SATURDAY'S SINGLES : WAYNE FONTANA AND THE MINDBENDERS and THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

[maggot]

Good morning gang and welcome to the return of Saturday's Singles, a Number Ones edition. First up, under our needle is a track from Fontana Records. On this day in 1965, you wild and crazy kids were giving Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders a #1 with "Game of Love". The song, a non album track, had reached #2 in the UK, a month earlier and #3 in Canada. We have a US pressing, so the B-side features, "One More Time", as opposed to the UK version with "Since You've Been Gone". "Game of Love" would be the Mindbenders' only #1, as Wayne left the group later that same year, to pursue a solo career.  He succumbed to cancer, August 6th, 2020, age 74.

Wayne Fontana  vocals, tambourine 
Bob Lang  – bass

Ric Rothwell – drums

Eric Stewart  – guitars, vocals

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Our second number one comes a year after the last. "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" by the blue-eyed soul duo, The Righteous Brothers topped the charts on this day in 1966. The tune hailed from their 7th album, Soul and Inspiration, on Verve Records. The original 45 featured "B-Side Blues" as it's B-side, but our copy is one of those "double a-sides" with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", on the flip. It was also a #1 in February of 1965. 

Bobby Hatfield - tenor vocal

Bill Medley - bas baritone vocal, piano

The pair would split up in 1968, get back together six years later and split up again. Hatfield died November 5, 2003, age 63,  of heart failure. In 2016, Medley recruited vocalist singer Bucky Heard, and performed as The Righteous Brothers for 40 shows and released a self titled album.

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