And finally to the childhood memory I promised at the beginning of the month. 

In May 1964, having just completed the 11 Plus exams, I had a family holiday to Hastings. Precisely when we went required a bit of research, so I went to the Hastings library and flicking through microfiche copies of the Hastings & St. Leonard's Observer from that year, I am now accurately able to tell you. 

My own memory of this holiday was I remember it rained. A lot ! So much so we did the unheard of holiday activity of going to the cinema. The week commencing 31st May the film 'Zulu' was showing at the De Luxe cinema on the Sea Front. So this had to be the time of our holiday because you don't forget a film like 'Zulu'. 

I also remember the jukebox in the clubhouse of the Combe Haven Holiday Park where we stayed and therefore the music we listened to. Many a sixpence was spent playing songs I liked. Then midweek a man shows up and changes the records on the jukebox and this new release from The Hollies was added. ‘Here I Go Again’ released on 15th May 1964 entered the hit parade a week later.

On hearing this track I'm right back there, my eleven and a half year old self, hovering by the jukebox waiting expectantly for my selection to play. 

Thank you Allan Clarke, Graham Nash, Tony Hicks, Eric Haydock & Bobby Elliott. Never saw this in colour before 😃 

Postscript: I also found out that the week previously the Kinks had appearing on the Hastings Pier - their 3rd single 'You Really Got Me' still more than two months away. 

   

On the same day in November 1967 as The Moody Blues LP 'Days of Future Passed' was released, so was the single from the album 'Nights in White Satin'. Making the UK chart in January 1968 and reaching No.19 in February.  

Both the album and single having only moderate success upon release, 'Nights in White Satin' has enjoyed a recurring chart presence over the years. In 1972 following steady FM radio airplay and the success of this single, the album became a top ten hit in the US.
'Nights' was a hit again in the UK and Ireland in 1979 reaching numbers 14 and 8, respectively. The song charted once again in 2010, reaching number 51 in the UK Official Singles Charts. 
With hindsight 'Days of Future Passed' has since been listed among the most important albums of 1967 by Rolling Stone magazine, cited by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an example of one of the first progressive rock albums and one of the first concept LP releases.
The "orchestral" sounds in the main body of 'Nights in White Satin' were actually produced by Mike Pinder's Mellotron keyboard device. One of the founding members of the band, sadly Mike's 'Days Passed' only last month, but as a pioneer of the Mellotron his playing would become The Moody Blues' signature sound.

With the instrument's instruction to 'play slowly' here's a rather flaky 'sound wise' 10 minute video that's very informative called "A Brief History of the Mellotron" Click here. 

The phrase “No Prog Rock without mellotrons” will clue you in to its main content. 

     

Psychedelic backdrop.

Photo taken at the Small Fakers gig at The Piper, St. Leonards, April 2024. Before the band arrived. 

   

If anyone was in doubt that 1967 was not a technicolour psychedelic dream, I present the evidence for the accused. 

Lighting the fire was the debut album 'The Doors' followed by Jefferson Airplane 'Surrealistic Pillow'; 'The Velvet Underground & Nico'; Jimi Hendrix 'Are You Experienced'; 'Sgt. Peppers'; Pink Floyd 'The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn'; Beach Boys 'Smiley Smile'; Strawberry Alarm Clock 'Incense and Peppermints'; Love 'Forever Changes'; Cream 'Disraeli Gears; The Moody Blues 'Days Of Future Passed'; The Rolling Stones 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'; Traffic 'Mr Fantasy'; & The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour' ! 

I further bring to your attention an earlier indication of things to come with this excellent 20 minute video of British single releases in the October of 1966. [click here] Containing some great footage and a number of less well known records. The Wolves in particular ! 

'Psychedelia' - The term was first coined as a noun in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond as an alternative descriptor for hallucinogenic drugs in the context of psychedelic psychotherapy. 

The phrase 'psychedelic' was coined in music terms with 'The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators ' in 1966. 

"I rest my case, m'lud"

To the music, an unfamiliar track until once again heard on an episode of 'Heartbeat'. From October 1967 on their ‘Try It’ album, the American garage band The Standells with Side two, track two: ‘Did You Ever Have That Feeling’ >

The video is very psychedelic - and might blow your mind a bit - so you may want to wait till later in the day to watch, rather than first thing in the morning 😉 

Check out the evidence here with 'A List of 25 LPs released in 1967'

  

Today's Star Track is The Spencer Davis Group and 'I'm A Man' - but how did I get here ?

Well it all starts with hearing a piece of music in an episode of 'Heartbeat'. This instrumental required 'Shazam' to tell me it was called 'Waltz for Lumumba' and it appeared on a Steve Winwood 'Best of' release from 2010. 

Intrigued I set off in search of more info and here it gets a tad convoluted, so I won't bore you with it all. I discovered it had appeared on a CD album reissue of 'The Spencer Davis Group: Autumn ‘66' and named 'Waltz for Lumumba (Waltz for Caroline)' which indicated it had been recycled and renamed in 1968 when the group supplied most of the soundtrack to the film 'Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush'. Same track renamed ‘for Caroline’ (referring to ‘posh' Caroline Beauchamp: Angela Scoular) in the movie. The jazzy percussion and organ sound typical of wild party scenes in films involving people getting high on psychedelia and dancing in a world of their own. Listen to the track here. 

Further to this I also found a website that had a 1970 single release from New Zealand with 'Waltz for Lumumba' as a 'B' side to (you guessed it) 'I'm A Man'.  

The original 'I'm A Man' single released in January 1967 had been backed by 'I Can't Get Enough of It' and reached No.9 in the UK and peaked at No.10 in the US Billboard charts. 

All this said I best remember the 1970 single version by Chicago - known at the time of release as Chicago Transit Authority. Searches often reveal Bo Diddley's ‘I’m A Man’ from 1955, rocked up by The Yardbirds in 1965 to add to the confusion. 

After all this we got there.... The Spencer Davis Group and 'I'm A Man' - and here's another one of those excellent Swinging London, King's Road videos to accompany the song. 

 

  

For the 'Merry Month of May' I have some 60 year old childhood memories and some sixties psychedelia from 1967. 

Everything will be reveal by the end of the month but we start today with a single released on 1st May 1964 by The Shadows. Written by all the band members ‘The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt’ was reviewed by Record Mirror as "completely different from all the Shads' previous ones. Good beat and plenty of blues' feeling". 

It was still an instrumental track and this vintage video has the group showing off their British made Burns electric guitars. They even made a model called the 'Marvin' (see ad in this article here). 

'Flingel Bunt’ had risen to No.7 in the UK hit parade by the end of May - dig the ‘go go’ dancers > 

More Go Go dancers? Dance On: right here  

Today's track is also for Duane Eddy who passed away this week aged 86 and was a big influence on many 60s guitarists including Hank Marvin.

Eddy is quoted as saying "One of my biggest contributions to the music industry is not singing"  RIP