60's MusicFilter:

August 31, 2008 8:40 AM

Help me make a playlist w/ 60's music?

Ok, I'll be more specific - I like some of the british invasion stuff, some soul or funk and maybe psychadelic... not to knock the Beach Boys or the Monkees, but I'm not looking for that kind of stuff. I was born in 1964 and I'm thinking of things I might have heard in the last 40 years but not top-40 songs. Maybe some not-so-overplayed stuff, Stones, Who, Kinks, Byrds, Cream, Traffic - but not to leave out some more obscure stuff (Electric Prunes? Zombies?) I know ALL the Beatles songs, so no need to add those. And it doesn't have to be just british - CSN&Y, Hendrix...
I'm sure it can be a long list, but I'd be grateful for your top 5 or 10?

posted by pinkbungalow to society & culture (21 comments total)

Box set suggestions:
Can't go wrong with the Nuggets box set for your psychadelic needs.
Any Stax/Volt collection for your soul needs.
There are several British Invasion box sets available...are you looking for music to buy, download, get from the library?
posted by TomSophieIvy at 9:10 AM on August 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Downloading from itunes would be my preference, unless something good is not available there.
posted by pinkbungalow at 9:11 AM on August 31, 2008

My favs form the '60s in no order of preference. All avaiable at iTunes which is a little light on early '60s stuff. I use eMusic for alot of music for friends to use for partys.

Spooky by the Classics Four

Black Magic Woman by Santana

Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen

Summertime by Janis Joplin

Tombstone Shadow by CCR

Walk On The Water by CCR
posted by bjgeiger at 9:35 AM on August 31, 2008

If you know your way around newsgroups and are not picky you can find the "not-so-overplayed stuff" in

alt.binaries.sounds.1960s.mp3
posted by bjgeiger at 9:54 AM on August 31, 2008

I don't know if this would qualify as psychedelic for you, but you should certainly check out all four of the original Velvet Underground albums. Dirty, raw, heady stuff. The least hyperbolic thing I can say about them is that they exposed the Beatles, Beach Boys and the like as the nursery-rhyme writers they always were. [Dons flame-retardant suit, waits for the replies...]

As for funk and soul, you should pick up some of the Meters, maybe one of the anthologies. Their 60s stuff was very tight, short instrumentals, their 70s stuff stretched out a bit more, and they're underappreciated these days despite influencing funk and R&B enormously. If that moves you, get the Funky 16 Corners box set, though that stretches all the way to the early 80s.

At the intersection of both of these trends, you should check out Hendrix's Band of Gypsys [sic] album. I don't think iTunes has it, but it's worth buying the CD if they don't. Hendrix switched Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell out for Billy Cox and Buddy Miles and the results are the funkiest stuff he ever wrote. "Machine Gun" alone is worth twice the price of a CD and every track is a killer except "Who Knows," which gets dragged down by Buddy Miles yodeling solo. (How I wish I were making that up.)
posted by el_lupino at 9:57 AM on August 31, 2008

Oh my god. The band you want is: THE SMALL FACES.

*catches breath*

They were the greatest of the British Invasion bands that, well, never quite managed to invade on this side of the pond. They were the ultimate London mods ("face" was slang at the time to signify a leader of the scene; "small" came from all of them being short!) who played soulful R&B/pop that morphed into bluesy-psychedelia, exemplified by Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, one of the great rock concept albums. They were only together for about 4 years (well, they reunited in the '70s for a bit, but let's not go there) but were huge in Britain and had a massive impact on British music for decades to come. (And yet, in America, they're virtually unheard of, except possibly for their '67 hit, "Itchycoo Park.")

Here's how cool they were. When Jimmy Page was getting together his new group in 1968, so the story goes, he wanted to form a band as good as the Small Faces, specifically one with as good a lead singer as Steve Marriott. But since the Small Faces hadn't yet broken up, Page had to settle for the closest he could get: a Small Faces fanatic and their former gig errand boy, a fellow named Robert Plant. You can hear the Small Faces' direct influence on Zeppelin (particularly Marriott's influence on Plant) if you listen to the Small Faces' "You Need Loving" (which was first a Willie Dixon tune) and then Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love."

