Record of the Year 1966: Lou Christie - Lightnin Strikes

So here is my record of the year for 1966. I was quite reluctant to make this my record of the year as this is not my favourite Lou Christie single, my favourite is "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" which was released in 1969, but the competition is a lot more fierce that year.

Born Lugee Sacco, he was already an established act in his native America by the time this was released and this would be his only US number one. It was his debut hit in the UK and reached number 11 in the charts.

This to me sums up the 60s pop record nicely, I like the concept of the falsetto voice with female backing singers on the track.

Lou Christie would have a further 3 hits in the 60s, but has remained active in the music scene ever since and is still making new music.

The Christmas Charts - 2016

So this years Christmas number one has now been revealed. It's "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit. It makes a change from recent years as its not from the X Factor and its not a charity record or part of any X Factor campaign. In fact it was probably never intended to compete for Christmas number one given it was released at the beginning of November and has been number one for 7 weeks. The last time a Christmas number one had already been at number one for 7 weeks by Christmas was 60 years ago back in 1956 with Johnnie Rays "Walking In the Rain". I first encountered Clean Bandit a couple of years ago as I quite liked the music on the M&S advert, so I went to Google to find out what it was. Unfortunately the actual tune that charted had some awful vocals added to it, but an instrumental version does exist on YouTube which is far better. As for this record, again some awful vocals on it by a singer called Anne-Marie and some ok vocals from Sean Paul, someone I used to listen to back in 2003. Can't really say its my cup of tea, but its better than most Christmas number ones we've had in recent years.

As for the X Factor winner, well he is a man called Matt Terry and he has actually released a Christmas record called "When Christmas Comes Around" which also surprisingly for the X Factor isn't a cover.

The highest charting Christmas song this year is "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey, which has reached number 5. Then there is the annual outing of "Fairytale Of New York" by the Pogues at number 15. One place below is "Last Christmas" by Wham. At number 22 we have "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin Stevens. Then back at number 26 is "Driving Home For Christmas" by Chris Rea, which is actually an improvement on the number 53 it reached when it first charted in 1988. One place below is "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard. Then we have "Do They Know Its Christmas?" by Band aid at number 35, then at 38 we have a Michael Buble cover of "Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" which it turns out was first released in 2011. Finally we have "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade at number 19.

So basically, the only new Christmas song this year comes from the X Factor, which would be considered a flop for not reaching number one and nearly a quarter of the top 40 are Christmas songs from yesteryear re-entering the charts. Given that people have had 29 years to get their copy of "Fairytale Of New York", you would think that everyone who wanted to own it would own it by now. However, streaming counts towards the charts these days and given the number of Christmas parties etc you get with Christmas playlists being played, it looks very much like these songs will continue to chart in years to come. Merry Christmas!

My Top 5 Christmas Number Ones

So today the Christmas number one for 2016 was revealed, more about that tomorrow. I thought I would decide my top 5 Christmas number ones of all time, it's quite difficult really given there are very few that I really like. Once you eliminate the X Factor, novelty records, Band Aid, Spice Girls, Cliff Richard and Bohemian Rhapsody you're not left with a great deal to choose from. But I managed it, so here we go.

5. Human League - Don't You Want Me (1981)

I was quite reluctant to include this because as far as Human League songs go, this is amongst the worst. Further to that, the 1995 remix of this which charted is far better in my opinion, but wasn't a Christmas number one. However, it's not a bad tune and would probably sound a lot better if I hadn't heard it so many times in my life. I do like my electronic music after all.

4. Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite (1986)

This is the last Christmas number one which I was too young to actually remember it being Christmas number one. I've also never known this song not to exist, but then it was originally recorded in 1957 so that would be true of many people living today. Jackie Wilson himself wouldn't have known this was a Christmas number one as he had already died by this point. It's one of these records I could just keep on listening to and never get tired of, which is probably one of the reasons why we still hear it at Christmas now despite it having nothing to do with Christmas.

