The bands that came out of 1966

1960-е. At that time, rock bands were growing like mushrooms after the rain. But, interestingly enough, they didn't copy each other, no, each one brought something new, something different to the world of music. Rock was combined with blues, with folk, hard rock was born, psychedelic blossomed. Today it's all classic, but back then it was groundbreaking.

Cream, Jimi Hendrix and monkeys ...

The band Cream was not created from beginners. All of its members, including guitarist Eric Clapton, were old musicians, but they all wanted something new and creative. Clapton's idea was to combine blues and rock, which later became his signature sound.

The band had its own peculiarities, one of which was the strained relationship between its two members Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Strangely enough, in some ways this even contributed to the success. According to Eric Clapton, the two musicians had "sparks flying" between them, each trying to outdo the other, and this spurred and stimulated each of them. This made their concert performances overflowing with energy.

The band debuted in August '66 and made a sensation with their first performance. In October Cream released their first single "Wrapping Paper" / "Cat's Squirrel", but something unexpected happened: despite the loud success of their live shows, the record did not make any noise at all. No. 34 on the British hits list. That's good, but it wasn't a furore. The whole thing was that the fans liked the hard rhythm and blues of Cream, which they heard at the show, and on the record they got soft jazz unexpectedly.

The band quickly realised their mistake. The first album "Fresh Cream" was recorded as close as possible to what was heard at concerts: energetic, bright, fresh rhythm and blues. And the popularity of the album quickly grew: 6th place in the UK, 39th in the USA.

But Cream didn't settle for just rhythm and blues. The following records brought out the innovators in them. And that's how their success began. Today, all music lovers know about Eric Clapton. And even though the band didn't exist for long, it managed to take part in the development of hard rock.

Another founder of heavy rock is none other than Jimi Hendrix. His role in the development of the genre cannot be overestimated. It is said about him that he opened new horizons in playing the guitar in principle. For example, nobody before him had ever thought of playing the guitar with his teeth....

It all started with Chas Chandler, who was in the band The Animals and his desires to become a producer. Then, Keith Richards' girlfriend, Linda Keith, told him about an "amazing guy". They went to a Hendrix gig. According to Chandler, because of Linda's story, he decided to get Jimmy before he even heard him for the first time. And he certainly wasn't wrong!

Hendrix accepted the invitation to move to England for one reason: he just really wanted to meet Eric Clapton. Chandler told him that when Claptain heard him, he would be the first to run to meet him.

Chandler left The Animals and stayed in the States with his new mentee. They easily found a common language and shared a common passion: science fiction. In England, the band was also joined by self-taught drummer Mitch Mitchell and the inventive Noel Redding, who himself tells how he got into the band:

I was 20. I got a guitar and travelled to England with ten coins in my pocket. Looking for a job, I heard about an audition with Eric Burdon. I decided to go and went to a club called The Phone Booth. Chas Chandler was there. He asked me who I'd played with before, and I said Johnny Kidd. I actually played once, with his guitar in the costume shop.....

(Noel Redding)

The band debuted on stage on 16 October 1966. Their first single and first hit "Hey Joe" was released on 16 December. Hendrix's playing amazed (and still amazes) everyone who heard it. His concerts were attended not only by fans but also by stars like Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend. His success was inevitable.

https://youtu.be/fe82eYRjiBU

Another band born in '66 was The Monkees. Originally the band was created specifically for a sit-com with the same name. However, even after its closure, the band continued to exist. It went through a breakup, a revival and the death of some of the members.

The Monkees were called the US answer to The Beatles. And they became one of the best-selling bands in the world. Their first album of the same name stayed at number one on the Billboard chart for 13 weeks, and stayed on the list for a total of 78 weeks.

Even today, not everyone remembers the old TV series, but they have definitely heard of The Monkees, and their second single "I'm a Believer" is still popular and recognisable from the first notes!

This concludes our review of another star-rich year in music history. If you, as a music lover, get a chance to travel back in time, the 60s would be a great choice (just saying). Have a great day!