Turning 60 in '24 (Part I)
Albums. (The Bus 5.23)
Welcome aboard The Bus!
The Stop
Returning to an occasional mini-series that inevitably makes some Bus Riders feel their age, the next three Monday Stops concern albums, books and films that celebrate their 60th birthday this year. Many older albums - especially ones that produced still-popular tracks - feel as fresh today as they did upon release, and those from 1964 are no exception. Releases that year included Johny Cash’s I Walk the Line, Dusty Springfield’s A Girl Called Dusty, The Beach Boys’s All Summer Long and Charlie Mingus’s Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus. And it also saw the release of these five albums which, for one reason or another, deserve a listen.1
A Hard Day’s Night is The Beatles’s third studio album. Released in July 1964, side one contains songs from the film of the same name while side two contains songs written for the film but not included in the final soundtrack. The album features two of the band’s most popular early tracks - ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, both of which were transatlantic number-one singles - and is notable for being the first Beatles album on which all songs were original compositions by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. An album which perfectly balances the infectious energy of the band's early sound with a growing maturity in their songwriting, A Hard Day’s Night - released at the height of Beatlemania - solidifies the band’s place as international pop music royalty and begins to hint at things to come.
Coltrane’s Sound was recorded by John Coltrane in 1960, but released in 1964. Composed of leftover tracks and outtakes from the recording of 1961’s My Favorite Things, the album offers a remarkable insight into Coltrane’s ever-evolving sound. Featuring both his signature tenor saxophone and the rare appearance of a soprano sax, Coltrane’s Sound became popular for its ‘warm, human sound’ that could transport listeners ‘somewhere they like to go.’ Fuelled by the outstanding musicianship of his classic quartet - composed of Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis and drummer Elvin Jones - this album captures the moment when Coltrane began moving from bebop to the ‘modal explorations’ that would define his later, mature work.
The Times They Are a-Changin' is Bob Dylan’s third studio album, and the first to feature only original compositions. Filled with charged political commentaries on racism, war, and poverty, the album’s combination of stark arrangements and Dylan’s unique voice became one which many critics and fans feel captures the 1960s ‘spirit of … social and political upheaval.’ The title track became an anthem for the Civil Rights movement, while songs like ‘Ballad of Hollis Brown’ and ‘Only a Pawn in Their Game’ offer poignant social commentary. A highly influential album, The Times They Are a-Changin’ cemented Dylan's reputation as a voice of a generation.
12 x 5, the second American studio album by the Rolling Stones, is a collection of covers and original compositions designed to capitalise on the earlier 1964 success of their American debut The Rolling Stones (England’s Newest Hit Makers). Expanding their UK EP Five by Five, the band combined the original five tracks with seven new recordings. These additions showcased the band’s raw energy and love for blues-rock and served as a potent introduction to what would become the Stones's signature sound: a unique blend of British Invasion grit and American blues that would soon propel them to rock royalty status. And, of course, put them into competition with The Beatles.2
Wednesday Morning, 3 AM is Simon and Garfunkel’s debut album. Though only signed to Columbia in late 1963, this album - while commercially unsuccessful upon its release - showcases Paul Simon's songwriting, Art Garfunkel’s voice and their shared exploration of folk music. Tracks such as the original, stripped-down version of ‘The Sound of Silence’ hint at the folk-rock fusion that would define their later work, and the various covers - including ‘Peggy-O’ and Dylan's ‘The Times They Are a-Changin'‘, reveal the influences that would inform their evolving sound. Though overshadowed by later albums, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. captures the partnership’s burgeoning talents and sets the stage for their future achievements.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to Sun Chasing, a beautifully-shot short film (6:06) in which the Dutch filmmaker, photographer and artist Michiel de Boer (AKA Posy) seeks the perfect sunset shot - complete with a church spire. Gorgeous scenes ensue - and, as suggested, it’s best watched while wearing headphones to capture the sound design and music. But, even so ….
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is Fail Safe (1964). Directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda, Frank Overton, Walter Matthau and Larry Hagman (among many others), this American thriller centres on a nuclear attack caused when the United States is unable to recall a squadron of nuclear-armed bombers accidentally ordered to attack Moscow. The U.S. president (Henry Fonda), trying to convince the Soviets the attack is a mistake, attempts to prevent an all-out war by promising to order bombs dropped on New York City if Moscow is attacked. Despite a number of American planes being shot down, one bomber gets through and drops its payload on Moscow, forcing the president to uphold his promise.3
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is a selection of five great tracks, one from each of the five albums considered in today’s Stop:4 ‘Any Time At All’ (The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night), ‘Body and Soul’ (John Coltrane, Coltrane’s Sounds), ‘With God On Our Side’ (Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A’Changin’), ‘Time is On My Side’ (Rolling Stones, 12 x 5) and ‘The Sound of Silence’ (Simon and Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3AM). Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from the Danish existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard:5
‘Life must be understood backwards; but…it must be lived forwards.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
Sources for today’s Stop include eponymous Allmusic and Wikipedia articles.
And, though I love the Stones, I think The Beatles win this competition hands down.
If this plot seems similar to another 1964 release, you’re not the only one to notice. Stanley Kubrick was worried that Fail Safe’s similar plot line would undermine Dr Strangelove, so he had Columbia buy the distribution rights to Fail Safe and delay its release until after his film. Consequently, while Fail Safe was a critical success, it was a box-office failure.
These are all great tracks, and though the Beatles, Stones and Simon and Garfunkel ones are probably more 21st Century radio-friendly as they meet the attention span requirements of today’s listeners, of all these songs I find Dylan’s the most resonant - and meaningful. If you only have time for one song, definitely give this one a listen. 40 years on … things haven’t changed.
A frequent contributor to the Thought, Kierkegaard is one of my favourite philosophers. For more information, you could check him out online, or read The Bus 1.17 (2 June 2022).
I love all those albums - although I found Coltrane’s Sound somewhat uneven.
I still can’t believe that my dad took me to see FailSafe when I was nine years old! I don’t know that I ever got over it.
Mercy...60?