My top 6 Small Faces songs, because I can't get it down to 5, in no particular order:

Tin Soldier (and not just because it was the top song on Paul Weller's Desert Island Discs last year)

I'm Only Dreaming

You Need Loving

Afterglow (Of Your Love)

Whatcha Gonna Do About It

Sorry She's Mine

They're all available on iTunes. If you find you like them, The Small Faces Ultimate Collection is a good next step.
posted by scody at 10:58 AM on August 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oooh yea I do like them, thanks!!!
posted by pinkbungalow at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2008

Fantastic Brit Invasionists from the 60s that you should check out:
The Yardbirds, where Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck got their start. Totally awesome. They totally exemplify the 60s British sound, in my opinion.
The Hollies
The Moody Blues
The Nice
Chad and Jeremy
The Dave Clark Five
The Beau Brummels
Peter and Gordon
The Zombies

From America:
Lovin' Spoonful
The Rascals
Seatrain
Buffalo Springfield
Poco
posted by iconomy at 11:20 AM on August 31, 2008

The Zombies - I assume you know "She's not there" and "Time of the season." There's also "Tell her no" and "Care of cell." Really obscure but should be much better known: "Sometimes," "Indication," "It's all right with me."

Cream - "I feel free," "Wrapping paper"

The Byrds - "8 miles high"
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:11 PM on August 31, 2008

it sounds like you want more rockin' stuff, but i love love love this francoise hardy song. like a lot. it came out in 1964. also her leonard cohen cover.

the shaggs!! "my companion," "it's halloween." maybe a little too out-there for you though? it's outsider rock for sure.
posted by ifjuly at 12:23 PM on August 31, 2008

ohohoh. and scott walker!!
posted by ifjuly at 12:24 PM on August 31, 2008

Oi...disregard the American portion of my answer...none of those bands are even remotely close to Brit Invasion music. My mind wandered off-track to 60s American bands that I liked. The first half of my answer is awesome though ;)
posted by iconomy at 12:41 PM on August 31, 2008

13th St Elevators
The Seeds

Seconding Nuggets
posted by lukemeister at 12:52 PM on August 31, 2008

Their most famous album was released in '71, but I think you need some Allman Brothers Band.
posted by lukemeister at 12:59 PM on August 31, 2008

13th St Elevators

13th Floor Elevators

Love?
The Guess Who?
posted by Sys Rq at 1:34 PM on August 31, 2008

Sys Rq,

Thanks. I wish I could say I messed up the name because I was celebrating the 60s ....
posted by lukemeister at 1:51 PM on August 31, 2008

Look up the 60's albums here: http://1001albums.blogspot.com

Might jog your memory and there are Youtube videos for each one :)
posted by Andorinha at 5:45 PM on August 31, 2008

Oh look, a clickable link! Sorry!
posted by Andorinha at 5:47 PM on August 31, 2008

I would second Love. Especially Forever Changes.

Also:
Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates of Dawn
Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's (the song Two Heads slays)
Nico - Chelsea Girl
The Byrds - Sweetheart of The Rodeo

Basically any Nick Drake album...

If you want to get into the 13th Floor Elevators, I would suggest the album Easter Everywhere.

If you want to get more obscure you can try:

The Peppermint Trolley Company
Gandalf The Grey
Pentangle
The Millennium

Good luck. I hope you go down in the annals of mixdom as a honorary ear.
posted by degoao at 6:39 PM on August 31, 2008

Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica
I really like Jackson C Frank.. it's folk.. kind of sad to be honest.
posted by citron at 7:59 PM on August 31, 2008

In addition to the Small Faces, Stax soul, the Meters:

British Invasion:

Making Time - The Creation

British Soul:

The First Cut is the Deepest: P.P. Arnold

Psychedelia:

from Texas
You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevator

from the high desert
Electricity - Captain Beefheart

from S.F.
The first Moby Grape album (Omaha!)

You may also want to look at the Pitchfork 200 greatest songs of the sixties
posted by doncoyote at 11:07 PM on August 31, 2008