Ahhh, 1967.
The absolute peak of the original psychedelic era. A time of profound political turmoil and musical invention that introduced us to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Captain Beefheart, Leonard Cohen, Moby Grape, Aretha Franklin, Sly And The Family Stone, and The Jefferson Airplane and unleashed upon the world some of the greatest rock albums ever conceived, albums like Forever Changes, Something Else By The Kinks, Buffalo Springfield Again, Are You Experienced?, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and the granddaddy of them all - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
This is something I've wanted to do for years - take my standard approach to year-end mixes, and apply it to a classic rock year of the past,...and I had no doubt that when I finally got around to doing it, I would start with 1967, the year that claims more all-time top 500 singles than any other in rock history.
Simply put, it is my favorite year in rock 'n' roll history, and I can't wait to step back in time with you to rediscover these timeless classics.
So kick back, relax, grab your favorite lysergic, and let's jump into this eight disc look back at one of rock's most momentous years.
Led by a bevy of Motown and Stax artists and newly ascendent Aretha Franklin, 1967 was just a staggeringly great year in soul, as the twenty-eight tracks here and the additional thirteen soul numbers Nancy pulled for her mix make abundantly clear. Featuring cuts from James Carr, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Joe Tex, James Brown, Brenton Wood, Albert King, Soul Brothers Six, Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, Wilson Picket, Soul Survivors, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Dells, and the great Etta James, this mix is tons of fun.
Volume 5 - Madness Lurks:
The absolute peak of the original psychedelic era. A time of profound political turmoil and musical invention that introduced us to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Captain Beefheart, Leonard Cohen, Moby Grape, Aretha Franklin, Sly And The Family Stone, and The Jefferson Airplane and unleashed upon the world some of the greatest rock albums ever conceived, albums like Forever Changes, Something Else By The Kinks, Buffalo Springfield Again, Are You Experienced?, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and the granddaddy of them all - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
This is something I've wanted to do for years - take my standard approach to year-end mixes, and apply it to a classic rock year of the past,...and I had no doubt that when I finally got around to doing it, I would start with 1967, the year that claims more all-time top 500 singles than any other in rock history.
Simply put, it is my favorite year in rock 'n' roll history, and I can't wait to step back in time with you to rediscover these timeless classics.
So kick back, relax, grab your favorite lysergic, and let's jump into this eight disc look back at one of rock's most momentous years.
As with our contemporary mix collections, we start with a collection of top tracks from the top albums of the year, along with a few of my very favorite singles from the period - minus, of course, whatever Nancy steals for her collection closing mix, which in this case was five songs - Respect, Let's Spend The Night Together, Brown-Eyed Girl, Happy Together, and All Along The Watchtower. But even with Nancy's pulls, this twenty-two song mix still contains 12 tracks in the all-time top 500 (as presently ranked at www.acclaimedmusic.net). Includes tracks from Jimi Hendrix, The Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Cream, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, Procul Harum, The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group, Moby Grape, The Moody Blues, and of course, The Beatles.
Led by a bevy of Motown and Stax artists and newly ascendent Aretha Franklin, 1967 was just a staggeringly great year in soul, as the twenty-eight tracks here and the additional thirteen soul numbers Nancy pulled for her mix make abundantly clear. Featuring cuts from James Carr, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Joe Tex, James Brown, Brenton Wood, Albert King, Soul Brothers Six, Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, Wilson Picket, Soul Survivors, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Dells, and the great Etta James, this mix is tons of fun.
Likewise, the music scene in England was bonkers in 1967, and this mix captures a lot of the best that came forth from that very fertile scene. Features cuts by The Kinks, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Procol Harum, The Moody Blues, The Who, and The Small Faces.
1967 was also a year rich in exceptional bubblegum pop and charming one-hit wonders, and a lot of the most memorable of those songs are collected here, courtesy of The Beatles, P.P. Arnold, Frankie Vali, Classics IV, The Bee Gees, The Chocolate Watch Band, The Association, The Hollies, The Electric Prunes, The Tremeloes, Dusty Springfield, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Tremeloes, The Beach Boys, The Paragons, The Chambers Brothers, 1910 Fruitgum Company, The 5th Dimension, The Human Beinz, and everyone's favorite manufactured pop band - The Monkees.
Meanwhile, out on the fringes, strikingly unusual and original things were happening. This mix, featuring work from The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention, 13th Floor Elevators, The Doors, Captain Beefheart, and Pink Floyd profiles the most groundbreaking works of the year, along with the one good track from possibly the worst Rolling Stones album ever.
Here's the thing about the mythic Summer Of Love, though historically tied to San Francisco, most of the legendary San Francisco acts really hadn't yet hit their stride. The two notable exceptions to that being The Jefferson Airplane, and even more so the mostly forgotten but in some ways still legendary Moby Grape, who quietly dominate this mix (at least the non-Spotify version). In addition to those two artists, this mix shines a light on works from The Grass Roots, The Buffalo Springfield, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Byrds, Country Joe & The Fish, The Animals, Vanilla Fudge, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Scott McKenzie, The Youngbloods, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and last but not least, that most San Francisco of San Francisco Bands, The Grateful Dead.
When it came to mellower music, 1967 was something of a transitional year, with the initial folk-rolk surge on the wane and about to give way to the Country-Rock and Singer/Songwriter movements lying in wait just beyond the musical horizon. This mix aims to capture that state of flux, with songs from Donovan, Scott Walker, Love, Bobbie Gentry, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Tim Hardin, Nico, Tim Buckley, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan and 1967's newest, great lyricist, Leonard Cohen.
Nancy surprised me with her selections for her 1967 mix. I knew she'd gravitate towards the Beatles and Dylan, but I could never have guessed how much she would respond to the bubblegum and soul music of that year. But I shouldn't have been that surprised. Nancy has always had a great ear for what's "fun," and this final look at 1967 through Nancy's eyes really emphasizes the fun, featuring tracks from Van Morrison, The Box Tops, Sam & Dave, Etta James, The Stoney Poneys, Tommy James & The Shondells, Cat Stevens, The Association, Albert King, James Carr, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Young Rascals, Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Desmond Dekker, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and yes, even Louis Armstrong...whose ageless classic What A Wonderful World closes everything out.
