1958 - 2/10
An unfair rating for this chart as it was probably a good example of a fine 50s chart - if that is your kind of thing - but for me really isn't unfortunately.

1966 - 5/10
The last 1966 chart which was only a few months ago had a much better top 10. It was ok. Some good songs in there bumping the rating up for me. A chart like this really should have been in the first hour.

Impressive was PG's delivery of the top 20 countdown of 1966. He managed to tie the (Number 6?) song title in with the pick of the pops tune just like Tony used to. Impressive and brilliant effort from Paul.

The 1966 chart was a great example of some of the great songs being played daily on the pirate stations that at time dominated the British airwaves from seaborne ships and forts around the UK like Radio Caroline North and South, Big L Radio London, Radio England, Radio City 299, Radio 270 and Radio Scotland. The soundtrack to July 1966!

Here's a link to the Radio Caroline South Top 50 which was announced on 30 July 1966. According to the link the chart was broadcast between noon and 3pm (so would have finished just as the England v West Germany World Cup Final was getting underway) and was hosted by Dave Lee Travis. The previous presenter of the programme had been Tony Blackburn.

http://radiolondon.co.uk/caroline/st...030%201966.htm

Will they/we ever shut up about the bloody '66 World Cup?!

Its a national event? - it deserves recognition !

Yeah. 50 years ago!

We've Won nothing since. We should be trying to forget about it.

Yeah. 50 years ago!

That's what we do, celebrate anniversaries.

We don't go on about it at other times.

What a fantastic show on Saturday.

Back in the day, the BBC compiled their own charts in house based on an average of the published music paper charts.

As broadcast on POTP on Saturday 2nd August 1958

1. All I Have to Do Is Dream/Claudette - Everley Brothers
2.Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley
3. Big Man - Four Preps
4. Tulips From Amsterdam/You Need Hands - Max Bygraves
5. Rave On - Buddy Holly
6. When - Kalin Twins
7. Twilight Time - The Platters
8. Endless Sleep - Marty Wilde
9. Return to Me - Dean Martin
9. On the Street Where You Live - Vic Damone
11.Sally Don't You Grieve/Betty, Betty, Betty - Lonnie Donegan
12. Sugar Moon - Pat Boone
13. I'M Sorry I Made You Cry - Connie Francis
14. Who's Sorry Now - Connie Francis
15. Think It Over - Crickets
16. Stairway of Love - Michael Holliday
17. Only Man on The Island - Tommy Steel
18. On the Street Where You Live - David Whitfield
18. Patricia - Perez Prado
20. Torero - Julius Larosa

Joint Positions at 9 and 18.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The chart as broadcast on Pick of the Pops on Sunday 31st July 1966

1. Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
2. Black is Black - Los Bravos
3. With A Girl Like You - The Troggs
4. Get Away - Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames
5. Sunny Afternoon - Kinks
6. The More I See You - Chris Montez
7. I Couldn't Libe Without Your Love - Petula Clark
8. Love Letters - Elvis Presley
9. Nobody Needs Your Love - Gene Pitney
10.River Deep, Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner
11. Going Back - Dusty Springfield
12 - Bus Stop - The Hollies
13. Mama - Dave Berry
14. Baby (You Bon't Have To Tell Me) - Walker Brothers
15. Strangers In The Night - Frank Sinatra
16. Summer In The City - Lovin' Spoonful
17. Visions - Cliff Richard
18. Hideaway - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
19. Hi Lili, Hi Lo - Alan Price Set
20. Paperback Writer - The Beatles

What's with Odyssey at No49 with Beware in a chart from July 1966!

The Radio Caroline chart was loosely based on the Melody Maker chart. However the lower placings often saw strange records being featured. These were quite often payola records that were played a certain number of times per week, depending on how much cash the record pluggers had parted with.

Agreed, thanks for the link alcockell. It also seems much smoother/less glitchy than the official chart site.

