Andy 60s Music - Long Songs Of Long Ago - Ballads.

When I first heard El Paso by Marty Robbins, and this was in the late 50's, I thought it was one of the longest songs I have listened to, because, comparatively, pop songs of yesteryear were only two to three minutes in duration, and another minute would be mighty trying. But checking the statistics today, I found it was only four and a half minutes, a fraction of the length of some songs today.

El Paso was a ballad [slow song, themes of love, loss, etc.], in this instance, a gunfighter's tale to tell but definitely a bit lengthy for me. Today, it's a different mouse tale. Imagine the longest song in the Guinness Book of Records called Devil Glitch to be 69 minutes in length. But even then, there are many songs that are longer, as current rock and rap lyrics can be.

Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby, a 70's disco number is something else. With up to 10 million views, there's something special to it but then, it's just disco muse with the title repeated... Oh. Nearly 17 minutes.

The very short list below are songs I am familiar with and very much on the top 10 before. They are pretty lengthy for me. 

If you know any 60's or 70's popular songs with more interesting vital statistics, just send in the details.

El Paso - A ballad by Marty Robbins.

YouTube video - V.A. HOSS

Songs From the 60s and 70s With Duration

1   Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - [6 minutes, 9 seconds]

2  Hey Jude - Beatles - 7.11

3   McArthur Park - Richard Harris - 7.21

4   American Pie Don McClean - 8.37 [featured in 2021 movie, 'Black Widow']

5   El Paso - Marty Robbins - 4.38 [for comparison]

6   November Rain - Guns n Roses - 8.37

7   Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin - 8.03

8   Love To Love You Baby -Donna Summer - 16.53

9   Chariots Of Fire - 20.41 [instrumental]

10  The Boxer - Simon n Garfunkel [5.08]'''

11  Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Madonna [5.30]'''

10 Devil Glitch - Chris Butler - 69.00

Richard Harris - McArthur Park

YouTube by gb

Don McClean's, American Pie was featured in 

Disney's Black Widow starring Scarlet Johannsson.

Image Credit - Marvel Studios.

Connect to American Pie stories

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2017/02/american-pie-day-music-died.html

://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/12/killing-me-softly-with-american-pie-don.html

'''Contributed by suituapui.

Images Google.

Singapre 60s Music: Best Heavy Metal Band Led Zeppelin By Michael Bangar

The Greatest Heavy Metal Band Is LeD ZEppELiN.
Written by: Michael Bangar.

The letter below was written in reply to my short review of the Illustrated Biography 'Led Zeppelin' book by Gareth Thomas from Transatlantic Press (2009). Michael has always been thinking out of the box. That's the way it should be. Thanks, Mike.

Hi brother Andy,

I am a big fan of the band. I watched on YouTube when President Obama presented the three surviving members (as you know their drummer John Bonham died in his sleep - apparently choked naturally) their Kennedy Centre Awards. MC Jack Black called them, The Greatest Band of All Time. I think The Greatest Heavy Metal Band would have been more appropriate.

Stairway To Heaven, the best song ever for many Led Zeppelin fans.

I am a nobody in this huge worldly music business, but I don't agree with Mr. Jack Black. The title of Greatest Band Of All-time must be bestowed upon the Beatles as all great music experts and critics would agree.

But coming back to L.Z., I can't think of any other band to give the number 2 title to, number 2 to the Beatles, that is. All LZ albums are excellent pieces of music. Coupled with the way each band member excelled at their respective instruments, (like bassist John Paul Jones who played excellent keyboards too).

They took heavy metal from The Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience (the inventors), pushed it into a new direction and opened it up to the world. Many bands tried to follow in the footsteps but few succeeded. Their monster hit, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, was voted The Song With The Best Guitar Solo Ever. 

Strangely they never had a Top 40 Single in any music chart. All their great music was released in album format, not in Singles format.  The late '60s and '70s were the era of record albums. Albums with huge sales even found their way to the singles charts during that era.

How Led Zeppelin was born: after their last US tour, The Yardbirds, Keith Relf, Jimmy Page, Paul Samwell Smith and Jim McCarty (guitarist Jeff Beck had already left by then) were in the doldrums and splitting up.

Lead guitarist Jimmy Page who had so many musical ideas in-store was asked to go check out a group called, The Band Of Joy. Impressed he offered singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham to join his new band. Then he called his old-time recording sessions buddy John Paul Jones to join. They completed their remaining US dates as The New Yardbirds.

Then The Who drummer Keith Moon passed a serious comment to them: "If you guys don't make it, you are gonna come crashing down like a lead zeppelin (The Hindenburg). They decided it would make a great name but took out the 'a' in lead. That's how the band got its name.

The rest is a great music history. And you know what brother Andy, as soon as I see it, I'm gonna buy this book for my collection.

Cheers, my friend. 
Mike.

So come on guys; is this band the greatest?
Or do you know of another that's better?

