What the Riff?!?

1968 - November - The Seekers - Best of the Seekers

Episode Summary

Brian goes WAY BACK to 1968 and presents this album from The Seekers, called “the Best of the Seekers” (I’ll Never Find Another You / A World of Our Own / The Carnival is Over / Georgy Girl). ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: Theme from “The Odd Couple.” STAFF PICKS: “Good Times” by the Easy Beats — Wayne. “Stormy” by Classics IV** — Bruce. “Elenore” by The Turtles — Rob. “Gentle on My Mind” by Glen Campbell — Brian. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK: “Wonderwall To Be Here” by George Harrison.

Episode Notes

The Seekers were an Australian folk pop quartet, the first Australian group to see significant success in the U.K. and the U.S. The Seekers were voted "Australians of the Year" in 1967. Judith Durham joined what was originally an all-male quartet, and their style was hard to define - too pop to be folk, too folk to be pop. That didn't keep them from achieving success, as they were the first Australian group to reach number 1 in the UK with a debut record - a feat that neither The Beatles nor The Rolling Stones achieved. We hope you enjoy this "proto-rock" hit from the 60's.

I'll Never Find Another You
"I could search the whole world over until my life is through, but I know I'll never find another you."

A World of Our Own
Upbeat and uplifting, this track discusses leaving the rest of the world behind. "And I know you will find they'll be peace of mind when we live in a world of our own."

The Carnival is Over
This is an adaptation of a Russian folk song, and is one of the top 50 best selling singles in the UK.

Georgy Girl
This well known track is from the movie of the same name, and was named for an academy award. Judith considered this song somewhat autobiographical.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Theme from "The Odd Couple"
This 1965 Broadway play became a film in 1968, on its way to becoming a TV series in 1970.

STAFF PICKS:

“Good Times” by the Easy Beats
Another Australian band is featured as Wayne's staff pick. This party song has been covered by a number of groups.

“Stormy” by Classics IV
Bruce found a connection here he likes! This band started out in Jacksonville, Florida and moved to Atlanta. Guitarist JR Cobb would join the Atlanta Rhythm Section later on, who would cover another Classics IV tune.

“Elenore” by The Turtles
Rob shares that the opening sounds like Three Dog Night's "One is the Loneliest Number," which would come out a year later. This was intended to be a parody of their hit "Happy Together," but the song actually worked. "Your my pride an joy, etc."

“Gentle on My Mind” by Glen Campbell
Brian wraps it up with this multi-song artist. John Hartford wrote this song, which became the flagship song for Glen Campbell. Hartford was inspired by the film "Dr. Zhivago," and wrote the song in about 15 minutes. It won 4 Grammy awards in 1968.

INSTRUMENTAL:

“Wonderwall To Be Here” by George Harrison
This instrumental was on the soundtrack from the film "Wonderwall." It is Harrison's first solo effort, and also the first solo effort from any of The Beatles.