Billboard Top 10 R&B Singles, October 22, 1966

[soulster]

Here's the second installment of my new feature. I thought i'd go back to 1966. What a great year for music it was! I was almost four years old at the time of this chart, but I remember all the music I heard back then. I can still see those 45s spinning round and round on the record player!

There's lots of Motown here because I know you all love it sooo much!

Have fun, comment on any aspect of the songs in the chart, positive or negative. Talk about how these songs played a part in your life.

The poll is multiple choice, so pick all of your favorites.

[soulster]

da bump da bump

[soulster]

For this kind of forum, i'm amazed at the lack of participation.

[smark21]

Perhaps a poll asking members to vote on their favorite Supremes gown or their favorite Motown diva catfight might get a higher response rate?

[soulster]

Well, i'm not going there. Maybe one of the other members can.

[sophisticated_soul]

On October 22, 1966 I was exactly 15 years and 7 months old. I had just started high school the month before. I had started purchasing 45s four years earlier in the fall of 1962. At that point in my life music was everything to me and Motown was music. Motown was my sound, my time. Ultimately what I held on to in those difficult years.
First, the Motown songs on your list: “Get Ready” was and still is a favorite. It puzzles me that today it’s considered one of The Tempts lesser hits. “Shake Me, Wake Me”, love The Tops but never considered this one of their best. It’s just okay. Marvin’s “One More Heartache” kind of escaped me at the time but it has aged very well with me, and is now one of my favorite Marvin tracks. I love the imagery in the line “the foundation was not able”. Very cool. The Isley’s “This Old Heart Of Mine” is a quintessential Motown song. Love it then, love it now. As a troubled, hormonal teen The Elgins’ “Darling Baby” just broke my heart. It made me very emotional. Again, loved it then, love it now. Only now it doesn’t make me quite as emotional. Not quite, lol.
Of the others songs, “634-5789” was a favorite. “Stop Her On Sight” I didn’t know at the time and The Mad Lads “I Want Someone” doesn’t ring a bell. The record I like the least on this list is “Love Makes The World Go Round”. I’m not sure why, it seemed kind of sappy to me at the time, still don’t think much of the song [[though I do like Mary Wells’ version). Certainly the most innovative song [[for me) on the list would have to be Slim Harpo’s “Baby Scratch My Back”. It was just very different from what was popular at that time. And I think that is why I dug it. It was kind of throwback to earlier R&B. And it was incredibly sexual to me - a troubled, hormonal teen. “I know you can do it, so baby let’s get to it”. Seem pretty simple to me. But of course “it” turned out to be easier said than done! But that’s another list and another year. LOL.

[arrr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa,hey soulster man oh man 1966 was just fantastic i always refer to this great time in my life as the last great summer,everybody and their mama had a hit record that year and i was right in the middle of it all 14yrs old and happy we darn near camped out at the famous[howard theater]washington,d.c. Was jumpin...wol-wust-wook were the radio stations we jammed to and believe me they were crankin out the hits and we were dancin to em all from the well known artist who ruled the airways to the one hit wonders whose brief fame came and went that beautiful summer it seems that if a song got on the radio it was a hit that year just a great great time to be a kid and the greatest summer of my life...1966-forever!!!!!

[soulster]

Get Ready” was and still is a favorite. It puzzles me that today it’s considered one of The Tempts lesser hits.

I go back and forth on this song. I'm one of those that also don't consider it one of their best, but the mono single mix does sound much better.


Shake Me, Wake Me, love The Tops but never considered this one of their best. It's just okay.

I do like it, but I think that Motown should have issued the Supreme's version as a single. It's superior, IMO.


Marvin's "One More Heartache" kind of escaped me at the time but it has aged very well with me, and is now one of my favorite Marvin tracks.

This one, I wasn't familiar with, so I called up the track from his boxed set "The Master" and listened to it. I'm not impressed. The keyboard, guitar, or something is quite annoying.


The Isley's"This Old Heart Of Mine is a quintessential Motown song. Love it then, love it now.

To me, it sounds like another Supremes reject. But, i'm impressed that they pulled it off. I'm just happy they left Motown and went back to the funk they started with Jimi Hendrix in 1964. They just weren't a good fit.


I didn't know at the time and The Mad Lads "I Want Someone doesn't ring a bell.

I think you'd like it. If you have, or have access to the first Stax/Volt boxed set, it's on there. very nice, sentimental song.


The record I like the least on this list is "Love Makes The World Go Round". I'm not sure why, it seemed kind of sappy to me at the time, still don't think much of the song

Man, I love the song! My father and sister used to play it all the time, and as I recall, it had a long chart life. Didn't the Funk Brothers play on it? If i'm not mistaken, that drummer sounds like Pistol Allen. I'll have to check.

I don't know that it's just that this forum doesn't care much for digging into the 60s or what. I'll try a 70s chart next week. But, it seems the majority of this forum is at least 10-15 years older then me, so I figured 1966 would be perfect.

[sophisticated_soul]

I don't know that it's just that this forum doesn't care much for digging into the 60s or what. I'll try a 70s chart next week. But, it seems the majority of this forum is at least 10-15 years older then me, so I figured 1966 would be perfect.

Posting seems down in general right now. But I’m probably not a good one to say because I don’t post too much outside of a couple threads. In this case I did have some thoughts to share; but I also felt the thread was attempting to encourage new conversation, after all the recent negativity.

[timmyfunk]

Soulster-I don't know that it's just that this forum doesn't care much for digging into the 60s or what. I'll try a 70s chart next week. But, it seems the majority of this forum is at least 10-15 years older then me, so I figured 1966 would be perfect.

