Sounds of the 60s Rewound Part 3 Quiz

Answer: The Crystals

Here's a fun fact for you: how many chart-toppers have been credited to an act that did not even sing on them?

One such answer would be "He's A Rebel".

Gene Pitney wrote it for The Crystals, but the singers in the recording studio were The Blossoms. This, obviously was not something that The Crystals confessed to when they sang the song on concert tours.

Phil Spector was the producer of "He's A Rebel" and he again used The Blossoms to pose as the Crystals for the number 11 hit "He's Sure the Boy I Love".

And what about The Blossoms? Their biggest hit under their own name was "Son-In-Law", which hit the dizzy heights of 79 in 1961.

Answer: The Beatles

"Eight Days A Week" was written for the movie "Help!". Paul McCartney was the main writer, with John Lennon adding the middle eight.
Usually whoever mainly wrote a Beatles song sang lead vocals, but on this occasion Lennon sang lead.
It was a chart-topper in the USA, but was not released in the UK.

Answer: The Seekers

"Morningtown Ride" was written by the American folk-blues singer Malvina Reynolds, who released it in 1957.
In 1964 the Australian band The Seekers covered the song and made it a UK number two. It topped the charts in their native land.
The Seekers were the first Aussie group to make it big in other markets. This was in no small part due to the clear pitch-perfect singing of Judith Durham, considered by many to have one of the best singing voices of her era.

Answer: The Supremes

In 1967 "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" was a number one in the USA for The Supremes.
Diana Ross sang lead vocals on what was the group's ninth chart-topper.
Within a year, the group was being billed as Diana Ross & the Supremes.

Answer: Gerry and the Pacemakers

"I'm The One" was a UK number two for Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1964.
The band had the distinction of scoring three number ones with their first three singles, but their star gradually waned. Still, they kept performing with ever-changing lineups until 2012.

Answer: The Four Tops

"Walk Away Renée" was a UK number three for The Four Tops in 1969.
The Four Tops had 14 US top 30 hits between 1964 and 1978 while signed to Motown and four with other record companies.
It was a US number five for The Left Banke in 1965.

Answer: The Applejacks

"Tell Me When" was a UK number five or seven in 1964 for the British band The Applejacks, depending on which record chart you looked at: there were four in 1964. It was their top single in a short career.

It was written by by the English songwriters Les Reed and Geoff Stephens. They wrote a series of hits in the 1960s for British bands.

Answer: Sandie Shaw

"I'll Stop at Nothing" was a UK number four for Sandie Shaw in 1964.
Shaw had a recording career that included European markets. She had releases in France, Austria , Germany, Spain and Italy as well as her seven top ten hits in the UK in the 1960s, including three at the top of the charts.
She could also sing in Portuguese, and Japanese.
Her song "Puppet on a String" made her the first UK singer to win the Eurovision Song Contest. That came in 1967.

Answer: The Beach Boys

"I Get Around" was the first number one for The Beach Boys in the USA. It reached number seven in the UK.
The song was written by Mike Love and Brian Wilson, although initially Wilson was credited as sole songwriter. Years late Love sued and won. Reportedly he was paid $10m. He was also granted co-writing credits on 34 other songs.

Answer: Tom Jones

"Help Yourself" was a UK number five for Tom Jones in 1968. It was a number one in Australia and a number five in the USA.
It was one of 29 UK top 30 hits for Tom Jones, although some were collaborations.
In 2006, Tom Jones was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music.

Answer: The Seachers

"Sweets For My Sweet" was recorded first by The Drifters in 1961. As was often the case at the time, an American song was covered by a British act, and in this case The Searchers took it to the top of the UK charts in 1963.
The Searchers were contemporaries of The Beatles, and John Lennon was said to have complimented them on their hit.
However it was the ability to write original songs that took The Beatles well ahead of The Searchers. Still, The Searchers enjoyed a solid career from 1959 to 2019 and got together again in 2023. They were to have two further chart-toppers.

Answer: Frank Ifield

Although born in England, Frank Ifield grew up in Australia and his early career focussed on country music. He earned second place in a talent completion, and began to perform at the age of 13.
Returning to the UK in 1959, he had a number one hit with "I Remember You" in 1962.

"Confessin' (That I Love You)" was a number one in 1963, one of four in his career. Illness affected his ability to sing and he returned to Austria, where he died in 2024 at the age of 86.

Answer: Elvis Presley

"(You're the) Devil In Disguise" was a number three on the Hot 100 in 1963. It was a number one in nine territories.
It went on to be covered by numerous artists, including Trisha Yearwood and Showaddywaddy. The French heartthrob Johnny Halliday released it as "Tu N'As Rien De Tout Ça" in 1964.

Answer: Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote "Trains And Boats And Planes" for Gene Pitney who did not think it was good enough. Bacharach released it himself in 1965.

That same year, Billy J. Kramer With The Dakotas covered it in the UK and there was an unusual position of both versions charting at the same time. Bacharach's reached number four and Kramer's number 12.
Numerous others covered the song, including Dionne Warwick, who took it to number 22 on the Hot 100 in 1966.

While Bacharach is credited with involvement in more than 70 hits, he only had two as a performer in the UK, "Trains And Boats And Planes" and "Toledo" with Elvis Costello in 1999.
Two songs, "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and "Saturday Sunshine" crept into the Hot 100 in the USA, both peaking at number 93.

Answer: Bob Dylan

"You've got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend

When I was down you just stood there grinnin'"

were the opening lyrics of "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan and the final verse prompted some debate:

"I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is to see you."

There has been lot of speculation about the person in that last verse. Some said it was an amalgam of people: some said it was Richard Fariña; while Phil Ochs was convinced it was about him. (They had been friends but Dylan rejected him). Whoever it was, Dylan was noted for deprecating comments on his contemporaries.

"Positively 4th Street"was a number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.