Although born in that ultimately most self-indulgent and self-satisfied of all decades, the sixties, I belonged - musically speaking - to the 1970s: first to glam rock and then to punk. Being a Sex Pistol meant never trusting middle-class hippies and despising their psychedelic drug culture.
Only now, with Malcolm gone and Rotten having become what he's become, can I concede that, as a matter of fact, there was much to admire and enjoy about the art, politics, fashion and sensibility of the sixties - not least some of the music.
And so to a list of my favourite pop tunes from this period. I still prefer the sounds (as well as the fashions and TV shows) of the seventies, but these songs, few in number, increasingly mean something to me. Obviously, there's still no mention of The Beatles ...
Scott MacKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) (1967)
The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreamin' (1965)
Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction (1965)
Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction (1965)
The Monkees - Daydream Believer (1967)
Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' (1969)
Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin' (1969)
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black (1966)
Sonny and Cher - I Got You Babe (1965)
The Turtles - Happy Together (1967)
Notes:
Songs are not listed in order
of preference nor following a critical assessment of artistic value, but
alphabetically by the name of the singer or group that I
associate most closely with the track: for compiling
lists should not be simply another excuse to exercise judgement and
construct hierarchies. I love all of these records - not equally, but in
any order that one might choose to play them - and the only logic that links them is
the fact that they continue to give pleasure and make me want to sing, dance, fuck, cry, or start a revolution.
The dates refer to the year of release as a
single and not year of composition, or first appearance on an album.
All these songs (with accompanying videos) can be found on YouTube if interested. Enjoy!
