Friday, September 17, 2010

Mr. Music: Beatles claimed 14 spots in Top 100

Mr. Music: Beatles claimed 14 spots in Top 100

Mr. Music: Beatles claimed 14 spots in Top 100

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 01:27 PM PDT

By JERRY OSBORNE
Mr. Music

Dear Jerry: I know about the week (April 4, 1964) when the Beatles had the entire Top 5, but what I have not found is when they had their highest total number of songs on the Top 100 (and the song titles).

Seems like it could well have been that same week.
-- MICHELLE WARNER,
BRIDGEPORT, CONN.

Dear Michelle (My Belle): Very good guess, as the Beatles claimed a total of 12 chart spots that first week of April 1964.

As amazing as it is for the boys to own 12 percent of the Top 100, they surpassed that by adding two more hits the following week, bringing their total to 14 and making April 11-17, 1964, the answer to your question.

Here are those 14 tunes, which, rather than the Top 100, were all in the Top 81:

1. "Can't Buy Me Love"

2. "Twist and Shout"

4. "She Loves You"

7. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

9. "Please Please Me"

14. "Do You Want to Know a Secret?"

38. "I Saw Her Standing There"

48. "You Can't Do That"

50. "All My Loving"

52. "From Me to You"

61. "Thank You Girl"

74. "There's a Place"

78. "Roll Over Beethoven"

81. "Love Me Do"

Mind boggling as that is, remember too that 12 of those 14 songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney -- "Twist and Shout" (Bert Russell & Phil Medley) and "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry) the exceptions.

There are even two hits from that same time, not by the Beatles but about them: "We Love You Beatles" (Carefrees) and "A Letter to the Beatles" (Four Preps).

Here is an interesting chart stat, one likely in print for the first time: Over their 33-year Billboard chart history (1963-1996, when their final single release was on the chart), the Beatles, with 75 hit singles, spent a total of 639 weeks, or nearly 12.3 years, on the surveys.

While very impressive, that total is well below Elvis Presley's. The all-time champ's 48-year total (1955-2003) is 1,826 weeks, or over 35.13 years on the chart. This comprises 191 separate hit singles.

As is often the case, Joel Whitburn's Record Research publications are essential when compiling Billboard chart data (recordresearch.com).

 

Dear Jerry: I have a copy of Ricky Nelson's first Imperial album ("Ricky"),which is of course in monaural.

Might this be the last No. 1 LP originally issued in mono only? I can'tthink of another. -Ernie Camfield, Nevada City, Calif.

DEAR ERNIE: "Ricky," issued in December 1957, is one of the last mono-onlyalbums to top the charts, but several others of its kind reached No. 1 after"Ricky."

Among them are Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly with Me" (1958) and "Only theLonely" (1958); Johnny Mathis' "Johnny's Greatest Hits" (1958); VanCliburn's "Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1" (1958); and "The KingstonTrio" (1958).

Stereo versions, be they real or fake, of these came out in the yearsfollowing the mono originals. Each label had its own name for faux stereo,with "reprocessed stereo"; "electronic stereo"; "rechanneled stereo";"simulated stereo"; and "Duophonic" among the more common terms.

As for the most recent mono-only No. 1 album (from the mono-stereo age), Inominate "Stevie Wonder - The 12 Year Old Genius," a summer 1963 release.

Iz zat so? Though not a chart-topper, the Beach Boys' "Wild Honey" didspend about four months on the charts in early 1968, climbing as high as No.24 -- and, surprisingly, this album came out only in monaural. Very unusualfor '68, but could it happen in 2010?

Yes! All the tunes on "No Better Than This (Thirteen New Songs)," a newcollection from John Mellencamp, were recorded live in monaural. Among thesites chosen to record these songs is the legendary Sun Studio, in Memphis.

Mellencamp used just one microphone and captured the music on a 1955,single-track, vacuum tube-powered, Ampex 601 reel-to-reel recorder.

There are no studio gimmicks (i.e., overdubbing, editing, etc.) here. Johnand the band all play together live, exactly as would have been the case in'55.

As of this writing, "No Better Than This (Thirteen New Songs)" is No. 1on the Cashbox Americana LP charts, and No. 10 on Billboard's Hot 200 LPs.

Fittingly, a vinyl edition (Rounder Records) of "No Better Than This(Thirteen New Songs)" is available for about $25.

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column.Write Jerry at Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368, e-mail: jpo@olympus.net or visit his website: jerryosborne.com. All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

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