Friday, December 30, 2016

December 30th

Our brand new series kicks off today with a look back 50 years ...

And we'll continue to do so for ALL of 2017 ...

Please join us as we recreate 1967 ... exactly as it happened .

But first we've got to show you how it got there!

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Here's how things shaped up here in Chicago as 1966 drew to a close.




Notice that The Monkees have the #1 Record on WLS but, for whatever reason, they're showing "Steppin' Stone" as the A-Side of the hit!  (This will be the only time the record appears that way in the #1 slot.)  The Monkees haven't reached the top the WCFL chart yet … they're showing "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" by The Royal Guardsman on top ... and it'll occupy the #1 spot on Super 'CFL for three weeks. 

Some of Chicago's Top 20 Records didn't fare nearly as well on the national charts … "Grizzly Bear" by The Youngbloods, "Love You So Much" by The New Colony Six, "There's Got To Be A Word" by Innocence would be prime examples.

Both charts offer recaps of The Top 20 Hits of 1966 … but with surprisingly different results.  Although 17 titles (18 if you count "Day Tripper" by The Beatles, listed as a two-sided hit on the WCFL chart) appear on both year-end charts, some are in surprisingly different rankings.   

For example, WCFL shows "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas and the Papas as the biggest hit of 1966 … but it ranks at #6 on the WLS chart.  Likewise, WLS' #1 Record of 1966, "Hanky Panky" by Tommy James and the Shondells" only musters a #8 showing on the 'CFL chart.  "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders ranks as both #3 and #9, "96 Tears" by ? and the Mysterians fared better on WLS (#7) than it did on WCFL (#19) and "Sounds Of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel was either the 8th … or the 13th biggest hit record of the year.   

Making the WLS list (but not the WCFL chart) are "Last Train To Clarksville" by The Monkees (#14) and "Five O'Clock World" by The Vogues (#19).  (Again the balance is off because WLS listed "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" as separate entries at #11 and #12 respectively).  

WCFL shows "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra at #10, "Reach Out, I'll Be There" by The Four Tops (#12) and "Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys (#15) … none of these records made the WLS Year-End Top 20.