More Beatles

I feel more than fine that I was at the vanguard of the post-war generation and to have spent my youth in England along with The  Beatles.  To press home the point here are  the Lads with I Feel Fine.

SONGS
I Feel Fine - The Beatles

I Feel Fine  was recorded in Oct. 64 released in November 64. While for us in the UK,  Beatlemania began in 1962 & gained steam throughout 1963 it was a part of a whole youthful music explosion. 

 Suddenly, record companies were signing up every group appearing on a stage in the UK. However, the music papers still liked to create dynamism by setting one group off against another. Are they the new Beatles, etc. One of the first so called rivals was the Rolling Stones. They went  on to world wide success,  right up to the present day. The tune that cemented their reputation in the USA was Satisfaction.

Oddly enough, the British group with the next No.1 in the US after the Beatles in the summer of 1964 was not the Stones but The Animals with House of the Rising Sun.

SONGS

Satisfaction  - The Rolling Stones

House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

 

There was a resurgence in musical friendship at this time. A lot of mutual  admiration and support. Not surprisingly, the public followed the musicians' lead. The British bands loved Aretha Franklin Here is her classic cover of Otis Redding's Respect.

SONG

Respect - Aretha Franklin

Following on the British invasion was American youth's discovery of its own great artists. Especially Tamla Motown material. Here is I Can't Help Myself from the Four Tops. A No.1 in 1965 that was replaced at the top by the Stones with Satisfaction.

SONGS

I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops

 

Before the Beatles landed on Ed Sullivan & took over the Billboard music charts, US young people were obsessed with Surf style rock and the whole California life-style. Sun, sand & songs; Unlike the east coast music which focussed on Broadway, Brill Building and Do-wop.. One of the most popular groups of the era that are also big and still touring in the C21st are the Beach Boys. Their central creative genius was Brian Wilson. The Beatles felt that in the mid-sixties it was the Beach Boys who were their arch rivals because they too explored uncharted musical territory. Next up are 2 California themed hits.  California Dreaming from the  Mamas & the Papas and  Help Me Rhonda by the Beach Boys.

 

SONGS
California Dreaming - Mamas & the Papas

Help Me Rhonda - Beach Boys

A Liverpudlian group that began by covering  US R'n'B songs but also found a distinctive style of their own were Freddie & The Dreamers. They ended up being bigger stars in America than in the UK because the American public fell in love with Freddie's zany antics on stage. Here is I'm Telling you Now from  Freddie & The Dreamers. Then another early Beatles hit, the John led vocals of Do You Want To Know a Secret.

 SONGS

I'm Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers

Do You Want To Know a Secret - The Beatles

An American group that I was in love with in the sixties were the delicious girl group The Ronettes. Their hit, Baby, I Love You is an icon of Big Haired girl groups from the 60s. Also, a song that came to define everything that was associated with the Post WWII society, My Generation from The Who.

SONGS
Baby I Love You - The Ronettes

My Generation - The Who

 

The Ronettes were masterminded by their manager/producer Phil Spector. Another Spector produced hit was You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling a No.1 hit for The Righteous Bros. Spector was called in to finalize the production of the Beatles last LP, Let it Be.  The first Beatle with a solo vocal LP was Ringo singing You Always Hurt The One You Love on his 1969 released Sentimental Journey album. Full of his mum's favourite songs. He also had a huge 1973 success with Photograph.

 SONGS

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Bros

You Always Hurt The One You Love - Ringo

Photograph - Ringo

 

The late sixties were a time of turmoil in cities with young people protesting the Vietnam War and the Old Ways in general in Europe. True to its happiness ethos Motown had Martha & the Vandellas singing Dancing in the Streets. A great dance tune re-done by loads of others over the decades. But the sixties bad boys of rock -- the Rolling Stones sang an anthem for the times in Street Fighting Man.

 

SONGS

Dancing in the Streets - Martha & the Vandellas.

Street Fighting Man   - The Rolling Stones

  

 

Leaving tonight with  a classic Beatles song We Can Work it Out. A hit from 1965, however, one of the daddies of R'n'R was Chuck Berry a big influence on the Stones and the Beatles. Here is his 1964 hit You Never Can Tell. The story of a teenage wedding,  listen to the story telling that Berry winds into a great rock rhythm. Just as the Beatles learned to do with such success themselves.

 

SONGS

You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry

We Can Work it Out - The Beatles