Big Blue Huddle

So we've gone thru the 50's but I would assume more would get involved in the 60s

Check this out for starters

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/60-vintage-photos-that-will-send-any-60s-kid-back-in-time/ss-AA1b8nzs?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6b8260f3e46f4ebbb5dfbfc16795b805&ei=14#image=1

It is said that, "if you remember the 60's, you weren't there"...LOL A take on the amount of drug use and chaos that stretched across the nation

Going through the picture montage you posted, I noticed one about the girl singing groups like the Ronnettes, Shirelles, Supremes, etc., which brought back memories. I got to see the Shirelles in person at the BC Open golf tournemant held at Enjoe Greens back when I was in my late 40's. Tommy Shiptenko was in charge of the music, so he would bring in old 60's bands for Friday night entertainment every year...concerts were free, so couldn't go wrong. Tommy has been replaced by someone else who now brings in big name groups and tickets are 80-150 dollars...booo. Anyway, I've seen Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat and Tears, various doo-wop groups, etc. It was a lot of fun to sit back and watch a free concert from the old timers. I remember running into the lead singer of the Shirelles after the show and I told her how much I loved her voice and that I thought she was fantastic. She grabbed my hands and said, "thank you, you don't know how much that means to me", which surprised me. Very shy and down to earth...and much older than me. I doubt she still tours as that was more than 20 years ago. Interestingly, one of their top songs was "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" which was written by Gerry Goffin and his wife Carole King. Ten years later, I ended up hanging out with Goffin having no idea who he was. I went outside on a patio to grab a smoke and a guy who looked like a homeless fella asked if he could join me and I said, "sure" and he sat down at the little table I was using. I asked him where he was from and he said "L.A.", which surprised me because the way he was dressed and his scraggly hair and beard, I figured he had to live on the street. Anyway, he told me he was in town for an award...which piqued my interest and I found out who he was. We talked for a good half hour and he was a very nice guy who told me a lot of stories of his life. Great guy

Got my first car when I turned 16...a '64 Chevelle with a floor shifter and Thrush exhaust pipes, which I ended up trading it in for a '69 Road Runner. I wish I had kept both of them  :(

Even though the 60's were radical and chaos was everywhere, I was just young enough to miss out on the hippie stuff. Everything was about Vietnam, protests, free love, peace signs, flower children, the young against the establishment...especially politicians, and a whole lot of drugs. But I kept up with the music...particularly fond of the Beatles, Mamas and Papas, etc. We had sold the farm by 1964, but every farmer within a 30 mile radius needed help during haying season and they preferred kids who had spent years working the hayfields so I was always hired during the summer hay season. My friends went to Woodstock, but I turned them down because I didn't want to go 2 hours away for a concert...duhh

Years later I had a business trip to San Francisco and I just had to take the time to visit Haight/Ashbury and what a disappointment. Looked like any street corner in any small city with drug stores, clothing shops, etc. Not a hint of the 60's movement. In Los Angeles, it was Laurel Canyon where all the flower girls and hippies hung out like in San Francisco's Haight/Ashbury. But I'm glad I went. Reminds me of the Mamas and Papas song, "twelve-thirty" where they sing about all the young girls heading to the "Canyon". Chartruese VW buses with flowers painted on the sides hauled all kinds of people to Haight Ashbury and Laurel Canyon...tens of thousands


Unfortunately, The Mamas and Papas were destroyed by scandal upon scandal. To start with, Michelle was not really a great singer (when she started). She was a groupie who followed John Philips around who eventually married her. The group was originally called the "Mug Womps" or something like that. It wasn't until Mama Cass joined the group who had an absolutely beautiful deep, rich alto voice...then they took off like a rocket thanks to their unique blend of voices. But somewhere along the line, Michelle had an affair with Gene Clark of the Byrds as well as a few bedroom flings with Denny Doherty. So the group kicked her out, but they failed to make any music afterward. They finally invited Michelle back into the group where she sang her signature song, "Dedicated to the One I Love" as an apology to (some say "punishment" by) her husband.


Then Michelle ended up pissing Ed Sullivan off so much that they were no longer allowed to go on the show. Michelle wanted the full group of musicians to get credit on stage with them and to play "live" instead of lip singing. Her last time on the Sullivan show, she sang into a banana as her microphone while lip singing, eventually eating it while she was supposed to be singing...LOL.

(https://i.postimg.cc/W1jDZ5TV/Michelle-and-banana.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

John Phillips was a terrible man, but it didn't come out until much later. He had a daughter McKenzie Phillips who played one of the two daughters on the comedy show, "One Day at a Time" with Valerie Bertinelli as her sister, who later married Eddie Van Halen. McKenzie made her chops on "American Graffiti". What was discovered, was that she had an ongoing, long sexual relationship with her father that she couldn't get out of...not good!

Mama Cass finally left the group...unhappy...and wanted her own career. She abhorred the name "Mama" and demanded to be called Cass Elliot. So left the group for Vegas and eventually moved to London and after getting rave reviews on stage, she died of a heart attack (not the rumored "choking on vomit" that was spewn) and she had no drugs in her system according to the autopsy, even though she did a lot of drugs at one time with David Crosby when she was in Hollywood. She died in the same bedroom that Keith Moon of the "Who" died in, while choking on his vomit...which probably led to the rumor

Denny Doherty was the only member to not be in some sort of a scandal. He died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at 67. Anyway, I think the Mamas and Papas epitomized what the 60's were all about

Anyway...the 60's were a unique time in my life

Some of my memories are still of a teen (early 60s) who really got into that doo-wop sound. I graduated HS in '63 and was out in the workforce the next year. I was attending college at night. I hated school and was always outside playing some sort of sport. I was intelligent enough to whiz thru HS without ever really opening a book. I paid for that later on as I couldn't get into any college because my grades weren't high enough, so I tried night school. That lasted about a year. I had a job working for CBS in NYC. It was a menial job, but I got to see many TV shows for free and met several recording artists who were under the Columbia brand.
When the Beatles came around, I was hooked. In fact, my friends and I decided to go to the airport when then first flew into JFK, but they disembarked so far from a terminal it was impossible to see. My job got me a better look as they were staying at a hotel that wasn't far from where I worked, so I was able to get by barricades that were set up and I did get a glimpse of them hanging out the hotel window.

