A brief history of The Executives
1967: The rise
In late May 1967, the band released their second single: ‘My Aim Is To Please You’ b/w ‘Bad Reputation’. It was also the band’s first international release; firstly, in New Zealand through Festival Records in August, and secondly, in the US through United Artists Records in March 1968.
Carole sings ‘My Aim Is To Please You’ in a rendition that is far superior to Kenny’s original. On ‘Bad Reputation’, Keith and the band (including Pat) provided a more modern and commercial sounding vocal than the original. The slightly laid-back tempo also removed some of the aggression heard in the original.
Radio DJs immediately added ‘My Aim Is To Please You’ to their hit prediction lists, forecasting the single to make The Executives a household name. And it would be a fair assessment: ‘My Aim Is To Please You’ reached #4 in Sydney (2UE – 2 August), #3 in Brisbane (4IP – 21 July), #33 in Melbourne (3DB – 26 August), #7 in Canberra (2CA – 31 August) and even #47 in Hobart (7HO – 5 July)! In the USA, ‘My Aim Is To Please You’ was a solid hit in Louisville, Kentucky, reaching #2 on the WKLO chart in May 1968!
This impressive performance could be attributed, in part, to the American sound of the record. With its tight harmonies, Australian listeners thought they were hearing the latest from The Mamas & The Papas before discovering that it was actually a “home grown” product.
Capitalising on the chart success of ‘My Aim Is To Please You’, the band performed extensively, including the 2UW/Smith’s Dance Spectacular at the Sydney Trocadero in August.
They headed back into the studio and in August, hot on the heels of the success of ‘My Aim Is To Please You’, they released their next single: ‘Sit Down, I Think I Love You’ b/w ‘Don’t You Sometimes, Baby, Find That I’m On Your Mind’.
Musically, ‘Sit Down, I Think I Love You’ was a close copy of the Van Dyke Parks-arranged Mojo Men recording. However, where it excelled was, again, with the lush harmonies of Carole and the boys.
‘Sit Down, I Think I Love You’ reached #3 in Sydney (2UW – 8 November), #13 in Brisbane (4BC – 29 November), #21 in Canberra (2CA – 29 November) and #49 in Hobart (7HO – 27 September). While becoming their biggest selling single in NSW, in other states ‘Sit Down, I Think I Love You’ did not perform as well as their previous single.
In October, the band travelled south to attempt to crack the Melbourne scene. Unfortunately, their reception wasn't as warm as hoped. Part of the problem for the band was the differing nature of the music scene between Sydney and Melbourne. Put simply, Melbourne had thriving discotheques and dances, with a stronger focus on pop for the teenagers whereas Sydney’s nightlife consisted more of nightclubs and lounges, with lavish décor, resulting in a somewhat Vegas-like scene suited to adults. The Executives, with their sound and image, were perfectly suited to their native Sydney, but struggled against established Melbourne pop bands. Add to that an ingrained reluctance from Melbourne audiences to accept Sydney groups and it is clear that the band would have a hard time ahead if they were to succeed in Melbourne.
Just before Christmas, on 23 December, the band made its first major TV appearance, lip-syncing to ‘Sit Down, I Think I Love You’ on Brian Henderson’s Bandstand. Little did the band know that this would be the first of many appearances they would make on the popular musical/variety show over the next two years.
Summarised extracts from the book "The Executives: Their Aim Was To Please You" (P)(C) 2015 Jaesen Jones. Buy the book for the full story!
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