Cowsills had had number ones prior to "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Hair" with "Up, Upand Away" and "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" respectively) He would never again have this level of fame so he was right to strike while the iron was hot. And it seemingly mattered little that his second RPM number one was much weaker than his first (which wasn't very good to begin with).

Given that he'd done so well with a song from Hair, it was only right that Oliver should have taken on material from another soundtrack, this time from the British motion picture The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring the great Maggie Smith. Adapted from the acclaimed Muriel Spark book of the same name, it did well with critics, earning Smith an Academy Award for playing the titular character. The theme song was nominated for an Oscar as well, proving that film critics have no business adjudicating music.

As I say, it's not all Oliver's fault (except for the fact that he chose to record it). "Jean" was written by poet and songwriter Rod McKuen. If you've ever wondered why there aren't more individuals who specialize in both disciplines, McKuen managed to prove that one could make money from verse without being any good at it. His poems belonged in Hallmark greeting cards while his songs wouldn't have been acceptable to even the most tasteless advertising executives. Bryan Adams on his worst day puts more care into his lyrics than McKuen ever did.

Poor words are bad enough but the melody is so syrupy sweet that I can practically feel tooth decay setting in. As if resigned to his fate, Oliver's interpretation goes full melodrama. Hey, who can really blame him? The material he had to work with called for it. Hard to rise to the occasion under the circumstances. Oliver is probably the very best thing about this utterly grim recording but he wasn't up to the challenge of making chicken salad from chicken shit. I'll say I feel sorry for his nibs but only up to a point. Save the pity party for me since I had to listen to this monstrously awful song.

Score: 1

The Archies: "Sugar, Sugar"

September 13, 1969 (3 weeks)

"Sugar, Sugar" came out of The Archie Show, a late sixties Saturday morning cartoon, the first of many (mostly dismal) attempts to adapt the popular comic book characters from Riverdale High to the small screen. Yet, when presented with having to do cover art for the single in various territories, as well as The Archies' debut album, their record label didn't go with an image from the series. Instead, they went with a drawing that could've come straight out of an issue of Laugh or Pep. It even appears to have been the work of the great Dan DeCarlo, one of two Archie artists who ought to be as renowned as Stan Lee, Steve Ditko or bloody Todd McFarlane (Samm Schwartz is the other). The bland, cheap-looking skethces used for the cartoon weren't going to shift as many units as one that youngsters would associate with the comics and rightfully so.

For my part, I find it difficult to extricate Archie from all those great magazines and digests of my youth. (My favouites were the aforementioned Laugh as well as the Jughead with Archie digest) While I tried to get into Marvel comics as a boy, I found it impossible to keep up with them. I could pick up an issue of, say, The Avengers, Fantastic Four or Alpha Flight — Canada, baby! — and either be totally engrossed in the story or utterly lost because I'd missed the previous months' volume. But the world of Archie had no semblance of canon. Those double digests that I'd often get for those long days on the road during camping trips would depict old Arch as a jock in one story and then have him as a dweeb in the next. Similarly, he could be besotted by Veronica in one story then smitten by Betty in another. Did it bother me if I missed an issue? No because it would eventually end up recycled in a digest.

A feature of The Archie Show was that Archie Andrews had a band alongside chums Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Reggie Mantle and that they were named after himself. (And Reggie was the one with the ego!) Episodes would conclude with a number "performed" by The Archies. The comic books went along with it though, surprisingly, they never went with a series based on the band. Still, they'd pop up here and there, sometimes as a struggling, go nowhere high school group, other times as a genuine pop phenomenon. While Jughead's dog Hot Dog wasn't involved (as opposed to the cartoon in which he was the conductor), their setup was not unlike that on the cover of the single above: Archie and Reggie on guitars, Veronica on keyboards, Betty on tambourine and Jughead on drums — and, crucially, no microphones to be seen. While they did occasionally sing, more often than not it seemed like The Archies were an instrumental act.

