1962
Event of the year: Cuba goes day-glo.
Fad: Hiding in bomb shelters
Babe of the Year: Betty Rubble
Scandal of the Year: Marilyn Manson sings to JFK
Movie or TV show to barf to: The Beverly Hillbillies
What we could have done without: Middle aged people doing the Twist
Pet of the year: Dino (no, not Dean Martin)
Other Tidbits: US and Soviets on brink of war over Cuba, Khrushchev gets something in his eye, Glenn orbits the Earth and gets dizzy, Beatles signed by VeeJay records, Decca signs Mitch Miller, Andy Warhol paints a can of soup, Humbert Humbert exposed as a pervert, Frank Sinatra fails to prevent the Assassination of Senator James Gregory, Elvis Presley wins his fifth Academy Award, To Serve Man is exposed as a cookbook, A moose is eaten when he pulls a rabid squirrel out of his hat (again?).
Jazz is hanging in for another year as folk and rock becomes more influential. Let’s say we give the top Twenty-Five a spin…
1) Joan Baez- Joan Baez in Concert
2) Peter Paul and Mary- Peter Paul and Mary
3) John Coltrane- Coltrane
4) Bob Dylan- Bob Dylan
5) Sun Ra- The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra
6) John Coltrane- John Coltrane Plays the Blues
7) John Lee Hooker- Burnin’
8) Charles Mingus- Oh Yeah!
9) Herbie Hancock- Takin Off
10) Howlin Wolf- Howlin Wolf
11) Marvin Gaye- That Stubborn Kind of Fellow
12) Ravi Shankar- Improvisations
13) Ian and Sylvia- Ian and Sylvia
14) Carolyn Hester- Carolyn Hester
15) Booker T and the Mgs- Green Onions
16) Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers- Moasic
17) Sam Cooke- Twistin the Night Away
18) The Supremes- Meet the Supremes
19) Gene Pitney- The Many Sides of Gene Pitney
20) The Marvelettes- Playboy
21) Ray Charles- Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
22) James Brown- Good Good Twistin
23) Charles Mingus- Tijuana Moods
24) The Miracles- I’ll Try Something New
25) The Shadows- Out of the Shadows
This is the year of folk to be sure. I’m generally not big on live albums but there are exceptions. Joan Baez in concert is one of them. If you think I’m off my rocker, listen to her rendition of What Have They Done To the Rain and then tell me I’m nuts. Then again, knowing some of you guys
)…
Peter Paul and Mary comes in at number two. I guess for most people a little bit of them can go a long way, but their first three albums and especially their debut very much impresses me. Again, listen to 500 Miles and… Coltrane comes up with another gem and Bob Dylan makes his solid debut. Number Five is my big surprise while other solid entries include Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye’s debut, Booker T’s Green Onions and my other big surprise, Meet the Supremes- go figure. The Beach Boys also recorded their first album this year, but they have to settle for honorable mention. I like the Beach Boys, but their debut really isn’t all that good.
Biggest Surprise- Sun Ra- The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra
The king of experimental jazz is no better than on this gem. I didn’t know what to expect having only really heard Rocket Number Nine, but, yeah, wow. Love this album.
Biggest Disappointment- Ray Charles- Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.
No, I didn’t really expect it to be among my absolute favorite albums, but when you consider this is considered to be the best album of 1962 by many critics, this doesn’t even come close for me. I guess I’m a bigger fan of his Atlantic output when it comes right down to it. Here, he’s trying to be Frank Sinatra or whoever.
Honorable Mention- The Beach Boys- Surfin Surfari, Bo Diddley- Bo Diddley, Ornette Coleman Quartet- Ornette, The Shirelles- Baby It’s You, Lightnin Hopkins- Lightnin Strikes
Stinker of the Year- Ann Corio and Sonny Lester- How To Strip For Your Husband
This was the year of David Rose and the Stripper. It was also the time when women were nervous that their husbands wouldn’t like their coffee. So, naturally this album was meant for a helpful guideline for women to , um, serve their husbands. Look for classics like Seduction of the Virgin Princess and Lonely Little G-String.
Well, we’ve survived the Cubans and the Twist. Stay tuned for next week as we cover 1963.
