Up Up and Away!

I used to play this 45 from my parents' record collection all the time when I was a kid. It was so dramatic to me.

[quote]that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

in other words - keep it GAY!

[quote]Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s

"discuss" yours first, OP!

California Dreaming and Monday, Monday by The Mamas and The Papas.

These Boots Are Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra.

Respect and Chain Of Fools by The Queen Aretha.

This recording of "The Girl from Ipanema."

Theme from Valley Of The Dolls.

[quote]Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands

Actually compared to everything else being played on top-40 radio in the 1960s, "rock and roll" didn't have such a big presence.

Although perhaps more of a 70s band than a 60s, this some came out in 1969. Terry Kath is amazing.

More Today Than Yesterday

98.6

You’re My World

I would totally do some of these guys.

I want to taste young Herb Albert.

I love the dancing in that video R10. Of course, if we saw that today, we should blame it on bad meth.

Grazin' in the Grass, from 1968. But, it needs more cowbell.

My poems are soft green.

My poems are also flaming crimson.

Where does Lou Christie's body hair end and the vest begin?

Truly awesome back-up dancers.

Summer Wine

Phil Spector notwithstanding, I love Be My Baby.

The Guess Who - Undun (1969)

Performed here in the 70s:

This is from 1970 but feels more 60s

Positively 4th Street

I’ll Try Anything!

Sunshine pop from 1968, “I Found Love” by update NY band The Free Design.

I know I'll get mocked for this one, but what the Hell.

J'adore Miss Rita Pavone!

Discovered this gem after watching the UK series “Gameface”.

It happened to me and it can happen to you!

Fuck that bitch Judy

I have a huge playlist full of this stuff.

The song I hear in my head after every good kiss

Something about the vibe of "A Town Without Pity" is very compelling.

It's kind of corny by today's standards, but it has this menacing undertone I love.

Moon River

Searchin' in the sun for another (over) load.

Burt Bacharach and Hal David might have been canceled if this song came out today.

Love Is Blue

The Beach Boys

She met him at the candy store. He turned around and smiled at her. You get the picture?

The Angels

I Will Follow Him.

Da Doo Ron Ron

If we're going to consider the Beach Boys...

R16 true story: When I was a kid, I asked my older brother what they were singing, and he said, with batting an eye, "One ton of mayo. Just give me one ton of mayo."

And, I believed him!

Spanky And Our Gang's "Like To Get To Know You." I've just found out about this group.

Keeping it gay...

Happy Together, The Turtles.

Gerry & the Pacemakers

Band of Gold, Freda Payne

The Miracles

Hey Baby just missed the top 10 in 1967.

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, Jimmy Ruffin.

R30, for me, the the quintessential Lesley Gore song was You Don’t Own Me.

If the Beach Boys are allowed, this is my favorite

Take A Letter Maria

River Man-Nick Drake

The Cowsills. I’m impressed that they’re singing and playing live and the little girl with the tambourine is impressive!

When Sidney Poitier asks you to stay after class...

Lay Lady Lay--Dylan

Chelsea Morning

Up on the Roof, sung by the Drifters, written by King and Goffon.

Legendary collaboration

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" - Shirelles

Can't leave out the Ronettes.

Never My Love, The Association. Link to Sullivan show performance.

Bettye Swann - Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye

The Seekers, “I’ll Never Find Another You”.

Let's go for Georgy Girl by the Seekers with Judith's unforgettable solo line in her extraordinary voice, "You're always window-shopping but never stopping to buy."

Young-Holt Unlimited, “Soulful Strut”.

Laura Nyro, “Stoney End”.

Françoise Hardy

"Comment te dire adieu"

Sous aucun prétexte, Je ne veux Avoir de réflexes, Malheureux Il faut que tu m'expliques, Un peu mieux Comment te dire adieu Mon cœur de silex Vite prend feu Ton cœur de pyrex Résiste au feu Je suis bien perplexe, Je ne veux Me résoudre aux adieux

Je sais bien qu'un ex amour n'a pas de chance, ou si peu Mais pour moi un explication voudrait mieux

Sous aucun prétexte Je ne veux Devant toi surexposer mes yeux Derrière un kleenex Je saurais mieux Comment te dire adieu Comment te dire adieu

Tu as mis à l'index nos nuits blanches, nos matins gris-bleu Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux Sous aucun prétexte, Je ne veux Devant toi surexposer mes yeux Derrière un kleenex Je saurai mieux Comment te dire adieu Comment te dire adieu Comment te dire adieu

My Mom would make fun of the accent in "Georgy Girl," exaggerating the "gull" when she said it.

Just to be different, let's add one old-fashioned crooner ballad:

Walk Away, Matt Monro.

It is amazing to me to hear the songs from the beginning of the 60s ("My girlfriend is so pretty at the school dance.!") and then the songs from the end of that decade ("Tune in, turn on, drop out").

Was there ever another decade where music changed this much over so short a period of time?

My name is Peaches!!

Can't hear this one without dancing

Noel Harrison, “The Windmills of Your Mind”.

The original dance craze. TikTok could never.

The drummer for the association (shirtless one in back) was smoking hot back then.

R12, Jesus, you're right. I've always liked that song but never thought to check out the video. The second guy from the left and the drummer are hot stuff. Gap-toothed boy looks like he could be a freak in the sack.

1969

In Dreams and Crying by Roy Orbison.

Everything by the Tijuana Brass. I'm a sucker for a great trumpet!

I like this version better than Miss Warwick’s

The Box Tops - The Letter!

This is TRUELY what we were listening to in 1967. A little Beatles now and then, but the Fifth Dimension and the BOX TOPS!

this is my song-petula clark

don't let the sun catching you crying... gerry and the pacemakers

over you-gary pucket and the union gap

the end of the world-skeeter davis

traces-classic iv

I wanna be free-the monkees

warmth of the sun-the beach boys

you've lost that lovin feeling and soul and inspiration-the righteous brothers

Released in 1969

Gary Pucket and the Union Gap were PERVS

Here’s a lesser known version of an all time classic song

First released in 1969

R97 Joe Cocker did The Letter much better later on.

From when air travel was glamorous

I've bookmarked this page and the next time I get a little tipsy I'm going to watch every one of these videos. I always thought that in the 1960s you could separate the pop bands from the rockers by how they dressed: pop stars wore suits and ties. Especially if they wanted to get on the Ed Sullivan Show!

R48, that song -- man, that song. So wistful and sad and nostalgic. I grew up a million miles from Merseyside but that song really clinches a certain time and place. And their Liverpudlian accents really come through on that song.

This chick got around

[quote] Gary Pucket and the Union Gap were PERVS

Well at least creepy Gary had sense enough to know that his taste for young girls was "way outta line"!

That sick fuck Neil Diamond on the other hand BRAZENLY crooned " Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon' as he deflowered his teenagers. SMH

This is darling to me. The orchestration and the vocals just downright meld together wonderfully because of Dusty Springfield's innate sense of rhythm.

Dusty Springfield was a very versatile artist and pop was just one of many genres she did very well.

I dig Dusty!

Funny you should link a Left Banke song, OP. I've always adored Pretty Ballerina by Left Banke. Something haunting about that song.

"Baby Workout" by Jackie Wilson is one of the few songs that give me an instant adrenaline rush.

I prefer the original studio version to this live version, but this is worth it to watch him perform.

Tina Turner, "River Deep, Mountain High".

Lou Christie - handsome man, great singer.....and packing!

R101 Love that version. It made me weep the first time I heard it.

Different, but captured the melancholy and longing of the original in its way.

Your OP's Fifth Dimension song, plus "Georgy Girl," "Hey Jude," "Wichita Lineman," "Love Is Blue," "Winchester Cathedral," "What's New Pussycat?", and "Someday We'll Be Together."

With correct use of the subjunctive mood, yet: very Datalounger's secret anthem.