This brings me to the biggest reason why I hate "Sugar, Sugar": Archie's voice. While seldom one of the more interesting characters in Riverdale, Arch could be relatable. He was a often a voice of reason when held up next to Reggie's narcissism, Jughead's gluttony and laziness, Veronica's vanity, Betty's inferiority and Big Moose's jealous fits of rage. I may have identified with Jug and secretly wished I could've been more like Reg but Archie was the everyman. His voice shatters this concept. He sounds slick and polished, not unlike a professional singer doing TV jingles. The fictional band had been the brainchild of Don Kirchner, the impresario who had previously been behind the early success of The Monkees. Having come off the mutiny engineered by the prefab four, Kirchner figured session musicians could handle everything without the fear of rebellion against the puppet masters. If this meant that they'd have to settle for the character-free singing of Ron Dante then so be it.

A good many pop connoisseurs regard "Sugar, Sugar" as a triumph of bubblegum but I think it's the last gasp of a subgenre that had worn out its welcome. The cutesy organ parts on The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" had by this point become tired, a bubblegum pop cliche. The generation of American acts who managed to carve out an uneasy balance between garage rock and bubblegum had begun to fade away and what remained was a soulless, corporate crapfest. But take much of my disdain for what it is: a man in his late forties whose youth was formed in part by Archie comics (as a ten year old my only other passions were Slurpees and wrestling) but who never warmed to the property in other forms of media. Beyond being a mostly instrumental act, I had no real idea of what The Archies would've sounded like but I wouldn't have imagined them sounding so lifeless. 

In a memorable issue of the relaunched Jughead series from 1987, Archie's eccentric best friend becomes a fan of a jazz drummer called Crazy Willie Jim. They meet and Jug discovers that his idol is impoverished and living in a shelter. He invites him to an Archies' gig and Willie Jim is so impressed by them that he says "you cats can really cook!". (The drummer then sits in for Jughead and wows the audience with his playing) Was it "Sugar, Sugar" that made an old jazz vet sit up and take notice? Call me a music snob but I think not — and, again, there wasn't any singing involved anyway. Wait, was Archie's subpar vocals the reason they became an instrumental band? I think I've cracked it.

~~~~~

Can Con aficionados might try to make a case for "Sugar, Sugar" as yet another number one hit from north of the forty-ninth parallel, thus making it four chart toppers on the bounce. Andy Kim, who we only just encountered with his very impressive version of The Ronettes' "Baby, I Love You", co-wrote The Archies' signature song which I guess could qualify it on a technicality. My standards aren't nearly as generous. I have already kept The Mamas and the Papas, the Lovin' Spoonful and Blood, Sweat and Tears from being included as Canadian number ones so there's not much hope for "Sugar, Sugar". Still, this does tell you what a force Kim was for a time even if it also suggests that his talents could be used for evil as well as good.

Score: 3

The Guess Who: "Laughing"

September 6, 1969 (1 week)

It had been over four years since the group that had now fully committed to their alter ego last appeared at the top of the Canadian pop charts. Back then they were officially known as Chad Allan and the Expressions but their quaint name no longer meant much since all but guitarist Randy Bachman had left just a year after their eye-popping version of "Shakin' All Over" hit the top. The novelty of having everyone try to guess who they were then turned into a permanent name, one that would completely overtake their previous monkier. Guess Who? No, now they were The Guess Who.

While it took them a while to return to the top of the RPM hit parade, The Guess Who were chart regulars throughout the mid to late sixties. They would have nine further Top 40 entries following "Shakin' All Over", with "Tossin' and Turnin'", "Hey Ho, What You Do to Me" and "Believe Me" all reaching the Top 10. The former is most significant as it was Bachman's first self-composed hit. Though still featuring Chad Allan on vocals, it marked the entry point for a young Burton Cummings who filled in on piano. An invigorating single, "Believe Me" mixed British Invasion hooks with American garage rock sass. As if auditioning for a spot, Cummings' keyboard solo is incredible and invites speculation as to how they would've turned out had Allan remained behind the mic. (I say they would've been more accomplished musically even though their records wouldn't have been as good)

Despite the continuing hits there were signs that diminishing returns were setting in. After the single "His Girl" peaked at number nineteen, they would would struggle to make much of an impact on the upper section of the charts. The group still relied on outside composers and cover versions but the Bachman/Cummings team were beginning to write together. Little of quality resulted at first but then in 1969 "These Eyes" returned them to relevance.

It's actually surprising that I am reviewing the relatively forgettable "Laughing" rather than its predecessor. "These Eyes" has Cummings' soulful, laid back vocals and has a middle-of-the-road quality to it that ought to have put it over the top. Sure, its chart placings — number seven in Canada, six down in the States, their highest placement on the Hot 100 to date — were encouraging but they seem a little harsh in retrospect. For one thing, it is sometimes credited as being the catalyst for the Canadian Invasion of the United States which would make more sense had it gone all the way to number one. Up in Canada "These Eyes" would end up walking so that "Laughing" could run.

I did wonder if perhaps "Laughing" benefited from a lull in the quality of singles as Canadian kids were heading back to school that September but it faced respectable competition (The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women", Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue", Motherlode's "When I Die" and The Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" made up the rest of the Top 5 that week). Hot on the heels of a pair of Canadians who'd had the previous two number ones, it's possible there was a push to complete the trio — although I have to say this seems pretty unlikely. For whatever reason, a passable rocker managed to return the Winnipeg foursome to the top when a much better single had failed to do so. Them's the breaks, I guess.

Not so much a welcome return as a minor let down, "Laughing" is the only one of a quartet of Guess Who chart toppers that really didn't need to peak that high. They did far better way back when they were still known as Chad Allan and the Expressions, they did far better with their previous single and they would have far better to come. With changes in lineup and yo-yoing popularity, The Guess Who were still very much a work in progress.

