Harpers Bizarre, Bobby Vee and the Strangers, The Casinos, Stone Poneys, Spanky and Our Gang, The Association, Petula Clark, The Monkees, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Turtles - 1967 Am Gold

Track List: 1. Up-up and away~The 5th Dimension, 2. Happy Together~The Turtles, 3. Daydream Believer~The Monkees, 4. Dedicated to the One I Love~The Mamas and The Papas, 5. How Can I Be Sure~The Young Rascals, 6. Sunday Will Never Be The Same~Spanky and Our Gang, 7. I second That Emotion~Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 8. 98.6~Keith, 9. I say Little Prayer~Dionne Warwick, 10. To Love Somebody~The Bee Gees, 11. Tell It Like It Is~Aaron Neville, 12. Windy~The Association, 13. Don't Sleep in the Subway~Petula Clark, 14. Come Back When You Grow Up~Bobby Vee & The Stangers, 15. Different Drum~Stone Poneys, 16. The 59th St Bridge Song(Feein' Groovy)~Harpers Bizarre, 17. The Rain The Park and other Things~The Cowsills, 18. Love is Here and Now Your Gone~The Supremes, 19. (The Lights Whent Out In) Massachusetts~The Bee Gees, 20. Green, Green grass of Home~Tom Jones, 21. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye~The Casinos, 22. Ode To Billie Joe~Bobbie Gentry. Product Description

Excellent Top 40 collection from 1967

I don't usually review compilations. Too many variables. However, this excellent collection seems to have been sold short by a previous reviewer . . . so here's my take.

This playlist lives up to its name - AM Gold. If you want the B side of Vanilla Fudge 45's, or need to hear Jimi Henrix played backwards, this is not for you (are you listening, oh Gourmet of Alternative Rock?). Classic Schmassic.

I highly recommend this CD for us late middle agers that grew up on AM Top 40. My advice after purchase: DO NOT even look at the song list. Just put in the CD and be ready for some very pleasant surprises. Wonderful stuff. And it sounds even better now than the ecstasy of back when I heard it the first time via the single blown out speaker in my Plymouth. I don't think you'll be disappointed. September 5, 2007

The Cream of the Pop from 1967

Time/Life has another series that covers the late Sixties much better than this one called Classic Rock. In that series there are four 1967 compilations: 1967, 1967 Blowin in the Wind, 1967 Shakin' All Over, and 1967 Blowin' Your Mind. All of them are better than 1967 AM GOLD, which focuses on the AM hits, but it does have songs the Classic Rock CDs do not include and that makes it worth seeking out for those of us who cherish our memories of the Sixties.

The Classic Rock CDs include many of the more important songs, mostly album cuts, the hits that have survived the test of time and are what we now call "Classic Rock." Nineteen Sixty-Seven was the beginning of the transition from AM to FM radio and music revolution was well underway.

As a baby boomer, I bought this release because it included a lot of the radio tunes that I never purchased back in the day, and wouldn't want to buy now on 20 different crappy CDs. However, there are half-a-dozen songs that I want to include on my own compilation 1967 CD-Rs... In retrospect, as primarily a Stones, Hendrix, Doors and Zep fan, these AM friendly songs sound a lot better from the distance of 40 years! And, it goes without saying, kick the crap out of the drek they play on 'today's' AM/FM radio.

John July 10, 2007

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