The Song For Today by Jimmie Oliver (ebook reader with highlight function .TXT) 📕

the summit of the British singles chart in the autumn of 1969. This anti-love song by the ace songwriting combination of Burt Bacharach and Hal David contained such amusing lyrics as: "What do you get when you kiss a guy?/ You get enough germs to catch pneumonia/ And after you do, he'll never 'phone ya." Gentry may have pledged in this recording never to fall for the charms of the opposite sex again, but in real life she did indeed fall in love and got married.
{Also on this date, an armistice is signed, ending the Korean War in 1953}

JULY 28TH
Echoes by Pink Floyd (1971)
from the album Meddle
Rick Wright, the quiet man of Pink Floyd, was born at Hatch End, London on this date in 1943. Despite a musical background in jazz, Wright branched out into psychedelia and progressive rock, as his band sought to break new ground with their artistic, musical statements. One such instance was the Floyd's abandonment of the three-minute opus in favour of tracks that would exceed twenty minutes in length. Having had a bash on 'Atom Heart Mother', Pink Floyd cooked up another treat with a piece of music that occupied the whole of Side Two of the album, 'Meddle'. 'Echoes', probably the epitome of 'prog rock', begins with Wright plucking piano strings to initiate this wondrous, nautical recording. I used to lie in the bath and play this track in its entirety before reluctantly abandoning the bathtub at the song's conclusion. Speaking of which, I feel a sense of bereavement as 'Echoes' fades out. It is almost as if something is disappearing slowly over the horizon, never to return. The very self-indulgent 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' by Yes and Mike Oldfield's superb 'Tubular Bells' must surely derive their inspiration from Pink Floyd's ambient 'Echoes'.
{Also on this day, in 1976 the Tangshan earthquake in China kills 240,000 people}

JULY 29TH
Words Of Love by The Mamas & The Papas (1966)
from the album The Mamas And The Papas
Big Mama Cass Elliot met a tragically premature end on this day in 1974, at the age of only thirty-two when she was found dead in her London hotel room of a suspected heart attack. Back in happier times, Mama Cass helped to deliver lead vocals on the excellent 'Words Of Love' single, whose lyrics by John Phillips pre-dated the girl power of the Spice Girls by thirty years: "Words of love so soft and tender won't win a girl's heart anymore." Regrettably, Cass Elliot became the latest in a growing line of rock 'n' roll fatalities who allowed personal excess and an unhealthy lifestyle to sabotage their artistic potential.
{Also on this date, the US 101st Airborne Division lands in Vietnam in 1965}

JULY 30TH
Wow by Kate Bush (1978)
from the album Lionheart
Kate Bush 'emerged' on this day in 1958 in Kent. Two decades later, she was apparently disappointed that 'Lionheart', her second album, was rushed out a little too quickly, in a frantic attempt to capitalise on her new star billing. Nevertheless, 'Lionheart' has its moments, notably the amusing 'Coffee Homeground' and 'Kashka From Baghdad' ( a tale about a couple of gay lovers). However, I think that the highlight is the appropriately-named 'Wow'. Blessed with a tremendous orchestral accompaniment, the young Bush has a tongue-in-cheek swipe at the world of show-business. Bush continued to grace the airwaves with such treasures as 'Babooshka', 'Army Dreamers', and 'Hounds Of Love', although 'Wow' remains my favourite.
{Also on this day, England defeated West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup}

JULY 31ST
The One I Love by REM (1987)
from the album Document
Sticksman Bill Berry was born on this date in Duluth, Minnesota, one day after Kate Bush. After several years of building their own fan base, his group REM eventually made a breakthrough with the guitar-driven 'The One I Love'. Soon Georgia's finest foursome would be crossing the frontier from respected outfit to internationally acclaimed rock band. Then in 1997, Berry walked away from REM after seventeen years of distinguished service behind the drums.
{Also on this date, in 1964 Jim Reeves dies in an aeroplane crash, aged forty}

AUGUST 1ST
My Sweet Lord by George Harrison (1970)
from the album All Things Must Pass
After the acrimonious break-up of the Beatles, it was George Harrison who made the most impressive start to his solo journey with the chart-topping 'My Sweet Lord'. Not content with unseating Clive Dunn from the top perch, this Hare Krishna hymn spent five weeks at the UK Number One spot. Having dwelt in the shadow of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Harrison was growing in stature, thus cementing his reputation as a dark horse. Always one for a sense of humour, the quiet one indeed went on to name his own record label as Dark Horse. Regrettably, Harrison peaked with this ray of sunshine and the accompanying triple album, 'All Things Must Pass'. However, on this day later in 1971, he organised and performed at a concert in Madison Square Garden in New York for the people of Bangladesh, which also featured the likes of Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton. This historic event was a prototype Live Aid, and it was the first notable occasion when performers from the rock and pop aristocracy assembled to raise funds for others less fortunate.
{Also on this day, MTV broadcasts for the first time in 1981}

