5 Rock Songs From 1964 That Sound Even Cooler Today – Grunge

When it comes to rock music, there were so many improvements in 1964 in terms of sound, songwriting, and performance that there are still countless gems. For one, rock fans got a big dose of new and exciting artists in 1964, when the Beatlemania phenomenon hit American shores, an explosion that opened the door for the so-called British Invasion that followed. At the same time, local bands were exploring strong sounds and embracing the feeling of being able to create the first generation of garage rock.

Here are five songs that we think sound even cooler today than when they were released all those years ago. Not only do they capture the high-spirited spirit of 1964 and offer a glimpse into the changing rock landscape of the era, but they all remain essential elements for today’s rockers, and are fresh enough to remain on our playlists alongside the work of the artists of the era they inspired.

Who can argue that sticking to a certain style is critical when it sounds as good as the Kinks’ “All Day and All Night”? 1964’s Smash, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, it boasts a guitar sound that is almost identical to “You Really Got Me,” the group’s breakthrough single that was released three months before “All Day and All Night.” It also has the same ambition of the song’s shame, but plays on the innuendo, and with it, the rebellion of the song is still not clear enough to allow it to be played on rock radio.

Written by Ray Davies and recorded in a few hours while the Kinks were looking to capitalize on their early success, “All Day and All Night” goes further than the first in its power to cry and in the performance of Ray Davies’ voice, which grows even more as the song progresses. “I picked up my guitar and said ‘You’re Still Still.’ When we went into the studio, everyone knew what they were doing. There was a new found confidence. I think we did it three times,” guitarist Dave Davies told Classic Rock. His older brother Ray admits that the band was “cocky” at the time, but we have that to thank for the song that would go on to create generations of garage and punk rockers after that.

In 1964, the Sonics, a pioneering garage rock band from Tacoma, Washington, released their first single, “The Witch.” Centered on a drumbeat laced with riotous chaos, “The Witch” features a three-chord guitar and bass riff that lingers as singer Jerry Roslie shouts urgent warnings about the character.

Although it was never recorded, “The Witch” soon developed a cult following, and gave American garage bands of the 1960s permission to appear as often as possible on the record. Low-budget recording and distortion, intentional or not, to deliver an authentic song that would become the hallmark of garage rock. The song also inspired many bands of the time to turn to the more eerie and supernatural in their music – without the Sonics there probably wouldn’t have been the Cramps, for one.

The success of The Sonics’ debut album “Here Are The Sonics!!!”, on which “The Witch” opens, helped bring attention to the band as a live act, and saw them open for the Beach Boys and the Kinks in the following months. The band’s music is currently considered one of the most underappreciated cornerstones, supporting everything from punk to grunge; although several other notable singles would follow throughout the 1960s, nothing in the band’s discography is as enduring as its first single.

The British Invasion of the mid-1960s brought a wave of incredibly talented acts from across the Atlantic to American shores – and in many cases, these British groups delighted American audiences with songs of American origin. Take “The House of the Rising Sun” by British rockers The Animals, a cover of the classic blues that seems to evoke America in the early 20th century more than any song out there.

The song is another surprise. Recorded between concerts and masterfully captured on debut, it sees a performance of a lifetime from singer Eric Burdon – whose youth in the music video seems to belie the maturity of his voice – as well as a crisp opening guitar arpeggio. Considered by some critics to be the first rock-rock record, “The House of the Rising Sun” remains a guitar classic, a karaoke favorite, and one of the defining songs of the British Invasion. Try as you will, it remains inescapable even to modern ears.

Key members of the Rolling Stones became famous songwriters in their own right in the late 1960s, but early in their careers they sought commercial success with other people’s songs. After the group was founded in their native UK by the Beatles’ cover of “I Wanna Be Your Man,” The Stones turned to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Buddy Holly for their next hit. “Infinite” was an inspired choice. Combined with “I Wanna Be Your Man,” which served as the B-side to the single, it hit No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and heralded the arrival of many prominent British Invasion bands.

“Not Fade Away” has remained an evergreen staple of Rolling Stones concerts for more than six decades, and defined the sonic story that informed the band’s subsequent career. The song features a danceable, rocking beat, blues-influenced guitar riffs, and a soulful vocal from Jagger, who already sounds like a rock legend. “I’ll tell you how it’s going to be,” a young Mick Jagger wails in the opening bars of the song.

Well, well. There are few songs that are as foundational to rock music as we know it today as the Stones’ version of “Not Fade Away.” Although many acts, including The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan, have done their own covers of Holly’s classics over the years, nothing matches this version in terms of pure rock power.

Van Morrison may be best known today for his unique style of Celtic soul and blues, which has been the calling card of his solo career since the release of “Astral Weeks” back in 1968, but before he became a star in his own right, he was the frontman of the garage rock band Them. Although the band would only be around for a few years, they cut some amazing hits. The Morrison-penned “Gloria” is, fittingly, the group’s highlight, an opener that still has the power to rock a crowd today.

“Gloria” was originally written when Morrison was still a teenager and was released as a B-side alongside Them’s version of the blues standard “Baby Please Don’t Go.” The song features luscious guitar, raspy vocals, and an infectious call-and-response that sees Morrison write the name of the woman to whom the song is addressed amid chants of “Gloria!” from the band and, at live shows, the crowd; rock music is rarely this powerful. Later covered as a successful companion to The Shadows of Knight, and covered by legendary acts including Patti Smith, The Doors, and many others, “Gloria” remains a 1960s garage rock staple for generations of performers.