Resurrection Joe...
Well-Known Member
Did this overlap and integrate Tin Pan Alley?
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Rock Evolution – The History of Rock & Roll - 1986 - (page 212)
- Thread starter RobMCFC
- Start date
To an extent. They copied the idea of a hub from Tin Pan Alley but took it much further. Tin Pan Alley was limited to just music publishers. Once a tune had a publisher, TPA would send out pluggers to persuade bands to take up the tune.Did this overlap and integrate Tin Pan Alley?
The building is still there. It has recently been refurbished.If I ever get to retire I think I'll spend it visiting iconic music locations (subject to coming up with an appropriate sales strategy for Mrs Spires). Hoping KS55's building is one of those still standing so it can go on the long list.
Edit: not sure why I couldn't see KS55's post when I posted this, anyway the Brill Building is on the long list.
Renovations and current use
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Brill Building as a landmark in December 2010.In 2017 Brookfield Properties foreclosed on the building's $50 million mezzanine loan.It subsequently bought the building for $220 million at a foreclosure auction in March 2017. Jimmy Buffett's hospitality company considered the building for a Margaritaville restaurant. It had investigated taking 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) across the ground floor, second floor, and 11-story roof.In July 2023, Brookfield transferred the deed to the Brill Building to lender Mack Real Estate Group in a transfer valued at $216.1 million.At the time, part of the ground floor was occupied by CVS and TD Bank, while some of the storefronts were vacant.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Ooooof!! That's a formatting headache.The building is still there. It has recently been refurbished.
Renovations and current use
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Brill Building as a landmark in December 2010.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Newman_2017-17"><span>[</span>17<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Carlson_2010-18"><span>[</span>18<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Breskin_Solomon_2010-19"><span>[</span>19<span>]</span></a>
In 2017 Brookfield Properties foreclosed on the building's $50 million mezzanine loan.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-20"><span>[</span>20<span>]</span></a> It subsequently bought the building for $220 million at a foreclosure auction in March 2017.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Maurer_p278a-21"><span>[</span>21<span>]</span></a> Jimmy Buffett's hospitality company considered the building for a Margaritaville restaurant. It had investigated taking 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) across the ground floor, second floor, and 11-story roof.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-22"><span>[</span>22<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-23"><span>[</span>23<span>]</span></a> The owners also negotiated with CVS Pharmacy and WeWork to lease some of the space,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-24"><span>[</span>24<span>]</span></a> In 2020, the LPC approved a proposal by Bruno Kearney Architects to add LED signs to the Brill Building's facade and modify a ground-floor storefront for TD Bank.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-New_York_YIMBY_2020-25"><span>[</span>25<span>]</span></a> In July 2023, Brookfield transferred the deed to the Brill Building to lender Mack Real Estate Group in a transfer valued at $216.1 million.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Rogers_q825-26"><span>[</span>26<span>]</span></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Hughes_e715-27"><span>[</span>27<span>]</span></a> At the time, part of the ground floor was occupied by CVS and TD Bank, while some of the storefronts were vacant.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Building#cite_note-Hughes_e715-27"><span>[</span>27<span>]</span></a>
Yep, I’ve tidied it up now! See above.Ooooof!! That's a formatting headache.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Thoughts on the playlist:-
- Somebody said that 3 years into the 60s, it still feels like the 50s, and I have to agree for the most part.
- I agree with threespires that "Green Onions" is infinitely replayable. At first, I thought that this was something new and funky, but I guess that the jazz guys had been doing stuff like this for years. Still a great tune though.
- The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys have appeared! But none of it is their best material, or what they became famous for, it simply represents the start of three significant careers, which is why I put them in there.
- "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Great song. Heard it before but not for a long time. Would have sounded even better just before Christmas because it has that feel.
- That version of "Twist and Shout" is just great - I love the Latin swing. It's nearly as good as the definitive version that would be performed by Ferris Bueller 24 years later. (Yes, I'm breaking my own "don't look forward" rule here, but I'm not waiting 48 weeks to get in a Ferris Bueller gag).
- Novelty records are becoming an unexpected bonus of this trawl through the years. "Right Said Fred" is superbly performed by
Steve BruceBernard Cribbins. - In "Misirlou", do we have the greatest leap forward in guitar playing since Chuck Berry? Love the Arabian rhythms on this one.
Resurrection Joe...
Well-Known Member
Misrilou was a leap forward in guitar sound...but I think was more influenced by the sounds Duane Eddy was getting ..I think 'Peter Gunn' was 50's?...The Ventures were slightly before as well...Thoughts on the playlist:-
- Somebody said that 3 years into the 60s, it still feels like the 50s, and I have to agree for the most part.
- I agree with threespires that "Green Onions" is infinitely replayable. At first, I thought that this was something new and funky, but I guess that the jazz guys had been doing stuff like this for years. Still a great tune though.
- The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys have appeared! But none of it is their best material, or what they became famous for, it simply represents the start of three significant careers, which is why I put them in there.
- "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Great song. Heard it before but not for a long time. Would have sounded even better just before Christmas because it has that feel.
- That version of "Twist and Shout" is just great - I love the Latin swing. It's nearly as good as the definitive version that would be performed by Ferris Bueller 24 years later. (Yes, I'm breaking my own "don't look forward" rule here, but I'm not waiting 48 weeks to get in a Ferris Bueller gag).
- Novelty records are becoming an unexpected bonus of this trawl through the years. "Right Said Fred" is superbly performed by
Steve BruceBernard Cribbins.- In "Misirlou", do we have the greatest leap forward in guitar playing since Chuck Berry? Love the Arabian rhythms on this one.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Yes, "Peter Gunn" is a good reference point but to me, "Misirlou" sounds like it has more complexities.Misrilou was a leap forward in guitar sound...but I think was more influenced by the sounds Duane Eddy was getting ..I think 'Peter Gunn' was 50's?...The Ventures were slightly before as well...
Resurrection Joe...
Well-Known Member
def more complex rhythms...Yes, "Peter Gunn" is a good reference point but to me, "Misirlou" sounds like it has more complexities.
mancity111
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 28 Dec 2013
- Messages
- 1,422
I have a CK and one of her co writers marked out for later in the decade that only someone like you could recite the lyrics to while in the shower TS.Some random thoughts as I listen to the '62 playlist
- Overall very listenable, helps that I'm not that rock focused of course
- Strikes me that Love Me Do is one of the weaker songs on the Please Please Me album.