AUGUST 2ND
Paper Sun by Traffic (1967)
available on the album Best Of Traffic
Jim Capaldi was born on this date back in the tempestuous summer of 1944, under the name of Nicola James Capaldi. Arguably his finest moments in the music business related to the recording of the fabulous 'Paper Sun' with his partners in Traffic. This Top Ten hit in Britain, which Capaldi co-wrote with Stevie Winwood, was another of those special tunes from the 'summer of love', although I doubt whether any other attempt at psychedelic pop has ever managed to surpass the magic of this single. If you should ever dare to question the quality of 'sixties music, then feast your ears on this jewel.
{Also on this date, in 1990 Iraqi forces invade Kuwait}

AUGUST 3RD
Stranger In Paradise by Tony Bennett (1953)
available on the album Mr. Broadway: Tony Bennett's Greatest Broadway Hits
Celebrated crooner Tony Bennett was born in 1926 on this day in New York. Bennett was one of the giant recording stars of the 1950s who continued to perform and entertain his fans for many years thereafter. His only Number One in the United Kingdom is one of the very best chart-toppers of the 'fifties. 'Stranger In Paradise' was recorded in front of a live audience and it is hard not to join in with the well-earned round of applause at the song's conclusion. If you have yet to discover the majesty of this beautiful tune, then promptly do so.
{Also on this day, the comedian Lenny Bruce died in 1966, aged forty}

AUGUST 4TH
What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (1967)
from the album What A Wonderful World
Born on this date in 1901, 'Satchmo' became the oldest artist to score a US Number One with 'Hello Dolly' in 1964. Remarkably four years later, Louis Armstrong repeated the feat by becoming the oldest performer of a UK chart-topper when his truly wonderful 'What A Wonderful World' climbed to the singles summit in the spring of 1968. There are many young music aficionados who hold the mistaken belief that music is exclusively a vehicle for offloading their standard themes of angst, boredom, depression, and insecurity, but there ought to be room in pop world for positive songs. Louis Armstrong's fine recording is one such shining example of feel-good music. The single's flipside, entitled 'Cabaret', is another marvellous offering from the elder statesman of popular music.
{Also on this date, 3 civil rights activists are found dead in Mississippi in 1964}

AUGUST 5TH
The Scarecrow by Pink Floyd (1967)
from the album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967)
Pink Floyd's debut album 'The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' was released on this day in 1967. There is much to be said for the argument that this recording contained the best music to emerge from EMI's Abbey Road studios in that historic year, better even than the hyped 'Sergeant Pepper'. The late Roger 'Syd' Barrett dominated the proceedings on this long player with his quirky tales of a cat called 'Lucifer Sam' and 'The Gnome', as well as 'Bike' which must surely rate as the world's most bizarre love song. I have a soft spot for the record's penultimate track, 'The Scarecrow'. Long before the creation of the loveable Worzel Gummidge, here was a composition that sympathised with the poor fella "resigned to his fate" in the field while "mice ran around on the ground." This splendidly trippy little tune assisted by a superb guitar contribution represented the magic of 'Syd' while he still possessed all his faculties and before he too would become something of a scarecrow.
{Also on this day, American Bandstand is first televised on ABC in 1957}

AUGUST 6TH
When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin (1971)
from the album Led Zeppelin IV
Memphis Minnie died on this date back in 1973,aged seventy-six. This lady would have remained largely anonymous but for the fact that the great Led Zeppelin decided to cover her recording of 'When The Levee Breaks', which itself dates back to June 1929.Zeppelin's version brings down the curtain, and plenty more besides, on their fourth album. This legendary track is notable for the awesome drum sound of big John Bonham, as he provides a thunderous rhythm that was banged out from the Hampshire country home of Headley Grange. Robert Plant rarely sounded better both on vocals and harmonica, but this item is Bonham's finest legacy. The crashing finale of this monster of a tune is a fitting conclusion to a long player that includes such golden nuggets as 'Black Dog' and 'Stairway To Heaven'. When Andy Fyfe came to compile his homage to 'Led Zeppelin IV', he named his volume 'When The Levee Breaks' after the jaw-dropping final song. I wonder if Memphis Minnie would have approved.
{Also on this date, Pope Paul VI dies in 1978, aged eighty}