I had some really good friends and we formed our own baseball team and that took up a lot of my time. We were good and traveled around locally, playing and winning. But I was getting older, now at 20, I was called for the draft. I thought long and hard about being drafted and spending 2 years in the Army, or enlisting in the Air Force and spending 4 years at that. I guess it was because my recruiter promised me the world if I joined the Air Force, I went with that. I spent 1 month at Lackland AFB in Texas, 5 months at Amarillo AFB again in Texas, and then 3 years at Ramstein AFB in Germany.
Because of being overseas, I really missed out on much of what was happening in the USA and in other parts of the world. A lot of what you mentioned, I knew nothing about. Yes, we read in the Stars and Stripes (the Military paper), but when I left the US I had a crew cut and most of my friends did also. When I returned in 1969, I still had my crew cut but I was about the only one. I hardly recognized anyone as they all had long hair, beards, and 'stashes', and half were drugged out. A completely different world, and you know what, I never adopted to it. This was me, and I basically have remained me until this day.
I never regretted my time in the service, even though, when I did get home, I WAs literally spit on in Manhatten when I wore my uniform on a date. Never put that uniform on again. It wasn't cool to be a veteran back then, but my time in the service and in Germany was well spent. I got to see most of Europe, met some fantastic people, and went to some amazing places. I sat on the Spanish Steps in Rome, threw a coin in Trevi Fountain, and even saw the Pope at one of his audiences. I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, walked into the very room where Anne Frank lived, sat in Picadilly Circus, and just watched the people hang out, watched the Changing of the Guards. I spent time on Carnaby Street (remember that in London). I saw 2001 in a huge movie theater in London, went to Hitler's retreat in Berchtesgaden, and walked across this path in the Alps where you walk from one country to another, 14,000 up above sea level. I drank beer at the Heineken Factory in Amsterdam, been to Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge, and been to the cemetery where General Patton is buried. I have been to October Fest in Munich and spent a never-to-be-forgotten day touring the Dachau concentration Camp. My only regret was I never got to Berlin as it was in East Germany and it was hard for the military to go thru East Germany to get there.  I was even then, a student of WWII and I was able to get to places that I only read about in books. You have to understand, I was there in 1966 and it was only 20 years after the war ended. I had some good German friends but I was always hesitant about bringing up the war, Hitler et al. When it was, almost to a man, their answer was 'We knew nothing' (Remember Hogen's heroes and that line).
When I did get home in September of 1969, I got caught up in NY Mets fever as they were making a run for the pennant and then the World Series. It was so addictive being in NY, everyone was, all of a sudden, a Mets fan.

I remember sitting up in the middle of the night, to listen to the Jets beat the Colts in SBIII. I remember sitting up all night to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. Most of our barracks stayed up for that one. At this time, I was what we called in the service 'short', meaning I was about to rotate back to the States. I only had about a month or so left on my tour, thus the meaning 'short', and being in that category, several of us were sort of kings of the barracks. We've been there almost 3 years and we knew it all. Good times though.

Some times, I do think back and think what I would have become if I was in college and didn't serve. Would I ahve become a long-haired hippy, or stayed my crew-cut ways?

As a side note, I went to a small high school in a small town (only 70-75 in my graduating class) and I was the first kid to have bell bottoms and had hair over my ears. The 60s were different than any decade of the 20th century...no matter what your age at the time, unless you were a baby or toddler...but your parents would have been in it all the way

If you can't tell, I was fascinated with the Mamas and Papas...especially Michelle (who everyone called "Mitchie"). So, a little more about her. After a tumultuous marriage, she finally divorced her husband John Phillips, and married Dennis Hopper. She already had a child with her husband, John. She had a daughter, Chyna Phillips who teamed up with two of the daughters of Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and started the band "Wilson and Phillips". Chyna Phillips became an actress and married Billy Baldwin and then became an avid Christian and an outspoken crusader for Christ as a Bible thumping alpha woman

Michelle got into acting and had a large and long role in "Knot's Landing" as Anne Matheson. She was in dozens of movies, like "Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All", "The Joshua Tree", etc., and dozens of television shows like "Murder She Wrote", "Fantasy Island", "Love Boat", etc

I was shocked while watching the Quentin Tarantino's movie, "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" (which really captures the 60's movement) when Phil Spector (some foreign actor) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) show up to a party at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion and one of first people they see is Michelle Phillips smoking a joint and dancing with Cass Elliot...shocked because they found a woman who looked exactly like Michelle from the early 60's


She is the only who is still alive today, as all the others died fairly young

You had an interesting life, Lenn...really travelled a lot and saw some great things. And yeah, if you weren't in the military, you'd have had long hair...anyone who was cool had long hair at that time...LOL

I got drafted into Nam as well and chose to join the Navy (didn't want to carry a gun through the jungle); however, by the time I got through boot camp, the war was over and I ended up getting released on a technicality in 1973 and was supposed to go back and sign back up, but I never did. For years I thought they'd find me and drag my ass back into the service. I worried for nothing. Once the war was over, they let a lot of people out

 Yeah, I traveled a lot and still am. Maybe that's what gave me the bug. When we travel to Europe these days I try and relive some of my past experiences with my wife. But, you have to realize, when I traveled while in the service, I was with a bunch of guys who really weren't looking for photos of attractions. We were looking for girls, getting laid and where can we get a drink of the local brew. Sure we saw a lot and did a lot, but what a group of GIs are looking for is a whole lot different from what an old married couple are looking for.    :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

 I remember when Kennedy became president. I have vivid memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis, where most people really didn't know how close we were to mass annihilation.  I can remember, like it was yesterday, when Kennedy was shot and killed, and his funeral after that. I was already in the service when Bobby was killed and MLK also. Just terrible things but being where we were, I guess we really didn't feel the effects as those who were in the States.

As you, I grew up, what we would call poor, these days. But we didn't think that way, as people do today. We managed. My Dad worked in some sort of defense plant and my Mom started working part time later on but we had what we had and needed. My parents, along with many folks from 'our block' saved their pennies and every summer, rented what was called a bungalow in the Rockaways (Queens). I tagged along for many years, on the beach every day, and I am paying for that dearly these days.

As I got well into HS, I refused to do that in the summer and found summer jobs in supermarkets, etc. I stayed in our apartment in Brooklyn with my Dad and he went to the bungalow on weekends and vacations. We rarely had family vacations as my parents wanted that bungalow so that's where the extra money went.

If you watch the movie, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", it really shows what the 60's were like and who were famous. Television and movies were still mostly "western/cowboy" shows, drug use was rampant, etc. The movie highlights Charles Manson's "family" of girls and the murder of Sharon Tate and her unborn baby due to be delivered in several days, as well as the lifestyle of actors and actresses competing to get a gig in a movie. The movie is shot in Laurel Canyon, LA...or depicts Laurel Canyon, the nexus of the counterculture movement. Doesn't show the entire 60s scene, but does hit home from one perspective. It leaves out an interesting fact about Laurel Canyon, as that was where future governor Jerry Brown and his live-in girlfriend, Linda Ronstadt resided, and partied with the other hippies

Anyway, of all the things that stick out the most to me personally about the 60s was the Vietnam War. It was "in my face", day in and day out throughout my teen years. My family had supper together every night, and we'd all watch Walter Cronkite and the news. Every night we would be given the number of Americans killed and wounded. Never a night went by when there was a zero. I remember, when I was about 14, my home village gathering for the bringing home of a dead soldier. Extremely sad. There were also people in our town who survived Nam, but were maimed. And me...listening to all the antiwar songs on the radio, watching protests across the nation on TV, and watching Cronkite tell us, "62 GIs were killed and 107 wounded today", hippies burning draft cards, colleges in an uproar, coupled with watching a dead soldier in a casket brought back to a local family who were in indescribable grief...had to be the biggest worry of my teenage years as I knew I was approaching draft age. I don't think I met a single person in my town who was in favor of the war going on in Vietnam. Hardly made one want to run down to the recruiting office and sign up. Quite frankly, the whole thing was terrifying to me. And then I watched the Smothers Brothers get kicked of TV because they dared to speak out on the Vietnam War

This is a fairly quick 10 minute highlights of the 60's biggest events that changed history. I remember some of them well...JFK's assassination...as well as MLK...the moon landing of course. I was only nine or ten when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, but I remember my uncle at the kitchen table with my parents say, "if they launch a nuclear missile, I hope it lands on my house so I don't have to live through the aftermath", making me think..."whaaaaaaat?"


