David Hamilton - A Special Goodnight To You/ Just For The Weekend

 

 

 

DJ and TV links man Diddy grabs his top hat and cane

 

Label: Spectre

Year of Release: 1967

 

Well, I'll be blowed. "Diddy" David Hamilton is one of those broadcasters who - until the late eighties at least - felt woven into the fabric of British society. At his peak, his agent must have struggled to find time to deal with anyone else on their books. Not only was he a top BBC Radio DJ, he was also a dependable voiceover man, rent-a-host, quiz show guest and newsreader. A walking, talking example of the oft-used phrase "A safe pair of hands", it felt as if there was literally nothing the man couldn't do.

Hold that thought for a second, though, because for all his strengths, Hamilton really wasn't a top flight singer. This single was released in 1967 when he was, among other things, the continuity announcer for ABC Television in Manchester. His sign-off catchphrase would always be "A very special goodnight to you", and it seems this became well known enough in the region to warrant a single of the same name. Enter the mysterious Spectre Records, who so far as I can see didn't release anything else at all, to do the honours.

I suspect that Hamilton had his tongue firmly in his cheek when recording this, especially during the smooth spoken word segments, but as a novelty single it's neither muckling nor mickling - not funny or gimmicky enough to stand out, but not good enough as a song or performance to pass as a pop hit from a famous face. It's a rinky-dink piece of daffy easy listening and has a little bit of the slick, middle-class broadcasters charm about it, but that's the bare minimum you'd expect.

Clearly the public agreed, and nobody really bought this record. That wouldn't put Hamilton off fronting others, though, as in 1973 he put out the Tommy Cooper referencing single "Just Like That" - which is considerably worse than this. Elsewhere, he also put out a promotional single for Provident Personal Credit snappily titled "If You Need A Little Help With Money Just Spend Three Minutes With David Hamilton" which sounds a bit threatening or even obscene, to tell the truth. 

After leaving BBC Radio 2 Hamilton's star waned somewhat, but he still regularly appears as a guest on TV shows to this day, thankfully seldom choosing to sing. 

If you can't preview the tracks properly below, please go right to the source.