Lite-Brite

Now that the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, I have switched my focus to popular products in 1967. The best-selling toy then was the Lite-Brite, which debuted by Hasbro that year. Incidentally, the Lite-Brite was one of my favorite childhood toys, especially around the Christmas season.

Superbowl I

In January 1967, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first Superbowl. This is the third link that makes 1967 special to me--music (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), television (Star Trek & The Monkees), and sports (The Green Bay Packers). All of these elements were my favorites in some point in my childhood and early adulthood.

My dedication as a fan to the Green Bay Packers ended in 1998 when the Packers lost against the Broncos in Superbowl XXXII. Their perfect record was tarnished and Mike Holmgren left for Seattle. But the Packers meant a lot to me from 1988 to 1998, a good decade. I will never be that obsessed with sports again.

If I were alive in 1967, I think I would be too distracted to take all of my favorite things. And I also may be too anxious about the thought of being drafted to fight in Vietnam. Perhaps 1967 is better in retrospect.

The Jungle Book

Here is "The Monkey Song" from The Jungle Book, the best Disney cartoon movie according to me. It's one of the few Disney films with a jazzy soundtrack. It also has a lot of hep beatnik jungle animals. Straight from popular culture are the Beatlesque vultures not shown in this video.

The Graduate

Although I believe 1968 was the better year for movies (because they were made in 1967), this is my favorite movie released in 1967. I tried to find a high quality trailer but I guess the copyright has got it locked up tight, so here's the movie's most famous image of Dustin Hoffman looking at Anne Bancroft's leg. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."

Cool Hand Luke

According to critics, this was the best film of 1967.

The Andy Griffith Show, season 8

The #1 ranked television show of 1967 was The Andy Griffith Show, which entered its 8th and final season of the series. This show has been a favorite of my brother Lee and my friend Justin.

Star Trek, season 2

Not only did the Monkees enter its second season, so did Star Trek. These two shows formed a lot of my childhood identity, and therefore led me to my fascination with 1967 when I began to notice I liked many things from that year. Just like the Monkees, the second season was better than the first.

The Monkees, season 2

The second season of The Monkees television show started in 1967. I believe the better episodes were aired during the second season. This is the first episode of season 2 called "A Nice Place to Visit."

Yeye

Here's a Japanese commercial from 1967 displaying the mod styles imported from London, England. Twiggy could easily wear what the Japanese are advertising here.

McDonald's

Color TV became the standard broadcasting procedure a year earlier in 1966, and this McDonald's commercial shows its playfulness with color. I'm not a fan of the fast food giant, but I am aware of the drastic changes McDonald's goes through with marketing. The music here sounds like it's marketing to families with young children without Ronald McDonald.

Clairtone Sound Corporation

I was not around in 1967 and have never heard of this company until posting this commercial.

"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" by the Byrds

Here's a poor video of one of the Byrds' greatest songs. It's from their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday, and it's also commentary on the new rock and roll phenomenon in Los Angeles called The Monkees.

"Strange Days" by the Doors

Here's the second 1967 video by the Doors. It's also the second video on my blog with the word "strange" in its title. Not only are people strange, but also days. Jim Morrison had a strange outlook on life. Isn't that strange?

"Kind of a Drag" by the Buckinghams

This was the first #1 hit of 1967. It surpassed the Monkees' "I'm a Believer", which was a #1 hit on the Billboard Charts for 6 weeks since the last day of 1966. This is one of the few #1 hits that are not in my collection.

Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco

Besides riots destroying America's cities in 1967, there were also hippies. A 1967 documentary from CBS (with Harry Reasoner narrating) shows us how this alternative lifestyle was a threat to the American dream.

Detroit Riots

I found these "documentaries" from a citizen of Detroit and a student project on Detroit 1967. This is another example of racial tensions in 1967. I put these clips of reality to contrast the psychedelia of popular music of the time. It's a different way to look at color in 1967.

Newark Riots

Besides music, the popular culture was influenced by the inner city tensions. Change was coming to America, and many did not like this change. 1967 was a peak year for many cities for "white flight" where whites headed for the suburbs. This is when the term "inner city" became synonymous with "black neighborhood." For someone born after this time, I can better understand why neighborhoods were segregated during my childhood. And I can also understand why some whites are weary of African-Americans. This news reel does put fear in the minds of whites who have had little or no contact with the black community.

