Category: 1960s

Beatles – It Won’t Be Long

I wrote this for Dave’s Turntable Talk. I’ve asked our writers to pick a song that wasn’t a “single” – thus was either an ordinary album cut or perhaps the “b-side” to a regular single – that they think was good enough and should have been a single. Today, we’ll act like it was one! Thanks, Dave, for publishing this yesterday!

I was 8 years old, and my cousin and I were spending time in an old shed that had been abandoned for years, and it was our clubhouse. It had a wood floor, and somehow, my cousin Greg got a slot machine and put it in there. We also found a couch somewhere, but most importantly, Greg brought his record player. I had never heard the Beatles, and he put the needle on Meet The Beatles. This song jumped out at me, and I fell completely. It not only made me a lifelong Beatles fan, but it also made me a lifelong MUSIC fan. Plus, it’s catchy and has a great guitar line. It should have been a single.

Whenever someone asks me what Beatles album track should have been a single, I don’t have to think very long. This song is my answer. Not because it’s the greatest song they ever did, but because it’s the one that made me a Beatles fan when I was eight years old. We all have that one song that opens the door to a favorite artist, and this was mine. Every time I hear that opening, I’m taken right back to being a kid discovering the Beatles for the very first time. For me, that’s something no chart position could ever top.

It was recorded in July 1963 at EMI Studios in London; the song was written primarily by John Lennon, with the usual Lennon-McCartney credit. The famous “Yeah…yeah!” call-and-response was inspired by the audience reaction the Beatles were already getting at their concerts. While it was never released as a single in Britain, many fans have long believed it easily could have been. It has all the ingredients: a great guitar hook, tight harmonies, and the excitement that defined Beatlemania.

Musically, the song is remarkable for its vocal arrangement. Lennon leads the way, but Paul McCartney and George Harrison weave harmonies around him that give the record an urgency few bands could match in 1963. Ringo Starr keeps everything driving forward without overplaying, while George Martin’s production captures the group just as they were becoming the biggest band in the world.

There are other songs like In My Life, Here Comes The Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and many more that are more worthy, but…they didn’t mean as much to me as this one did.

It Won’t Be Long

It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long yeah (yeah), ’til I belong to you

Every night, when everybody has fun
Here am I sitting all on my own

It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long yeah (yeah), ’til I belong to you

Since you left me, I’m so alone
Now you’re coming, you’re coming on home
I’ll be good like I know I should
You’re coming home, you’re coming home

Every night, the tears come down from my eyes
Every day, I’ve done nothing but cry

It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long yeah (yeah), ’til I belong to you

Since you left me, I’m so alone
Now you’re coming, you’re coming on home
I’ll be good like I know I should
You’re coming home, you’re coming home
So every day we’ll be happy, I know
Now I know that you won’t leave me no more

It won’t be long, yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long (yeah), yeah (yeah), yeah (yeah)
It won’t be long yeah (yeah), ’til I belong to you

Move – Blackberry Way

First, I want to tell you the readers that I really appreciate you. No matter what curve I throw at you all (Pub rock, surf music, western swing, country, folk, Texas songwriters, etc)…you always respond and try songs you’ve never heard before. You don’t care if the song is popular or not; you just want good songs. I just hope I can keep finding songs worth your time.

I’ve always been interested in The Move, especially Roy Wood. They could write a catchy pop song and still experiment without losing the melody. This one might be my favorite because it shows every side of the band at once. It’s psychedelic without being over the top, pop without being lightweight, and it has that Roy Wood touch. If you’ve only heard Electric Light Orchestra, do yourself a favor and spend some time with The Move. You’ll hear where so many of those great ideas began.

The Move formed in 1965 and was very successful until Roy Wood (lead singer and songwriter), Jeff Lynne (who joined in 1969), and Bev Bevan formed ELO in 1972. While most groups concentrated on albums, The Move seemed to have a gift for releasing one great single after another. During this period, Roy Wood became the band’s creative driving force, writing ambitious songs while experimenting with strings, layered harmonies, and unusual arrangements.

This was written by Roy Wood during a difficult period when he was reportedly frustrated with the music business and the direction of the band. Rather than writing another upbeat pop song, he came up with something moodier. The record blends melancholy lyrics with one of the catchiest melodies of the late 1960s. Its rich harmonies, cello, and piano gave it a sound unlike anything else on the radio.

