Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

I am a fairly new member to the Home Theater Forum. I thought I would share the following for what it's worth. I am a collector of sorts. I own around 4,000 books, 2,500 LPs (including over 250 Beatles LPs--some in their original wrapping and unplayed), 500 CDs, 900 VHS tapes, approximately 1,000 DVDs, and a substantial number of sound cassettes, videodiscs, 45s, 78s, 8-track tapes, as well as an odd assortment of other media, etc.

I have been interested in the music of the 1960s for over forty years. I have wanted for quite some time to amass a collection of my favorite music from that time. In some cases, I didn't have a particular work (or version of a particular work); as such, tracking down a few of the cuts often took months, even with access to the collections of over 35,000 libraries worldwide. That being said, it is with great joy that the project came to completion this week. After several years, my friend and I finally completed a collection of my favorite music from the 1960s (1961-1970) on three discs. There were numerous setbacks along the way, which is why it took as long to complete as it did. We had problems with software, length of song and editing issues, medical problems in my friend's family, equipment breaking, artwork issues, and labels that were very difficult to 'get just right'--the latter with regard to aesthetics, proofreading, spacing, and length of characters/fonts for titles, as well as a couple of other issues we could not have forseen. Incidentally, my friend pushed the limits (overburned) on each of the three CDs included in the set, at times including beyond eighty(!) minutes in order to fit every song that I wanted, and in their complete (unedited) versions.

One of the major setbacks had to do with my friend's equipment breaking. Another had to do with a student worker whom we trusted to do the initial printing of labels. He did the artwork for the casing as well (and this he did beautifully); however, he printed out around sixty labels (4 x 15 boxed sets = 60) *before* letting me proofread the 'final' product. This was an unnecessary waste of time and money. As a result of his haste, I caught an error or two, and could not let them go uncorrected. Needless to say, he was fired. So my friend and I took on that responsibility, and just when we thought we had it right, my friend's equipment broke. This stalled the project for about two more years. During that time, I added songs, omitted some, edited here and there, changed the ordering, etc. This past month (over Christmas break), he and I loaded new labeling software on my computer at work, and we printed out 'dummy' labels. Before he could print masters (for affixing), we again had to check carefully for spelling, spacing, track order and numbering, etc. The more we looked at it, the more we were afraid we were going to find an error or two! But the wait, and our patience with the project, was well worth it. I know I will never find another collection of music from that time that I appreciate and enjoy as much as this one, both for the songs included on it and for the arduous labor that went into it.

This is a collection I will treasure for years, and would probably be the first album I would bring to the desert island--before any other music I own, which is saying a lot. Here is the final iteration on three CDs. Additionally, all seventy-four cuts are included on one MP3 disc, which is included in the boxed set as a bonus (fourth) disc. Had I known that my friend was going to include an MP3 as a fourth disc, I don't think I would have had him press numerous copies of the other three discs. In any event, it's a lot of fun putting the MP3 disc in my player and selecting the random function (or using shuffle on my PC).

Music Out Of Time: The 1960s

Disc 1

1. San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear...) / Scott McKenzie
2. Somebody to Love / Jefferson Airplane
3. Eight Miles High / Byrds
4. Incense and Peppermints / Strawberry Alarm Clock
5. Norwegian Wood / Beatles
6. Hey Joe / Jimi Hendrix
7. It's My Life / Animals
8. Scarborough Fair/Canticle / Simon and Garfunkel
9. The Times They Are A Changin' / Bob Dylan
10. Born Under A Bad Sign / Cream
11. Tired of Waiting for You / Kinks
12. Heart Full of Soul / Yardbirds
13. Pictures of Matchstick Men / Status Quo
14. Strawberry Fields Forever / Beatles
15. Where Were You When I Needed You? / Grass Roots
16. Mr. Tambourine Man / Byrds
17. Southern Man / Neil Young
18. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat / Herman's Hermits
19. She's Not There / Zombies
20. Arnold Layne / Pink Floyd
21. House of the Rising Sun / Animals
22. Downtown / Petula Clark
23. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? / Peter, Paul, and Mary
24. I'll Never Find Another You / Seekers
25. Getting Straight / P. K. Limited