~~~~~

As I mention above, "Laughing" was the third straight RPM number one by a Canadian group or artist. Considering the scarcity of domestic chart toppers up until this point, this is a considerable achievement. Whatsmore, all three — Andy KIm's "Baby, I Love You", Motherlode's aforementioned hit and The Guess Who themsevles — managed to make it into the Top 20 of the Hot 100 as well. Even with Canadian pop reaching its zenith, three homegrown number ones on the bounce isn't something that will happen for a long time. I haven't looked it up specifically though I do think it will occur again in 1996. Can it happen between now and then? Only time will tell. (But no, it almost certainly won't)

Score: 5

Motherlode: "When I Die"

August 23, 1969 (2 week)

'Toronto Soul' doesn't have a great ring to it (plus, it isn't accurate). 'London Soul' sounds contrived since a true pop R&B movement originating in the heart of the Old Empire would no doubt have had a more region-specific name like 'Putney Soul' or 'Notting Hill Soul' (plus, again, it ain't accurate since we're clearly talking about a different London; I gotta say though I like the sound of 'Putney Soul'). 'Ontario Soul' is too broad. 'Maple Soul' would've been a realistic name in the twenty-first century but not nearly sixty years ago. 'Golden Horseshoe Soul'? Okay, now you're just being silly. No wonder they ended up settling for 'Philadelphia Soul'.

Oh but I jest. Though a surprise Top 20 success on the Billboard Hot 100, it's not likely that Motherlode's lone American hit did much to move the needle from sixties' Stax and Motown over to smooth as cream cheese Philly. Yet, "When I Die" does sound like pretty much the first seventies' soul number. Just as The Beatles and Rolling Stones were getting audiences ready for seventies' stadium rock and Dylan was preparing the world for more grounded and personal seventies' folk, here was the multi-racial Motherlode with a soft launch into seventies' soul.

This presents one of the difficulties about trying to judge singles from afar. I have no doubt that "When I Die" would've seemed like something new when it first started playing on Canadian radio in the summer of '69.(If a ten year old Bryan Adams was indeed engaging in raunchy sex acts — which, to be sure, he wasn't and never did since "Summer of '69" isn't about anything — he was almost certainly doing so to silky Motherlode) Listening to it now, it just sounds like another great vocal R&B pop song from a couple years' later. I can't possibly hear it sounding like nothing that's ever come before since it now sounds like so much that came after.

Still, why punish the good people behind Motherlode — unless, of course, it's in order to take them to task for their terrible name which makes them seem like an especially hopeless heavy metal band - for being ahead of the game? Being influential is supposed to be a good thing. (I can't think of any other reason why anyone would wish to praise The Band and all their boring albums) That said, I already mentioned that their influence was likely negligible anyway. As a one-off of Canadiana R&B, it is a thing to behold. How didn't this influence an entire generation?

