Sunday Morning Playlist: British Invasion - Page 5

2. The Rolling Stones (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Friendly rivals to the Beatles, who gave them their first U.K. hit in 1964 with "I Wanna Be Your Man", the Rolling Stones were the surly, scruffy, sinister alternative to the Beatles' sunny dispositions; whereas some parents tolerated their daughters' Beatles fixations, the Stones were another matter. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", from 1965, was the band's first #1 in America and remains one of the band's signature tunes. There's no denying the excitement this record holds too, from its opening fuzz-guitar riff to Jagger's rap/rant, which was provocative enough to have people whispering that the final verse was about menstruation. It is really here on this single, and the album Out Of Our Heads, where the Rolling Stones truly assumed their identities; Out Of Our Heads was the first Stones album to contain only material written by the group, and "Satisfaction" is where Jagger stopped mimicking the blues and truly reinvents the model of rock frontman.

3. The Yardbirds: Shapes Of Things

The Yardbirds never quite reached the heights of popularity in the States as they did in England, although they did chart six singles in America in 1965-1966. Usually remembered as the launching pad for the careers of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, Clapton had already departed in 1964, when the band recorded "For Your Love", which peaked at #6 (and substituted a harpsichord for a lead guitar, and early example of the band's creative experimentation). Indeed, the Yardbirds was much more than a vehicle for its guitarists, although it was their guitarists that helped make them great. In addition to the rotating guitarist slot, the band consisted of Keith Relf (vocals), Paul Samwell-Smith (bass), Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar), and Jim McCarty (drums), and were a relatively cohesive unit in their heyday. All of their hits are classic, and their albums are full of great morsals too; "Shapes Of Things", a #11 single in the U.S. in 1966, is from the Beck era, and is one of the greatest of all British Invasion singles, with its meaningful and evocative lyrics, its embryonic heavy metal stomp, atmospheric feedback discharges, and psychedelic rave-up.

4. The Who: My Generation

Remarkably, the Who left little impression in America during the British Invasion. While they routinely scored hits in the U.K. from 1965-1968, only "Happy Jack", which made #67 in 1967 following the band's Monterey Pop performance, reached the singles chart. Neither the explosive landmark hit "My Generation" nor the album The Who Sing My Generation entered the charts in the U.S. The only explanation that seems plausible is that the States simply weren't ready for the Who's brand of electrifying chaos; Americans also misunderstood the Who's violent guitar smashing onstage. What Americans missed is what was arguably the Who's greatest years, when they came up with great single after great single, "Substitute", "Anyway Anyhow Anytime", "I Can't Explain", and "The Kids Are Alright" only scraping the surface. Tommy, from 1969, broke them for good in America, by then they had become focused on albums, and while they made some excellent ones, they never regained their knack for singles. "My Generation", known for its explosive finale in which the song collapses in chaos entirely, is seen to excellent effect in the famous 1967 clip from The Smothers Brothers show, when Keith Moon literally explodes his drums.

Article Author: uao

uao isn't my real name.

Visit uao's author page — uao's Blog