3. Rage Against the Machine - Killing In the Name (2009)

The Christmas number one which stopped the run of Simon Cowell and co. To me though, this wasn't just about getting one up on Simon Cowell, its showing the youth who have never known any different to all this X Factor/Pop Idol/Pop Stars etc nonsense what we would listen to when we were their age. I first heard this on somebodies Walkman at scouts when it first came out and was impressed straight away. I have fond memories of singing and playing this on the guitar on the school bus and getting a bollocking from the bus driver for the expletives I was shouting out. I also remember the last day of term at school where it was a bit of a free for all, we had a tape player in the classroom and had been playing different tunes off different tapes. We then decided to listen to Rage Against the Machines album the whole way through, this was the second track and the teacher came in when this was playing and he confiscated the tape player as a result. Sure beats watching an arrogant prick and his disciples judging a glorified karaoke contest.


2. East 17 - Stay Another Day (1994)

Some of you may be thinking, how can you say an East 17 song is better than a Rage Against the Machine one? Well we all have our guilty pleasures, and East 17 is very much one of mine. A number of years ago, I used to go to a karaoke night on an almost weekly basis and more often than not I would sing this. The DJ would question why I was singing a Christmas song in the middle of summer. This is something which often bugs me, because it is not a Christmas song. It was written about Tony Mortimer's brother who committed suicide, nothing to do with Christmas at all. I will concede that the bells at the end sound quite Christmassy but that does not make it a Christmas song.

1. Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind (1987)

Well there was only ever one candidate for my favourite really. One of my favourite tunes of one of my favourite bands of all time. This was the first Christmas number one I do remember being Christmas number one and also the first version of the song I heard. Now I've heard the original I realise just how genius this cover actually is. The fact that I've not been able to go and see the Pet Shop Boys in concert in London this year or next year because they have sold out before I've been able to buy tickets shows that many will agree.

The Christmas Charts - 2006

By 2006 we had reached the era of the X Factor number one. This year was the turn of Leona Lewis with "A Moment Like This". Unsurprisingly this was a cover, with the original being by Kelly Clarkson, the winner of American Idol which was basically the American equivalent of the X Factor before it existed over there and also featured Simon Cowell. What is quite surprising though is that one of the writers of the song is John Reid of Nightcrawlers fame. Have to say I much prefer "Push the Feeling On".

Being denied yet another Christmas number one by Simon Cowell and co was Cliff Richard with "21st Century Christmas". I must admit, I have no recollection of this song ever existing despite it reaching number 2.

Also in the charts this year was "December Brings Me Back To You" by Andy Abraham and Michael Underwood. Andy had been a contestant on the previous years X Factor and this would be his only top 40 hit. Michael was a kids TV presenter. Again, I have no recollection of this ever existing.

A song I do remember though was "Christmas My Arse" by Ricky Tomlinson. The novelty record at Christmas time still very much alive. It wasn't alone though, Crazy Frog did a version of "Last Christmas" this year, seemingly not enough people were fed up with Crazy Frog by this point.

This would be the final Christmas before downloads without a physical copy being released became eligible for the charts. However, we did have "Fairytale Of New York" rereleased this year, which has made an appearance in the top 40 every year since. We also had "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade rereleased, which has appeared in the top 100 every year since but not the top 40.

So that just leaves this years Christmas top 40 which gets announced tomorrow and will write my piece on it Christmas eve.

The Christmas Charts - 1996

In 1996 the Christmas number one was just as predictable as the X Factor ones which came in later years. It was "2 Become 1" by the Spice Girls. By this point we had established they weren't going to be a one hit wonder and that getting to number one was just a formality. This was helped to number one by somebody I knew at the time buying it simply because you could see Geri's legs on the cover.

It would seem by this point, the Christmas record was being pushed aside for the novelty record. Novelty acts who were on the charts this year included The Woolpackers, Robson & Jerome, and Mike Flowers Pops.

There was however one novelty song which was also a Christmas song. This was "Your Christmas Wish" by The Smurfs. This was actually the second Christmas hit from the Smurfs, the last one being back in 1978 with "Christmas In Smurfland". It was also the fifth and final single from The Smurfs, not a bad number for a novelty act.

Away from the charts though, back in 1996 I was listening to this.

UK Singles Chart: 1966

Once again in 1966, we begin the year with a chart debutant at number one. This was Spencer Davis Group with "Keep On Running". They followed this up with another number one with "Somebody Help Me" and had a further two hits this year with "When I Come Home" and "Gimme Some Loving".

The second number one also came from a chart debutant. This was the Lennon/McCartney penned "Michelle" by the Overlanders, who would be a one hit wonder. The same week chart debutants "David & Jonathan" also released a version of this record. They would have one more hit in July with "Lovers Of The World Unite", though both members of the group would return in some capacity as they were the famous songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenway.