Tony Hatch's 'Call Me' was most famously recorded by Petula Clark & Trini Lopez but ALL the name singers (from Sarah Vaughan to Sinatra) took a crack at it. My favorite versions are by Joanie Sommers, Brenda Lee & The 101 Strings Orchestra.

Not her biggest hit but VERY much sixties

All the more impressive given that Linda Scott wrote this and performed this herself... with the world's oldest back-up vocals.

No one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass

For those of you who liked the Dells and love that R&B/pop sound, please fall down the lovely rabbit hole that is the work of Charles Stepney.

He produced a number of artists - Minnie Riperton, Rotary Connection, early Earth Wind and Fire, Deniece Williams ("Free") and more.

Always elegant and complex but with a soulful vibe. He died entirely too young.

Look what I found!

Please briefly excuse the 70s cut, but it's another Charles Stepney tune.

Originally used in cigarette ads....

Nowadays you'd never find Four Tops

'Mr. Dieingly Sad' by The Critters is hauntingly beautiful.

It was the 3rd of June...

My favorite Supremes' song, "Back in My Arms Again"

Come for Art Garfunkel's beautiful voice, stay for his uncomfortable eye contact.

"Children and Flowers," by the Critters, who were from my hometown. Among other places in NJ and NY, they played at the Jewish country club across the street from my Catholic high school.

Sadly, this Jackie DeShannon tune never made to the 77-WABC charts, as their "Mr. Dieingly Sad" did.

Children and Flowers

Pet's second big hit over here

"Steve's Song" - the Blues Project

I big hit for Dusty in the UK but not even released as a single over here

Can't believe that this brilliant and talented man only lived 26 years...

"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Donovan

One thing I notice is on all of these clips from the Ed Sullivan show is that the stage decoration is amazing, as is the lighting and camera work. They obviously had the top people and budget in those fields and it shows.

Written by Kui Lee, who was dying of cancer when he wrote it.

Surprised it hasn't been added yet, another King and Goffon hit with that brilliant piano opening you can never forget:

One Fine Day, The Chiffons

A song written in the 40s and performed in the 60s provided us with the gayest moment in television history.

I still love this one!

"He's So Fine" - the Chiffons

Carole King's live concert version of One Fine Day is stunning in the energy and enthusiasm she brings to her song.

r69 And "Be My Baby" begat "Don't Worry Baby."

Spanky & Our Gang - "Sunday Will Never Be The Same"

I still love this, but it seems like a lot of people don’t.

I saw Petula Clark in Sunset Boulevard. She was fabulous!

More

I found "Where Did Out Love Go?" every bit as remarkable as "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and bought every Supremes single, and some of their LPs.

And

Detroit Soul Singer, Bettye LaVette's original 1969 recording of 'He Made A Woman Out Of Me' is SUBLIME! Bobbie Gentry remade it and had some success with it on the Country charts but for my money Miss LaVette's recording is peerless.

Slow burning & funky Southern Soul that tells the story of a woman making the best of a rough, backwoods deflowering (rape).

Inspired by R93.

Think what the future would be with a poor boy like me

"Let's Hang On" and "C'mon Marianne" by the Four Seasons

"I Hear A Symphony" by the Supremes

"MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris

"Runaround Sue" by Dion

"Yesterday When I Was Young" by Roy Clark

"Classical Gas" by Mason Williams

"Windmills Of Your Mind" by Dusty Springfield

What could be more Sixties than Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66? Particularly their version of Fool on a Hill.

Anything by Laura Nyro - although at the time (late 60s when I was barely an infant) I only knew her music from the covers by the 5th dimension, Blood Sweat and Tears and others. Eli Coming, When I die, Wedding Bell Blues, and many others - all written before she was 25.

I adore Dionne Warwick's jazzed-up rendition of 'Wives And Lovers' just as much as Jack Jones' hit version.

Leonard Cohen, “So Long, Marianne”.

I love Jazz singer Pat Thomas' Bacharach/David/Warwick-like version of the song 'I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face'. It was later recorded by Dusty Springfield & Baby Washington in a more typical Pop/R&B fashion but I prefer Pat's reading the best.

Surprisingly, this was by a one-hit wonder band.

Song released November 1969

i'm surprised Bert Kaempfert never had a retrospective / comeback / used in a Tarantino film , etc

"Strangers in the Night" (with words by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder), was originally recorded as part of his score for the 1966 film A Man Could Get Killed. It became a #1 hit for Frank Sinatra in 1966. This was followed a year later with another hit for Sinatra, "The World We Knew (Over and Over)". "Wooden Heart", sung by Elvis Presley in the film G.I. Blues was a hit in 1961. Joe Dowell's cover of "Wooden Heart" became a big hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 28, 1961. Kaempfert arranged this traditional German folk song for the Presley movie. His instrumental "Moon Over Naples", when given words by Snyder, became "Spanish Eyes", originally a hit for Al Martino and also recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck, Presley, and many others. "Danke Schoen", with words added by Kurt Schwabach and Milt Gabler, became Wayne Newton's signature song. "L-O-V-E", with words added by Milt Gabler, was a hit for Nat King Cole. "Almost There", which reached No. 67 on the U.S. charts but No. 2 on the U.K. charts, was recorded by Andy Williams.[citation needed] His 1962 movie theme from the film 90 Minuten nach Mitternacht (Terror After Midnight), with lyrics added by Herb Rehbein and Joe Seneca, became a pop ballad called "Love After Midnight", recorded by both Patti Page (1964) and Jack Jones (1966). A jazzier number called "A Swingin' Safari" was the theme tune for the long-running TV game show The Match Game, used on the NBC version from 1962 to 1967. The composer received credit for the theme ("Music by Bert Kaempfert"). Another 1962 single, "That Happy Feeling", became well known as background music for children's television programming, most notably that of Sandy Becker on his daily WNEW-TV (now WNYW) show in New York between 1963 and 1967. The LP entitled A Swingin' Safari was heavily influenced by South African kwela style music, containing versions of "Zambesi", "Wimoweh", "Skokiaan", and "Afrikaan Beat", as well as the title track. Many of the tracks were later used in the film An Elephant Called Slowly (1969). "Tahitian Sunset" was sampled extensively by the lo-fi dance artists Lemon Jelly as their track "In the Bath".

uh, you get the idea.... .

'Wonderful Summer' by Robin Ward makes me sad (thinking about boyhood crushes) and happy at the same time.

My theme song when I was young and stupid...I mean naive

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 all the way!

I wasn't born until 1983, but this song has been used to great camp and other effect many times since. It's kind of creepy and wonderful. Falls within OP's perimeters. Leiber and Stoller bitch. 1969.

Such a variety of great music all at once. I guess the sixties really were a musical explosion.

Of course to me, Motown dominates it all. AND lives on. But I am not posting them - out of respect for the category.

R24 I love that one. I recently stumbled on a French-Canadian version:

The Monkees, “Sometime In The Morning”.

The original 1964 version of That Lady by the Isley Brothers. They reworked it in 1973 and it became a hit. The original version is much different:

Pop and Showtunes #1

Pop and Showtunes #2

Crazy

Girl don’t come

"Tell It Like It is" - Aaron Neville

Oh, yeah, Baby! H. S. Class of '67 here!

In 1967, ten years before Samantha Sang hit worldwide with the Bee Gees-penned 'Emotion', she was performing as Cheryl Gray in her home country of Australia. Her first major hit there was the excellent Tony Hatch-penned, Petula Clark-ish 'You Made Me What I Am'.

"Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers (1965)

"Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys, ft. Linda Ronstadt

The Theme From "Casino Royale", by Burt Bacharach (1967)

The Theme From "A Man And A Woman", by Francis Lai (1966)

"Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins (1967)

I prefer this to Joni Mitchell's first release, and love it as a bookend to Joni's 2000 orchestral version.

