25 July 1966 This is indeed the same showband with whom Eileen Reid in 1964 became the first Irish woman to go to number one in Ireland, with 'Fallen Star'. Eileen is still there, but The Cadets always had a male vocalist too, to provide some counterpoint and variety for their stage act. In that … Continue reading Gregory and The Cadets – ‘More Than Yesterday’ →

18 July 1966 England's mythical summer of 1966, when London swung and the years-of-hurt counter still said zero, seemed to involve a good deal of pop-star whinge about paying tax, what with the first line of The Kinks' 'Sunny Afternoon' and the opening track of The Beatles' Revolver. Alas, we in Ireland couldn't help; our … Continue reading The Kinks – ‘Sunny Afternoon’ →

20 June 1966 The novel in 'Paperback Writer' is churned-out hackwork: "It's a thousand pages, give or take a few / I'll be writing more in a week or two". Alas, I have to say that 'Paperback Writer' itself, like some other made-to-order Beatle hits we've seen at number one so far, has the same … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘Paperback Writer’ →

9 May 1966 So, you're the same shade of pink as Barbara Cartland's boudoir, you stand around for ages on one foot at a time, and everyone incorrectly thinks you urinate down your legs: you big flamingo, you! No, I wouldn't be too flattered either. That said, I reckon I'd wear the pink well: it … Continue reading Manfred Mann – ‘Pretty Flamingo’ →

25 April 1966 Right after 'The Sea Around Us' we have another Irish republican ballad at the top of our charts. 'Black And Tan Gun', though, is a painfully antiquated and simpering '50s-style country-&-Irish showband number telling the maudlin tale of a fallen Irish soldier, shot near Bantry by the notoriously fashion-uncoordinated British army unit … Continue reading Pat Smyth and The Johnny Flynn Showband – ‘Black And Tan Gun’ →

28 March 1966 The Seekers had already topped our charts with the Australian variant, and the US influence of pre-electric Bob Dylan was still in the air, but here's our first encounter with the home-grown Irish '60s folk ballad revival. The Ludlows include a youthful Jim McCann, later a solo balladeer of considerable success, and … Continue reading The Ludlows – ‘The Sea Around Us’ →

21 February 1966 Everyone's favourite Batman is the '60s TV show, not the recent-day notiony auteur films, right? I mention it here because I fear 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'', like classic Batman, is dismissed as camp, whimsical Austin Powers fancy-dress fodder, when in fact it's smart, funny, slyly subversive, and far more enduring … Continue reading Nancy Sinatra – ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin” →

24 January 1966 Ireland's 1966 number ones include eleven Irish singles by eleven different Irish acts, making it by far the most successful year for Irish acts topping our charts. If that suggests a new-found '60s national self-confidence or cosmopolitan swagger, let me pull the handbrake straight away by reminding you that this is still … Continue reading Larry Cunningham and The Mighty Avons & Strings – ‘Lovely Leitrim’ →