To celebrate my baby girl's 4th birthday today, we're posting some of her favorite songs this year. Before you leave this page and think "oh brother...," Zoe has impressive taste in music, which all you '60s fans will surely approve. Yes, that's my girl listening to The Zombies' Odessey And Oracle album on our turntable. She requested it, so I had to document the evidence, of course! While she still enjoys the songs that were in her birthday feature last year (here), here are the newest ones in her playlist.
Before I even knew what "the birds and the bees" really meant, I loved to sing along to this Jewel Akens' song. Now it cracks me up to see Zoe enjoying the same catchy tune. Reminiscent of 1950s honky tonk-style hits (like Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill"), this international hit was released in 1964 and reached #2 on the US Cash Box singles chart and #3 on the Billboard chart. Although considered a one-hit wonder, Akens did have other minor hits and even toured with The Monkees. He just passed away this past March at the age of 79. Here's a classic TV performance of "The Birds & the Bees."
It's not surprising that my daughter loves one of the most influential records in pop music history, but her favorite selection from The Beach Boys' 1966 Pet Sounds is not one of the popular ones. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love with Brian as the producer, "I'm Waiting for the Day" is considered art rock and is very experimental as a combination of an orchestral ballad and a modern rock song. Using our beloved "Wrecking Crew" studio musicians, this positive song features a very exciting instrumentation such as timpani, bongos, strings, flute, English horn, ukelele, organ, bass, and drums. Nothing like driving in your car and hearing your child singing all the lyrics.
Here's another surprising tune from Zoe's playlist: Harry Nilsson's "Mr. Tinker." While his 1968 album Aerial Ballet includes great songs like "Everybody's Talkin'" (a huge hit in '69) and "One" (later covered by Three Dog Night), my daughter is drawn to this beautiful and melancholy number. The arrangement and instrumentation is excellent and so moving as the lyrics tell a story of Mr. Tinker the tailor. Nilsson is such a unique songwriter and I love his variety; even cooler that my kid enjoys the deep tracks like this. And we're in good company: he was the favorite artist of The Beatles!
I guess I must play quite a bit of '60s Baroque Pop around the house because Zoe has caught on to
how great it is! While she does love the well-known "Walk Away Renee"
by The Left Banke, she really enjoys their second hit single, "Pretty
Ballerina." Released in December of 1966 and reaching #15 on the Billboard
chart, this haunting tune is not your typical pop song of the era, featuring
beautiful string/oboe accompaniment and the soaring vocals of Steve Martin
(Caro). Definitely an under-rated band!
While it's appropriate that my kid has a
Bubblegum pop tune amongst her favorites, I think the underlying reason she
loves this song may be due to the fact that she thinks it's about a large,
furry Star Wars character of the same name. In March of 1969, Ohio Express's
"Chewy Chewy"became their second million seller and reached #15 in
the US, #6 in Australia, and #2 in Canada. While Ohio Express was a studio
creation by Super K Productions, they had their biggest success during this time
with singer Joey Levine, however, the touring group included a completely
different of musicians. Nothing like a little Bubblegum to get the happy juices flowing.
This next gem comes from the wonderful 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. A collection of thematic vignettes of English town and hamlet life, written by The Kinks' own Ray Davies, "Animal Farm" is wonderful, 'pastoral escape' that makes excellent use of the Mellotron, simulating string and woodwind backing tracks. Although the record is widely considered one of the most influential and
important works by the Kinks, it failed to chart upon release, and only
sold about 100,000 copies; it was released November 22, 1968, the same day The Beatles released their White Album. Now this Kinks album is ranked amongst Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Another under-rated album now in that list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle definitely caught my daughter's attention but with the most unexpected song. Recorded at Abbey Road Studio in 1967, "Beechwood Park" has a smooth groove complete with a mellow guitar intro, dreamy lyrics, and the breathy vocals of the talented Colin Blunstone. Although one of the biggest songs of the '60s came from this album ("Time of the Season"), Zoe is fascinated by this extraordinary beauty by my beloved Zombies.
And seriously, what kid wouldn't like a song about an octopus's garden? From The Beatles' last recorded album, Abbey Road, released in 1969, "Octopus's Garden" was drummer Ringo Starr's most successful songwriting effort, and was inspired by a trip to Sardinia aboard Peter Sellers' yacht (yes, the hilarious British actor, long story). I still have my parents' original Abbey Road album and now course, the love of this childhood favorite of mine has been passed down in the family.
Zoe has a dear friend named Caroline, so as soon as she caught the lyrics of this Neil Diamond classic, she requested to hear "Sweet Caroline" every time we drove in the car (where we do most of our music-listening). Released in September of 1969, this soft rock song reached #4 on the Billboard chart and eventually went platinum for sales of one million singles. In recent years, Diamond revealed that he was inspired by a picture of President JFK's daughter, Caroline, riding a horse as a young child. In recent years, the song has become popular at sporting events, especially at the Boston Red Sox home games.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An American orchestra leader and film composer, Hugo Montenegro is best known for his interpretations of the music from Spaghetti westerns, especially the cover version of the main theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Originally composed by Ennio Morricone, Montenegro's version was his biggest pop hit in 1968, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart, #3 in Canada, and four weeks at #1 in the UK. Zoe loves this song, especially the whistling, and refers to it as "the cowboy song." This was also a favorite of my dad's, and our family had a joke about the lyrics, or what I suppose are lyrics. We called this song "Egg roll," because it sounded like a bunch of cowboys attempting to talk while eating a hot egg-roll. Seriously, what are they saying/grunting? Here's one of the most iconic scores in film history with clips from the classic movie.
While Zoe does enjoy The Temptations' "My Girl," she is even more interested in the lesser-known cover version of the same song by The Mamas & The Papas. Originally written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, this tender interpretation was first heard on the group's 1967 album Deliver, and was later released as the B-side of "Do You Wanna Dance" in 1968, although it charted rather poorly. With a new, ascending vocal intro, this version is a textbook-example of The Mamas & The Papas' harmonious sound that can surely put a smile on anyone's face. Gotta love my kiddo's variety!
Once again, blog posting has come to a halt as my free evenings have been spent tuned into the Olympics on TV! The amazing athleticism aside, I've really enjoyed seeing footage from around London and I'm reminded what a fun and beautiful city it is. I had the privilege of visiting London four summers ago and I still can't wait to go back someday. During the 1960s, "Swinging London" was a catch-all term that applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in this city, and of course music of the "British Invasion" (from America's perspective) was well underway.
Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick post with songs about London, as these tunes have been playing through my head as I've watchd the Olympics (if you were hoping this post was going to be all about the British Invasion, you'll just have to check out those previous posts here).
The song that presents the most stereotypical picture of England at this time was "England Swings (Like a Pendulum Do)" by American country singer Roger Miller. Written by Miller and released as a single in 1965, this catchy, little ditty reached #3 on the country chart, #8 on the US pop chart, and #13 in the UK. If you're interested in seeing this song get a go-go booted makeover, there's a funny version by Patty Duke here. Anyway, looks like I'll be hearing "Bobbies, two by two" in my head the next time I watch the Olympics. Sorry, no live performance footage of this song.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Released in late 1965, this next song comes from Donovan's second album, Fairytale, where he developed his British folk sound. His "Sunny Goodge Street" foreshadows the jazzy feel and descriptions of life in urban London, which Donovan would explore further in the following years. And what do ya know, Goodge Street is an actual location in Central London around the corner from the British Museum, as pictured in this tube station signage. So here's some nice live footage with that soothing voice of the Scottish singer-songwriter doing what he does best.
This next "London" tune is classic one that you rarely hear on the oldies radio stations these days (maybe only on Sirius XM). From Los Angeles, The Rose Garden was an American folk rock musical group that formed in 1967. Although very short-lived, they did enjoy one hit single with "Next Plane to London," which reached #17 on the US Billboard chart at the end of '67. Complete with pleasant lead vocals by Diana DeRose, here's another wonderful tune from this bygone era of Sunshine Pop!
And of course, it's kind of silly to have a post with songs about London and not include London's anthem. We all know I love "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks so much that it was already featured it in it's own post last summer (if you missed it, check out the details here). And since it's that good, I'll post it again here. This time, I'll use a video that includes photos of those lovely sites around this marvelous city. From the 1967 album Something Else by The Kinks (one of my favorites in my record collection), here's that good ol' "Waterloo Sunset."
