A Daydream Believer's Farewell

Well, sorry it took so long to get this post up; it's difficult to write when the topic is an unexpected, sad one. As I'm sure you've all heard by now, last week on February 29th, Davy Jones of The Monkees passed away at the age of 66, after suffering a massive heart attack. Like several generations of Monkees' fans, I am shocked and sadden to lose a wonderful '60s music icon. At 14 years old, The Monkees were the soundtrack of my life, and the cute, little British Davy was my first favorite, just adorable and full of life. There was something special about The Monkees, as we fell in love with these guys and their music through their innovative TV series. I think I speak for many fans that The Monkees' music and show remind us of the fun, innocent days of our childhood/teen years, so it's sad to see the death of someone that represented those sweet memories. Since I don't think I can add anything new that hasn't been mentioned already in the numerous, great articles from this past week (including a nice one here by NPR about how the group is long-overdue for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), so here's a few of those hit songs sung by one of the world's favorite teen-idols.
Released in October 1967, "Daydream Believer" became The Monkees' third #1 hit single, topping the US charts for four weeks, and peaked at #5 in the UK. Written by John Stewart of The Kingston Trio, the original lyrics in the second stanza were "now you know how funky I can be," however, The Monkees changed "funky" to "happy." Unsure of the song's potential at first, Davy later admitted to having a hint of annoyance in his vocals while recording ongoing takes, which kind of slips through during the humorous opening (not usually played on the radio): "...don't get excited, man. It's 'cause I'm short, I know." This video is not meant to be taken too seriously as the guys are clearly goofing around with the instruments, you know, like Mike strumming the guitar through his tie and Micky passing his hand right through the middle of the tambourine. Gotta love Davy's groovy dance moves, just like he's ice staking!

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Written by Boyce & Hart for The Monkees, "Valleri" reached #3 on the US Billboard chart, #1 on Cash Box, and #12 in the UK. After being asked by Don Kirshner (The Monkees' music supervisor) to write a "girl's name song" to be used in the TV series, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart pretended over the phone that the song was already finished, however, they came up with the song on their way to Kirshner's office! In this video, this version of "Valleri" is actually the first version of the song and was only intended to be used in the TV show, not released as a single. However, after radio DJs made bootleg recordings of this tune (recording it directly of the TV), it began receiving quite a bit of radio airplay. By the end of 1967 when The Monkees won the right for complete creative control over their music production, they re-recorded "Valleri" to be included on their fifth album, adding a popping brass arrangement. As Davy "floats" above the band in this clip, pay no attention to the fact his tambourine part does not actually match the recording. :)

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And how about one more? Here's the Neil Diamond-penned "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow" from the 1967 album More of the Monkees.

Farewell, sweet Davy Jones. You'll always be one of our faves.

Rock and Roll with Horns

Random Hits: Part 3

These next four groups each have a rockin' horn section, and fused jazz with rock and roll.

Formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967, this American 'rock band with horns' shortened their name from Chicago Transit Authority (because the actual CTA threatened legal action), and launched a successful career selling over 38 million records, charting five #1 album and scoring 21 Top-10 hits. Chicago is one of the longest running and most successful rock groups, second only to The Beach Boys in terms of chart successes among American bands (the two bands actually had a successful joint tour together in the mid-'70s, being one of the highest grossing tours of that time). Before the band later moved to softer sound, they started off with some great, rockin' tunes in the late '60s and early '70s, like their first Top-5 hit "25 or 6 to 4." Recorded in August 1969 (although not released until the following summer), this hot song was written by one of the band's founding members, Robert Lamm, and features Peter Cetera on lead vocals and a great guitar solo with wah-wah pedal by Terry Kath. The title is actually a reference to a songwriter trying to write at 25 (or 26) minutes to 4:00 in the morning. Although the audio is out of sync, here's a rare, "studio" video filmed a few years later.

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From New York City in 1967, Blood, Sweat & Tears was a "jazz-rock" band known for infusing a multitude of styles including rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements, and jazz improv. Founded by musician Al Kooper (an important figure in historic sessions with Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix), this eclectic group first appealed to the musical counterculture of the '60s, before going through many personnel changes and becoming a commercial, mainstream success. With the signature voice of Canadian lead singer David Clayton-Thomas, the band won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year with their second LP, beating out The Beatles' Abbey Road. One popular tune from this album was "Spinning Wheel," which peaked at the #2 position on the charts for three weeks in July of 1969, and actually topped the Billboard easy listening chart, even crossing over into the R&B chart. Written by Clayton-Thomas and arranged by the band's saxophonist Fred Lipsius, this song also won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. What a classic sound!

