Slightly 60's New Years Cocktail Party

 

"Well they're saying it's a new year, but I'd rather have a new beer..."

It wouldn't be a N.Y.E party without a proper mix tape! Here are my carefully curated tracks for a slightly 60's time capsule...

Oh, What a Night! (Late December 1963) - The Four Seasons

Who could forget this cocktail party classic about losing your virginity right before the New Year? The song gained its infamy by appearing in the movie American Graffiti. "Oh, what a night! "Now, if only a punk band would cover this...

What Are You Doing New Years Eve? - The Orioles

This song has been performed by countless artists, but The Orioles version seemed most fitting for this Baltimore-based babe! "Maybe it's much too early in the game, but I thought I'd ask you all the same, what are you doing New Year's Eve?" No one can tell for sure who you'll be with until the clock strikes midnight...

Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka

"January, you start the year off right..." Feel free to dream of the upcoming year and all the adventures it holds in this 1968 pop song. Be sure to check out gender-flipped B-Side by Dee Dee Sharp, Calendar Boy!

New Year's Resolutions - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

The time is here to make a resolution to love somebody in the next year. This classic 1968 song is perfect for the party!

Auld Lang Syne - Jimi Hendrix

There's no better way to rock in the new year than with this classic performed by Hendrix live at the Fillmore! As the end of the 60's approached, things went from bubblegum pop to hard psychedelic rock, as this track reflects...

See -The Rascals

This rare track from 1969 is a trippy treat! "Flashes of a new year light up a stellar sky, love is really everywhere to see it is to fly!" 

This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies

"This will be our year, took a long time to come..." The Zombie's Colin Blumstone sings on this mellow, melodic song that is sure to infuse the coming year with a sense of optimism!

Snowy Sugartown: 60s Girl Group & Bubblegum Pop Christmas Playlist

Tis the season to get twistin' again, like we did last winter! This playlist is inspired by the Decca and Marylebone Beat Girls, the sweet sugardelic sounds of bubblegum boy bands, and the trippy techniques of psychedelic pop that defined the decade! 

I Want a Beatle For Christmas by Becky Lee Beck 

Whoopee-dee-doo! This swinging and syrupy sweet song by Becky Lee Beck is an ode to wanting one's very own Beatle boyfriend under the tree on Christmas morning, and "only a Beatle will do!" Pure, fun pop from the 60's, this rare track is the first up on the mix!

Merry Twist-mas by The Marcels

"Merry Christmas? No! Merry Twist-mas!" say the Marcels in this twisting track from the height of the 60's dance craze! This keeps the party going all night long... Especially if you are in Pittsburgh, as that is where the Marcels originated. Another song in the genre is Xmas Twist by the Twist Kings.

Gingerbread Man by Tommy James and the Shondells

This fun and freewheeling song is a real sweet treat for fans of Tommy James earlier bubblegum period before he went full psychedelic and religious later in his career. The song has circular effects and tells the tale of running away with a gingerbread man! "Hey girl, if you have lost your way...Reach out and take my hand, I'm a gingerbread man..."

The Lonely Hearts Club Christmas Party by The Love Machine

This track was discovered on compilation cd I Want, Need, Love You! Garage-Beat Nuggets from the Festival Vault. The band, Love Machine (not to be confused with the song by the The Miracles) was a fairly unknown group. The funny song tells the tale of trying to find love during the holidays in a 60's social club for preps and squares.

I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter by Connie Francis

"It's just like make-believe, each night is New Year's Eve. Each day is Christmas Day, you make me feel that way. It's gonna snow outside, the weather will be cold. But I'm gonna be warm this winter!" Classic teen idol Connie Francis sings this sweet song of holiday romance fit for any soiree that feels like it could take place in December 1963.

The Loneliest Christmas Tree by Lisa Miller

This sad and sweet song is about the lament of the loneliest little Christmas tree on the lot is sung by Australian 60's girl singer Lisa Miller. "I wanna be a Christmas Tree, how come nobody looks at me? I'm just a lonely tree, the wind blows right through me. When will somebody see? I'm gonna be a Christmas tree..."

From Santa to America by Louise Forestier

Throw a little canadian yé-yé music into the mix to finish things off with Louise Forestier's trippy acid-rock track about Santa bombing the country with toys and presents! This piece really ends things on a high note for this mix...

Any suggestions of songs to add, send them my way!

Spiritual Psychedelic 60's Christmas Playlist

Happy Holidaze! Here is my present to you all, a psychedelic Christmas playlist featuring all songs from the 60's with a heavy spiritual sound. ..

Wintertime Love by The Doors

This slow and soulful track by The Doors sets the mood for the psychedelic Christmas sound with its optimistic lyrics "Come with me dance, my dear. Winter's so cold this year. You are so warm, my wintertime love to be" 

Deck Five by Saturday's Children

This trippy tune puts a psychedelic spin on traditional Christmas carol "Deck the Halls" with a jazzy base line and hypnotic effects. Check out B-side "Christmas Sounds" too.

Snow Flakes by The Ventures

There's nothing like the spaced-out guitar sounds of the Ventures covering medieval ballad "Greensleeves" on this loungey and sparkly song.

Redeemer by Gospel 

This rare song is a religious experience layering traditional folk instruments, kazoos, and spiritual singing. "Oh say are you a true believer? On this joyful Christmas morning..." The publishing company that owns the label, Vanguard Apostolic, is called Epiphany adding more synchronicity to the song.

Blue Snow Night by The Gurus

A middle-eastern piece of music from The Gurus about travelling on a winter's night explores themes of love and death with a bongo backbeat.

Come All Ye by Fairport Convention

It's not the classic Christmas song "Come All Ye Faithful", rather a British folk rock reworking of the theme that removes all religious references and beckons mankind to come together for peace.

Good Shepherd by Jefferson Airplane

Countless incarnations of this song exist, and it is based on a poem by John Adam Granade aka the "poet of the backwoods". This version by Jefferson Airplane is the most well-known, and adds a religious psychedelic feeling to the playlist.

Candy Lane

 

Walked downtown to Candy Lane after work, wow was that underwhelming! I was promised colorful lights and candy forests! There were three art installations and that was it. I had even crafted a playlist of sweet sounds to make the experience more immersive....

Bohemian Dropout - Electric Mystical Soul Vibration

Candyman - The Hollies

Candy Girl - The Four Seasons

Sugar Sugar - The Archies

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows - Lesley Gore

Cotton Candy Land - Elvis Presley

I Want Candy - The Strangeloves

Lollipop - The Chordettes

Goody Goody Gumdrops - 1910 Fruitgum Company

Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express

Main Street Electrical Parade - Disneyland Records

9

RIP Mike Nesmith

 

I found out today that one of the last remaining members of the Monkees died. I got way into the Monkees when I was in my early twenties after hearing Randy Scouse Git on Spotify and jumping up to see who the band was. I couldn't believe it was the Monkees, as I only knew them for Daydream Believer up until that point. I gushed about my new obsession to my boyfriend's dad, Old R. He was an old hippie. The next weekend he found a ton of Monkees records at the town yard sales. I took them into my room and listened to them while staring at the album art. I was falling in love with this bubblegum pop psychedelic sound...

I soon discovered that The Monkees (half of them that is, Dolenz and Tork) were playing in Palm Springs at a casino on my birthday,  March 27th 2015! I immediately bought tickets. I was so obsessed that as a gift to myself that year, I wrote a fanfic called My Adventure with the Monkees, a reverse-harmen adventure in 1960's San Fransisco. In honor of Nesmiths life, I wanted to share some of the scenes from that story that feature him...

 The beginning of the story, where the protagonist first meets the Monkees playing a show in the park...

At first introduction, you can see moody Michael's contempt for the recording studios producer. Don Krishner...

After a hike with the band, Nesmith breaks into song performing The Kind of Girl I Could Love.

Here is the climax of the protagonist's relationship with Nesmith, as she flees Davy Jones into the rainy park while Nesmith sings Of You and they embrace, unaware he is married and just using her to blow off steam while on tour.

And here is a classic conflict of two guys fighting over a girl, as Nesmith challenges Davy Jones while Mickey Dolenz attempts to break it up by singing Randy Scouse Git.

Nuggets, Pebbles and Other Clone Compilations From the Psychedelic 60's

Your prog-rock psych protégée has been busy while you were away. It all started with an exclusive article on the Ultimate Guide to Forest Folk Psychedelic from the 60's and 70's that I published on my other blog, entertheforestagain.blogspot.com check out that article. Then, on Wednesday I put together a report of the best psychedelic compilations such as Nuggets and other clones that I found on the app Hoopla. My library provides access to this app which offers free eBooks, movies, television shows, music, and graphic novels. Hoopla can be a little hard to browse, so I had to dig deep to discover these albums...

For those unaware, Nuggets is a set of compilation albums of rare psychedelic songs from the 60's. We're not talking The Cowsills or Strawberry Alarm Clock, they're way overplayed. These albums are like long lost time capsules from a world that will never exist again. I've been checking out physical copies of these CDs from the library to rip to my PC and put on my phone like an old-school iPod. I have a musical mentor who offers suggestions. Because of his unparalleled knowledge of British 60's Psychedelic music and efforts to aid my quest in discovering these gems of sound, I was able to score a 4-disc set of Nuggets II: Original Artefacts From the British Empire and Beyond!  I've been on a UK kick right now. This musical mining led to the discovery of a new genre: Shakespearean Psychedelic - specifically British bands performing songs based on the plays including Midsummer Night's Scene by John's Children and To Be or Not To Be by Yesterday's Children. I say, let the children play! On that note, it's not too much of a stretch to lump in Under the Greenwood Tree by Donovan which is from As You Like It. If anyone out there finds more songs to add to this playlist, send them my way! The success of Nuggets inspired other series such as Pebbles, Psychedelic States, and Back From the Grave. Read on and get ready to have your mind blown!

1. Poppies: Assorted Finery From the First Psychedelic Age

This is without a doubt, one of the best compilations I've found. Listening to it yielded two new discoveries: Sorcerella by Jefferson Lee (No, not Jefferson Airplane you basic bitches!) is one of the heaviest, trippiest and most epic songs I've ever heard. For lovers of the pretty things, Flower Eyes by Pasternak Progress earns a spot on my garden playlist!

2. Insane Times: 25 British Psychedelic Artefacts from the EMI Vaults

I've known about this album for a decade and was pleasantly surprised to find it on Hoopla. Monday Morning by Tales of Justine starts off my 60's Days of the Week Playlist (followed by the more mainstream Monday song by Mamas and the Papas)

3. Follow Me Down: Vanguard's Lost Psychedelic Era

Featuring fan favorites such as Serpent Power and Circus Maximus, this is a bit heavier than the others on the list. I haven't had time to fully explore this album yet, but its worth a listen.

4. Lost Nuggets From the 60's: Garage Rock 

This was a rare treat. Better Things to Do by The Palace Guards has a classic garage rock feel, while Writing on the Wall by the Try-Angle rocks!

5. A Kaleidoscope of Sounds: Psychedelic and Freak beat Masterpieces

Now this is really where it's at! Featuring Say Those Magic Words by the Mockingbirds (one of my new favorite bands, adding to my birds playlist with The Yardbirds, The Byrds, and the lesser-known The Birds!) and Magic Potion by Open Mind, this compilation come highly recommended by yours truly!

6. I'm a Freak, Baby: A Journey Through British Heavy Psych and Hard Rock Underground Scene

When one has been mining 60's music for as long as I have, one must look beyond that era and into the 70's. As I mature, I find myself gravitating more towards some music from that era as I can't stay stuck in the 60's forever! Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Mickey Finn...this is the comedown period of psychedelic rock.

7. Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets

This four disc box set is all about psychedelic music from Los Angeles, California which is where I'm from. Featuring all my favorite bands such as The Seeds, The Leaves and Love, you just haven't lived until you've heard this!

8.Good as Gold Artefacts of the Apple Era

I am going to spend days digging through this five disc set, featuring well-known bands like The Cyrkle, as well as an all-girl group Fanny who covered the Beatles song Hey Bulldog.

9. Double Whammy: A 1960's Garage Rock Rave-Up

The album kicks off with high-energy fan favorite Psychotic Reaction by The Count Five and the party never stops from there. Pure, raw 60's garage rock, what's not to love?

10. Transparent Days: West Coast Nuggets

With  lineup of groups like The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and The Glass Family, this album is guaranteed to please. And just look at that cover art!

11. Pebbles: Lost Gems of the 60's 

There are several volumes of these Pebbles compilations, and Hoopla had a handful of them available to listen. Definitely worth checking out!