Around 1964 or so there was a splurge of new groups popping up all offering something exciting to drag the music scene away from the dull music that was played on the radio. The Beatles opened the door and loads followed. Some of the early ones were Gerry & the pacemakers, The swinging Blue Jeans, The Dave Clark Five, with hits like “Do you love me, Glad all over and Bits and pieces. The Animals with “House of the rising sun†were another early group to change popular music. The Spencer Davis Group came along with classics like, Keep on running, somebody help me and Gimme some lovin. The Rolling Stones were doing there thing vying with the Beatles at the biggest band of the early 60’s .The Hollies were singing about Just one look, Here I go again, I Can’t let go.

Around this time The Kinks were releasing You really got me, All day and all of the night and Tired of waiting. The Who followed with I can’t explain, My generation and Substitute. The Small Faces released some catchy tunes like Sha la la lee, All or nothing, Itchycoo park and Lazy Sunday afternoon.

 

A great time for music with superb bands with their own distinctive sound.

 

What were your favourite bands of the era and your favourite tracks?

 

The Zombies were great as were the Pretty Things, The Creation, Ron Wood's Birds, The Spencer Davis Group, Them and stacks more. A lot of bands sucked (Freddie and the Dreamers, Gerry & thePacemakers) but the majority rocked. :P

yardbirds were my favs... small faces, early who, spencer davis, kinks, animals..cream.. stones..

the mid 60's music scene was probably the best time in pop music history, everyone with any creativity was busy exploring new sounds, new directions. each group had their own sound and unlike subsequent genres they couldnt be mistaken for others.. the kinks, small faces, troggs, yardbirds, stones etc etc etc.. were distinctive in their own style.

 

since then if an act became popular, they soon had an army of immitators...

 

the mid 60's were unique, a time of experimentation, diversity and originality, the likes of which has not been seen on the same scale since...

Move on a couple of years to 66-67 and you've got one of the best periods for pop/rock ever. Of course The Beatles and The Stones, The Who, The Kinks, and the rest of the British contingent but there's The Doors, Love, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and a whole hoard of one hit wonder garage psych bands from the States like The Chocolate Watch Band, The Standells, The Count Five (basically the bands on the original Nuggets compilations).

And then you've got the Motown/Stax scene as well - Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Supremes etc

1964 - 1968 were probably the greatest five year period in the history of Rock'n'Roll.

 

 

Yeah but then a couple of things happened and wrecked the whole scene. Multi-track recorders (anything above 8 track) equaled indulgence and overkill. Plus some complete no-hoper wrote 'Clapton is God' on a wall introducing the cult of musician that came close to killing pop music stone dead by the mid 70's.

i think the rot set in in the mid 60's, when business became involved and groups were obliged to have strings of hits by producing simple nurseryrhyme pop.. hermans hermits, manfred mann, tremeloes, dddbmt.... inevitably simple no-brainers win out over more challenging creativity.

I reckon if the rot set in then it would have been around 69-70. Hippy dream over, Jimi about to die. Jim Morrison and Janis going the same way. Lot of people getting right up their own arses. c**p like ELP and other prog rubbish killed rock but Glam Rock was around so pop was still ok for a while. I equate 66-67 to be the equivalent of 77. Lots of bands around that weren't just churning out pop $h!te but offering something very original. Two of the best albums of 68 were The White Album and Electric Ladyland - both stunning albums.

 

It's the same with every period - there is always good and bad music - sometimes you just have to dig more to find it.