My Chemical Toilet

One-Hit Wonderful: 'She's Not There' by The Zombies

Unbelievable really. The Zombies are one of the most talented bands who ever graced the airwaves... but they only really had one massive hit, the sublime mod-jazz-pop of 'She's Not There'. There's nothing I can add to make this song more majestic. Watch and weep that all music isn't this good.

[video: Alquit4]

One-Hit Wonderful - 'I Wish' by Skee-Lo

It's customary to give the real name of a rapper in articles. So, Skee-Lo (born Antoine Roundtree) had a big hit in '95 with the De La-flavoured 'I Wish' which is probably the most famous hip-hop track dealing specifically with being a short-arse. Anyway, have fun git-gittin' down to this... altogether now, "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller...".

[video:dodokun82]

One-Hit Wonderful - "You're The One That I Want" by Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard

With it being a Friday, I thought I'd give you a dancefloor favourite in the shape of 'You're The One That I Want' from Grease. However, this ain't the version you'll be hearing out tonight. This version is by Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard - two geriatrics who can't hold a note for toffee. The tune appeared in the hit parade in the 70s and may well have fared better if it wasn't for a disasterous Top of the Pops performance (which you can watch here) which saw fluffed lyrics and Arthur utterly confused as to what was happening. Sales plummeted spectacularly after the broadcast. [video:45rpmsingle]

One-Hit Wonderful: 'Uptown Top Ranking' by Althea & Donna

As the days are lighter for longer and the temperature is on the increase, I think we should have something distinctly summery for this week's One-Hit Wonderful. So, from the sounds of sunny JA, here's the sublime 'Uptown Top Ranking' from Althea & Donna. Get yourself a can o' Ting and maybe, if so inclined, get stoned outta your tiny mind. No mentioning that Abs track though...

[video:TVFlambart]

One-Hit Wonderful: 'Girl At The Bus Stop' by My Drug Hell

This particular one-hit wonder has a particularly big place in my heart as it soundtracked my teens (and many subsequent delves into hallucinogens). 'Girl At The Bus Stop' was a big indie hit in the mid-nineties, before My Drug Hell unfathomably sank without trace, leaving behind one of the most underrated debuts ever cut with This Is My Drug Hell. It was described as "pop perfection" at the time... and that still stands. Watch this great little Super 8 shot video and drop out.

[video: randyatlantis]

One-Hit Wonderful: "The Snake" by Al Wilson

This track could've easily been a Where Have I Heard That Song Before? but as it's Friday, and I fancy getting at least some of my rocks off, I thought now was the right time to share Al Wilson's 'The Snake'. Now, 'The Snake' was a minor hit in '68 but, on rerelease in '75, went on to sell a bucketload thanks to the growing Northern Soul scene. Sadly, the memory has been tarnished by its appearance on a Lambrini ad, but that shouldn't put the scuppers on this fantastic slice of soulful pop.

[video:owtherdrove]

One-Hit Wonderful - 'Echo Beach' by Martha and the Muffins

Since ITV put their new soap Echo Beach on, I've not been able to get Martha and the Muffins' hit of the same name outta my head. Quite annoying really as it's hardly one of my favourites. Anyway, Martha and Co are hardly the coolest-looking bunch, but 'Echo Beach' was a hit back in 1980. Capturing the attention of the post-punkers and pop fans alike, this track of drudgery and dreaming the day away struck a chord with many before disappearing without much trace... although it's something of a cult classic now.

[video: Barsopen1970]

One-Hit Wonderful: "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" by Whale

Back in the mid-to-late '90s, all kindsa tunes sneaked into the charts on the blindside thanks to Nirvana kicking the door open. One act who definitely utilised the dozing security guard was the brilliantly bonkers Whale, who brought braces (those on yer teeth, not for yer trews) back to the fore. Their big one-hit was the oddball racket of "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe". You don't get to type that every day, I can tell you. Anyway, click "play" and dance around like a wet tea-towel (that's exactly what I've been doing).

