Look What They’ve Done to That Song

After a weekend’s hiatus, I’m back to doing business at this old familiar stand with a few bits and pieces worthy of your attention.

One of the most-played artists on the laptop music stash is organist Jimmy McGriff, who died last week. I’m very late on it, but Funky16Corners has a brief tribute. I blogged about the late Bo Diddley over at WNEW.com yesterday; around the web are many, many other tributes. Several of Diddley’s most important recordings are up at The Vinyl District; over at AM, Then FM, you’ll find a collection of obits, articles, and blog posts.

(Coming tomorrow at WNEW.com is my usual Wednesday look at the week in rock history; on Thursday, Rock 101 explores the early history of the CD.)

Driving home from our long weekend, I was percolating a post about the coming of summer. It’ll appear later in the week. Whiteray at Echoes in the Wind beat me to the topic yesterday, and will probably beat me at the topic, too. While you’re there, be sure to read Whiteray’s post about the first week of June 1974, with an accompanying mix of Top 40 classics.

And now, music. The Seekers were an Australian group who recorded two iconic 60s hits, “Georgy Girl” and “I’ll Never Find Another You.” After they split, one member reformed the group with all-new members, hung around for two albums, then quit himself. So, by the time the New Seekers scored their first American hit, a cover of Melanie’s “Look What They’ve Done to My Song,” the New Seekers were actually the No Seekers. Their version of the Coca-Cola jingle, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,” became a worldwide Number One, although not in the States, where it competed with a version by the Hillside Singers; the two versions reached Number 7 and Number 13 respectively during the same week of January 1972. Then, in early 1973, they accepted an invitation to perform at Richard Nixon’s inaugural festivities. It may not be a coincidence that they decided to go for more rock-and-roll credibility precisely at that point. Their next album included a medley of songs from Tommy, “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me.” It didn’t really work; sales were lousy and the group began to splinter. That medley is on K-Tel’s Bright Side of Music, the first album I ever owned. Although I knew “See Me, Feel Me” from its ride up the singles charts in 1970, this was the first version of “Pinball Wizard” I ever heard.

“Pinball Wizard/See Me Feel Me”/New Seekers (buy it here)

(Verve 10709, chart peak #29, May 5, 1973)