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1960's Panel

Needless to say, Bob Dylan owns the 60s.

Jefferson Airplane! That's what I was going to ask for advice on now - I'm absolutely in love with the songs that Grace Slick sings on, but not very much with the rest. Are/were there any other bands out there with vaguely the same atmosphere (anyone who's heard "White Rabbit" or even just "Somebody To Love" will surely know what I mean) as Grace-sung Jefferson Airplane? I've bought one of her solo singles ("Seasons") and must say I didn't like that at all, though, so it's not just the voice ... does anyone get a vague impression of what I'm looking for, and can they think of anything else that has it? Much thanks in advance.

I'd say Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and The Velvet Underground were the major forces in the 60s.

Biccies: It's easy to underestimate Bob Dylan's influence if you just go by what they play on classic rock stations now, but he really was huge. "Like a Rolling Stone" came out in 1965, years before most of the artists you mentioned. There was nothing like it at the time. It did a lot to convince people that rock could be something more than just dance music.

All_The_Blues said:

I'd recommend I Got Dem Ole Kozmic Blues, Again, Momma by Janis Joplin. It's a good launching point for Janis - you can decide if she just a unoriginal, derivative, white-girl-wishing-she-was-black hippie or a soulful blues hollerer following in the great tradition of female blues singers.


I've tried Janis Joplin once last year and didn't seem to get into her sound, but then again I didn't yet like Jefferson Airplane then, either, so I guess I'll try her again - thanks (for the launching point, too)!

Another recommendation, that might also fit LucieAndCo, is Os Mutantes early albums (those with Rita Lee).

@leandrofazio

Thank you, I'll check out both - I quite liked the video.

Hello,

What a great idea for a group, man would it be cool if you guys could help me out with some recommendations!

I'm getting into some obscure 60's garage rock like Os Brasas (from Brazil- awesome stuff) and The Tages (Sweden). Anyone have any recommendations for similar bands? Basically I'm looking for obscure, foreign (not from US), kind of Beatles-ey but not overly psychedelic guitar rock. Thanks!

I love the 60s. I was born just after it ended, and I've always been kinda sad I missed it.

With regards to all the bands/artistes discussed, from Hendrix to Dylan to Jefferson, I'll say that its pretty hard to split which had a more definitive influence, or was bigger. Talk to blues/rock fans and you'll find pretty hardcore devotees of The Rolling Stones, The Doors and Led Zeppelin who would claim those bands had a seminal impact on music today.

I absolutely love Dylan, and his 60s output in particular. I'll rank him in the top 2 or 3 in terms of influence. He did do some pretty wild stuff well ahead of its time, and many that would come along would simply be trying to catch up to him. Go listen to The Velvet Underground's early demos before Moe and Sterling came into the picture and you can definitely hear Dylan's influence. Which brings me to my point....the 60s were really about an explosion of culture - and music in general. It was the point where the whole world became flushed with technicolour and all the artistes around were rushing to catch the vibe, So you've got everyone feeding off each other's creative juices. Hendrix took Dylan's Alll Along the Watchtower and transformed it into hailstorm which Dylan himself would try to mimic in his live shows subsequently. The Byrds were an amalgamation of Dylan, The Beatles and too much LSD.

If I had to pick 3 that I felt were most instrumental in shaping the sound of music that followed, i'll go for Dylan, The Velvet Underground and The Beatles. Just outside the Top 3 would be The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and The Rolling Stones. Everything else i feel would contain a hint of all of these artistes in varying degrees (and I'm not bringing in the jazz influences of Coltrane and Davis here by the way, and only looking at the pop/rock elements).

What a wonderful era....

What about mod stuff?
Besides The Who, The Kinks and The Small Faces, I'd recommend The Creation and The Action, they're awesome.
When I picture how ppl was in the 60's I always see mods dancing and driving scooters.

For those looking into the more obscure (and forgotten) '60s bands, check out Nuggets (link 1 2 3)

It's a box set, originally assembled by Lenny kaye (a member of the Patti Smith Group), with songs that probably are even hard to find on vinyl. Basically a great collection of rare one-hit wonders. The links above are of the American garage boxset, but there's also a British Empire one and '80s revival one.

I only have the American garage one, and all i can say is there were so many Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Mick Jagger, and John Lennon wannabes. Having said that, it is probably the best '60s compilation that ever existed.

LilTheater said:
Ah yes, the 1960s is one of the decades I have absolutely no music from. I'd guess the legends (The Who, Dylan, Hendrix, The Kinks etc.) are the best to start with?


I'd say the five most important albums of the '60s (which is to say, those that give the best distillation of what it was all about, at least from my perspective) are:

(1) Bringing It All Back Home
(2) Tommy
(3) Face To Face
(4) Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
(5) The White Album

So those may be a good place to start.

neonist said:
Hello,

What a great idea for a group, man would it be cool if you guys could help me out with some recommendations!

I'm getting into some obscure 60's garage rock like Os Brasas (from Brazil- awesome stuff) and The Tages (Sweden). Anyone have any recommendations for similar bands? Basically I'm looking for obscure, foreign (not from US), kind of Beatles-ey but not overly psychedelic guitar rock. Thanks!

Buy Nuggets if you haven't already. It covers American bands between 1965-1968, just a couple of them made albums though.

It's always been the definition of the genre in the majority's eyes and plays its role very well. I doubt you'll have too much trouble finding it as it's widely available.