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Post by boogieboarder on Aug 1, 2021 16:13:41 GMT -5
Yeah, that Tamla stuff is all great, and if anything a bit underrated by rock snobs today. In other words, I don't think it gets mentioned enough in terms of how it influenced the whole music scene at the time. I hear the influence of the Motown rhythm all over tracks that Curt Boettcher, Terry Melcher and even Brian were creating at that time. Yes, and even The Beatles weren't exempt from the Motown influence. "Getting Better" has a groove not a million miles away from that of The Temptations' "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep"… …and those falsetto "ooh's" leading into the chorus are straight out of The Supremes' "Baby Love". Not to mention The Beatles cover versions of Motown's "Money," "Please Mr. Postman," and "You Really Got a Hold On Me."
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Post by jasonaustin on Aug 1, 2021 18:54:35 GMT -5
Yes indeed, and I believe (in keeping with 1966) that Paul raised a bit of a ruckus at Abbey Road because they initially couldn't get the bass sound on "Paperback Writer" to go as loud as what Motown was putting out at the time.
Lennon's vocal on "You Really Got a Hold on Me" is superb. I think that might be my favorite song on With the Beatles.
Anyway, in keeping with the spirit of '66, I'm a big fan of the Association's debut album from that year. Brian was apparently quoted at the time as saying it was the best debut album he'd ever heard, and I can see why he said that given its similarity to what he was doing at the time with Pet Sounds. The song "Message of Our Love" (co-written by Tandyn Almer) is one of my favorites. Dig that far out oscellator solo.
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Post by jk on Aug 3, 2021 5:59:03 GMT -5
It's a fun line of thought: "What was so-and-so doing in 1966?" Well, Carole King released a 45 of the Goffin-King composition "A Road To Nowhere" (I believe their songwriting and personal relationship was beginning to unravel by then). I know and love the Jack Nitzsche-produced version by Judy Henske. This one has its own charms -- did Jack produce it as well, I wonder? The flip is a song made famous by Dusty Springfield, "Some Of Your Lovin'". Why this fabulous double-sider flopped is beyond me. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King
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Post by boogieboarder on Aug 3, 2021 9:47:10 GMT -5
… Anyway, in keeping with the spirit of '66, I'm a big fan of the Association's debut album from that year. Brian was apparently quoted at the time as saying it was the best debut album he'd ever heard, and I can see why he said that given its similarity to what he was doing at the time with Pet Sounds. The song "Message of Our Love" (co-written by Tandyn Almer) is one of my favorites. Dig that far out oscellator solo. I would go so far to say that the first Association album is not only one of the best debut albums ever made, but is one of the best albums ever made by any artist, debut or otherwise. I don’t think The Association ever topped it, either.
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Post by jk on Aug 4, 2021 4:43:38 GMT -5
"Wild Thing" is such a strange record. Nothing else The Troggs recorded came remotely close to its strangeness (except, perhaps, their cover of "Good Vibrations"!). The thumping rhythm, the ocarina solo, Reg Presley's mumbled verses followed by dead air... I thought it was great, although I didn't consider buying it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Thing_(The_Troggs_song)
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Post by jasonaustin on Aug 4, 2021 23:07:35 GMT -5
It's a fun line of thought: "What was so-and-so doing in 1966?" Well, Carole King released a 45 of the Goffin-King composition "A Road To Nowhere" (I believe their songwriting and personal relationship was beginning to unravel by then). I know and love the Jack Nitzsche-produced version by Judy Henske. This one has its own charms -- did Jack produce it as well, I wonder? The flip is a song made famous by Dusty Springfield, "Some Of Your Lovin'". Why this fabulous double-sider flopped is beyond me. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_KingA fantastic song indeed, as is the flip. (Might actually prefer "Some of Your Love", now that I think about it.) I think it's a major crime that we didn't get a Carole solo album from around this era (though the one she recorded a couple years later as The City is superb). Thankfully about a dozen of her songwriting demos from '65-'67 (of which "Road to Nowhere" was one) have since surfaced and can be compiled into an album of sorts, and what an album indeed. Her demos are never less than completely professional studio takes, often with horns and other backing accoutrement. Vocals: A+. Songs: A+. Production at least a solid B. The only negative is that some of them seem to only exist as copies off of worn acetate recordings.
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Post by jasonaustin on Aug 4, 2021 23:10:43 GMT -5
… Anyway, in keeping with the spirit of '66, I'm a big fan of the Association's debut album from that year. Brian was apparently quoted at the time as saying it was the best debut album he'd ever heard, and I can see why he said that given its similarity to what he was doing at the time with Pet Sounds. The song "Message of Our Love" (co-written by Tandyn Almer) is one of my favorites. Dig that far out oscellator solo. I would go so far to say that the first Association album is not only one of the best debut albums ever made, but is one of the best albums ever made by any artist, debut or otherwise. I don’t think The Association ever topped it, either. Yeah, I didn't want to be accused of over-hyping it, but I'm with you all the way. Just a superb album and one of the earliest great stereo mixes I've heard on a rock 'n' roll LP. Easily one of my top 50 records of all time. Also agree that the group never bettered it (though Birthday comes close, IMO).