I have so many 1960s favorites, because my parents raised us on all of it.

The End of The World.

Friends of Distinction that *other* black vocal group that was not the Fifth Dimension

Grazing in the Grass. My friends and I tried to duplicate the vocal and found it impossible.

The YOUNG Rascals, soon to be known as The Rascals, 1966. My mother thought they had something to do with the Little Rascals.

Another classic 60s song which hasn't made the list yet:

A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harum

[quote]Another classic 60s song which hasn't made the list yet:

That's because the OP specifically requested songs NOT by rock bands.

Procol Harum is definitely a rock band.

R191 Given the classical music influence in the song itself and its heavy organ sound I don't categorize A Whiter Shade of Pale as representative of 60s rock. More sui generis, as we say.

James Burton, "Polk Salad Annie"

This song was so sophisticated!

Of course, I grew up in a hayseed little town

Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

L'amour, l'amour!

Contemplative

Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars

Used in the movie “Election”.

Since I Fell For You

There are also some guilty pleasures. Pineapple Princess by Annette Funicello!

Alone Again Or

Red Rubber Ball

Little Man

A World Without Love

Sonny Bono had an exciting, drum & percussion heavy arranging style that sadly has been overlooked. I love his production on this early Cher single, 'Dream Baby'.

^ I think this Sonny & Cher/Cher thing should be dumped into another thread. How about one named Sonny & Cher/Cher songs that I love?

By the time I get to Phoenix and Gentle on my mind-Glen Campbell

If you've got leavin on your mind-Patsy Cline

Someday-The Carpenters

R208 I only posted 1 Cher track. And this thread is about 1960s Pop, is it not?

[quote] Discuss your favorite pop songs from the 1960s that are not from "rock and roll" bands - no Beatles, Stones, Who, etc.

OP & R195, that gets a little tricky. At one point Neil Diamond, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, The Monkees, Brenda Lee, etc were considered "Rock And Roll"! LOL. Sometime during the 1980s most of those easy to digest offerings from the 60s got chucked into the generic " Oldies" category.

At first I interpreted OPs guidelines to mean, No Rock Groups at all and was going to follow those guidelines. But recordings like 'Like To Get To Know You' by Spanky And Our Gang and 'Mr. Dieingly Sad' by The Critters are pure Pop!

I'd like to know what OP thinks about this. Until then I'll simply avoid The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Small Faces, Steppenwolf and similar groups like they requested.

Anything by The Searchers, The Hollies and Smokey and the Miracles.

'The Cheater' by Bob Kuban & The In-Men is an old favorite. [The hunky lead singer of the group, Wally Scott was murdered in the 1980s by his wife's lover. The lover also murdered his own wife just prior to that. The whole saga was explained on an episode of Forensic Files that frequently airs on the HLN network.]

1966

At least this thread isn't full of Barbara Bullshit Streizand or Lindy bed hop Ronstadt. UGH. Eldergay music.

Cher is nobodies favorite music. Not with the voice she had in the 1960s, that for sure.

I drove my father crazy playing "Baby Love" on repeat the day I bought it (October, 1964).

Dusty sings Jimmy Webb.

Glorious!

"When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)" - the Beach Boys. The line "Will I look for the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl?" helped me understand that I was going to be a different kind of man. I loved the countdown at the end.

R215 is bitter and needs a hug.

This song by Cher was one of her best so far.

Five year old me would play this over and over. You felt Diana's heartbreak.

Verdelle Smith - "Tar and Cement"

Verdelle Smith was an oddity in the early 60's music scene: a black female folk singer. Predictably, she wasn't that successful, but she did manage one minor hit with this English-language version of a popular Italian tune. The song tells a sad story of leaving your beautiful small town to make your way in the big city, always dreaming of one day returning, then finally returning and realizing everything you were missing all those years is all gone.

There

Over 200 posts and no Peter, Paul and Mary yet. How could that be.

So many songs to choose from. If I Had a Hammer by Seeger and Hays is their sound at its best. From the opening chords you know this could only be Peter, Paul and Mary.

It was a simpler time.

I heard Peter and Paul hated each other, and couldn't satisfy Mary.

Wow, I just got the Christianiaty of their name.

R214, OK Cher. But she was more managed than talented right. That is why her career went to shit after she divorced Sonny.

Cher is just a giant bag of nothing.

Gary Lewis & The Playboys' hits may be a little corny but they make me happy. ❤❤❤

Cher is ok. In her place. Near naked in the 1970s. Not singing.

What's a Matter, Baby produced by Phil Spector. Gay revenge anthem. Oh, snap!

He'd sing with Bono, Garland, Aretha, Amy Winehouse, kd lang, Carrie Underwood, Mariah, Norah Jones, Faith Hill, Natalie Cole, Celine and Gaga. But it all began in San Francisco....

We could float amonst the stars.

Way up in the air. In my beautiful balloon

If this doesn't take you back. Another iconic sound from the 60s:

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair), Scott McKenzie

Do instrumental movie themes count?

A Summer Place.

Exodus.

Is Paris Burning.

Huge hit in 1968.

Another big 1968 hit

His career was killed by his huge collection of kiddy porn.

What was it about 1968?!

Marvin Gaye... enough said..

R238…I didn’t know that…wow.

He was a perv who got away with it, that's why you don't know about it, R241. As I remember, he was actually caught molesting kids.

[quote]At least this thread isn't full of Barbara Bullshit Streizand or Lindy bed hop Ronstadt. UGH. Eldergay music.

But R215, Streizand was young and a big big hit in the 1960s, you couldn't get away from her. Here she is singing one of her popular songs on TV in 1965.

^ Yes, I know this song was originated by Fanny Brice, but Babs had a record of it and the song is associated with her.

I can't get beyond r1. That lead singer twink is packing huge! WHET him?

Dusty's FB page posted this just this morning.

Holy fuck, she lands this so perfectly.

SING OUT LOUISE!

R244 it does look promising but that video is so old and blurry it's hard to tell

The sizemeat was so huge it had to be blurred whenever filmed, it appears.

Green Onions—not to be confused with Fried Green Tomatoes:

Stop posting Walk Away Renee videos, it reminds me of Renee Richards.

R242 I Wondered how long until somebody mentioned that whore.

"Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" by Norma Tanega. Obscure Bay Area folk singer early 60's. Always loved this song. She also did that odd "You're Dead" song you hear at the beginning of the "What We Do in the Shadows" TV show.

She's mostly known for being Dusty Springfield's girlfriend for a few years, R251.

Love you all for posting your songs! 💋💋

One of my favorites! "Baby I'm Yours"

R204 that is the gayest song of the entire decade!

R244 Steve Martin Caro. He was performing until a few years ago but died last year at 71.

Ewwww r242, gross. How was he able to avoid jail time?

Another favorite of mine:

Good song for driving

1967

1967

1966

1964

All of the songs on The Fifth Dimension's second album, the Magic Garden, were composed by the great songwriter Jimmy Webb, except one (Ticket to Ride by Lennon/McCartney).

Those blind links make it impossible to quickly search and see whether a song's already been included here.

But if it's a Youtube video, the song's title appears in the preview, and becomes searchable on the page, once this site loads the preview.

But the title doesn't show for those of us who speed scrolling by disabling previews.

Were there no Asians in the 60s???? What a whitewash!

R267 The late Larry Ramos of The Association was of Filipino descent.

If you want to read a list of song titles, then go to wikipedia R266. Google pop songs from the sixties? It amazes me than no one listens to any of the music posted on the endless DL music threads. Old white men just jerking off to their musical memories. Scrolling and trolling. Fucking weird. I was not born until the mid eighties, so I have listened to about half of the songs posted here. Most are pretty bad.

The Nanci Griffith thread otoh, is full of gems. I started a playlist.

[quote]Were there no Asians in the 60s???? What a whitewash!

