It was 40 years ago this June that Sgt. Pepper was released and the Monterey Pop Festival was held. And so the legendary "Summer of Love" began. This was by far my favorite time in the history of pop music, and I relive it every day of my life just about, to be honest. Anyway, I thought it would only be right for us to have a thread about it now, so post here your comments, favorite albums, favorite songs, favorite scenes, favorite artists and bands, personal memories (if you were around back then), whatever, from 1967...

Good Rev., while I was above ground in 1967....even I wasn't listening to anything in 1967. Now, if you had said 1969....I would have been all over that. Of course, Dec. 6th, 1969 was the end of The Summer of Love.....and I was close to being there to witness it. Thankfully, my Black Sheep of an Aunt heard who was going to be "Security" that day.


aka


Damn, it's good to finally not be the Most Ancient one around.



P.S. I have already said several times before that I have to almost force myself to listen to Sgt. Peppers after having to take my sisters to The Abomination. Having said that, I really don't think it's held up well over the years. It might be the one of my least liked recordings by The Beatles.

Hmmmmm...that wasn't exactly the kind of discussion starter I had in mind, somehow...

Let's back up a few months to January. One of the most influential debuts in all of rock history was released that month, to almost no notice at all. It was The Velvet Underground and Nico. There could probably be nothing more antithetical than that album and the "Summer of Love", but at least mentioning it will perhaps put the importance of '67 in perspective.

Sorry Rev., but I don't have fond memories of what you consider "The Summer of Love"....I remember it as the years I lost my uncles in Vietnam and the worrying about my father.



Once you forget about the production involved in making it....Sgt. Peppers has two classics/masterpieces of rock, a couple good songs and lots of filler. It's really their weakest recording. Magical Mystery Tour was their best record from 1967.





What's truly amazing about the Velvet Underground and their recordings, is how influential they and their recordings have been ever since then, however, they're only selling a bit better now than then. They're not many groups and recordings you can say that about.



P.S. Have you ever heard the mono version of Sgt. Peppers and if so, which do you prefer?

the only thing that pops into my mind when i hear 1967 is...

Now that is what I am talking about....one of the best debut recordings, BABY!

Some recordings that were released in 1967. A great many of these are a lot better than Sgt. Peppers.


Winter

Younger Than Yesterday - The Byrds
Mellow Yellow - Donovan
The Doors - The Doors (debut)
More of The Monkees - The Monkees
Da Capo - Love
King & Queen - Otis Redding and Carla Thomas
Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane
Between the Buttons - The Rolling Stones
The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland - The Supremes



Spring

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (debut)
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits - Bob Dylan
Up, Up and Away - The Fifth Dimension (debut)
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You - Aretha Franklin
The Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - Merle Haggard
Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane
The Marvelettes - The Marvelettes
Headquarters - The Monkees
Electric Music for the Mind and Body - Country Joe & the Fish
12 Greatest Hits - Patsy Cline
How Great Thou Art - Elvis Presley
I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim - Frank Sinatra
Temptations Live! - The Temptations
Happy Together - The Turtles
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground (debut)
Absolutely Free - The Mothers of Invention



Summer

Joan - Joan Baez
Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 2 - The Beach Boys
Smiley Smile - The Beach Boys
Bee Gees 1st - The Bee Gees
The Byrds' Greatest Hits - The Byrds
Brighten the Corner - Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Arrives - Aretha Franklin
Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (debut)
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion - The Incredible String Band
Moby Grape - Moby Grape
Small Faces - Small Faces
Absolutely Free - The Mothers of Invention
The Sound of Wilson Pickett - Wilson Pickett
The Temptations with a Lot o' Soul - The Temptations
Little Games - The Yardbirds



Autumn

Wild Honey - The Beach Boys
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Buffalo Springfield Again - Buffalo Springfield
It Must Be Him - Vikki Carr
Disraeli Gears - Cream
A Gift from a Flower to a Garden - Donovan
Greatest Hits - Diana Ross and The Supremes
Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Donovan
Strange Days - The Doors
John Wesley Harding - Bob Dylan
One Nation Underground - Pearsl Before Swine
The Magic Garden - The Fifth Dimension
United - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie
Branded Man - Merle Haggard
The Parable of Arable Land - The Red Krayola
Everybody Needs Love - Gladys Knight and the Pips
After Bathing At Baxter's Jefferson Airplane
Forever Changes - Love
Scott - Scott Walker
Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge (debut)
Ten Years After - Ten Years After (debut)
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd. - The Monkees
Days of Future Passed - The Moody Blues
Blowin' Your Mind! - Van Morrison
Pleasures Of The Harbor - Phil Ochs
Easter Everywhere - 13th Floor Elevators
Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (condensed version) - Pink Floyd
Clambake - Elvis Presley
Procol Harum - Procol Harum
Underground - The Electric Prunes
Axis, Bold As Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Their Satanic Majesties Request - Rolling Stones
Chelsea Girl - Nico
Butterfly - The Hollies
Seen in Green - The Seekers
Days of Future Passed - The Moody Blues
After Bathing at Baxter's - Jefferson Airplane
Silk & Soul - Nina Simone
Mr. Fantasy - Traffic
No Way Out - The Chocolate Watchband
The Temptations in a Mellow Mood - The Temptations
The Who Sell Out - The Who
Goodbye and Hello - Tim Buckley
Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen
Safe as Milk - Captain Beefheart

Ooooooo... 'Clambake' by Elvis Presley!

I was at a prime age for the summer of love. Unfortunately, I was just coming out of my AM radio pop music cocoon. As was mentioned previously about Vietnam, it hung over my life in a significant way too. I'm still amazed at how so many people of my generation had all these wonderful times and travels while Vietnam saturated society at all levels. In 1967 I was cracking the books to stay in school in order to delay my inevitable military duty until the worst of Nam was past . (I am proud to have served and think the draft should be brought back, in some form, today)

The tension between a nasty war and conscience expanding ideas made for a time ripe with frission (life and death, baby!). I love the music and ideas that came out of the summer of love era - they shape me today. I just wish I was more involved then instead of working construction, sweating exams and doing my duty.

Like Satchmo, If the summer of love had happened a few years later I would have been more tuned in. Actually, a 2007 summer of love with my current brain and my 1967 body would be a blast.

And I am very sorry that you were going through that at that time. I was 10 years old and aware of Vietnam, but not really affected by it. My brother actually volunteered in around '68 but was deemed "4F" because of his physical condition.



OK, I know one of the classics you speak of must be "A Day In The Life". What is the other? As for your general opinion of the album, I simply don't agree. I would go as far as to say it isn't their very best, and I actually agree with you that Magical Mystery Tour constitutes a stronger collection of songs (in spite of the fact that it isn't really an album, but an EP padded with hit singles).





Excellent point.



I actually own the mono version, and I very much prefer it. But it doesn't help that the mono version was my "imprint" (in other words, the one I listened to originally) back in '67. The differences in the two mixes are significant enough that the two are pretty much entirely different listening experiences. There are many who consider the mono mix to be the "definitive Pepper", based on the fact that it's the mix the Beatles themselves were most involved in.

Yeah, I would go as far as to say that Are You Experienced? is far and away the most impressive debut album ever. I'm very sentimental about the album, but I think a lot of people would agree with my assessment regardless.