The third number one also came from a chart debutant, Nancy Sinatra with "These Boots Are Made For Walkin". We also saw her father Frank Sinatra return to the charts this year with a number one record "Strangers In The Night".

It was business as usual for the Beatles who reached number one with both singles this year, "Paperback Writer" and "Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby". This would bring their total number ones to 11.

Elvis Presley was still in the lead in terms of both number of hits and number of number ones. Although he didn't top the charts this year, he did have 5 singles bring his total to 60. In second place, someway back, was Cliff Richard with 39. In third place was Lonnie Donegan with 30, 4 years after his final hit. In fourth was Nat 'King' Cole with 29, also 4 years after his last hit but he wasn't quite finished yet. In fifth was Everly Brothers with 28, though this was the first year they failed to chart since their debut in 1957. Then there were four acts tied in sixth place on 26. Despite it being 7 years since his last hit, Frankie Laine was one of these acts. Another act who's chart career had now ended was also in third place, Pat Boone. Then there was Frankie Vaughan who was currently on hiatus from the charts. The final act in sixth place was Billy Fury who would bid farewell to the top 40 this year with his final 2 hits, "I'll Never Quite Get Over You" and "Give Me Your Word".

Another act from the 50s bidding farewell to the Top 40 this year after a 3 year absence was Bobby Darin with his cover of "If I Were A Carpenter". Meanwhile 1954 debutant Petula Clark was still active in the charts and would be back.

From Motown we have the Temptations make their chart debut with "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". Also from Motown we see the debut of Stevie Wonder with "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". We also have a Motown number one at the end of October with "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops.

Percy Sledge had both his UK singles this year, "When A Man Loves A Woman" and "Warm And Tender Love". There was also the debut of Ike & Tina Turner with "River Deep Mountain High" and followed up with "A Love Like Yours". It would however be another 7 years until they chart with a new record again.

The folk world was still going strong in 1966, with the likes of Bob Dylan and Donovan continuing to have hits. We also saw the debut of Simon & Garfunkel in March with "Homeward Bound", whilst Irish group the Bachelors would have a hit with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence". Also debuting was Mamas and the Papas with "California Dreamin" in April. From the UK we see Cat Stevens debuting in October with "I Love My Dog".

Aside from the Beatles, we see the last of the Merseybeat bands bid farewell to the charts this year. First up was Swinging Blue Jeans in January with "Don't Make Me Over" reaching number 33. Also in January was The Merseybeats who reached 38 with "I Stand Accused". Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley of the band would then form a duo called The Merseys who had their only hit in April reaching number 4 with "Sorrow". Also in April came the last hit for the Searchers reaching number 31 with "Take It Or Leave It". That was it for the Merseybeat scene which had dominated the charts just a couple of years earlier.

Just over a year after making their chart debut, Eric Claptons former band the Yardbirds would have their final top 40 hit in June with "Over Under Sideways Down". Eric Claptons new band Cream would make their debut in October with "Wrapping Paper".

This was the year that the Animals became Eric Burden & The Animals, mainly because Eric Burden was the only original member in the band left. Former keyboard player Alan Price made his debut with "I Put a Spell On You", meanwhile future Animals keyboard player Zoot Money would have his only top 40 hit "Big Time Operator".

We also see the first Spanish act in the top 40. This was Los Bravos with "Black Is Black" and followed up with their only other hit "I Don't Care".

So 1966 basically saw the progression of the music from the previous year, with folk, soul and blues being the major sounds. Will 1967 continue in the same fashion? We'll see next year!

The Christmas Charts - 1986

Ever wondered why "Caravan Of Love" by the Housemartins is played every Christmas time despite having nothing to do with Christmas? Well the reason is because it was a Christmas number 2. Not that every Christmas number 2 gets played every Christmas, in fact this is the only Christmas number 2 which isn't a Christmas song I can think of that we do hear every Christmas. One advantage it has over other Christmas number 2s for its longevity is that it was number 1 the week before Christmas.

So what was Christmas number 1 in 1986? It was a rerelease of "Reet Petite" by Jackie Wilson, which was also tend to hear every Christmas. It does raise the question though, why rerelease a song that's around 30 years old that has nothing to do with Christmas at Christmas? Well it turns out that the clay animation video had been made on a BBC show called "Arena" which prompted the rerelease.