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Post by boogieboarder on Aug 5, 2021 2:33:45 GMT -5
I would go so far to say that the first Association album is not only one of the best debut albums ever made, but is one of the best albums ever made by any artist, debut or otherwise. I don’t think The Association ever topped it, either. Yeah, I didn't want to be accused of over-hyping it, but I'm with you all the way. Just a superb album and one of the earliest great stereo mixes I've heard on a rock 'n' roll LP. Easily one of my top 50 records of all time. Also agree that the group never bettered it (though Birthday comes close, IMO). I think Renaissance was a worthy follow up, if not quite as good, but close. It didn’t achieve the same success, blamed by a lack of big hit singles and a rushed mix.
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Post by jk on Aug 5, 2021 7:08:07 GMT -5
Not much to say about The Critters' "Younger Girl" except that it's a gorgeous glittering summery sound that makes the original (by The Lovin' Spoonful) pale in comparison (at least to these ears). It's songs like this that make me miss the '60s: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Critters
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Post by jk on Aug 6, 2021 4:44:31 GMT -5
This must have been the first time the world at large heard the voice of Neil Diamond. "Solitary Man" is probably my favourite among Neil's songs, although it was only a minor US hit in '66: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitary_Man_(song)
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Post by jk on Aug 7, 2021 11:13:36 GMT -5
This is such a sad song but I love it. I liked it so much I bought it -- I was working in the record department of a UK high street chain store at the time. "Girl In Love" by The Outsiders (not to be confused with the Dutch band of that name) just failed to reach the US top 20 in mid '66: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outsiders_(American_band)
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Post by boogieboarder on Aug 7, 2021 11:54:26 GMT -5
This is the one!!!!!
"Time Won't Let Me" is a garage rock song that was recorded by The Outsiders, from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966 which became a major hit in the United States, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of April 16 of that year. It is ranked as the 42nd biggest American hit of 1966.
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Post by jk on Aug 7, 2021 16:37:26 GMT -5
This is the one!!!!! "Time Won't Let Me" is a garage rock song that was recorded by The Outsiders, from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966 which became a major hit in the United States, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of April 16 of that year. It is ranked as the 42nd biggest American hit of 1966. Strangely, I didn't hear that one at the time. I had to wait until the next millennium.
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Post by jk on Aug 28, 2021 16:29:08 GMT -5
One I did hear at the time was the debut single by The Move, which was released two weeks before Christmas that year. I can't really choose between "Night Of Fear" and its follow-up, "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", although I feel "NOF" has aged more gracefully: I do like its use of themes from old Tch.'s 1812 Overture. (Actually, The Drifters' "There Goes My Baby" (1959) got there first thanks to Stan Applebaum's string arrangement.)
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Post by jk on Aug 31, 2021 16:10:56 GMT -5
By 1966, The Animals as we knew and loved them were reaching the end of the line. On the three final singles after "Don't Bring Me Down" they would be rebilled as Eric Burdon and the Animals. I have never approved of this strategy, Berry Gordy being the chief offender. It marked the end of an era. (The next year, a new-look EB&tA reemerged on America's West Coast with an entirely different sound and approach.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Animals
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Post by jk on Sept 5, 2021 15:16:32 GMT -5
"In early 1965 Alex Snouffer, a Lancaster rhythm and blues guitarist, invited [Don Glen] Vliet to sing with a group that he was assembling. Vliet joined the first Magic Band and changed his name to Don Van Vliet, while Snouffer became Alex St. Clair (sometimes spelled Claire). Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band signed to A&M and released two singles in 1966. The first was a version of Bo Diddley's 'Diddy Wah Diddy' that became a regional hit in Los Angeles. "The followup, 'Moonchild' (written by David Gates, later of the band Bread) was less well received.” Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Beefheart Captain Beefheart—vocals, harmonica Doug Moon—guitar Alex St. Clair—drums. Band drummer Vic Mortensen had just been drafted so guitarist St. Clair nobly (and ably) took his place Richard Hepner—guitar (filling in for St. Clair) David Gates—slide guitar on "Moonchild" Additional information from Mike Barnes, Captain Beefheart (London: Quartet Books, 2000).
