Month by month 1967
January During 1967 USA sent more troops to Vietnam reaching a peak of 485,00, the highest ever. The South Vietnamese ARVN numbered 798,800. Other countries sent nearly 60,000. Britain sent none. In Ken Burns’ documentary about the war, an American official said that they had got it wrong.
May Jimi Hendrix appears at Monterey Festival. On 29 May Hendrix was in Britain, appearing at ‘Barbecue 67’ in Spalding, Lincs.
June 5 to 10 June. Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Israel still occupies the land they invaded fifty years ago, including the Gaza Strip which they are now using as a concentration camp for Palestinians.
June First automatic cash machine.
June Keith Richards and Mick Jagger jailed for drug offences.
July Limited introduction of colour television. BBC2 went full colour (except for news) in December 1967.
August Legislation closes down pirate radio stations.
September BBC Radio completely re-structured, mainly in response to success of pirate radio. Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 introduced.
October This blog begins in October 1967 so here is a more detailed look at that month fifty years ago.
3rd Woody Guthrie, 55, American folk singer and songwriter, died of Huntington’s disease. Inspiration for Bob Dylan and many others.
5th A court in Brighton was the first in England and Wales to decide a case by majority verdict (10 to 2) of the jury. A major change in criminal court proceedings.
6th Haight-Ashbury (San Francisco) hippies throw a funeral for ‘Hippie’ to mark the end of ‘the summer of love’. For some the dream never died but reality was harsh.
8th Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and three comrades are captured in Bolivia; they are executed the following day. Picture shows stamp issued in Ireland in 2017.
12th Israeli settlers established their first kibbutz in the Golan Heights territory recently captured from Syria. Israel still illegally occupies the Golan Heights, from where it has threatened Damascus, just 60 km away for the last fifty years.
18th Walt Disney’s ‘Jungle Book’ film is released. I’m the king of the swingers.
21st Approximately 70,000 Vietnam War protesters march in Washington, D.C. and rally at the Lincoln Memorial. On another march that day, 50,000 people march to the Pentagon, where Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman, and Jerry Rubin symbolically chant to levitate the building and ‘exorcise the evil within’. Pictures show: (Left) Classic photo of flowers in gun barrels. (Right) Using guns for interrogation of a suspect in Vietnam.
25th The Abortion Act was passed by the British Parliament, legalising abortion on a number of grounds. A landmark for women’s rights.
26th The musical ‘Hair’ premieres off Broadway. The dawn of the Age of Aquarius.
26th Shah of Iran crowns himself after 26 years on the Peacock Throne, his Imperial Majesty, the King of Kings, the Shadow of God and Light of the Aryans. What’s in a name?
29th Jack McVitie, 35, London criminal known as ‘Jack the Hat’, was murdered by Reggie Kray and Ronnie Kray, the Kray twins. The murder would be the crime that put the Kray twins (and their brother Charlie, who disposed of the body) in prison.
December Concorde unveiled.
December The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour shown on BB1. But not in colour.
MY PLAYLIST OF RECORDS 1967
I did not have a record player or a record collection. I tried recording off the television on a tape recorder but the selection was very limited. I could listen to new records on pirate radio and later Radio 1. The fact is, unlike today when you can constantly listen to your own choice of music, hearing one of these records was almost miraculous. These are the songs that meant something to me during 1967.
