Hello World

Happy New Year!!
We're starting bright and early (12:01am PST) with a post of "Hello" songs to greet 2012!
First introduced here during the British Invasion Series, The Tremeloes are the other "beat" band from Liverpool, who were heavily influenced by Buddy Holly & TheCrickets. Like The Beatles, each member of the group was a strong singer, and they combined rock and roll with several other styles of music. Having a successful career in their native UK with nine Top-20 hits, their songs were more popular among young music fans and their parents rather than rock music fans. Released in 1969, "Hello World" is a fun one that reached #14 on the UK charts, featured in this live performance from 1970 (including "My Little Lady" and "Here Comes My Baby").

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So I just recently discovered this San Francisco group (thanks again, Uncle Bill!), and I can't believe I'd been missing out on this delightful music. Sopwith Camel is one of the first "psychedelic" rock bands to get a recording contract with a national record label, however, their "old-timey" sound was more reminiscent of the early songs of The Lovin' Spoonful rather than typical psychedelia. From their first album (and only album from the '60s), the vaudevillian "Hello Hello" became the first hit single to emerge from the San Francisco rock scene, reaching #26 on the US pop charts in January 1967 and #9 in Canada. Playing vintage rock in a wintery setting, here's the only footage I've seen of these guys from this era.

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This next classic 'Hello' song is brought to you by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. Released as a single that June, "Hello, I love You" reached #1 in the U.S. where it sold over a million copies, and hit #1 in Canada. It was also the group's first big hit in the UK, hitting #15 on the chart. While some skeptics believed the song's musical structure was stolen from The Kinks' "All the Day and All of the Night", which does have a similar riff, Doors guitarist Robby Krieger (who wrote this song with all three band mates) said the song's vibe was taken from Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love. Here's some great footage of a rockin' psychedelic classic.

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And of course, it's only appropriate to end this post with "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles. Released in November of 1967, this Paul McCartney tune scored #1 on the charts in the US, UK, France, and Norway, and was the Christmas #1 (UK) of that year. Directed by McCartney, three promotional films were produced, but they were not allowed to air on the BBC because of Musician's Union strict rules about mimed performances, however, one was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US. Wearing their infamous "Sgt. Pepper" uniforms, here's the fun, pop rock song that is basically about "everything and nothing" at the same (as explained by McCartney upon the song's release).

And on that note, Happy New Year, Farewell to 2011, and Hello 2012!