I'm coming back, I promise. What can I say, this summer has been quite busy, and lately, those occasional moments of free time have been devoted to sleeping rather than blogging. Plus, chasing a toddler is quite tiring too, so I feel justified in my napping. All that to say, here's a "tired" song that has been stuck in my head today. Another classic tune written by lead singer Ray Davies, "Tired of Waiting for You" was a big hit for The Kinks, reaching #1 in the UK and #6 in the US. I like how drummer Mick Avory subtly checks his watch at 1:00 into this clip, however, the hydraulic lift he's on would personally make me a little nervous (yeah, that's why those girls are screaming...). On that note, I'm off to hit the hay.
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").
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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!
Well, as it is summertime, there's going to be a little hiatus in posts for the next week or so. To tide you over, this is the "Song of the Day," the first in a collection of posts that will show up on occasion when my time is limited. My only criteria for the "song of the day": it must be special. And 'special' (for lack of a better word) is exactly what "Waterloo Sunset" is. Written and produced by frontman Ray Davies (known for his narrative/observational songwriting), this song is one of the most popular and most acclaimed by the English band The Kinks. Hitting #2 on the UK charts after its release in May of '67, the lyrics describe a narrator observing two lovers passing over a bridge in London and includes landmarks like the River Thames and Waterloo Station (one of the busiest railway stations). It has since been voted the "Greatest Song About London," as well as the "Anthem of London" (and I always recall sweet memories of this fantastic city upon hearing this song). The recording sessions only took about ten hours to complete, which is impressive considering its complex arrangement and unique, tape-delay echo guitar sound played by Ray's brother, Dave (who is kind of a cutie when he's not wearing these gi-normous glasses; okay, and the beard). Anyhow, I just adore this song, and it's no wonder it's #42 on the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Considered one of the most beautiful songs of the rock and roll era, here's "Waterloo Sunset." Enjoy.
Happy Birthday to my little sister, Monica! (A photo of us from many moons ago...)
From their 1968 album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (one of their most influential records I might add, even included amongthe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time), here's "Monica," a little song The Kinks wrote just for my sister :)
And how about a little Birthday song from those other crazy, English lads? And not only do you get one, but TWO Birthday songs by The Beatles! The first is a quick yet rare sound clip of The Beatles singing "Happy Birthday," and I believe it's sung to the Saturday Club, a venue the band would often play during their early years.
And of course, you knew this was coming: the infamous "Birthday" from The Beatles, a.k.a. the "White Album," released in November 1968.
I was going stop there but why not end with an inside joke between sisters? Written by Mike Nesmith and released on their second album in 1967, here's Micky Dolenz singing "Mary, Mary" with The Monkees, our other childhood favorites.
British Invasion: Part 6
So here we are again with the good ol' Kinks, one of the most important and influential bands of the British Invasion. Forming in 1964 in North London, The Kinks consisted of brothers Ray and Dave Davies on guitars and vocals, with Pete Quaife on bass and Mick Avory on drums, who had their breakout hit in August 1964 with "You Really Got Me." Written by Ray Davies (chief songwriter and lead vocalist), this tune topped the international charts, and has since joined the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as #4 of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. Built around power chords (perfects 5ths and octaves for you musical folks), this song became the blueprint for hard rock and heavy metal music that followed. Throughout their 32-year career that varied with a wide range of musical styles, The Kinks (as well the Davies brothers' solo acts) continue to perform this song, generally as the show's closer. Unfortunately during the Invasion, The Kinks' initial US success was hindered because they were banned from touring in America for four years; they were known for being a bit rowdy on stage!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A solo artist among the British Invasion was pop singer-songwriter Crispian St. Peters, who began his musical career playing guitar in unknown bands in London. In 1966, he had his first big hit with a version of "You Were On My Mind," but his signature song became "The Pied Piper," a transatlantic hit later that summer. However, the shy singer was transformed by his manager to be rather arrogant, boasting that he was better than The Beatles and Elvis. Although he later explained himself, saying the claims were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, the music press was not impressed. Hopefully that side fact doesn't ruin this spunky song for you. Looks like another NME Concert performance; also sounds like the key is a little too low in first and second verse!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Formed in 1959, the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers rivaled The Beatles as they had the same manager, Brian Epstein, and were also from Liverpool. With the group's main lineup including Gerry Marsden (lead vocals and chief songwriter) and his brother, drummer Freddie, along with Les Chadwick, and Les Maguire, they released "How Do You Do It?" in early 1963, making them the first Epstein/Liverpool group to have a #1 hit (until The Beatles released "From Me to You" a few weeks later). In 1965, the group starred in a film called Ferry Cross the Mersey, and the song with the same name was another big hit, written by Gerry Marsden. 'Mersey' refers to the River Mersey that flows into the Irish Sea at Liverpool. Although they had a string of hits including "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," Gerry and the Pacemakers unfortunately disbanded in 1966. Here's the classic Mersey-crossin' tune from that particular film.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, the last group of the day is Them, a Northern Irish band that formed in Belfast in 1964. Playing in styles like garage rock and blue-eyed soul, this group was the springboard for singer Van Morrison, who went on to have his own musical career later in the 60's. Marketed as part of the British Invasion, this Irish band is best known for their garage rock standard "Gloria," which was originally the B-side of the single with "Baby, Please Don't Go." Written by Van Morrison and released in November 1964, "Gloria" has become a staple of rock bands and unknown garage bands for decades (including my dad's garage band in the 60's!), as its three-chord progression is easy to play. Considered amongst the best rock singles of all time, here's that memorable tune by Them.