[video:dkdsdm]

One-Hit Wonderful: "Cannonball" by The Breeders

"I'll be your whatever you want. The bong in this reggae song." What the hell does that mean? Who cares. Pop music does NOT have to make sense. If it did, we would have been denied the sublime stoner rock of 'Cannonball' by The Breeders. The Breeders were born from a Pixie and a Throwing Muse and, over the years, have had a rather fluctuating line-up. In '93 the band hit big and featured Kelley AND Kim Deal. Twins? In a rock group? Groovy! Anyway, enough spout, let's look and listen to one of the finest one-hitters in history.

[video:Anevrisme]

One-Hit Wonderful: Crabby Appleton - "Go Back"

I'm getting slightly obsessed with Crabby Appleton's "Go Back" at the moment. Those preposterous haircuts. The dafter monicker. Man, there's nothing to dislike about this band. Thankfully, under all that hair and teeth lies a cracking one-hit wonder which is part prog work-out, part big soulful chorus. Hitting the US Top 40 in 1970, this is a firecracker of a single that needs to be reassessed!

[video: vesaja]

One-Hit Wonderful - Mr Oizo's "Flat Beat"

Ah. Mr Oizo Remember him? Oizo came to the attention of the public at large with his sublime squelchy disco banger, Flat Beat, which featured Flat Eric on a Levi's ad. Of course, Oizo didn't just down tools... he continued (not to the same commercial success) with a variety of odd records and LPs including Moustache (Half a Scissor), Last Night A DJ Killed My Dog and Nazis. His skewed view of the world cut through his unique brand of techno, winning many over who would normally baulk at the notion of techno. So with that, let's revisit his big choon. Here's Flat Beat.

[video: BloodShed]

One-Hit Wonderful - Soho's Hippy Chick

Soho were, in essence, a pop trio, but most notably, Soho featured twin sisters Jacqui Cuff and Pauline Cuff. They hit it big with their baggy anthem, Hippy Chick which landed fully formed in the Top 10 in the early 90s. On first listen, you may find yourself going 'hang on!'... that's because the ditty features a heavy sample of The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" sequenced over a Soul II Soul rhythm.

Hippy Chick was one of the big tunes played at the legendary Spike Island gig by The Stone Roses, which cemented it in the hearts of the baggy acid-teds. In true one-hit wonder style, the group vanished from the face of the earth after the single dipped out of view... so... let's roll back the years and give it another spin. There's a nice video over the jump taken from the great lost pop programme, The Chart Show... check out those graphics!

One-Hit Wonderful: The Mike Flowers Pops Orchestra - "Wonderwall"

This lava-lamp cover of "Wonderwall" by The Mike Flowers Pop Orchestra could have easily gone into the Under The Covers section, but somehow it fits better in the One-Hit Wonderful slot. This tune, a pastiche of all those cheesy-listening LPs you see in charity shops up and down the country, appeared slap-bang in the middle of Oasis' imperial period, thus making it a true one-hitter. The band disappeared off the radar after this hit; still, it allowed frontman Mike Flowers to joke, "1998 was quite a big year for me, I appeared on Blue Peter and Through the Keyhole".

[video: zeprefel]

One-Hit Wonderful - A one hit wonder quiz!

Normally in the one-hit wonderful section, you find a series of great (and not so great) one-hitters, set to give you nostalgia or hopefully, to let you in on some lost pop classics. Today is a little different as I found a quiz! 34 clips of one-hit wonders blurt out of the speakers... but how many can you name? Be warned, some of them are not strictly one-hit wonders, but that shouldn't stop your fun. I got 25 right (not bad I think). How well are you gonna do? Answers can be found over the jump. [video: darwenus]

One-Hit Wonderful - "Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen

In my opinion, the greatest one-hit wonder in history is the sublime Louie Louie by The Kingsmen. Stupidly catchy organ backed by a pounding primal beat with fratboy wailing atop... it was always gonna shake up and wake up the world.

"Louie Louie" was actually written by Richard Berry in 1955 and has since become a garage hymn and a standard to everyone else. The Kingsmen's '63 version is still the best known, and hilariously, was the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed obscenity of the lyrics. After a few listens, the investigation ended without prosecution (and probably a buncha men in suits doin' the mash potato). Click over to see The Kingsmen performing the song live on the legendary Shindig! show way back when...