Read the original posting and book review:
https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2016/12/led-zeppelin-in-their-forever-book-wow.html

The book that was reviewed that lead to Mr. Bangar's comment. Thank you.

Images: Google and YouTube.

Led Zeppelin In Their Forever Book! Wow!

One of the easiest books to read or browse through, this fabulous coffee table publication tells an interesting tale about the guys who composed the incredibly successful rock song, *Stairway To Heaven and other staggering hits.

Thick at 220 pages and priced at a sale for S$15, I just grabbed it with another similar one about the other rock group, Rolling Stones. Of quality print, biographical and associated pictures of the four guys who made it through to the struggling end, Led Zeppelin (above) first gathered during a 1968 London space to become one of the world's biggest bands at an almost unprecedented level of success.

Contents are simply pegged and formatted into four parts, Dazed and Confused, Electric Magic, The Song Remains The Same, A Whole Lot of Love. Then there's the important Discography where L.Z. fans can browse through with eternal contentment the list of recordings, albums and awards this group would have harvested during their years of performing.

From Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin (not 'Lead', avoiding mispronunciation) the electric four went on to receive, World's Top Band at a London award. But the road to stardom is never easy, with slippery shocks along the way. What with heroin addiction, the passing away of a son and the death of one member, a whole lot of love, a Live Aid concert and other positive factors helped to heal the battle scars of Rock Zeppelin. 

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonzo Bonham are saluted page after page in this forever book (it never ends). And it's not outdated. 
Published in 2009, the featured and worth-duplicating images include Robert Plant with Alison Krauss and another with Nelson Mandela. There's another with Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis performing Whole Lotta Love. 

                                          Celebration Day 2012.

That's it. The book is what it is, an illustrated biography. Can't reveal more cause this posting is not a book review. I'm about half way through and have yet to check the rest out...

The content of this original post is copyrighted. 

Please click under Comment Page below to read Mr Michael Bangar's experience with Led Zeppelin and Brenda's interpretation of Stairway To Heaven.

Disclaimer:
There is no intention to promote the book or use its copyright photographs for financial gains since this post is just a book reader's love to share pop music stories.

*Jerry Fernandez' book title, To Be A Rock But Not To Roll, comes from a line in the song.

Images: From the original book. 
Published by Transatlantic Press 2009.

LIVE VIDEO ABOVE: By YeOldeRock.

SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT BANS LONG HAIR?

pOp 6Os music icon: Cliff Richard with his longest hair ever. 

Was he in Singapore? Check it out...

[pin by: Kayla Coleski]

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/795940934138539351/

Singapore Poster That Discourages Long Hair.

UP TO 21,000 VIEWS, 

25 CHATS, COMMENTS

Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh...
'What's Going On?' - Marvin Gaye

In the early 70s government offices in Singapore clamped down on males sporting long hair because it spelt gangsterism. For present generation readers who don't believe this is true, the above poster from the 70's National Library Archives proves it.

Led Zeppelin  (Google Images)

I remember an incident where a man with long hair was queuing up at a government department to pay his bills. He was told by an officer that he would be served last. The man was taken aback but quietly took his place at the end of the line.

To make matters worse, the country discouraged and finally banned pop music as it was termed yellow culture. Singapore's pop music industry faded after all its glory and support from that generation.

The industry was a thriving and decent way for both amateur and professional musicians to make an honest. But because of these circumstance it died an unnatural death. Many enthusiasts moaned the local pop music's demise and up to this day the industry never really recovered.



Bee Gees in Singapore

Jimmy Page and his new band Led Zeppelin had their show cancelled on 14th February, 1972 because they refused to cut their long hair. Also in the same year the Bee Gees were all here in Singapore to play their music but were forced home immediately after performing on stage at the National Theatre on March, 21st because their hair were too long.



The Hekk that performed at Hotel Malaysia in Singapore in March 1973, was a five piece band much renowned for their long hair by the Australian rock group circuit. Each member of the group gave up two feet of their beautiful locks so that they could perform for three months at The Pub and Discotheque. The members were Peter McCormack, Anthony Sampson, Edwin Boath, Veda Man and Peter Austen.

The Strollers from Malaysia. (Google Images).

Below is a Singapore Press Holdings unedited description to explain the above poster: 

"The government is to step up the campaign against the cult of the long unkempt hair among males in the Republic. For some time now certain government departments, like immigration and schools as well as institutions of higher learning had been taking action against males with long and unkempt hair. 

The campaign will take another step forward when all government offices dealing with the public will display posters in English, Chinese and Malay with the message: 'Males with long hair will be attended to last' (20.06.1972)."

To be fair to the Singapore government, not only did this island discourage males from sporting long hair.  Other countries in the 70's followed the same trend. Cities like Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Seoul in South Korea, Melbourne in Australia and even Dublin in Ireland were strict with male students who sported long hair. 

I guess Singapore went just one step further. It included all males, young and old.

You Tube Bee Gees - Lonely Days (1970).

Image 1: National Heritage Board, Singapore.
Images 2,3: Google.