"Let's Spend the Night Together" by the Rolling Stones

Here's a poor video of the Rolling Stones hit from 1967. Because of its lewd lyrics, it's B-side "Ruby Tuesday" became the #1 hit in the United States. Both songs can be found on the Between the Buttons album.

"Love Is Only Sleeping" by the Monkees

The video to this song cannot be embedded, but you can find it via this link.

This has always been one my favorite Monkees songs, and it has become one of Jenevieve's favorite too. It's unofficially "our song." Jenevieve has good memories of our early days that she associates with this song. So I sometimes play it to put her in a good mood.

"A Day in the Life" by the Beatles

This is now my favorite song from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In the past, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Within You Without You," and "Lovely Rita" have been my favorites. But this one takes the cake. I also like this video featuring some Monkees and Rolling Stones.

When I was student at Beloit College, I wrote a poem to the tune of this song about reading the chalk on the sidewalks. The poem was one of my better reads during one of the many public poetry readings on campus. I had mixed feelings about its success. Was it popular because of my words or was it popular because I stole the rhyme and meter from the Beatles? It was also the day I invented the word "zimboyabagon" with my friend Matt Rosenberg. That poem, now that I remember it, was also a smash success. It was more of a performance than a poem.

"Happy Together" by the Turtles

I thought this song was one of the more standard hits of 1967, but then I saw this strange promo for the song. This gives a different take on what it means to be happy together. They sure didn't take themselves too seriously, did they.

"The Happening" by the Supremes

Only one group rivaled the Beatles in terms of #1 hits in the 1960s. They were the Supremes. In 1967, they had 2 number ones, "Love is Gone and Now You're Here" and this song, "The Happening."

"Wild Thing" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

One of the best musical events in 1967 was the Monterey Pop Festival. One of the best musicians at the Festival was Jimi Hendrix, arguably the best guitar player in rock history. Here he is performing "Wild Thing" with drummer Mitch Mitchell who passed away today.

This performance is one of the most famous events in rock and roll history as Jimi Hendrix had to top The Who's guitar-smashing finale with a sacrifice.

"Itchycoo Park" by the Small Faces

This is one of the first songs I listened to from 1967. My parents handed down nearly all of their 45rpm singles to me when I was in kindergarten. This single was unique among the others because of Immediate's pink label. It was also barely scratched, so I could hear the song quite clearly. That strange sound effect also caught me interest. I liked it as much as the crescendo on "Day Tripper" by the Beatles, which I thought sounded like a vacuum cleaner.

"Bike" by Pink Floyd

Back in 1967, Pink Floyd was called The Pink Floyd. This song was the last song at the end of their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In 1995, this was one of my favorite albums. Many of my early memories of friends are associated with this album and particularly this song. I have an embarrassing story about an early encounter between Jenevieve and I that goes with this song, but you'll have to hear it in person.

"Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry

This song hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1967. I never understood the appeal to this song, but apparently a lot of people still regard it one of their favorites.

"California Dreamin'" by the Mamas & the Papas

One of the hottest new bands of 1967 was the Mamas & the Papas. Nearly all of their hits were in 1967. They were responsible of organizing the Monterey Pop Festival that year in Monterey, CA. I believe the Monterey Pop Festival was one of the best musical events in pop music history, even better than Woodstock. I urge you to watch the film if you're into this era. The Mamas & the Papas best represented the Los Angeles sound of 1967. The Monkees were big fans of theirs.

"Sure 'Nuff Yes I Do" by Captain Beefheart

One of top 5 albums from 1967 is Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart. I love the bluesy sound, the silly lyrics, the strange voice, and Ry Cooder. Captain Beefheart belong to the same "comedy" genre as Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention back in 1967. Both bands came from the Los Angeles area.

"The Letter" by the Box Tops

I'm too old to know exactly what emo is, but I think the lead singer of the Box Tops was an early predecessor to the emo genre. This was a #1 hit in 1967, mind you.

"Exploding Plastic Inevitable" by Andy Warhol

Part 1


Part 2


Andy Warhol is not a musician, but the band you are hearing is the Velvet Underground. Mr. Warhol created the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, but the Velvet Underground were the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Apart from being multimedia art, this music is different from the rest of what's on this blog. This was the new sound coming from New York as opposed to London and San Francisco, where most of the new sounds were coming from in 1967.