Just off the top of my head:

It always amazes me that trolls here keep wasting their time reading and then posting on threads that hold no interest for them. Almost like they're looking for something to grouch about.

My advice to them would be to listen to Dionne Warwick. And Walk on By.

Sukiyaki, a big hit by Kyu Sakamoto in 1963.

Sukiyaki sung in GERMAN by two brothers who were called The Blue Diamonds

The Seekers with the wonderful Judith Durham.

Listening to her sing Waltzing Mathilda almost makes you wish you were Australian.

Re Asians in 60's pop, Norma Tanega (already mentioned above with "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" was half Filipina, half Panamanian.

Remember those two HUGE hits of 1969...."Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies and "In The Year 2525" by Zager and Evans? I forget which one was the number one song of the year.

Other songs from 69 that I liked: "Easy To Be Hard" by Three Dog Night and "Quentin's Theme" from the soap Dark Shadows.

I like the ROLLING STONES. THREE DOG NIGHT?

R277 check out the soundtrack to Zodiac. It has a great lineup of songs from around 1969.

Time to relax with some pure soothing comfort music. If this doesn't do it, nothing will.

Stranger on the Shore, Acker Bilk

Brenda Lee I’m sorry

No, I’M SORRY!

As. Long. As. He. Needs. Me.

Live for Life - Jack Jones

See You In September

A lot of people aren't aware that Janis Joplin (along with Big Brother and the Holding Company) wasn't the first person to record 'Piece Of My Heart'. The original recording was released by (Aretha's older sister) Erma Franklin in 1967 and was a Top 10 R&B for her. Been a personal favorite of mine for several years. t's a wonderful song regardless of who's singing it.

You Were On My Mind

The Lettermen - Goin Out of My Head / Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You

Janis Joplin also sang Rodgers and Hart. Girl had some taste. Passionate, painful and beautiful.

In 1968, years before her worldwide hit with Dame Elton John, Kiki Dee released an EXQUISITE taste of Psychedelic Pop titled 'On A Magic Carpet Ride'. (Not to be confused with Steppenwolf).

Originally intended as a B-Side, since then the song has (RIGHTFULLY) gained a cult following among online listeners and The British Northern Soul scene. Enjoy!

The sound of the future - Limitless possibilities!

Telstar by The Tornadoes.

For our UK posters

Almost 300 replies and no mention of the delicate stylings of Mrs. Elva Miller?

First heard this in a movie called SHATTERED with Tom Berenger and Greta Scacchi. Have loved it ever since.

[quote]Remember those two HUGE hits of 1969...."Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies and "In The Year 2525" by Zager and Evans? I forget which one was the number one song of the year.

For the year 1969, the top record was The Age of Aquarius by The Fifth Dimension. I know because I sent away for the WABC radio top song list for that year. Even at age 13, I couldn't believe a dumb CARTOON show based on the Archie comics would have a hit record, Sugar Sugar, an equally dumb song. In The Year 2525 was one of those one hit wonder songs, played a lot.

r295, here are the 77 WABC-AM All-American and Silver Dollar Surveys from 1960 to 1982.

Big hit and one of my top favorites from the first years I listened to music radio:

My Mom made fun of the way they sang it as "Georgy Gull."

My favorite cover of a Beatles song

R295 That's the WABC chart.

Billboard is usually considered the definitive chart.

"Sugar Sugar" is listed at #1 with Let the Sunshine In at #2 - the 2525 song is way down in the twenties somewhere.

A huge seller in 1962 and still my go-to Christmas record.

Come out to the meadow, Jean

He also did a version of.....

[quote] Let the Sunshine In at #2

The record is a medley of two songs from Hair, is AQUARIUS/Let the Sunshine In.

There were at least two music trade publications that put out Top 100 lists, one was Billboard, one was CASHBOX.

I prefer the Raquel Welch version

[quote] There were at least two music trade publications that put out Top 100 lists, one was Billboard, one was CASHBOX.

Industry figures, radio DJs and record store owners would say that the definitive list was Billboard.

Not in 1969, R306.

Another heartaching memory:

Sealed with a Kiss, Bryan Hyland.

1968

Manha De Carnaval. I like most versions of the song but Astrud’s is probably my favorite.

I Will Wait For You- Matt Monro

[Quote]Marvin Gaye... enough said..

How about Marvin Gaye singing in German?!

(It's that language's version of "How Sweet It Is.")

[I'm gonna cheat a little because this recording was released in 1970. But everyone knows that the first few years of any decade are pretty much extensions of the previous decade before everyone figures out what direction we're going to go in. LOL.]

In 1970 Connie Stevens recorded the original version of 'Betcha By Golly Wow' as 'Keep Growing Strong'. An excellent & overlooked recording that was overshadowed later in the decade by both the hit version by The Stylistics and the sultry Jazz-Soul version by Norman Connors & Phyllis Hyman.

And the flip side to R313 was just as good. A Nancy Sinatra-like bit of danceable Pop called 'Tick-Tock'.

My favorite song that applies to me as the object of desire.

I've been enjoying the catalog of (The Other) Nancy Wilson for the past several months. What a singer! Everything she ever recorded was fantastic & expertly arranged, especially her Jazz, Songbook & 60s Pop offerings.

She had a big Pop hit in the Late 60s, telling it like it is on the tune 'Face It Girl, It's Over'.

"Does he have to draw you pictures? Does he have to spell-it-out? Face it Gurl, IT'S OVER!"

LOVE me some Nancy.

Carmen McRae HATED Nancy Wilson for the above ^

Patti Drew's 'The Love That A Woman Should Give To A Man' is an old favorite. It was written by the same person as 'Face It Girl, It's Over', with the intention that Nancy Wilson would sing it as well. When Miss Wilson declined, it was handed to handed to her label-mate Chicago Pop/Soul songstress Patti Drew.

I love EVERYTHING about this recording, from the subtle get explosive arrangement to the excellent lyrics to Miss Drew's sensitive & heartfelt singing. Bravo!

'Tell Him' was one of Patti Drew's two big hits and another favorite of mine.

The other hit was a cover of Neil Sedaka's 'Workin' On A Groovy Thing' that predated the hit version by The 5th Dimension.

Even the beer commercials had a beat you could dance to.

R318, Carman MacRae is a legend. I get it. But I've never heard a song by her that I didn't feel was sung better elsewhere. To say she had stiff competition would be an understatement.

Unfortunately for Miss MacRae she was recording at the same time as Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Anita O'Day, June Christy, Dakota Staton, Ernestine Anderson, Betty Carter, Abby Lincoln, Gloria Lynne, Chris Connor & countless other Jazz songtresses. When compared to those other ladies, (IMO) there isn't a seat at the table for Miss MacRae....🤐

[quote] Were there no Asians in the 60s???? What a whitewash!

R267, she's more Pop in the Great American Songbook/Jazz/Broadway sense but Pat Suzuki is one of my personal favorites. It's CRIMINAL that she was given more recording opportunities!!!

That damn YouTube removed my favorite recording from Miss Suzuki (a gorgeous rendition of Duke Ellington's 'I Didn't Know About You') but here's 'Cheek To Cheek' from same 1960 LP.

Grazin' in the Grass by The Friends of Distinction. Can you dig it?

In 1964, we were Dancing in the Street with Martha and the Vandellas.

Someone who's never mentioned anymore is Esther Phillips. She was a somebody in the 1960s, and a favorite of The Beatles (who she mentions in the beginning of the clip.)

R326, Esther had some Disco hits in the 70s as well.

I was born in 1966, and one of the few things I remember from the first 3-4 years of my life is this song playing all day every day; to me, it's the quintessential 60s sound:

r313: Thats amazing - the opposite of the usual practice of white performers stealing from black ones. Connie does a good job but there is no question that the Stylistics did much the superior version.

Poor Connie - she has such a light voice she might be the white LaToya Jackson.

Before the Hollies, before Linda Ronstadt, Doris Troy brought us "Just One Look."

R329, Writer/Producer Thom Bell said Bell Records (which was a subdivision of Columbia) didn't have much faith in Connie Stevens or the song. They felt that the title 'Betcha By Golly Wow' was too reminiscent of the cheesy Teenage Pop from the 50s and Early 60s and had no place in what was happening in mainstream music in 1970. So they requested the title change to 'Keep Growing Strong' and released it with no promotion.

Both Connie and The Stylistics' versions have fantastic arrangements/orchestrations but I must say that I love the rendition by Norman Connors & Phyllis Hyman the best. They really took the song to a jazzy/sultry place that wasn't expected. And Phyllis' vocals are just beyond words. But again, I love all 3 versions.

BTW, your vocal comparison of Connie Stevens to LaToya Jackson is a fair one. No one would accuse either one of them of being great singers, but both have incredibly girlish/sexy tones to their voices. And for the record (like Connie) Latoya Jackson shockingly has some EXCELLENT recordings in her catalog! But that's another topic & discussion altogether........

We've done that, R324.

The IMO totally under-rated Grass Roots.

"Midnight Confessions", a 60s song lip-synched (badly) by Rob and Warren in the early 70s, both apparently totally stoned out of their minds. Gad, I love this song and LOVE this video.

RIP Rob Grill.

Guantanamera

This is such a fun little bop.

Original lineup for The Grass Roots. (Creed Bratton from The Office on Guitar).

"Let's Live for Today"

... and before any historians 'Oh Dear's me, I know it's not the original-original lineup of the Grass Roots, but it is the line-up after Rob Grill became lead and they started hitting the charts.

Any songs the drive-in theaters played on the speakers in the 1960s, while we kids played on the playground before the movies started.

R18, Lou Christie posed for an "artistic" photographer. Here is one shot. He presented full-frontal during this shoot. Some of those nudes have made the rounds on the internet, but I can't find them. He was reportedly very well hung, with a thick Mediterranean bush. His real name was Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, we shouldn't be surprised.

I was attempting to stay away from Rock, but I think that this falls more under the Pop/Rock category and not the Heavy Rock that the OP wanted to steer clear of. 'Time Won't Let Me' by The Outsiders will ALWAYS be a jam.

Wikipedia has a page that features Billboard's top 100 year songs for each year. Here is 1969's list. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to link to any year's top 100 songs.

The problem is, I cannot choose one particular song for the 60s. Looking at the lists, my mind can hear so many of them vividly. It's overwhelming. They all link me to my childhood.

The song 'Groovy Kind Of Love' was first recorded in early 1965 by an obscure Lounge duo named Diane & Annita. The duo had worked with bandleader (and Mamie Van Doren's ex) Ray Anthony in Vegas for years.

Sometime in the Spring or Summer of 1965, Atlantic Records had Patti LaBelle & The BlueBelles record it as the B side to the group's version of 'Over The Rainbow' (a Judy Garland classic that has since became a Patti LaBelle staple).

The group The Mindbenders didn't record their hit version of the song until December 1965 and it became one of the biggest hits of 1966. And of course Phil Collins made it a hit all over again in the 90s.

Here's the original 1963 recording of Linda Ronstadt’s 'You're No Good' by Dionne's sister Dee Dee Warwick. Several other R&B artists went on to record it throughout that decade including Betty Everett (who had a minor R&B hit with it) and The Ikettes.

Dee Dee Warwick had an amazing career when you think about it. Not only was she a top session singer on COUNTLESS 60s & 70s hits of every genre, but also had a successful solo career with a handful of her own hits. Not only that, but the woman also recorded the ORIGINAL/FIRST RECORDINGS of not only 'You're No Good' but also 'Time Is On My Side' (hit version by The Rolling Stones) and 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me' (hit version by The Supremes & The Temptations)! It's almost unreal.

The voice! The groove! Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf

DL pop fave! 1,2, 3 it's so easy.

Goodbye

Jonny Rivers - Secret Agent Man. This guy had a few great hits. You all know his voice, right?

Simply ethereal. Beautiful words. Bob Lind. Elusive Butterfly of Love. The strings are gorgeous.

Believe it or not, Lind is apparently one of the creators of the "Bat Boy" from the Weekly world News.

I've absolutely LOVED the song 'Someone To Talk To' by (British session singers) The Breakaways since hearing it in the movie "Darling" years ago.

Here's the party scene from the 1965 film "Darling" with a different version of 'Someone To Talk To' by The Breakaways.

Well, if you guys really want Asian singers we have to go to Asia. Not sure of the year, but here's Mona Fong -- later wife of Run Run Shaw -- singing the swinging Tonight's Pleasure.

What a smile she had.

Out in the Streets

I love Mona Fong!

She was so lovely

R354 Me too!

She's no Pat Suzuki.

It’s.nice to see lovely oriental faces on this thread! When Asian Eyes Are Smiling!

R322 exactly how I feel about everything I've ever heard from Macrae. She was always pleasant and competent but someone else always had a better version.

R331 yes! Phyllis' vocals on the Connors version are flawless. Hearing that song changed my life.

And Lou Christie. What a fine piece of ass. Wish I could have explored that fine eyetalian sausage of his back in the day!

José Feliciano - Light My Fire

Spencer Davis Group, "Gimme Some Lovin" with a teenage Steve Winwood singing lead.

Rick Nelson - For You (1963). He was no longer "Ricky" at this point

Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)

R340 - obscure fact about "Time Won't Let Me" - the lead singer on that song also sang lead on one of my favorite ballads of the 70's - "Precious and Few" by Climax.

I've really had enough of these sixties singers who have their vocals double tracked, even TRIPLE tracked to make them sound better. The Ricky Nelson thing posted by R362 sounds quadruple tracked.

R365 But many singers of the era used back-up singers that weren't credited. Isn't Rick just being his own back-up singer?

R365 sounds like it was recorded in a hallway

The Carpenters used layered tracking to achieve some brilliant harmonies. This is an interesting demonstration of how it was done.

Dusty Springfield used to go to the ladies loo or the stairwell at Phillips' studios in London to achieve the sound she wanted.

It sounds like a lot of echo or reverb applied to the lead vocal, and then an additional harmony vocal track on the line "yes baby for you". You can usually tell when it's a double tracked lead vocal because you can hear spots where they don't line up perfectly.

That super-heavy echo was a thing in the early 60's, especially in America. The American versions of the early Beatles albums were remastered and slathered in reverb for reasons unknown. The Capitol Records producer who did it, Dave Dexter, is seen as one of the notorious villains in the Beatles story because of it.

Ricky Nelson was a good, not great, singer. He was certainly capable of delivering an acceptable lead vocal on "For You", which isn't a challenging song to sing. I think in this particular case he was just placed in the hands of a mediocre producer. As a teen idol, he was seen more as a product than as an artist, so nobody really cared at the time anyway.

r370 More about Dave Dexter:

Given the suitcase stereo I played my early Beatles albums on, I doubt I noticed Dave Dexter's reverb.

[quote]I've really had enough of these sixties singers who have their vocals double tracked, even TRIPLE tracked to make them sound better. The Ricky Nelson thing posted by [R362] sounds quadruple tracked.

You have to understand the context.

It was a way give a "stereo" feel to mono. It created a depth that sounded new. Same with Phil Spector's wall-of-sound.

[quote]I think in this particular case he was just placed in the hands of a mediocre producer. , it was

No, it was all very well considered.

We were listening to this stuff of tiny cheap transistor radios and record players with needles on vinyl.

That reverb and layered vocals gave them a richer, fuller sound. And yeah, it does sound corny today.

Hard to believe but the first true stereo Beatles album was Abby Road. 1969.

We'll Start the Party Again

There was indeed a time when pop music was tuned to sound just right on tinny cheap transistor radios.

