It wasn't ONLY The Beatles. The Beach Boys (Fun Fun Fun, I Get Around), The Four Seasons (Dawn, Ronnie, Rag Doll) and many others from the UK AND the US rocked the charts.
I can see why Yesterday is considered a good song but I've never been a fan. Nos. 6-10 on the Billboard chart for Oct. 9 blow the top 5 away IMHO: Catch Us If You Can You've Got Your Troubles Baby Don't Go You Were On My Mind Do You Believe in Magic Then 11-20 feature Just a Little Bit Better, Some Enchanted Evening and Lovers' Concerto.
Lennon or McCartney stated the "Yeah, yeah, yeah" part was inspired by a Bobby Rydell hit !! "...We Got Love (Yeah, yeah, yeah), ain't it wonderful that We Got Love..." Yes, THAT "Bobby..." The teen idol... A part of the many "Bobbys" that some music snobs on this board so hate.
"Yesterday" is a song whose greatness seems diminished by its ubiquity. We've all heard it so much over the last 52 years that it's more difficult to view objectively. I think it's a prime song and it offers unusually strong McCartney lyrics. They're simple but impactful, with real emotional resonance...
True. Movies in the 1960s... bleh, particularly the early 60s. There's something "fake" or "unreal" about a lot of it.
I rate Love Me Do to early Beach Boys songs, like Surfin' Safari, Little Deuce Coupe, 409... Good songs, but not necessarily "great."
Or To Kill a Mockingbird? The Miracle Worker? The Manchurian Candidate? 1962 was a pretty good year for movies...
I might be thinking more about the teen-oriented films, which seem kind of wanting. Like with music, a number of duds or lackluster releases doesn't make for a bad year (or decade). There is good art in every era.
Doo Wah Diddy Diddy (Manfred Mann) I was never a big fan of this song or group when I was younger, but since I started watching their videos on YouTube, I’ve become a big fan. Part of why I was lukewarm to them was because the only songs of theirs I ever heard on oldies radio were this one and Mighty Quinn, neither of which are among my favorites of theirs. I agree with the assessment that there was more to these guys than Doo Wah Diddy Diddy would have you believe. I also think that ‘Untie Me’ (mentioned in one of the threads above) is an incredible number. Dylan also said that Manfred Mann was the best group at covering his songs; yes, better than the Byrds!! Manfred Mann was the keyboard player in this quintet. They basically had two distinct eras of their sound (they are even called Mark 1 and Mark 2 by fans). The first version featured Paul Jones as the lead singer. This is the version of the group that did Doo Wah Diddy Diddy. Though they had their poppy side, they were in general more bluesy than later. Jones left the group in 1966 to pursue an acting career. Mark 2 saw him replaced with the fairly similar looking Mike D’Abo (father of actress Olivia D’Abo). Beatles friend and Revolver cover designer Klaus Voormann also joined as the new bassist. This version of the group was poppier; but D’Abo could belt a blues number quite well himself. Their biggest hit in the States was The Mighty Quinn, but they had a bunch of big songs in the UK. I love these guys. If I had to choose, I would probably lean towards the poppier Mark 2, mainly because I like D’Abo a bit more than Jones and I like the songs a trifle better. But Jones is definitely a big talent whom I also like very much. He ended up in several movies and TV series starting in the mid-sixties, but the most interesting one that I have seen is an unusual art film called Privilege. This movie tells the story of a pop singer, played by Jones, who is used by a religious/fascist government in future Britain to control the masses. It’s a very sixties, kind of creepy film with some very memorable songs and themes, and is well worth seeking out if you like the more in-your-face type of art film from that time. Here is the trailer for it:
Leader of the Pack!!! There is no group who has gone up in my estimation more in the last few years than the Shangri-Las. When I was a kid, I always thought Leader of the Pack was a campy embarrassment (along with the Angels' My Boyfriend's Back; I always grouped those two together in my mind). But I've come to appreciate the humor in the Angels song, while I've embraced the sheer loopy brilliance of Pack. The Shangri-Las classic is chock full of amazing touches that pull the listening along its tale of woe (and in the case of a fast driver like the Leader, a tale of Whoa!). What is the supreme moment of transcendence in this song? For me it's probably 'Look out Look out Look out Look out!!' followed by a screeching wipeout. The Shangs did 'he blew his mind out in a car' three years before the Beatles. But I also love the way Mary Weiss sells the 'Is he picking you up after school today? uh uh....' part. And you can't top 'He looked around and smiled at me, you get the pitcha?' 'Yes, we see.' Sure, it's campy. And that's AWESOME. The Shangri-Las were two sets of sisters, although the fourth sister sometimes stayed home. Mary and Betty Weiss and the Ganser twins, Marge and Mary Ann. Betty was the one who sometimes skipped shows, while the Gansers had the most formidable bouffant hairdos this side of the B-52s. But this group is all about Mary Weiss to me. She was just in her mid teens when stardom called. She is a fantastic singer who puts more heart and emotion in her stuff than an Oscar caliber actress. Yet she still is heartbreakingly real, with an undisguised Queens accent and her long straight hair that makes her more relatable than any meticulously groomed starlet could ever be. The gals were the 'tough girl group', and even if that was largely a lie, they sold it well. I have never had my love for a group increase more than it did for the Shangs after I started to watch their stuff on YouTube. I went from a take-them-or-leave-them attitude to a deep affection. Actually seeing them perform contributed so much to my appreciation of what they were all about. Starting with: 'Remember (Walking in the Sand)'. I had always loved that one, but never knew it was them. Then I saw three more great numbers. Why didn't oldies radio ever play them? Out in the Street: moody semi-darkness, haunting tune. Beautiful. This is the one that made me a fan. Give Him a Great Big Kiss. Iconic. Marvelous. Love Mary more in this song than any other she did. She's in love with another loser. The twins quiz him about it. 'How does he dance?' 'Close.... Very close'. My favorite one of these call-and-responses is when Mary is asked if her new love is a bad guy, and she responds: 'eh... he's good-bad, but he's not evil!' I love Dylan, and that line is as poetic to me as any in It's All Right Ma I'm Only Bleeding. And I haven't even mentioned the single most brilliant moment in their entire canon: the start, when Mary says: "When I say I'm in Love, you best believe I'm in LOVE L-U-V!" Preach on, Mary! Right Now And Not Later. "Cause Latuh may be too late" Mary whines. The Shangs try to do a Motown song and succeed well. James Brown famously toured with them and was surprised to find out they were white. Songs like this might have led him to that conclusion. The girl group sound was not long for this world, and the Shangs did not outlast it. But for a few years they were the naughty QUEENS of the pack.
Out in the Streets by the Shangri-Las. Had to include this one. Back to your regularly scheduled #1 songs after this!
No, he was referring to Lawrence of Arabia. But, we'll see. Maybe he'll chime in later. However, I personally enjoy those three movies more than L of A. Music Man, my favorite movie musical of all time, is also from 1962.
Well, maybe. But I grew up on R&B and Motown as much as rock - Aretha, Isaac Hayes, Staple Singers, The Temps and Stevie Wonder were all among my very favorites when I was 3-6 years old or so (the theme from Shaft was easily my favorite song, by far), and I hated "Fingertips" from the first time I heard it. So...
"Yesterday" and "Here, There, and Everywhere" were two of the 'safe' songs that soft rock stations could play - and promote the fact that they played The Beatles.
During those years, Elvis was releasing middle-of-the-road schmaltz that made Ronnie Dove sound like the Rolling Stones. It didn't sound like his heart was in it. And you're surprised he didn't make the Top 10?
Brenda Lee did record some upbeat numbers, but not sure if one would call them "rock," though they were good. Same with Barry Manilow and even The Carpenters. The Carpenters' Goodbye To Love (No. 7, 1972) had a great rockin' guitar solo at the end. The great fuzz guitar work begins around 2:50) The song seemed uncharacteristic of their "sound" yet is one of my favorites of their's. After all, Richard Carpenter was a big Kinks fan.
Yes, I would call them "rock." Songs like "Let's Jump The Broomstick" and "That's All You Gotta Do" almost give Wanda Jackson a run for the money. No. The guitar bit was the only vaguely "rock" thing about "Goodbye To Love." Take that away and you have a typical Carpenters ballad.
Do me a favor, if you're going to quote me, don't add words to your comment that never appeared in my comment and expect me to take you seriously. Please point out where in that quote I used the word "surprised" which you even emboldened in your reply. I was merely pointing out the irony of how a man who was once labeled the King of Rock & Roll was considered passe a few years later. If you choose to interpret it your way that's on you.
Brenda Lee rocked, and rocked convincingly when she was in the mood. There wasn't much of anything she couldn't do.
