Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1966

Billboard Top Rock'N'Roll Hits (Series)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032J6
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,315 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. I'm a Believer - Monkees

2. Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful

3. Wild Thing - The Troggs

4. Hanky Panky - Tommy James & the Shondells

5. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge

6. (You're My) Soul and Inspiration - Righteous Brothers

7. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & the Papas

8. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys

9. Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels

10. Good Lovin' - The Young Rascals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome tunes from '66 that make me wanna DANCE !!!, February 10, 2008

By	Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1966 has ten great rock and roll hits that really rocked us back in 1966! I like the diversity of the artists on this album and the sound quality is also very good.

The Monkees kick it off right with "I'm A Believer." This sounds a bit like pop in retrospective but it does rock rather well. The Monkees sings this so well and the melody is very catchy--love that percussion! The Lovin' Spoonful continues with "Summer In The City;" this gritty rock tune always worked well and it still sounds very good today, I like the musical arrangement with the drums and percussion; and they sing this great. I really like "Summer In The City."

Tommy James And The Shondells sing a seductive, romantic little number called "Hanky Panky;" gee, I wonder what they're singing about? Tommy James And The Shondells do this with a lot of energy and the modulations between major and minor keys work so well on "Hanky Panky."

Percy Sledge weighs in with his awesome hit entitled "When A Man Loves A Woman;" Percy sings this with great sensitivity; and he scores a big hit in my book. The arrangement uses the drums, guitars and percussion to great advantage.

"(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" comes to us courtesy of The Righteous Brothers; they sing this passionately and the backup vocalists do equally well on this fine number. Listen also for The Mamas & The Papas doing their classic hit "Monday, Monday." "Monday, Monday" features their incredible ability to sing, harmonize and pass along that smooth California sound almost effortlessly.

The Beach Boys follow with "Good Vibrations;" this tune is timeless and it sounds just as grand as the first time I ever heard it. I especially like the middle of the song but it all works very well and "Good Vibrations" is one of the best rock songs ever written.

Mitch Rider & The Detroit Wheelers also have a big highlight with their rockin' and electric renditions of "Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly." I love it when I hear Mitch Rider & The Detroit Wheelers doing this tune and it makes a strong addition to this CD.

If you want really GREAT rock from the middle `60s, this CD is perhaps the one best CD to show you that at a budget price. I highly recommend this album.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome collection with excellent sound quality., July 9, 2000

By	Matt Coker (Davis, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Rock 'n' roll compilations are as numerous as shells and rocks on a Pacifica beach. It's difficult to decide which ones to buy. There are a rare few that are must own, usually the ones on TV. I've been trying to collect the BILLBOARD and OLDIES BUT GOODIES series, but process has been slow. There's no second guessing with this collection-it's awesome! The year 1966 was an explosive year in music. The Beach Boys-PET SOUND, The Beatles-REVOLVER, The Byrds-FIFTH DIMENSION were a few of the most valuable albums released. A small sampling of the top singles are collected here. "I'm A Believer" is a marvelous opening track, with crystal clear sound quality. All the songs are classic-"Wild Thing", "Soul And Inspiration", "Good Vibrations", "Good Lovin'", "When A Man Loves A Woman" just to name a few. Performed by top 1960s bands-The Lovin' Spoonful, The Beach Boys, Tommy James, The Righteous Brothers, The Mamas & The Papas. Though every song and band are noteworthy, I'd be here for hours describing them. Inside is a time capsule with the top headlines, fads, movies, TV shows, plays, books, and debuts. While BILLBOARD TOP ROCK 'N' ROLL HITS aren't the most comprehensive collections. This 1966 one is excellent, an inexpensive way to get terrific songs with great sound. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Pop From 1966, June 30, 1998

By A Customer

The last year for creative pop music, 1966 had tons of songs that were blockbuster hits, and 10 of them are here. You can hear these tracks daily on oldies stations everywhere, but since this CD has such good sound quality, you might as well own it. All original versions.