There was a recent post about which decade was the best

Jun 29, 2023, 10:49 AM

for music. I was just looking at the Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Singles for 1967. You would be hard pressed to find another year that had such a diverse blend of music getting airplay on the radio, and selling in stores.

You had folk group crossovers: Peter, Paul and Mary (I Dig Rock and Roll Music). The Mama and the Pappas (Words of Love, Creeque Alley, Dedicated to the One I Love.)

You still had the British Invasion: The Beatles (Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need is Love, Hello, Goodbye), The Rolling Stones (Ruby Tuesday), The Dave Clark Five (You Got What it Takes), The Hollies (Carrie Anne), Eric Burdon and The Animals (San Franciscan Nights) and others.

You had Motown and Stax, almost too numerous to mention: The Supremes, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Martha and the Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, Sam and Dave, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

You had crooners: Johnny Rivers (Baby, I Need Your Lovin, Tracks of My Tears) Franki Valli (Can't Take My Eyes off of You), Bobby Vee (Come Back When You Grow Up), Lulu (To Sir, With Love), Vikki Carr (It Must Be Him), Dionne Warwick (I Say a Little Prayer), Bobby Vinton (Please Love Me Forever), Neil Diamond (Girl, You'll Be a Woman, Soon), Frank and Nancy Sinatra (Something Stupid), Englebert Humperdinck (Release Me).

Country Crossovers: Bobbie Gentry (Ode to Billie Joe), Ed Ames (My Cup Runneth Over).

Made for TV Groups: Paul Revere and the Raiders (Good Thing, Him or Me, What's it Gonna Be?), The Monkees (Daydream Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday, A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You).

Teenybopper groups: Tommy James and the Shondells (I Think We're Alone Now, Mirage) The Grassroots (Let's Live For Today), Five Americans (Western Union, da do da do dat da do da..), Herman's Hermits (There's Kind of Hush), The Cowsills (The Rain, The Park, and Other Things).

Vocal Groups: The Four Seasons (Tell It To The Rain, C'mon Marianne) The Seekers (Hey There, Georgy Girl), The Association (Windy, Never My Love).

Hippie music: The Turtles (Happy Together, She'd Rather Be with Me), Sonny and Cher (The Beat Goes On,), Scott MacKenzie (San Francisco), Jefferson Airplane (Somebody to Love, White Rabbit), The Lovin' Spoonful (Nashville Cats), The Young Rascals (Groovin', A Girl Like You, How Can I Be Sure)

"FM" Rock: Buffalo Springield (For What It's Worth), The Spencer Davis Group (I'm A Man), The Doors (Light My Fire), Procol Harum (A Whiter Shad of Pale), The Who (I Can See For Miles).

One Shot Wonders: Keith (98.6), Strawberry Alarm Clock (Incense and Peppermints), The Happenings (I Got Rhythm), The Music Explosion (Little Bit O' Soul), Every Mother's Son (Come on Down to My Boat), Victor Lundberg (An Open Letter to My Teenage Son), The Fantastic Johnny C (Boogaloo Down Broadway).

Even Future Convicted Felons: Bill Cosby (Little Old Man).

Just cool sounding names: Blues Magoos (We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet), Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (Sock It To Me, Baby!), Spanky and Our Gang (Sunday Will Never Be The Same), The Fifth Dimension (Up, Up, and Away), The Box Tops (The Letter), The Soul Survivors (Expressway to Your Heart), Gladys Knight and the Pips (I Heard It Through the Grapevine), The Buckinghams (Kind of A Drag, Don't You Care, Mercy Mercy Mercy), Jay and the Techniques (Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie), Petula Clark (This is my Song, Don't Sleep in the Subway).

And others I haven't even mentioned. All this music was just from 1967. a great year for music indeed.