I never noticed that! Obviously a different group and here's the single

http://www.45cat.com/record/479732

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-bknNCif2k

^
sounds more mod / 60s than the beloved singers of 'Native New Yorker'. It's the first time I've heard it and it doesn't sound too bad.

Caroline had to take some money to keep the ship afloat

What made me think it could be the chart topping Odyssey of the 1978-82 period initially is that by the time of the big hits they were into their middle 40's and so they would have been around in 1966 at a still reasonably mature, in pop music terms, age into their 30's. However a glance on Wikipedia states clearly they began in 1977 the year they charted right at the end of, plus my Guinness Rockapedia states much the same.

Does anyone know how songs are licensed and how it affects radio 2?

Reason I ask is that a few weeks ago we had 1987 with the number one Pet Shop Boys - it's a sin. The following Monday on Vanessa feltz show it came to the birthday feature where someone was born that day in 1987 and she would play the number one song - which we know is pet shop boys , but she COULDNT play it because it was already on pick of the pops the Saturday before which she stated to the listeners, and played the number one in America instead! How's that work??

Could this be a reason to Phil Swerns chart choice repetitiveness?

It sounds like a strange excuse by Vanessa. As far as I'm aware the BBC just pay a blanket fee to PRS for the music they play. Years ago it used to average out at about £40 per record but it doesn't stop them from playing any one particular record more than once. Perhaps her producer just didn't want her to play the record?

Yeah, I've never heard of this either. I believe they have a policy of if a track is played on one show it will not have been played on the show before it and won't be played on the show after. Obviously that's to avoid repetition, like commercial radio stations have a no-repeat workday. Maybe if the POTP repeat had been on before Vanessa's show that would've explained it, but that wouldn't have been the case on a Monday.

I've often listened to a record on Sounds of the 60s then heard the same record played again on Pick of the Pops just a few hours later.

I believe there is or was a rule that the same record cannot be played twice within an hour?

I suppose it could be down to the repeat? The producer might not want someone who listens to Radio 2 early every morning to hear the same non-playlist/non-current tracks a couple of times within the same few days?

Yes, but it isn't the show before POTP so that's why it can play the same track.

It's poor planning though when the same producer is responsible for both shows.

I thought it was odd too. I think Phil swerns a bit of an oddball like that with his selections. Some of the popmaster questions of late have been odd. One today about a Spurs hit decades ago! It's not champions league!. And country hits have been included in the bonus topics twice in a week now.

i have a feeling the repeat will last for the full hour -the Iplayer file name has the show tagged as shortened so i have a feeling that that the thursday night rerun will be the full 55 minuites for hour 2 and it will be uploaded to iplayer as well

Not a problem that would bother Smooth Radio. They would probably play that Pet Shop Boys single about 10 times a day! Although it's likely not on their playlist at all anyway as it has not been rendered positively by some kind of listening panel. Uugh. Began listening to Smooth in late 2010 when Andy Peebles had a nice evening show. Stopped in 2013 when David Jensen left. The repetition was a joke. Tony Blackburn made references to it on POTP more than once.

However I think I know the answer to your question Wakey and it revolves around the early Thursday morning repeat of POTP. The one that played 1987 was repeated from 3am to 5am on 14th July, followed by Vanessa Feltz early show. Presumably this was the show you heard on 14th July and not the Monday but the Thursday with Vanessa when she would not play Pet Shop Boys. Obviously because it had been the last song played just before 5am as her own show was about to begin.

EDIT; I've just checked this out and my explanation is absolutely correct and the date I gave. You heard it on a Thursday morning after the repeated POTP. It's A Sin had been played on Radio 2 just 90 minutes earlier. So she decided to play the No3 single in the UK for the caller, which was Who's That Girl by Madonna. All cleared up!

But why wasn't Who's That Girl played on POTP? They usually play the whole Top 3 (unless GG or similar are in the Top 3).