Still, it is quite unusual for a Christmas number 1 and number 2 which aren't Christmas songs to continue being played every Christmas some 30 years later. If you look at the Christmas number ones of 1956 and 1966, they don't tend to be played at Christmas anymore.

However if you look at the Christmas charts of 1986, it starts to make sense. Basically there was a lack of Christmas records in the charts that year. In fact there was just one. That was "Santa Claus Is On The Doll" by Spitting Image. Having made number one with "The Chicken Song" earlier on in the year, they didn't quite hit the same heights with this Christmas effort which reached number 22 and has since been long forgotten by many.

Fatboy Slim @ The O2

So I began the year going to Fatboy Slims smile high club without actually seeing Fatboy Slim. I end the year going to see the man himself at the O2.

To give you the best idea of how the gig was, at the time of writing you can still watch the set here

If you read my review on the Four Tops and Temptations gig at the O2 a couple of months back, you will see me saying how the price of beer at the O2 has gone up, and the quality has gone down, therefore the best thing to do when going to the O2 is to drink as much beer as you need beforehand. That is exactly what I did. On arrival at the O2 I was greeted by a huge queue waiting to get through the airport style security. Despite stepping off the tube some 30 minutes prior to Fatboy Slim being due on stage, the set had just began when I finally got in.

He was playing "Eat Sleep Rave Repeat" as I entered the arena, a tune that is very much one to hear out loud rather than at home. Instead of being on the usual stage, he was in the middle of the arena with the crowd surrounding him, which worked as despite being near the back I could properly see him.

Being stood not far from the bar I discovered that a pint of beer there has now gone up to £6 and if you want Stella it's a whopping £6.50.

A lot of his famous tune were played in some way or another, some of them just being the vocal sample being mixed with other tunes. The about 30 minutes in the sound went for around 5 minutes and the boos started ringing out, not that you can blame Fatboy Slim for that.

As with all Fatboy Slim sets I've ever seen, there was the inevitable sing a long to "Star 69" which is always good fun.

As always, he ended the set with "Praise You". I read a review from his Glasgow set who put that he mixed this tune up with "Crazy In Love" by Beyoncé. But those who know a thing or two about music will know it was actually "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by the Chi-Lites.

The Christmas Charts - 1976

Going back to 1976, we have a Christmas number one which is actually a Christmas record. It was "When A Child Is Born" by Johnny Mathis. Released in November, this would gradually climb the charts before finally getting to number one Christmas week.

The next highest charting Christmas record was "Bionic Santa" by Chris Hill. This was basically short clips of a number of records at the time incorporated into a story about a bionic Santa being created. Chris Hill was a DJ who had done a similar thing the year before with "Renta Santa". Both records reached number 10 and spent 7 weeks in the charts, and that was the chart career of Chris Hill.

The other Christmas record that year was "Ring Out Solstice Bells" by Jethro Tull. This was their first hit for 5 years and would be their final new top 40 hit. Their career was far from over though, being more successful with their albums than their singles.

A surprisingly low number of Christmas hits given it was the 70s. However, to give you an idea of what was going on at the time, the week before Christmas a new entry to the top 40 was "Anarchy In The UK" by the Sex Pistols. Like with a lot of other music that came before punk, Christmas records were no longer in, at least until two of the Sex Pistols members would collaborate with Thin Lizzy 3 years later.

The Christmas Charts - 1966

One of the many criticisms the X Factor gets for the songs they take to Christmas number one is that they are quite depressing and that just isn't the spirit of Christmas.

This is nothing new though, 50 years ago we had a song about somebody on death row at Christmas number one. That song being "The Green Green Grass Of Home" by Tom Jones. After hitting the ground running which his debut reaching number one just under 2 years prior to this, Tom Jones failed to reach the top 10 with his following 6 singles, but he succeeded once again with this number one. Although he wouldn't score another number one, it gave his chart career a boost for the rest of the decade with only 1 further single in the 60s failing to reach the top 10. One thing Tom Jones is often credited for with this song is preventing the Beatles continuing their run of Christmas number ones having had them the previous 3 years and also the following year. A slight detail that gets missed out with this though is that the Beatles didn't even attempt to get a Christmas number one this year with their most recent single being released in August.

