The Motown machine motors on… (Tamla Motown) Released: August 1967 Producer: Various (mainly Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier) Topped the chart: 4 th  February 1968 (for 1 week) 1 week total   Please note: this is a review of the 16 track Greatest Hits album released in the UK in August 1967, which has a different track listing to the 12 track US version released at the same time.   Tamla Motown’s late arrival to the top of the album chart is surprising looking back, but in many

Less rock than a pillow factory… (Pye) Released: 24 th  November 1967 Producer: Val Doonican (arranger: Ken Thorne) Topped the chart: 31 st  December 1967 (for 3 weeks) 3 weeks total   It’s a pun you see.   Val Doonican performed in a rocking chair so, you know, that’s why he’s rocking…   It’s a point that needs to be explained because in the 21 st century, Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently  (let’s call it “Rocks” for ease going forward) might suggest a soft-focus take on The W

You might have heard of this one... (Parlophone) Released: 26 th  May 1967 Producer: George Martin Topped the chart: 4 th  June 1967 (for 23 weeks) 19 th  November 1967 (for 1 week) 17 th  December 1967 (for 2 weeks) 28 th  January 1968 (for 1 week) 8 th  June 2017 (for 1 week) 28 weeks total   Here it is then: the Big Boy of 60s music. A new level of artistic statement from a pop group, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is credited with this new fangled “rock” music bein

More can sometimes mean less… (RCA Victor) Released: 9 th  January 1967 Producer: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Sedaka, Michael Nesmith, Jeff Barry, Jack Keller, Gerry Goffin, Carole King Topped the chart: 7 th  May 1967 (for 1 week) 21 st  May 1967 (for 1 week) 2 weeks total   A proper Ronseal album this one. More of the Monkees is, well, you can probably figure it out. More of the music that The Monkees recorded for the first season of their television

Hey hey! Who needs to play on their albums anyway? (RCA Victor) Released: 10 th  October 1966 Producer: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Jack Keller, Michael Nesmith Topped the chart: 29 th  January 1967 (for 7 weeks) 7 weeks total For a shiny, happy pop band put together for a TV show, the history of The Monkees isn’t half complicated. In-fighting, rebellion, scandal and the love of the era’s luminaries all feature, but generally history remembers them with a single word: “manufactu

Black and white on the cover, glorious Technicolour inside… (Parlophone) Released: 5 th  August 1966 Producer: George Martin Topped the chart: 7 th  August 1966 (for 7 weeks) 7 weeks total   In the 90s, George Harrison's memory wasn’t what it used to be. As he said in the Anthology TV series, “I don’t see too much difference between Rubber Soul  and Revolver . To me, they could be Volume One and Volume Two.”   A strange take from our vantage point because musically there is a

The Stones roll into their second phase… (Decca) Released: 15 th  April 1966 Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham Topped the chart: 24 th  April 1966 (for 8 weeks) 8 weeks total   And so we arrive at the Rolling Stones’ second phase. As we’ve journeyed through their first, there has been an increasing disparity between their singles and LPs, the former becoming darker and more interesting (see high-watermarks 19 th  Nervous Breakdown  and Paint It, Black ), the albums continued to ha

What’s that strange herbal smell coming from the studio? (Parlophone) Released: 3 rd  December 1965 Producer: George Martin Topped the chart: 19 th  December 1965 (for 8 weeks) 8 weeks total   Whether they were made of rubber or leather, The Beatles’ shoes were likely on their last legs by October 1965, and it’s not hard to see why—five studio albums in two-and-a-half years, multiple world tours, TV appearances and almost no time off: every day they weren’t playing live they

Help! spells an underrated gem in the Beatles catalogue… (Parlophone) Released: 6 th  August 1965 Producer: George Martin Topped the...

Why the hills are still alive, 60 years on… (RCA Victor) Released: 2 nd  March 1965 Producer: Neely Plumb Topped the chart: 30 rd  May...

Is this a joke? But y’know, in a good way… (CBS) Released: 7 th  May 1965 Producer: Tom Wilson Topped the chart: 23 rd  May 1965 (for 1...

Better late than never: Bob Dylan gets a hit, and it only took two years… (CBS) Released: 27 th  May 1963 Producer: John Hammond, Tom...

Can the Stones achieve Satisfaction on their second date with us? (Decca) Released: 15 th  January 1965 Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham...

Out of stock: The Beatles take their first backward step on a record with plenty of songwriting charms lurking in dark corners…...

Lights! Cameras! Folk music?! Lennon-McCartney start to spread their wings on classic soundtrack… (Parlophone) Released: 10 th  July 1964...

If looks could kill…shame about the tunes on the Stones' patchy debut… (Decca) Released: 17 th  April 1964 Produced by: Andrew Loog...

The toppermost of the poppermost once again, now with added Motown… (Parlophone) Released: 22nd November 1963 Topped the chart:...

Meet The Beatles… (Parlophone) Released: 22nd March 1963 Topped the chart: 5th May 1963 (for 30 weeks) Thirty weeks total.   “There can...

Cliff and the Shadows enjoy their time in the sun… (Columbia) Released: 18th January 1963 Topped the chart: 27th January 1963 (for 14...

And so we Meet The Beatles…the album will never be the same again… Plot twist: The Beatles were quite big in the 60s album chart.   That...