Disc Review and analysis

Disc Review: 14 February 1966.
Who are the two reviewers "the sound and the fury" K Palmer and MP Edwards?
This is the very first reviews column for Go-Set. Called quite obviously Disc Review, in somewhat psychedelic lettering. Go-Set's ownership of the single reviews is shown with the headings "Go-Set's Tip of the Week"..., and Go-Set's Tip to Go". While the tip of the week went straight to number 2 on the 3UZ chart, then the week after to number 1, the Cilla Black song did nothing, which begs the question about what "Tip to Go" actually means!!

 

This was her most popular top 40 song. Produced by Lee Hazelwood. Listen!! We will discuss the song and the review later. On the 3UZ Top 40 chart. After debuting at Number 2 (21Feb66), the song moved to, and stayed at number 1 for 9 weeks, then dropped  2-2-3-5-5-10-25-32-35-37(6Jun66)

Cilla Black "I Know Better Now": The reviewers state "this single could well win back her place near and tops." and "is backed by a tremendous rendition of Lennon and McCartney's 'Yesterday'. Truth here is that reviewers got the title of the song wrong, and it should in fact be "Love's Just A Broken Heart", written by Kenny Lynch, an English performer and songwriter.

 

The images are not circa 1966, but the song is. The lyrics are listed below.

Notice how often "I know better now" is song. It is a tremendous song isn't it. Cilla would debut at number 36 (21Feb66) the next week with this song. It would stay in the charts for 6 weeks, rising as high as number 27. 36-36-37-27-27-35(30Mar66). The song made no impression in the 2SM King 40, which Go-Set first published 30 March 1966.

Lyrics: Love's Just A Broken Heart
They told me love was not what I dreamed it would be
And one day if I fell in love then I would see
But I believed when my love came
My dreams would all come true
But I know better now
Now that we're worlds apart
Now as the teardrops start
Love's just a broken heart

They told me when I found you
That it wouldn't last
They said you had too many lovers in your past
And foolishly I thought that I could mean much more to you
But I know better now
Now that we're worlds apart
Now as the teardrops start
Love's just a broken heart

You told me I was everything a love should be
I was your destiny
I was your reason to live
And you would give all of life's treasures to me

Now I can hear them laughing as they pass my way
They say "I told you so" there's nothing I can say
For they were right and I was wrong
They said so from the start

I lost the only love I knew when I lost you
Yet all too late I realised your words were lies
My dream of love is through
And I know better now
Now that we're worlds apart
Now as the teardrops start
Love's just a broken heart
Just one more broken heart

Go-Go and No-Go - The First Listings

Issue 3, date 14 February 1966, page 13.
Go-Set begins a pop fan approach to its readers. This had been hinted at in the editorial in the second issue. Readers were invited to write to Go-Set with their thoughts and opinions.
It is the beginning of a long time relationship between Go-Set and its audience

The readers finally have a say in who means something to them. Go-Go's to the Rolling Stones (UK) and to the Moods (Melbourne). No-Go to Perry Como for being out of date. Yet not is all as it might appear. These are in fact examples. The editors notes say "Here's the column where WE invite YOU to tell the world YOUR opinion of the latest song-releases. Just send your ideas in and tell us whether you think such-and-such a record will GO-GO or NO-GO." So, if these were examples, then who are Jonny Peters of Preston, Sue Bryant of Dickson Creek, and Jan Lewis of Elwood?

I suppose it is ironic that while the Rolling Stone opinion is related to a song or content, the reference to the Moods is merely a positive appreciation that they have an association with the Rolling Stones.

Interestingly the Moods are mentioned "for getting on with the fabulous Rolling Stones", in fact the Moods were the Melbourne act that supported the Rolling Stones tour of Australia in Melbourne. Another interesting fact is that Peter Raphael managed the Moods at the time, and was also part of the management team. There may be a lot more to this story than is entirely obvious at this stage.

I will look at the review styles in a later posting, but it also interesting to note the apology. The Twilighters were apparently mixed up with the Twilights. At that time, the first mentioned were a folk group, and the second were a pop group, renowned in Adelaide for their Beatles covers.
The second apology was to Buddy England whose picture had been mislabeled.

AFTERNOTES: There is no Dickson Creek in Victoria, there is a Dixons Creek, which has a primary school and is some distance from Melbourne. There is a Dickson Creek in Queensland. It seems that all is not what it appears to be.  Also there was a John Peters who did voiceovers on Countdown in the 1980s. Or is Jonny Peters, the Go-Go writer, merely a red herring.