So to really appreciate the 60s songs in this thread, get yourself a tinny cheap transistor radio.

All the early Beatles vocals were double tracked, and Paul McCartney uses it to this day.

Apparently it was invented for Les Paul and Mary Ford. Here she's one person singing into a mic and she sounds like four - four of exactly the same voice. Duplicate tracks combined.

R376 They say that about Motown's '60s music.

[Quote]All were part of what was known as the Motown Sound — great melodies, lots of tambourines and hand clapping, blaring horns, interplay between the lead singer and his or her backup vocalists, driving bass lines and foot-slapping drum parts. [Bold]It’s said that the sound was shaped by what one could expect to hear on a car or transistor radio.[/bold] To that end, Motown’s chief engineer Mike McClain built a tinny-sounding radio and tested each piece of music on it before it was released.

From 1966 - Sonny by Bobby Hebb. The tale behind this song is quite sad, but I love the song.

Music production is a bit like slaughtering: best you just enjoy the end result and not think too hard about how it got there.

Go on, Miss R378 with those RECEIPTS!

R377 That is gorgeous. 1951. They were innovators, ahead of their time, giving pop music an electronic sound.

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears- the entire first album by the Mamas & the Papas

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (1967) by Diana Ross & The Supremes:

[quote]She's no Pat Suzuki.

How odd. R357, that's apparently the same Pat Suzuki who played Topazia, one of the 'Tropis' in 𝐒𝐤𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 (1970). It's been decades since I've seen it, but I think Topazia was supposed to have been impregnated by a human, either Burt Reynolds or Roger C. Carmel, it was never clear to me which of them did it.

𝐒𝐤𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 is finally getting a Blu Ray release on September 21, 2021.

Lynn Kellogg's recording of 'Easy To Be Hard' from the US Original Broadway Cast recording is just as good as Three Dog Night's IMO.

Miss Kellogg was a beautiful woman with a gorgeous, straightforward & crystal clear voice. Unfortunately on her own recordings she chose to record the most obnoxious, unlistenable Folk/Country/Bluegrass hootenanny numbers she could find. It's a shame.

I know this was by a rock group, but this is an undiscovered jazz jam of all the '60s. Better than most of the acclaimed stuff.

R387, The Guess Who is a Canadian group and gets a pass, because other than Rush, Canadians are systemically unable to rock.

R387 R388, since when was The Guess Who's 'Undone' "undiscovered"? I thought that it was one of the group's signature songs? But I may feel that way because I had a " Greatest Hits" CD back in the 90s and 'Undone' was one of my favorite cuts on it.

I forgot to add that The Guess Who are an odd one IMO. Their 60s hits (including 'Undone' were all so fresh, innovative and for the most part different from one another. But in the 70s (after the American hits dried up) they settled on a dull, generic, faux Southern Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd like sound that seems inauthentic for a Canadian band. I don't get it.

r389, what I meant was that it's really a jazz song, and it doesn't get that recognition.

I posted "Undun" (real title) way up in tis thread. It's their only good record imho.

R328, thanks for posting that, and Bob Crewe was a major force in 1960s pop songwriting and production. Many years after "Music to Watch Girls By," he came out as gay. He passed away in 2014.

I must have R 12 on that thread, r393. The guy who wrote "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" was gay??? That's more touching than when Brian showed up at Sunshine's prom and they danced to "Save the Last Dance for Me."

R339, it's actually his brother, according to a comment posted by his brother somewhere.

Loved Gene Pitney

Just Once In My Life. Not The Righteous Brothers' most well-known song, but a personal favorite.

The Chiffons, I Have a Boyfriend

The Nitty Gritty.

Five year old me would stand up between the seats singing this gem.

From 1963 - Jackie DeShannon with Needles & Pins.

Speaking of Jackie DeShannon: I was never much of a Burt Burt Bacharach / Hal David fan, but this version of "What the World Needs Now" by Jackie is amazing. I prefer it to the more popular Dionne Warwick version that came out later.

R402, Dionne had a lot of popular songs, but WTWNNIS was not one of them. Jackie's version was the definitive one.

I agree, R402. The song needs to be resurrected in these times we are living in.

Sylvie Vartan - La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser 1965

Isley Brothers!

Henry Mancini - Lujon

Used in the soundtracks of The Big Lebowski, Sexy Beast, and Two Lovers.

Raymond Lefevre - Soul Coaxing

A much better song than Love Is Blue, which was released at the same time.

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Cast Your Fate to the Wind

It always made me sad

My favorite version of The Shadow of Your Smile.

I want to kill anyone who sings in French.

That includes you too, Sting.

Just walk away a boy named Renee.

I can confirm.

The drummer from The Association is hung. His beautiful hog is big. He also cooks.

That is some pretty queer shit, right there, R87.

R87 He was born before his time (to do this song)

A bodybuilder I know performed his posing routine at a show to "I'm too Sexy", instead of the hard rock most others do. It was very tongue-in-cheek, and he even flashed himself for half a second. He won the show!

Fine. But it's not a song from the '60s.

In addition to her acting career, Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek) was a charming song stylist who made a handful of enjoyable recordings in the 60s & Early 70s. One of my personal favorites is her lushly orchestrated rendition of the standard 'Sunday Kind Of Love'.

An even sassier Nichelle Nichols singing a fun & suggestive tune, 'Know What I Mean'.

Motown Songtress, Kim Weston (most known for her duet with Marvin Gaye 'It Takes Two') recorded some of her best work after leaving that label. Her albums & singles for MGM, Stax and a handful of smaller labels were all brilliant. Not only did she display great range vocally, but also in the number of genres she was effortlessly able to sing (Pop, R&B, Jazz, Broadway, Gospel, etc).

One of my personal favorites (and I have several by Miss Weston) is her 1967 recording of the beat ballad 'That's Groovy'. It should have been a huge hit and Miss Weston should have had much more success than she did!

ok, Oct 1959 just prior to the blossoming of the sixties...but was played by Cy Coleman on Playboy Penthouse in 1960

My fav

r421: I thought this might be the same song.

Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore

Originally recorded by Frankie Valli, the song became a hit when recorded by the Walker Brothers. Scott Walker (real name Scott Engel) had an amazing voice.

R424, no. Although I love that song & Helen O'Connell. I think she's underrated as far as 40s and 50s Pop stylists go.

There was a mini-boom in the 60's of the Latin Caribbean genre known as "boogaloo".

The biggest boogaloo hit in the U.S. was Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria's version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man".

Other stars of the genre that had success in the U.S. included Ray Barretto ("El Watusi") and Joe Cuba ("Bang Bang")

The wonderful Eydie Gormie & Blame It On The Bossa Nova

One of my earliest song memories.

I prefer this version

Absolute stroke of genius getting Herb Alpert--who was a brilliant instrumentalist but not an experienced singer--to perform this. A professional singer might have made it too slick and impersonal, but Alpert just sounds like a regular guy pouring his heart out, and that's what makes it feel so personal.

a pretty world!

R432- Pretty outfits

One of my all time favorite performances. Never gets old. One of the greatest voices in history.

R431, Alpert owned the record company. No one "got" him to sing that song except himself.

r435 You're correct. Magical song!

Twistin the Night Away - Sam Cooke, 1962

The Days Of Pearly Spencer - David McWilliams.

In 1969, I thought Herb Alpert was a hot dark Spaniard with a sexy baritone. So I was SHOCKED to find out that it was HIS voice singing This Guy's in Love with You. Then I learned that Alpert was a hot dark Jewish guy from LA.

R431 I remember this Herb Alpert album cover from back in the day. Loved his music too.

Another Herb Alpert fan.

Speaking of Herb Alpert, the theme song for The Dating Game was a Herb Alpert song.

Besides his music Herb Albert was good looking in the 1960's.