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Formed in a Chicago suburb in the mid-'60s, The Ides of March were another jazz fusion band, best-known for their huge hit "Vehicle" in 1970. Released on the Warner Bros. Record label, at the time, "Vehicle" was the fastest-selling song in Warner's history, and reached #2 on the Hot-100, selling over a million copies and of course earning a gold disc. With the song's success, the group toured extensively throughout 1970, supporting many top acts including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin. After an extended hiatus between 1973 and 1990, the original members reunited, and have been active since (even recording a double live album in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in 2002; sorry, personal shout-out to my sister's residence!). While this video incorporates cool footage from NASA's space program in the '70s, you can't beat this funky sound by The Ides.

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Our final song of the day is a psychedelic soul/funk one by American soul singer Edwin Starr from Nashville, Tennessee. Joining Motown Records in 1968, his biggest success came with the release of "War" in 1970, an anti-Vietnam War protest song that is considered the most popular protest song ever recorded (even earning compliments from contemporary protestor John Lennon). Originally recorded by The Temptations in '69, the label decided to withhold their version (as to not alienate their conservative fans), and using Starr's intense vocals instead, his version hit #1 on the US charts, as well as #3 on the both R&B chart and the UK chart. Accented by a heavy horn section, this tune became an anthem for the antiwar movement and a cultural milestone, still popping up today in movie soundtracks and in hop hop music samples. Not the best quality video but Starr's James Brown-influenced soul shout and funky moves are loud and clear.

And the Randomness Just Keeps Rollin' In

Random Hits: Part 2

We begin our next Random post with a little hot number by the British pop/rock group Vanity Fare. Forming in Kent, England in 1966, these guys found their place on the singles chart in the late '60s with songs like the worldwide hit "Hitchin' a Ride." Released in late 1969, this tune hit #16 in the UK, but was an even bigger success in the US where it reached #5 on the Billboard chart in the spring of 1970 and sold over a million copies (in the US alone), resulting in a tour of the US. About a man trying to hitchhike, this song is noted for its use of a recorder (a simple woodwind instrument) heard in between the verses and chorus. Although the group went through a lot of personnel changes over the years, Vanity Fare is still musically active today.

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Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, the blues-rock/boogie rock band Canned Heat was one of the most popular acts of the hippie era. Noted for their interpretations of blues material, the group was helpful in promoting interest in this type of music and its original artists. They appeared at most major musical events in the late '60s including the Monterey Pop Festival (their first big show) and the Woodstock Music Festival, where they delivered electrifying performances. Released in September 1968, the blues-rock single "Going Up The Country" reached #11 in the US, #19 in the UK, and #1 in 25 other countries. Written and sung by Alan Wilson, it later became the "unofficial anthem" of Woodstock the following summer. Canned Heat is yet another group that is still performing today, however, with a much different lineup. I have yet to figure out which TV show this footage comes from, but it really cracks me up.

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Next up, we have a Louisiana-based group, John Fred & His Playboy Band, best-known for their 1968 hit "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)." Written by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard, the song was inspired by The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", which Fred mistakenly thought the lyrics were "lucy in disguise." Ironically, this single knocked The Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye" out of the #1 position on the Billboard chart for two weeks in January '68, eventually earning a gold disc. Although the group was well-rehearsed and talented, Fred and his band were labeled as a novelty act and never did have another success. Also reaching #1 in German and Switzerland, and #4 in the UK, this bubblegum pop-like tune includes some random breathing sounds, unusual dissonant string sounds, and strange lyrics.

