Almanac Music: ‘100 x 100 – 1954 to 1977’: 21-30
The 100 x 100 was the quickest compilation I ever wrote. I’ve sat up late working on the exact sequence of songs for a cassette for a young lady and spent hours thinking about band and genre compilations. I got this idea, I wrote the list on a notepad, one after another, running on instinct. There’s been a few changes since, usually for technical reasons, but that first list was writ almost as quick as I could write it now.
It’s pop music, you don’t want to overthink it. There’ll be songs you think ain’t worthy, there’ll be grievous omissions. Arguing about pop is fun!
21 – What’d I Say, Ray Charles, June 1959
Ray melded the religious with the sexual and invented soul music.
22 – Shaking All Over, Johnny Kidd And The Pirates, June 1960
Dig that riff, that insistent rhythm that never quite breaks open, when he sings “When you say good night to me”, he quivers and quakes, shivers and shakes cos it’s pre-Pill and girls didn’t give in too easily lest they get pregnant. Musically ahead of its time, the guitar riff and solo wouldn’t become so prominent for another five years.
23 – Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, The Shirelles, November 1960
If you have a heart then this song will bring tears to your eyes. A teenage girl, ready to give herself to a nameless boy – “tonight you’re mine, completely – but will you love me tomorrow?” For every girl that ever gave herself to a boy, a rude stupid boy, I cry for you.
24 – At Last, Etta James, November 1960
Writ in 1941, when Etta was two years old, she bridged the gap between raw rhythm and blues singing and sweet string arrangements in this symphony of love and a sense of relief in “a thrill I can press my cheek to.” Decades before rock stars discovered the Great American Songbook, Etta nailed it.
25 – Misirlou, Dick Dale, April 1962
A middle east folk song rendered in high volume, Dick was a southpaw who played with right hand, upside down, stringing, with the thickest plectrum, the heaviest strings, the loudest amplifiers to crowds of thousands of kids in halls around LA. He was the first guitar hero.
26 – Surf City, Jan And Dean, May 1963
Few songs have ever captured a teenage dream like this one, a world where a boy can shoot the curl, where there’s always a party going on and, gee, two girls for every boy! Jan and Dean made a film clip for this song, they take the mickey out of it beautifully.
27 – Heat Wave, Martha And The Vandellas, July 1963
Martha Reeves had a great voice and attitude, she stood up for her girls and made sure they got paid and she made the Motown sound raunchy with this ode to lust. Great rhythm from the Motown crew, wonderful call and response, horn sections, could it be the devil in me or is this the way love’s supposed to be? This is the Sound Of Young America.
28 – Sally Go Round The Roses, The Jaynetts, August 1963
Mysterious, drenched in reverb, a droning, almost raga-type musical backing played almost entirely by arranger Artie Butler who didn’t get paid. He put ten singers on the song, recorded sound-on-sound on a mono tape recorder. Enigmatic lyrics that have sparked a hundred interpretations, suicide, abortion, homosexuality. Maybe it’s just about a breakup, but it’s a great demonstration of how a song is, once released, public property and anyone can see it any way they wish.
29 – You Don’t Own Me – Lesley Gore, December 1963
17 year old Lesley laid it down in a pop song that pre-dated modern feminism, that outsold ‘Female Eunuch’, that millions of teenage girls heard and loved and sang along with. “Don’t tell me what to do, don’t tell me what to say”, she predicted hippies and punks long before they had a clue and did it in a beautifully subversive sweet pop style. “I’m free and I love to be free.” Bless you, Lesley.
30 – Sie Liebt Dich – The Beatles, March 1964
The Beatles logged over a thousand shows, up to eight hours a night, before they made a record. This live in studio track, recorded for German fans, captures an energy rarely heard on the records, on the best song of their early years.
Ben E King was interviewed on a fantastic BBC ten part doco about pop music, talking about the enormous popular success of black American music in the early 1960s he said:
“We were almost there. And then the Beatles arrived.”
The first and last of this Ten covers that arc. One hundred songs from June ’59 to March ’64 would feature stax of fantastic Motown, Atlantic, Chess tracks and a bunch from the independent labels that were in every big US city then. It wouldn’t be that hard to do. Give it a burl, tipsters.
To read more by Earl O’Neill click HERE.
To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.
Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.
Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.
Become an Almanac (annual) member – click HERE.
Freelance gardener, I’ve thousands of books, thousands of records, one fast motorcycle and one gorgeous smart funny sexy woman. Life’s pretty darn neat.