It was released in late 1968; it became The Move’s only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. Ironically, just as the band reached the top, they were already evolving toward a new chapter. Not long afterward, Jeff Lynne joined and then Lynne and Wood eventually launched Electric Light Orchestra. They carried many of the ideas first explored in The Move.

Blackberry Way

Blackberry Way
Absolutely pouring down with rain
It’s a terrible day

Up with a lark
Silly girl I don’t know what to say
She was running away

So now I’m standing on the corner
Lost, in the things that I said
What am I supposed to do now-w

Goodbye Blackberry Way
I can’t see you
I don’t need you
Goodbye Blackberry Way
Sure to want me back another day

Gone to the park
Overgrowing but the trees are bare
There’s a memory there

Boats on the lake
Unattended now, they’re all to drown
I’m incredibly down

Just like myself they are neglected
Turn, with my eyes to the wall
What am I supposed to do now-w

Goodbye Blackberry Way
I can’t see you
I don’t need you
Goodbye Blackberry Way
Sure to want me back another day

Ooo-black, Ooo-black, ooo-ooo
Ahhh-hhh-hhh
Ooo-black, Ooo-black, ooo-ooo
Ahhh-hhh-hhh

Run for the train
Look behind you for she may be there
Say I think you’re the girl

Blackberry Way
See the battlefields of care or sins
Cast to the winds

So full of emptiness without her
Lost in the words that I said
What am I supposed to do now-w

Goodbye Blackberry Way
I can’t see you
I don’t need you
Goodbye Blackberry Way
Sure to want me back another day

Dave Davies – Susannah’s Still Alive

I’ve always thought Dave Davies deserved more credit than he usually gets. Ray Davies was a songwriting genius, but Dave’s guitar playing helped define The Kinks just as much. That raw, distorted sound changed rock music forever. On top of that, Dave could write songs that stood on their own, and this song is one of the best examples. It’s melodic, heartfelt, and has that unmistakable Kinks sound. If you’ve only heard Dave through his guitar work, this is a great place to discover the songwriter.

When most people think of The Kinks, they naturally think of Ray Davies. He wrote most of the band’s classic songs and became one of rock’s greatest storytellers. But without Dave Davies, The Kinks wouldn’t have sounded like The Kinks. His slashing guitar on You Really Got Me helped invent hard rock, and his playing gave Ray’s songs an edge that few bands could match. Every now and then, Dave stepped into the spotlight himself, and this one proved he had plenty to say as a songwriter.

Released in 1967 as Dave’s second solo single, it arrived during one of the most creative periods in The Kinks’ career. Ray was writing songs that painted pictures of English life, while Dave leaned toward a more personal, emotional style. This was written by Dave himself and produced by Shel Talmy, the song features the familiar Kinks lineup. Although credited as a solo record, it feels like a close cousin to the band’s recordings from that era.

The song tells the story of someone looking back on a relationship with a mix of regret and hope. Dave’s vocals have a vulnerability that suits the lyrics perfectly, while his ringing guitar work reminds you that he was far more than just the band’s lead guitarist. The melody has that unmistakable late-1960s British feel, balancing catchy hooks with just enough melancholy to make it linger after the song ends.

This wasn’t a major hit everywhere, but it performed well in parts of Europe and has become one of Dave Davies’ signature solo recordings. Looking back, it’s easy to hear that he wasn’t simply Ray’s younger brother. He was an important creative force in The Kinks, both as a guitarist and as a songwriter. Songs like this show another side of his talent and remind us that sometimes the second voice in a great band has a story worth hearing too.

Susannah’s Still Alive

Old Susannah’s bedraggled
But she still wears a lanyard ’round her neck
She’s got a picture on the table
Of a man who’s young and able

Oh, Susannah’s gonna cry
Oh, Susannah’s still alive

Whiskey or a gin, that’s alright
There’s nothing in her bed at night
She sleeps with the covers down
Hoping somebody jumps in
Doesn’t matter what she does
She knows that she can’t win
Oh, Susannah’s still alive

She’s got a dog with one eye
That always cries when he gets some sleep
She’s waiting for a soldier to come home
But you cry and never die

Oh, Susannah’s gonna cry
Oh, Susannah’s still alive

Whiskey or a gin, that’s alright
There’s nothing in her bed at night
She sleeps with the covers down
Hoping somebody gets in
Doesn’t matter what she does
She knows that she can’t win
Oh, Susannah’s still alive

Oh, Susannah’s gonna cry
Oh, Susannah’s still alive
Oh, Susannah’s still alive

Turtles – Elenore

I had this single as a kid. I had a cool cousin who had a lot of records in the sixties, and she gave many to me when she found out that I discovered the Beatles. She greatly influenced my young musical tastes. I will always be grateful to her. I still have that single packed away somewhere, and I remember her every time I hear the song.