So what do ya know, there's supposed to be a Thursday-titled song out there by The Hollies, however, it's apparently nowhere to be found! So before you think this week's theme has turned in to kind of a bust, I'm posting two fun songs today that involve something to do with the "day" in general.
So instead of a Thursday, how about a good ol' "sunny afternoon?" Another group from the British Invasion, it's the English rock band The Kinks, one of the most influential and important rock acts of the 1960's! Influenced by several genres of music including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk, and country, brothers Ray Davies (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) and Dave Davies (lead guitar/vocals) remained members for the group's entire 32-year run. Fueled by the observational writing style of chief songwriter Ray Davies, "Sunny Afternoon" was a mellower, satirical single and a stylistic change for the group from their previous hard-driving, power chord hits. Released in June of 1966, this tune bumped The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" off the #1 position on the UK charts, becoming the biggest hit of that summer. As my dad was a big fan of The Kinks, I grew up totally loving their varied sound, so this definitely won't be the last you'll see these guys on this blog. Here's the promotional video for the single where it doesn't exactly look like a "sunny afternoon" in this cold, snowy location!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And I guess no one said I couldn't post a song that includes all the days of the week in the lyrics. So we already know that The Beatles are the most important and influential band of the 1960's, so they had no further introduction! From March 1968, "Lady Madonna" is a boogie-woogie rock song about an overworked, tired mother who faces new challenges each day of the week (although Saturday was accidentally overlooked!). Written mostly by Paul McCartney, the song was inspired by 1950's rock/blues pianist Fats Domino, who recorded his own cover version of this song later that same year. Reaching #1 in the UK, this was the last Beatles single released on the Parlophone record label before they switched to their own label, Apple Records. This promotional film for "Lady Madonna" was shot in the recording studio in February of 1968, however, in the footage, they are actually working on "Hey Bulldog," a song that would first appear on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack the following year. Looks like they're having a good time at Abbey Road Studios!
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And just as I was about to post this, I actually came across a Thursday-titled song by Scottish folk singer Donovan! Unfortunately, I'm out of time but you can check it out here. I don't know about you but I've got Friday on my mind!
And seriously, what kid wouldn't like a song about an octopus's garden? From The Beatles' last recorded album, Abbey Road, released in 1969, "Octopus's Garden" was drummer Ringo Starr's most successful songwriting effort, and was inspired by a trip to Sardinia aboard Peter Sellers' yacht (yes, the hilarious British actor, long story). I still have my parents' original Abbey Road album and now course, the love of this childhood favorite of mine has been passed down in the family. 
An American orchestra leader and film composer, Hugo Montenegro is best known for his interpretations of the music from Spaghetti westerns, especially the cover version of the main theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Originally composed by Ennio Morricone, Montenegro's version was his biggest pop hit in 1968, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart, #3 in Canada, and four weeks at #1 in the UK. Zoe loves this song, especially the whistling, and refers to it as "the cowboy song." This was also a favorite of my dad's, and our family had a joke about the lyrics, or what I suppose are lyrics. We called this song "Egg roll," because it sounded like a bunch of cowboys attempting to talk while eating a hot egg-roll. Seriously, what are they saying/grunting? Here's one of the most iconic scores in film history with clips from the classic movie. 
