When I say "listen," I mean "owned their albums." And all of the most significant work by these artists came out in his high school through college years (1962-1970). All three of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's albums were released when my dad was in college. Every single Beatles album, from Please Please Me to Let it Be, was released when my dad was in high school or college. You know how many Beatles albums he had? A lone 45 with Hey Jude on one side and Revolution on the other. The Rolling Stones released at least a dozen albums (many their most significant) during this time period as well.
My dad had none of this stuff. Which always led me to conclude that he was a little weird. I mean, I guess he's always been sort of straightlaced. When others of his generation were all:
...my dad was all
Which might explain why he didn't tolerate much longhair music lying around the house by the time I was around and acts like KISS came out. But that's a post for another time.
Dad's record collection has some good stuff, no doubt about it: The Supremes, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Peter, Paul and Mary, Gene Pitney, Mamas & the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, at least one Bob Dylan record, a little Tommy James and the Shondells, etc. And it has some interesting, kitchy stuff like the Ventures, Donovan, Boots Randolph and Trini Lopez. But it also contains a fair amount of "good for drunken parties but not much else" novelty crap: Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Paul Revere and the Raiders, etc. And some completely sanitary, safe stuff like Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Turtles, and...the Monkees. Yes, my dad the Monkees. No Beatles, mind you, but he had the Monkees. What was wrong with this guy? Was he totally oblivious to the history making music he was practically swimming in?
I thought it might be interesting to compare my dad's tastes against the Billboard top 10 singles for the years that he was in high school and college (1962-1970) and see how they stack up. The BB top 10 for those years were:
1962:
01. Stranger On The Shore » Mr. Acker Bilk
02. I Can't Stop Loving You » Ray Charles
03. Mashed Potato Time » Dee Dee Sharp
04. Roses Are Red » Bobby Vinton
05. The Stripper » David Rose
06. Johnny Angel » Shelley Fabares
07. The Loco-Motion » Little Eva0
8. Let Me In » Sensations
09. The Twist » Chubby Checker1
0. Soldier Boy » Shirelles
1963:
1963:
01. Sugar Shack » Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
02. Surfin' U.S.A. » Beach Boys
03. The End Of The World » Skeeter Davis
04. Rhythm Of The Rain » Cascades
05. He's So Fine » Chiffons
06. Blue Velvet » Bobby Vinton
07. Hey Paula » Paul & Paula
08. Fingertips II » Little Stevie Wonder
09. Washington Square » Village Stompers
10. It's All Right » Impressions
1964
01. I Want To Hold Your Hand » Beatles
02. She Loves You » Beatles
03. Hello, Dolly! » Louis Armstrong
04. Oh, Pretty Woman » Roy Orbison
05. I Get Around » Beach Boys
06. Everybody Loves Somebody » Dean Martin
07. My Guy » Mary Well
s08. We'll Sing In The Sunshine » Gale Garnett
09. Last Kiss » J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers
10. Where Did Our Love Go » Supremes
1965:
01. Wooly Bully » Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
02. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) » Four Tops
03. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction » Rolling Stones
04. You Were On My Mind » We Five
05. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' » Righteous Brothers
06. Downtown » Petula Clark
07. Help! » Beatles
08. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat » Herman's Hermits
09. Crying In The Chapel » Elvis Presley
10. My Girl » Temptations
1966:
01. The Ballad Of The Green Berets » Sgt. Barry Sadler
02. Cherish » Association
03. (You're My) Soul And Inspiration » Righteous Brothers
04. Reach Out I'll Be There » Four Tops
05. 96 Tears » ? & The Mysterians
06. Last Train To Clarksville » Monkees
07. Monday, Monday » Mama's & The Papa's
08. You Can't Hurry Love » Supremes
09. Poor Side Of Town » Johnny Rivers
10. California Dreamin' » Mama's & The Papa's
1967:
01. To Sir With Love » Lulu
02. The Letter » Box Tops
03. Ode To Billie Joe » Bobby Gentry
04. Windy » Association
05. I'm A Believer » Monkees
06. Light My Fire » Doors
07. Somethin' Stupid » Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
08. Happy Together » Turtles
09. Groovin' » Young Rascals
10. Can't Take My Eyes Off You » Frankie Valli
1968:
01. Hey Jude » Beatles
02. Love Is Blue » Paul Mauriat
03. Honey » Bobby Goldsboro
04. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay » Otis Redding
05. People Got To Be Free » Rascals
06. Sunshine Of Your Love » Cream
07. This Guy's In Love With You » Herb Alpert
08. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly » Hugo Montenegro
