I would quibble with the title 25 Best Hits of the 1960s. Yes, there are some good songs in this compilation, but no way are they the Best Hits of the 1960s. I do love Clarence Carter’s “Slip Away,” Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs’s “Stay,” and The Drifters’s “Under the Boardwalk.” “Cathy’s Clown” might be my favorite song by The Everly Brothers. And “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge is a classic.
But, I’ve never been a fan of Gary Lewis and The Playboys. The same goes for The Classics IV and “Stormy.” And Lou Christie’s “Lightning Strikes.”
It’s been decades since I heard the instrumental “Telstar” by Tornadoes 74.
Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST:
| 1-1 | Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs– | Stay | 1:40 |
| 1-2 | Bobby Vee– | Take Good Care Of My Baby | 3:19 |
| 1-3 | The Tokens– | The Lion Sleeps Tonight | 2:42 |
| 1-4 | B.J. Thomas– | I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry | 3:09 |
| 1-5 | Tornadoes 74– | Telstar | 3:14 |
| 1-6 | The Brooklyn Bridge– | Worst That Could Happen | 3:08 |
| 1-7 | Percy Sledge– | When A Man Loves A Woman | 2:52 |
| 1-8 | The Association (2)– | Never My Love | 3:26 |
| 1-9 | Hank Ballard– | Finger Poppin’ Time | 1:48 |
| 1-10 | The Beau Brummels– | Laugh Laugh | 2:53 |
| 1-11 | Clarence Carter– | Slip Away | 2:31 |
| 1-12 | Lou Christie– | Lightning Strikes | 2:51 |
| 1-13 | The Classics IV– | Stormy | 2:51 |
| 2-1 | The Crystals– | Da Doo Ron Ron | 2:06 |
| 2-2 | Joey Dee & The Starliters– | Peppermint Twist | 1:55 |
| 2-3 | The Drifters– | Under The Boardwalk | 2:36 |
| 2-4 | Everly Brothers– | Cathy’s Clown | 2:37 |
| 2-5 | Wayne Fontana– | Game Of Love | 2:15 |
| 2-6 | Gerry & The Pacemakers– | Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey | 2:23 |
| 2-7 | Wilbert Harrison– | Kansas City | 2:21 |
| 2-8 | Ben E. King– | Stand By Me | 3:14 |
| 2-9 | Gary Lewis & The Playboys– | Sure Gonna Miss Her | 2:05 |
| 2-10 | The Marvelettes– | Don’t Mess With Bill | 3:43 |
| 2-11 | The Miracles– | Shop Around | 2:52 |
| 2-12 | Mungo Jerry– | The Summertime | 3:38 |
No Beatles? No Beach Boys or Dylan? Yeah, plenty of quibble-fodder in that list, but they seem to have given a wide and representative sample.
Dan, you’re right about the variety of songs on this 2-CD set. But claiming these are the “25 Best Hits of the 1960s” is false.
Do I know them? Duh, there is nothing there that I am not intimately familiar with. First of all, “Kansas City” came out in 1959, so they couldn’t even get that right.
Some favorites:
Under the Boardwalk
Da Doo Ron Ron
When a Man Loves a Woman
Take Good Care of My Baby (a Carole King-Gerry Goffin song)
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (I’ve been listening to Hank Williams’s Greatest Hits lately)
Jeff, nice list! Thanks for Fact-Checking “Kansas City.” I suspected it was a 1950s song.
A very odd mix: either extremely early 1960s (or, as Jeff points out, late 1950s) or mid-to-late 1960s—and no representation of the major British Invasion acts (unless you count Gerry & the Pacemakers) which really define sixties music for many of us. I know all of the songs here and really like a number of them, but this is a mishmash, pure & simple.
Deb, “mishmash” describes this 2-CD set perfectly! Some solid hits mixed in with some deservedly forgotten songs…
Some good R&Bsongs. The only non R&B I like is the Everly Brothers. Otherwise a lot of lame crap like Garym Lewis. Pretty lame collection over all.
Steve, the claim to be the 25 Best Hits of 1960s is totally bogus.
Best? Not by a long shot, but there are some notable earworms here. I’d go along with Jeff’s list and add STAND BY ME, DA DOO RON RON, LIGHTNING STRIKES, and THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT.
One can never understand the value of an echo chamber until one endures Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
Jerry, you are so right about the echo chamber!
Whoops. Jeff did have DA DOO RON RON on his list. My bad.
Gulp. I know them all! I remember listening to them on my transistor radio, or seeing them lip-synced on Bandstand or Lloyd Thaxton. I have to admit, I’m as fond of the one-hit also-rans as I am of the major ’60s movers and shakers–Gary Lewis and Lou Christie included. For compilations like this, I presume the Beatles, Beach Boys, the Stones, and Dylan are either unavailable or too expensive to license. (As I recall, the old Rhino British Invasion CDs got around this by cherry-picking two of the Beatles’ early, pre-Capitol singles.). Man, this list spans my elementary school years (Joey Dee) to my sophomore year in college (Mungo Jerry)
Fred, like you, I find these songs bring back a lot of memories of the 1960s. I had my transistor radio playing constantly and many of these songs found their way onto WKBW, our local Rock-n-Roll radio station.
None of these would be desert island 45s. I agree with Dan. Don’t even talk about ’60s best hits unless you’re including the Beatles or Rolling Stones. But I guess naming it Some Songs from the 60s wouldn’t make folks run out to buy it.
I know them all and do enjoy occasionally hearing them on Sirius.
Favorites? Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ben E. King, the Everly Brothers, the Drifters, and the Association.
Beth, I like your picks! There are some good songs on this 2-CD set, but as Steve pointed out, some of the songs are lame.
Off the top of my head, two favourites missing: Black is the colour of my true love’s hair and Leaving on a Jet Plane. I don’t see any Doors, Frank Sinatra too.
Neeru, after posting about dozens of these compilation CDs, the realization sets in that the songs included usually tend to be “affordable” but not representative of the era. Sinatra, The Doors, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones songs would cost Real Money.
Yes, the 25 hits we could afford easily, as much as we care is more the True title of such comps.
Fred’s comment reminded me: in 1962, for a belated bar mitzvah present, my mother took me to Ben Maksik’s Town and Country (I believe you can look it up) to see Joey Dee & the Starlighters. It was at the height of the Twist craze. For once, a dance even I could do!
/end old fart nostalgia
I’m not sure, but I think a credit to “Telstars ’74” either is a typo on the comp.’s jacket (say it isn’t so!) or suggests that they paid for a reunion version of the Telstars’ recording, so another disqualified temporally as well as due to questions of informed musical judgement.
Todd, I’ll have to look into the “Telstar” controversy!
And typing while half asleep shows itself again…a recording of “Telstar” by “Tornadoes ’74″…a clarification that has little purpose, but could be useless!
I was surprised to find out how many hit records Jerry Lewis and the Playboys had! Though he is the weakest of this bunch most are decent and enjoyable to hear! Best? Not by a long shot! Available and cheap, yes!
Bob, I think I bought 25 BEST HITS OF THE 1960s for a quarter.
Seems proper.