Soda Pop & Bubble Gum

The sixties are rapidly disappearing into the annals of history but the music lives on. Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black and Cliff Richard were all established singers of the era with only Cliff still having success today. Whatever he is on needs to be bottled and sold.

Dusty is of course no longer with us while Cilla has stopped singing and concentrates on her TV career. Cilla brought out an album 'Cilla Sings a Rainbow' which was quite magical, the title song tinkling like a sweet music box. Other songs on the album could provide an animated backbeat as in 'Baby I'm Yours' and the percussive backing to 'In a Woman's Eyes' is quite something.

Dusty's hits are legendary, but it will always be 'I Only Wanna Be With You' which will light up my life. Cliff's early hits are maybe some of his best, including 'Livin' Doll', 'The Young Ones' and the eternally wistful 'The Day I Met Marie'.

But maybe it is some of the sixties' groups which really characterize the era. Groups like The Cascades, The Box Tops and The Crystals are evergreen. Hits like 'Rhythm of the Rain' and 'Then He Kissed Me' are unforgettable. 'Venus in Blue Jeans', sung by various artists, was a real stunner and Ray Peterson's 'Tell Laura I Love Her' will always bring back memories of the time.

Billy Fury's 'That's Alright Mama' was brought back by Cliff only a few years ago and the Everly Brothers hits smoulder on. Who can forget 'Wake Up Little Suzy' and 'Bye Bye Love'? Del Shannon's 'Runaway' was a great single and then there was Jerry Lee Lewis, a legend in his time, with 'Great Balls Of Fire'.

The music of the sixties was wide-ranging and varied but in all of it one sees the promise of a new age, the mood is upbeat and swinging, and that's just what the people did, they swung. It was soda pop and bubble gum for the teens and the beginning of a drug culture and flower power. But we cannot deny it had its legends. Who was bigger than Elvis? He really was The King.

Take me back, back to the Golden Age when Pop was starting and The Beatles were all the rage with hits like 'She Loves You' and 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'.'Juke Box Jury' started on TV and so many were saying 'Oi'll give it Foive'. It was a time of the best pop and the unforgettable 45, when vinyl was fab and the record companies were set to make millions. We won't see the like of it again, that's for sure!