Sometime about 1985 or so, I went through this phase where I got really into music from the 60’s. By the mid 80’s, punk and post punk had kind of played itself out, at least in my mind, and new wave just really wasn’t doing it for me. There were the bands I heard on the college radio station at Kent State, but I even got a little bored with that. Then somehow, I started listening to a bunch of stuff from the 60’s, and it was good. It started me on about a 3 or 4 year journey where I kind of stumbled through the 60’s, listened to a lot of old blues records, and really got into old school ska.

So, I thought I would through up some of the tunes I really dig from the 60’s. Starting with Jimi Hendrix’s May This Be Love, my personnel favorite from Are You Experienced, which is maybe my favorite 60’s album. The song is absolutely timeless in it’s appeal…I played it for my 12 year old daughter who thought it was a perfectly wonderful song. Speaking of timeless classics, Janis Joplin’s Summertime is it. I know she had some bigger rockers, but this is the song that has always done it for me. She was never better than this, and considering how great she was, that’s saying a lot.

The Pretty Things are a little band I didn’t really know too much about, and honestly, I still don’t. A friend gave me a mix tape with a couple of their songs on it, and while I loved those songs, I never took it further did more digging into them. I have a feeling that if I did, I would find an immensely great band. Note to self: Find more of The Pretty Things.

Finally, The Animals were a band I came across by following Eric Burdens career; I started listening to some of his stuff from War, and then wound up with The Animals. The rest of the list is stuff I could listen to all day…The Beatles Helter Skelter is without a doubt just a crazed rocker…I remember watching that Manson movie when I was a kid, and that song plain scared the hell out of me because of it until I got older. But it’s the highlight of the Beatles. I put the Stones Paint It Black up here, even though I MUCH prefer The Animals version of the song. But hats off the the Stones….it’s a great tune. Anyway, welcome back to the 60’s, or at least my version of it. These are just a few of my favorite things…enjoy!

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experiance - May This Be Love
2. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
3. The Animals - It’s My Life
4. The Beatles - Helter Skelter
5. The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow Is Born
6. The Byrds - Eight Miles High
7. Janis Joplin - Summertime
8. Steppenwolf - The Pusher
9. Bob Dylan - Masters Of War
10. Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues