for Sunday 26th February 1967

Barry Benson's major claim to fame appears to have been that he was once P J Proby's hairdresser! He had already been in the Fab in May 1966 with his first release, a Peter Lee Stirling composition Stay A Little While. This was to become popular as a Northern Soul track and was released on CD – GSCD79 British Soul Volume 2.

Barry (far left) is pictured on his visit to the Radio England ship Olga Patricia. The others in the photo are Jerry Smithwick, Wayne Fontana, Don Pierson and an unidentified visitor. (Photo courtesy of Grey Pierson, from the Don Pierson archive).

Cousin Jane was also recorded by the Troggs, whose version invokes the descriptions: "creepy", "gothically moody", "slow folk-pysch" and (in Italian) "ballad morbosa" on various websites. Barry Benson appears to have had a connection with the Larry Page stable. Cousin Jane was co-wriiten by Larry and someone called Mathews, and the fifth and final Barry Benson single was released on the Page One label.

According to a feature on the Marmalade Skies website, sadly, Barry died of cancer in a hospice in Bognor Regis in 2003.

From Los Angeles, the Seeds were Sky Saxon (Richard Marsh), bass, vcls, Jan Savage, gtr, Rick Andridge, drms (d 2011) and Daryl Hooper, keybds. Their 11-week stint in the US Hot Hundred took the Sky Saxon-penned Pushin' Too Hard to the #36 position, but they failed to chart in the UK Nationals.

The UK publishing contract belonged to Pall Mall Music, a company associated with Radio London. It was fairly unusual for Pushin' Too Hard to be issued as an A-side, as most of the songs in the Pall Mall catalogue ended up on the B-sides of singles.

A somewhat tenuous link between the Seeds and offshore radio is that Emperor Rosko's brother, Jeff Pasternak, was in a band called the Mustard Greens who opened a concert for the Seeds. Obviously a horticulturally-themed evening. (Who else was on the bill? The Cherry People and Strawberry Children?) Well, we warned you it was tenuous!

Tell It To My Face

Keith's record, which was previously listed as an unassigned climber, is now shown as Norman St John's final climber (even though Norm left Big L the day after the chart was broadcast). This is in accordance with Brian Long's Curzon Street list, and with on-air announcements heard by Wolfgang Buchholz.

At the same time, we're taking the opportunity to amend the title. The song, written by the Hollies, was eventually released in the UK under the title Tell Me To My Face. (Vinyl disc, right). It appears however that the record was originally promoted under the title Tell It To My Face. That's how it's shown in Brian Long's Curzon Street lists for 26th February and 5th March 1967, and also in my original handwritten notes – suggesting that was the title announced on the radio, initially at least. The inference is that promo copies of the disc, and maybe also some early pressings, had the incorrect title, and it's known that in some territories the wrong title made it on to issued copies of the record. (French EP photo sleeve, left). – Alan Field

Tell Me To My Face is the title of the song as written by the Hollies and recorded by them on their album For Certain Because.

Keith's personal website keith98.6.com.

Tell Me To My Face