Interactive Poll #6060: We love the Sixities

Raff:  Nomadi “Noi  non ci saremo”  Very Byrds-esque, as far as the production and jangly sound. Less complex harmonies than The Byrds.  Still, very nostalgic sound to this for me.  Equipe 84 “29 September” Another very iconic 60’s kind of sound to this, along with a news report, so much have been a big event?  Very cool bass that guy is playing!  And now to another iconic piece, “Fotheringay,” by Fairport Convention.  Huge fan of the band and Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson.  This is just lovely, of course.  An absolutely wonderful song by CSN&Y, of course.  I also am enamoured of the Jefferson Airplane version of it.  A collaborative piece by David Crosby, Steven Stills and Paul Kantner.  I honestly love each version, equally.  An apocalyptic vision of the future, boiling it all down to what is really important and what could still be the fate of the human race.

Mike:  Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra  “My Elusive Dreams”  I didn’t know that I knew this song before I opened the video, but I actually do.  A really nice country take for Nancy Sinatra, really and very much the Nashville sound of the time.   The Moving Sidewalks “You Don’t Know the Life”  That heavy, bluesy Texas sound with a sprinkling of psych.  Great soulful singer.  The Steve Miller Band “Dime-a-Dance Romance”  This is much more rocky than your previous two.  Not as much of a fan of the Steve Miller kind of sound as some of the other psych-era bands, though.  The Hollywood Persuaders “Grunion Run”  Being a big Zappa fan, I have heard this before!  Already such a talented guitarist.  You’ve probably seen the video of his on The Tonight Show, playing the bicycle….he’s a much better guitarist than “bicyclist,”athough it was a great novelty. 

George:  Kyu Sakamoto “Sukiyaki”  I remember this well, however, I didn’t know the story about the real lyrics.  It’s a very pretty melody, no wonder it was a big hit.  The Count Five “Psychotic Reaction”   Garage at it’s finest here! I really am fond of garage music, remembering it’s sheer energy and experimentation.  Nice representative choice! Ken Nordine “Olive”  Now over into 60’s hip-jazz.  Makes me think of 60’s films Hollywood party scenes, I could certainly hear this in one of those films.  Staccato keys and spoken vocals here.  The Stooges “1969”  Another iconic band…I actually have seen Iggy Pop in his peanut-butter days. Great pick here.  You did a great job picking out a wide variety representing the era. 

Samuel:  Carlos Paredes “Variacoes em re maior”  Here he is playing a Portuguese guitar, which has resonating strings, hence the unusual sound.  Really excellent sound, I am not so sure I like this piece, as it’s “happier” than most music I like, but I have been made curious to check out others of his work to see if he’s got a minor key one on that very cool instrument. Edited to add:  I looked up this recording and found a piece I really love on it, Cancao Verdes Anos.  Just beautiful. 

dr wu23:  The Sonics “Strychnine”  Great garage piece!  Such a lot of dark, rockin’ energy with these garage bands.  The Electric Prunes “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night”  One of those phrases I actually use from time to time!  Here on American Bandstand. Autoharp!  Great early psych song, as things started to change from more garage to more difficult songs.  Paul Revere & The Raiders “Just Like Me”  Here’s pop, but kinda more cool than straight pop, with the sort of garage-y lead, kind of Mod look with their costuming.  Bringing their English humour to the performance, too.  What a fun band they were.  Good, too!  Always enjoy what you bring to these polls, we know a lot of the same music.