Speaking of The Dating Game, this serial killer was a contestant right in the middle of his killing spree back in 1978. (Bachelor #1. The girl picked him too.)

That's been duly noted, R443. Several times.

Our Winter Love was recorded by many different artists. Here is a version by the man who composed the song - Johnny Cowell.

I Will Follow Him - little Peggy March

Angel On My Shoulder - Shelby Flint

Least rock song of the 1960s.

R445, some things should never stopped being said.

who can sing along and keep up with Tom? he knocks it out of the ball park / Burt Bacharach / Tom Jones ~ Promise Her Anything

"It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones. It was said women threw their underwear onto the stage when he performed. Even at seven years old, I was ready to do the same.

I love Tom Jones but I prefer Jackie Trent's ballad version of "It's Not Unusual".

When you are alone, you can Always Go DownTown.

I just heard Frank Sinatra’s version of Downtown. It was dreadful.

“It’s Not Unusual” was originally offered to Sandie Shaw, but she turned it down.

Tom Jones is a curious case. In the early 1960s he was a greasy swaggering R&B pop singer. In 1968 they remade him (plastic surgery and all) as a contemporary crooner marketed to young housewives - the same crowd that kept swooning over fat Elvis. Of course with the context removed, the perception of Tom Jones has totally changed.

Earlier version of thinner Jones with mullet, old nose and teeth:

What’s so curious about him? He’s an amazingly talented man, Tom Jones. I’d hardly call him a greasy R&B singer. Blue-eyed soul, yes.

R457, I'm going back to how I (and many) felt about him in the 1960s. His management obviously agreed, hence the image change.

Do you have proof of that r458? Because you stated it as fact and not opinion…

R459, read what I wrote again, and see if you can understand fact from opinion:

I AM GOING BACK TO HOW I...FELT ABOUT HIM IN THE 1960s.

I'd say it's very clear to even the average fifth grader.

Groovin to the O’Jays Love Train

Do the Tighten Up with Archie Bell and the Drells!

[quote]Tom Jones is a curious case. In the early 1960s he was a greasy swaggering R&B pop singer. In 1968 they remade him (plastic surgery and all) as a contemporary crooner marketed to young housewives - the same crowd that kept swooning over fat Elvis. Of course with the context removed, the perception of Tom Jones has totally changed.

You have no idea of what you're talking about.

Tom Jones' mega hit "It's Not Unusual" was 1965. He was seen as a talented sexy powerhouse of a singer. Part of the British Invasion. That song and his performance appealed to everyone.

He was sensational.

[quote]hence the image change.

Re: Tom Jones. There was no image change. You are making things up.

The Tom Jones of 1965 and the Tom Jones of 1968 were the same: sexy, white soul singing style, , skin tight clothes, dramatic unrestrained moves, etc.

Everybody says...don't.

I see a distinct difference in Tom Jones in tux in R451, and R456.

466 He wore a tux, suit and tie, sequins, shirts open to his navel...and your point is?

R466 He wore a tux, suit and tie, sequins, shirts open to his navel...and your point is?

The hook nose is gone, does that satisfy you R467?

Personally, I've always enjoyed my many hits and history-making b-sides.

R467 and ALL of your subsequent posts, what's YOUR point? Were you born in 1999?

The reason women (and some men) threw their underwear at Tom Jones:

Is every pic on Planet Earth photo shopped to show make believe cock, R472?

Claude François - Mais Quand Le Matin

The video is a compilation of different performances so you can see the many different wigs of his backup dancers. François died at the age of 39 from accidental electrocution, but I think R412 may have had something to do with it.

[quote]and ALL of your subsequent posts, what's YOUR point? Were you born in 1999?

I remember when he hit the scene with "What's New Pussy Cat?".

R472 But according to our resident idiot, after 1968 he was only performing in a tux.

Helen Shapiro - It Might As Well Rain Until September (1963)

The clip below is from a 1966 performance.

Bobby Vee - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (1962)

I don't know what homo directed this Scopitone, and I didn't know they made swimsuits that small in 1962.

She's having a really good time on that motorcycle seat.

Eldergay here, this thread is bringing back some wonderful memories, and also introducing some songs I’d never heard!

LOVE the live version of “Someday Will Never Be the Same” at R144! Their vocal harmonies were impeccable, and it was interesting to hear an arrangement without the sweeping strings of the studio version.

I’d never hear that “Cheater” song at R213, and certainly did not know about the murder of the lead singer— YIKES!

Also never heard that story about Bobby Goldsboro!

This sunshine pop gem hasn’t been posted yet — I always liked it! (And no, it wasn’t my mantra in my wilder days!)

r478 - Lots of swimsuits in those Scopitones...

Always loved this catchy delight — terrific vocal arrangements, later covered by The Manhattan Transfer!

We Five - You Were On My Mind

Originally recorded by Ian and Sylvia, this cover became a number one hit. This live performance shows how talented We Five were.

The Boy From New York City - The Ad Libs

R480 If you like Peppermint Rainbow you might also like The Jet Song (When the Weekend's Over) by The Groop from 1969. This song is a little Burt Bacharach, a little Jimmy Webb, a lot of sunshine pop and even a little bubblegum.

One of the best bubblegum songs - The Grooviest Girl in the World by The Fun and Games, (1968)

Sooo summer of 1963.

No one suspected the British were coming...

I second "Be my baby" and add:

R487, it wasn’t only the Beatles that those in the summer of 1963 never expected.

Those of us who love, love Be My Baby are in good company. It’s Brian Wilson’s favorite song.

One for you, r490, from January, 1964.

[quote] it wasn’t only the Beatles that those in the summer of 1963 never expected.

The summer of 1963 was the last summer of the '50s.

R 492 MMM I don't know, I think the Wall of Sound is what officially took pop music to the 60's. It's the only thing imo that saved the otherwise ultra conservative and boring early 60's. Thank god for LSD.

Hey R399 , what time is it? It's Soul Time!

(Shirley Ellis, 1967)

[quote] I think the Wall of Sound is what officially took pop music to the 60's.

1963 was the last summer of the 1950s in ways much more profound than a couple of arrangements by Phil Spector.

Temma Harbour

R495 The Fifties didn't quite end that summer. They ended November 22, 1963.

[quote] The Cowsills. I’m impressed that they’re singing and playing live and the little girl with the tambourine is impressive!

The guy on the drums disappeared during Katrina (he was kind of homeless). His body was recovered days later.

[quote]The Fifties didn't quite end that summer. They ended November 22, 1963.

No one said they didn't. Learn to read: "1963 was the last summer of the 1950s."

retro

Well "Be my baby" peaked in the charts at #2 in October 1963 so I don't think we're too far off. At some point in the fall of '63 when some rando was putting on a jacket because it had finally gotten chilly, that's when the 50's ended.0

Learn to read yourself, Bimbo. It was a clarification when the 60s ended. Not may God forbid correction of an error.

I played "Be My Baby" on repeat the weekend of the assassination, which drove my mother crazy. Anytime she heard "Be My Baby" for the rest of her life, she was immediately brought back to her memories of the assassinaton. She didn't say anything, but for Christmas, she and my father bought me my first stereo so I would start listening to albums. They bought me some by the Beach Boys and Lesley Gore.

And then came the Beatles.

Memories - this version from Nancy Sinatra.

Leader of the Pack

Bobby Freeman - "C'mon and Swim"

I love those old 60's dance crazes and the songs that went along with them.

The Cyrcle - Turn Down Day

Watching the Shangri-Las on IGaS (R505) just shows how the older generation, which included those in their mere 30s & 40s, had such a disdain for what they seemed sure was the quickly passing fad of rock & roll music.

Thank you R485 — I’d never heard of The Groop or that song, but I like it!

Just noticed I’d written “SOMEDAY Will Never Be the Same” instead of “Sunday” in my original post — darned autocorrect!

