Pop lyrics magazine from 60s/70s?

[Des]

I'm racking my brains over this. Can anyone remember a weekly or monthly magazine that gave you the lyrics to a selection of Top 40 hits in the 60s/70s? If so, what was it called? I remember me and my siblings & schoolmates buying it from Woollies regularly. It had quite low production values (might have even been B&W) but had photos of the stars and maybe a line or two of biog.

Tried Googling but no luck.

[Rob Hall]

Yes, I remember it. It was A4 format wasn't it? Damned if I can remember what it was called though.

Edit

Check this link Des:

http://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/books ... comic.html

It mentions "Words" (with a picture of what it looked like) and "Disco 45", but I don't think the one I'm thinking of was either of them.

[Dominic]

I know the one you mean - my older brother used to buy it. Black & white & one colour. Lots of small ads ("Groovy chick into Marc seeks suedehead boy").

Can't remember what it was called though.

[Dominic]

Found it! This must be a later one given the colour cover:

[Des]

Yay I think between the two of you that's the magazines I remember - Words and Disco 45! Your prize is a Jamboree Bag. Cheers!

[Hugh Weldon]

There was an earlier publication a little earlier than these, smaller format, black and white if I remember correctly.

It must have been around 1971 as I recall lending one to my French teacher as he wanted to see the words of Séverine's 'Un Banc Un Arbre Une Rue' which won Eurovision that year. Bugger took it and never gave it back.

[Hugh Weldon]

Here it is, Record Song Book. The title appears to have changed to Words: The Record Song Book around '71.

[Rob Hall]

*That's* the one that I remember buying as a kid in the 60s. A lot of my pocket money went on that little mag.

Thanks Hugh

[Des]

Yep that's it! I must have bought all the different lyric mags as they all seem to be the ones I remember!

1/6 a real rip-off though!

[Hugh Weldon]

I'm probably getting a bit obsessed over this but I was just musing it would make an interesting quiz to guess which songs are contained in that edition of Record Song Book by the artists listed on the cover. Given that the price is in old money that puts it before February 71. My guesses are as follows:

Free: Allright Now

Hendrix: Voodoo Chile

Mary Hopkin: Those Were The Days

Stevie Wonder: Signed Sealed Delivered

Herman's Hermits: ???

The Move: Fire Brigade

Julie Felix: ???

Clarence Carter: Patches

White Plains: When You Are A King

Pickettywitch: Same Old Feeling

Sorry folks. Mercury in Cancer must be in retrograde again.

[john poole]

It must date from November / December, 1970 so I'll agree about the Jimi Hendrix & Clarence Carter selections, but would suggest -

Free - The Stealer (?)

Mary Hopkin - Think About Your Children

Stevie Wonder - Heaven Help Us All

Herman's Hermits - Lady Barbara

The Move - ???

Julie Felix - Heaven is Here

White Plains - Julie Do Ya Love Me

Pickettywitch - ???

Apart from Stevie Wonder & Free, I have no recollection of any of these records.

[Hugh Weldon]

You're probably right on most of them John. Heaven Help Us All was in fact the first Stevie Wonder record I bought.

Unfortunately I remember at least half of them.

[Adam Blake]

Pickettywitch - ???

Such a shame that a band with such an excellent name as this should have been so utterly God awful...

(Honestly, I think Charlie must despair of us...)

[Charlie]

(Honestly, I think Charlie must despair of us...)

Well yes he probably would, except that he is going through a bit of after-the-event re-evalutation of deep seated prejudices, having worked my way through the new Ace compilation of Neil Diamond songs recorded by other people. Listening in the car, and therefore without looking at the track listing, I was struck by how good the second track was, which I recognised must be the well-known song The Boat That I Row. Terrific words, I belatedly acknowledged, and very good singing too.

I wondered who the singer was since I recalled that Lulu had had a hit with the song but never I listened to her version at the time. Back then, my reaction would have been: Lulu, nah, can't be any good, so my ears closed down and refused to listen. Stopping at a traffic light, I sneaked a look, and there was the uncomfortable truth, it was Lulu herself. I remembered how incredulous I was when Jerry Wexler had praised Lulu in conversation back in 1973. How could he think she was any good? I thought to myself, he must be losing his touch. Now I understand.

So at this moment I am even prepared to allow that the unnamed song by Picketywitch might be OK too.

By the way I do have a few copies of that Record Song Book magazine, which must have lasted into the late 1970s. Smash Hits came along shortly afterwards with a more attractive version of the same sort of idea.

[Adam Blake]

I dunno... I always thought Lulu's version of "Shout" was one of the best British r'n'b records - substituting wild excitement and frenzied enthusiasm for soul and sexiness seems a very honest response to the tricky business of white British people playing black American music. The Beatles had turned the same trick with "Twist And Shout" after all. Lulu was an honest belter and if the song was halfway decent she'd always give it a good working over - like the one you mentioned (which I didn't realise was a Neil Diamond song)

But trust me, Pickettywitch are not worth dredging up from the riverbed of British pop history...