Maybe that is the case. Hell, even a 1967 chart would get more interest out of me. Most of the songs on the list aren't really favorites of mine.

[soulster]

Well, the idea of these charts is to spark both positive and negative comments, not just to post if you like anything in it. And, yeah, the idea is to encourage discussion about the music itself.

I posted a thread about downloading hi-rez soul music and I still can'r believe that no one...no one is interested in something like that. This place baffles me. People would rather talk about sequined gowns and post youtube videos.

[phyl]

thosre are some damn good songs on that list thats when msuic was good and we ddnt have that rap crap out there. we need to get bakc to the musi you can dance and have a good time too with words ou can rellate to and make you think and when hte moodd is rihgt play when your feeling sexy and hounry.

[timmyfunk]

Well, the idea of these charts is to spark both positive and negative comments, not just to post if you like anything in it. And, yeah, the idea is to encourage discussion about the music itself.

I posted a thread about downloading hi-rez soul music and I still can'r believe that no one...no one is interested in something like that. This place baffles me. People would rather talk about sequined gowns and post youtube videos.
But if the songs have little interest to a particular poster, then you're not going to get that much feedback in general. Try posting a chart from the seventies. You'll definitely get some more spirited feedback.

[soulster]

Yeah Timmy, I will post a 70s or 80s chart next time, but I figured since this forum has a lot of older cats...

[timmyfunk]

I guess there's not too many stand out cuts on this particular list.

[arrr&bee]

i guess there's not too many stand out cuts on this particular list.

haaaaaaaaaa,are you kidding all those songs are standouts,believe me i may live in this century but my heart and soul will always be in the sixties,and i think that i'm not alone in this feeling!!!

[arrr&bee]

Hey soulster,this is a great post don't give up on the sixties stuff,the thing that makes sfd great is that we have folks here who love music from all the different decades and the sixties was perhaps the most important era of popular music in the twentieth century keep em comin soulster keep em comin!!

[soulster]

Thanks R&B. This place is bewildering, though. I'm seriously considering starting a soul music board with an emphasis on audio. The other audiophile forums don't really take soul music too seriously.

[arrr&bee]

I visit other music sites from time to time and i haven't found one yet that comes anywhere near soulful detroit,when it comes to sheer music knowledge about the history of[pop-soul-doo-wop-r&b-jazz-standards]this place has it on lockdown and god bless ralph for keeping this forum running and letting us have our say,but let me say that i understand your frustration about participation on your post haha i too post some things and wonder[where's the feedback]but that's human nature it's all good....sdf forever!!!

[soulster]

I'll bet if I did a chart with all Supremes or Diana Ross songs in it i'd get more posts.

[nysister]

Soulster, this chart takes me back to my childhood when all I had to do was eat, sleep, play and go to school...LOL!!! Seriously, hearing songs like "Love Makes The World Go Round" on the radio was heaven!!!
Thanks for posting this.

[davie gordon2]

That chart's from around March 1966 not October - October 1966 was real important to me because that was when I bought my first record, the Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There'.

I've still yet to hear "Baby Scratch My Back" and the Mad Lads track. The rest I must admit I hardly ever play these days which is probably because they're just too familiar now, I must've heard them hundreds of times over the years so it's not quite "familiarity breeds contempt' but "familiarity breeds complaceny". It may explain why there haven't been as many posts as you were expecting. I'm more interested in how they stand up to younger people who are not as familiar with the records as us older members.

[144man]

It might be something to do with my age, but I like all the records in that chart...except for the Mad Lads, which I don't remember ever hearing.

Like Soulster, I find the guitar riff on "One More Heartache" annoying.

[paladin]

I love each and every one of those songs, with the exception of the Mad lads, don't know if I've heard it before. I think some of the best music ever was made between 62 and 1969. Scratch My Back [[Excello records ) was a 45 that eventually turned white from so much extensive playing in my house. [[ the harmonica was killer-geetar licks weren't bad either).

Marvin was really getting on a roll with other minor hits like Take This Heart of Mine...etc.

The record that Soulster likes the least is one of the biggest hits on the poll.....we used to sing this song under the street lamps...it was quite good and certainly indicative of the times.


All in all a great list.....

[soulster]

That chart's from around March 1966 not October - October 1966 was real important to me because that was when I bought my first record, the Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There'.


Oh Shoot! You know, I entered October into Google Billboard, and it did turn up October, but I did feel something wasn't right because of "Love Makes The World Go Round". See, we had that 45 when we lived on an army base, and then by the time of late 66, we lived off base. Besides, The Supremes' "You Keep me Hanging On" was climbing the charts. Either I got in a hurry and posted the wrong chart, or something else was wrong, ..probably the former. Ah...It wouldn't be the first time I screwed up.

Thanks for catching it.


As for the music in the chart, or in the 60s, I was very young, but I have memories of most 60s music. I never get tired of most music. I admit, I have been burned out on Motown for years, but last light I listened to the Temptations boxed set, which means the mono mixes, and put them up against the British stuff, and realized that many Motown mono mixes sounded really good, despite them being optimized for AM radio. they had space and depth, and the vocals didn't jump out at you like most non-Motown music did. And, Dionne Warwick songs were very dry, with little reverb added.

How does this forum feel about Stax music? Hardly anyone discusses it here.

[timmyfunk]

haaaaaaaaaa,are you kidding all those songs are standouts,believe me i may live in this century but my heart and soul will always be in the sixties,and i think that i'm not alone in this feeling!!!

Not kidding at all. Purely subjective viewpoint. Nothing less.

[soulster]

I'm closer to Timmyfunk here, but there are some good songs on the chart.