Assembled by
Jon Savage
as a soundtrack to his book 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded,
Ace
's double-disc set of the same name does indeed bring his words to life, but it's not necessary to read his book to find this 48-track collection thrilling. The genius behind
1966: The Year the Decade Exploded
is in its compilation.
Savage
assembled
1966
by relying equally on research and memory, intending to replicate the impact of the pop-art eruptions and the groovy swing of R&B, not to mention the nascent psychedelia floating in from the west coast of the U.S., the trash rock emanating from the American suburbs, and more than a hint of Britain's overheated music hall vaudeville and blistering style of Mod. There may be no
Beatles
,
Stones
Bob Dylan
, or
the Kinks
, but their impact can be felt throughout, whether it's through
Tim Hardin
the Velvet Underground
, and
the Who
-- heavy-hitters that help anchor this collection -- or with familiar songs by
Wilson Pickett
Otis Redding
the Four Tops
the Supremes
James Brown
. What matters are not these staples but what happens in the margins, which are occupied not just by cult favorites -- mainly some variation of psych or garage rock, but there's a fair amount of soul as well -- but by absolutely obscure and cracking singles that help re-create the electricity of 1966 and provide a considerable jolt to the warhorses, so they sound vital and alive again. It's this context that makes
so valuable: the juxtapositions and transitions do indeed seem like an inspired creative blast, making a convincing case that this -- not 1964, 1967, or 1968 -- was the pivotal year of the '60s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine