Last month, we celebrated my 5-year-old's birthday with a Batgirl party! Continuing with the tradition, here's another full post of Zoe's current favorite tune. Like her mama, my little Batgirl loves the classic stuff, and I'm sure you will appreciate her selection as well!
So most of you guys know we moved to Virginia last year, but I don't think I've mentioned that we're already back in Southern California (thanks to military life)! During our East Coast stint, this Batgirl enjoyed identifying with her roots as a California Girl and regularly requested this Beach Boys standard. A #3 summer hit in 1965, gotta love The Beach Boys performing "California Girls" on The Jack Benny Show, the ultimate "California Sound" from the 1960s.
And while on the subject of California, she (and me too) also found a whole new appreciation for this classic, especially after experiencing a chilly winter in Virginia. The Mamas & The Papas convey that feeling of longing for the California warmth all too well in this beauty, and my kid perked up every time it came on the radio. Peaking at #4 on the US chart in '65, "California Dreamin'" is truly one of the greatest songs of all time (classic performance on Hullabaloo).
While there are quite a few Manfred Mann tunes that Zoe loves like the hilarious "My Name Is Jack" and the catchy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," this minor US hit really caught her attention. Released in spring of 1966, "Pretty Flamingo" reached #1 in the UK (#29 in the US) and features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in '65. Thank goodness for satellite radio (the '60s on 6 channel) which introduced us to this gem!
And now for something completely different, here's a
little something from American country music singer Sonny James. Originally an instrumental by British guitarist Bert Weedon, the 1954 American western filmApache was the inspiration for this tune. Referred to as the "Indian song" by my kiddo (yeah, sorry, not political correct), here's Sonny James' 1961 version of "Apache." (Love The Ventures' cover too!)
Well, here's a cute ditty that Zoe loves to bop around to. Seriously, what youngster wouldn't like a gum-smacking tune like "Sweet Pea?" Written and performed by American pop music singer-songwriter Tommy Roe, "Sweet Pea" reached #8 on the Billboard chart and #1 in Canada in 1966. Singing with a young girl from Santa Monica in '67, here's a cute video of the innocent days of yesteryear.
Now here's a real hoot: a little psychedelic made this playlist! I'll never forget hearing this tune come on the radio while driving in the car and Zoe was immediately interested, asking to hear it again. Reaching #11 in 1967, here's The Electric Prunes performing their psychedelic rocker "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" on American Bandstand. Can't say I've seen a garage band with an autoharp before. Gotta appreciate this kid's variety!
Here's another catchy tune that Zoe loved belting out in the car this past year (notice we're always listening to music in the car?!). British sweetheart Petula Clark had a huge international hit in 1964 when "Downtown" reached in #1 in the US and #2 in the UK. What a classic song by a lovely singer. Enough said.
Being familiar with fairy tales, this Batgirl loves this garage rock song by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. "Lil' Red Riding Hood" was the group's second Top-10 hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart and in Canada. It might be the wolf howls, but I was a sucker for this classic tune at her age too. Excited I finally found footage of a performance but too bad the audio is out of sync.
Next up is an English beat group that always sounds like they're having a great time. Written by Cat Stevens (ya learn something new every day!), The Tremeloes' cover version of "Here Comes My Baby" reached #4 in the US and #13 in the US in 1967. Zoe insists that her dad and his Marine buddies sang this song to her as a baby. Cute story, but we'll give all the credit to this spunky group. Love their energy in this live performance! (And check out Cat Stevens' original version here with a bit of a baroque pop sound).
Now can't forgot this totally groovy tune: "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James & The Shondells. Written by frontman James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr, this psychedelic pop tune reached #1 on the charts after its release in late 1969, selling 5 million copies. Batgirl can't get enough of the super-cool tremolo effect on the vocals at the end of the song, however, I haven't shown her this little creepy performance from The Ed Sullivan Show.
And the most recent song added to Batgirl's playist is The Monkees' garage rock tune "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone." Written by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, it was first recorded by Paul Revere & The Raiders, but with the help of The Monkees TV series, this B-side single made it to #20 the charts in 1966. Sometimes all it takes is a simple lyric like "I-I-I-I-I'm not your steppin' stone" to get a kid bouncing. Such a blast from the past getting to watch this groovy show with my kiddo!
And finally, in honor of my Batgirl's birthday, here's the opening credits to the campy but classic Batman TV series, which included Yvonne Craig as Batgirl in Season 3 in 1967/'68. We totally had this footage playing in the background at Zoe's party, what a blast! Composed by Neal Hefti and using a guitar hook similar to spy film scores and surf music, this classic tune continues to be one of the most recognizable of TV themes.
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!
Wrecking Crew Series: Part 1
Well, I think it's high time we look more into the awesomeness known as "The Wrecking Crew." A nickname given by drummer Hal Blaine for a group of L.A. session musicians, The Wrecking Crew played anonymously on dozens of hit records during the 1960s. Backed by numerous popular singers, they are one of the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history. These highly versatile musicians were "first call" players, used for nearly every style recording, including TV theme songs, film scores, commercial jingles, and almost every genre of American pop music. From The Beach Boys to Frank Sinatra, you'll be amazed at the variety of hits this group played on, and over the next several posts, we'll attempt to mention most of those hit albums.
And before we plow forward, I'd like to make a quick plug for the awesome documentary, "The Wrecking Crew," directed by Denny Tedesco, son of Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco. Completed in 2008, this film has been shown at several festivals and screenings, but is still trying to raise money to pay for the numerous song rights. Check out the website here to find out how you can help get this film released onto DVD.
So in no particular order, we begin with a popular girl group from New York City, The Ronettes, and their best-known/most enduring song of the era, "Be My Baby." Utilizing producer Phil Spector's "wall of sound" production technique (a layered and reverberant sound that came across well on AM radio and jukeboxes), this song is recognized as one of the most influential songs of all time, and is described as a "Rosetta stone for studio pioneers such as The Beatles and Brian Wilson [of The Beach Boys]." Using many Wrecking Crew musicians, Spector recorded a large range of instruments including guitars, saxophones, multiple pianos, horns, and a full orchestra with innovative studio mixing and dubbing. Featuring Hal Blaine's highly influential drum opening, as well as guitarists Tommy Tedesco and Bill Pitman, singer Sonny & Cher and Darlene Love were part of the group of guests that provided additional background vocals. This classic tune was also a commercial success, reaching #2 on the Billboard chart and #4 in the UK, selling over two million copies in 1963. It's now ranked #22 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
Speaking of Brian Wilson, he tirelessly worked to recreate that "wall of sound" himself on Beach Boys albums, and didn't do too bad considering, in 1966, the group released one of the most influential records in the history of pop music and one of the best of the 1960s. Including songs like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows," Pet Sounds featured the elaborate layers of The Beach Boys' vocal harmonies on top of complicated backing tracks played by members of the Wrecking Crew, like jazz guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Carol Kaye. Exploring the emerging psychedelic rock style and revolutionary baroque instrumentation, the backing tracks were recorded over a four-month period, using major L.A. studios, with Wilson (like Spector) becoming a pioneer of 'the studio as an instrument' concept. From the album, the single "Sloop John B." was the fastest Beach Boys seller to date, peaking at #3 in the US in May of '66, and even hit #1 in several countries including Germany, Norway, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand (to name a few). Originally a West Indies folk song (and introduced to Wilson by Al Jardine), here's another memorable tune from one of the greatest albums of all time (#2 according to Rolling Stone).
The top-notch Wrecking Crew also played on most Simon & Garfunkel songs, with Bridge Over Troubled Water being probably the greatest album credited to the folk rock duo. Featuring critically and commercially acclaimed songs like "The Boxer" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water," this final album topped the charts in over 10 countries and received two Grammy Awards, plus four more for the title song. Recorded in late 1969 and released as a single in January 1970, WC musicians included on this title song were Hal Blaine (who also played the memorable, heavily-reverbed drum on "The Boxer"), Joe Osborn on bass, and Larry Knetchel on piano, who won a Grammy for his "gospel sound" piano arrangement. Part of the song was first heard by a national audience in Nov. '69, when it was included in a one-hour special TV special by Simon & Garfunkel on CBS called"Songs of America." You can hear the studio recording here, however, the footage below is a studio rehearsal cut for that TV special and is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the guys working their craft. Definitely one of the best duos out there!
Another album amongst the greatest of all time, The Mamas & The Papas' If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears featured the WC rhythm section on every track. Including fantastic folk rock and sunshine pop songs like "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday," the magic of this 1966 debut album was a combination of the group's distinct vocal harmonies, John Phillips' excellent musical arrangements, and the tight backing by the WC, all creating this "genuinely new sound" at the time. Reaching #1 on the album pop charts after its release that March, this album (and the group's subsequent albums in the '60s) used those same 'first call' musicians as Bridge Over Troubled Water, including Larry Knetchel, Joe Osborn, and Hal Blaine (oh yeah, have we mentioned yet that Blaine in particular played on 50 #1 hits? Yeah, this guy is one of the most prolific drummers in history!). Since this album's hit singles were previously featured (see links above), here's another feel-good, classic Mamas & Papas' tune, "Go Where You Wanna Go." And random side note, this original album cover is a collector's item now, since some stores felt the toilet was indecent, and alternate covers were made to cover up that corner of the picture (I own the one with a scroll/box over the toilet listing the hit songs on the album, too funny).
And we'll conclude today's "tip of the iceberg" post with another fantastic vocal group, The 5th Dimension and their Grammy Award-winning Record of the Year. Released in May 1969, The Age of Aquarius was the quintet's fourth album, and as usual for the group, the WC played all the instruments, including the musicians just previously mentioned as well as guitarist Tommy Tedesco (you may remember his fabulous Flamenco guitar-picking in the group's '67 hit "Up, Up And Away"). After the success of the "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" single, a San Diego DJ began playing "Wedding Bell Blues" from the album, and upon the seeing its potential, their record label put it out as a single as well. Featuring the lead vocals of Marilyn McCoo (who would sing parts of the song to group member and fiance' Billy Davis, Jr. during TV performances like this), this Laura Nyro-penned tune soared to #1 on the pop charts and easy listening charts, even becoming a hit in Canada and the UK. Gotta love the pure talent from all these superb singers and musicians in this entire post!
And stay tuned for many more posts featuring the Wrecking Crew!
On Saturday, August 18th, we lost another beautiful voice as American singer Scott McKenzie passed away at the age of 73. He is remembered for his 1967 hit "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," which reached #1 in the US, as well as in most of Europe, and sold over 7 million records. Written by John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas (McKenzie's childhood friend and former bandmate in the early '60s), this psychedelic pop tune was intended to promote the Monterey Pop Festival in '67 and went on to become a generational anthem. Later in the 1980s, McKenzie joined a new version of The Mamas & The Papas and toured with John Phillips, Phillips' daughter MacKenzie, and Spanky McFarlane (of Spanky & Our Gang). In 1988, he co-wrote another hit song, "Kokomo," with Phillips, Beach Boy Mike Love, and Terry Melcher, which became a #1 single for The Beach Boys. Although featured last year here during the Flower Power Series, here's different footage of Scott McKenzie in his live performance at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Farewell, Scott McKenzie. Your beautiful, smooth voice will always be remembered as the sound of a generation.
Sunshine Pop: Part 1
Lately, we've had our fair share of foggy days out here on the West Coast,
so I thought I'd lighten up the place with some Sunshine Pop.
Originating in the mid-'60s in California, this subgenre of pop music is
naturally upbeat and cheerful, characterized by warm sounds, rich vocal
harmonies, and sophisticated sound productions. It is similar to baroque pop (my first featured series!) in its use of classical elements and instruments, although much less melancholic and dramatic. As this is a retroactive term, it's sometimes hard to pinpoint which songs actually fit this mood, especially since sunshine pop is influenced by easy-listening, has hook-like jingles, and sometimes contains psychedelia (minus the mind-altering aspect), drawing from other genres like folk rock, bubblegum, garage rock, and surf rock as well. Like I said, it's hard to describe, so hopefully the sounds of the next few posts will clarify the mystery of Sunshine Pop.
As an excellent composer and vocal arranger, Papa John Phillips perfected this sound of sunshine pop with the help of producer Lou Adler. While still embracing a hippie-like persona, The Mamas & The Papas brought this sunny yet apolitical sound to the airwaves and enjoyed great success in this genre. Released in June 1966, "I Saw Her Again" hit #5 in US, #1 in Canada, and #11 in the UK. Compared to the ultimate sunshine pop tunes "Monday Monday" and "California Dreamin'" (both previously featured), the lyrics may not be as light-hearted as the mood implies; written by Phillips and lead singer Denny Doherty, it was inspired by Doherty's brief affair with Michelle Phillips, who was then married to John, and it resulted in Michelle's temporary expulsion from the group (until fans complained!). In the recording, Doherty sings the first line of the third chorus a few beats early ("I saw her..."), but since it was left in the final mix, no one's quite sure if it was a mistake or not. Having a little too much fun in a clothing store, here's a cheerful music video that the group made to promote the single.
From 1965 through 1969, The Beach Boys (specifically Brian Wilson) began shifting gears from their usual surfing and hot rod racing tunes to musical experimentation in the recording studio. While their sunny vocal surf pop was a precursor to sunshine pop, it was at this time in the mid-'60s when their sophisticated music, with its warm sounds and prominent vocal harmonies, perfectly embodied this new genre. While predominantly a psychedelic rock/pop and baroque pop album, their '66 Pet Sounds is recognized as one of the most influential records in pop music history and one of the best from 1960s, including songs "God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." Released as single in July 1966, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" reached #8 in the US and #2 both the UK and Australia, and has become one of the most widely recognized song by The Beach Boys. Written by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher, this beautifully-produced tune features a wide variety of instruments including accordions, mandolins, saxophones, trumpet, and ethereal-sounding guitars in the introduction. Here's a cute promo video of this brilliant song.
Although sunshine pop is strongly associated with California, the genre did expand across the nation with groups like Spanky & Our Gang from Illinois. Although this folk rock/sunshine pop group was only together for under 2 years, their memorable vocal harmonies and well-produced music captured the essence of this upbeat genre. From their 1967 debut album, their most popular songs are "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" (featured during the Flower Power series) and "Lazy Day." Referred to as "a giddy joy no matter what" (Allmusic), the purely sunshine pop "Lazy Day" reached #14 on the charts and sold over a million copies. Since their Ed Sullivan Show performance is not available on YouTube, here's a video someone's original 45 recording by Spanky & Our Gang.
This next song is a fascinating one as it seems to combine those angelic harmonies of The Mamas & The Papas with the sophisticated productions of The Beach Boys, while throwing in the sounds of psychedelic pop and classical music. However, Sagittarius was not actually a band but a studio group devised by songwriter/producer Gary Usher (known for co-writing some Beach Boys tunes with Brian Wilson). Using LA studio musicians, Usher drafted friends like guitarist Glen Campbell (before his solo country career), as well as Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and record producer Terry Melcher (who produced The Byrds' biggest hits), and threw in some musique concrète(hey, so I do remember something from college!) in the middle. "My World Fell Down" was presented to Columbia executives under the group name Sagittarius, but when the song managed to reach #70 on the Billboard chart and there was pressure from the record label to tour, it was revealed that there was no group. Usher went on to complete the album with Curt Boettcher (a big influence on Brian Wilson just before Pet Sounds), but it was an expensive flop. With Glen Campbell singing lead vocals, here's the mysterious yet sunshine pop-ish "My World Fell Down" (and you'll know the musique concrete part when you hear it; it's the random noises in the bridge section).
And we'll conclude this first post of Sunshine Pop with the popular family group The Cowsills from Rhode Island. Like The Beach Boys, this family was known for their ability to achieve 4-and 5-part harmonies with impressive accuracy and relative pitch. Although their music ranges from bubblegum to rock and roll, one of their most popular hits, "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things," is a prime example of this sunny genre as it features their warm vocals and a elaborate arrangement. However, since this #2 hit song was already featured last year (here), I'll post their cover version of another quintessential Sunshine Pop song, originally by The Mamas & The Papas. Performing live on The Johnny Cash Show in 1969, here are The Cowsills singing "Monday Monday" (as well as "Children, How Do I Send Thee" with Johnny Cash; very different genre, of course, but cute nonetheless). Little Susan Cowsill sure seems to enjoy groovin' in their performances.
So after a fun run with great bands of the British Invasion, we're finally jumping across the Atlantic to check out the American sounds that put up a fantastic front; many influenced by the Brits, and others who created purely American music.
Probably the biggest band that could actually compete with The Beatles were The Beach Boys. I know I've already raved a bit about "America's Band" here, but these guys are considered one of the greatest artists of all time for a reason, having thirty-six Top-40 hits (more than any other American rock band). Expanding their music from the surf rock genre, The Beach Boys went on to create some of the best music from the 1960s with their complex, multi-layered sounds. Considered by many to be the most beautiful pop song of all time (even a big favorite of Paul McCartney), "God Only Knows" is a fantastic baroque pop song from the influential album Pet Sounds, released in May 1966. Composed and produced by Brian Wilson, and with lyrics by Tony Asher, this song broke ground in many ways: not only was it one of the first pop songs to use 'God' in its title, but it was more technically sophisticated than any of their music before with its complicated melodic structure and vocal harmonies. Twenty-three musicians were used in this recording, which was unheard of for pop music at that time, and a variety of instruments were used including harpsichord, French horn, woodwinds, and strings, creating a "rich, heavenly blanket of music." With a wonderful melody sung by brother Carl Wilson, here's one of the finest songs of the 1960s.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next three groups are some of the folkies we heard about during Folk Rock Week, each a significant aspect of the American sound. Initially influenced by The Beatles, The Byrds were publicized on their 1965 English tour as "America's answer to The Beatles" (however a label impossible to live up to), yet The Beatles actually stated that The Byrds were their favorite American group at that time, even drawing inspiration from them as well (see "Nowhere Man"). The Byrds, who helped establish the sound of folk rock, released their second #1 hit single, "Turn! Turn! Turn!," in October 1965. With the lyrics taken almost word-for-word from the Book of Ecclesiastes from the Bible (with the addition of just six words), this tune was actually written by folk singer Pete Seeger in 1959, but with The Byrds' successful mix of vocal harmony and jangly twelve-string guitar playing, their folk rock version is a classic and the most well-known. Technically holding the record as the #1 pop song with the oldest lyrics, the words about peace also struck a chord with the American record-buying public as the Vietnam War gained momentum. Although known for their sometimes lackluster stage presence, here's a Shindig! performance by a classic American band.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like the above bands, The Mamas & The Papas were another L.A.-based group with wonderful vocal harmonies as well, blending their distinct sound with folk rock and sunshine pop styles. An inventive pop musical group, The Mamas & The Papas (along with The Beach Boys and The Byrds) helped bring attention back to America in the wage of the British Invasion. Written by the group's leader, John Philips, with the help of his wife Michelle, "California Dreamin'" was released November 1965 and became the group's first hit single, peaking at #4 on the US charts and launching them into stardom. The California natives came up with the lyrics while living in New York, longing for warmer weather during a cold winter (Michelle's first time seeing snow!). With their sunny, tight-knit harmonies and free-wheeling persona, it's clear how this initially rag-tag group appealed to a diverse record-buying public.
To complete today's post, we have another group with a pure American sound, The Lovin' Spoonful, whose folk-flavored pop songs captured the essence of classic American music. At the height of their success, their first seven consecutive hits reached the chart's Top-10 (a feat only achieved by one other group in 1960s, Gary Lewis & the Playboys) and they were even the original band selected to perform and act in the show that would become The Monkees. Naming their approach as "good-time music," The Lovin' Spoonful are probably the most successful pop/rock group to have their roots in the jug band style, which was an inspiration for several of their songs including "Daydream." Written and sung by the group's leader, John Sebastian, this #2 hit single was released in March 1966 with their second album of the same title. With a TV performance from 1967, it doesn't get much more American than a folk rock song with a honky-tonk piano, whistling, and mutton-chop sideburns!
Believe it or not, I could only find ONE song with Monday in the title! However, I'm sure you probably could have guessed which one it is even before having seen this post.
Written by Papa John Phillips, the classic pop song "Monday, Monday" became the only #1 hit single for The Mamas and the Papas in May of 1966 (however, they did have eleven Top 40 hits), which gained them international success. Later in March of '67, this motley-looking, yet stellar-sounding, vocal group won a Grammy Award for 'Best Pop Performance by a Group with Vocal' for this song, which showcased their sunny, tight-knit harmony blend with the new beat sound of Phillips' writing. This song also includes a false ending with a pause towards of the end, resulting with the song finishing up a half note from the refrain. Gotta love the sound of Denny Doherty's honey-toned lead vocal!
An enduring classic, "Monday, Monday" has been covered by numerous other artists from the same decade including Petula Clark, The Beau Brummels, The Cowsills, The 5th Dimension, Marianne Faithfull, and Neil Diamond. So why not post the cover version by the popular 1960's instrumental pop group Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. In 1962, American trumpet player/arranger Herb Alpert formed his Latin jazz/instrumental/easy listening ensemble, The Tijuana Brass (TJB), going on to release dozens of hit singles and albums throughout the decade. Although their music seemed commonplace among grocery stores and elevators, the group eventually set the record for placing five albums simultaneously on the Billboard charts (a record so far unbroken). From 1968, "Monday, Monday" comes from the group's tenth album The Beat of the Brass, released right after a TV special by the same title.
Folk Rock Week: Part 2
Deeper into the roots and legacy of folk rock, the amount of subgenres that have formed out of the initial genre of the 1960's is impressive.Some of these subgenres include Celtic rock, electric folk, folk metal, folk punk, Medieval folk rock, psychedelic folk, Indie folk, and so on. Realizing that going into any further detail about these could take all day, I'm just going to jump back into the classic folk rock of the 1960's.
Released as a single in January 1967, "For What It's Worth" is a great folk rock song by the American group Buffalo Springfield, and is another classic tune listed in Rolling Stones' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Although the band only lasted for about two years, Buffalo Springfield was the springboard for the future careers of its members, Neil Young and Stephen Stills (both in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), and Richie Furay and Jim Messina (in Poco). During the turbulent times of the Vietnam War, this song quickly became known as a protest-song, however, its writer, Stephen Stills, wrote it as a reaction to the riots of the young club-goers on Hollywood's Sunset Strip at that time (the same inspiration for The Monkees' "Daily Nightly"), e.i. "Stop, children, what's that sound?" As introduced by Peter Tork (Stills' roommate!), this is Buffalo Springfield's live performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in May 1967. EDITED 1/23/12: Rats, this video has been removed from YouTube, yet again! Here's a different performance from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967:
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Known as the "quintessential folk rock release," the American folk duo, Simon and Garfunkel, was propelled into 1960's popularity with "The Sound of Silence" from September 1965. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were close childhood friends from Queens, New York, and first found their success as a singing duo in the Greenwich Village folk music scene (along with musicians Stephen Stills and Peter Tork). Written by Paul Simon in the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination, it was originally recorded in 1964 with just the acoustic guitar and the haunting vocal harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, but it wasn't until months later, after hearing the release of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone," an electric rock band was overdubbed to create the song's new folk rock sound. Also included in that list of the500 Greatest Songs of All Time, here's another wonderful live performance "The Sound of Silence" from that same Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
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Next up is yet another group that has their founding roots in New York's Greenwich Village folk music scene as well before moving to L.A. (definitely the place to be for the folkies in the 1960's!). Written by John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas, their 1967 autobiographical, folk rock hit, "Creeque Alley," describes the story of how the group formed. The song's lyrics directly mentions several musicians who were at the music scene with them, including the group's own Cass Elliot and lead singer Denny Doherty (formerly of The Mugwumps), plus John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky (of The Lovin' Spoonful), Jim McGuinn (of The Byrds), and Barry McGuire (known for the song "Eve of Destruction"). Now hearing this song with these musicians' names in mind will make a lot more sense! Although the group had generally "left the folk music behind" by the mid-60's, this is a fun homage to the roots of the beloved vocal group.
In the late 1960's, Scottish folk singer-songwriter Donovan (Leitch) was influential in the development of Celtic rock, one of those subgenres of folk rock that combines traditional Celtic instruments, as well as traditional vocal styles, in a rock band setting. In about 1968, the initially folk rock Donovan stripped his sound back from his pop and psychedelic explorations, dubbing this new sound Celtic rock. Based on a poem by author Lewis Caroll (Alice in Wonderland), "Jabberwocky" comes from his children's album HMS Donovan, and it is a wonderful, haunting gem from this genre.
Alright, so I've branched out a bit with a subgenre of folk rock, but more classic folk rock tunes are already queued up for the next post!
Psychedelic Week: Part 2 As you may have noticed, psychedelic music mainly emerged from the folk-rock and blues-rock bands of the 60's, which bridged the transition to eventual genres like progressive rock, glamrock, hard rock, and influenced sub-genres like heavy metal. However, psychedelic rock also had an impact on mainstream pop and rock, leading to groups who you wouldn't expect to produce some psychedelic sounds as well.