09. Mrs. Robinson » Simon & Garfunkel
10. Tighten Up » Archie Bell & The Drells
1969:
01. Sugar, Sugar » Archies
2. Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In » Fifth Dimension
03. I Can't Get Next To You » Temptations
04. Honky Tonk Women » Rolling Stones
05. Everyday People » Sly & The Family Stone
06. Dizzy » Tommy Roe
07. Hot Fun In The Summertime » Sly & The Family Stone
08. I'll Never Fall In Love Again » Tom Jones
09. Build Me Up Buttercup » Foundations
10. Crimson And Clover » Tommy James & The Shondells
1970:
01. Bridge Over Troubled Water » Simon & Garfunkel
02. (They Long To Be) Close To You » Carpenters
03. American Woman / No Sugar Tonight » Guess Who
04. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head » B.J. Thomas
05. War » Edwin Starr
06. Ain't No Mountain High Enough » Diana Ross
07. I'll Be There » Jackson 5
08. Get Ready » Rare Earth
09. Let It Be » Beatles
10. Band Of Gold » Freda Payne
Now, the thing that immediately grabs my attention is how all of the most famous "classic" rock artists weren't exactly burning up the charts. I figured the Beatles would own this list. They made it 5 times, which is certainly respectable. The Rolling Stones made it twice. Twice? The MONKEES made it twice! Elvis--The King of Rock--made it a whopping one time. So did Clapton, with Cream. So did the Doors. Hendrix is not on this list. Janis Joplin is not on this list. The Who are not on this list. If I remember these bands all show up in the top 20 at various points, still I'm amazed none of them broke the top 10 once.
But interestingly, acts like Tommy James, and the aforementioned Monkees, and The Fifth Dimension (another band Dad liked), and Simon and Garfunkel, and Mamas & the Papas, and the Turtles, are on this list. And the aforementioned kegger drek, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, well, they were #1 in 1965. So Dad's tastes weren't all that out of the mainstream during those years.
So what this tells me (other than Billboard is a lousy indicator of what will still be on the radio in 40 years), is that my dad wasn't all that out of the mainstream, but more of a pop/top 40 kind of guy, and there's nothing wrong with that.
For the heck of it, I decided to look at what was popular for the two years after he left college. I was curious to see if anything from those years was reflected in my dad's record collection. But I didn't hold out much hope--I was born in '71, and the guy was a curmudgeon even by the time I was potty trained. Also, I was curious to see if Billboard had finally gotten with it in the years after Woodstock.
The top 10 for 1971-1972:
The top 10 for 1971-1972:
1971:
05. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart » Bee Gees
07. Go Away Little Girl » Donny Osmond
10. Knock Three Times » Dawn
1972: 01. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face » Roberta Flack
02. Alone Again (Naturally) » Gilbert O'Sullivan
03. American Pie » Don McLean
04. Without You » Nilsson
05. Candy Man » Sammy Davis Jr.
06. I Gotcha » Joe Tex
07. Lean On Me » Bill Withers
08. Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me » Mac Davis
09. Brand New Key » Melanie
Again, I found myself somewhat surprised: my dad has the John Denver album with Country Road and also has a 45 of American Pie (the thing I love about that 45 is that you actually have to flip it over halfway through the song because the song is so stinking long).
But it's clear that by 71-72 his tastes and popular music were beginning to head in two different directions. My dad hates Rod Stewart with a passion. Stewart was, if I remember correctly, a "longhair pervert," and, according to my dad, was quite possibly amorously inclined toward members of his own sex--though this last bit may have been a parting flourish on dad's part after a particularly colorful tirade against Mr. Stewart.
Dad seemed to have a particular problem with longhaired men. I don't know if he felt this way while he was still in college or if this came later, born of jealousy when he, as a CPA, had to get out of bed every day, shower, shave, and put on a suit and tie. Come to think of it, I'm starting to feel a little jealous myself. Grow up and join the real world, you stinko pinko! And get a haircut, you look like a girl! Or are you looking for the ladies room, sweetheart?
In any event, like I mentioned before, by the time KISS rolled around, four years after my dad graduated college and three years after I was born, ain't no way four longhairs in makeup of all things were going to gain entry to my home. And he'd be damned before I was ever going to listen to some longhair in makeup named "Alice."
So it would take a few years before I knew that there was more to Rock and Roll than, oh, say, Billy Joel. (Short hair? Man's name? Sure, the kid can listen to that.)
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