60s music

[davo99]

So I'm in charge of my old man's 60th playlist.

Just wanted some good suggestions?

So far I have:

The beatles, Elvis, Elton John and the kinks.

 

[rodney hoo]

Stones, the who, cream late sixties, Hendrix.

 

[Roobs321]

Raid a lot of the Vietnam-y type music and things like The Big Chill sound track. Creedence Clearwater Revival seems to still go down a treat at baby boomer parties.

A Whiter Shade of Pale is almost mandatory in any 60s playlist.

 

[Halloween Jack]

Small Faces
Easybeats

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Not sure if it was out then but Whiter Shade of Pale by Procal Harum.

 

[JP Sauce]

Raid a lot of the Vietnam-y type music and things like The Big Chill sound track. Creedence Clearwater Revival seems to still go down a treat at baby boomer parties.

A Whiter Shade of Pale is almost mandatory in any 60s playlist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Duty_(TV_series)#The_original_soundtrack_albums

 

[JP Sauce]

You've got all the huge rock bands - Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, Cream, Creedence, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Beach Boys, Queen and Springsteen (neither are 60's but they fit in).

Slightly less big name rock bands like the Band (The Weight is a must), the Byrds (Mr Tambourine Man another must), the Animals, etc. Depending on what your old man is into you could go a bit more "alternative" with the likes of the Velvet Underground or the Stooges.

Don't just focus on rock bands though. Stevie Wonder is the party music king. Ray Charles, James Brown, Otis Redding, the Supremes, etc.

For something a little softer you could go with the Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield or other folky 60s/70s bands. Singer-songwriters are hit and miss at parties. Dylan and Young aren't always great but Elton, Bowie, Van Morrison (solo and with Them), Simon & Garfunkel are. And even though I'm not a fan of the artists in general - Sweet Caroline and Piano Man are an absolute must later on in the night.

Don't neglect the ladies either. Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner (with Ike), Carole King, Dusty Springfield, Janis Joplin, Cilla Black and Petula Clarke will all be great.

As others have mentioned - Whiter Shade of Pale is a must. Unchained Melody too.

Or just Google it.

 

[davo99]

Cheers for the suggestions lads! Will add all of these.

 

[Threadkilla]

What JP Sauce said +
Canned Heat
Steppenwolf
Norman Greenbaum (Spirit in the Sky)
Neil Young

 

[rocker_oz33]

The Doors.
Steppen-wolf.

well there early 70's thought they were 60's but America.

 

[CURVE]

One of the ladies that gets forgotten a little is Nancy Sinatra. Either solo or as a duet with Lee Hazelwood she released some wonderful songs in the 60's.

 

[Dogs 13]

Small Faces
Easybeats

Tin Soldier - Small Faces is a must.
Eloise by Barry Ryan is huge.
Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Gimme Some Lovin - Spencer Davis Group
I Can See For Miles - The Who
Summer in The City - The Lovin Spoonful
I Heard it Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye and/or Creedence
Spicks and Specks - The Bee Gees
Lonely Days - The Bee Gees
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (one of the greatest songs ever written)
Foxy Lady - Hendrix
Paint It Black - The Stones
Gloria - Them (Van Morrison)
The Letter - The Box Tops
Roadhouse Blues - The Doors
Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder
Shapes of Things - The Yardbirds
Sha La La La Lee - The Small Faces

To close it off The End - The Beatles

 

[La Dispute]

Some Velvet Underground or some Nick Drake will definitely get the party pumping.

 

[aflcliche]

The Four Seasons
Johnny Cash
Roy Orbison
Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. More 70s but would fit in.
Don't forget Motown - The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Jackson 5

 

[WALDENPOND]

The Monks and The Sonics are my favourites at the moment from that time.

 

[Running Dog]

To the excellent suggestions proffered so far I would add:

Plenty of stuff from Stax and Atlantic - Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, William Bell, Sam Cooke, Booker T & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas etc. Anything featuring the legendary backing musicians from Muscle Shoals is usually a winner.

The 'girl groups'- Shirelles, Ronettes, Crystals etc. Da Doo Ron Ron seems to be an evergreen.

'Rude boy' music (ska, rocksteady, dancehall etc) was the 'world music' of the early 60's, if that's what he's into. Desmond Dekker, Pioneers, Prince Buster, Skatalites, Harry J All Stars etc.

Best wishes to your old man, hope it's a great party!

 

[GoldenHodge]

Some pretty good suggestions in here. Not too sure what genre of 60s music you're after, but I'll suggest some Merseybeat bands that were around in the early 60s like The Swinging Blue Jeans, Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Searchers. Either way you have a diverse list of artists and bands in this thread to choose from.