A group influential in developing the music style of psychedelic rock was the American rock band, The Byrds, with their March 1966 single, "Eight Miles High." From Los Angeles, the group initially founded the genre of folk rock by combining the influence of the British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. Later into the 1960's, The Byrds became significant in other genres such as raga rock (East Indian influence) and country rock, in addition to psychedelic, making them one of the most influential bands of the 1960's.
------------------------------------------------------------ As a kid, a psychedelic pop song I loved listening to on my parents' record player was, "Crimson and Clover," by American rock 'n' roll group, Tommy James and the Shondells. Wanting to change the direction of the group's sound, singer-songwriter/guitarist Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr. wrote this single and released it in November of '68. The song uses a cool tremolo effect on the guitar that vibrates in time with the song's rhythm, and at the end of the song, they use the same vibrating effect on Tommy's vocal part, "crimson and clover, over and over..." This performance comes from the Ed Sullivan Show in January 1969, one week before the single reached #1 on the charts. By the way, does anyone else find Tommy a little creepy in this performance?
--------------------------------------------------------------- Initially a folk-rock musician, Scottish singer-songwriter, Donovan, was also influenced by the sounds of U.S. West Coast bands (like Jefferson Airplane), which led him to develop a unique style that combined folk, pop, jazz, psychedelia, and world music. After Donovan's first psychedelic record, Sunshine Superman, became an American chart breakthrough in 1966, Donovan released the psychedelic/folk/acid rock song, "Hurdy Gurdy Man," in May of '68. He wanted to reach a wider audience in the U.S. where hard-rock artists (like Jimi Hendrix) were becoming quite popular, and as hoped, it became one of Donovan's biggest hits. On many of Donovan's recordings, he used session guitarist, Jimmy Page (later, of Led Zeppelin), though it's uncertain which guitarist is on this recording. Using a similar tremolo effect on the vocal part like "Crimson and Clover," "Hurdy Gurdy Man" is a harder rock sound than Donovan's previous music, using a variety of distorted guitars.
-------------------------------------------------------As you will eventually come to find out, I have a soft spot for the American band, The Monkees. Originally created for a zany TV show in 1966 and only allowed to sing on their first two albums, The Monkees fought "the system" and earned the right to write, record, produce, and play their own music. Singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith wrote a poem (full of psychedelic imagery) about the riots in '67 on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, and then set it to music as "Daily Nightly." This song features a Moog synthesizer and comes from The Monkees' fourth album, which was one of the first rock/pop albums to pioneer the use of this new synthesizer. Also one of the first to own this instrument, singer/drummer Micky Dolenz actually had no idea how to play the synthesizer, however, he makes wonderfully creative use of its psychedelic sound in this song, as heard in this video from their (normally in color) TV show. The first time my husband heard this song, he asked if it was Jefferson Airplane. Apparently, Grace Slick and Micky Dolenz have a similar quality to their voices (see last post with the video of "White Rabbit"). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Typically a folk rock/sunshine pop band, the American vocal group, The Mamas and The Papas, also ventured into psychedelic territory in the late 60's. Released in May 1968, the group became more experimental with their album The Papas and the Mamas, especially with the Jimi Hendrix-like guitar sound in "Gemini Childe," as well as the more down-beat, darker sound in the song "Mansions" (posted below). Still with their signature sound of four-part vocal harmonies arranged by the band's songwriter, John Phillips, the group recorded "Mansion" in the home of John and his wife, Michelle (also a founding member of the group). Until today, I actually had never heard this haunting song before; I know, what kind of Mamas and Papas fan am I? --------------------------------------------------------------- And now to finally end this post, it's The Rolling Stones performing, "Paint It, Black" on the Ed Sullivan. Another written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and released in May 1966, this psychedelic/raga rock song was a new direction for the normally rock 'n' roll/bluesy rock group. Also on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, it was the first #1 single to feature a sitar, which was played by the multi-instrumentalist of the group, Brian Jones. Influenced by the use of the sitar in The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood," Brian taught himself to play the Eastern instrument after a visit with the sitar-playing Beatle, George Harrison. Definitely a favorite Stones song of mine.