Disc 2

1. Come On Down to My Boat / Every Mother's Son
2. We Can Work It Out / Beatles
3. No Milk Today / Herman's Hermits
4. Sugar Sugar / Archies
5. Creeque Alley / Mamas and the Papas
6. Carrie Anne / Hollies
7. Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter / Herman's Hermits
8. Strange Brew / Cream
9. For What It's Worth / The Buffalo Springfield
10. All I Really Want to Do / Byrds
11. Live For Today / Grass Roots
12. She Has Funny Cars / Jefferson Airplane
13. I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone / Monkees
14. I Think I Love You / Partridge Family
15. I Want to Hold Your Hand / Beatles
16. Sound of Silence / Simon and Garfunkel
17. In My Room / Beach Boys
18. Aquarius/Flesh Failures / Hair (Original Cast Recording)
19. Crimson and Clover / Tommy James & the Shondells
20. You Really Got Me / Kinks
21. Girl / Beatles
22. Mr. Tambourine Man / Bob Dylan
23. Stealing My Love From Me / Mindbenders
24. Purple Haze / Jimi Hendrix
25. I'm Into Something Good / Herman's Hermits
26. White Rabbit / Jefferson Airplane

Disc 3

1. I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) / Electric Prunes
2. My Back Pages / Byrds
3. All Tomorrow's Parties / Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / Animals
5. Georgy Girl / Seekers
6. If I Had a Hammer / Peter, Paul, and Mary
7. Sunshine of Your Love / Cream
8. California Dreamin' / Mamas and the Papas
9. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better / Byrds
10. Nature's Way / Spirit
11. For Your Love / Yardbirds
12. Surfer Girl / Beach Boys
13. Remember a Day / Pink Floyd
14. I Am the Walrus / Beatles
15. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
16. Venus In Furs / Velvet Underground & Nico
17. Frank Mills / Hair (Original Cast Recording)
18. Question / Moody Blues
19. Bookends / Simon and Garfunkel
20. Hurdy Gurdy Man / Donovan
21. Positively 4th Street / Bob Dylan
22. With a Girl Like You / Troggs
23. She Loves You / Beatles

Edited by Ockeghem - 9/30/09 at 7:29am

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

Great stuff, I agree completely. I have most if not all the stuff on various CDs. Incidentally, next week Donovan has a DVD coming out "Live at the Kodak." I think his guests include his daughter.

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

Thanks. The friends that have heard the set may from their perspective find one or two clunkers on there (personal taste and all); however, I can't help but love everything on it, since it is a compilation of my favorites. I realize too that the set isn't necessarily representative of all styles during the decade, but that really wasn't the reason why I did it.

This project actually began in 1998. The ordering of tracks was very carefully laid out. Because I'm a musician (and as such very much into harmonic progressions and key relationships), I was trying to order tracks based on style and on preceding and successive keys. I found after a while that I could not do this very consistently, no matter how much I tried. But it turned out okay.

Thank you for the information on Donovan. I easily could have added another tune or two of his. There were some tough choices to be made along the way.

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

The Audio Fidelity (audiofidelity.com) version of Donovan's stuff (includes the older acoustical stuff and some of the later 60s stuff too) on a hybrid SACD sounds really great. Wonderful remastering. Some of the other stuff on your list has also been remastered on hybrid SACDs and they too sound much better. "Surrealistic Pillow" by the Aiplane is one of my favorite albums.

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

Thanks. I recall first hearing the music of Donovan while I was babysitting for a neighbor back in 1966-67 or so. Thankfully, the parents didn't mind me using their turntable/system! It was the Donovan's Greatest Hits album. Although the 'hits' are great, I also appreciated the lesser-known tunes on the album (e.g., Epistle to Dippy, Jennifer Juniper, There Is a Mountain, and Wear Your Love Like Heaven).



And mine as well! Good choice.

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

While I always have liked greatest hits packages, I have always wondered how people can split up music that originally came from concept albums (such as much of the Moody Blues, Beach Boys, and Beatles albums). You have some great music in there, but Question (as an example), by the MB just doesn't seem right by itself.

Re: Music Out of Time: The 1960s (4-CD set)

Yeah, it's not always easy to do that. But for my own part, I would rather listen to this collection in its entirety more than I would any 'concept album' in existence, and this includes albums by the Beatles, which is saying a lot given my appreciation for the Fabs.