The Turtles had become one of the biggest pop groups in America thanks to songs like Happy Together, She’d Rather Be With Me, and You Showed Me. Their record company wanted another smash that sounded just like those hits. The band had other ideas.

Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, along with songwriters Al Nichol and Jim Tucker, decided to have a little fun. They intentionally wrote this song as an exaggerated version of a Turtles love song. Every cliché was turned up a notch. The opening line, “You’re my pride and joy, etcetera,” was meant as a joke. Who starts a love song with “etcetera?” That was exactly the point. They figured the label would reject it.

Instead, the opposite happened. The record company loved it and released it as a single in 1968. It climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became another gold record. The joke was on the band. Fans never realized it was a tongue-in-cheek parody. They simply heard another great pop song with one of the catchiest choruses of the decade. Kaylan later admitted they couldn’t believe people took it seriously, but they certainly weren’t complaining.

There was just something about that melody that stuck with me. And, of course, that unforgettable opening line. I still smile every time I hear “You’re my pride and joy, etcetera.” I can’t think of many hit songs that worked the word “etcetera” into the lyrics, yet somehow it fits perfectly. Whether it started as a joke or not, it became exactly what the band was trying to parody, another timeless pop classic. That’s one of the reasons I have always liked the Turtles; they never took themselves seriously.

Behind many of these singles is a story that’s every bit as entertaining as the song itself. And thanks to my cousin handing me that years ago, because it has always been one of those records that takes me right back to being a kid.

The song peaked at #1 in New Zealand,  #6 on the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, and #7 in the UK in 1968.

Howard Kaylan: It was never intended to be a straight-forward song. It was meant as an anti-love letter to White Whale (their record company), who were constantly on our backs to bring them another ‘Happy Together.’ So I gave them a very skewed version. Not only with the chords changed, but with all these bizarre words. It was my feeling that they would listen to how strange and stupid the song was and leave us alone. But they didn’t get the joke. They thought it sounded good. Truthfully, though, the production on ‘Elenore’ WAS so damn good. Lyrically or not, the sound of the thing was so positive that it worked. It certainly surprised me.” 

Elenore

You got a thing about you
I just can’t live without you
I really want you Elenore near me
Your looks intoxicate me
Even though your folks hate me
There’s no one like you Elenore really

Elenore gee I think you’re swell
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy et cetera
Elenore can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better

I really think you’re groovy
Let’s go out to a movie
What do ya say now, Elenore can we?
They’ll turn the lights way down low
Maybe we won’t watch the show
I think I love you, Elenore, love me

Elenore, gee I think you’re swell
And you really do me well
You’re my pride and joy, et cetera
Elenore, can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind?
Tell me that you love me better

One more time!

Elenore, gee I think you’re swell, ah-hah
Elenore, gee I think you’re swell, ah-hah-hah

The Prisoner – Fall Out

February 1, 1968  Season 1 Episode 17

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

I wanted to say this before I start. These last episodes aren’t difficult to write about because they’re poorly made. They’re difficult because they’re symbolic rather than literal. They’re asking philosophical questions instead of telling a straightforward story. I like to be challenged as a viewer, and good and bad, this series does it. The proof is that we are still talking about it on a blog in 2026. Saying that, it took me weeks to write this.

Well, we are at the conclusion of this great series. There is something I would like to touch on first before we get into the episode. I would recommend not reading this if you want to see this episode, but look at and listen to the intro again that we have been seeing and hearing since day one. I personally think the show has been telling you something since the first episode.

Number Six: Where am I?
Number Two: In the village.
Number Six: What do you want?
Number Two: Information.
Number Six: Whose side are you on?
Number Two: That would be telling. We want information…information… information!!!
Number Six: You won’t get it!
Number Two: By hook or by crook, we will.
Number Six: Who are you?
Number Two: The new Number Two.
Number Six: Who is Number One?
Number Two: You are Number Six.
Number Six (running on the Village’s beach): I am not a number; I am a free man!!!
Number Two: [Laughter]

Now, let’s place a comma in part of this dialogue that we have heard since the beginning, and we have this:

Number Six: Who is Number One?
Number Two: You are, Number Six.

