Listomania! - 1966

" Christ, I'm so sick of seeing that Beliveau with the Cup!"

-Russell Paul (My Dad), May 5, 1966


The above statement comes from my first disappointment as a sports fan. The Montreal Canadiens had just beaten my Dad's ( and soon to be mine) beloved Detroit Red Wings in overtime in Game 6 of the 1966 Stanley Cup finals. The Wings would continue to disappoint me for another 31 years, so I got plenty used to it over that time. The Monkees and Batman were on TV and it was an exciting time to be a 5 1/2 year old. Starting with 1966, these lists will be a whole bunch harder to compile. You see, I could probably do a Top 50 for this and every following year, so whittling it down to 10 songs will be difficult. But, it must be done, so away we go. Many of the usual suspects of the time show up here again, but I never claimed that diversity of artists would be a feature of these lists, Steve!


10. Hold On, I'm Comin' - Sam & Dave

Unlike Motown, which used strings to soften their Northern Soul sound, these Memphis cats at Stax-Volt were much rawer sounding. Written and produced by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, this beauty of a tune has Booker T and his MGs as the backing band and utilizes the now legendary Memphis Horns as well. The tight groove of this song and Sam & Dave's rough, soulful vocals urge you out on the dancefloor and one is powerless to resist their charms. " Now don't you ever be sad." Not with this playing on the old console stereo!

9. My Little Red Book - Love

This is the genius Arthur Lee and Love's reworking of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune. The way the guitar is played drives this song along at an urgent pace, making a sort of garage anthem out of a song that was cut the same year by Mel Torme! The way it begins with the smashing tambourine and then the driving bass line is certainly music to these ears. I've heard that this song's guitar sound was an inspiration to Syd Barrett and the sound he wanted for his guitars. You can find this on Love's self-titled first album. " I just got out my little red book the moment that you said goodbye." If I'd had a little red book, it would have been very little.

8. Get Ready - The Temptations

Featuring the falsetto lead vocal of Eddie Kendricks, this song has the usual great Motown backing band the Funk Brothers kicking it out and as it was written by the amazing Smokey Robinson, you know the lyrics are way cool! Motown's slogan was "The Sound of Young America" and this one fits the bill to a tee. My Dad really hated this song too, so I was hooked! " I'm bringing you a love that's true, so get ready." Get down with the funky sound!

7. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again - Bob Dylan

From his masterpiece Blonde On Blonde, this 7 minutes-plus track sums up Dylan's greatness for me. I do a very bad impression of his distinctive voice, and it is usually this song that comes to mind when I break out that bad boy. The Hawks (later The Band) back him up on this one, with Robbie Robertson weaving his lithe lead runs throughout the song. Where Highway 61 Revisited had a more garagey sound, this one is bluesy and country-tinged. " And he just smoked my eyelids and punched my cigarette." Huh?

6. I Can't Let Go - The Hollies

All chiming guitars and British Invasion trendiness, this gem clocks in at a cool 2:24. Upon hearing this song, future bandmate David Crosby said that Graham Nash sounded like he swallowed a trumpet. It is the high harmonies of Nash that glue this song together. It is so full of hooks that they could have loaned a few out to others looking for that catchy sound. The chorus has that classic call and response bit too. I dare you to resist the urge to sing along with this! " Though I'm just one of your lovers, and I know there are so many others." Oo-er missus!

5. Big Black Smoke - The Kinks

Paul Weller would later use the opening bells on The Style Council tune A Man Of Great Promise, so we know he was a fan of this song. Although it sounds all English whimsy and such, it deals with a darker subject matter of the innocent girl caught in the clutches of the big and full of temptation London town. It does have Ray Davies' wry sense of humour though, especially the lines "Well, she slept in cabs and coffee bars and bowling alleys, and every penny she had was spent on purple hearts and cigarettes." Be careful out there!

4. Walk Away Renee - The Left Banke

One of the most gorgeous melodies ever written - hands down, no debate. This song incorporates an almost classical music sort of quality. I mean, listen to the violin as it winds its way through this song. These guys were from New York, but they sound just like they stepped out of rainy England. A fantastic lead vocal and a flute solo do this up right. Then there's that chorus - " Just walk away Renee, you won't see me follow you back home, The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same, You're not to blame." Oh Maria, my little heart is breaking. (Read that in your best McBain voice.)

3. Rain - The Beatles

This was on the B-side of my Paperback Writer 45. Back then, one played both sides of the 45s, and while I love the A-side to this day, Rain is maybe in my top 5 Beatles tunes ever. This is when they started experimenting with the backward vocals and slowing the tapes down and other studio gimmicks, and that's all fine, but for me, this is all about McCartney's God-like bass playing. Next time you listen to this song, just sit back and listen to the bass. Wow! Best bass ever! If my fingers weren't all crooked and useless, I would love to be able to play like this. Did I mention that the bass playing is pretty good? Apparently, he played this on a Rickenbacker bass, not his storied old Hofner. Ringo does a great job here as well, and John justifies his place as my fave Beatle with a great song and stellar vocals. The backward stuff is at the end and man, it was weird at the time! Why was this not on Revolver?

2. Eight Miles High - The Byrds

This is the one of the finest examples of the benefits of smoking a little weed in music history. This song is all colours and warmth and jangly, strange guitars. The noisy, freakout guitar parts were the strangest sounds these young ears had ever heard. One of many songs that my Dad would call "bloody noise" in the coming years, but my Grandmother knew better and took me to Sudbury to pick up this 45. It seems to be about them playing in England hence the lyric "Rain-grey town, known for its sound, In places Small Faces unbound." Far out man!

1. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson's genius reaches its peak! He was never the same after this, and it's no wonder. He spent over $50,000 on it which was a fortune at the time. It is said he recorded at least 15 versions of this song. I think that he deserved a few years in the sandbox after this one! It has always struck me as almost a modern hymn, with the chuch-sounding organ, beautiful harmonies, a cello, and....a theremin! One of the most perfect songs ever created and not a surfboard in sight!