In terms of Christmas songs, we had just the one in the charts this year. This was "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" by Elvis Presley. When people think of Christmas songs by Elvis, most think of "Blue Christmas" whilst some incorrectly think of "Lonely This Christmas" which was actually by Mud. However in chart terms this was actually the more successful single reaching number 9 whereas "Blue Christmas" reached number 11. It wasn't his highest charting Christmas single though, that was back in 1957 with "Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" reaching number 7. He did have a fourth UK Christmas hit with "It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)" which posthumously reach number 13 in 1979. If you want to look beyond the top 40, he had a fifth Christmas single in 1980 with "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" which reached number 41 in 1980.

The Christmas Charts - 1956

As Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I would take a look at the charts each decade ago to see what they looked like at Christmas time. I begin with 1956 and will jump a decade each post up to 2016.

The Christmas number one of 1956 was "Just Walkin In The Rain" by Johnnie Ray. Although not a Christmas song, one could argue that its more relevant to Christmas than songs about snowmen etc given its more likely to rain at Christmas than snow. Johnnie Ray wouldn't have had Christmas number one in mind when he released it though given it was released in early October and had been at number one since mid November.

In terms of actual Christmas songs, there were two of them in Christmas week.

First up was "Christmas Island" by Dickie Valentine. Having already had a fairly successful chart career, Dickie Valentine reached the peak the previous year with the first Christmas number one which was actually about Christmas, "Christmas Alphabet". This was actually his first hit since that previous Christmas and whilst not as successful, it still reached a respectable number 8. He would wait another year until his next hit which was yet another Christmas song, "Snowbound For Christmas" . This didn't do so well, peaking at number 28 and spending just one week on the charts.

The other Christmas record was "Christmas and You" by Dave King. This only peaked at number 23 and would be the lowest charting of his four singles.

It's probably fair to say both records haven't stood the test of time and had probably already been forgotten by 1957, fortunately we now have the internet to revive them.

Pete Tong @ The O2

A number of rock music fans have always criticised dance music because its made on the computer instead of using real instruments, therefore it isn't proper music. My view has always been that as long as it sounds good, I don't really care how its made. Last week though, Pete Tong brought along an orchestra to the O2 to play many well known dance tunes from years gone by using actual instruments.

Having done the same thing at the proms last year, I had already seen footage of this to get an idea of what to expect. The set did not differ too much, but its all about hearing it out loud.

The set began with "Right Here Right Now" by Fatboy Slim, as soon as the beat kicked in I was out of my seat dancing and never sat down the rest of the night.

At times, you wouldn't know there was an orchestra there without looking at the stage, that show just how good they managed to replicate the tracks on their instruments.

Whilst they did get the instruments pretty much bang on, there was something they didn't do so well, the vocals. Obviously they can't get the original singers of every track played to come and perform, but they did highlight which vocalists would be present.

First up was Ella Eyre who came on to sing "Good Life" by Inner City. With a lot of dance music, the vocals are a bit of an after thought, but this was a track that originally had genuinely good vocals on it. To be honest, I had no idea who Ella Eyre was, but she did an absolutely dreadful job of singing "Good Life".

A bit later we did actually have the original vocalist for a track there on stage. Unfortunately that was Ella Eyre who sang a Rudimental track, can't say I'm a fan of Rudimental either, but was a good time to take a toilet break.

The set was rounded off with "Café Del Mar" with images of Ibiza being projected on the screen which seemed the perfect way to round off the set.

Then came the inevitable encore where Candi Staton came on to sing "You've Got The Love". At 76, her voice isn't what it was but was still a big improvement on the dreadful Ella Eyre.

Then the absolute final track was a Rudimental one, this time featuring vocalist John Newman who sounded like he was trying to be Mark Morrison. Not a great way to finish, but awful vocalists and Rudimental tracks aside it was an excellent night.

Record of the Year 1965: Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction

We are getting to the stage where there are many candidates for the record of the year each year, but for me "Eve of Destruction" slightly edges the rest of the candidates.

I can't say I know a great deal about Barry McGuire, I always got the impression from his singing voice that he was Irish, but he is actually American.

As many people point out in the YouTube comments, a lot of what is being said in this song is still relevant today some 50 years later. But it isn't just the lyrical content, it is also the delivery of the song which makes it stand out to me.

This would be his only top 40 hit in the UK, or anywhere else in the world according to his Wikipedia page. He did however do many albums and would later go on to do contemporary Christian music.

As far as one hit wonders go, this is up there amongst the best.