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Post by jk on Sept 6, 2021 5:13:43 GMT -5
Released in March 1966, The Monks' album Black Monk Time was signally ignored by the UK music press and so the music-loving public never got to hear of it. I read all the music mags in those days and can't recall seeing The Monks or their album mentioned in any of them. Evidently, it was all too far out in '66. Indeed, I only discovered them myself ten years ago when my late pen pal saw a documentary about them and we began investigating their music. Maybe the album would have fared better a year later when the boundaries of pop had been pushed back further -- or even a decade later, when punk rock hit. They seem to have had more success in Germany, where they had been stationed as G.I.s when they launched their career. Now, The Monks have a BB connection. Having learned that as The Torquays they also covered a lot of songs by The Beatles, the Stones and The Beach Boys, whose harmonies they admired, I emailed the band's website and got a reply within the hour from one of the original members, guitarist and singer Gary Burger. He said that when they were The Torquays they did "California Girls", "Barbara Ann" and "Little Honda" and that was probably it. Roger the drummer sang "Little Honda" and "did a great job. We were pretty good on the Beach Boy harmonies and the audiences loved those songs." The Torquays/Monks were BB fans. Once they became the Monks they played that and other music much less. His conclusion? "A great time in my life." I had one more exchange with this most gracious man, when their song "Cuckoo" was used in a UK police series and was he aware of it. A year later I learnt he had died. This is the lone single from Black Monk Time. "Complication" failed to chart. Goodness knows what the cavorting studio audience made of it. R.I.P. Gary, Roger and David. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monks
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Post by Will/P.P. on Sept 6, 2021 18:36:38 GMT -5
Interesting that you chose “Barbara Ann” as the onset of 1966, a throwback to 1961 as originally recorded by The Regents and covered by Jan and Dean. For me, “Sloop John B” represents the pivot to 1966 for The Beach Boys, a big departure in sound for the band. Ironically, it’s also a cover version, the original dating back to 1916. Hi, bb. To each their own, of course. I just have fonder memories of "Barbara Ann". I heard "SJB" far too often at the time of its release as a single. It only hit home when I bought Pet Sounds in '67. I have some notes on your P.J. Proby 45 that I wrote up, but didn't post. I'll see if I can find them... The Beach Boys pivot in 1966 was "Good Vibrations" (October), for me. I had the Party! record for over a month by the time "Barbara Ann" came out as a single. But, I bought it to get the b-side "Girl Don't Tell Me" spinning @ 45rpm. It was one of my very favorite songs, period. Still is. I heard "Caroline, No" on the radio, but couldn't find the single - I'm from a fairly small town. Records were only sold in department stores like Sears - they didn't stock everything available. Didn't see "The Monkey's Uncle" either. Some songs were just released into a void with no promotion at all, like the Survivors 45. I passed on the next two U.S. Beach Boys singles, "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice", - took me awhile to warm to Sloop, and I already had the other on the album. Could say Pet Sounds was a pivot, but it really wasn't due to the fact it was more a peak for the sound Brian had been perfecting for awhile by 1966. "Good Vibrations" was a breakthrough new sound. EDIT: John, just went back and re-read your opening post. You mean the first song I liked by anyone as 1965 turned to 1966. I'll have to give that some thought and get back to you. Now I owe you two posts.
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Post by jk on Sept 8, 2021 15:55:09 GMT -5
I've loved Dusty Springfield’s voice ever since her early work with brother Tom in The Springfields. It's the material she was given that often grated on me. Not so "Little By Little", which went UK top twenty in mid 1966. Those triplets towards the end are something else. This and 1969's shamefully underrated "Am I The Same Girl?" are my two favourites of hers. R.I.P., Dusty. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Springfield
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Post by jk on Sept 13, 2021 15:29:09 GMT -5
Nineteen sixty-six brought major changes to the line-up and sound of successful UK pop band Manfred Mann (see their wiki page). "Pretty Flamingo" (a UK #1 in May) still featured original singer Paul Jones (and included Jack Bruce on bass)... …whereas "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James" (a UK #2 in October) saw Jones replaced by Mike D'Abo and Bruce by Klaus Voormann: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Mann
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Post by boogieboarder on Sept 13, 2021 17:48:39 GMT -5
By 1966, The Animals as we knew and loved them were reaching the end of the line. On the three final singles after "Don't Bring Me Down" they would be rebilled as Eric Burdon and the Animals. I have never approved of this strategy, Berry Gordy being the chief offender. It marked the end of an era. (The next year, a new-look EB&tA reemerged on America's West Coast with an entirely different sound and approach.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_AnimalsI really love that string of mid-sixties singles by The Animals: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood We Gotta Get Out of This Place It’s My Life Inside Looking Out Don’t Bring Me Down See See Rider
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Post by jk on Sept 14, 2021 4:26:26 GMT -5
I really love that string of mid-sixties singles by The Animals: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood We Gotta Get Out of This Place It’s My Life Inside Looking Out Don’t Bring Me Down See See Rider Yes indeed. Here's a great one I'd like to add to that string. Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" gave them a UK #7 in '65. I see it was their last 45 with Alan Price on board. I played this with my very first band in '68 (we played a lot of Animals songs) and again quite recently in a duo: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_It_On_Home_to_Me
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Post by jk on Sept 21, 2021 4:43:21 GMT -5
I'm not a major Cliff Richard fan but I do like this song and some of the very early stuff. The man is certainly a phenomenon -- who else has had #1 hits in the UK across five decades during their lifetime? "In The Country" was his third and biggest hit of 1966. Love the little instrumental break at 1:53! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard
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Post by boogieboarder on Sept 26, 2021 10:00:45 GMT -5
I can’t believe I forgot about one of the best garage band singles of all time. Love - “7 and 7 Is.”
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Post by jk on Oct 3, 2021 15:43:47 GMT -5
I can’t believe I forgot about one of the best garage band singles of all time. Love - “7 and 7 Is.” Hear, hear! And here (no pun intended) are a couple more classics from the musical year of years, "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five... ...and "96 Tears" by ? & the Mysterians:
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