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We'll finish this post with an unexpected one-hit wonder by a then-fictitious band named Steam. Written and recorded by New York studio musicians Garret DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, and Paul Leka (writer of "Green Tambourine" and other tunes for The Lemon Pipers), this next song was a result of these guys attempting to record an "inferior" B-side to back an already recorded A-side single. As the trio were former bandmates in the early '60s (known as The Chateaus), they decided to dig up an old song they had written together called "Kiss Him Goodbye." With DeCarlo as lead vocalist and Leka on keyboards, the three musicians recorded this song in one session, and instead of using a full band, they spliced a drum track from a different track. Thinking it was a throwaway song, they added a bunch of "na nas" and "hey heys" to make the song longer, but not wanting their names attached to it, they attributed the song to a non-existent band called Steam. However, to their surprise, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" began receiving so much radio airplay that it eventually reached #1 in the US for two weeks in December of 1969, becoming Billboard's final multi-week #1 hit of the 1960s. After its success, Leka put together a band that was sent on tour to support the song, but the group disbanded in 1970. By the beginning of the 21st Century, the sales had exceeded 6.5 million records. With its chorus still well-known today, it frequently used a crowd chant at sporting events. Here's a nice, mimed performance (notice they're playing guitars but there are no guitars in the recording!).

Birthday Randomness

Happy 1st Birthday to The '60s Beat!!! Yes, this blog has now reached one whole year of walking down memory lane! We've covered over 200 artists and genres from this great decade, and the good news is there is still so much that hasn't even been mentioned yet!! I'd also like to thank all my wonderful readers who helped this page get over 16,000 pageviews! It's really a treat knowing that my mom isn't the only one reading this blog! :)
So for fun, the next few posts will be a part of our Random Series, featuring performers that have NOT YET been mentioned on this blog. I remember these next classic tunes receiving lots of airplay on the 'oldies' radio station during my childhood.

Random Hits: Part 1
After serving in the military as a singer with U.S. Army bands, Len Barry became the lead singer for The Dovells, a music group that went on to score huge hits, like the million-selling "Bristol Stomp" in the early 1960s. Then embarking on his own solo career in the mid-'60s, this pop/blue-eyed soul singer scored a few more hits like "1-2-3" in October of '65. Co-written by Barry, this classic reached #2 in the US and #3 in the UK, even reaching #11 on the US R&B charts. Selling over one and three quarter million copies, "1-2-3" was awarded the gold disc, and is one of the songs that appeared in John Lennon's jukebox. Barry's vocals are impressive but I'll admit that, as a kid, I thought this song was sung by a female!

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Based in San Francisco, We Five was a folk rock musical group that are best-known for their 1965 remake of Ian & Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind." Formed by Michael Stewart (brother of John Stewart of the Kingston Trio) while attending University of San Franisco in '64, he spent many hours working on the musical arrangements for the group after the five members would practice together for five or six hours a day. The ensemble played acoustic guitars, electric guitar and bass, while singing multi-part harmonies, and later a drummer was added when they began to tour. We Five was also the first commercial folk-rock artist to record music for Coca-Cola. Reaching #1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the Billboard chart, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, "You Were on My Mind" sold over a million copies, and earned the group a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Vocal Group in '66 (losing to the Anita Kerr Quartet). With cute, little Beverly Bivens at the front, here's a true live performance on The Hollywood Palace.

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In New York City, 1967, folk duo/brothers Dennis and Lary Larden formed the rock band Every Mother's Son and are remembered as a one-hit wonder (although four of their singles did chart). Signed to the MGM record label (with their clean-cut image apparently being the perfect antidote to the current hippie surge), they recorded a self-titled title album that included the single "Come On Down to My Boat," which shot to #6 on the Billboard chart in July of '67 (you know, that good 'ol "Summer of Love"). Because of their MGM label, MGM Television featured the group in a two-part episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., in which they performed this song in a night club as a fight broke out. Unable to sustain success, the group disbanded in 1968, however, Dennis later joined Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band. This tune sure puts you in the mood for some clean, summer fun!

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For our final group today, we'll conclude with another one-hit wonder, Spiral, Starecase (misspelling intentional), recognizable for its horns and lead singer Pat Upton's distinctive voice. Initially forming as a instrumental group for an Air Force talent contest in Sacramento, California, the group would play five-hour lounge gigs in Las Vegas before being discovered by Gary Usher, a representative/producer for Columbia Records. With Usher's help and encouragement, Upton wrote original material for the group, including their only hit "More Today Than Yesterday." Released in 1969, this single reached #7 on the Cashbox and #12 on the Billboard chart, selling over a million copies and earning a gold disc. Unfortunately, a year and a half after the single's success, the group disbanded due to poor management and disagreements over finances. (And this is another case of "I always thought this was a girl singing this song!" My apologizes to Pat; your vocals are amazing.)


And there you have it for our first day of random artists. This birthday celebration continues for a few more weeks with many more random classics!

It's a Family Affair

Bubblegum Pop: Part 4
For our final post of this month's Bubblegum Pop Series, we're featuring groups that were made up of family members. While this blog may be "The '60s Beat," we will be venturing into a bit of the '70s with these next groups since the peak of bubblegum definitely carried over into that decade.
Previously featured during Motown Week, The Jackson 5 consisted of five brothers who became one of the biggest pop-music acts of the 1970s, and were one of the very few in recording history to have their first four major label singles reach #1 on the Billboard chart. These early singles mixed the traditional "Motown Sound" with lyrics that appealed to teenagers, thus dubbed "bubblegum soul." Although the Jacksons' could play their own instruments, they were not allowed to play on their recordings and, like many bubblegum groups, studio musicians were used (which obviously led frustration later in their career). After "Jacksonmania" swept America, the group also became a franchise (another aspect of bubblegum), in which Motown sold Jackson 5-related memorabilia, and even authorized a Saturday morning cartoon called The Jackson 5ive. Recorded in late 1969, "ABC" was first heard on American Bandstand in February of 1970, going on to score #1 on the Billboard chart while knocking The Beatles' "Let It Be" out of that position.

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From 1968 to 1972, another extremely popular family act was The Cowsills, a singing group including five brothers, their younger sister, and their mother. Known for their tight harmonies and the ability to sing and play instruments at a young age, The Cowsills had excellent pitch accuracy, creating that unique sound common among sibling singing groups (like The Beach Boys and of course, The Jackson 5). Scoring more than a couple million-selling singles, this family was featured on several TV shows and were one of the most favorite groups on the American concert circuit with hundreds of performances during their peak. In 1969, they were approached by Screen Gems to star as themselves on a TV sitcom, but when they were told that their mother would be replaced by actress Shirley Jones, the deal was off. However, I think you know what that show became instead (see next group). Here's a rare YouTube video of The Cowsills performing the very bubbly "What Is Happy," the B-side of their hit "Hair" (unfortunately, the sound is poor quality and out of sync).

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So when The Cowsills were a no-go for the tube, Screen Gems went on to hire Shirley Jones' real-life step-son, David Cassidy, to join her and the cast of the TV show that became The Partridge Family. Airing in the fall of '70, this family sitcom was about a widowed mother and her five children who set out on a musical career. During its four-season run, the show was promoted by the eight albums released by the family, however, none of the cast members actually played on the recordings and those good 'ol studio musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew" were used. Cassidy was originally supposed to lip sync with the rest of the cast, however, after proving to the music producer that he really could sing, he joined the studio ensemble as lead singer, with Jones singing background vocals. In addition to an animated spin-off, the show's merchandise took off and Cassidy became a teen idol, successfully touring as a solo act. Released as their first single at the same time as the show's debut, "I Think I Love You" hit #1 in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, selling over 5 millions copies, and made the group the third fictional band to have a #1 hit (after The Chipmunks and The Archies). Radio DJs had difficulty "hitting the post" with this song (the art of talking up to the point when the lyrics begin) because of the unusual, vocal "ba-bah-bah" line in the intro.

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We'll conclude this post with our final, family music group, The Osmonds, whose long and varied career went from singing barbershop quartets as young children in the late 1950s to becoming teen-music idols in the '70s, eventually selling over 102 million records. From Ogden, Utah, the group initially started out with four talented brothers who became regular performers on the Adam Williams' Show from 1962 through 1969, with younger brother Donny joining them in the mid-'60s. Because of their tireless rehearsing and professionalism, they were nicknamed the "one-take Osmonds." Wanting to shed their variety-show image, the five brothers decided to become a performing pop band around 1970, and with their clean-cut look, talent (they played all their own instruments), and energetic pop sound, they had successful US tours, and even a short-lived Saturday morning cartoon series. With a similar "bubblegum soul" sound like The Jackson 5, The Osmonds' first single, "One Bad Apple," reached #1 in early 1971, staying there for five weeks, and even hit #6 on the R&B chart. Originally written for The Jackson's (who chose to record "ABC" instead), this tune features Merrill on lead vocals with little Donny as "co-lead," singing the chorus.