A few of the hundreds of antiwar songs during the 60's

 Just thought I would add this.

Do you remember them all?

Quote from: LennG on February 10, 2024, 12:18:32 PMJust thought I would add this.

Do you remember them all?

All? Nope
Some? Yup

I didn't really know who Del Shannon was until I kept singing along with a song by Tom Petty in my car and wondered about the line in his song as he's driving down the highway, "me and Del singing Runaway". Google set me straight. I also read a very sad story when Del Shannon committing suicide because he was depressed as he hadn't had a big hit since "Runaway". Even though he lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills, he could come to grips with it and took his own life...tragic :-??

I've actually seen the Shirelles in person, as well as Dion, so there's that. I recognize about 60-70% of them. It seems to me that a lot of them are late 50's songs, or very early 60's (pre-Beach Boys and Beatles)

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 10, 2024, 12:44:18 PMAll? Nope
Some? Yup

I didn't really know who Del Shannon was until I kept singing along with a song by Tom Petty in my car and wondered about the line in his song as he's driving down the highway, "me and Del singing Runaway". Google set me straight. I also read a very sad story when Del Shannon committing suicide because he was depressed as he hadn't had a big hit since "Runaway". Even though he lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills, he could come to grips with it and took his own life...tragic :-??

I've actually seen the Shirelles in person, as well as Dion, so there's that. I recognize about 60-70% of them. It seems to me that a lot of them are late 50's songs, or very early 60's (pre-Beach Boys and Beatles)

 I believe the list was from 1961 and yes, several would fit into a 1950s-type song.

As was said in the Beatles thread, after Feb 9, 1964, everything changed as far as music was concerned.

And thanks for the heads up on Del Shannon, I never knew that.

Quote from: LennG on February 10, 2024, 01:31:15 PMI believe the list was from 1961 and yes, several would fit into a 1950s-type song.

As was said in the Beatles thread, after Feb 9, 1964, everything changed as far as music was concerned.

And thanks for the heads up on Del Shannon, I never knew that.

It's funny how I have a hard time relating songs and the year they were released. I remember the Beatles years and I usually say 'mid-60s-'69. But as I was driving home just now and listening to the 60's channel in my car, a song by Dean Martin came on, "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime"...which I remember from my parents playing it...so I glanced at the monitor to see what year in the 50's it was released. It said "1964", and I thought, "huh, the radio must have gotten it wrong", so I Googled it when I got home and it was released June 1964. Although my parents loved it, the rest of the world was into the Beatles as a new craze had taken off. It must have been hard to get a hit song back then once they were up against the Beatles stealing the air waves. I actually like Dean Martin's song...it's relaxing, and maybe a little nostalgic thinking back when my parents would slow dance to that song in the kitchen

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on February 10, 2024, 04:31:56 PMIt's funny how I have a hard time relating songs and the year they were released. I remember the Beatles years and I usually say 'mid-60s-'69. But as I was driving home just now and listening to the 60's channel in my car, a song by Dean Martin came on, "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime"...which I remember from my parents playing it...so I glanced at the monitor to see what year in the 50's it was released. It said "1964", and I thought, "huh, the radio must have gotten it wrong", so I Googled it when I got home and it was released June 1964. Although my parents loved it, the rest of the world was into the Beatles as a new craze had taken off. It must have been hard to get a hit song back then once they were up against the Beatles stealing the air waves. I actually like Dean Martin's song...it's relaxing, and maybe a little nostalgic thinking back when my parents would slow dance to that song in the kitchen

That is Dean's theme song.

Del Shannon

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/the-meaning-of-runaway-by-del-shannon-and-why-it-sounded-unlike-anything-else-on-the-jukebox/ar-BB1i2sWO?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=e90b80ec0bdc4530959cb227c2ff31a6&ei=32

60's (things that would absolutely befuddle youngsters today)

- Watching wives and mothers collect green stamps, lick them, and put them in a little paper book

- buying stuff with green stamps

- cost of gas was 27 cents a gallon in 1961, but by 1969, it was 34 cents a gallon

- The 60s sports icons were Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays, Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Pelé, Hank Aaron, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus...Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record of most HRs in a season in 1962

- Musical icons of the 60s were Elvis, Beach Boys, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, the Doors, the Who, Temptations, Four Seasons, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Mamas and Papas, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and many more

- 1961, the minimum wage law was passed, and minimum wage was 65 cents an hour for women, 1.00 an hour for men, by 1969 it was 1.21 an hour for women, 1.30 an hour for men

- 1961 First U.S. astronaut to go into outer space

- 1961 Bay of Pigs Crisis

- 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

- 1962, Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe (found dead in her bed at 36 yrs of age)

- 1963, the President of the United States was shot to death in Dallas; followed almost immediately when prime suspect Lee Harvey Oswald getting shot to death as he was being brought into police headquarters to be questioned

- 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream" speech

- 1964 Scientists declare that "cigarettes cause cancer"

- 1964 8-track tape players replaced records as favorite music medium

- 1964 the Beatles land in the U.S. creating a hysterical love for the "Boys of England"

- 1965 The rise of hippies, long hair on men, free love, VW vans painted with flowers, and the "groovy" generation, takes off like a rocket

- 1965 Malcolm X assassinated

- 1965 First American troops land in Vietnam

- Unrest across the nation was "all the news" for the next several years, as protests over the Vietnam War, and general hatred and anger at politicians and the "establishment", caused riots, terrorism, murder, and mayhem, culminating in the U.S. military soldiers (Ohio National Guard) going to Kent State University and shooting unarmed students on campus and killing four and wounding nine others. U.S. was a mess

- 1967 First Super Bowl...first ever NFL-AFL championship game, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers won the game, 35-10. The game wasn't a sell out and two television networks carried the game

- 1967 First microwave oven for residential use came to market. It was a countertop model built by Amana and cost around 500 dollars

- 1968 Presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, assassinated while giving a stump speech

- 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee

- 1969 man landed on the moon

-  1969 Woodstock (475,000 people in a field for 3 days and listening to 32 of the most famous bands in the world

- late 1969, early 1970, three major musicians die at the age of 27 of drug overdoses: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison (The Doors)

I was away in Germany from 1966-1969. We heard and knew about many of the major events in that time frame but except for the assassinations and moon landing, most others we got all too little of.
While I was away, my parents had the NY Daily News sent to me in Germany maybe 2 times a week. It was a special edition, devoid of all advertisements and just had the local news and some national news.
When we heard about Woodstock, it was really hard to imagine the way it was portrayed to us. At that time, having 500G people in one area, all trying to listen to a music festival--wow. We saw pix of it, but even then it was something your mind never was able to grasp. When I got home, a few months later, I found out my younger brother was there. They had no tickets, just he and some friends decided to ride up there and see what was doing. Even him telling me what it was really like, it was still hard to fathom. I guess, until I saw the Woodstock movie, then it actually dawned on me what it was like in actuality.
 Me, I never would have gone.  :o  :o  :o  :o  :o

Seldom do I completely mistake a voice being sung on the radio, but I heard this the other day and was shocked when I discovered it wasn't the Beatles. I've only heard the song a few times in my life and always thought it was a pretty underappreciated Beatles' song

Nope...looked it up on my "Shazam" app and it practically knocked me over. My first thought was that they were wrong because I know the voice of a Beatle when I hear it...or so I thought anyway
 :doh:  :jawdrop:

 I have several songs by the Kinks that could be mistaken for the Beatles. Sound is remarkably alike.

Saw this on Twitter and thought of this thread.

I wasn't alive during the 60s and hardly consider myself any sort of expert about 60s music, but it's not like I don't appreciate the great bands of that era. I find it bizarre - shocking even - that this tweet didn't have anything from the Beatles in it. Or even the Beach Boys for that matter. Nothing against the songds they picked, but I feel like there were some misses in this:

https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1774206469728305443

To be fair, there was such a major transition from early 60's to late 60's...the difference so vast, you would never think of them as in the same decade. And the Beatles were a huge part of it. But so did the political spectrum. JFK had been assassinated, and we were up to our necks in Vietnam and nationwide protests. Cutsie songs like "It's My Party", "Judy's Turn To Cry", and "You Don't Own Me", by Leslie Gore...or even "Downtown" by Petula Clark didn't fit in with the mood of the country. The 60's (well...after '66) was all about drugs, Vietnam, politics, and breaking down the establishment. Musicians that tapped into that feeling made out very well

The Beach Boys started in '62, but rose to fame in '63 singing about hot rods, surfing, girls, summer at the beaches, etc. In '65, they released "Pet Sounds" with songs like, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations" that took it up to a different notch. The radical 60s hadn't really taken complete hold yet. Dittos with early Beatles

But you are right about the Beatles, they changed everything about what we thought of music. They really hit the big time when their music crossed the pond into America in '64. They had been a hit in the UK for more than a couple years, but their music never really hit the US until Ed Sullivan brought them over and that was the beginning of everything. It even surprised the Beatles that they were such a big hit and were amazed at the screaming, fainting, pants peeing fans. They didn't get that in the UK where they were popular, but not insane. After hitting the U.S., it didn't matter what they sang, it went to the top of the charts almost instantly from "Help", "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "I saw her standing there", "Strawberry Fields", etc.

The Stones were jealous, as they were sucking hind-tit to the Beatles, but a whole lot of other English bands came out of nowhere (in America anyway) and made it almost as big..."Who", "Dave Clark Five", "The Hollies", "The Yardbirds", "Kinks", etc

By '67, they changed music again by getting into the psychedelic phase of the lives, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band", "Revolution", "Back in the USSR", etc.

In 1969, a little known fact (as the Beatles were breaking up), but the two bands that sold more records and had more hits than any other groups, were Three Dog Night, and Tommy James and the Shondells.

So to your point, yeah...that chart about the 60's is bogus, and it had to be one person's opinion who had a distaste for the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. Hell, Elvis Presley was still cutting records and was huge throughout the 60s

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 30, 2024, 09:02:42 PMTo be fair, there was such a major transition from early 60's to late 60's...the difference so vast, you would never think of them as in the same decade. And the Beatles were a huge part of it. But so did the political spectrum. JFK had been assassinated, and we were up to our necks in Vietnam and nationwide protests. Cutsie songs like "It's My Party", "Judy's Turn To Cry", and "You Don't Own Me", by Leslie Gore...or even "Downtown" by Petula Clark didn't fit in with the mood of the country. The 60's (well...after '66) was all about drugs, Vietnam, politics, and breaking down the establishment. Musicians that tapped into that feeling made out very well

The Beach Boys started in '62, but rose to fame in '63 singing about hot rods, surfing, girls, summer at the beaches, etc. In '65, they released "Pet Sounds" with songs like, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations" that took it up to a different notch. The radical 60s hadn't really taken complete hold yet. Dittos with early Beatles

But you are right about the Beatles, they changed everything about what we thought of music. They really hit the big time when their music crossed the pond into America in '64. They had been a hit in the UK for more than a couple years, but their music never really hit the US until Ed Sullivan brought them over and that was the beginning of everything. It even surprised the Beatles that they were such a big hit and were amazed at the screaming, fainting, pants peeing fans. They didn't get that in the UK where they were popular, but not insane. After hitting the U.S., it didn't matter what they sang, it went to the top of the charts almost instantly from "Help", "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "I saw her standing there", "Strawberry Fields", etc.

The Stones were jealous, as they were sucking hind-tit to the Beatles, but a whole lot of other English bands came out of nowhere (in America anyway) and made it almost as big..."Who", "Dave Clark Five", "The Hollies", "The Yardbirds", "Kinks", etc

By '67, they changed music again by getting into the psychedelic phase of the lives, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band", "Revolution", "Back in the USSR", etc.

In 1969, a little known fact (as the Beatles were breaking up), but the two bands that sold more records and had more hits than any other groups, were Three Dog Night, and Tommy James and the Shondells.

So to your point, yeah...that chart about the 60's is bogus, and it had to be one person's opinion who had a distaste for the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. Hell, Elvis Presley was still cutting records and was huge throughout the 60s

The Beatles adapted to the times and the mood of the country as they evolved. Then they even did well on their own.

Three Dog Night was the most underrated band from that time period. Bread was the most underappreciated of the 70's.

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 30, 2024, 09:02:42 PMTo be fair, there was such a major transition from early 60's to late 60's...the difference so vast, you would never think of them as in the same decade. And the Beatles were a huge part of it. But so did the political spectrum. JFK had been assassinated, and we were up to our necks in Vietnam and nationwide protests. Cutsie songs like "It's My Party", "Judy's Turn To Cry", and "You Don't Own Me", by Leslie Gore...or even "Downtown" by Petula Clark didn't fit in with the mood of the country. The 60's (well...after '66) was all about drugs, Vietnam, politics, and breaking down the establishment. Musicians that tapped into that feeling made out very well

The Beach Boys started in '62, but rose to fame in '63 singing about hot rods, surfing, girls, summer at the beaches, etc. In '65, they released "Pet Sounds" with songs like, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations" that took it up to a different notch. The radical 60s hadn't really taken complete hold yet. Dittos with early Beatles

But you are right about the Beatles, they changed everything about what we thought of music. They really hit the big time when their music crossed the pond into America in '64. They had been a hit in the UK for more than a couple years, but their music never really hit the US until Ed Sullivan brought them over and that was the beginning of everything. It even surprised the Beatles that they were such a big hit and were amazed at the screaming, fainting, pants peeing fans. They didn't get that in the UK where they were popular, but not insane. After hitting the U.S., it didn't matter what they sang, it went to the top of the charts almost instantly from "Help", "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "I saw her standing there", "Strawberry Fields", etc.