What power a comma has!

Now, whether you believe this or not is up to you, but in this episode, it basically plays it out. I’ve always thought (and thought WAY too much!) the Village works on several levels. On the surface, it is a prison. Underneath that, it is society. Underneath that, it is the complex human mind. Number Six spends the entire series fighting conformity, group thought, and control. But in the end, he may also be fighting parts of himself. So is Number 6 his own jailer? You are your own ruler. You are the person ultimately responsible for your choices.

Ok, let’s get to this episode and, IF I can put it in words. One word clears it up quite well, though… symbolism, because this episode is full of it.

After surviving the ordeal of the last episode, Once Upon a Time, Number Six is brought before the rulers of the Village. To his surprise, after a while, he is treated as a hero rather than a prisoner. A strange assembly gathers to celebrate his victory. Number Six is questioned, praised, and finally given the chance to help decide the fate of the Village itself. The proceedings feel partly like a courtroom fever dream.

As the ceremony continues, Number Six encounters several familiar faces from his time in the Village. He also comes face to face with the mystery that has haunted him since the beginning of the series: the identity of Number One. The answers he receives are anything but straightforward. The episode becomes increasingly surreal. Masks appear. Roles change. Gunfire, and all hell breaks loose. The line between reality and symbolism begins to disappear. What seems important one moment is swept aside the next.

In the final act, Number Six and his allies fight their way out of the Village and escape to London. Yet even after reaching home, there is a feeling that the struggle is not really over. The final scenes suggest that the forces represented by the Village exist beyond any single location.

Like much of The Prisoner, this episode leaves many questions unanswered. I’ve read and talked to fans about it. Some viewers see it as a story about freedom. Others see it as a warning about power and the prisons we create for ourselves. Whatever the interpretation, it remains one of the most talked-about endings in television history.

One side note: the Beatles allowed Patrick McGoohan to use the song All You Need Is Love in this one. It was something they didn’t normally do. They were such huge fans that they gladly gave McGoohan permission. Funny, the most violent scene in the series was going on with All You Need Is Love blissfully playing in the background.

One thing I love about Fall Out is that McGoohan seems less interested in answering “Who is Number One?” than he is in asking, “Now what will you do?” That’s why people are still debating it nearly sixty years later, including you and me today. This is the last episode, so thank you for reading. Remember, the Village will always be somewhere near you now and in 10 years. My closing remark on the series would be this. Patrick McGoohan wasn’t really giving us an answer. I think he was giving us a mirror. Be Seeing You!

The Prisoner – Once Upon A Time

January 25, 1968 Season 1 Episode 16

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This episode is basically a two-person show. Some of the best acting happens in this episode, and it is a life-and-death match between Number 2 and 6. One thing about this episode. It was recorded much earlier; it was the 6th show filmed. That is why Leo McKern, who appears in this, has a slightly different look in the last one.

As the series nears its end, Number Two decides there is only one way left to break Number Six. He takes him deep beneath the Village and subjects him to a process called “Degree Absolute.” The method strips away layers of a person’s life and personality. Number Six is forced to relive stages of his past. He moves backward through adulthood, youth, childhood, and even infancy. Number Two hopes that somewhere along the way he will discover why Number Six resigned and finally make him reveal his secrets.

Some of the very best acting is in this episode between Patrick McGoohan and a return of Leo McKern as Number 2. It is one of my favorite episodes. I’ll drop a little trivia here before we continue. The strain of filming this episode caused Leo McKern to suffer either a nervous breakdown or a heart attack (accounts differ), forcing production to stop for a time. You can tell how tense it was by just watching.

Most of the episode takes place in a single room. There are few sets and very little action. Instead, it becomes a contest between the two men. Number Two pushes and tries very much to manipulate. Number Six resists every step of the way. It’s like an emotional chess or tennis match. At times the process seems to be working. At other times Number Six turns the tables on Number 6. The line between prisoner and interrogator begins to blur. Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern carry nearly the entire episode by themselves.

By the end, the strain becomes too much for both men. Number Six refuses to surrender the one thing he has fought to protect throughout the series, his individuality. The contest leaves both men exhausted and broken. Rather than finding the answers he wants, Number Two finds himself trapped by the very process he hoped would beat Number Six. It is one of the most intense episodes of The Prisoner. Two powerful personalities locked in a struggle over freedom and control. There is more, but I’ll let you watch and find out.