Being well ahead of the pack meant that there were no cliches for Motherlode to fall victim to. While predominantly soul, the middle 8 of "When I Die" ("it's not hard to understand why...") owes a lot to contemporary pop-rock. The musicianship also displays a good deal more muscle than what James and Bobby Purify or Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes had backing them, with some fine blues licks as adornment. (Speaking of which, why is it that so much modern R&B seems lacking in the 'B'?)

I don't wish to lay the praise on too thick. While a strong track, it fails to really grab the listener — this listener at any rate — for a prolonged period. The vocals are first rate but they don't lift you out of your seat the way great soul — great music for that matter — does so effortlessly. While a summer RPM number one and a sizable hit elsewhere, it would soon become overshadowed by a more memorable composition with almost the same name, which will be coming up soon enough. Liking this piece of stellar 'Hyde Park Soul' is easy enough but loving it? Yeah, I'm not quite there.

Score: 7

Andy Kim: "Baby, I Love You"

August 9, 1969 (2 weeks)

One of the key differences between the British Invasion and the Canadian Invasion is that the latter wasn't simply an American concern. In the case of the former, The Beatles arrived in New York in the early part of 1964, millions of Americans watched them on the Ed Sullivan Show and the floodgates opened, first mainly for the Fab Four themselves and then for other British acts. But the less famous Canadian invasion of the late sixties was almost as much about artists who conquered their homeland in addition to hitting it big down south. Up until now, only nine domestic singles managed to make it to the top of the charts — and, with all due respect to them, the majority seem like flukes.

August 9, 1969 marks the unofficial start of the long-awaited (at least as far as this blog is concerned) Canadian Invasion. And what a way to kick it off than with Andy Kim, one of the leading stars of the music scene north of the border. While his name may not carry the same weight today as future chart toppers such as The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and Neil Young, he was a pretty big deal in his day. We'll even be encountering him again in this blog. Yet Kim's status as a purveyor of rather schlocky soft rock — assuming he's even remembered for that — makes him seem like an heir to Paul Anka rather than as a legitimate pop-rock star in his own right.

Being a prolific songwriter (we'll be getting to what is perhaps the biggest cash cow of his career very soon) it is a little surprising that Andy Kim's maiden RPM number one is a cover version. Smartly, he didn't go for anything too obvious and/or well known. "Baby, I Love You" had been a mid-sized hit for The Ronettes back in 1963, following on from the smash "Be My Baby". Beyond their signature song, they would gradually become renowned for their work on Phil Spector's Christmas album but, otherwise, they might as well have been one hit wonders. Even though "Baby, I Love You" made the Top 30 of the Hot 100 and only just missed the UK the Top 10 in the UK, Kim managed to make it his own with this deceptively simple cover.

Listening to it a while ago in the build up to 1969's batch of number ones, I had assumed it to be a Kim original. No doubt prompted by a booming kettle drum in the background, I made note of the debt owed to Phil Spector's famed Wall of Sound. Imagine my surprise, then, to discover that it was a Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich composition from the early sixties all along, with Spector giving himself a bullshit co-writing credit, as was his wont. As if addressing the eccentric, peace of shit producer double dipping on the royalties, it was Barry himself who produced this rendition. My issue with Spector is that he'd unnecessarily drown the artists he worked with in his production excess. Barry retained the signature Wrecking Crew sound while better servicing Kim's talents. The resigned melancholy in his voice can picked up on. Plus, the downbeat sentiments of the lyrics are nicely contrasted with the upbeat melody and arrangement. As such, you might say "Baby, I Love You" anticipates the coming era of ABBA.

Neither a folk rock standout nor a classic rock staple, "Baby, I Love You" is nevertheless a terrific start to the Canadian Invasion. (Even though the Top 10 success of The Guess Who's "These Eyes" in the US that spring is more commonly cited) A subtle borrowing of American pop — now there's something it has in common with the British Invasion — but done far more tastefully, it is a huge advance from Little Caesar and the Consuls' Motown-lite "You've Really Got a Hold on Me". Andy Kim may not have written it but he nevertheless ought to be proud of it to this day.

