Category Archives: Music of the 60s

Music et al, Music of the 60s, Today in history

February 15 Music et al

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February 15 Music et al

David Brown

February 15, 1947: David Brown, bassist with Santana 1967 – 71 and 1974 – 76, was born.

February 15 Music et al

The Sound of Music

February 15 – May 8, 1960: the soundtrack from the original cast for The Sound of Music was Billboard’s #1 album. Columbia Masterworks recorded the original Broadway cast album a week after the show’s 1959 opening. The album was the label’s first deluxe package in a gatefold jacket, priced $1 higher than previous cast albums. It was #1 on Billboard’s best-selling albums chart for 16 weeks in 1960.

February 15 Music et al

Meet the Beatles

February 15 – May 1, 1964: Meet the Beatles became the Billboard #1 album.  Meet the Beatles! was the second Beatles album released in the United States. It was the first US Beatles album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. The Beatles’ Second Album replace Meet the Beatles at the number 1 spot.

The cover featured Robert Freeman’s portrait used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph. (see Feb 16)

The Beatles (White album)


February 15 Music et alFebruary 15 – March 7, 1969: The Beatles again the Billboard #1 album.

The Beatles, (aka the “White Album”) was their ninth studio album. Apple released the double album on 22 November 1968. Its plain white sleeve has no graphics or text other than the band’s embossed name. It was a big contrast to the elaborate artwork of  Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. No singles came from the album, but Apple released  “Hey Jude” and “Revolution,” recorded at the same time,  in August 1968. 

The Beatles wrote most of the songs during March and April 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in India.  They began recording the album in May 1968 and continued until October. (theBeatles.com site article) (see Mar 12)

Sly and the Family Stone

February 15 – March , 1969: “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • Sly Stone: vocals
  • Rose Stone: vocals, piano
  • Freddie Stone: vocals, guitar
  • Larry Graham: vocals, bass guitar
  • Greg Errico: drums, background vocals
  • Jerry Martini: saxophone, background vocals
  • Cynthia Robinson: trumpet, vocal ad-libs

February 15 Music et al

Beatles, Music et al, Music of the 60s

February 10 Music et al

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February 10 Music et al

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

February 10 – April 6, 1962: soundtrack from Breakfast at Tiffany’s was the Billboard #1 stereo album.

The Beatles

February 10 Music et alFebruary 10, 1967: the Beatles recorded the orchestral overdubs for “A Day In The Life.”

From the Beatles Bible site: John Lennon had suggested the use of a symphony orchestra to fill the song’s instrumental passages, but was unable to put his ideas into adequate words. Paul McCartney suggested asking the players to build from their instruments’ lowest possible notes to the highest, and George Martin was given the task of turning the vision into reality.

Forty orchestral musicians were hired for the session.

The session was recorded onto a separate reel of tape running in parallel with The Beatles’ previously-recorded instruments and vocals. This required EMI’s staff to create a technical solution to allow two four-track machines to run together. (see March 18 – 24)

February 10 Music et al

John Lennon

February 10, 1986: though recorded on August 30, 1972, this date marks the release of Live in New York City, Lennon’s last full-length concert performance. It came right after the release of Some Time in New York City.

Backing Lennon and Ono were Elephant’s Memory, who had served as Lennon and Ono’s backing band on Some Time in New York City. Although the material Lennon performed was largely drawn from his three most recent albums of the period (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine and Some Time in New York City), he also included in the setlist his Beatles hit “Come Together” and paid tribute to Elvis Presley with “Hound Dog” before leading the audience in a singalong of “Give Peace a Chance”. (see January 20, 1988)

Love Is Blue

February 10 – March 15, 1968: “Love Is Blue” by Paul Mauriat #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first instrumental to hit number 1 on the Billboard charts since the Tornados hit with “Telstar” in 1962 and the only American number-one single to be recorded in France.

February 10 Music et al

Road to Woodstock

February 10, 1969: Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld met with John Roberts and Joel Rosenman the second time. The idea of a concert to promote the proposed recording studio was discussed.  (see Road for expanded story)

February 10 Music et al

Music et al, Music of the 60s

FBI vs Louie Louie

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FBI vs Louie Louie

A sailor walks into a bar…

When The Kingsmen released “Louie Louie” in May 1963, the tune already had a long recorded history.

FBI vs Louie Louie

FBI vs Louie Louie

Rene Touzet

Rene Touzet and his orchestra played  “El Loco Cha Cha” in the early 1950s.

FBI vs Louie Louie

Richard Berry

One night singer Richard Berry heard  Touzet’s song and decided to use some riffs from it to write his own song. His lyrics were about a sailor missing his girl and talking to a guy named Louie. He released the song in 1956.

It sold well in the Rhythm & Blues market, but he eventually sold the rights to the song so he could get married.

FBI vs Louie Louie

Rockin’ Robin Roberts

Rockin’ Robin Roberts, a musician from the US Pacific Northwest, heard the song and decided to add it to his band’s set list. Because of the song’s popularity, many bands began to perform it. Roberts recorded “Louie Louie” in 1961.

FBI vs Louie Louie

Paul Revere and the Raiders

FBI vs Louie LouiePaul Revere and the Raiders also released the song in 1963. Their version was a hit on the west coast, but…

FBI vs Louie Louie

The Kingsmen

FBI vs Louie Louie…the Kingsmen’s recording, initially released on the small jerden label, was hit in the Seattle area which led to a release on the somewhat larger wand label.

FBI vs Louie LouieThe song spent 16 weeks [December 1963 – February 1964] on the Billboard Hot 100.

FBI vs Louie Louie

Blue R & B

Society sometimes condemns rock and roll for its sexual innuendos, but double-meaning lyrics were an old story. “Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage?”  by Maggie Jones (1924)…

FBI vs Louie Louie

“Get ‘em from the Peanut Man” by Lil Johnson (1935)…

…and others like “Good Rockin’ Tonight” by Wynonie Harris (1947), and “Smooth Slow and Easy” by the Drivers (1956) are just four of the dozens of songs that weren’t for polite company during that era.

FBI vs Louie Louie

Sarasota

FBI vs Louie LouieSome adults thought a song’s lyrics obscene simply because someone said so. Such was the case with “Louie Louie.”  On February 10, 1964 the FBI “received complaint from…Sarasota High School, advising that captioned record is very popular with the high school students, and he has been furnished lyrics for the song, which are very obscene.”  And thus was launched the FBI’s inquiry “Louie Louie.”

In May 1965 the FBI concluded with a 119-page inquiry, which had the basic conclusion: “…there are unintelligible words or sounds in their [the Kingsmen] vocal where those who want to apparently find the obscenity [my emphasis], but these were honest vocal effect without thought of intended obscenity and that neither he nor the others in the group can hear the suggested obscenity….”

According to Wikipedia, “By some accounts “Louie Louie” is the world’s most recorded rock song with over 1,600 versions.” So much for obscene lyrics.

FBI vs Louie Louie
…and the sailor says to the bartender, Louie…
[Chorus]

Louie Louie, oh no

Sayin’ we gotta go, yeah yeah, yeah yeah

Said Louie Louie, oh baby

Said we gotta go

A fine little girl, she waits for me

Catch a ship across the sea

Sail that ship about, all alone

Never know if I make it home

[Chorus]

Three nights and days I sail the sea

Think of girl, all constantly

On that ship I dream she’s there

 I smell the rose in her hair

[Chorus]

Okay, let’s give it to ’em, right now!

See, see Jamaica, the moon above

It won’t be long, me see me love

Take her in my arms again

I’ll tell her I’ll never leave again

[Chorus]

I said we gotta go now

Let’s take this on outta here

Let’s go!
FBI vs Louie Louie

A few…

So here’s THE version by the Kingsmen and some other versions plus a Bruce cover!

Paul Revere and the Raiders

The Kingsmen

Louie Louie by  Bruce Springsteen:

FBI vs Louie Louie