More cracking songs bring back fond memories of family visits to Melbourne from Colac to see family in the late 50s early 60s..
Being the eldest of 5 children I was given the the privilege of sitting in the front seat (a bench seat) and operating the car radio. I would constantly twiddle the dials in search of favourite songs or in search of a new favourite, many above in your list. Fab times.
This is a superb selection of songs, Earl.
Geez the top 10 is going to be good.
Hmm, I’m a bit caught out on a few of these.
I was alive from the period covering 26 & beyond, but……24, & 28, have me caught out. I must know both 25, & 27, but having a mental blank. I’ll find them.
Rock on.
Glen!
Love that I can hear these in my head without having to Spotify; YouTubeify or Apple Musicify. My “Shakin’ All Over” is Live at Leeds (The Who) but. Know the Dick Dale surf guitar sound – not the song. Jaynetts – nah. Does “Komm gib mer diene Hand” come in at 31?
Great stuff Earl.
Heat Wave is superb and sounds like it was recorded today. I’m always shocked that it came out in 1963.
Great continuing list, Earl.
Another excellent set of songs Earl, my fave point in your intro was that this was initially for a cassette, that took me back. Your planning into the night is not only a deep memory but something I’m still doing, albeit, these days my playlists are through the streaming service, Tidal.
A two cents worth tangent if that’s okay, The Funk Brothers is my Steve Earle moment, when he apparently climbed on the coffee table proclaiming Townes better than Bob. As good as Townes is, Steve was wrong on that one. But man, the 60s iterations of The Funk Brothers were mind-blowingly good, in comparison to the best of the 60s, except maybe The Beatles. And that doesn’t take anything away from Martha & the Vandellas or any or the other Motown groups. As songs in your 21-30 set remind us, the singer is key, Motown just happened to get that as right as right can be.
Cheers
Thanx for the comments, folks.
Rick, Motown made perfect pop, eight bars of most songs have more musicality than careers of many famous rock bands.
Mickey, it’s astonishing – Heatwave is more sexy than Taylor Swift’s entire career.
Peter, no doubling up.
Colin, I sat in the middle of the front bench seat, I remember Mum and Dad’s automatic arms across my chest when braking suddenly and having to listen to things like Syd Smythe And His Magic Clarinet.
Russ Wright sent me here.
Two extras Earl.
Most nights I pick an old fave album from last 70 years and let it rip. Inspired by your latest set, I played RC album of same name, What’d I Say. I hadn’t played the whole thing for god knows how long. Man oh man oh man it is a corker. As you note with 100% accuracy, this is the invention of soul. Hell, he even turns a traditional Scottish folk tune into a soul standard. It moves so effortlessly from smooth to rough, with hooks and riffs and big on melodies and swing, but most of all, that freakin voice! So, ta
Now, about the Taylor Swift dig. Yeah, nuh. She’s the real thing by a mile. There’s a half a dozen different concerts I’ve seen over the last 45 years that have been, to get all mushy, transcendental. Ray Charles at Leeuwin Estate in the late 80s is in there. TSs Eras concert at the worst place to see a concert, the MCG is in there too. I thought it was going to be a great show, because she is one of rock’s best songwriters and performers. I wasn’t prepared for how freakin good it was going to be.
Easily a better way to argue this would be over a beer, cheers
Love ya stuff, Earl…
Regarding No. 29, ‘You Don’t Own Me’ – this is one of my all-time favourite songs. That a 17-year-old girl sang those ‘subversive sweet pop style’ words back in 1963 is gobsmacking. But here’s the thing:
The song was book-ended by Lesley Gore’s previous and subsequent hits ‘It’s My Party (and I’ll Cry if I Want to)’ and ‘That’s the Way Boys Are’ – both classic anthems of teenage sexism.
And ‘You Don’t Own Me’ was written by two blokes, John Madara and David White – who also collaborated on… ‘Sadie the Cleaning Lady’!!! Go figure. As you said – It’s pop music, you don’t want to overthink it…
Rob, great detail, thanx, the lyric to Sadie is quite poignant, consider Sadie being the mum of the character of ‘You don’t own me’, “working for her daughter.”
Rick, I have nothing against Taylor Swift, I’ve listened to some of her songs. But – and this is her genius – she aint sexy. She’s cute, unthreatening, the popular girl who is nice to everyone. She didn’t date the handsome heroic quarteback, she got together w the rough head tight end. Reminds me of Graham Nash’ comment re Joni Mitchell, she’s beautiful and great to be with but when you break up, she’s gonna write an album about you.