'60s Pop 2

There was just too much incredible pop in the '60s to contain within one catch-all playlist . . . so here's another, stuffed to the gills with tracks that stood-out in the decade when rock's popularity grew exponentially — check out the remastered version of Procul Harem's Bach-influenced "A Whiter Shade of Pale" — and when the airwaves were set a-buzz by the various camps of soul ("The Locomotion" by Little Eva), homegrown rock 'n' roll ("She's So Fine" by the Easybeats), and surf (Jan & Dean's "Surf City"). John Farnham made his mark as a solo artist in 1967 with novelty track "Sadie, the Cleaning Lady" and the Bee Gees struck harmonic gold with "Massachusetts."

Herb Alpert takes us to Tijuana, and the Zombies come alive, in Next Steps.

Whenever a cocktail was shaken in the '60s, chances are the mixology soundtrack was supplied by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, an intoxicating and outlandishly popular blend of exotic Mexican melodies and rock 'n' roll twang, first inspired by L.A.-based Alpert's trip to a bull-fight south of the border: check out "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)." The Zombies perfected the art of psychedelic pop with their landmark 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, featuring the bewitching "Time of the Season," Cliff Richard staked a convincing claim to the title of "English Elvis" with lasting crowd-pleasers like "Summer Holiday," and the King himself shored up his popularity with "Wooden Heart."

The Small Faces show their pop chops, and Johnny O'Keefe melts hearts, in Deep Cuts.

The allure of pop was just too strong for many rockers in the '60s, such were the mountains of dough to be plundered, and with "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" the excellent Small Faces sidelined into the teeny-bopper market, annoying their mod fanbase to no end, but still providing the decade with one of its most memorable hits . . . besides, the powerhouse vocals of frontman Steve Marriott are wonder to behold in any context. The Who approximated a Kinks-like vibe with their first single (not counting releases under the High Numbers moniker), 1964's "I Can't Explain," and Johnny O'Keefe took a leaf out of Elvis' romantic book with "I'm Counting on You."

For pop music, the '60s was the ultimate creative furnace — a decade when multiple elements, from novelty pop to psychedelia, from folk rock to blues, were poured into the forge: what came out as finished vinyl product would change the world forever. Legends were born, crooners were supplanted by rockers, soul boys and girls faced off against beat heroes and surf gods, and the airwaves were filled with sounds that represented and defined the Baby Boomer generation. Here, among this follow-up selection of '60s pop hits, you'll find Nancy Sinatra generating a whirlwind of go-go pop pizzazz alongside Sonny & Cher, the Foundations perfecting pop songcraft next to Bobby Darin, and Aussie legends the Easybeats and John Farnham belting out their early hits.