I Think We're Alone Now

Bubblegum Pop: Part 3
While the music of Tommy James & the Shondells spans a wide variety from garage rock to psychedelic rock, some of their tunes have been retrospectively labeled as an early form of the bubblegum sound. Released in 1967, "I Think We're Alone Now" was one of Tommy James' most successful recordings, reaching #4 on the US charts during a 12-week stay, and was later named "the bubblegum apotheosis" by some rock critics. Like several of James' records, this was a picture-perfect production masterpiece and a great pop tune with a heart-beat bass line (basically a template for bubblegum pop). Apparently because the bass player that didn't show up to the recording session, James improvised that bass line on guitar himself. This classic, good-timing tune has been covered several times by other artists (a staple for my dad's garage band in the '60s!), including a #1 hit version by Tiffany in the '80s.

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The prolific songwriting duo of Boyce & Hart had a talent for writing upbeat, hit songs (later called "sunshine pop") that made for the perfect segue into bubblegum pop. After working for Screen Gems and creating the sound of The Monkees, Tommy and Bobby set out together on their own recording adventure, producing three albums with Top-40 hits including "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" (previously featured here), "Out And About," and "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)." Written, produced, and performed by the duo, "Alice Long" reached #16 on the Cash Box chart and #27 on the Billboard chart in 1968. In this Monkees-like musical romp, these guys look like they're having a great time in this promo video they filmed featuring "Alice Long."

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Speaking of The Monkees, there is actually some debate online as to whether they were really a bubblegum group (one such hilarious debate here). Yes, these guys were initially a prefabricated band, manufactured to sell records of hit songwriters (the perfect prototype for bubblegum pop), just like the studio-assembled music by Super K Productions from a few posts ago. Before the group staged a coup and took control over their own musical output (this altering their sound), they definitely had some hook-filled pop tunes with that touch of bubblegum, particularly tunes with Davy Jones' vocals. Amongst a very extensive catalog including power pop, psychedelic rock, country rock, garage rock, and even Broadway rock, this Neil Diamond-penned number, "A little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," was actually released against The Monkees' wishes (they had planned on releasing "All of Your Toys" here, the now legendary single-that-never-was), yet it did manage to reach #1 on the Cash Box chart and #2 on the Billboard chart in March of '67. In this musical sequence from their TV show, The Monkees are apparently trying to sabotage the movie career of a pompous singer, played by Bobby Sherman (before he hit teen idol status the following year)!

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So next up, of course it's American singer and actor Bobby Sherman, who's not pompous at all but among the most kind-hearted and charitable of stars. Being the first performer to star in three different TV series before the age of 30, Sherman began his entertainment career as a regular cast member/house singer for ABC's Shindig! in the mid-'60s (which I'm thoroughly impressed with his cover performance of The Zombies' "She's Not There," featured on the show here), but he didn't become a breakout star and teenage heart-throb until 1968 when he starred in Here Come the Brides. Besides a successful recording career that earned him seven gold singles, one platinum single, and five gold albums, he found another calling in life in the mid-'70s, becoming a certified EMT (emergency medical technician), and since the '90s, he has served as a medical training officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, instructing thousands of police officers in first aid and CPR (what a guy!). Here's a performance of Sherman's first million-selling single, "Little Woman," which peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts in 1969.

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Well, since our final Bubblegum post scheduled for next week is only featuring family groups, I better toss one last group to complete this post. Another studio concoction created by Super K Productions, Crazy Elephant was a short-lived American bubblegum pop band in the late-'60s. Known as a transatlantic one-hit wonder, their 1969 single "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" made it to #12 on both the US and UK charts, however, their follow-up singles failed to chart. Allegedly, Cash Box magazine promoted the band as being a group of Welsh coal miners (huh?). Like other Super K-created bands, a touring group was later formed for promotional purposes. With random but fitting footage of the Hullabaloo house dancers, here's an audiophile showing off his original 45 of this fun, bubblegum standard.

A Farewell

Today, the music world lost another beauty, the legendary voice of American singer Etta James. Beginning her career in the mid-1950s, her musical style evolved over the decades, covering many genres including blues, R&B, rock and roll, soul, gospel, and jazz. Influential in bridging the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, she earned six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards, and is ranked #22 of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In early 1961, James' soul/blues single "At Last" reached #2 on the R&B, even crossing over into the pop charts, hitting #47, and has since become her signature song. James was suffering from leukemia and passed away at Riverside Community Hospital in California, just five days away from her 74th birthday. Farewell to another great one.