Still don't believe our music was better?

Allan:

Is 1967 the greatest year for pop music ever?

There a couple other years that I think are amazing but when I look at the sheer depth of quality of 1967, no other year really challenges. This is what you would have heard crackle out of the dashboard of your $2000 Barracuda that year and these are only hit singles. Keep in mind I’ve missed a few and this doesn’t count anything that wasn’t a hit .45 so Sgt. Pepper isn’t included. For the love of God, this is the year Johnny and June did Jackson and pretty much no one noticed or remembers. Jackson. Johnny Cash. That’s how good music was in 1967.

More Love-Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

San Franciscan Night-Animals

Higher and Higher-Jackie Wilson

The Letter-Box Tops

Gimme Little Sign-Brenton Wood

Knock on Wood-Otis and Carla

Never My Love-Association

Purple Haze-Jimi Hendrix

Expressway to Ypr Heart-Soul Survivors

Get Together-Youngbloods

Brown-Eyed Girl-Van Morrison

How Can I Be Sure-Young Rascals

Your Precious Love-Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Baby, I Love You-Aretha Franklin

To Sir With Love-Lulu

Hey, Baby-Buckinghams

People Are Strange-Doors

Reflections-Supremes

Soul Man-Sam & Dave

A Natural Woman-Aretha Franklin

Incense and Peppermint-Strawberry Alarm Clock

The Rain, the Park, and Other Things-Cowsills

I Can See for Miles-The Who

Lazy Day-Spanky and our Gang

I Heard It Through the Grapevine-Gladys Knight and the Pips

I Say a Little Prayer-Dionne Warwick

By the TimeI Get to Phoenix

For Once in My Life-Tony Bennett

I Second That Emotion-Smoky Robinson & the Miracles

Massachusetts-Bee Gees

Different Drum-Linda Ronstadt & Stone Panies

Everlasting Love-Robert Knight

Daydream Believer-Monkees

Judy in Disguise-John Fred and His Playboy Band

Summer Rain-Johnny Rivers

Hello Goodbye-Beatles

Bend Me, Shape Me-American Breed

I Am the Walrus-Beatles

Chain of Fools-Aretha Franklin

Love Me Two Times-Doors

Nobody But Me-Human Beinz

Green Tambourine-Lemon Pipers

I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight-Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

Foxey Lady-Jimi Hendrix

Spooky-Classic IV

She’s a Rainbow-Rolling Stones

Signed: Ken Lewis

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Allan:

I have fond memories of 1967 pop music when I was 13 years old, and many of the songs listed by Ken Lewis in his answer to this question.

I would like to add the following, which were all hits in the U.K. in the first two-thirds of the year, up to mid-August 1967 :-

Green Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones

Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Morning Town Ride - The Seekers

This is My Song - Petula Clark

Sunshine Superman - Donovan

Puppet on a String - Sandie Shaw

Detroit City - Tom Jones

Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings - Tom Jones

I was Kaiser Bill’s Batman - Whistling Jack Smith

I Can Hear The Grass Grow - The Move

Ha Ha Said The Clown - Manfred Mann

Silence is Golden - The Tremeloes

Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks

Then I Kissed Her - The Beach Boys

The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Carrie Anne - The Hollies

Okay - Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick and Tich

Paper Sun - Traffic

Death of a Clown - Dave Davies

She’d Rather Be With Me - The Turtles

I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Tom Jones

See Emily Play - Pink Floyd

I used to listen to all of these not on a record player but on my Ekco transistor radio exactly like the one pictured below. I always took this radio with me whenever I was with my friends in our village, going off for bicycle rides or playing football and cricket in a field owned by my friend’s father, who was a farmer.

I was listening to the pirate stations in this golden age of offshore pirate radio around the shores of the U.K., when listening to the radio was never as much fun before that or since. It all began in March 1964 when Radio Caroline started broadcasting and continued for three and a half years, with stations broadcasting from ships anchored at sea around British shores or from forts in the Thames Estuary.

But Monday, 14th August 1967 was “the day the music died” when nearly all of the pirate stations were forced off the air by the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act, which was hurriedly passed at the time by the Labour Government and made it a criminal offence for British persons and companies to have anything to do with these stations.

Jim Blair