New Zealand Top 20 - 15 September 1966
26/02/2015
This YouTube playlist is a countdown compiled from the first listing I made, titled "Auckland Top 20", from broadcasts on the radio each week when I was 15 years old. I think it was station 1ZB, but can't confirm it. As far as I can find, I was a bit parochial calling it the "Auckland Top 20", and it was actually a national chart.
It should be noted that at the time I saw no video of any of this. I had no idea Bobby Hebb was black, nor that Los Bravos were Spanish, despite their name. I have 9 sheets of yellowing lined school pad paper listing in pencil the charts of each week from the 15th of September through to the 10th of November, 1966. (See Left.) What a nerdy little geek I was! I had a little Sharp 6-Transistor radio, not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes, but it was a lot better than the crystal set I had before that, which had no speaker and needed headphones. (But! it needed no batteries.) |
Ref. this handy history of NZ music charts, whence the below: -
"From 25 March 1966 NZ Listener asked readers to vote popular tunes onto the magazine’s hit parade each week. Thus the NZ Listener’s chart, called the Pop-O-Meter from 1970, initially captured only the choices of those who bought the magazine and bothered to complete the coupon inside and post it in. This was hardly a reflection of the taste of the nation. From September 1970 the Pop-O-Meter used impromptu sales data compiled by the radio stations. It seems not to have been scientific in any way but it was a quantum leap in accuracy. [compared to Forties and Fifties charts.] The chart shows were hosted until late 1966 by Pete Sinclair, initially as The Top Twenty and then as The Hit Parade."
"The Top 10 was announced on Thursday, and appeared in the NZ Listener the next day, with the full Top 20 being broadcast that evening."
I must have been listening on the Thursday, because the very next day was a Friday when: - One day before setting sail the Tiri was detained. Radio Hauraki was prevented from taking the Tiri to sea by the Government. Those naughty pirates!
Those were the days. I remember us all at school being really glad to hear the music they broadcast when they eventually got going. No other station was worth listening to after that.
"From 25 March 1966 NZ Listener asked readers to vote popular tunes onto the magazine’s hit parade each week. Thus the NZ Listener’s chart, called the Pop-O-Meter from 1970, initially captured only the choices of those who bought the magazine and bothered to complete the coupon inside and post it in. This was hardly a reflection of the taste of the nation. From September 1970 the Pop-O-Meter used impromptu sales data compiled by the radio stations. It seems not to have been scientific in any way but it was a quantum leap in accuracy. [compared to Forties and Fifties charts.] The chart shows were hosted until late 1966 by Pete Sinclair, initially as The Top Twenty and then as The Hit Parade."
"The Top 10 was announced on Thursday, and appeared in the NZ Listener the next day, with the full Top 20 being broadcast that evening."
I must have been listening on the Thursday, because the very next day was a Friday when: - One day before setting sail the Tiri was detained. Radio Hauraki was prevented from taking the Tiri to sea by the Government. Those naughty pirates!
Those were the days. I remember us all at school being really glad to hear the music they broadcast when they eventually got going. No other station was worth listening to after that.
The listing for 15 September 1966
1 Yellow Submarine The Beatles
2 Sunny Afternoon The Kinks
3 Bus Stop The Hollies
4 Lil' Red Riding Hood Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
5 Sunny Bobby Hebb
6 Somewhere My Love Ray Conniff and Singers
7 I Couldn't Live Without Your Love Petula Clark
8 Hungry Paul Revere and The Raiders
9 Sunshine Superman Donovan
10 Wild Thing The Troggs
11 Mother's Little Helper The Rolling Stones
12 Little Girl Syndicate of Sound
13 River Deep, Mountain High Ike and Tina Turner
14 I Saw Her Again Last Night The Mamas and the Papas
15 Baby You Don't Have To Tell Me The Walker Brothers
16 Black is Black Los Bravos
17 The Work Song Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
18 Love Letters Elvis Presley
19 This Door Swings Both Ways Herman's Hermits
20 Sweet Pea Tommy Roe
Xtra Summer in the City The Lovin' Spoonful
Number 21 is noted as "Xtra". It was a new release, four weeks later it was at No. 1.
1 Yellow Submarine The Beatles
2 Sunny Afternoon The Kinks
3 Bus Stop The Hollies
4 Lil' Red Riding Hood Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
5 Sunny Bobby Hebb
6 Somewhere My Love Ray Conniff and Singers
7 I Couldn't Live Without Your Love Petula Clark
8 Hungry Paul Revere and The Raiders
9 Sunshine Superman Donovan
10 Wild Thing The Troggs
11 Mother's Little Helper The Rolling Stones
12 Little Girl Syndicate of Sound
13 River Deep, Mountain High Ike and Tina Turner
14 I Saw Her Again Last Night The Mamas and the Papas
15 Baby You Don't Have To Tell Me The Walker Brothers
16 Black is Black Los Bravos
17 The Work Song Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
18 Love Letters Elvis Presley
19 This Door Swings Both Ways Herman's Hermits
20 Sweet Pea Tommy Roe
Xtra Summer in the City The Lovin' Spoonful
Number 21 is noted as "Xtra". It was a new release, four weeks later it was at No. 1.
Postscript 06/07/16. Rewatching this I want to note the amazing variety. It seems much greater than what is on the charts today. Now it seems to be just a lot of subtle variations on the rap theme with industry artist mix & match productions. A check of the current NZ chart shows little else. e.g. see below:-
NZ Top 40 June 2016
1. One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
2. Can't Stop The Feeling! - Justin Timberlake
3. This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris and Rihanna
4. Say It - Flume and Tove Lo
5. Send My Love (to Your New Lover) - Adele
6. Don't Let Me Down - The Chainsmokers and Daya
7. Panda - Desiigner
8. Too Good - Drake and Rihanna
9. I Hate U, I Love U - Gnash and Olivia O'Brien
10. Work From Home - Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign
NZ Top 40 June 2016
1. One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
2. Can't Stop The Feeling! - Justin Timberlake
3. This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris and Rihanna
4. Say It - Flume and Tove Lo
5. Send My Love (to Your New Lover) - Adele
6. Don't Let Me Down - The Chainsmokers and Daya
7. Panda - Desiigner
8. Too Good - Drake and Rihanna
9. I Hate U, I Love U - Gnash and Olivia O'Brien
10. Work From Home - Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign