The 60s: Radical Changes in Music

The 60s was the time of revolutionary design, music and art. This was the period in which people – especially Britain, America and most of Europe – wanted to change every part of society – imagining a better world. Young people, refused to dressed like their mothers and fathers for the first time in these years.

George Harrison’s guitar, pastoral Woodstock footage and Mick Jagger’s velvet Ossie Clark overalls, CIA’s anti-Black Panther brochures, 1968 French student strikes and Maoist propaganda posters… All of this would feed the music of this era and new times.

This decade was the time when the Beatles, the most cult group of all time, had brought Britain to the top in the music scene again. 50’s rock and roll stars like Chuck Berry and Little Richard drew graphics and girl bands pop songs create a new innovation. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, Odetta and many other musicians brought American folk music to a different level.

Female singers such as Shirelles, Betty Everett, Dixie Cups, Ronettes and Supremes went ahead in the 1960s charts. This style typically consisted of mild pop themes, which were supported by a sound rhythm and a strong rhythm, related to the romance of young people. Phil Spector, created a new kind of pop music production known as voice wall. This style emphasized higher budgets, more detailed arrangements and more melodramatic music themes than a simple, light pop sound. These innovations of Spector are still evolving from 1965 on and continues to be the basis for the rise of pop music.

In 1965, the Beatles released their album Rubber Soul, marking the beginning of their transition to a superior power pop group with studio arrangements and productions. Cult groups such as the Rolling Stones and Kinks have been born. Also in these years, in South California, the surf rock and Beach Boys, a rock sub-genre based on beach and surfing themes, still continued to affect the alternative music scene.

In 67, Jimi Hendrix replaced Chuck Berry, who was previously considered the gold standard of rock guitar, with the innovations he brought to the guitar. Rock songs were now based on serious themes and social comments rather than simple pop themes. Singles were released to the albums. After 1965, LP had certainly been the primary format for all popular music styles.

60s were the years that created present and tomorrow for music.