6 of the 60s: 9/4/13 (1969)...

It's "hump day", and time to take a trip back to the 60s, and this week I'm serving a half-dozen more nuggets from 1969, the year King Idris of Libya was overthrown after ruling almost 18 years and a young Muammar Gaddafi was put in power...

R.B. Greaves - "Take A Letter Maria"
from the album R.B. Greaves (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Songwriter: R.B. Greaves

The soul singer born in the South American country of Guyana to American parents was a nephew to Sam Cooke, but he got his own time in the sun with this sunny little break-up number that was also featured in the 90s in the drag movie Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert...

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Jackie DeShannon - "Put A Little Love In Your Heart"
from the album Put A Little Love In Your Heart (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Songwriters: Jackie DeShannon, Randy Myers, Jimmy Holiday

Jackie wrote this inspirational number with her brother Randy, and it's a time message that applies especially today.

The Bee Gees - "I Started A Joke"
from the album Idea (1968)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Songwriters: Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb

In my opinion Robin's best moment as the lead for the group in this alternate "Tears of A Clown" jerker, from their more baroque period. The Pet Shop Boys recently covered it for a B-side after his death.

Derek (aka Johnny Cymbal) - "Cinnamon"
from the single "Cinnamon"
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11
Songwriters: Johnny Cymbal, George Tobin

The Scottish singer who had a brief career under his first assumed surname (his real one is Blair) had a hit one-off with this bubblegum pop he recorded under his brother's first name.

Glen Campbell - "Where's The Playground Susie"
from the album Galveston (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26
Songwriter: Jimmy Webb

In my mind, Jimmy Webb was just an amazing and important a songwriting legacy from the late 60s/early 70s as the Motown machine or Lennon/McCartney, and this parable is one of his greatest songs, and Glen's voice was the perfect voice for it. The way it cracks to the high note at the end still gets me.

Perry Como - "Seattle"
from the album Seattle (1969)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38
Songwriters: Jack Keller, Hugo Montenegro, Ernie Sheldon

The music from this theme to the TV adaptation of the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers called Here Comes The Brides was done by Hugo, the guy behind the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly theme.

That's it for this week's 60's flashback...I'll be back tomorrow with 7 more from 1979 and 8 from 1989...