The Stones were jealous, as they were sucking hind-tit to the Beatles, but a whole lot of other English bands came out of nowhere (in America anyway) and made it almost as big..."Who", "Dave Clark Five", "The Hollies", "The Yardbirds", "Kinks", etc

By '67, they changed music again by getting into the psychedelic phase of the lives, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band", "Revolution", "Back in the USSR", etc.

In 1969, a little known fact (as the Beatles were breaking up), but the two bands that sold more records and had more hits than any other groups, were Three Dog Night, and Tommy James and the Shondells.

So to your point, yeah...that chart about the 60's is bogus, and it had to be one person's opinion who had a distaste for the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. Hell, Elvis Presley was still cutting records and was huge throughout the 60s

Great rundown JBG. Lots of interesting stuff here, thanks for sharing.

 I am a product of the '60s song environment, s ?Ric said, starting with basically Do Wop from the very early 60's, thru the Beatles, and ending with a psychedelic sound.

I really have no problem with most of the songs on the list as they all were monster hits, except for Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Paint it Black and I Want You Back. Those were good songs but iconic from that year, just not so. Songs like Born To Be Wild became a national anthem for that generation, Pretty Woman is still popular today, California Dreaming, and even What a Wonderful World was a monster hit for Louis Armstrong and again, still popular today.
It is very mysterious why no songs from the Beatles made this list as many, like Michelle, Hey Jude, and several others are standards today, songs by basically everyone who can sing. And the Beach Boys started an era of Sand and Surf songs that, like several Beatles songs, are still around even today.

What about this little number?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on March 31, 2024, 05:20:18 PMWhat about this little number?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4

Cute number Dave, Iconic, no, not really.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on March 31, 2024, 05:20:18 PMWhat about this little number?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4

=)) Not the 60s finest moment

Explaining how the Beatles not only stayed relevant for a decade, they were the most influential musicians of all time, according to some musical engineers.This guy talks about the importance of letting people into their lives through their song writing, no one has done that better than Taylor Swift IMO...anyway

The Beatles were not the only group to stop touring to concentrate on writing music and evolving, so did the Beach Boys...well, at least Brian Wilson. Wilson wrote some of the most complex music and mastered writing in harmony in a way no other group had done. Analyzing the harmony of four voices is a subject unto itself. But anyway, they went through a change similar to the Beatles


Breaking down one of their songs. I was 13 yrs old when this song came out and it was the ONLY thing I wanted for Christmas. I remember screaming with joy when I opened one of my gifts and it was a 45 of "Good Vibrations". I think I played it until it turned to chalk...lol


Brian Wilson was a prolific songwriter, having written over 200 songs. The Beatles wrote 229...that are known anyway. I don't know if that includes the one released last year that was put together from scraps. In contrast, Taylor Swift writes all her own songs, both the words and the melody, and has written 221 so far, and is always writing more...not to mention does shows 4 days a week with no undercard and sings for close to 4 hours for a show (and twice that practicing, while writing music on the side and dating Kelce on the other side of the world...busy girl)

The complexity of "Good Vibrations"...bringing in two basses, two piccolos, a flute, an organ, etc...very intricate

When Brian Wilson was in high school he turned in a music composition and he was given an F for the assignment. That composition turned into the song "Surfin" which became the first single hit for the Beach Boys earning millions. In 2018 the high school principal authorized a grade change to a A on that assignment.

Bill

Quote from: Bill Brown on April 01, 2024, 07:55:24 AMWhen Brian Wilson was in high school he turned in a music composition and he was given an F for the assignment. That composition turned into the song "Surfin" which became the first single hit for the Beach Boys earning millions. In 2018 the high school principal authorized a grade change to a A on that assignment.

Bill

Great story Bill, thanks for sharing that

The 60's had it's silly moments too. Remember doing the Freddy? How about Tiny Tim? Then there was bubble gum music like Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVrT_uZOh2E&pp=ygUNRG8gdGhlIGZyZWRkeQ%3D%3D

Quote from: squibber on April 01, 2024, 09:58:32 AMThe 60's had it's silly moments too. Remember doing the Freddy? How about Tiny Tim? Then there was bubble gum music like Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVrT_uZOh2E&pp=ygUNRG8gdGhlIGZyZWRkeQ%3D%3D

It doesn't get more blatantly "bubble gum" music than "Chewy, Chewy" by the Ohio Express, not to mention the "Archies" attempt to destroy music to chew gum by

Yeah, there were some stupid songs too, like "Loving You Has Made Me Bananas" and I remember spending a week in Scranton one afternoon when they declared it "Freddy Fender Day", and that was the only music on the radio. Talk about suffering

But there were some unusual songs that actually were fairly good that were so far out of the mainstream that it goes to show us that musicians weren't afraid to bend the rules and try different things. Donovan's "Atlantis" jumps to mind

Hey, what's wrong with Freddie Fender:


You know he resembles the porn star Ron Jeremy only with a lot more hair.

(https://i.postimg.cc/C1L2L2Bz/MV5-BMTUz-Mz-Ex-NDM2-OF5-BMl5-Ban-Bn-Xk-Ft-ZTYw-MDc4-MDM1-V1-UY209-CR2-0-140-209-AL.jpg)

Funny story about Ron Jeremy. He is a cousin to my daughter-in-law's father and he was at my son's wedding. He is a short, unlooking guy but he was with the most gorgeous lady. I guess that's what a big you-know-what will do for anyone.

Quote from: LennG on April 01, 2024, 05:21:12 PMFunny story about Ron Jeremy. He is a cousin to my daughter-in-law's father and he was at my son's wedding. He is a short, unlooking guy but he was with the most gorgeous lady. I guess that's what a big you-know-what will do for anyone.

Perhaps, except in Ron Jeremy's case, it turns out that many of his sexual exploits were non-consensual.

He is in jail now and very sick (illness, not mental). Also, he is almost broke.

 Just came across some great photos from back ion the 60's



rod Serling narating an episode of the Twighlight Zone

(https://i.postimg.cc/FHWznRdY/AA1i7dIb.jpg)


A very young Bob Dylan and Joan Baez

(https://i.postimg.cc/NjMfTcJB/AA1i7btw.jpg)


Johnny Cash performing at Folsom Prison


(https://i.postimg.cc/hGQDy0RY/AA1i7dIK.jpg)


Paul McCartney holding Jullian Lennon before he wrote Hey Jude (Jullian) to try and help him get over the divorce of his parents.