This was originally going to be the final episode of the first season. When it was decided to end the series, McGoohan used it as the springboard for the final episode he filmed to sum up the story. McGoohan has said this was his favorite episode of the series. Be Seeing You!

Ricky Nelson

On Turn Table Talk, the topic was “It’s No Act!” . We all can think of musicians who’ve tried to make the leap to acting – David Bowie, Cher, Sting, among many others – but this month we’re looking at actors/actresses or other celebrities who’ve decided to try to launch a music career after being noted in other entertainment fields. I picked Ricky Nelson. Thanks Dave!

I think Ricky Nelson is one of the few examples of actors who went into music and were remembered as musicians. He was a good actor, but he will be remembered more as a musician.

I went through a Ricky Nelson phase when I graduated in 1985. I purchased a greatest-hits package and was learning more of his songs. I wanted to go see him perform that year, and I kept waiting for him to appear somewhere because I heard he was touring. This was before the internet, and you had to read the newspapers for announcements and listen to the radio. Musicians would play at places, and you would never know sometimes.

I never got a chance to see him because on December 31, 1985, his chartered jet crashed, killing him and six other passengers. Ricky was a rockabilly guy and a great one. He gets lost in the shuffle because he was a huge teenage actor at the time on his family’s show…The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In the rock world, being a teen idol knocks you down the respect ladder.

Before Ricky Nelson became one of the biggest teen idols of the 1950s, he was already a television star. He was born in 1940 into a show business family. His parents, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson, starred in the popular radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky appeared on the show as himself beginning in the early 1950s. Millions of viewers watched him grow up on screen each week. By the time he reached his teenage years, he was already one of the most recognizable young faces in America.

Music came almost by accident. Ricky wanted to impress a girl (she was a massive Elvis fan) and claimed he was a recording artist. To make the story true, he recorded Fats Domino’s I’m Walkin’ in 1957. The song became a hit. Soon he was recording regularly and turning out hits such as Poor Little Fool, Travelin’ Man, and Hello Mary Lou. Unlike many teen stars of the era, Nelson worked with strong musicians and was full tilt in rockabilly and early rock and roll.

As the 1960s arrived, Nelson continued acting while building a successful music career. He later dropped the “Ricky” and became known as Rick Nelson. His sound matured and moved toward country rock before the style became popular. While television gave him his start, music became his legacy. He is remembered as one of the few entertainers who successfully made the jump from television star to respected recording artist.

The sad part is that his music wasn’t taken as seriously later on because he was a teen idol. That started to change over time, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987. I always considered Rick Nelson a musician and a great rockabilly artist, along with country rock. I always considered him the real deal.

I’ve heard the phrase “The universal language is not music, nor love; it is loneliness,” and this song fits it perfectly.

The Prisoner – The Girl Who Was Death

January 18, 1968 Season 1 Episode 15

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

The script for this show was a leftover script from McGoohan’s earlier show Danger Man. They turned it into a Prisoner episode, and yes, it gets confusing. I’ll do my best to explain this one, but explaining the next two episodes will be hard. I watched this episode, and I was wondering how they could make it make sense. They do!

This is one of the most unusual episodes of The Prisoner. Number Six is enjoying a rare day outside the Village (you don’t know how or why) when he encounters a mysterious young woman who seems determined to kill him after she already killed someone else. She uses one elaborate trap after another. She has already killed another spy. Number Six barely escapes each one. At first, he has no idea why he is being targeted. The episode is more like a spy adventure than a typical Village story.

It quickly turns into something closer to a comic-strip adventure. A glamorous assassin and a smug announcer push the story into a world where danger is real, but everything is staged like entertainment. The Girl herself is the main weapon; she’s charming, always one step ahead, and the whole thing plays out like a game designed to break his rhythm and make him look foolish.

As the story unfolds, Number Six discovers that the woman is working for her father, a dangerous scientist who has created a weapon capable of threatening Britain. The scientist hides his plans behind riddles, clues, and puzzles. Number Six follows the trail across the countryside. Along the way, he faces more traps and narrow escapes. The episode is filled with disguises, secret messages, and a sense of fun that is very different from the darker episodes of the series.

In the end, Number Six uncovers the scientist’s plan and races to stop the weapon before it can be used. The final confrontation reveals that things are not quite what they seem. That’s all I’ll say, or I would give it away. That’s what makes this show fun. They can explain almost anything with the Village. It remains one of the most debated and unique episodes in the entire series that is full of them.

