On this day from the ubiquitous Behind The Grooves by Jeff Harris . . .follow the links to help support his stirling efforts at keeping the music flowing!

On this day in music history: July 20, 1965 - “Do You Believe In Magic”, the debut single by The Lovin’ Spoonful is released. Written by John Sebastian, it is the first hit single for the New York City based rock/pop band. Taking their name from a lyric in blues musician Mississippi John Hurt’s “Coffee Blues”, The Lovin’ Spoonful are formed in 1964. Sebastian’s initial inspiration for the song comes from Martha & The Vandella’s “(Love Is Like A) Heatwave”, using the same three chords as the intro, but speeding up the tempo. “Magic” is recorded in a small demo studio in New York with producer Erik Jacobsen (Norman Greenbaum, Chris Isaak). The master will be picked up by Kama Sutra Records (distributed by MGM), and becomes the bands’ first hit. The record becomes a 60’s anthem and is covered numerous times over the years, with the original recording used in films and television programs. “Do You Believe In Magic” peaks at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 16, 1965.

On this day in music history: July 20, 1965 - “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan is released. Written by Bob Dylan, it is the first single released from the landmark “Highway 61 Revisited” album. Dylan writes the song (starting off as a ten (or twenty) page poem before it is edited down) after returning home from a tour of England in June of 1965. The track is recorded over two days at Columbia’s Studio A in New York City on June 15 and 16, 1965. Initially written and demoed in ¾ time, Dylan abandons the original arrangement after attempting five takes, and searches for another way to express the song. Musician Al Kooper who plays Hammond Organ on the second session, is a key element in “Like A Rolling Stone” being changed to the rock arrangement, it becomes known for when he improvises the riff that runs through the song. Initially, producer Tom Wilson is not impressed by Kooper’s playing, but allows him to sit in when Paul Griffin is moved from organ to piano. The other musicians on the session include Paul Butterfield Band guitarist Mike Bloomfield, Frank Owens (piano), Joe Macho, Jr. (bass), Bruce Langhorne (tambourine) and Bobby Gregg (drums)  Written in a literal stream of consciousness, the lyrics are originally composed as Dylan refers to as “a long piece of vomit”, twenty pages long before paring it down. Eventually the lyrics are crafted into four verses and a chorus. The Columbia Records is initially very hesitant, to release the six minute long track as a single, but are forced to when it is leaked to several popular and influential DJ’s who lead the charge for its release. The record is revolutionary in rock & roll history, as being the first to shatter the “three minute rule” set by AM top 40 radio. “Like A Rolling Stone” peaks at #2 on the Hot 100 on September 4, 1965. The single is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998.

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On this day in music history: July 20, 1980 - “New Clear Days”, the debut album by The Vapors is released. Produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, it is recorded at Basing Street Studios and The Town House Recording Studios in London from Late 1979 - Mid 1980. Formed in 1978, The Vapors consist of David Fenton (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Howard Smith (drums), Edward Bazalgette (lead guitar) and Steve Smith (bass, vocals). Their break comes early on when they’re seen by Jam bassist Bruce Foxton while playing the pub circuit. Foxton offers to co-manage them along with Paul Weller’s father John. Shortly after, they are touring as the opening act for The Jam. The Vapors sign to United Artists Records, working with The Jam’s producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. Releasing the single “Prisoner” in the Fall of 1979, it fails to make a ripple in the charts. With Fenton writing the songs, their debut album is completed over the next few months. Their fortunes turn around with the release of “Turning Japanese” (#3 UK, #36 US Pop) in February of 1980. The song becomes a smash in the UK, leading to its release around the world. An urban myth about what the song title really means, lead to some US stations refusing to play it. A rumor spreads that it is actually “a euphemism for masturbation”. In truth, the lyrics are about the angst experienced in youth and it having an unexpected outcome. In the US, United Artists promote the single by pressing a special 7" white vinyl disc shaped like a Japanese flag. The album title “New Clear Days” is a pun on “nuclear days”, with the cover art of a weatherman pointing at a map of England with a radioactive symbol and a mushroom cloud over London. The title and cover art are commentary over the cold war and conflicted views over the use of nuclear power. It spins off two other singles including “Waiting For The Weekend” and “News At Ten” (#44 UK). The chart performance of “News” is scuttled in the UK when a strike at the BBC pre-empts “Top Of The Pops”, cutting off a major source of public exposure for the record. BBC-1 radio also refuses to play the record after the band appear on rival network ITV. Their momentum in the US is impeded when United Artists is abruptly shuttered, with the record being transferred to Capitol subsidiary Liberty Records. The US release of “New” features a shifted running order, and omits the track “America”. In spite of their “one hit wonder” status, “Turning Japanese” goes on to become a new wave classic, and is later featured in the films “Sixteen Candles”, “Romy And Michelle’s High School Reunion” and “Charlie’s Angels”. “Turning Japanese” is reissued as a limited edition 7" single on Record Store Day in April of 2018. The album is released on CD in 2000 by UK label Captain Mod Records with eight additional bonus tracks. “New Clear Days” peaks at number forty four on the UK album chart, and number sixty two on the Billboard Top 200.

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again I think I need to confess I bought this from the bargain bins and am not sure if this is now cool (again?) or just an embarrassment . . . . . prolly the latter!