Incidentally, Time almost made my list (the F-sharp minor guitar solo is among my all-time favorites, esp. with the wonderful 'blues-like' notes that are played with such precision), but in that instance I found it infinitely easier to add a track from Saucerful of Secrets than I did from Dark Side of the Moon (in part due to the concern you state above). I also had great difficulty choosing which Beatles tunes to add, since they are my favorite group all-time (250 LPs and counting, and about 100 CDs with alternate takes of hundreds of their tunes). I opted in their case to choose music from a couple of different periods of their creative output, but these tracks still had to be among my 'desert island' tunes, if you will.

I was pleased that I was recently able to add the lone track that I did not have when I first put this collection together.  There was just enough room to include it on the first CD.  I have loved the tune Getting Straight (P. K. Limited) for years, but was unable to find a stellar recording of the track.  Once I finally was able to obtain a copy that was excellent, I was holding my breath, wondering if the track would fit -- which thankfully, it did. :)

Final track listing:

Music Out Of Time: The 1960s

Disc 1

1. San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear...) / Scott McKenzie
2. Somebody to Love / Jefferson Airplane
3. Eight Miles High / Byrds
4. Incense and Peppermints / Strawberry Alarm Clock
5. Norwegian Wood / Beatles
6. Hey Joe / Jimi Hendrix
7. It's My Life / Animals
8. Scarborough Fair/Canticle / Simon and Garfunkel
9. The Times They Are A Changin' / Bob Dylan
10. Born Under A Bad Sign / Cream
11. Tired of Waiting for You / Kinks
12. Heart Full of Soul / Yardbirds
13. Pictures of Matchstick Men / Status Quo
14. Strawberry Fields Forever / Beatles
15. Where Were You When I Needed You? / Grass Roots
16. Mr. Tambourine Man / Byrds
17. Southern Man / Neil Young
18. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat / Herman's Hermits
19. She's Not There / Zombies
20. Arnold Layne / Pink Floyd
21. House of the Rising Sun / Animals
22. Downtown / Petula Clark
23. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? / Peter, Paul, and Mary
24. I'll Never Find Another You / Seekers
25. Getting Straight / P. K. Limited

Disc 2

1. Come On Down to My Boat / Every Mother's Son
2. We Can Work It Out / Beatles
3. No Milk Today / Herman's Hermits
4. Sugar Sugar / Archies
5. Creeque Alley / Mamas and the Papas
6. Carrie Anne / Hollies
7. Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter / Herman's Hermits
8. Strange Brew / Cream
9. For What It's Worth / The Buffalo Springfield
10. All I Really Want to Do / Byrds
11. Live For Today / Grass Roots
12. She Has Funny Cars / Jefferson Airplane
13. I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone / Monkees
14. I Think I Love You / Partridge Family
15. I Want to Hold Your Hand / Beatles
16. Sound of Silence / Simon and Garfunkel
17. In My Room / Beach Boys
18. Aquarius/Flesh Failures / Hair (Original Cast Recording)
19. Crimson and Clover / Tommy James & the Shondells
20. You Really Got Me / Kinks
21. Girl / Beatles
22. Mr. Tambourine Man / Bob Dylan
23. Stealing My Love From Me / Mindbenders
24. Purple Haze / Jimi Hendrix
25. I'm Into Something Good / Herman's Hermits
26. White Rabbit / Jefferson Airplane

Disc 3

1. I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) / Electric Prunes
2. My Back Pages / Byrds
3. All Tomorrow's Parties / Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / Animals
5. Georgy Girl / Seekers
6. If I Had a Hammer / Peter, Paul, and Mary
7. Sunshine of Your Love / Cream
8. California Dreamin' / Mamas and the Papas
9. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better / Byrds
10. Nature's Way / Spirit
11. For Your Love / Yardbirds
12. Surfer Girl / Beach Boys
13. Remember a Day / Pink Floyd
14. I Am the Walrus / Beatles
15. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes / Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
16. Venus In Furs / Velvet Underground & Nico
17. Frank Mills / Hair (Original Cast Recording)
18. Question / Moody Blues
19. Bookends / Simon and Garfunkel
20. Hurdy Gurdy Man / Donovan
21. Positively 4th Street / Bob Dylan
22. With a Girl Like You / Troggs
23. She Loves You / Beatles
Edited by Ockeghem - 9/30/09 at 8:31am