The character “Bowler” is portrayed by an actor named John Drake. Not only is John Drake the name of Patrick McGoohan’s character in his old show Danger Man, but it is also possibly the true identity of Number 6 in this show. McGoohan hired Drake because he was amused by the coincidence. Be Seeing You!

…

The Prisoner – Living In Harmony

December 29, 1967 Season 1 Episode 14

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

And away we go! We trade the village scenery for the Old West. This one does away with the regular intro, and we start off with Number 6 riding a horse in the town of Harmony after a fight. This was Patrick McGoohan’s favorite episode to make. This episode is one of the strangest episodes of The Prisoner, and that is saying something. When it starts, you are wondering what is going on. Is this the right show? Then everything starts falling into place after a few minutes. It’s now an episode that I love.

Number Six suddenly finds himself in what looks like the American Old West. This town, Harmony which is run by the Judge, with the Kid, a young gunslinger, as his murderous assistant. Number 6 is a former sheriff who has resigned his position, much like he resigned from his old life before arriving in the Village. The townspeople do not trust him. The new authorities want him gone. No matter where he turns, he is pressured to explain why he resigned. Just like in the Village, nobody accepts his right to make his own choices.

As the story moves on, Number Six faces harassment and constant attempts to break his spirit. The Western setting is different, but the methods are familiar. The town is really another form of prison. The people around him are playing assigned roles. The authorities try to push him into violence or force him to submit. Number Six refuses to give them what they want. He continues to resist even when the odds are against him.

Near the end, the illusion begins to crack. The western town is revealed to be another experiment designed to control and study him. They try to make him more disposed to killing. The familiar faces of the Village return. Number Six learns that changing the scenery changes nothing. Whether he is in a modern Village or a frontier town, the battle remains the same. It is a fight for freedom, individuality, and the right to remain his own man. Be Seeing You!

…

The Prisoner – Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

December 22, 1967  Season 1 Episode 13

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This is where the show started to become more chaotic. Before resigning, Number Six had worked on a mind transfer experiment with Professor Seltzman. The Village wants to kidnap the professor (Seltzman) to get information from him. The professor had a machine that could transfer a person’s thoughts and consciousness into another. The Village could transfer someone’s thoughts and consciousness into another person like the professor, but they could not reverse it. For that, they would have to track the Professor down.

The best way was to transfer Number 6’s consciousness to another person, and then he would be forced to find Professor Seltzman and reverse it. They knew Seltzman wouldn’t give up information freely, so they placed Number Six’s consciousness into another man. That man is Colonel Sinclair, who is loyal to Number 1. Now, Number 6 is inhabiting Sinclair. From here on out until we get to the end, Number 6 is in Sinclair’s body. Sinclair’s thoughts are back at the village in Number 6.

This unique “freaky Friday” style body-swap plot was actually written out of necessity. Actor and series creator Patrick McGoohan needed to travel to the United States to film his role in the feature film Ice Station Zebra, so the writers created a storyline that allowed another actor (Nigel Stock) to stand in as Number Six. So until the end, Sinclair is really Number 6

Sinclair leaves the Village and heads back to London to his home. He tries to contact people from Number Six’s old life. Nobody recognizes him because he no longer looks like himself. Sinclair also reconnects with Number Six’s former fiancée. She begins to believe his story after hearing details only Number Six would know.

We have some serious spy business as well. My favorite part of this episode is when Sinclair gets a note that was given to his fiancée before he was kidnapped. It’s a number to pick up some picture slides from a photo business. The government has already seen them, but they couldn’t figure the code out. Sinclair works through them to get the message. Now Sinclair (again Number 6) is going to reconnect with Professor Sinclair, and the Village knew that he would, so they follow. That was the whole point of this.

They ended up kidnapping both of them. Sinclair returns with the professor, hoping to reverse the process before it becomes permanent. The transfer is finally reversed, and Number Six gets his own body back. This episode ranks near the bottom with a lot of fans and critics, but I thought it was fun and I liked the ending…it was a wonderful twist. Be Seeing You!