One-Hit Wonderful - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's "Legend of Xanadu"

Once upon a time, there were five pals from Wiltshire, who christened themselves Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. An interesting band monicker I think you'll agree. The group had one of the biggest hits of the sixties with the wonderful Latin and whip flavoured Legend of Xanadu.

The vocalist Davy Dee was an ex-policeman and, for ace rock 'n' roll trivia, was at the scene of the car accident that took the life of American rocker Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent in April 1960. Dee had taken Cochran's guitar from the accident and held it until it could be returned to his family. Did Cochran's death pass the torch from one rocker to another? Probably not, but Legend of Xanadu is a blinding little track. If you haven't heard the track, click over for a listen... but be warned, you'll be humming it all weekend and it's likely that you might go window shopping for a whip...

One-Hit Wonderful - The Trashmen's Surfin' Bird

One of the greatest one-hitters of all time is the delightfully nonsensical racket of Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen. Surfin' Bird was a huge hit with the soldiers in Vietnam, testified by its appearance in 'Nam flick Full Metal Jacket. The track was also a firm fave amongst the punk fraternity, being covered by the Ramones, The Deviants and The Cramps, before being championed by the oddball Pee-Wee Herman.

The lyrics sound like they took minutes to come up with. Well, they took even less time than that as the bulk is lifted from the titles of two different tracks, the first being The Rivingtons' Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow, and another Rivingtons' track, The Bird Is The Word from 1963. This should be a karaoke classic as you don't have much to remember and you don't really need a decent singing voice... the trademark of a truly great one-hit wonder! Click over the jump to listen to the glorious noise of Surfin' Bird!

One-Hit Wonderful - Lene Lovich's 'Lucky Number'

Sometimes, a record appears from nowhere. It sounds and looks like nothing else. It's weird. It's catchy. It's... something. One such hit was 'Lucky Number' from the marvellously bonkers Lene Lovich. Released on the hip Stiff record label, Lucky Number stormed the charts and left people dancing... and scratcing their heads. Have a listen to it and think of a recent(ish) Gwen Stefani tune and then tell me where she got her vocal style from...

[video Leouiche]

One-Hit Wonderful - I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) by The First Edition

One-hit wonder is a bit of a woolly term... sometimes a 'hit' can be something that achieved notoriety long after release without a subsequent reissue. One such track is the stupendous I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) by The First Edition. The group, normally a bunch of country rockers, starred a young Kenny Rogers up on the mic, and was made famous by its appearance in the sublime The Big Lebowski. So, let's fly into the weekend in a psychedelic fuzz with a brilliant performance of the track on the legendary Smothers Brothers Hour.

[video 2old2rock]

One-Hit Wonderful - Middle of the Road's 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep'

I saw a pal recently and recalled that once, whilst very very drunk, we had a dance to the preposterous one-hit novelty record, 'Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep' by the aptly named Middle of the Road. Of course, I'm not proud of my shimmy to this... so all I can hope for is that it gets stuck in your head like it's been stuck in mine all week.

[video provided by monre]

One-Hit Wonderful: Streetband - 'Toast'

The one hit wonder is the perfect place to find the more unusual pop song. Think Mr Blobby. Think Popcorn by Hot Butter (although it was a cover of a Gershon Kingsley track, it was only a hit once). Well, here's a nice little oddity about everybody's fave breakfast grub, toast. Yep, Toast by The Streetband sneaked into the charts in 1978 and featured a fresh faced Paul Young on the mic. Watch the video below and start dreaming of all the things you can have on toast.

[video provided by TheCatKeaton]

One-Hit Wonderful - Was (Not Was) 'Everybody Walk The Dinosaur'

On this very day in 1952, David Was of Was (Not Was) was born. You may not recall the name Was (Not Was) by virtue of the fact it's a terrible monicker... but you may recall the big hit Everybody Walk The Dinosaur. It's far from a great record and you'll inevitably have it stuck in your head all weekend. I'm sorry about that... but it is David Was' birthday!

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