Long John Baldry – Let The Heartaches Begin – 11-67
The Beach Boys – Then I Kissed Her – 05-67
The Beach Boys – Heroes And Villains – 09-1967
The Beatles – Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever – 02-67
The Beatles – All You Need Is Love – 07-67
The Beatles – Hello Goodbye – 12-67
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (Double E.P.) – 12-67
Jeff Beck – Hi-Ho Silver Lining – 05-67
The Bee Gees – New York Mining Disaster 1941 – 05-67
The Bee Gees – Massachusetts – 10-67
The Box Tops – The Letter – 10-67
Eric Burdon & The Animals – San Franciscan Nights – 11-67
Arthur Conley – Sweet Soul Music – 06-67
Cream – I Feel Free – 01-67
Dave Davies – Death Of A Clown – 08-67
The Spencer Davis Group – I’m A Man – 02-67
Donovan – Mellow Yellow – 02-67
The Dubliners – Black Velvet Band – 10-67
Georgie Fame – Sittin’ In The Park – 01-67
The Flowerpot Men – Let’s Go To San Francisco – 09-67
Wayne Fontana – Pamela Pamela – 01-67
The Foundations – Baby, Now That I Found You – 10-67
The Four Tops – Standing In The Shadows Of Love – 01-67
The Four Tops – Bernadette – 04-67
The Four Tops – Seven Rooms Of Gloom – 07-67
Aretha Franklin – Respect – 07-67
Bobby Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe – 10-67
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Hey Joe – 01-67
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Purple Haze – 04-67
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – The Wind Cries Mary – 05-67
The Herd – From The Underworld – 10-67
The Hollies – On A Carousel – 03-67
The Hollies – Carrie-Anne – 06-67
Paul Jones – I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy – 02-67
The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset – 05-67
The Kinks – Autumn Almanac – 11-67
The Mamas & The Papas – Dedicated To The One I Love – 05-67
Manfred Mann – Ha Ha Said The Clown – 04-67
Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) – 07-67
The Monkees – I’m A Believer – 01-67
The Monkees – Alternate Title – 07-67
The Move – I Can Hear The Grass Grow – 04-67
The Move – Flowers In The Rain – 09-67
The New Vaudeville Band – Finchley Central – 06-67
Pink Floyd – See Emily Play – 07-67
The Alan Price Set – Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear – 03-67
Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale – 06-67
The Rolling Stones – Let’s Spend The Night Together / Ruby Tuesday – 02-67
Diana Ross & The Supremes – Reflections – 09-67
Scaffold – Thank U Very Much – 12-67
The Small Faces – Itchycoo Park – 09-67
Cat Stevens – Matthew And Son – 01-67
The Supremes – The Happening – 06-67
Traffic – Paper Sun – 06-67
Traffic – Hole In My Shoe – 09-67
The Tremeloes – Silence Is Golden – 05-67
The Troggs – Any Way That You Want Me – 01-67
The Troggs – Love Is All Around – 11-67
The Turtles – Happy Together – 04-67
The Turtles – She’d Rather Be With Me – 07-67
Keith West – Excerpt From ‘A Teenage Opera’ – 09-67
The Who – Pictures Of Lily – 05-67
The Who – I Can See For Miles – 11-67
Stevie Wonder – I Was Made To Love Her – 08-67
The Young Rascals – Groovin’ – 06-67
ALSO RELEASED IN 1967
For me, 1967 was a watershed year in music. There was a widening gap between ‘pop’ music, as manufactured by Tin Pan Alley and the record companies, and the new groups who experimented with new sounds and poetry. The radio waves were still deluged with these pop hits. Despite the likes of Hendrix, The Who and Procol Harum, the biggest selling singer was Englebert Humperdinck with three no.1 hits. Here are a few I couldn’t help hearing but are now largely forgotten.
Petula Clark – Don’t Sleep In The Subway – 07-67
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Zabadak – 10-67
The Dave Clark Five – Everybody Knows – 11-67
Ken Dodd – Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder – 02-67
Val Doonican – If The Whole World Stopped Loving – 11-67
Simon Dupree & The Big Sound – Kites – 12-67
Anita Harris – Just Loving You – 08-67
Herman’s Hermits – There’s A Kind Of Hush – 03-67
Vince Hill – Edelweiss – 03-67
Vince Hill – Roses Of Picardy – 06-67
Engelbert Humperdinck – Release Me – 02-67
Engelbert Humperdinck – There Goes My Everything – 06-67
Engelbert Humperdinck – The Last Waltz – 09-67
The Johnny Mann Singers – Up Up And Away – 08-67
Tom Jones – Detroit City – 03-67
Tom Jones – Funny Familiar Forgotten Feeling – 05-67
Lulu – The Boat That I Row – 05-67
Des O’Connor – Careless Hands – 12-67
Jim Reeves – I Won’t Come In While He’s There – 02-67
Cliff Richard – In The Country – 01-67
Cliff Richard – It’s All Over – 04-67
Cliff Richard – The Day I Met Marie – 09-67
The Royal Guardsmen – Snoopy Vs The Red Baron – 02-67
Harry Secombe – This Is My Song – 02-67
The Seekers – Georgy Girl – 03-67
Sandie Shaw – Puppet On A String – 04-67
Nancy & Frank Sinatra – Somethin’ Stupid – 04-67
Topol – If I Were A Rich Man – 07-67
Frankie Vaughan – There Must Be A Way – 09-67
ALBUMS RELEASED IN 1967
These are the albums that impressed me. Although they appeared in 1967, I may not have got to know them properly until some time later. Listed in a sort of alphabetical order.
Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You
The powerhouse feminist anthem “Respect”, the slow-burn sensuality of “Dr Feelgood”, a definitive gospel-imbued “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, a version of “A Change is Gonna Come” and the unimpeachable title track are just some of the highlights on arguably the greatest soul album ever made.
NEXT Possibly the most well-known album cover. No picture required…
The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Enough said about this classic album. Not just a bunch of songs but a magnificent whole. Changed the concept of what an album was for ever.
Bob Dylan John Wesley Harding
Some of these songs haunted me since I first heard them. American as apple pie with I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight but incisive with All Along the Watchtower.
Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield Again
Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Ritchie Furay as Buffalo Springfield only lasted a couple of years but made some wonderful music in that time.
Cream Disraeli Gears
Psychedelic blues rock album with monumental Cream classics – “Strange Brew”, “Sunshine of Your Love etc. Clapton’s riffs, Ginger Baker’s drums and and Jack Bruce’s contribution make this an icon of the times.
The Doors The Doors
Sex, death and brooding menace with “Light My Fire”, the atmospheric “Break on Through” and the 11-minute Oedipal opus, “The End”.
The Four Tops Reach Out
Includes an incredible six hit singles – “Bernadette”, “Walk Away Renee”, “Seven Rooms of Gloom”, “If I Were a Carpenter”, “Standing in the Shadows of Love”, and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, all of which exemplified the Tops in their glory with the great Levi Stubbs in majestic form.
Tim Hardin Tim Hardin 2
The man who Dylan once described as the greatest living songwriter.Hardly known as a singer but you know his songs ‘If I Were a Carpenter’ and ‘Reason to Believe’ . His second album contained a suite of beautiful songs – ‘Red Balloon’, ‘Speak Like a Child’.
Hapshash & The Coloured Coat Feat. the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids
One of the best psychedelic covers is one of the worst psychedelic albums. I actually owned this but I am not sure why.
Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow
Presenting Grace Slick with “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” trippy hippy anthems.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced
Hendrix’s debut album was a mind-blowing instant classic.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold as Love
Hendrix followed up his ground-breaking debut album with another classic, which was even more eclectic and experimental.
Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity Open
An album that speaks to me of the time, with Driscoll’s voice and Auger attacking the organ. Featuring a cover of Donovan’s Season Of The Witch.
Leonard Cohen Songs of Leonard Cohen
Music to slash your wrists to. Now a classic with Cohen’s ruminations on love, loss and relationships delivered in his flat monotone. “Suzanne”, “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” came from Cohen’s own personal experience.
Love Forever Changes
Reckoned to be the best album of 1967. What do you think?
The Moody Blues With The London Festival Orchestra Days of Future Passed
Local lads from Birmingham, reinvented as heavy art-rock pioneers on this release, which mixed cosmic ballads like “Tuesday Afternoon”, “The Sun Set”, and “Nights In White Satin.
Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Pink Floyd’s debut was perhaps the trippiest release any artist had recorded to that point. With the singles “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” , the absolute pinnacle of British psychedelia.
The Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request
A forgotten attempt to get psychedelic. Perhaps they shouldn’t have bothered. I still prefer their first two blues albums.
The Turtles Happy Together
A tuneful California sound which somehow impressed me and helped me to decide I wanted to be a hippy, along with Scott McKenzie.
The Who Sell Out
The classic psychedelic single “I Can See for Miles” was the standout track.
BOOKS etc PUBLISHED THIS YEAR
I did not read all these at the time but many would later make an impression on me. Some I have never read, or just flicked through them; they had a far wider impact than just on me.
Black power: the politics of liberation by Stokeley Carmichael
The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin.
The Death of a president by William Manchester
Marketing management by Philip Kotler.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
The Medium is the massage by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore. Not a spelling mistake, at least not here. The original publisher put ‘massage’ on the cover instead of ‘message’; McLuhan decided to keep it.
The Mersey sound by Liverpool poets Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henry.
The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris. Sorry Des, we are not simply hairless chimps.
Of grammatology by Jacques Derrida. Deconstruction? This is where it came from.
One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The Politics of experience by R.D.Laing.
Poor cow by Nell Dunn.
The Revolution of everyday life by Raoul Naneigem
Rolling Stone magazine first published 9 November 1967.
SCUM manifesto by Valerie Solanas
Trout fishing in America by Richard Brautigan.
What is cinema? by Andre Bazin
The woman destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir.
50 years ago today 