Anyone twisting the radio dial, tuning in to ‘Colorful KOL” in late 1967 or ’68, might have heard something akin to this lead in (Terry McManus’ great voice and a Colorful KOL jingle). I was in high school when Johnny Rivers released this one. It holds a certain mystique for me, probably because it pays homage to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Actually, I liked lots of the songs performed by Rivers – Memphis, Seventh Son, Poor Side of Town, Secret Agent Man, Baby, I Need Your Lovin,’ Tracks of My Tears and several others. In Nov. 1967, Summer Rain was released as a single, but come January ’68 it peaked at #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and at #10 in Canada.
This video was shot at the Montreux Music Festival in Switzerland. It dates to 1973, only five years after the record was a hit, so Johnny Rivers was still in his youth and looked as he did when the song came out. The music track was of marginal quality, typical of a live performance, and it was replaced with a stereo version of the original recording. Lip sync has been optimized as has the video (as much as was feasible).