- It is physically intellectually, ideologically (and any other 'ology' you can think of) impossible for Green Onions to grow old
- Any list of the greatest songwriters that doesn't feature Carole King is fatally flawed
- A side by side comparison reveals that Acker Bilk's tone is somewhat better than mine - I've explained to the kids it's the reeds I'm using that are the problem but the little gits don't seem convinced :-)
- I should probably listen to more surf rock
- Prompted me to listened to the Isley Brother's Tiny Desk concert from not that long ago - Ron and Ernie have still got it
- Not sure which version of Lover Please I'm familiar with but it's not this one and this one is better
Tapestry set the scene and really did liberate the female voice from then on it has to be considered as one of the best albums of the modern era of any genre.
if all I could do is listen to was this album I would still be content despite my passion for grunge, heavy metal , garage and punk rock.
GoatersLeftShin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 3 Jan 2019
- Messages
- 1,979
- Team supported
- MCFC
I think I've said it before but the change in music from 1962 to 1970 is utterly incredible. The songwriting, production, complexity etc are worlds apart. It must've been incredible listening to it as it came out.
I've been working on 1963 whilst watching the game tonight and I've been pleasantly surprised on this year. I'm not giving any spoilers away but I think we're on the cusp of "the real 60s" soon.
I've been working on 1963 whilst watching the game tonight and I've been pleasantly surprised on this year. I'm not giving any spoilers away but I think we're on the cusp of "the real 60s" soon.
Black&White&BlueMoon Town
Well-Known Member
Another fine playlist with a good hodge-podge of songs "before my time". Well done @RobMCFC, and all those that added on.
Some classic songs I know well and never tire of:
Some classic songs I know well and never tire of:
- Green Onions - Booker T. & The MG's, great instrumental track
- Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker, the definitive blues version that was another top 500 classic
- Do You Hear What I Hear? - Harry Simeone Chorale, just incredible vocals to hear over the Christmas season
- The End of the World - Skeeter Davis, great song and has been used in various films and covers
- Misirlou - Dick Dale, introduced to this in the 90's with Pulp Fiction, love that trumpet
- The Locomotion - Little Eva, co-written by Carol King, a definitive top 500 song
- Twistin' The Night Away - Sam Cooke, a feel good dance song
- Wipe Out - The Surfaris and
- Pipeline - The Chantays, lots of surfing music in those early 60's
- Sherry - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, the range on the vocals still gives me puzzled chills
- Right Said Fred - Bernard Cribbins, numerous tea breaks in moving a piano was a good laugh. Now I know what inspired the 90's UK pop band I only know the group title to
- You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles, sounded like a timeless classic
- It Might as Well Rain Until September - Carol King, liked this, but know her later material more
- These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding, early hit that was well done
- Stranger On The Shore - Acker Bilk, the clarinet and orchestra behind it is a very chill song
Last edited:
blue b4 the moon
Well-Known Member
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
It's always been there. If you look at the "index" section at the bottom of post #1, it has both the page number and a link to the Spotify playlist. I'll copy it below .......@RobMCFC can I suggest an edit to the opening post to show which page each playlist is on in the thread.
It'd help people move from year to year.
Index
NB: The link to each playlist is in two parts to stop the graphic clogging up the table - simply take the bit in the column header and add it to the code in each case to get the playlist link.
| Blue Moon Rock Evolution | 01/01/2025 | ||||
| Slot | Subject | Writer | Date | Page # | Spotify Playlist Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/ + |
| 1 | The Blues | Saddleworth2 | 29/10/2024 | 9 | 0gBQY1pdi8l3ILbWlGTXmP?si=nm0nt9zVTtCsSOzOlHhq2w |
| 2 | Jazz | threespires | 05/11/2024 | 15 | 0g6hfCEQRl4uecUddL0CaH?si=OSChd_koRD2YjF0WejVJkg |
| 3 | Country & Folk | RobMCFC | 12/11/2024 | 29 | 526hY0iXTtAdzdX35zOVbw?si=gFWfpLT4QVGPX-oUE1NcAw |
| 4 | Pop | threespires | 19/11/2024 | 38 | 0lyBomhPTayGgIibd4sR5e?si=brYGeW_KSwCUxr7bFOsI6w |
| 5 | Rock & Roll | RobMCFC | 26/11/2024 | 47 | 7g53kWkcApmhiOd4XZn9m6?si=45iADFtiTrOBXXF80g0E9Q |
| 6 | 1960 | mrbelfry | 03/12/2024 | 53 | 6Pr1mgNv9vNwdgzibuwAIt?si=6mTffRUyR-KdrSoTKmG8Qg |
| 7 | 1961 | threespires | 17/12/2024 | 62 | 5Pacevkquvjy6Ql4wTBPBT?si=1nWszaWbQnqNkjbU6aiVMw |
| 8 | 1962 | RobMCFC | 01/01/2025 | 69 | 4sGm6LEndldRWw6ybIK6E7?si=hactbNBERCic9MDltrB43Q |
You obviously didn't grow up on Ed Stewpot's Junior Choice - absolute standard on the playlist. Our children were then inflicted with my wife's tape version of all the shows favourites - meaning that we can't move anything awkward or heavy without numerous references (and tea breaks)Some new or unfamiliar songs I enjoyed:
- Right Said Fred - Bernard Cribbins, numerous tea breaks in moving a piano was a good laugh. Now I know what inspired the 90's UK pop band I only know the group title to
blue b4 the moon
Well-Known Member
Ah, nice one, I didn't go low enough.It's always been there. If you look at the "index" section at the bottom of post #1, it has both the page number and a link to the Spotify playlist. I'll copy it below .......
Index
NB: The link to each playlist is in two parts to stop the graphic clogging up the table - simply take the bit in the column header and add it to the code in each case to get the playlist link.