(https://i.postimg.cc/prCRhGKm/AA1i7bsY.jpg)

I guess Freddie Fender is for some people, but nothing about his music hit the spot with me  :no:

Other songs of the 60s by different people did hit the spot though...mostly played in my Dad's pickup when he was driving and I was riding. I really liked them [Warning - NOT ROCK]

A little bit of everything hit the air in the 60's that crossed rock/country/pop lines
Some that stick out of a waning memory

1965

1966

1968

Actually, a lot of Glen Campbell songs were excellent, and he was a superb guitar player...one of the best in the world according to a lot of pros. He lived next door to his best friend, Alice Cooper in Arizona. Talk about an odd couple. They did everything together, golf, cookouts, went to each others' kids games, etc

(https://i.postimg.cc/m2J02MRg/Odd-f.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

(https://i.postimg.cc/5NYRG0vd/Odd-friends.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)

The 60's also brought us Motown which was huge, with the Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and best of the best, Marvin Gaye. I remember singing this song as I deer hunted in the woods and kept slapping myself to stop singing if I wanted to get a deer...duhh. But it was so stuck in my head, it just kept coming out. Had the same problem fishing and singing Happy Together by the Turtles. I don't know what it was about those two particular songs that came out of my mouth while doing things I used to love...well, I still love fishing

And before it comes up, CCR couldn't hold a candle to Marvin's voice. It was travesty for them to record it IMO


Another song that was stuck in my head what seemed forever as a teen...usually down at the river fishing or exploring

And there was the Four Seasons that I played a lot on the old stereo with 45s

Interesting, Marvin Gaye left a ton of his stuff in Belgium of all places. He left them in the care of a friend who recently passed and now they might come out...sorta like the rebirth of an old song by the Beatles last year. Apparantly, there's 66 songs by Gaye that were never released. With today's technology, who knows what will happen. Could come back from the grave

https://www.audacy.com/national/music/unreleased-marvin-gaye-songs-have-been-discovered

I saw Roger Miller at the airman's club at Rhein Main AB Germany.  He was so drunk he fell of the stool he was sitting on.

Bill

Quote from: Bill Brown on April 01, 2024, 08:47:51 PMI saw Roger Miller at the airman's club at Rhein Main AB Germany.  He was so drunk he fell of the stool he was sitting on.

Bill

Yeah, he was a heavy chain smoker and heavy drinker...died at 56. He even wrote a song about his habits he couldn't break..."Dad Blame Anything A Man Can't Quit"...and oh yeah, "Chug-a-Lug"

A little trivia, he was in Kenny Rogers' rock band, "First Edition", before Kenny went country only

One of his songs hit close to home

Talking about these 'bubble-gum' bands and songs.

How about the 1910 Fruitgum Company with 1,2,3 Redlight?

I know stupid song but we saw these guys in a summer concert last year and they were GREAT. Probably none of the original guys but they sand and harmonized so well and really put on a great show.

Quote from: LennG on April 02, 2024, 07:54:52 PMTalking about these 'bubble-gum' bands and songs.

How about the 1910 Fruitgum Company with 1,2,3 Redlight?

I know stupid song but we saw these guys in a summer concert last year and they were GREAT. Probably none of the original guys but they sand and harmonized so well and really put on a great show.

I think they named the band because they knew it was bubble gum music...dittos with the song name, "Chewy, Chewy", by the Ohio Express. That was a bad period for music. So was the "disco era" and "everybody was Kung Fu fighting...". My best buddy was really into the disco scene in his younger years as he was a very good dancer, and he'd get all dressed up in funky outfits and hit all the discotheques on weekends. He thinks it's the greatest period in music...LOL. I start singing "Disco Duck", just to ruffle his feather now and then

=))  =))  =))

It's funny and nothing against the Beach Boys' metal, but I was never a fan of that 'surf and sand' sound. Some good songs, but, like disco, was just my genre in music.

I personally think this is one of the best songs by the Beatles, even though the entire lyrics are a repeat of a half dozen words throughout the entire recording. The instrumentation is truly unique, especially the bass (if you listen to nothing more than that by McCartney, it's worth it). Laid back bluesy tune with some down heavy stuff interjected, especially at the end. Almost 8 minutes long, but a good 8 mintes IMHO

Good example of the evolution of the Beatles...it's not "Please Mr. Postman" or "I wanna hold your hand"

 I have so many favorites but one of the tracts that I have always enjoyed was Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End which goes in so many different directions but showcases all their talents.


Remember when this Abbey Road album came out and people saw Paul walking without shoes? The rumor that went around, Paul is Dead and playing a certain track backward someone took some messed up words and said Paul is Dead. God that went on for way too long.

Great tune. I love hearing violins and horns in rock :ok:

https://www.guide2free.com/interesting/youre-showing-your-age-if-you-remember-these-17-trends-from-the-60s/

I must be old because I remember all 18 things  :(

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 10, 2024, 01:28:56 PMI must be old because I remember all 18 things  :(

I am older and remember them PLUS a whole lot more.  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Quote from: LennG on April 10, 2024, 03:08:48 PMI am older and remember them PLUS a whole lot more.  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

The true definition of someone who lived through the 60's, is that they have no recollection at all...LOL

Pretty good

In 1968, George Harrison wrote a song that the Beatles liked, and tried over and over to get it right. They determined, in the end, that they did not have the musical talent to make it sound how it was meant to sound. Ever hear of it? They took 110 takes, and finally gave up. However, a bootleg copy of the 102nd take was released (not by the Beatles, of course). It's called, "Not Guilty"

BTW - you'd think that autocorrect and spell check would finally add "Beatles" to an acceptable word in the English language. Still always comes up highlighted as though I've made a spelling mistake...at least on my computer. It's underlined a few times in this post...but I digress. Take a listen and share your thoughts

Is this thread "What about the 60s" or "What MUSIC about the 60s?" I mean, even in the 80s, we were mostly playing the 60s.

The decade had just enough space to squeeze me in on an early Saturday morning in March of 1969. So, while you were all out there hanging out with the music stars of the day (NOTE: which I'd later catch up with in their 20th anniversary concerts in the 80s), or overseas bravely executing your mission (NOTE: you were an inspiration which made it easier for me to raise my hand for four years of Active Duty), or living up to your "Baby Boomer" stereotype (NOTE: or not, just as I was living down to my "Generation X," but most of you all took me in, under your wing, when I broke into the workforce and I appreciated you for that, but the "Greatest Generation" old timers, man, I miss them dearly).

I was grateful to be born in the original Apex of the Spage Age, with seeing Armstrong setting foot on the moon, while I was in diapers in my playpen, or crib, or wherever the heck my mom tried to put me so she could get a moment's peace! It set the tone for what would be my passion and, living the dream now for three and a half decades, it seems appropriate I was a child, if only for a few months, of the 60s.

Of course, for my generation, the 60s was indeed revolutionary. Looking at the world from the innocence of a child, we were the first generation raised by Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, Oscar the Grouch and all the characters of Sesame Street, which also debuted in 1969. A couple of years before that, on the old National Educational Television (NET) Network (i.e. the precursor to PBS), a young man from Pittsburgh, PA debuted what would become the longest running children's television show in history, prior to its retirement, several years following his passing. Of course, I'm talking about Fred Rogers and his original "MisteRogers Neighborhood" and, subsequently, "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," which had its origins in Canada in the early 1960s, but officially began its run in 1968.

Not very much else comes to mind unless I look at old photos. I do remember when Dairy Queen opened down the street on Bayway Ave. in Elizabeth, NJ where I grew up. In those days, the signs would say "Dairy Queen Brazier." They would emphasize "Brazier" for the stores which had the BBQ grills for burgers, hot dogs, etc. For a treat, once in a long time, mom would give my brother and I money to eat lunch there since it was close to the Catholic School we went to. We'd order our "Brazier Burgers" with fries and a Coke and that made the day. Eating out was a rare privilege since both my mom, and well as my grandmother (NOTE: we lived in the typical two-family houses common to North Jersey with the basement/garage you'd drive down into) were outstanding chefs and, being a hardcore Polish household, the best Polish food on our cul-de-sac was had at our home with those two ladies tag-teaming up food for the Polish Armies who'd drive in from miles away, as well as the neighbors who couldn't resist the smells.

Anyway, a little input from someone who tasted the tail-end of the 60s and still appreciates that experience to this day.

Peace!

Quote from: kartanoman on April 14, 2024, 06:22:41 PMIs this thread "What about the 60s" or "What MUSIC about the 60s?" I mean, even in the 80s, we were mostly playing the 60s.

The decade had just enough space to squeeze me in on an early Saturday morning in March of 1969. So, while you were all out there hanging out with the music stars of the day (NOTE: which I'd later catch up with in their 20th anniversary concerts in the 80s), or overseas bravely executing your mission (NOTE: you were an inspiration which made it easier for me to raise my hand for four years of Active Duty), or living up to your "Baby Boomer" stereotype (NOTE: or not, just as I was living down to my "Generation X," but most of you all took me in, under your wing, when I broke into the workforce and I appreciated you for that, but the "Greatest Generation" old timers, man, I miss them dearly).

I was grateful to be born in the original Apex of the Spage Age, with seeing Armstrong setting foot on the moon, while I was in diapers in my playpen, or crib, or wherever the heck my mom tried to put me so she could get a moment's peace! It set the tone for what would be my passion and, living the dream now for three and a half decades, it seems appropriate I was a child, if only for a few months, of the 60s.

Of course, for my generation, the 60s was indeed revolutionary. Looking at the world from the innocence of a child, we were the first generation raised by Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, Oscar the Grouch and all the characters of Sesame Street, which also debuted in 1969. A couple of years before that, on the old National Educational Television (NET) Network (i.e. the precursor to PBS), a young man from Pittsburgh, PA debuted what would become the longest running children's television show in history, prior to its retirement, several years following his passing. Of course, I'm talking about Fred Rogers and his original "MisteRogers Neighborhood" and, subsequently, "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," which had its origins in Canada in the early 1960s, but officially began its run in 1968.

Not very much else comes to mind unless I look at old photos. I do remember when Dairy Queen opened down the street on Bayway Ave. in Elizabeth, NJ where I grew up. In those days, the signs would say "Dairy Queen Brazier." They would emphasize "Brazier" for the stores which had the BBQ grills for burgers, hot dogs, etc. For a treat, once in a long time, mom would give my brother and I money to eat lunch there since it was close to the Catholic School we went to. We'd order our "Brazier Burgers" with fries and a Coke and that made the day. Eating out was a rare privilege since both my mom, and well as my grandmother (NOTE: we lived in the typical two-family houses common to North Jersey with the basement/garage you'd drive down into) were outstanding chefs and, being a hardcore Polish household, the best Polish food on our cul-de-sac was had at our home with those two ladies tag-teaming up food for the Polish Armies who'd drive in from miles away, as well as the neighbors who couldn't resist the smells.

Anyway, a little input from someone who tasted the tail-end of the 60s and still appreciates that experience to this day.

Peace!

 Nice story Chris. Since you lived in what we are referring to, as the '60s, you are accepted even if you are a young squirt to some of us.    :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Too bad you were a bit too young to live thru what was then, the miracle Mets of 1969. Being from NJ, you would have caught that 'fever' as the entire NYC metro area were all Mets fans.

I can see Baby Chris doing a disco dance and everyone thinking it was so cute.  =))  =))  =))  =))

It was an exciting time though also with a lot of pain.

Quote from: LennG on April 15, 2024, 12:48:33 PMNice story Chris. Since you lived in what we are referring to, as the '60s, you are accepted even if you are a young squirt to some of us.    :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

Too bad you were a bit too young to live thru what was then, the miracle Mets of 1969. Being from NJ, you would have caught that 'fever' as the entire NYC metro area were all Mets fans.

I can see Baby Chris doing a disco dance and everyone thinking it was so cute.  =))  =))  =))  =))

It was an exciting time though also with a lot of pain.

Apart from the low points: Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination of our President, Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X, the hippie revolution, rampant drug use (three main musicians died at 27 yrs old - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison), the Vietnam War and tens of thousands of deaths of our soldiers, the magnitude of protestors burning buildings and creating havoc, kids on college campus getting mowed down by the National Guard, Charles Manson and his horrifying murders, there were some high points

Yankees were in 5 world series during the 60s  :ok:
Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record in '61
Man flew to the moon, walked on it, flew home
And yes, the Miracle Mets had a year to remember (I doubt Billy Buckner sees it the same way)  =))

The 60's were a decade like no other in U.S. history

Thanks, gentlemen!

What was great about the 60s was its influence going forward. I was a clean slate so much of that culture's after-effect was still around and I picked up plenty through the kids' shows of the early to mid 70s. Great stuff, but I still loved "All in the Family," the greatest TV show ever made, and all the way to "Alice," which must have influenced me because I'm here in Arizona now, and have been to a place which operates just like the old "Mel's Diner," but the food is amazing!

I missed the Yankee dominance of the 50s and early 60s, but was glued to the set in 1977 when The Bronx Was Burning and the Reggie Bar was born falling Mr. October's straw-stirring performance (as in drink) against the Dodgers to win the Series in six. Cliff Johnson was my hero and Heathcliff once hit two home runs in the same inning that year ... amazing! The Bronx Bombers repeated in '78 with the unlikely combination of Doyle and Dent both offensively and defensively taking the series over. It all ended in tragedy, half a season later, when Thurman Munson's jet crashed and he was gone. The shock from that moment has never subsided, even to this very day. I cannot think about him without tearing up. Then, an emotional Bobby Murcer hits his first home run since coming back to the Yankees and drives home the winning run against Baktimore who won the division and American League that year.

So many tunes from the 60s I played during my teen years and still do, from time to time.

I'm with you all in spirit and will offer anything else which comes up. BTW, last night on MeTV, I thought of you all while watching the Ed Sullivan Show.

Peace!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 15, 2024, 01:57:20 PMApart from the low points: Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination of our President, Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. Robert Kennedy, and Malcolm X, the hippie revolution, rampant drug use (three main musicians died at 27 yrs old - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison), the Vietnam War and tens of thousands of deaths of our soldiers, the magnitude of protestors burning buildings and creating havoc, kids on college campus getting mowed down by the National Guard, Charles Manson and his horrifying murders, there were some high points

Yankees were in 5 world series during the 60s  :ok:
Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's record in '61
Man flew to the moon, walked on it, flew home
And yes, the Miracle Mets had a year to remember (I doubt Billy Buckner sees it the same way)  =))

The 60's were a decade like no other in U.S. history

Ric

Those Mets were in the 80s if memory serves. The 69 Mets beat the much-favored Orioles.  Sorry.

Quote from: LennG on April 15, 2024, 08:52:53 PMRic

Those Mets were in the 80s if memory serves. The 69 Mets beat the much-favored Orioles.  Sorry.

You are right Lenn. Wasn't thinking, just typing...duhh. And I forgot to add "Woodstock" as one of the "high points", although there were plenty of people that would add that to the "low points".

Anyway, it was in the 60's when Tug McGraw excited fans and made history with the "Amazin Mets", and he was a showman on the mound for sure. Funny thing, most people under 50 (young snots) have no clue who Tug was, but they know his son Tim extremely well. I saw Tim in concert back in the day when I had no clue Tug was his father. And Tim did a pretty good job in playing the role of James Dutton in the "1883" series a couple of years ago, along with his wife in real life, Faith Hill

(https://i.postimg.cc/5NTdY570/tim-mcgraw-w-father-former-baseball-player-tug-mcgraw-as-they-sit-outside-nr-his-home-photo-by-thoma.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rK1Y74LX)

Like Tug, Tim is not unfamiliar with being the center of attention and raising hell...like riding off on a policeman's horse (when the cop wasn't paying attention) in Buffalo and getting busted. He had a lot of run-ins with the law. I saw him in concert before he found love, and it was rockier than any rock concert I've ever been to...swinging from a rope across the stage 40 feet in the air. Then everything changed...he was headlining a concert and the undercard was the prettiest girl in country music at the time, young Faith Hill...and she had a weakness for "bad boys", which Tim reveled in - scary how that happens. However, once he married Faith Hill, he really settled down to become a highly responsible and dignified man. Most football fans know Faith Hill as she introduced Sunday Night Football for years before the younger Carrie Underwood took over that role

This song is funny because at the part where he sings "...gathered round my teepee just to catch a peek at me..." and hundreds of girls would throw panties on the stage requiring a group of people with brooms to sweep the stage after the song...LOL. Also, at the end of the song he steals the lines from Paul Revere and the Raiders, "Indian Reservation", which was a big hit in the 60's. My boss was also at the concert and started studying the structure of the arena, wondering if the building (solid concrete) could withstand the music and the out of control crowd. Fun times...and at the time, I had no clue he was Tug's son, but obviously old enough to remember Tug well...


At the concert he introduced a song he had never played before and depending on the crowds' reaction, he said he would release it as a record. The crowd in Binghamton loved it, and it went on to be a big hit in the country music world...it was "I Like it, I Love it". He was a rock star in the country world and his live concerts were louder and rockier than any rock concert I had ever attended...so much so, that the live showings hardly resembled the song that was released on the radio


In short, for older guys (especially Mets fans), Tug was the man, but in reality, his son was (and is) much bigger on the world stage

You know you've made it when Taylor Swift writes a song about you. When she was 14, she had a crush on Tim McGraw and wrote the song, "Tim McGraw"

(https://i.postimg.cc/HkbSnzQH/a4b0cfd9dcd67b54afe65322ab9f13a8-300x300x1.png) (https://postimages.org/)

Tim and Faith heard her for the first time and said, "she's going to be a star". Since then, she's had Tim as a guest in her concert many times...so it's always funny when she pretends to be shocked. But Taylor doesn't usually sing "Tim McGraw" as she's limited to 25-30 songs at her concerts, so if she does sing it, you can bet your life he's behind the stage ready to join her. Tim's three daughters are in their 20's and almost as old as Taylor, and for those who think Taylor and Tim have a thing going on, she is also joined on stage with Faith, who happens to love her and they sing "Tim McGraw" together

Here's a show with 3 songs...Taylor starts out singing about her teenage heartthrob, "Tim McGraw", he joins her and sings his song, "Highway Don't Care" in which in his song he talks of the loneliness of being on the road and turning on the radio, only to hear Taylor's song, "I Can't Live Without You". Finally, Australian country music superstar and husband of Nicole Kidman comes on stage to show off his guitar skills as he is one of the best guitarists in the world

I was reading an article today about the Beatles and was a bit stunned. In an interview, the Beatles were asked who influenced them the most when starting out. The usual nod to Elvis went out and Lennon said, "without Elvis, there would be no Beatles"...which I kind of doubt, but that's what he said. Quote from the article:

"In their early years, "they were influenced by the songwriting team of Goffin and King (Gerry Goffin and Carole King). Lennon and McCartney in their early days aspired to be the 'next Goffin and King' as those are the musicians who they liked, and who had a large impact on their lives."

They also said that Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was a product of "Pet Sounds," with The Beatles trying to top it, because they thought it was geniusly written

I know I've talked about it in the past on here, but I was unaware Goffin influenced the Beatles. To retell the story from another thread from the past, in case you missed, I was in a bar in Binghamton one night and decided to step out on the patio for a smoke. I sat at a table by myself when this raggedy looking man came over and asked if he could join me. He looked like a homeless guy with ragged jeans, flannel shirt over a worn out tee, scraggly white beard, and had messy long gray hair. I said, "of course, join me"

So I struck up a conversation by asking him where he's from (expecting a homeless shelter or under a bridge somewhere). He responded, "I'm from California". This caused my head to tilt with a look of curiosity on my face, so I said, "what on earth are you doing in Binghamton". He replied that he flew into town to accept an award. With each question, I got more and more interested in who this guy was. So I asked, "what kind of award?" and my face must have given me away as someone who didn't believe him, but I'm never rude to strangers, especially homeless people. Whenever I saw a homeless man around that particular bar digging through sand hoping to find a butt to smoke, I'd give him my pack. Regardless, he responded, "I came here to accept a music award". Again, the look on my face must've looked like I was confused and now very interested. I assumed a musician, pianist, or something. So I asked, "were you in a band in the past or play an instrument?". He said, "no, I just write music". He then went on to say he was actually in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now I'm really, really interested. He said he wrote music with his ex-wife Carol King  :o

Well, now I am the most inquisitive man in the world and had to know more. Anyway, we chatted for at least a half an hour and smoked at least a couple cigarettes each. He rattled off songs he had written, and I knew a lot of them (not really my era). He said he loved the era of doo wop, and he wrote songs for the doo wop bands, which was his favorite time of writing music. He asked me if I ever heard the song, "Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp ...". I told him I was vaguely aware of the song. He said it was still his favorite songs he ever wrote. He told me he loved songs with lyrics styled after the phonetic sound of words, even though the words were silly and made no sense. He also told me he wrote, "Will You Still Love me Tomorrow" (which I knew very well), and rattled off a bunch of others ("Take Good Care of my Baby", "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Loco-Motion", "Go Away Little Girl", "Just Once in My Life", etc.). I asked him what was the last song he wrote that I would be more familiar with, and he said, "probably 'Don't Bring me Down'"

Anyway, he told me about his marriage to Carol King and how they still get along, and talked about his children. But he was a gentleman who asked me what I did for a living, my family, etc., and was genuinely interested. Incredibly down to earth guy who might be one of the most interesting people I've ever met. To sit and chat for a half hour is beyond believable. Never judge a man by his looks and his clothing...LOL

Regardless, today I read that Paul McCartney and John Lennin strove to write like this guy who sat with me and spent a lot of time just talking...who I initially thought was a homeless bum. This is shocking to me, as there's not much bigger than life than the Beatles.  :o  Small world

Gerry Goffin and Carol King in their early years and the later (BTW, he passed away at 75 back in 2014)

(https://i.postimg.cc/652D2btq/Goffin-and-King.jpg) (https://postimages.org/) (https://i.postimg.cc/cHLzsXFs/Gerry-Goffin-and-King.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)