Hello readers–It’s supposed to be Fall here in South Florida, but it still feels like summer! Turned off my air conditioning for a little while and opened my windows to get some fresh air. Hopefully it will cool off soon!
Speaking of fresh–here is the October edition of the “C’est La Mode” radio show featuring:
- “Micky” the 1969 release by Twinkle–the story behind the almost-hit
- A belated birthday tribute to mod/soul icon P.P. Arnold
- Motown singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 October 17, 1964
Read more about these highlights after the link!
“Micky” by Twinkle, 1969
This infectious, bouncy pop tune, released on Immediate’s subsidiary label Instant seemed destined for #1 status given the rash of bubblegum sounds popular at the time. Songwriter and Manfred Mann singer Mike D’Abo produced the track.* But alas it wasn’t meant to be. Shortly after it’s release, Immediate imploded and the record tanked.
“Micky” could’ve been a comeback for Twinkle, aka Lynn Ripley, an intriguing artist in the brit-girl canon who wrote most of her own material. She hit big in late 1964 with the biker death disc “Terry,” a close cousin to The Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack.” Twinkle also wrote “Micky” and her other chart hit “Golden Lights” (#21 in 1965), which The Smiths covered in the 1980s.
*The first set of October’s “C’est La Mode” features songs written/produced by Mike D’Abo. I didn’t plan this–it just came together naturally!
“Come Back Baby” by P.P. Arnold and Rod Stewart, 1968 (promo only release)
Happy belated birthday to P.P. Arnold (aka Pat Arnold), who turned 73 on October 3! Her new album is The New Adventures of P.P. Arnold.
Pat signed to the Immediate label in late 1966, at the urging of Mick Jagger, whom she met while touring with The Rolling Stones as a member of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. With her power-packed, gospel-inflected vocals, she hit big in 1967 with a cover of Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is the Deepest.”
She recorded this Uptown Soul-flavored Wilson Pickett cover with then unknown Rod Stewart in 1967, but it went unreleased. Legend has it that there was some friction in the studio. Producer Mick Jagger felt Stewart couldn’t hit the song’s high notes. An argument broke out resulting in Jagger leaving the studio with the tapes. “Come Home Baby” is the only song that survived from the session. Musicians on the track included Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Nicky Hopkins on keyboards
Motown Hot 100 Chart Singles October 17, 1964
“Callin’ out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?” The world answered “yes” as Motown Records popularity exploded in 1964. At the height of the British Invasion, the label stood strong, scoring four #1 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100, including “My Guy” by Mary Wells and “Where Did Our Love Go” the breakthrough release for The Supremes. Week-ending October 17, 1964, Motown had seven songs in the Hot 100. Together they make a great set–I dare you NOT to dance!
- #90 — “Needle in a Haystack”–The Velvelettes
- #46 — “That’s What Love Is Made Of”–The Miracles
- #32 — “Baby Don’t You Do It”–Marvin Gaye
- #26 — “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)”–The Temptations
- #16 — “Baby I Need Your Loving”–The Four Tops
- #12 — “Baby Love”–The Supremes
- #2 — “Dancing in the Street”–Martha and the Vandellas
Listen to the October Edition of “C’est La Mode”
The next edition of “C’est La Mode” streams live November 15 on Jolt Radio. Listen to past shows on Mixcloud.