1965-1966 Compilation Info

1.	Beach Boys - California Girls	Brian Wilson is said to have composed this song on his first acid trip. The summertime hit of 1965 reached #3 on the US singles chart.
2.	Beatles - Eight Days a Week	The Beatles wrote several songs based on the confused phrases that would sometimes come out of drummer Ringo Starr's mouth. "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "A Hard Day's Night" were two, this was another. The song was actually released as a single in February 1965 but also appeared on the Beatles VI album in the summer. Interesting production technique - the song "fades-in" in the beginning rather than "fading-out" at the end.
3.	The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man	This song is a Bob Dylan composition. The Byrds single was released before Dylan's. It was a #1 hit in late June, bringing the folk-rock sound into the mainstream. Note the drug reference, "trip" in the second verse.
4.	James Brown - Papa's Got a Brand New Bag	James Brown was a recording artist for almost 10 years before this song, but this was his first single of this style (and his first to crack the top 10). Brown finally arrived at a trademark sound for himself with what is considered by many to be the first funk song.
5.	The Supremes - Stop! In the Name of Love	#1 hit for The Supremes, the single was released in the spring of 1965, with the album following in the summer. Before writing the song, Lamont Dozier actually uttered this phrase to get his girlfriend from storming out during an argument, diffusing the situation by cracking both of them up.
6.	Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction	Combining one of the most famous guitar riffs in history with spot-on lyrics attacking the status quo, this was the Rolling Stones' first #1 hit in America. The song also made a big hit of the Gibson Fuzzbox, a pedal responsible for the sound of Keith Richards' guitar on the record. Gibson actually ran out of stock during the 1965 holiday season.
7.	Them - Gloria	An early example of the "garage rock" sound. With just 3 chords, it was a very popular song for people learning to play the guitar. It also marked the first time most people heard Van Morrison sing.
8.	Beatles - Ticket To Ride	John Lennon coined the phrase "ticket to ride" for the cards that were handed out to prostitutes in Hamburg Germany, indicating that they had a clean bill of health. The song is probably not exactly about that, but it does kinda make sense.
9.	Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone	A #2 hit single in the US. The song doesn't name it's subject but it's believed to be about actress/model Edie Sedgwick, part of the Andy Warhol scene at the time.
10.	Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood	The Animals reached #15 with their rock arrangement of this 1964 Nina Simone hit.
11.	Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By	This Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition was first heard in 1964 as the single that launched Marianne Faithful's singing career. The Rolling Stones own version (unusual for it's heavy string arrangement) appeared in late 1965. It was one of the songs they performed on their first Ed Sullivan appearence.
12.	The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!	American folk singer Pete Seeger put this bible scripture to music in the 1950's. It's book of Ecclesiastes, 3:1-8. The only line he added was "I swear it's not too late". The Byrds' recording of the song arrived in late 1965 and went straight to #1.
13.	The Byrds - Eight Miles High	Having already introduced many to folk-rock with "Mr. Tambourine Man", the Byrds brought psychedelic rock into focus with this song. Roger McGuinn's 12-string guitar solos show the influence of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.
14.	The Who - My Generation	Pete Townshend wrote this song about the Mods, a culture of rebellious British youth. Singer Roger Daltrey's stutter is to imitate a Mod on speed. Notice the solo is not by guitar but bass.
15.	The Who - The Kids are Alright	Another Mod anthem by the Who. Pete Townshend actually got some hamonic inspiration for this song from British baroque composer Henry Purcell.
16.	Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)	Bird = woman. This song is about an affair, or more likely a one-night stand. It's the first by the Beatles to show the influence of eastern music. George Harrison plays the melody throughout on the sitar.
17.	Beatles - Michelle	"Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble" = "these are words that go together well". Paul McCartney enlisted the help of a french teacher to help him write the lyrics.
18.	Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus and Lucy	This song was originally released on Guaraldi's 1964 album "Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown", but most of the world heard it for the first time in the 1965 holiday TV special "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
19.	Simon and Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence	Written after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in late 1963, the song first appeared on S&G debut album the following year. That album flopped and the duo broke up. In late 1965 producer Tom Wilson took the original recording and added electric guitar, bass and drums and Columbia Records released it as a single. The song became a big hit and the two reunited to make more albums.
20.	Simon and Garfunkel - I Am A Rock	The first recording of this song appeared on the solo album Paul Simon released during the duo's brief breakup in 1964. This version from the Sounds of Silence album charted at #3.
21.	Nancy Sinatra - These Boots are Made for Walkin'	The second single from Nancy's debut album, this song climbed right up to #1. When it was released people mistakenly thought it had something to do with a NYC subway strike. It was often sung by soldiers in Vietnam as they marched. The instrumental tracks were provided by Phil Spector's "Wrecking Crew" that played on all the wall-of-sound recordings.
22.	The Mamas and the Papas - California Dreamin'	Written by the homesick John and Michelle Phillips while living in New York City in 1963. This was the group's first big hit.
23.	Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)	No longer "Little" Stevie Wonder, this was the 15 year-old's first big hit since his voice had changed. He also shares a credit for the composition of the song, also his first.
24.	The Yardbirds - Shapes of Things	A song from the band's very experimental Jeff Beck era. In contrast with the bluesy traditional sound of lead guitarist Eric Clapton (whom he'd replaced), Beck brought a sonic edge to the band with his use of feedback and various distortion effects.
25.	The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice	The first track of the band's Pet Sounds album. The expansive "wall of sound" production was a nod to Phil Spector. Pet Sounds was cited by both John Lennon and Paul McCartney as being a huge influence on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album.
26.	Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 and 35	This song had some trouble getting airplay in more conservative communities. It seems to have blatent drug references, but it's been speculated that the song is actually about the civil rights movement. That theory makes sense if you think of being "stoned" as it is referred to in the bible...so maybe the joke is on the censors. Either way it sure is fun to sing along!