In my late elementary and especially highschool days, the genre that became my number-one favorite was New Wave, and it remains to be so. Thinking about it–what really drew me to this kind of music–I long realized that it’s the melodie, the often complex arrangements and instrumentation, and the catchiness.
Further recollecting my earliest exposure to music, in my early-’70s childhood, I remember The Carpenters, The Hollies, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Zombies, The Cascades and, of course, The Beatles. This prompted me to explore farther and deeper into what became known as Sunshine/Psychedelic Pop, making me discover/rediscover the following wondrous gems that you might want to check out also.
01 The Flying Machine – The Flying Machine (1969) (contains the single “Smile a Little Smile for Me [Rosemarie]”)
02 The Foundations – From the Foundations (1967) (with singles “Baby, Now that I Found You” and “Build Me Up, Buttercup”)
03 Harpers Bizarre – Feelin’ Groovy (1967) (with “Happy Talk”)
04 The Fun & Games – Elephant Candy (1968) (“The Grooviest Girl in the World”)
05 The Yellow Balloon – The Yellow Balloon (1967) (“Stained Glass Window”)
06 The Association – And Then… Along Comes The Association (1967) (“Along Comes Mary” and “Cherish”)
07 Manfred Mann – Mighty Garvey (1968) (“Ha! Ha! Said the Clown”)
08 Inner Dialogue – Inner Dialogue (1969) (“Little Bits of Paper”)
09 The Five Americans – Progressions (1967) (“Zip Code”)
10 Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense & Peppermints (1967) (“Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow”)
11 The Peppermint Trolley Co. – The Peppermint Trolley Company (1968) (“Beautiful Sun”)
12 The Sugar Shoppe – The Sugar Shoppe (1968) (“Let the Truth Come Out”)
13 The Sunshine Company – The Sunday Company (1968) (“Sunday Brought the Rain”)
14 Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends – Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends – (1968) (“Love So Fine”)
15 The Free Design – Kites Are Fun (1967) (“The Proper Ornaments”)
16 Sagittarius – Present Tense (1968) (“The Keeper of the Games”)
17 The Peppermint Rainbow – Will You Be Staying after Sunday? (1969) (“Green Tambourine”)
18 West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – Part One (1967) (“Here’s Where You Belong”)
19 The Fifth Dimension – Up, Up and Away (1967) (“Learn How to Fly”)
20 Tinkerbell’s Fairydust – Tinkerbell’s Fairydust (1969) (“Lazy Day”)
21 The Lemon Pipers – Green Tambourine (1968) (“The Shoemaker of Leatherware Square”)
22 Simon Dupree & the Big Sound – Without Reservations (1967) (“Kites”)
Final Note
The sunny, shiny Pop music of the mid- to the late ’60s has always been represented by the likes of The Beatles, The Monkees, and The Beach Boys. It’s about time to dig the gems besides these mountains.