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin

Here is the queen of soul with her #1 hit of 1967. This was the song that made her world famous and later dubbed the Queen of Soul. This live version is much faster and longer than what's on the radio. The African-American community finally got a bit more respect this year with Obama winning the Presidential elections.

"Penny Lane" by the Beatles

This is the Beatle's first #1 hit of 1967. Last week, I dressed up like the Penny Lane Beatles for Halloween. Some people said I looked like Ringo, others George, and a few John. I bore no resemblance to Paul.

"Penny Lane" was released as a single at the end of 1966 with "Strawberry Fields Forever" as its B-side. Later in 1967, both songs were released on the B-side of their Magical Mystery Tour LP. I am a bigger fan of "Strawberry Fields Forever," but "Penny Lane" delivers the same feeling but with a lighter mood. Perhaps that is why it was #1 and the other not.

"Waterloo Sunset" by the Kinks

I will conclude my postings for today with another very British band, the Kinks. "Waterloo Sunset" comes from Something Else by the Kinks. The Kinks did not follow any of the trends of 1967. They stayed away from psychedelia and concept albums. They had retrospective short songs that are easy to singalong to.

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum

Procol Harum & the Moody Blues were both bands that began the progressive rock genre in 1967. Although the Moody Blues would continue to make better and better albums, Procol Harum's talent was short lived. Procol Harum's eponymous 1967 album is actually one of my favorite albums to listen to from beginning to end. I can't explain why. I didn't grow up with this album, but I find the melodies and the lyrics quite appealing.

"Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues

Here's a great song that doesn't exactly fit into the pop scene. It's a blend of classical music, exotic melodies, and British rock in the reverse order of the usual. The Beatles also had these ingredients, but the Moodies make them more melodramatic.

"Nights in White Satin" is the grand finale of their Days of Future Passed album, another 1967 album with great album art. Besides the album art, this album also followed the trend of being a concept album, with the first song about morning and the last song about night. Instead of commercial interludes that the Who had on their Sell Out album, Days of Future Passed features full symphony orchestra interludes. Finally, I believe that this album is one of the first progressive rock albums that dominated FM radio in the early 1970s.

"2000 Light Years from Home" by the Rolling Stones

This song demonstrates the new turn the Rolling Stones took in 1967, a turn towards psychedelia and "flower power." Although I like this song, it was a turn in the wrong direction for them. Many Stones fans did not like this move away from rock and roll. Their dislike was evidenced in the poor sales of their only psychedelic album, Their Satanic Majesties Request.

"White Rabbit" & "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane

This video combines two icons of 1967 popular culture--Jefferson Airplane and the Smothers Brothers, whose comedy hour premiered that year. In my opinion, Jefferson Airplane played the best sound that came out of San Francisco. Within a few years their popularity was eclipsed by Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.

Both of these songs are from their psychedelically-titled album Surrealistic Pillow. Jerry Garcia was their mentor for that album. The sounds from it typify the San Francisco sound that came from other bands like Country Joe & the Fish, Moby Grabe, and the Sopwith Camel. The San Francisco sound was a lot more twangier than the electrified sound coming from Swinging London at the time.

"San Franciscan Nights" by Eric Burdon and the Animals

The scroll at the bottom of the screen explains the background of the group. Eric Burdon is one of the British rockers who believed the hype that the new hip scene was in San Francisco. For a few years, he had the American Animals until he dropped them to get together with a new group called War, who would later record the famous song "Low Rider" without him.

This video is a good example of portraying the hype of San Francisco of '67. Indeed that's where the Summer of Love definitely took place. Haight and Ashbury streets became famous then with its local residents the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Love + LSD + naivety did not save the world.

"People Are Strange" by the Doors

This song comes from the Doors' second album of 1967, Strange Days. The Doors were one of the many groups that exploded into the pop scene from Los Angeles. Among them were groups like The Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, and Love. I already blogged about two other groups from LA--the Monkees and the Fifth Dimension.

Jim Morrison, the lead singer of the group, was one of the pioneers of theater rock. Artists who follow the example of theater rock are Alice Cooper and Kiss. According to Wikipedia, he's the prototypical rock star with a tragic ending.

