THE SIXTIES — GROOVY HITS and THE SIXTIES — MORE GROOVY HITS

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I confess: I bought THE SIXTIES: GOOVY HITS and THE SIXTIES: MORE GOOVY HITS for the covers. Of course, the music is good, too. You can’t go wrong with The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.” “My Guy” by Mary Wells is a classic as is Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman.” And who can resist The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar”?

Herman’s Hermits version of “I’m Into Something Good” is an insidious ear-worm that takes over my brain each time I listen to it. Do you remember these hits from the Sixties? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+ (for both)

TRACK LIST:


Volume 1
The Drifters–Under The Boardwalk
The Shangri-Las–Leader Of The Pack
The Marketts–Surfer’s Stomp
Sam & Dave–Soul Man
The Chiffons–He’s So Fine
Mary Wells–My Guy
Percy Sledge–When A Man Loves A Woman
The Angels (3)–My Boyfriend’s Back
The Archies–Sugar Sugar
The Isley Brothers–Twist & Shout
Volume 2
1The Kingsmen–Louis Louis Written-By – Richard Berry2:45
2Gene Chandler–Duke Of Earl Written-By – Bernice Williams, Earl Edwards, Eugene Dixon2:30
3Lesley Gore–It’s My Party Written-By – Herbert Weiner, John Gluck Jr., Wally Gold2:16
4The Drifters–Save The Last Dance For Me Written-By – Pomus-Shuman2:34
5Gerry & The Pacemakers–Ferry ‘Cross The MerseyWritten-By – Gerry Marsden, Les ChadwickWritten-By – Gerry Marsden, Les Chadwick2:45
6The Troggs–Wild Thing Written-By – Chip Taylor2:36
7Jan & Dean–Little Old Lady From Pasadena Written-By – Don Altfeld, Roger Christian2:26
8Herman’s Hermits–I’m Into Something Good Written-By – Goffin And King2:31
9The Chiffons–One Fine Day Written-By – Goffin And King2:09
10Jimmy Clanton–Venus In Blue Jeans Written-By – Greenfield & Sedaka2:18

25 thoughts on “THE SIXTIES — GROOVY HITS and THE SIXTIES — MORE GROOVY HITS”

  1. wolf

    Of couraw I remember most of these songs and still like them!
    Sometimes I look for them on youtube and recently I found the Shangi-Las and the Leader of the pack – really funny video.
    And then of course both records by the Drifters – fond memories!

    Reply ↓
      1. Todd Mason

        Their kind of “smooth” soul wasn’t quite falling out of favor, but it was losing the focused support of the Top 40 programmers, and even, I suspect, more Black Radio programmers. Even Motown was getting a rougher edge, on balance.

  2. Deb

    These are almost all early sixties records with a couple of outliers thrown in (like The Troggs). I know Herman’s Hermits and Gerry & the Pacemakers were part of the British Invasion, but most of these songs (not that they aren’t good) feel very pre-Beatles to my ears. With covers like that, I was figuring we’d have songs like “Incense & Peppermints”, “Inna-Gadda-Da-Vita”, and “Green Tambourine”.

    TL; DR: good music, misleading covers.

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  3. Fred Blosser

    The only one I don’t remember is the Marketts’ track. I suppose “Out of Limits” was unavailable or unaffordable. Pretty good diversity — soul, surf, British Invasion, Brill Building, teen idols male (Jimmy Clanton) and female (Lesley Gore).

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  4. Jeff Meyerson

    I’m with Fred on the Marketts song. Otherwise, I know them all, intimately. I don’t know that I’d class most of them as “groovy,” though. “Wild Thing,” yes.

    “One Fine Day” (which autocorrect tried to make “Ozone”) is another of Jackie’s favorites.

    I once made a list of songs with Groovy” or “Grooving” in the title but it’s gone now.

    Reply ↓
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, “Goovy” is definitely a Sixties term. And WORDPRESS tried to change “goovy” to “goofy” on me. Blast that damnable Spellchecker!

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  5. Jeff Meyerson

    Let’s see, songs with a variation of “groovy” in the lyrics.

    Groovin’
    The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
    Groove Me
    Eleanore (“I really think you’re groovy”)
    Do You Believe in Magic (“if the music is groovy, it makes you feel happy like an old time movie”)
    Spooky (” when everything is getting kinda of groovy”)
    A Groovy Kind of Love
    Wild Thing (“you make everything groovy”)
    Somebody Groovy
    Groovy Situation
    Workin’ on a Groovy Thing
    Shake Your Groove Thing

    I would buy that album!

    Reply ↓
  6. Todd Mason

    Nothing here I don’t like at least a little…pretty impressive that way among these no-budget collections.
    “Out of Limits” isn’t the most memorable song on the comp, but the Marketts were paying homage more to THE TWILIGHT ZONE musically, even if giving more the nod toward THE OUTER LIMITS in title…1964 being a year when one could catch new episodes of both.
    Here ’tis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUZa1bDY2JI

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  7. Beth Fedyn

    No earworms here but a true collection of favorites.
    Leader of the Pack was very popular on Girl Scout camping trips – a bunch of little girls singing those immortal lyrics over and over. The leaders must have wanted to commit suicide – or mass murder.

    Reply ↓
    2. Jeff Meyerson

      Beth, I can top that. Jackie’s senior class trip in 1965 – yes, we’re old – was to Washington, D.C., and she said they sang “Wooly Bully” all the way there and back.

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  8. Fred Blosser

    I think Jimmy Clanton was name-checked in one of James Lee Burke’s novels as Dave Robicheux recalls the singers from his ’50s youth.

    Reply ↓
    1. Jeff Meyerson

      Jimmy Clanton is still alive and performing. We’ve seen him several times in doo wop concerts and at Jazzfest, his hair white now, wearing a tuxedo.

      Reply ↓
  9. Cap'n Bob

    Who can resist The Archies singing Sugar, Sugar? ME! With extreme prejudice! I hated bubble gum music!

    Reply ↓

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