Pop sensations, one-hit wonders, novelty hits, and non-album singles from established artists… this is the stuff No Hype No Trends Music’s 1960s singles playlists are made of.
Garage rock was sweeping the nation in 1966, and the results show up in the variety of great singles produced as a result (more so than in any list of the best albums of the time). This makes sense: the amateur nature of the movement lends itself to one-off singles, as many of these bands never stuck long enough to make many albums. About half of the selections I originally selected for this playlist come from one of the Nuggets garage rock compilations (although several were not available on Spotify). Most of the rest sounds like something from earlier in the decade.
1966, The Singles
The playlists are roughly chronological, according to release date.
About My Singles Playlists
Please note these singles playlists are not necessarily a compilation of all of the year’s best singles!
Rather, they only compile prominent singles that were not from any album featured on any of No Hype No Trends Music’s other 1960s albums playlists. (This includes the Best Albums of the Decade playlists, Year in Review album playlists, and Further Listening album playlists.)
Many of the best singles of each year have already been included in the other album playlists on this site. And any single from these albums that didn’t make the cut for its corresponding album playlist is disqualified from appearing here. (I want to include everything but have to draw the line somewhere! If I didn’t consider it one of the three best songs on the album, it won’t be here, period, even if it’s supposedly the best song of all time!)
Also, keep in mind that I typically designate a non-album single according to the artist’s home country. Many a non-album hit single in the UK, for example, was subsequently included on the US repackaging of UK album release. Thus, a US album track may be considered a non-album single here, so you might find it on a singles playlist instead of the album playlist where you expected to find it. You might also find a single released in one year included in the Year in Review playlist of the following year, if the album was released later (as it often is).
Playlist Notes:
Several of my singles selected to represent 1966 were not available on Spotify:
- The Sound Magics, “Don’t You Remember?”
- Lyme & Cybelle, “Follow Me”
- Cuby + Blizzards, “Your Body, Not Your Soul”
- The Rare Breed, “Beg, Borrow, And Steal”
- Mouse & The Traps, “Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice”
- The Downliners Sect, “Glendora” and “Why Don’t You Smile Now”
- The Slaves, “Slaves Time”
- The Daily Flash, “Jack Of Diamonds”
- The Zakary Thaks, “Bad Girl”
- Kenny & The Kasuals, “Journey To Tyme”
- The Thoughts, “All Night Stand”
- The Lost Souls, “This Life Of Mine”
- The Boots, “Gaby”
- The Mockingbirds, “How To Find A Lover”
- The Outsiders, “Touch”
- The Other Half, “Mr. Pharmacist”
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