L.A.’s TOP 93 KHJ “BOSS” RADIO SINGLES AND BANDS OF 1966
Posted on April 6. 2023
featuring
a Hand-Printed on Notebook Paper Artifact
EXPERIENCE ROCK HISTORY AND 1960s COUNTER CULTURE!
several posts ago 00 ran down the Top 93 singles of1965 – here is the same for1966
1966 has gone down in history as the peak of economic and pop-cultural significance; during the 1960s the United States experienced its longest uninterrupted period of economic expansion in history – and the height of Pop Culture.
The early ’60s brightened our life with the Surf beat of the Beach Boys, Dick Dale and the Ventures, in the mid-’60s Pop Culture exploded with the Beatles and the British Invasion, James Bond films spawned secret agents everywhere as Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” ranked #40, the Pop Camp TV series explosion featured the “Batman Theme” by Neal Hefti and the Marketts and the art and fashion world were enjoying a revolutionary renaissance due to artists’ and designers’early explorations into hallucinogenic drugs and expanded consciousness and the loosening of moral attitudes.
Although civil rights and Vietnam War protests were building, they were not the severe priority they would soon become and so for a short time life was near perfect at every level for most of the U.S.
At fifteen, 00individual was a Rock ‘n’ Roll Fiend; evidenced by the hand-printed countdown that commenced at the end of the year on Los Angeles’ top radio station “Boss” radio 93 KHJ.
The other top radio station in L.A. was KFWB Channel 98, but KHJ was “Boss”.
Click on artifact to enlarge)Actual Archived 57 Year Old Hand-Printed On Paper Artifact copyright 1966/2023 00individual TLL
The lime green mark next to select singles were the ones purchased by 00individual – 33 out of 93 – a full 1/3 of the countdown!
(Click on artifact to enlarge)Actual Archived 56 Year Old Hand-Printed On Paper Artifact copyright 1966/2014 00individual TLL
Close review of this list from ’66 reveals the dynamic change and influx of the many new styles of music. Brit Pop, Psychedelic Rock and Folk Rock began to spread while R&B still held strong.One look at the Top 20 reveals alot, The Top Ten were basically easy listening R&B styles done by the Four Tops, the Supremes and the blue-eyed soul of the Righteous Brothers along with hip classics by Frank Sinatra, as well as his daughter Nancy who created a hot iconic sex kitten video that captured the fun vibe of 1966. Dig it!
The Counter Culture were represented by the Mamas and the Papas, the Association, the Mindbenders and the Beach Boys who delivered an unexpectedly polished psychedelic monster in “Good Vibrations“.
Just outside the Top Ten is when it gets interesting with “96 Tears” and “Psychotic Reaction” at #11 and #13, respectively. This alone signals and represents the incredible change and attitude in music that was welcomed by the emerging Counter Culture and that was influencing mass media.
While the Beatles and the Stones were well represented, it was the year of some of 00indivdual’s all-time classic favorites like Love’s “7 and 7 is“, Music Machine’s “Talk, Talk“, the Yardbirds’ “Over, Under, Sideways, Down” and “Shapes of Things” and Los Bravos’ “Black is Black“.
but it is the last 20 numbers 73 – 93 that revealed the oncoming age ofClassic Rock; the Stones with Fortune Teller, Mothers Little Helper, Under My Thumb, Have You Seen You Mother, Baby, Standing in the shadows, and 19th Nervous Breakdown, the Byrds psychedelic classic 8 Miles High, Donovan’s Mellow Yellow, Love’s 7& 7 Is, and the Yardbirds eye on the present and future Shapes of Things (to Come),
To fully appreciate the mood, acceptance and joy, please scan the titles and artists to see that back then we weren’t hung up on categories, race, gender, styles or anything really, all that was true was that each day brought forth new music, new sounds, new voices, new beats, that defined our aural environment. It seemed as though all music and life itself had been revitalized.
There was a distinct feeling of excitement every day and this came directly from the music. Even though we were still healing from JFK’s assassination, we were able to enjoy a wonderful state of bliss for another year or so before truly sinister actions demanded re-action by our entire generation. We became men and women, which is why 1966 meant so much, it was a time to enjoy the innocence of youth in a pretty much perfect world.
00individual had the presence of mind to fully appreciate the joyful vibe at a time in history
that made history.
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