Score: 8

Zager and Evans: "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)"

August 2, 1969 (1 week)

Bassist Colin Moulding of XTC once described his eccentric recording "What in the World??..." as being "Telstar" and "In the Year 2525" rolled into one. (I do not have the source available to me so you'll just have to take my word for it) Though a fun bit of space rock psychedelia, there was no way that his lone contribution to The Dukes of Stratosphear's mini album 25 O'Clock could have possibly lived up to the former. "Telstar" is a peerless pop masterpiece, end of discussion. The latter, however, left plenty of room to be improved upon.

We'll get to Zager and Evans' curious choice of music in a bit but let's begin with the lyrics to their only hit: they are (to put it kindly) dog shit. Rhymes are telegraphed, metre goes out the window at times and consistency be damned! My friend Adian over at Irish Number Ones takes them to task for straying from the path of charting every hundred and ten years — 2525, 3535, 4545, 5555 and 6565 — by making an out-of-nowhere jump to 7510 and 8510. ("Come on Zager and Evans, commit to the bit!") While he is indeed correct that this is jarring, I feel that it would have been preferable had they been far looser with the years they were looking towards. Here are a few that I have in mind:

In the year 3691, you ain't gonna be having any fun

In the year 4722, there won't be shit for you to do

In the year 5198, famine will make us all underweight

In the year 6417, the land is brown and no more green

Yeah, not my best effort on the parody front (but, honestly, are they any worse than what Zager and Evans came up with?). This is one of the reasons why XTC/The Dukes' "What in the World??..." is such a gas. Moulding has fun delivering lines that affectionately acknowledge acid rock while also sending it up. (If anyone ever did psychedelic pop while not on chemicals it was him) Lines like "2032, housewives Shocking Blue" (yes, I know it's meant to be "shock in blue" but I prefer to think Moulding was name-dropping a certain Dutch group who will be coming up here fairly soon) or "2033, cannabis in tea" (you know, we're getting very close to discovering if this shit's going to happen or not) are just messing with us — and messing with bloody Zager and Evans and their clumsy lyrics.

Now to the music. Not very futuristic, is it? Once again, I turn to Aidan whose comment on the matter ("The ranchera guitar strum and trumpet blare suggest that, come Armageddon, all that will survive are cockroaches and mariachi bands") is genuinely funny and hints that a coming space age of holograms, food in pill form and traveling at light speed won't matter to those of us who'll be trying to get through the dystopia Zager and Evan foresee. In a timeline not unlike that of the 2017 motion picture Logan, it's perfectly reasonable to expect little to entertain us beyond mariachi bands as we numb ourselves on homemade moonshine and crave even the cheapest, dirtiest sex.

"In the Year 2525" is the sort of thing I'm grateful exists, only with the caveat that I'd be happy not to have to ever listen to it again. Zager and Evans are to be commended for imagining such a bleak future, especially at the same time that the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon had entranced people around the world. I appreciate the effort but I am far less respectful of the results. It didn't have to be "Telstar" — it didn't even have to be "What in the World??..." for God's sake — but a coming hellscape of environmental collapse, food shortages, extinction events and government mind control deserved much better. Fortunately, we'd be getting classic albums like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and The Beach Boys' Surf's Up before long. They weren't going to be predicting humanity's destruction but at least they would make environmentalism into a viable subject matter for strong pop.

Score: 4

Tommy James and the Shondells: "Crystal Blue Persuasion"

July 28, 1969 (1 week)

There is only about twenty seconds left in the running time of "Crystal Blue Persuasion" when it finally comes to life. After three minutes of suspect and highly unconvincing psychedelic chamber pop, the former garage rockers put their true skills to good use. It's the sort of wildly energetic jam that can only come from years of chaotic rehearsals as the players familiarize themselves with one another. Though agonizingly brief, Tommy James and the Shondells suddenly become a force.

