June 20th, 1965: Manfred Mann and the Rolling Stones enter the charts

June 18, 1965 - For the first time two EPs entered the NME Chart simultaneously. They were the Rolling Stones' Got Live If You Want It and Manfred Mann's The One In The Middle.

"Great!" said Brian Jones to Keith Altham, a NME reporter. "That's the highest position we've ever entered with an EP. We had one that reached Number 6 in the chart, but this is a fabulous start."

"I believe the fans are buying this record for slightly unusual reasons," continued Jones. "Some of the tracks have been recorded before, but it's the incredibly live atmosphere which is helping to sell it... We taped six live shows and took some of the best tracks for the EP...It sounds pure chaos."

Altham also reported that Manfred Mann's EP was in such high demand that record stores had sold out all across England only a few days after the initial release. It was, allegedly, the EP that nobody could buy.

Paul Jones, lead singer of Manfred Mann said: "I went into a large West End record shop at the weekend to buy an album, and someone came in asking for our EP. They were told that the manufacturers had sold out and later I was told it was the same situation throughout the country."

Manns' manager subsequently sent a telegram to EMI chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood requesting that he should "personally intervene" in this intolerable situation.

On top of strong initial sales, Manns' record was also difficult to find because many stores had banned it. Mann had re-worked Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side", and many considered it unsavoury, thus leading to the widespread ban.

Listen below to a track from each of the EP's.