BARRY LEVINE: Elvis the king of two-sided hits

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series on two-sided hit records with both landing in the Top 10. Part 2 will appear in The Albany Herald on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Don’t get “All Shook Up” when you read this.

Here’s another reason Elvis Presley justifiably earned the nickname “The King.”

Presley holds the record for the most two-sided-hits with 14. Only two others had as many as five: The Beatles with nine and Ricky Nelson with seven.

Presley also is the only performer since the start of the modern rock ‘n’ roll era in 1955 to have both sides of a record reach No. 1

In August 1956, “Hound Dog,” Elvis’ cover of Big Mama Thornton’s 1953 hit, unseated The Platters’ No. 1 smash, “My Prayer.” It remained No. 1 for six weeks before being replaced at the top by “Don’t Be Cruel” for five weeks.

That’s 11 weeks for “Hound Dog”/”Don’t Be Cruel” to hold the No. 1 slot and it remained on the charts for a whopping 55 weeks.

Elvis had two more two-sided Top 10 hits in 1958. “Don’t” reached the top of the charts while “I Beg of You” climbed to No. 8. Later in the year, “One Night” rose to No. 5, four slots higher than “I Got Stung.”

“A Fool Such As I”/“I Need Your Love Tonight” was the second of three Elvis singles with both sides charting in the top 5. “A Fool Such As I” reached No. 2 on April 27, 1959, after “I Need Your Love Tonight” had peaked at No. 4 one week earlier.

“Little Sister”/“His Latest Flame” was the third of Presley’s two-sided hits with both peaking within the Top 5. Charging up to No. 4 on Sept. 18, 1961, “His Latest Flame” then quickly retreated down the chart. “Little Sister” peaked at No. 5 on Oct. 2.

Presley had his last two-sided, Top 10 hit in 1963 when “Devil in Disguise” rose to No. 3 and “Bossa Nova Baby” to No. 8.

The Beatles nearly matched Presley’s two-sided No. 1 hit in 1969 when “Come Together” topped the charts and the “B” side, “Something,” peaked at No. 2.

The “Fab Four” had five other No. 1 hits whose flip side climbed into the Top 10

— The Beatles had their first major two-sided hit in 1964 when “I Feel Fine” was No. 1 and “She’s a Woman” climbed to No. 4.

— Also in 1964, “Love Me Do” was No. 1 and “P.S. I Love You” was No. 9.

— Two years later, The Beatles had another two-side smash when “We Can Work It Out” topped the charts and “Day Tripper” was No. 5.

— The group had another two-sided smash in 1967 when “Penny Lane” rose to the top of the charts and “Strawberry Fields” reached No. 8.

— They had their last two-sided, Top 10 hit in 1968 when “Hey Jude” hit the top spot while “Revolution” peaked at No. 10.

TV-actor-turned-singer Nelson began his musical career in 1957 with the two-sided hit ”A Teenager’s Romance” and “I’m Walkin’,” a cover of Fats Domino’s hit. “A Teenager’s Romance” rose to No. 2, two spots higher than “I’m Walkin’.”

He had two more two-sided, Top 10 hits in 1958 when “Lonesome Town” jumped to No. 7 and “I Got a Feeling” No. 10, and “Stood Up” was No. 3 and “Waitin’ in School,” the flip side, reached No. 6.

Nelson had two more two-sided smashes the following year when “Never Be Anybody Else But You” reached No. 5, one slot higher than “It’s Late.” Later in the year, “Just a Little Too Much” and “Sweeter Than You” both peaked at No. 9.

Nelson had his last major two-sided smash in 1961 when “Travelin’ Man” topped the charts and “Hello, Mary Lou” peaked at No. 9.

This Week in Rock history: The Doors performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 17, 1967. Even though he agreed to change some words in “Light My Fire,” singer Jim Morrison sang “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” A furious Ed Sullivan vowed that the band would never appear on his show again. … Bobby Vee had his third Top 10 hit and his only No. 1 with “Take Good Care Of My Baby” on Sept. 18, 1961. … Chubby Checker’s version of “The Twist” reached the top of the pop chart for a one-week stay on Sept. 19, 1960. The same record would make a return to No. 1 in January, 1962, becoming the first single in history to accomplish that feat. … Nearly 3,700 fans paid $100 per ticket to see The Beatles play a charity concert at the Paramount Theatre in New York City to finish their North American tour on Sept. 20, 1964. … The Springfields’ “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” became the first British record to crack the U.S. Top 20 on Sept 21, 1962. The vocal trio comprised Tim Field, Tom Springfield and his sister, Dusty, who had solo hits like “I Only Want To Be With You.” … The Supremes recorded “I Hear A Symphony” on Sept. 22, 1965. It became their sixth No. 1. … Buddy Holly & The Crickets had their only No. 1 hit with their first chart maker, “That’ll Be the Day,” on Sept. 23, 1957. Holly later reached the Top 10 with “Peggy Sue” and “Oh, Boy!” and cracked the Top 20 with “Maybe Baby” and “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.”

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].