In July, Rhino Records will launch its 50th anniversary celebration of the Summer of Love with vinyl reissues of key albums from that era, along with new compilations.
The Grateful Dead will be represented by Smiling on a Cloudy Day. This new compilation brings together 10 songs from the band’s early psychedelic period and includes tracks like “Morning Dew,” “China Cat Sunflower” and “St. Stephen.” The collection will be released on LP ($21.98) and CD ($7.98) on July 11.
More releases will arrive on July 11, including The Best of Peter, Paul & Mary: Ten Years Together ($21.98) and the mono version of Love’s self-titled debut ($21.98). Other releases include colored vinyl editions of the Association’s Insight Out ($21.98), the Young Rascals’ Groovin’ ($21.98) and the Beau Brummels’ Triangle ($21.98).
The next group of releases comes out on July 18 and features the mono version of Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie ($24.98), the Electric Prunes’ eponymous debut on purple vinyl ($21.98), Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks on clear vinyl ($24.98) and Vanilla Fudge’s self-titled debut on white vinyl ($21.98).
A new compilation from The Monkees will also be released the same day. Summer of Love includes 12 tracks that focus on the group’s lesser-known psychedelic side. The collection will be released on LP ($21.98) and CD ($7.98). The LP Gettin’ Together: Groovy Sounds of the Summer of Love will also be released on July 18 for $14.98. Its 16 tracks spotlight memorable hits from 1967 like “Hip Hug-Her” by Booker T. & the MG’s, “You Keep Me Hanging On” by Vanilla Fudge and “Windy” by the Association.
The final round of releases from this Summer of Love celebration will arrive on July 25 and includes Dusty In Memphis by Dusty Springfield ($24.98), Goodbye and Hello by Tim Buckley ($24.98) and the mono version Aretha Arrives by Aretha Franklin ($24.98). In addition, Wildflowers by Judy Collins will be pressed on translucent yellow vinyl ($21.98) and The Zodiac Cosmic Sounds will be pressed on glow-in-the-dark vinyl ($17.98).
Also due is a new Nuggets collection: Transparent Days: West Coast Nuggets ($31.98). Pressed on transparent vinyl, this two-LP collection includes 30 songs by artists like the Peanut Butter Conspiracy (“Time Is After You”), the Mojo Men (“She’s My Baby”), M.C. 2 (“Smiling”) and Love (“Your Mind & We Belong Together”).
Grateful Dead: Smiling on a Cloudy Day LP Track Listing
Side One
1. “The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)”
2. “Cream Puff War”
3. “Morning Dew”
4. “That’s It For The Other One”
5. “Born Cross-Eyed”
Side Two
1. “Dark Star”
2. “St. Stephen”
3. “China Cat Sunflower”
4. “Doin’ That Rag”
5. “Cosmic Charlie”
Related: A new book celebrates the Summer of Love
The Monkees: Summer of Love LP Track Listing
Side One
1. “Pleasant Valley Sunday”
2. “She”
3. “Porpoise Song” – Single Version
4. “Words”
5. “Star Collector”
6. “Birth Of An Accidental Hipster”
Side Two
1. “Take A Giant Step”
2. “Love Is Only Sleeping”
3. “Randy Scouse Git”
4. “Tapioca Tundra”
5. “Saturday’s Child”
6. “For Pete’s Sake”
Getting’ Together: Groovy Sounds of the Summer of Love LP Track Listing
Side One
1. “Groovin'” – The Young Rascals
2. “Windy” – The Association
3. “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” – Harper’s Bizarre
4. “Bowling Green” – The Everly Brothers
5. “The Windows Of The World” – Dionne Warwick
6. “Next Plane To London” – The Rose Garden
7. “Carrie-Anne” – The Hollies
8. “It’s A Happening World” – The Tokens
Side Two
1. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” – The Monkees
2. “Sit Down, I Think I Love You” – The Mojo Men
3. “Transparent Day” – The West Coast Pop Experimental Band
4. “C’mon Marianne” – The 4 Seasons featuring the “sound” of Frankie Valli
5. “Hip Hug-Her” – Booker T. & The M.G.’s
6. “Gettin’ Together” – Tommy James & The Shondells
7. “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) – The Electric Prunes
8. “You Keep Me Hanging On” – Vanilla Fudge
Related: What was in the top 40 in August 1967?
Transparent Days: West Coast Nuggets 2-LP Track Listing
Side One
1. “Transparent Day” – The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
2. “Time Is After You” – The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
3. “Linda’s Gone” – The West Coast Branch
4. “I Could Be Happy” – The Dovers
5. “My Race Is Run – The Motleys
6. “The Happiness Song” – Gerry Pond
7. “Here’s Today” – The Rose Garden
8. “Bye Bye Bye” (Warner Bros. Single Version) – The Tikis
Side Two
1. “Make It Easy” – The Collectors
2. “I’ll Sell My Soul” – The Allies
3. “Goin’ Down” – The Waphphle
4. “Out Of Sight Out Of Mind” – Limey & The Yanks
5. “Where You Gonna Go” – Art Guy
6. “Got Love” – The Front Line
7. “She’s My Baby” – The Mojo Men
8. “Going Home” – Butch Engle & The Styx
Side Three
1. “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies” – The Association
2. “If You Could Be Him Instead” – Wayne Stewart
3. “Candlestickmaker” – Ron Elliott
4. “Smiling” – M.C. 2
5. “Momentarily Gone” – The Truth
6. “Degeneration Gap” – Tandyn Almer
7. “Baby Please Don’t Go” – The Ballroom
Side Four
1. “Come Alive” – Things To Come
2. “House Of Glass” – The Glass Family
3. “The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly” – The Bonniwell Music Machine
4. “Dawn Lights The Way” – Clear Light
5. “Shadows” – The Electric Prunes
6. “Changes (Tygstl)” – The Ceyleib People
7. “Your Mind & We Belong Together” – Love
Watch the Monkees perform “Pleasant Valley Sunday”
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationCool idea, but the execution is lacking. Nothing on either the Dead or Monkees collection that most fans of either group (I love them both!) don’t already have.
So maybe these are geared at more casual listeners, but wouldn’t those folks be more likely to get one of many available “Best ofs” out there?
I like the idea of showcasing the trippier side of The Monkees. They get far more respect now than they did in the 60s, and it’s that more psychedelic side, once they fought for and gained more artistic freedom, that ranks among their best songs.
But why, then, are songs like “She” and “Saturday’s Child” included? They’re good, but not really psychedelic. “Take a Giant Step,” though mildly trippy in the lyrics, really isn’t either.
The big omission is “Daily Nightly,” which is one of the craziest, trippiest, best Monkees songs ever? Mike Nesmith wrote it, and it features Micky Dolenze playing the first Moog synthesizer on a pop-rock record. More songs from the (wonderful) Head soundtrack should’ve been included too.
The Dead stuff is cool, but the “Dark Star” single can be found elsewhere and the rest on the band’s first three albums. All of them, especially Anthem of the Sun, are worth having.
“Gettin’ Together” has some cool tracks… But I’m not sure that I necessarily want, say, Dionne Warwick and Frankie Valli with the Vanilla Fudge and Electric Prunes tracks I do want.