Although I don't mind Rumours-era and post-Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, I do tend to prefer the late-sixties incarnation of the band.

On the band's first album, entitled Fleetwood Mac, released in 1968, the band appeared on the label as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, as the record company felt that adding the name of Peter Green (who had previously gained a great reputation as a brilliant guitarist) would help record sales. The album did sell well, so maybe it was indeed the right thing to do. Peter Green, however, was horrified that he was given precedence over his bandmates and insisted that on all future records the band name be just Fleetwood Mac.

Nowadays, to distinguish them from the later incarnation of the band, the late-sixties incarnation are often referred to as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, which is really quite ironic.

I just take Fleetwood Mac as being Fleetwood Mac. In the 60's they were the best British Blues band (and rock group) and in the 70s they were probably the best pop band (far superior imo to The Eagles). In between and after there passed through some extremely talented guitarists. It's a fascinating story but the tendency to play Peter Green off against Buckingham/Nicks is a bit of shame.

I still think the live version of The Green Manalishi is one of the most powerful rock performances ever.

I came here for decontamination after posting in a thread about some X-Factor crud....

Anyway I won't quote them all, but that last page is probably the best of the thread so far. So thank you, I feel much better now.

Oh and this is one of the first, if not the first, song I ever sang in public... This of course is the real version, not mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayoHwvbriOM

A few of my favourite sixties tracks by Cat Stevens.


I'm not that keen on "Matthew And Son", his biggest sixties hit, but I love the 'B' side:-

Cat Stevens - Granny (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g7JCKLyb-E


The follow-up single to "Matthew And Son":-

Cat Stevens - I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klXyxhuwi14


The Tremeloes had a big hit with this one, but I prefer the songwriter's version:-

Cat Stevens - Here Comes My Baby (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dja-Bdf3h8


This song was a hit for P.P.Arnold in 1967 and for Rod Stewart in 1977, but here again is the songwriter's version:-

Cat Stevens - The First Cut Is The Deepest (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBccr-aLu4I


Here's a real forgotten gem:-

Cat Stevens - Lovely City (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slkr6cBzKMo


This was his last hit single until "Lady D'Arbanville" in 1970:-

Cat Stevens - A Bad Night (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ-ZKj6PUUg


I can't seem to find "Kitty", which is probably my favourite Cat Stevens track of the sixties, on Youtube, but hopefully it'll turn up one of these days.

http://www.justtophits.co.uk/1960s-hits.html

I’m calling this post Rock ‘n’ Roll Covers, for obvious reasons.

I love early rock ‘n’ roll, but I can’t really submit a bunch of fifties tracks, wonderful though they are, to a sixties thread. However, there were quite a few decent sixties cover versions of some of those old rock ‘n’ roll classics and this post features ten of them.

Cliff Richard - It’ll Be Me (1962)
Jerry Lee Lewis was the original bad boy of rock ‘n’ roll and Cliff Richard has always been a bit of a goody-goody, so for the latter to want to cover a song by the former seems unlikely and to cover it as well as this seems even more unlikely. Excellent track.

Billy Fury - Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’ (1964)
Most of Billy Fury’s hits were slushy ballads (and very good slushy ballads they were too!), but he also knew how to rock, as this clip from Ready Steady Go clearly demonstrates. The original version of this song was by a guy called Eddie Fontaine in 1958. Billy’s version is imho superior.

The Beatles - Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! (1964)
In the mid-fifties Little Richard wrote a great rocking song called Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!,which he usually performed as a part of a medley with the Leiber and Stoller song Kansas City. Here’s a terrific cover version of that medley by the Fab Four.

The Rolling Stones - Around And Around (1964)
Around And Around was originally the B-side to Chuck Berry’s 1958 classic, Johnny B-Goode. The Stones version is probably my favourite sixties cover version of a Chuck Berry song .

The Hollies - Too Much Monkey Business (1965)
Too Much Monkey Business is another Chuck Berry song, and one of his earliest singles, dating back to 1956. Quite a few acts covered this song, but I particularly like the Hollies’ version.

Dave Berry - My Baby Left Me (1965)
My favourite sixties cover version of a fifties Elvis song.

The Beach Boys - Do You Wanna Dance (1965)
The aforementioned Cliff Richard also covered this song, and imho his version is better than the 1958 original by Bobby Freeman. However, my favourite version by a country mile is this gem by the fabulous Beach Boys.

The Sonics - Keep A Knockin’ (1965)
A Little Richard classic brilliantly covered by imho the greatest of all the American sixties garage rock bands.

Mitch Rider and the Detroit Wheels - Jenny Takes A Ride (1966)
A medley of two 1957 classics: Chuck Willis’s C.C. Rider and Little Richard’s Jenny Jenny. This medley was only a minor hit in the UK, but imho it should have been massive. I love this track.

Sha Na Na - At The Hop (1969)
Sha Na Na were a rock ‘n’ roll revival group who first came to prominence at the famous 1969 Woodstock festival. Sha Na Na certainly don’t seem like the type of act who would appeal to a bunch of hippies, but they went down a storm at the festival. This clip shows them at Woodstock performing their version of At The Hop which, eleven years earlier, had been a Top Three UK hit single for Danny and the Juniors.

Agreed, Johnny, 1966 was THE best year for music!

LOVE the Steve and Eydie number. I have the Miki and Griff version on my I Pod.

Let's face it. We were spoilt in the 60's

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote some fantastic songs. Here are five that I like:-

Dion - Ruby Baby (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRjviO8negQ

Cliff Richard - Lucky Lips (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hdq5KIc-PU

The Hollies - Searchin' (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-jtjwagaZY

The Searchers - Love Potion Number 9 (1964)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rXhXLsNJL8

Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is (1969)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BjhJ...feature=fvwrel

That Peggy Lee song is glorious..........a real 'chanson'!

Absolutely! I believe that if Edith Piaf had been alive in the late sixties she'd most definitely had recorded this song (in French or English or perhaps both languages).

Leiber and Stoller were so well known for writing some of the greatest songs of early rock 'n' roll, including Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock, that it must have been a big surprise to everyone when then came up with a song as radically different as Is That All There Is. Peggy Lee had the hit version of the song (well, in the USA anyway), but quite a few artists recorded it before she did. I think I need to check out some of those earlier versions and submit any that I like to the Rare 60's Classic Thread some time in the near future.

This post is very similar to my previous post, but with some minor differences. That post was devoted to songs written entirely by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, while this post is devoted to songs either written by Leiber and Stoller in collaboration with other songwriters or by Jerry Leiber in collaboration with another songwriter who isn't Mike Stoller.


This great song was written by Jerry Leiber in collaboration with a not yet famous Phil Spector:-

Ben E. King - Spanish Harlem (1960)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z6VVUAix0o


Another Ben E. King track, a song he wrote in collaboration with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; it was only a minor hit over here when first released, but got to No. 1 when re-released in 1987:-

Ben E. King - Stand By Me (1961)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBbEJXnOFk


Here's a fantastic song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in collaboration with the writers of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil:-

The Drifters - On Broadway (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_EhWmZxVdQ


Finally, a country pop classic written by Jerry Leiber and a guy named Billy Edd Wheeler:-

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - Jackson (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnkuRQ8tjIE

I really like that Spanish Harlem track, it was covered by Aretha later on , it was good but not as good as Ben E King

As much as I like Aretha Franklin, I have to agree with you that Ben E. King's version of "Spanish Harlem" is the better one.


Other than Aretha's there are quite a few cover versions of "Spanish Harlem", including one by Cliff that's quite unusual. It's unusual because he sings it in German:-

Cliff Richard - Das Ist Die Frage Aller Fragen (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS6YN...eature=related


"Don't Play That Song" is another Ben E. King song that Aretha covered and had a hit with in the seventies. Here's the sixties original version:-

Ben E. King - Don't Play That Song (1962)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV0vRqVLtK4

A hit for Piaf in the fifties, this cover of a Swiss song from the 1940's was also a hit for the Tremoloes and their version is almost as good. i'll put them both up for comparison.

Edith Piaf - Les Trois Cloches

Brian Poole and The Tremeloes - Three Bells

As I've previously stated often enough I like any post I make to this thread to have some sort of theme, and as I can occasionally be just a wee bit pretentious I sometimes like to give my themed posts names. Today I'm feeling just a wee bit pretentious and am calling this themed post Jack The Lad.

Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack (1961)
Yes, I know this has previously featured on the thread, but when a track is this good it deserves to be repeated.

Ned Miller - From A Jack To A King (1963)
Country song that crossed over and became a very big pop hit.

The Who - Happy Jack (1966)
This is not really one of my favourite tracks by The Who, but I don't dislike it, and just as those kids on the Isle Of Man couldn't prevent Jack from being happy I cannot prevent Happy Jack from being included in this post.

Keith West - Excerpt From A Teenage Opera (1967)
The title may give no indication that this is a Jack song, but one listen to the chorus and you'll be in no doubt that it most certainly is. If you're a fan of sixties kitsch you'll really love this track.