[quote]The guy on the drums disappeared during Katrina (he was kind of homeless). His body was recovered days later.

That was their bassist

I thought you would like that R509. Let's see what you think of The Sugar Shoppe, Canada's answer to The Mamas and Papas. Here is their sunshine pop cover of Jackie Trent's "Take Me Away" (which Jackie wrote with her husband, Tony Hatch).

You may not recognize the man in the green suit with his Beach Boys haircut, but he grew up to be a big homosexual with a hot husband. That's Victor Garber in 1968.

R456, he only had the plastic surgery because of the double-decker bus accident that happened while he was crossing the street in Cardiff on his way to the leek shop to get a bowl of Welsh rarebit.

BJ Thomas - Hooked on a Feeling (1968)

R505 My favorite Shangri-la's song is "Give Him A Great Big Kiss", but the song makes no sense.

"Big bulky sweaters to match his eyes" "What color are his eyes? - I don't know. He's always wearing shades."

Which is it Mary? Which is it?!

My favorite Shangri-Las song is their saddest, "You Can Never Go Home Anymore."

Not too popular but a nice tune.

The Partridge Family influence - The Love Generation

Don't Just Stand There sounds a little like You Don't Own Me

Shangri-la Mary Weiss...

Thank you AGAIN, R511 —I enjoyed “Take Me Away”, and had never heard of The Sugar Shoppe! Really cool that you know these songs, and I appreciate your sharing!

Someone posted The Love Generation upthread — I always liked their version of this Jimmy Webb song!

Miss Gale Garnett

the flip side

Technically the 70s but oh well, the very un-PC Kung Fu Fighting.

I like this, (guilty pleasure) don’t know if it ever charted!

Call Helen...

The Taylor Sisters

R517 , R520 The Love Generation didn't influence The Partridge Family, they WERE The Partridge Family. Tom and John Bahler of The Love Generation were part of the Ron Hicklin singers that were the backing voices of The Partridge Family on all of the Partridge albums, and the Bahler brothers did the vocal arrangements on songs from the first album. "Let The Good Times In" from the 1968 Love Generation "Montage" album was slightly reworked for the 1970 pilot of The Partridge Family.

Since R123 mentioned ads, the Bahler brothers became The Going Thing to sell Fords in 1969

Trini Lopez's promo for Fresca - The Blizzard Song (1967)

R520 Here's another you should know - "The Word" by The Carnival (1969)

Village Stompers - Washington Square

String-A-Longs - Wheels

This version is by Billy Vaughn. The original hit by the String-A-Longs is not available on YouTube.

Engelbert Humperdinck - Quando, Quando, Quando

And now for a little Camp.

In 1969 the Eurovision Song Contest ended in a four-way tie. One of the winners was Spain's entry - Salomé with "Vivo Cantando". It starts off fun, then gets serious, then gets fun again. Many a Spanish drag queen has tried to copy her couture Manuel Pertegaz pantsuit covered in fringe made of 30 pounds of ceramic beads, but it never comes out right.

It's A Happening World by Paula Wayne (1967)

Chicago’s own Buckinghams!

(Gotta represent my hometown pride!)

R525 Helen Reddy - One Way Ticket (1968)

Since we’re going international, I like this one by Peggy March, and recently downloaded the studio version. Still don’t know how a Catholic high school girl from Pennsylvania ended up singing in German, but there you go!

PETULA CLARK - YA YA TWIST (1962)

The Cowsills were the real-life inspiration for the Partridge Family. A mother goes on the road with her kids to make money.

On The Street Where You Live, from My Fair Lady

Neil Diamond - Cherry, Cherry (1966)

Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares

Lies by the Knickerbockers (1965)

I won this record in a call-in AM radio contest...

Absolutely sublime - the best version of this oft-covered song ever recorded.

And PP Arnold was gorgeous. She was a one-time Ikette who struck out on her own. Like many overlooked greats, she was huge in Europe but never took off in the US.

She should have.

That's new to me & very good, R546, but I prefer Keith Hampshire's rendition.

Another Kim Weston great, Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While).

How have we managed to not include The Marvelettes?!

And another great one.

This Doris Day 1961 interpretation of Make Someone Happy certainly qualifies.

Fabian. It doesn't matter what the song is.

Don't Mess with Bill - the Marvelettes

I don't understand why Fabian didn't go ahead and show full-frontal, everything. There wasn't much left to the imagination.

"Sunny," was covered by EVRYBODY in the late 1960s, so here's DL fave Lainie Kazan and her version!

Donovan.

Completely forgotten now but he had IT for maybe about a year and a half back in the 60s.

"Atlantis" sung together with The Smothers Brothers, Peter Paul & Mary, Jennifer Warnes, and Mort Sahl

The Paper Dolls - Something Here In My Heart (1968)

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup (1968)

Julie Grant - Somebody Tell Him (1962)

Wow, the Marvellettes had a lot of hits...but my favorite is "Too Many Fish In The Sea".

The Irish Rovers - "The Unicorn"

This one always made me a little sad. Poor unicorns!

Another from the Isley Brothers.

Which Isley was the gay one?

Fool on the Hill

The Vogues have to be remembered.

Ladies & gentlemen, you all know the most fantastic lady of the "now" sound, the inimitable Miss Mama Cass ... just do your thing, baby.

R98 gave Skeeter Davis her props, but here's a link to her referenced hit.

I prefer a more upbeat Skeeter.

Boyce & Hart - I'm Gonna Blow You a Kiss in the Wind (1969)

R566 That dress was designed to hide mustard stains.

Miss Vikki Carr

r562 Bad link. Here is a good one.

Dusty Springfield - 24 Hours from Tulsa

Yvonne - I'm So Young (1967)

Wait for the playback at 0:56.

^ Above is from the film "Smashing Time."

I was up all night last night watching The Knack and A Taste of Honey on TCM. Big fan of Rita T, who co-starred in Smashing Time.

Have to include Lulu & To Sir With Love

I Want You To Be My Baby · Ellie Greenwich (1967)

Ellie and producer Bob Crewe turn a 50's jump blues number into a 60's Northern Soul rocker.

Come Run With Me by Copper Nickel, later covered by The Brady Kids.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Lady Bird

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte

Al Martino - Love Is Blue

R581, Love is Blue was a but hit in 1968 - for Paul Mauriat

Another big 1968 instrumental hit, from Mason Williams of the Smothers Brothers show, Classical Gas.

From 1969, Henry Mancini's theme from the movie Romeo and Juliet. Hardly the rock they tell you youngins were exclusively the pop music of the late 1960s.

La la la lalalalala...

I am absolutely in love with this one that I just discovered a few months ago. Sinatra does bossa (sort of) with Tom Jobin

Tom Jobin????

The entire Odyssey and Oracle album is really good. Too bad the group broke up early on; they could have been as good as The Beatles and the Stones

R587 Its what it says on the yt video and I wrote it as is but yes you're right. Wonder where they got Tom from

That song, “Someone To Talk To” from DARLING with Julie Christie. Who sang it? Was there more than one version?

r590 Here you go. According to the YouTube comments, this version is different from the one in the movie.

Once Upon A Time

Johnny Rivers - The Poor Side Of Town

Amazing backing vocals by The Blossoms.

The 3rd biggest hit of '64!

Another big hit for Mr Armstrong, whom we called "Louie" in 1968

The Darling (1965) theme song over the titles is quite good, not a hit instrumental, but nice. Sarah Vaughan did a wonderful vocal of it on her album:

Henry Mancini - Mr. Lucky

Winchester Cathedral, the 3rd highest selling record of 1966.

Speaking of Henry Mancini, I always thought this was a lovely song — perfect for Longet’s whispery voice her, and the instrumental version is nice as well!

And one more Mancini — my introduction to this was in Madonna’s film “WE”, of all things! A beautiful song!