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THE BEST 10 SONGS OF 1966?
Dedicated Follower Of Fashion by The Kinks
Ray Davies emerged as one of the most respected songwriters of his generation as his compositions were an observation of the state of the UK, from the down-at-heel ‘Dead End Street’ to the nouveau riche lamenting a ‘Sunny Afternoon’. Then of course there was this satirical swipe at the dandies and fashionistas who were making pilgrimage to London’s Carnaby Street. Like many of their contemporaries, the Kinks were travelling away from frantic origins towards something more thoughtful.
Distant Drums by Jim Reeves
Once upon a time, air travel was the tragic undoing of many a talented globetrotter. Jim Reeves succumbed to an early grave, courtesy of an aeroplane crash on July the 31st 1964. His wife still ensured that Jim’s esteemed repertoire would continue to surface beyond his untimely demise. ‘Distant Drums’ was his most successful posthumous smash hit, as it conquered the UK singles chart in the late summer of 1966.
Gimme Some Lovin’ by The Spencer Davis Group
The teenage Stevie Winwood raised the roof with an engaging uptempo number which stands favourable comparison with any dance song that emanated from the swinging ‘sixties. This track was notable for its intro and the fabulous organ sound. Remarkably, it failed narrowly to reach the UK singles summit, though it perhaps was more deserving of this lofty position than the group’s two recent chart-toppers, ‘Keep On Running’ and ‘Somebody Help Me’.
Go Where You Wanna Go by The Mamas And The Papas
Vocal harmonies rarely sounded better than they did when this mixed gender quartet combined so well in the recording studio. Whilst Michelle was sacked and then reinstated on account of her infidelity, the group still thrived in spite of the disharmony. Along with the hit single ‘I Saw Her Again’, this album track was amongst the very best pop songs of 1966.
Last Train To Clarksville by The Monkees
After the Beatles had conquered the United States with both their breezy pop music and their cheeky charm, imitators were sought. In the event, four Beatles clones were found in the guise of the Monkees. Critics may have scoffed at their lack of musical prowess and the fact that they had to rely on other songwriters, nevertheless this new fab four thrilled their teenage followers with such catchy tunes as the guitardecorated ‘Last Train To Clarksville’. Here began the latest stars.
Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35 by Bob Dylan
Many Dylan aficionados take his music a bit too seriously, which is surprising, given that the great man was himself prone to a bit of humour. The album opener for the excellent ‘Blonde On Blonde’ project was one such case, in which Mr Zimmerman suggests “everybody must get stoned.” What, like the early Christian martyr Stephen? No, not exactly, one can safely deduce that this was a call to indulge in some marijuana. This likeable, but rather oddball tune narrowly fell short of the US pop summit.
Reach Out, I’ll Be There by The Four Tops
Nobody can put a date on the origin of disco music, but I would venture that this fine product from Tamla Motown is one of the pioneering dancefloor classics of the 1960s. The Four Tops were one of the great North American singing groups of their era, alongside the Miracles and the Temptations. This danceable delight is undoubtedly the highlight of their career.
When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge
This release hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100, whilst in the UK, it journeyed into the Top 10 in 1966 and again in 1987 when another retro item, Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ kept it away from the Number One spot. Sledge’s singing is a wonder, assisted by good contributions from the organ and the backing vocalists. Regrettably, he failed to build upon this triumph.
Wild Thing by The Troggs
The Troggs not surprisingly found favour on both sides of the Atlantic with this tune which was something of a rock and pop crossover hit. There may have been only one Elvis, but there were two Presleys, including the group’s lead singer Reg. Jimi Hendrix was sufficiently impressed to cover this song at the Monterey Pop Festival just prior to setting fire to his guitar. The Troggs had a few big hits, including ‘Love Is All Around’ in the USA in 1968, though songwriting royalties from that record weren’t boosted until it was successfully covered in 1994 by Wet Wet Wet.
Wrapping Paper by Cream
They were well-named because the power trio of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton were the cream of the British blues scene. Their first single, ‘Wrapping Paper’, is by no means their best recording, but it is rather quaint and considerably better than Baker has suggested. The drummer scathingly regarded it as the worst song he had heard in his entire life, which may be attributed to his concern that it was the start of the Jack Bruce/Pete Brown songwriting axis.
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