The Alan Price Set - The House That Jack Built (1967)
This was the Alan Price Set's fourth UK hit single, and their first with an original song.

Scott Walker - Jackie (1967)
Brilliant English language version of the Jacques Brel song La Chanson De Jacky. Scott was superb at singing Jacques Brel songs. Scott was superb full stop.

The Rolling Stones - Jumping Jack Flash (1968)
Just like Hit The Road Jack this track has previously featured on the thread, and just like Hit The Road Jack when a track is this good it deserves to be repeated.

Manfred Mann - My Name Is Jack (1968)
Two days ago I submitted the original version by the song's composer, John Simon, to the Rare 60's Classics thread, and that version is definitely worth a listen. However, if I'm honest I have to say that I prefer this, the hit version by Manfred Mann.

Talking of Scott Walker Vabosity I just came across one of his from the sixties that is little known - makes a change from the same old stuff.

It's a cracker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMekTJGkgdM

Keith West was also making a very different type of music as a member of a band called Tomorrow. Here's their best known song, a true British psychedelic classic:-

Tomorrow - My White Bicycle (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62yWU4ryrgI


From a British psychedelic classic to an American psychedelic classic:-

The Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night (1967)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-kVF...eature=related

From 2 psychedelic classics in my last post to 3 very good pure pop songs in this post.


I'm not that keen on Cilla Black either as a singer or as a TV presenter, but I do like her first ever single:-

Cilla Black - Love Of The Loved (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDPmN4-fPXI


This single by the wonderfully named Pinkerton's Assorted Colours peaked at no. 9 in the British charts in early 1966:-

Pinkerton's Assorted Colours - Mirror Mirror (1966)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p82y1mlBNm0


Three years later the wonderfully named Pinkerton's Assorted Colours were known by the not so wonderful name (imo) of The Flying Machine, and released this single, which failed to chart over here, but peaked at no. 5 in America:-

The Flying Machine - Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjSqRHjLRmA

Probably most of the people posting on D Spy today were not even
born by the end of the 60s and to them this is all ancient history

So what are you doing here then? Go play with your x-box and listen to your autotuned muzak, kid

This forum is called "Music", it's not called "Modern Music", so if people are willing to post to sixties, seventies, eighties or any other type of retro thread they are more than entitled to.

Even if as few as 1% of the posters on Digitalspy were around in the sixties, so what, they're as important as anyone else on the forum.

Anyway, it's not only people who were around in the sixties who like that decade's music. Many people born long after appreciate it too, and a fair number of them have posted to this and similar threads. Also, a former work colleague's 15-year-old son told me that his favourite bands were the Beatles, the Kinks and the Small Faces and that he utterly detested modern music.

Last Saturday's Boat Race was certainly dramatic, and that's not a word that's normally used to describe this annual event.

As well as providing drama, it also provided me with an idea for a post to this thread, so for boat lovers everywhere I proudly present a fine selection of sixties tracks each of which has the word Boat (or Boats) in its title.

Emile Ford and the Checkmates - On A Slow Boat To China (1960)
Emile Ford and the Checkmates' almost as successful follow up single to What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For, which had been the last UK Number One single of the fifties and the first of the sixties.

The Highwaymen - Michael Row The Boat Ashore (1961)
I really like this track, but I was surprised to discover that it was a UK Number One single. I don't know why, but to me it just seems like an unlikely chart topper.

Burt Bacharach and his Orchestra and Chorus - Trains And Boats And Planes (1965)
A fabulous song from the pen of Burt Bacharach (weren't they all?), only this time his name appears on the record label as artist as well as composer.

Lulu - The Boat That I Row (1967)
This Neil Diamond composition gave Lulu her first UK hit single in well over a year.

Every Mother's Son - Come On Down To My Boat (1967)
A fine piece of pop that was a big hit in the USA. It didn't chart in the UK, but that was par for the course for so many good American singles during the mid and late sixties.

It occurs to me that I must decide my retrospective top 40 fave songs of the 60s. A good date would be Jubilee Monday, as that is when the Queen's concert is due. I think I have the Guinness Book of 60s Hit Singles, and can use Youtube or other websites to listen to them.

Songs from British film soundtracks

Everyone will know this one but it's a must from the soundtrack of The Millionaress before Peter Sellers was lost to Hollywood.

Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren - Goodness Gracious Me

This is from Just For Fun a 1963 summer film packed with many summery tunes like this

Jet Harris & Tony Meehan - (Doing The) Hully Gully

From the film Privilege, dunno much about it but I like the song .

Paul Jones - I`ve Been A Bad Bad Boy