Customer Reviews

60's: Gold

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

'60s GOLD is the latest release in Hip-O Records' "Gold" series. As usual they do a fine job in remastering and song selection--and amazon.com's discounted price makes this a real bargain! I have purchased several previous "Gold" series releases (SOUTHERN ROCK, '70s, BLUES, among others) and have always been pleased, and this is no exception.

However, here are a few points to consider:

*Most of these tracks are from the mid-Sixties. Twenty-six of the tracks were released from 1964 to 1967--eleven from 1967 alone! [Note: All tracks are presented chronologically.]

*There is a heavy emphasis on Motown hits. [Five of which are duplicated from MOTOWN GOLD.] My only concern is why was it necessary to include three(!) Supremes songs?

*The British Invasion is represented by only three artists--The Mindbenders, The Troggs and Procol Harum. The heavy hitters (Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Who, et. al.) are missing. Also, two of America's biggest bands--The Beach Boys and The Doors--are also MIA.

*Finally, with each disk under sixty minutes, it would have been easy to add another ten to twelve tracks and perhaps rectify some of the above concerns.

But if you're looking for a collection of songs guaranteed to satisfy your Sixties nostalgia craving, there are few releases that will provide that fix better than '60s GOLD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

'60s: Gold is an incredible two CD set that gives us many, many great hits from the `60s. Of course, even two CDs couldn't possibly capture all of the best of this decade; but as a two CD set goes this is really rather good. I like the artwork; and the sound quality is very, very good.

The Miracles start it off right with their "Shop Around." This was recorded years before The Captain & Tennille did it; and man, how they sound good! The backup vocals work well to bolster this number, too. The Marvelettes sing "Please Mr. Postman" with all their heart and soul; and I really like "Please Mr. Postman" very much. The Marvelettes are an excellent example of a `60s girl group. Listen also for Leslie Gore's "It's My Party;" Leslie never sounded better and this number always makes me smile because of that certain innocence of the lyrics.

Fontella Bass sings "Rescue Me" passionately; she sounds a bit like Diana Ross but she holds her own very well. "Rescue Me" has a good rockin' `60s beat to it and it's always been one of my very favorite songs from this decade. Len Barry performs "1-2-3" with a lot of positive energy that proves to be infectious--the musical arrangement has some pretty awesome percussion!

"98.6" by Keith still sounds as fresh as ever all these years alter; and Spanky & Our Gang do a great job on "Sunday Will Never be The Same." "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" profits from major and minor key modulations and this folk rock type of ballad really works well. Procol Harum, of course, scores big with their classic "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." This ballad has a very lush musical arrangement and they play this like the pros they always were! There's also Strawberry Alarm Clock doing their "Incense And Peppermints;" this psychedelic rock number was also one of my favorites and it's great to have it here on this CD.

"The Rain, The Park & Other Things" was one of the biggest hits ever for The Cowsills; they harmonize so well and the lighter type of folk rock sounds so good here. Marvin Gaye also scores a huge hit with "I Heard It Though The Grapevine;" he sings this to perfection. Marvin's excellent diction bolsters his performance. The second CD closes with Steam's memorable hit entitled "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." What a strong ending for this two CD set!

Overall, true fans of the `60s may already have most if not all of these tunes in their collections. However, casual fans of `60s music may be more interested in this set; it helps them avoid buying numerous CDs by giving them so much on a two CD set. This is also a great starter CD set for people just becoming acquainted with this genre of music.

This series Gold, put out by Universal Music Co. is usually of top quality. Culling from the vast Universal Catalog, the '60s, has an excellent selection of well known standards as well as several "hard to find " chestnuts. The sound quality is very good and 40 songs, make this a thrifty purchase for the asking price.

In recent years, Universal Music has given us many releases drawing on their extensive holdings, from the single-disc "Millennium" series to these two-CD "Gold" sets. All have featured good remastered sound, and have benefited from Universal's access to tape libraries the company has acquired over the years.
This "60s Gold" set, as may be readily observed, contains nothing by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or several other vitally influential artists of the 1960s. What it does contain is some music from the period that is presently controlled by Universal, no small thing considering that Deram, Dunhill, Mercury, M-G-M, Motown, Verve and other essential Sixties record labels belong to this large company.

While virtually everything in this set was originally released on a 45-RPM vinyl record in mono, most of the selections here are in their stereo LP-release versions, and there are some differences between the mono and stereo versions. For example, the Blues Magoos' "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet" ends differently in mono: the final guitar chord rings out deliciously, and there is no "pratfall" by the drums. Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues" has more impact in mono, although the stereo mix is not bad, and the same goes for songs like "Lightnin' Strikes", "Sunny", and most of the others. Stereo versions of the Motown recordings were always pretty good (though with differences from the mono) and sound good here. "Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock (Can you get any more Sixties than that?) was recorded in mono only, so the version here is definitive, if only by default.

Len Barry's "1-2-3" begins with a countdown ("One...two...one, two, three--"). I have heard this only once before, on another Universal CD in stereo, but I have also heard it in stereo WITHOUT the counting, so this could be a mastering error. In any case, about five seconds is added to the customary length of the track. No big deal, and possibly even a bit of a bonus.

Perhaps like you, I never tire of hearing The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", and it is good to find it on this set. Some less usual but happy inclusions are Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass", and especially "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" by the Hombres. The first is an instrumental, the type of track usually relegated to "instrumental-only" collections; the second is weird beyond category, incredibly fun, and such a novelty that it also might logically have failed to find a place in a collection like this. I am pleased that both are here, alongside the arguably more mainstream Sixties delights.

All in all, this is a rewarding and good-sounding collection, reasonably priced. I have given it a rating of four stars rather than five only because of the stereo-vs.-mono issue cited above, i.e., the fact that a few of these just don't sound the way they originally did, and suffer a bit for it. For the most part, though, even a listener of a certain age with an excellent memory will find this collection pretty cool. Let's make that rating four-and-a-half stars.

There's not much to say about this album, but it was a perfect Christmas gift for my mom. I grew up listening to these tunes and I'll continue to listen to them for the rest of my life. Although this doesn't COMPLETELY sum up the 60s, it does a good job providing you with the big hits.

This is a good compilation of 60s hits, with some I had forgotten, but was glad to be re-acquainted with. Highly recommended

If you are short of storage space for your music collection or need to upgrade some of your older 60s recordings(from LPs/8-track to CDs), this is a must purchase.
Each song brought back specific memories: where I first heard it, who I was with, what we were doing [the less said about THAT! the better]. Any child of the 60s can find a favorite or two (or twelve) on this set.
I had my CD for months and my husband recently heard it while home on vacation. He enjoyed it so much, he 'borrowed' it to play in his truck. I haven't seen it since. I bought another copy so I can listen to it in the house!
All of these songs I've had since they first came out in the 60s, but to hear all of them at any one time involves a lot of work. This CD is quick and easy ... just pop it in the player and dance up a storm! Add the "Southern Rock Gold" CD and you're set for the afternoon.

Music was great, shipment was right on the mark. One click payment awesome. Product was as described, being able to play the music before I bought was a plus.

Ordered for my mom and my grandma and they really enjoyed it alot! Something for birthday presents in the future!

WOW ... Took me back to my early to mid teens. When ballads ruled the air waves and young love was still innocent and left something to be desired. back to amore innocent and time of wounder.