1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music Hardcover – 1 Mar. 2015

This is a good overview of music, with a backdrop of cultural and political history, based mostly in the United States. Of course, in 1965, America was still reeling from the impact of the British Invasion and, by 1965, a host of other groups had followed the Beatles across the Atlantic. Some, it has to be said, were more successful than others – the Kinks suffering a disastrous US tour – while others would have huge hits but soon fade from the charts; think Freddie and the Dreamers or Gerry and the Pacemakers. What is clear is that the success of the Beatles changed popular music in the States, with many suffering from the British domination of the charts deciding to fight back and others being inspired to change things a little.The author uses the seasons to take the reader through a changing year – from the Brill Building to Folk Rock, from Civil Rights to LSD, Vietnam to the Pill and long hair, Andy Warhol, Motown, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Who Timothy Leary and more. At times, the detours into social and cultural events can seem to detract from the music, but gradually you learn that part of what was important about 1965 – what allowed the music to flourish - was the impact of so much social change without too much of a backlash. Yes, there were complaints about the length of boys hair and Bob Dylan was vilified for going electric, but drugs were still not widely on the radar and parents seemed largely unaware that music was changing and the lyrics no longer about young love and holding hands, but moving into more social themes with songs such as “Eve of Destruction,” topping the charts.Of course, the main reason that 1965 is seem as such a memorable year musically, is because of the music made that year. These are records, and songs, that sound fresh enough to have been recorded this year, rather than fifty years ago – “Satisfaction,” “Yesterday,” “Get Off my Cloud,” “Sounds of Silence,” “My Generation,” and “Mr Tambourine Man,” are just a few of the classics recorded in 1965. Amongst the wonderful musicians recording in that year, there was a lot of influencing each other – and revelling in meeting up and exchanging ideas. It is also interesting to see what the protocol was – while Dylan went to the Beatles, the Beatles went to Elvis… Overall, this is an interesting look at music in 1965 and the various influences involved – from Folk-Rock to LSD – during the year. Although a lot of English groups feature, though,, this is very much music seen from the perspective of the US. An enjoyable overview of a momentous musical year.

Recently I looked at a library copy of "1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music" by young American writer Andrew Grant Jackson. I spotted a glaring error early on page 12. The Animals came from Newcastle upon Tyne, not Manchester. That's basic knowledge. I also checked the index and there's no reference to Sandie Shaw! 1965 was her big year. Hits galore in the UK, Australia and NZ.Sadly this young writer seems to be afflicted with the usual insularism. For writing worthy of reading, I recommend sticking with masterful writers like Jon Savage and Greil Marcus: they value thorough research, their prose is unforced, and their perspectives offer something new.