The A-note that opens “I Feel Fine” is more than just the first blast of feedback on record; it also heralds the start of The Beatles’ middle period. While the band’s earliest records are sometimes condemned as too poppy, or their later records as too arty, the era stretching from late 1964 to 1966 is [...]
Archive for February, 2011
125) The Beatles – “I Feel Fine”
Posted in 08, 1964, 1965, tagged british invasion, the beatles on February 28, 2011 | 4 Comments »
124) The Supremes – “Come See About Me”
Posted in 07, 1964, 1965, tagged girl groups, holland-dozier-holland, motown, the supremes on February 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
According to Lamont Dozier (quoted in Fred Bronson’s The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits), “Baby Love” and “Come See About Me” were written and recorded at roughly the same time, in the wake of the unexpected success of “Where Did Our Love Go.” The three tracks share a number of similarities: accents on every [...]
123) Bobby Vinton – “Mr. Lonely”
Posted in 05, 1964, tagged bobby vinton on February 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Bobby Vinton was a solitary figure in early ’60s pop. He was born too late to be one of the classic crooners, but he was a little too old to fit in with his fellow teen idols. He wanted to be a bandleader more than a singer, and his music bears few traces of contemporary [...]
122) Lorne Greene – “Ringo”
Posted in 03, 1964, tagged lorne green on February 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Ringo” is, in all respects, a cash-in record. The song position appeared on Welcome to the Ponderosa, an album recorded to capitalize on Greene’s starring role on the hit TV Western Bonanza. Its spoken word verses and faceless chorus ape Jimmy Dean’s neo-folktale “Big Bad John.” But it was the fortuitous title that propelled the [...]