New Site: oldsteamships.com

I have been writing about the RMS Titanic on my blog, and I think it fits the pop culture theme I have, but I would like to write about the Olympic, Britannic, and other ships like the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and the RMS Empress of Ireland. But I thought it would work better in a separate blog. I won’t be posting a ton to it, but it will give me a place to write about them without disrupting the flow at powerpop.blog. If you are interested, come along, but I get it if you are not. That is why I’m making this blog. A release valve for me to explore this subject when I find something interesting. Thank you all for reading as always.

https://oldsteamships.blog

The Three Sisters

Chocolate Watchband – I’m Not Like Everybody Else

My friend Greg sent me this band in a text message. I listened to it and some of their other songs; the lead singer sounds more like Jagger than Jagger does in some songs. I love the late sixties with the cool band names. The Incredible Grateful Shrinking Chocolate Marshmallows. Wow…if only it were still the late 60s! Little did I know when I heard this song that it has a KINKS connection.

This song was written by Ray Davies in 1966. The original version was sung by Dave Davies and released as a B-side to Sunday Afternoon in England. The Chocolate Watchband took the song and pushed it into rougher territory. It fit right in with the late 1960s garage scene where bands wanted fuzz guitars, attitude, and songs about not fitting in. The Watchband that mixed garage rock with psychedelia. This song became one of the tracks fans connected with because it sounded defiant without trying too hard.

This is really strange. The song was on the album The Inner Mystique, which had an odd history because producer Ed Cobb used session musicians and outside singers on the first side of the album. The actual band members mainly appeared on the second side, which included this song. The band had largely fractured and disintegrated. Taking advantage of this, their producer/manager Ed Cobb hired anonymous session musicians to record the instrumentals and other tracks to fulfill the record requirements.

The second side helped give those tracks more of the real Chocolate Watchband sound. Rough guitars. Garage rock energy. Less polished than what the label wanted.

I’m Not Like Everybody Else

I won’t take all that they hand me down
And make out a smile, though I wear a frown
‘Cause I’m not gonna take it all lying down
‘Cause once I get started, I go to town

‘Cause I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

And I don’t want to walk about like everybody else
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

But darling, you know that I love you true
Do anything that you want me to
Confess all my sins like you want me to
There’s one thing that I will say to you

I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

And I don’t want to walk about like everybody else
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else
And I won’t say that I feel fine like everybody else
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

Like everybody else
Like everybody else
Like everybody else
Like everybody else

If you all want me to settle down
Slow up and stop all my running ’round
Do everything like you want me to
There’s one thing that I will say to you

I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

And I don’t want to walk about like everybody else
And I don’t want to live my life like everybody else
And I don’t want to stay confined like everybody else
‘Cause I’m not like everybody else
I’m not like everybody else

Like everybody else (Like everybody else)
Like everybody else (Like everybody else)
Like everybody else (Like everybody else)
Like everybody else

Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Theme

I’ve always wanted to acknowledge this guy. Ever since I saw and heard The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. His scores are excellent and are just as important to the movies as the actors were. It was hard to pick one, but this one has never left me, and it made the movie what it was as much as Clint Eastwood did.

When the film was released in 1966, the music spread far beyond movie theaters. Radio stations played the theme like a hit single. Rock bands admired it because it sounded raw and modern instead of a Hollywood-finished score. You can hear its influence in everything from surf music to punk and alternative rock. Over the years, the theme has been sampled and used in commercials, sports events, and television shows. Morricone later became one of the most respected film composers in history. He won a competitive Academy Award for The Hateful Eight in 2016. Still, this song remains the one most tied to his name.

This was one of those pieces of music that changed the sound of movie scores. Before it came along, westerns usually used big orchestras or a western guitar. He tried something completely different. He used coyote-like howls, whistling, electric guitar, cracking snare drums, bells, and chanting voices. The strange sound matched the dusty world that director Sergio Leone was creating in his spaghetti westerns. Morricone and Leone had known each other as kids in Rome, and when Leone started making westerns in the 1960s, he turned to Morricone to build something different. Even people who never saw the movie recognized those opening notes.

The recording sessions mixed trained orchestra players with unusual sounds and effects. Singer Alessandro Alessandroni provided the whistle and vocal parts that helped make the track what it is. Leone often played Morricone’s music on the set before scenes were filmed, which was unusual at the time. It helped actors and camera crews move with the rhythm and mood of the score.

The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard Album Charts while staying on the charts for over a year. I went to Aphoristic New Music Reviews on Thursday. He featured an artist named Jessie Ware. When I clicked on play…there was this theme she worked into her song, so it still works after all these years. Graham also showed me a link to the MANY different artists that have sampled this.