I chose this song because it's one of the easiest Doors songs to get stuck in my head. The lyrics are fun and simple.

Disraeli Gears

This classic album by Cream is one of the best example of psychedelic album art of the time. It rivals the complexity of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Inside this colorful album sleeve, is Cream's smash hit "Sunshine of Your Love."

Because of sites like Wikipedia, I don't need to go into great detail about this album. Personally, I was very much into this album during the summer of 1996 because my friend Nick T introduced me to all of Cream's albums and songs. So this album brings back memories of walking to Lake Michigan from our neighborhood 3 miles away.

"Cuddly Toy" & "Daddy's Song" by the Monkees

Here are the two songs written by Harry Nilsson and performed by the Monkees. The first video (Cuddly Toy) appeared in one of their television episodes. The second (Daddy's Song) appeared in their film, Head, which is one of my favorite films. I have to confess that "Daddy's Song" is actually from 1968, but "Cuddly Toy" is from 1967.

As a new father, I find more meaning in both of these songs. I do not know want my daughter to become a cuddly toy. I hope that if and when I have son, that the second verse of "Daddy's Song" does not come true.

Although I'm not a big fan of Davy Jones, who sings both songs, I am a fan of his performance in both videos. I would say his best songs were written by Nilsson and Neil Diamond, who would become famous in the next few years.

The Monkees were the first band to introduce me to the popular culture of 1967. Even though I was born 9 years later, their TV show entertained me during my afternoon "naps" after kindergarten.

"I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles

During my college years, this was my favorite Beatles song and my favorite song from 1967. This video is from the Magical Mystery Tour film, which I own on VHS. I've seen it once on DVD. I was surprised that the quality was better on VHS, so I refrained from buying it in that form. Well, here's a free portion of it on YouTube. How long will it be there?

One fond memory of this song was exactly 12 years ago on this very weekend. I know it was this weekend because my friend Raleigh's birthday is about this time. It was also the famous weekend in which I made a wish upon a falling star that Jenevieve and I would be together forever. Before that wish, we were at Raleigh's off-campus apartment in Beloit celebrating his birthday. Spontaneously I asked my best friend Matt Rosenberg to join me in singing and performing the entire song of "I Am the Walrus" as a birthday gift. It was a house favorite.

I remember that a few years later, it was voted as the best song of the 20th century from a poll in England. That raised a few eyebrows, but not mine.

Why did I like this song? For one, it had nonsensical lyrics. I've always had a fondness for nonsense, and I'd say I had an intense passion for it during my high school years. I also liked how the Beatles experimented with the stereo on this song. When I was a child, I used to listen to the Beatles and Monkees songs 3 times--once with the left speaker on, once with the right speaker on, and once in stereo. That shows my early love for music, especially music in stereo. I guess I had my own stereo lab before Stereolab (another favorite group of mine, but from the 1990s and this decade).

I also liked the fact that the Electric Light Orchestra was founded on this song. My father had a few albums of theirs, and I thought their sound was "out there." When I found that "I Am the Walrus" was Jeff Lynne's big inspiration, I liked them even more.

This video is the closest the Beatles come to Halloween, which is my favorite holiday. I think it's appropriate that I post this so close to that holiday, which holds extra meaning as stated above (wishing upon the falling star).

"Up Up and Away" by the Fifth Dimension

This song won a Grammy for song of the year. My parents owned the best of the Fifth Dimension on LP, but I don't have it. Personally, I remember this song the most as part of my father's movie about a balloon rally our family attended back in 1980 in Lake Delton, Wisconsin. Every time I hear this song it brings me back to 1980 instead of 1967.

As a side note, this video shows that we haven't gone far in the way of fashion.

"I Can See for Miles" by the Who

This is the most famous song from the Who's second album of 1967, The Who Sell Out. I believe that this album equals the 1967 album of the year, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles. This video is poor, but there's a better one at this link.

Both The Who Sell Out and Sgt. Pepper's were concept albums, but the Who had their concept more complete with radio advertisements, which they made themselves, cut between nearly each song. The Beatles' concept went as far as having a reprise of the title song and not allowing much time between tracks.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was indeed released earlier in the year, so perhaps it gave the Who a creative challenge. Both albums demonstrate the peak of their group's creativity with laying out the tracks as well as the album art.