An oddity from the heyday of the 1960s pop-boom is a publication called Pop Pic Library - 68 page black and white comic books whose titles were all named after 7" chart-smashing hits by the key bands of the era. But apart from an uncredited colour photo of the group on the back cover, everything within totally deviated from the actual lyrics of the songs themselves. Even the names of the band members and the songwriters were omitted.
The very first Pop Pic Library title was 'The Last Time' by The Rolling Stones - a '45' that was released in February 1965, so this dates the series to have commenced around then. The 18 x 12 cms sized comics were published by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co and printed in Redhill, Surrey - and according to the blurb that appeared below the last panel on the final pages, two titles were published on the 15th of each month. Pop Pic Library was distributed in the UK, and were also shipped out to "Australasia, South Africa, Rhodesia, Zambia and Malawi".
The interior art was not credited, but sometimes the covers were - No.4 was by Josep Maria Miralles, a Spanish artist who drew many romance titles for the UK market during this time.
I wonder whether the bands themselves ever caught sight of these little rogue comic books that re-imagined bizarre versions of their hit songs for the price of one shilling?
Examples of Pop Pic Library rarely surface these days, and there's not much information out there about just how many issues were published, though it appears that the series ran for three years up to 1968. I've compiled a checklist of known titles - and look forward to hearing from those who can fill in the gaps...
Pop Pic Library - a partial checklist
No.1 The Last Time - The Rolling Stones
No.2 A World of our Own - The Seekers
No.3 I’m Alive – The Hollies
No.4 Set Me Free - The Kinks
No.5 Heart Full of Soul - The Yardbirds
No.6 The One in the Middle - Manfred Mann
No.7 We’ve Got to Get out of this Place - The Animals
No.8 You’ve got your Troubles - The Fortunes
No.9 I’m Down - The Beatles
No.10 Like We Used To Be - Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames
No.11 Whatcha Gonna Do About It - The Small Faces
No.12 Hark - Unit 4 Plus 2
No.2 A World of our Own - The Seekers
No.3 I’m Alive – The Hollies
No.4 Set Me Free - The Kinks
No.5 Heart Full of Soul - The Yardbirds
No.6 The One in the Middle - Manfred Mann
No.7 We’ve Got to Get out of this Place - The Animals
No.8 You’ve got your Troubles - The Fortunes
No.9 I’m Down - The Beatles
No.10 Like We Used To Be - Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames
No.11 Whatcha Gonna Do About It - The Small Faces
No.12 Hark - Unit 4 Plus 2
No.13 Yesterday Man - Chris Andrews
No.14 Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones
No.15 We Can Work it Out - The Beatles
No.16 Don’t Bring me Your Heartaches - Paul & Barry Ryan
No.17 A Must to Avoid - Herman's Hermits
No.18 Keep on Running - Spencer Davis Group
No.19 You Were On My Mind - Crispian St. Peters
No.20 As Tears Go By - The Rolling Stones
No.21 A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders
No.22 Inside Looking Out - The Animals
No.23 I Can't Let Go - The Hollies
No.15 We Can Work it Out - The Beatles
No.16 Don’t Bring me Your Heartaches - Paul & Barry Ryan
No.17 A Must to Avoid - Herman's Hermits
No.18 Keep on Running - Spencer Davis Group
No.19 You Were On My Mind - Crispian St. Peters
No.20 As Tears Go By - The Rolling Stones
No.21 A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders
No.22 Inside Looking Out - The Animals
No.23 I Can't Let Go - The Hollies
No.25 I Put a Spell on You - Alan Price Set
No.26 Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann
No.27 Not Responsible - Tom Jones
No.28 Sorrow - The Merseys
No.30 Paperback Writer - The Beatles
No.32 Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
No.33 All or Nothing - The Small Faces
No.35 I'm a Boy - The Who
No.36 Bend It! - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
No.38 I Can’t Control Myself - The Troggs
No.39 Gimme Some Lovin' - The Spencer Davis Group
No.41 In the Country - Cliff Richard
No.43 Got To Get You Into My Life - Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers
No.45 On a Carousel - The Hollies
No.46 Penny Lane - The Beatles
No.49 Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings - Tom Jones
No.50 Dedicated to the One I Love - The Mama's and the Papa's*
No.52 Silence is Golden - The Tremeloes
No.54 Okay! - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch
No.56 All You Need is Love - The Beatles
No.58 I'll Never Fall In Love Again - Tom Jones
No.26 Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann
No.27 Not Responsible - Tom Jones
No.28 Sorrow - The Merseys
No.30 Paperback Writer - The Beatles
No.32 Out of Time - Chris Farlowe
No.33 All or Nothing - The Small Faces
No.35 I'm a Boy - The Who
No.36 Bend It! - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
No.38 I Can’t Control Myself - The Troggs
No.39 Gimme Some Lovin' - The Spencer Davis Group
No.41 In the Country - Cliff Richard
No.43 Got To Get You Into My Life - Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers
No.45 On a Carousel - The Hollies
No.46 Penny Lane - The Beatles
No.49 Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings - Tom Jones
No.50 Dedicated to the One I Love - The Mama's and the Papa's*
No.52 Silence is Golden - The Tremeloes
No.54 Okay! - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch
No.56 All You Need is Love - The Beatles
No.58 I'll Never Fall In Love Again - Tom Jones
No.59 Hole in My Shoe - Traffic
No.60 Flowers in the Rain - The Move
No.62 I Can See for Miles - The Who
No.63 Hello, Goodbye - The Beatles
No.64 Let the Heartaches Begin - Long John Baldry
No 66 Daydream Believer - The Monkees*
No.69 As You Are - The Tremeloes+
No.62 I Can See for Miles - The Who
No.63 Hello, Goodbye - The Beatles
No.64 Let the Heartaches Begin - Long John Baldry
No 66 Daydream Believer - The Monkees*
No.69 As You Are - The Tremeloes+
No.72 Congratulations - Cliff Richard
* So far, No's 50 and 66 are the only titles known to me by non-UK artists to have hit the Pop Pic Library charts
* So far, No's 50 and 66 are the only titles known to me by non-UK artists to have hit the Pop Pic Library charts
+ This track by The Tremeloes was actually the flipside of their 1968 hit 'Suddenly You Love Me'
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| front cover of Pop Pic Library No.38, a great track from 1966 |
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| it's the Troggs on the back of 'I Can't Control Myself' |
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| interior pages of Pop Lic Library No.38, and a Route 133 bus heading to or from Liverpool Street Station |
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| Set Me Free by The Kinks was released in May 1965. This was No.4 of the series |
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| Kinksize up the back cover |
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| dig the Snack-Bar sign, though these pages are perhaps the best of a poor lot within this edition |