Blue Moon Rock Evolution 01/01/2025 Slot Subject Writer Date Page # Spotify Playlist Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/ + 1 The Blues Saddleworth2 29/10/2024 9 0gBQY1pdi8l3ILbWlGTXmP?si=nm0nt9zVTtCsSOzOlHhq2w 2 Jazz threespires 05/11/2024 15 0g6hfCEQRl4uecUddL0CaH?si=OSChd_koRD2YjF0WejVJkg 3 Country & Folk RobMCFC 12/11/2024 29 526hY0iXTtAdzdX35zOVbw?si=gFWfpLT4QVGPX-oUE1NcAw 4 Pop threespires 19/11/2024 38 0lyBomhPTayGgIibd4sR5e?si=brYGeW_KSwCUxr7bFOsI6w 5 Rock & Roll RobMCFC 26/11/2024 47 7g53kWkcApmhiOd4XZn9m6?si=45iADFtiTrOBXXF80g0E9Q 6 1960 mrbelfry 03/12/2024 53 6Pr1mgNv9vNwdgzibuwAIt?si=6mTffRUyR-KdrSoTKmG8Qg 7 1961 threespires 17/12/2024 62 5Pacevkquvjy6Ql4wTBPBT?si=1nWszaWbQnqNkjbU6aiVMw 8 1962 RobMCFC 01/01/2025 69 4sGm6LEndldRWw6ybIK6E7?si=hactbNBERCic9MDltrB43Q
threespires
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 7 Aug 2019
- Messages
- 8,697
- Team supported
- City
You obviously didn't grow up on Ed Stewpot's Junior Choice - absolute standard on the playlist. Our children were then inflicted with my wife's tape version of all the shows favourites - meaning that we can't move anything awkward or heavy without numerous references (and tea breaks)
Ello darlin! I'm now having a Lily the Pink and Delaney's Donkey moment. I can tell this line of thought is going to go badly, because in my head I can now hear Terry Scott 'singing'..."my brother said it wasn't he..."
Hopefully the initial '63 playlist will banish them from my mind.
mancity111
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 28 Dec 2013
- Messages
- 1,422
Spot on GLS , its like geophysics and geology is to the first stone you ever picked up and skimmed across a body of water or Euclidean Geometry is to the 2 times table.I think I've said it before but the change in music from 1962 to 1970 is utterly incredible. The songwriting, production, complexity etc are worlds apart. It must've been incredible listening to it as it came out.
I've been working on 1963 whilst watching the game tonight and I've been pleasantly surprised on this year. I'm not giving any spoilers away but I think we're on the cusp of "the real 60s" soon.
For me it really started in 1967 but you can see the the way the simple but superbly put together was already morphing into the complex much earlier than that.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
OK, I hope everybody enjoyed our trawl through 1962.
A bit earlier than normal due to logistical reasons, but I'm going to invite @GoatersLeftShin to post his 1963 write-up whenever he's ready.
A bit earlier than normal due to logistical reasons, but I'm going to invite @GoatersLeftShin to post his 1963 write-up whenever he's ready.
GoatersLeftShin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 3 Jan 2019
- Messages
- 1,979
- Team supported
- MCFC
1963
The worst winter in living memory is how 1963 starts. For 3 months - yes, 3 months, Britain was ravaged by the hardest winter for around 150 years. Temperatures plummeted to -20 in parts and barely topped 0. Snow drifts as high as houses, frozen rivers and even the sea made the start to the year incredibly miserable. The long winter even left large areas of the sea around Britain frozen for miles around. There were genuine fears that parts of the country would be cut off completely without food or medical supplies.
Incredibly, it wasn't until March that Britain would be free of freezing temperatures. Throw in the highest levels of unemployment since the end of the War at 800k then you get the feeling that Britain is on it's knees. Not only that, the pea-souper fogs that killed so many a year before in London are still a feature of the country.
What a way to start the year.
Firstly before we look at the music from that year I have to start with listing a series of non-musical events which in a few years will become indelibly linked to music and the folklore of the 1960s.
In my view, the early 60s get a bit of a bad press. The rock'n'rollers like Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis came and, to some extent, went quite quickly really. Music had moved on a little and whilst the likes of Cliff Richard were rock'n'rollers without the sexual 'threat' or energy, it feels like there's a gap now. Rock'n'roll had been invented, but it just needed to be fused with something else.
The problem the early 60s have is that - basically - psychedelia hasn't been invented yet and pop music is still firmly aimed at younger teenagers. Whilst the crooning style never really went away, it seems we have a bit of a mix of crooner-type songs and also these early-teen songs. It just doesn't have a voice yet. It's not angry, it doesn't want to change the world. It seems all the singers want is a nice boy/girlfriend who loves them forever and nothing else is important. It's not turning on, tuning in or dropping out.
Speaking of turning on, tuning in and dropping out, 1963 sees the sacking of a Dr Timothy Leary from Harvard University, the inventor of "Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out". Leary had been researching the effects of psychedelics for therapeutic medicine and began taking them with his patients. He started to believe that psychedelics offered more than just simple therapeutics and could change lives for the better. The effect of the sacking was to launch Leary into the counter culture, raise the awareness of them and seed the idea of taking LSD. His sacking had precisely the opposite effect to what was expected and in a few years time, he will play a massive part in popular culture.
War is still a daily reality for many people too. Whilst National Service in Britain had ended a few years before, 1963 sees National Service formally retired. Not only that, the scare from the Cuban Missile Crisis means war and the cold reality of a Nuclear War was a real concern for people. Anywhere in the world where there was capitalist democracies near communist regimes meant the prospect of the Cold War turning hot and into the white flash of Nuclear War.
The assasination of US President John F Kennedy in 1963 leads to the ascension of President Lyndon B Johnson and greater American involvement in the Vietnam War - a battle between capitalism and communism. In the US, people were drafted into the Army to serve there and over here, young people feared conscription and a return to National Service. Whilst WWII was 20 years ago, 1963 also sees the announcement that Winston Churchill would not contest the coming election. War in Europe, War in the Far East and WWII were real daily fears so it's no wonder that 1963 must be remembered as a year which seeds war-fear into the young.
Whilst the Vietnam War is entering a new phase, demands for civil rights in the the US were growing and leading to riots and protests. Let's be blunt, the civil rights movement is about ending the equivalent of Apartheid in the US. The activists who fought for civil rights risked arrest, beatings, imprisonment and murder. This article - https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs lists some of the killings made that year. This gives an example of what those brave people who were campaigning were up against:
In the US, 1963 sees Dr Martin Luther King give his 'I have a dream' speech during the 'March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom'. The full speech can be read here:
What a beautiful speech it is and is one of the greatest, most inspiring, uplifting moments of public speaking. Whilst President Kennedy was a keen advocate for civil rights reform, Johnson begins some reforms. But they aren't coming quick enough and there's plenty of people who are hostile to the changes. Whilst we can't neatly timebox Civil Rights into 1963, the assassination of JFK and the speech were propelling them to the top of the political agenda. The Civil Rights movement also had "The Greatest", still known as Cassius Clay, becoming more prominent and certainly began to lay a lot of the groundwork for him to become Muhammad Ali and blaze a light throughout the rest of the 1960s both in the boxing ring and Civil Rights movement as a whole. Black America is angry, young America is angry and change is being demanded and fought for.
The 'Baby Boomers' who were born in the years after WWII ends are now teenagers and have money in their pockets. Whilst there is a lot of social protest and war worries, these are generally regarded as the 'Golden Age Of Capitalism' with, generally, low unemployment, jobs paying wages that you could live on and a general feeling of hope for the future in economic terms. People had money to spend. Whilst we can't easily time-box these events, 1963 is a year where we could recognise a modern teenager - they would have money to spend, music to listen to, decent economic prospects and a growing market of music.
Whilst it might feel like I've painted a fairly gloomy picture of the year, there were also a number of events that happened in 1963 that were positive too. The Telstar satellite had been launched in 1962 and had beamed TV pictures from the US to Europe. However, Telstar 2 was launched in 63 which allowed for better transmissions of TV and phone signals. The Russians also launched the Sputnik satellites with a fly by of Mars as well as putting a woman in space. It must have been incredibly exciting thinking about what was possible, and what life was possible away from Earth. I'll come back to this later.
I think 1963 certainly ranks as one of the years where these social events are starting to come together. The Vietnam War, Civil Rights, moving Timothy Leary into the counter-culture, the arrival of the teenager with money to spend and a demand for change are here now. Whilst it's not quite filtered through to everyone, it's starting now and they will have a lasting impact throughout the decade.
One problem of 1963 is that the concept of the album it more a collection of singles still. There's no 'great' albums as such so armed with the background, let's look at what I consider to be 10 pieces of music sum up the year and had an impact on the future.
In terms of the music there's one event that starts in 1963 which dominates the rest of the decade - Beatlemania.
THE BEATLES - SHE LOVES YOU
Whilst The Beatles had released their first singles the year before, 1963 undoubtedly sees this new phenomenon of teenagers going wild for The Beatles. Quite simply, nothing like this adoration for a musician had been seen before. In 63 they released 4 singles and 2 albums which is quite remarkable to todays ears, but just look at the singles: She Loves You, From Me To You, Please Please Me, I Want To Hold Your Hand with a B side of This Boy. And look at the songs on these albums: I Saw Her Standing There, Love Me Do, Do You Want To Know A Secret, Twist And Shout, It Won't Be Long and All My Loving.
By any measure that is a formidable canon of work to release in a single year.
This year also sees a turning point in music where a tour headlined by the great Roy Orbison was changed to The Beatles headlining instead with Orbison pushed down the bill. Maybe we can argue that 1963 is the year that sees that 'old' music and their stars of the rock'n'roll years starting to be toppled by 'what comes next'. Out with the old, in with the new!
To our ears now, these songs which are over 60 years old might sound a little too familiar, simple and a bit twee. It's hard to imagine how these songs sounded back then, so I'll try to explain it as others have explained it to me. They sounded familar, yet had a unique freshness to them - the music is still relatively simple but the harmonies, energy and the fact they wrote their own songs sets them apart from many of their peers. They just sounded better in every respect to the rest of the bands. They could rival The Everly Brothers for harmonies, had the energy of Little Richard, the gentleness of a crooner and still had an extra something. They sounded good, looked good and had an image. Their charisma was real and it was not common then to hear regional accents on the TV. The Beatles had what we call the 'X Factor' today. No wonder these first teenagers were going wild. It's a small point, but it's also a song where we're not singing 'I love you', the song is telling a friend She Loves You.
I think the energy on these early songs is similar to that you get in the punk era. I imagine that the same frantic energy in a song such as The Artic Monkeys 'You Look On The Danefloor' might be how 'She Loves You' would sound today. Above all else, their sense of melody and harmonies shines through. I must have listened to She Loves You hundreds of times, but the pitch, energy, harmony, soul of when they start singing still gets me to this day. It has a youthful, carefree joy that I wish I could bottle. In my opinion, this is a masterpiece.
Later in the year, The Beatles manager Brian Epstein signs a deal for them to appear on The Ed Sullivan show. It helps pave the way for the British Invasion and become one of the most defining TV appearances in history.
The Beatles - She Loves You
BOB DYLAN - BLOWIN IN THE WIND
What a song. As you all know, I don't like Dylan's songs when he sings them apart from the ones I like that only he can sing and this is one of them.
I find it quite astonishing that a 20 year old can write a song like this. By asking simple questions, forcing us to think about the impact or war and oppressing others - nodding to the Civil Rights movement. Of course, the answer is blowin in the wind and possibly impossible. Or is it?
The song is taken from The Freewheelin Bob Dylan album and I think it's important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a white man giving support to the Civil Rights movement. It's also not an album about 'I love you' either, it's dealing with civil rights, fear and war.
Secondly, Dylan starts to open the door of what song writing can be. He's not singing about love, he's wanting to change the world. He's writing his own songs and he's writing about things that are going on and affecting people his own age. It's simply impossible to imagine there is any singer-songwriter who came after him who have not been influenced by his style.
Finally, it's also an album where the majority of songs were written by Dylan - he wrote 9 of them.
You can make the argument that 63 marks the date that bands have to write and record their own material. It was common and normal to cover songs written by other people.
The Beatles, Dylan and Beach Boys were now writing albums with more of their own songs on than covers. We can say that 1963 is the year that we see a definite sign that bands and artists must write and perform songs for their albums.
Bob Dylan - Blowin In The Wind
THE BEACH BOYS - IN MY ROOM
Speaking on the Beach Boys, they penned 8/12 of the songs on their 'Surfer Girl' album released this year. I don't think the album is particulary good, but without question they sound magnificent. Very few bands can conjure up the idea of what an era or place was like, but listen to this and close your eyes. You're transported to a beach in California with a theme park behind you. There's not a cloud in the sky, not a worry in the world and your gorgeous tanned blonde girlfriend is sat next to you with the Dansette blaring. Only they can do this!
It goes without saying, that the harmonies are just beautiful. But they are also now starting to experiement with studio effects such as reverb and track layering. The reverb on the vocals really add to that sound they had and it gives it a unique quality. Not only that, the 'size' of the sound is impressive. I think that these early experimentations are laying the groundwork on later albums. However, we can say that in 1963 we have the move towards using the studio to really enhance records in ways that the earlier rock'n'rollers and even crooners hadn't done to the same level.
However, in 1963 there's one name that it synonymous with pioneering studio techniques: Phil Spector and his 'Wall Of Sound'.
DARLENE LOVE - A MARSHMALLOW WORLD
The "Wall of Sound" was a production technique pioneerd by Phil Spector in the 1960s, to create recordings with layers of instruments and vocals to create a lush, immersive sound. The technique was designed to create a 'huge' sound that made them feel larger and more dramatic.
Spector's 'A Christmas Gift for You' album later in the year soundtracks Christmas forever. It needs no introduction, especially as this write-up is a few weeks after Christmas! However, I simply cannot imagine a Christmas without those songs. They have a magical quality that conjures up what an ideal Christmas is, and I'm sure it means different things to different people!
This album is probably the finest collection of Wall Of Sounds songs. Whilst the songs are great, it's the use of the studio which pushes the songs to another level. Along with Spector, the Beach Boys and others are now finding that they can dramtically improve songs by using the studio in ways not achieved before.
I've chosen "A Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love quite simply because it's a wonderful song, beautifully arranged and impossible to imagine without that Wall of Sound behind it.
This album is what Christmas sounds like to billions of people around the world.
Darleve Love/Phil Spector - A Marshmallow World
PETE SEGER - WE SHALL OVERCOME
The anthem of the Civil Rights movement, "We Shall Overcome", is an old song that was adapted and recorded by Pete Seeger this year.
The song would be sang at rallies across the US and it's potent message offers strength and unity to those in times of hardship and struggle. In addition to its role in the civil rights struggle, "We Shall Overcome" has continued to inspire other social justice movements, standing as a timeless reminder of the power of collective action and hope for a better future.
Pete Seeger - We shall overcome
HEATWAVE - MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS
No discussion of the 60s is complete without mentioning the great Holland-Dozier-Holland songs from Motown. In 1963, this classic was recorded and features everything that's great about Motown - melodic, catchy, simple, upbeat and soulful and this ticks all their boxes. "Heatwave" is no exception and a great example of everything great about a Motown single and it's no surprise that it was also nominated for a Grammy Award a year later.
Songs like "Heatwave" and other Motown classics helped to bring black faces and voices to homes around the world.
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Heatwave
CLIFF RICHARD - THE YOUNG ONES
Incredibly, Summer Holiday was released at the end of February 1963 near the end of that long, brutal winter. Featuring the fresh-faced Cliff Richard, I can only imagine how it must've felt to have watched it in a cinema with the harsh weather outside. I think this is Cliff attempting to copy Elvis by making films and I think it's also a hint back to rock'n'roll, but it's also a little aimless as a soundtrack. However, given the weather and some of the news around the world I think this film would've probably felt like the 'Mamma Mia' of today!
Anyway, when I was younger, I despised the song The Young Ones. And Cliff. Twee, simple, clean cut and pathetically optimistic - how could anyone like it?
As I've grown older, wiser and experienced life a little more, the final verse from it ring so true. In fact, I'd probably say these lyrics are as good as anything Dylan or Lennon/McCartney or Wilson penned that year:
Young dreams
Should be dreamed together
And the young hearts shouldn't be afraid
And some day when the years have flown
Darling then we'll teach the young ones of our own
Given the winter and life in general, is it any wonder that this feel-good film would top the tracks for a sizeable part of the year? With everything else going on, who doesn't want to jump in with Cliff an go on a roadtrip and have a bit of fun?
I've commented on other years that Musicals are a really important form of music in this era. They bring together great songwriters, superb arrangements and a real sense of entertainment. This year still continues to see South Pacific and West Side Story in the charts. Of course, a musical such as West Side Story also helps to reveal social issues in ways that political discussions cannot do.
Cliff Richard - The Young Ones
JOHNNY CASH - RING OF FIRE
I was quite surprised to see that 1963 was the release date for Ring Of Fire as I see this song as timeless. It could've been made in 1956 or 1996. The Mexican-themed horns help to make it stand out from other country music of the time and helps to push the boundaries of what country music can be.
In some ways, I really associate this song with football. It's simple tune, horns and catchiness mean it will be sung for many years to come!
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
LESLEY GORE - IT'S MY PARTY
Firstly, 2024 saw the passing of the great Quincy Jones but he produced that iconic song "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore. A song covered may times, it's a wonderfully brilliant pop song.
Jones's production is punchy and has that ability to make you want to move when you hear it. The orchestration really helps to bring out the drama of the story, but it also has something extra that's hard to put your finger on. I'm not sure if it's a triangle of something but it just sounds like maybe it's Cuban or something.
Lesley Gore - It's My Party
BBC - DR WHO THEME TUNE
November 23rd 1963 saw the BBC air Dr Who for the first time.
I cannot imagine how it must have felt during this time. As I've said, the Space Race between the US and USSR is hotting up. We're seeing satellites sending TV pictures around the world and with the launch of Telstar 2 in 1963 it's only getting better. Men and Women are going to space and back and we've had satellites going to Mars. Dr Who must've felt like watching the future! and whilst it may look dated today, the theme tune hasn't dated. It is a masterpiece.
What I find interesting about this music is that it's so utterly different to anything else. It's not rock'n'roll, pop, rock. It's not really got any identifiable instruments really and it's also created before synths were available. In fact, it draws upon the avant garde musicians who were wildly experimenting with noise, tape loops, electronics and electrical sounds to produce music that quite frankly can be unlistenable. However, the techniques that they pioneered were used to make this soundtrack.
Whilst Ron Grainer wrote the theme, it would be nothing without the electronic effects by Delia Derbyshire. It is also interesting to note that Derbyshire is a woman in an era that was still dominated by men.
This theme tune is, without question, one of the most influential pieces of electronic music ever written. It's almost 10 years before we would hear similar music from the likes of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.
BBC - Dr Who Theme
Sp, what do I make of all this?
I'm going to come clean - when Rob asked me to pick up 1963, I thought I was picking up a turkey. However, as I dug into the year I really got a feeling of how much was happening. It was boom times, but the Civil Rights movement means it's not all good. However, imagine hearing Martin Luther King's speech or witnessing the physical and verbal grace of Cassius Clay! People are thrusting into space and throwing TV signals around the world. War is real and threatening, but calm down and listen to some Cliff or Beach Boys. The biggest fear you really have is Daleks, not Nuclear War! Dylan is warning us about war and oppression but She Loves You blasts out of your Dansette. It must've been an era where anything seemed possible and I actually feel it's been a privilege to share in the moments with the people who lived in those times. To be truthful, I felt jealous at times.
I hope I've covered the main points of the year. However whilst the headliners were always going to feature the Titans of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Dylan. The Stones are there but I don't think they have their sound yet. However, I find the day-to-day of music in this year has an overwhelming emphasis on the absolute basics of the music I enjoy: melody, catchiness, beautiful harmonies, lush orchestration and a very .. 'human-ness' is ever present. Above all, as twee as it might sound, I really find the songs hopeful and joyful. Whilst love songs have been done to death, we will still be singing some form of 'I love you' in a million years from now. The songs in 1963 feel authentic in ways that I don't always see nowadays.
1963 is a year when the stars are getting aligned. Change is a-foot and in 1963 it's certainly gathering pace. To use a football metaphor, 63 feels like 'the pass before the pass' or maybe even the day before Pep arrived in English football. Speaking of football, it also saw Spurs become the first English team to win a European trophy!
Anyway, we're now on the eve of The British Invasion of America - a ship is loaded with Beatles, Stones and that Merseybeat sound. America uses the studio to soundtrack Christmas forever and wraps the world with tinsel and a Spector-sized bow. The Civil Rights movement is getting louder, the musics starting to change. Teenagers are tired of the post-war years and are looking for new ideas, new sounds. People are changing, music is changing, the times they are a-changing! The 'real 60s' are coming soon, we just need to get that ship launched now!
So, to paraphrase Sinatra ... 1963 - It Was A Very Good Year.
Spotify playlist
The worst winter in living memory is how 1963 starts. For 3 months - yes, 3 months, Britain was ravaged by the hardest winter for around 150 years. Temperatures plummeted to -20 in parts and barely topped 0. Snow drifts as high as houses, frozen rivers and even the sea made the start to the year incredibly miserable. The long winter even left large areas of the sea around Britain frozen for miles around. There were genuine fears that parts of the country would be cut off completely without food or medical supplies.
Incredibly, it wasn't until March that Britain would be free of freezing temperatures. Throw in the highest levels of unemployment since the end of the War at 800k then you get the feeling that Britain is on it's knees. Not only that, the pea-souper fogs that killed so many a year before in London are still a feature of the country.
What a way to start the year.
Firstly before we look at the music from that year I have to start with listing a series of non-musical events which in a few years will become indelibly linked to music and the folklore of the 1960s.
In my view, the early 60s get a bit of a bad press. The rock'n'rollers like Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis came and, to some extent, went quite quickly really. Music had moved on a little and whilst the likes of Cliff Richard were rock'n'rollers without the sexual 'threat' or energy, it feels like there's a gap now. Rock'n'roll had been invented, but it just needed to be fused with something else.
The problem the early 60s have is that - basically - psychedelia hasn't been invented yet and pop music is still firmly aimed at younger teenagers. Whilst the crooning style never really went away, it seems we have a bit of a mix of crooner-type songs and also these early-teen songs. It just doesn't have a voice yet. It's not angry, it doesn't want to change the world. It seems all the singers want is a nice boy/girlfriend who loves them forever and nothing else is important. It's not turning on, tuning in or dropping out.
Speaking of turning on, tuning in and dropping out, 1963 sees the sacking of a Dr Timothy Leary from Harvard University, the inventor of "Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out". Leary had been researching the effects of psychedelics for therapeutic medicine and began taking them with his patients. He started to believe that psychedelics offered more than just simple therapeutics and could change lives for the better. The effect of the sacking was to launch Leary into the counter culture, raise the awareness of them and seed the idea of taking LSD. His sacking had precisely the opposite effect to what was expected and in a few years time, he will play a massive part in popular culture.
War is still a daily reality for many people too. Whilst National Service in Britain had ended a few years before, 1963 sees National Service formally retired. Not only that, the scare from the Cuban Missile Crisis means war and the cold reality of a Nuclear War was a real concern for people. Anywhere in the world where there was capitalist democracies near communist regimes meant the prospect of the Cold War turning hot and into the white flash of Nuclear War.
The assasination of US President John F Kennedy in 1963 leads to the ascension of President Lyndon B Johnson and greater American involvement in the Vietnam War - a battle between capitalism and communism. In the US, people were drafted into the Army to serve there and over here, young people feared conscription and a return to National Service. Whilst WWII was 20 years ago, 1963 also sees the announcement that Winston Churchill would not contest the coming election. War in Europe, War in the Far East and WWII were real daily fears so it's no wonder that 1963 must be remembered as a year which seeds war-fear into the young.
Whilst the Vietnam War is entering a new phase, demands for civil rights in the the US were growing and leading to riots and protests. Let's be blunt, the civil rights movement is about ending the equivalent of Apartheid in the US. The activists who fought for civil rights risked arrest, beatings, imprisonment and murder. This article - https://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/civil-rights-memorial/civil-rights-martyrs lists some of the killings made that year. This gives an example of what those brave people who were campaigning were up against:
September 15, 1963 · Birmingham, Alabama
Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley were getting ready for church services when a bomb exploded at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, killing all four of the school-age girls. The church had been a center for civil rights meetings and marches.
In the US, 1963 sees Dr Martin Luther King give his 'I have a dream' speech during the 'March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom'. The full speech can be read here:
What a beautiful speech it is and is one of the greatest, most inspiring, uplifting moments of public speaking. Whilst President Kennedy was a keen advocate for civil rights reform, Johnson begins some reforms. But they aren't coming quick enough and there's plenty of people who are hostile to the changes. Whilst we can't neatly timebox Civil Rights into 1963, the assassination of JFK and the speech were propelling them to the top of the political agenda. The Civil Rights movement also had "The Greatest", still known as Cassius Clay, becoming more prominent and certainly began to lay a lot of the groundwork for him to become Muhammad Ali and blaze a light throughout the rest of the 1960s both in the boxing ring and Civil Rights movement as a whole. Black America is angry, young America is angry and change is being demanded and fought for.
The 'Baby Boomers' who were born in the years after WWII ends are now teenagers and have money in their pockets. Whilst there is a lot of social protest and war worries, these are generally regarded as the 'Golden Age Of Capitalism' with, generally, low unemployment, jobs paying wages that you could live on and a general feeling of hope for the future in economic terms. People had money to spend. Whilst we can't easily time-box these events, 1963 is a year where we could recognise a modern teenager - they would have money to spend, music to listen to, decent economic prospects and a growing market of music.
Whilst it might feel like I've painted a fairly gloomy picture of the year, there were also a number of events that happened in 1963 that were positive too. The Telstar satellite had been launched in 1962 and had beamed TV pictures from the US to Europe. However, Telstar 2 was launched in 63 which allowed for better transmissions of TV and phone signals. The Russians also launched the Sputnik satellites with a fly by of Mars as well as putting a woman in space. It must have been incredibly exciting thinking about what was possible, and what life was possible away from Earth. I'll come back to this later.
I think 1963 certainly ranks as one of the years where these social events are starting to come together. The Vietnam War, Civil Rights, moving Timothy Leary into the counter-culture, the arrival of the teenager with money to spend and a demand for change are here now. Whilst it's not quite filtered through to everyone, it's starting now and they will have a lasting impact throughout the decade.
One problem of 1963 is that the concept of the album it more a collection of singles still. There's no 'great' albums as such so armed with the background, let's look at what I consider to be 10 pieces of music sum up the year and had an impact on the future.
In terms of the music there's one event that starts in 1963 which dominates the rest of the decade - Beatlemania.
THE BEATLES - SHE LOVES YOU
Whilst The Beatles had released their first singles the year before, 1963 undoubtedly sees this new phenomenon of teenagers going wild for The Beatles. Quite simply, nothing like this adoration for a musician had been seen before. In 63 they released 4 singles and 2 albums which is quite remarkable to todays ears, but just look at the singles: She Loves You, From Me To You, Please Please Me, I Want To Hold Your Hand with a B side of This Boy. And look at the songs on these albums: I Saw Her Standing There, Love Me Do, Do You Want To Know A Secret, Twist And Shout, It Won't Be Long and All My Loving.
By any measure that is a formidable canon of work to release in a single year.
This year also sees a turning point in music where a tour headlined by the great Roy Orbison was changed to The Beatles headlining instead with Orbison pushed down the bill. Maybe we can argue that 1963 is the year that sees that 'old' music and their stars of the rock'n'roll years starting to be toppled by 'what comes next'. Out with the old, in with the new!
To our ears now, these songs which are over 60 years old might sound a little too familiar, simple and a bit twee. It's hard to imagine how these songs sounded back then, so I'll try to explain it as others have explained it to me. They sounded familar, yet had a unique freshness to them - the music is still relatively simple but the harmonies, energy and the fact they wrote their own songs sets them apart from many of their peers. They just sounded better in every respect to the rest of the bands. They could rival The Everly Brothers for harmonies, had the energy of Little Richard, the gentleness of a crooner and still had an extra something. They sounded good, looked good and had an image. Their charisma was real and it was not common then to hear regional accents on the TV. The Beatles had what we call the 'X Factor' today. No wonder these first teenagers were going wild. It's a small point, but it's also a song where we're not singing 'I love you', the song is telling a friend She Loves You.
I think the energy on these early songs is similar to that you get in the punk era. I imagine that the same frantic energy in a song such as The Artic Monkeys 'You Look On The Danefloor' might be how 'She Loves You' would sound today. Above all else, their sense of melody and harmonies shines through. I must have listened to She Loves You hundreds of times, but the pitch, energy, harmony, soul of when they start singing still gets me to this day. It has a youthful, carefree joy that I wish I could bottle. In my opinion, this is a masterpiece.
Later in the year, The Beatles manager Brian Epstein signs a deal for them to appear on The Ed Sullivan show. It helps pave the way for the British Invasion and become one of the most defining TV appearances in history.
The Beatles - She Loves You
BOB DYLAN - BLOWIN IN THE WIND
What a song. As you all know, I don't like Dylan's songs when he sings them apart from the ones I like that only he can sing and this is one of them.
I find it quite astonishing that a 20 year old can write a song like this. By asking simple questions, forcing us to think about the impact or war and oppressing others - nodding to the Civil Rights movement. Of course, the answer is blowin in the wind and possibly impossible. Or is it?
The song is taken from The Freewheelin Bob Dylan album and I think it's important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a white man giving support to the Civil Rights movement. It's also not an album about 'I love you' either, it's dealing with civil rights, fear and war.
Secondly, Dylan starts to open the door of what song writing can be. He's not singing about love, he's wanting to change the world. He's writing his own songs and he's writing about things that are going on and affecting people his own age. It's simply impossible to imagine there is any singer-songwriter who came after him who have not been influenced by his style.
Finally, it's also an album where the majority of songs were written by Dylan - he wrote 9 of them.
You can make the argument that 63 marks the date that bands have to write and record their own material. It was common and normal to cover songs written by other people.
The Beatles, Dylan and Beach Boys were now writing albums with more of their own songs on than covers. We can say that 1963 is the year that we see a definite sign that bands and artists must write and perform songs for their albums.
Bob Dylan - Blowin In The Wind
THE BEACH BOYS - IN MY ROOM
Speaking on the Beach Boys, they penned 8/12 of the songs on their 'Surfer Girl' album released this year. I don't think the album is particulary good, but without question they sound magnificent. Very few bands can conjure up the idea of what an era or place was like, but listen to this and close your eyes. You're transported to a beach in California with a theme park behind you. There's not a cloud in the sky, not a worry in the world and your gorgeous tanned blonde girlfriend is sat next to you with the Dansette blaring. Only they can do this!
It goes without saying, that the harmonies are just beautiful. But they are also now starting to experiement with studio effects such as reverb and track layering. The reverb on the vocals really add to that sound they had and it gives it a unique quality. Not only that, the 'size' of the sound is impressive. I think that these early experimentations are laying the groundwork on later albums. However, we can say that in 1963 we have the move towards using the studio to really enhance records in ways that the earlier rock'n'rollers and even crooners hadn't done to the same level.
However, in 1963 there's one name that it synonymous with pioneering studio techniques: Phil Spector and his 'Wall Of Sound'.
DARLENE LOVE - A MARSHMALLOW WORLD
The "Wall of Sound" was a production technique pioneerd by Phil Spector in the 1960s, to create recordings with layers of instruments and vocals to create a lush, immersive sound. The technique was designed to create a 'huge' sound that made them feel larger and more dramatic.
Spector's 'A Christmas Gift for You' album later in the year soundtracks Christmas forever. It needs no introduction, especially as this write-up is a few weeks after Christmas! However, I simply cannot imagine a Christmas without those songs. They have a magical quality that conjures up what an ideal Christmas is, and I'm sure it means different things to different people!
This album is probably the finest collection of Wall Of Sounds songs. Whilst the songs are great, it's the use of the studio which pushes the songs to another level. Along with Spector, the Beach Boys and others are now finding that they can dramtically improve songs by using the studio in ways not achieved before.
I've chosen "A Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love quite simply because it's a wonderful song, beautifully arranged and impossible to imagine without that Wall of Sound behind it.
This album is what Christmas sounds like to billions of people around the world.
Darleve Love/Phil Spector - A Marshmallow World
PETE SEGER - WE SHALL OVERCOME
The anthem of the Civil Rights movement, "We Shall Overcome", is an old song that was adapted and recorded by Pete Seeger this year.
The song would be sang at rallies across the US and it's potent message offers strength and unity to those in times of hardship and struggle. In addition to its role in the civil rights struggle, "We Shall Overcome" has continued to inspire other social justice movements, standing as a timeless reminder of the power of collective action and hope for a better future.
Pete Seeger - We shall overcome
HEATWAVE - MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS
No discussion of the 60s is complete without mentioning the great Holland-Dozier-Holland songs from Motown. In 1963, this classic was recorded and features everything that's great about Motown - melodic, catchy, simple, upbeat and soulful and this ticks all their boxes. "Heatwave" is no exception and a great example of everything great about a Motown single and it's no surprise that it was also nominated for a Grammy Award a year later.
Songs like "Heatwave" and other Motown classics helped to bring black faces and voices to homes around the world.
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Heatwave
CLIFF RICHARD - THE YOUNG ONES
Incredibly, Summer Holiday was released at the end of February 1963 near the end of that long, brutal winter. Featuring the fresh-faced Cliff Richard, I can only imagine how it must've felt to have watched it in a cinema with the harsh weather outside. I think this is Cliff attempting to copy Elvis by making films and I think it's also a hint back to rock'n'roll, but it's also a little aimless as a soundtrack. However, given the weather and some of the news around the world I think this film would've probably felt like the 'Mamma Mia' of today!
Anyway, when I was younger, I despised the song The Young Ones. And Cliff. Twee, simple, clean cut and pathetically optimistic - how could anyone like it?
As I've grown older, wiser and experienced life a little more, the final verse from it ring so true. In fact, I'd probably say these lyrics are as good as anything Dylan or Lennon/McCartney or Wilson penned that year:
Young dreams
Should be dreamed together
And the young hearts shouldn't be afraid
And some day when the years have flown
Darling then we'll teach the young ones of our own
Given the winter and life in general, is it any wonder that this feel-good film would top the tracks for a sizeable part of the year? With everything else going on, who doesn't want to jump in with Cliff an go on a roadtrip and have a bit of fun?
I've commented on other years that Musicals are a really important form of music in this era. They bring together great songwriters, superb arrangements and a real sense of entertainment. This year still continues to see South Pacific and West Side Story in the charts. Of course, a musical such as West Side Story also helps to reveal social issues in ways that political discussions cannot do.
Cliff Richard - The Young Ones
JOHNNY CASH - RING OF FIRE
I was quite surprised to see that 1963 was the release date for Ring Of Fire as I see this song as timeless. It could've been made in 1956 or 1996. The Mexican-themed horns help to make it stand out from other country music of the time and helps to push the boundaries of what country music can be.
In some ways, I really associate this song with football. It's simple tune, horns and catchiness mean it will be sung for many years to come!
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
LESLEY GORE - IT'S MY PARTY
Firstly, 2024 saw the passing of the great Quincy Jones but he produced that iconic song "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore. A song covered may times, it's a wonderfully brilliant pop song.
Jones's production is punchy and has that ability to make you want to move when you hear it. The orchestration really helps to bring out the drama of the story, but it also has something extra that's hard to put your finger on. I'm not sure if it's a triangle of something but it just sounds like maybe it's Cuban or something.
Lesley Gore - It's My Party
BBC - DR WHO THEME TUNE
November 23rd 1963 saw the BBC air Dr Who for the first time.
I cannot imagine how it must have felt during this time. As I've said, the Space Race between the US and USSR is hotting up. We're seeing satellites sending TV pictures around the world and with the launch of Telstar 2 in 1963 it's only getting better. Men and Women are going to space and back and we've had satellites going to Mars. Dr Who must've felt like watching the future! and whilst it may look dated today, the theme tune hasn't dated. It is a masterpiece.
What I find interesting about this music is that it's so utterly different to anything else. It's not rock'n'roll, pop, rock. It's not really got any identifiable instruments really and it's also created before synths were available. In fact, it draws upon the avant garde musicians who were wildly experimenting with noise, tape loops, electronics and electrical sounds to produce music that quite frankly can be unlistenable. However, the techniques that they pioneered were used to make this soundtrack.
Whilst Ron Grainer wrote the theme, it would be nothing without the electronic effects by Delia Derbyshire. It is also interesting to note that Derbyshire is a woman in an era that was still dominated by men.
This theme tune is, without question, one of the most influential pieces of electronic music ever written. It's almost 10 years before we would hear similar music from the likes of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.
BBC - Dr Who Theme
Sp, what do I make of all this?
I'm going to come clean - when Rob asked me to pick up 1963, I thought I was picking up a turkey. However, as I dug into the year I really got a feeling of how much was happening. It was boom times, but the Civil Rights movement means it's not all good. However, imagine hearing Martin Luther King's speech or witnessing the physical and verbal grace of Cassius Clay! People are thrusting into space and throwing TV signals around the world. War is real and threatening, but calm down and listen to some Cliff or Beach Boys. The biggest fear you really have is Daleks, not Nuclear War! Dylan is warning us about war and oppression but She Loves You blasts out of your Dansette. It must've been an era where anything seemed possible and I actually feel it's been a privilege to share in the moments with the people who lived in those times. To be truthful, I felt jealous at times.
I hope I've covered the main points of the year. However whilst the headliners were always going to feature the Titans of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Dylan. The Stones are there but I don't think they have their sound yet. However, I find the day-to-day of music in this year has an overwhelming emphasis on the absolute basics of the music I enjoy: melody, catchiness, beautiful harmonies, lush orchestration and a very .. 'human-ness' is ever present. Above all, as twee as it might sound, I really find the songs hopeful and joyful. Whilst love songs have been done to death, we will still be singing some form of 'I love you' in a million years from now. The songs in 1963 feel authentic in ways that I don't always see nowadays.
1963 is a year when the stars are getting aligned. Change is a-foot and in 1963 it's certainly gathering pace. To use a football metaphor, 63 feels like 'the pass before the pass' or maybe even the day before Pep arrived in English football. Speaking of football, it also saw Spurs become the first English team to win a European trophy!
Anyway, we're now on the eve of The British Invasion of America - a ship is loaded with Beatles, Stones and that Merseybeat sound. America uses the studio to soundtrack Christmas forever and wraps the world with tinsel and a Spector-sized bow. The Civil Rights movement is getting louder, the musics starting to change. Teenagers are tired of the post-war years and are looking for new ideas, new sounds. People are changing, music is changing, the times they are a-changing! The 'real 60s' are coming soon, we just need to get that ship launched now!
So, to paraphrase Sinatra ... 1963 - It Was A Very Good Year.
Spotify playlist