The bulk of "Crystal Blue Persuasion" sounds like it came from wishing to re-do previous chart topper "Crimson and Clover". Yet, for all that was wrong with its predecessor, at least it had a melody that simply begged to be fleshed out into a proper song. Try as they might to be a cool hippie adjacent act, they came across as a an average fifties' doo-wop act. Not much had changed here though the Spanish guitar playing, probably played by lead guitarist Eddie Gray, is inspired. Listening to it repeatedly, it's as if the remainder of the group had become resentful and wanted in on the action. Holding off until they couldn't take it any longer, the Shondells explode into a coda of recklessness. But even here they don't quite get it right: as I say above, this passage is just twenty seconds which isn't nearly enough time to settle into a nice groove. (I like to think that they'd stretch it out in concert which they did indeed do but they still failed to go far enough for my taste)

I must say I feel a little guilty knocking Tommy James and the Shondells because I admire them for giving it a try. They refused to get stuck in the trap of garage rock — which many of their contemporaries failed to avoid —: but in attempting to push past their roots they proved to be in over their heads. It's a no win situation and I appreciate that. Still, those final moments of "Crystal Blue Persuasion" hint at a path that they could have gone down successfully, one that used their terrific ensemble playing in some fine jam rock. Baroque pop was suited to them and only made them seem even more amateurish than when they were putting out "Hanky Panky" and "I Think We're Alone Now".

The other thing worth mentioning here is that this more or less marks the end of the garage rockers as a chart fixture. D.I.Y. rock wasn't going anywhere but the era of suburban teenage bands practicing in the garages and rumpus rooms of split level houses all over North America had passed. Adolescents would either go over-ambitious (heavy metal, prog rock) or far too simplistic (punk) or, worst of all, into the boring and predictable realms (power pop, obvisouly). Garage rock's major advantage was in how it was malleable enough for bands to become whatever they wished to be. Great musicians could thrive but so too could those of more limited capabilities. Results could vary just as much as with any other genre but that's not the point: what matters is that groups could stumble their way into creativity, whether through excellent songwriting, formidable playing or just going all out with a group of chums just for the hell of it.

Score: 4

Blood, Sweat and Tears: "Spinning Wheel"

July 7, 1969 (3 weeks)

"What goes up, must come down..."

It was good of Blood, Sweat and Tears to look ahead to their eventual demise as a top chart act. We are only at the midway point of their year long imperial phase but it's not unreasonable to assume that they were well aware that their unique brand of jazz-pop wasn't going to be fashionable for an extended period. Then again, pop groups being convinced that they have longevity on their side isn't uncommon so maybe David Clayton Thomas was going on about others whose careers were also about to go tits up.

The follow-up to their breakthrough smash "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Spinning Wheel" ought to be BS&T at the peak of their powers. Commercially speaking, it is. Three weeks atop the RPM hit parade while stuck at number two for the same amount of time (it was blocked first by Henry Mancini's "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" and then by Zager and Evans' "In the Year 2525", a single we'll be getting to real soon) while their self-titled second album was shifting huge numbers is an enviable position to be in. The Canadian singles charts were jammed with big name acts during this summer including the likes of The Beatles ("The Ballad of John and Yoko" which was practically a flop in North America by their usual standards), Elvis Presley ("In the Ghetto") and Tom Jones ("Love Me Tonight"); BS&T saw them all off.

Creatively, however, it was a somewhat different matter. Though penned by Thomas — and thus giving the mainly American group some Con Can bonus points — "Spinning Wheel" is too similar to its predecessor. Two hits in and they were already doing more of the same. Except this is a classic case of more-of-the-same-but-not-quite-as-good-this-time-round. Thomas went almost exclusively with his gruff grandfatherly vocal here while sacrificing the remainder of his remarkable range. (It may seem strange that sounding like you're two hundred years old wasn't considered to be a turn off but both Johnny Cash and Joe Cocker were equally geriatric in their singing and they both did very well) Luckily, musical high standards are maintained with a propulsive performance, especially from the horn section and drummer Bobby Colomby.

Never exactly critical darlings, I feel the need to defend BS&T. It's as if they were the Dave Matthews Band of their era: a competent group with nice songs and strong musicianship whose cool factor had become a void. Plus, they didn't inspire generations of cool kid bands which no doubt didn't help their cause. On the other hand, I can see why plenty of people thought they were simply all right or just didn't give a shit about them. There's not much here to thrill listeners. "Spinning Wheel" is a slightly above average single but one that I have little desire to ever listen to again. I'm not even all that interested in hearing anymore of their discography which is fine since there's just one more to go before they began coming down.

Score: 6