‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’
Perhaps derived from a ‘Tin Pan Alley’ phrase. The first pressing of a record would be played to people called the ‘old greys’ (the collective nickname for office cleaners who typically started work at 5pm as office staff were leaving).
The tunes they could remember and could whistle, having heard them just once or twice, passed "the old grey whistle test".
History will always remember the Sixties as the era when hems got shorter. But the swinging Sixties brought more than just the mini skirt.
The first Doc Martens boot was produced in 1960; Chelsea boots became a must-have fashion accessory in 1961; Pill Box hats were popularised in 1962 after Jackie Kennedy was photographed wearing hers on TV; Go-Go boots (or kinky boots) - as worn by Honor Blackman in The Avengers - became the ultimate in flirty footwear in 1962 (later worshipped in ‘These Boots are Made for Walking’); Twiggy in 1965 and dieting, elfin haircuts and false eyelashes became the rage.
Mary Quant, undoubtedly fashion queen of the decade, rose to fame in 1966; the mini skirt, the ultimate 60s fashion item, first exposed legs in 1966; hippie psychedelia reached its peak in 1967, flooding the 'alternative' fashion world with flowery garb such as kaftans, afghan coats, body paint and flowers in the hair; Space Age fashion truly took off in 1968 as Barbarella hit cinema screens and the imminent moon landings gripped the nation; funky clothes at affordable prices in 1969.
UK TV went colour. Britain's first ever soap was launched and Dr Who was born.
Jukebox Jury landed in the UK in 1959 but didn't really make it big until 1960; in 1961, The Avengers hit the small screen; now the oldest soap opera in the world, people first tuned into Coronation Street in 1961; Z Cars first started in 1962 (the show was named after the then new Ford Zephyr cars used as patrol vehicles in the series); Dr Who first appeared in 1963 with his Tardis and the infamous Daleks; Steptoe and Son.
Top of the Pops, originally transmitted from a converted church in Manchester in 1964, was initially commissioned for six shows (the first episode featured Dusty Springfield, The Beatles and Cliff Richard and The Shadows); Thunderbirds first set out in 1965 to save the world; The Magic Roundabout was created by French author Serge Danot in 1965 with Florence, Dougal, Ermintrude and other groovy friends; Til Death Us Do Part and the first arch bigot; from 1967, Number 6; Dad's Army started in 1968 and produced around 80 episodes in the next nine years.
And then there was Andy Pandy, Rag Tag & Bobtail, The Woodentops, Bill & Ben The Flowerpot Men, Pinky & Perky, Sooty, Blue Peter, The Saint, Star Trek, Mission:Impossible, Crossroads, The Billy Cotton Band Show, The Morecambe and Wise Show, The Flintstones, Deputy Dawg, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Camberwick Green, Trumpton, Supercar, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, boy wonder Joe 90, Wacky Races and Daktari.
Where do you start with films........from Sci-Fi films such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Barbarella’ to depictions of the vibrant Sixties lifestyle in ‘Blow Up’, ‘Alfie’ and ‘A Hard Day's Night’, it was a busy decade for cinema-goers.
Arguably one of Hitchcock's finest films Psycho in 1960; Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961 (the sunglasses with black dress and cigarette holder look went down in history); A Taste of Honey was a turning point for British cinema in 1961; the first ever James Bond film, Dr No, hit screens in 1962 starring a little known Scottish actor called Sean Connery; Lawrence of Arabia in 1962; The Great Escape in 1963 (and for many a Christmas); Mary Poppins and Dr Strangelove in 1964; A Hard Day's Night was a dream come true for Beatles fans worldwide in 1964.
The Good The Bad and the Ugly starred Clint Eastwood in 1966 (the ultimate spaghetti Western - and the music.....); Blow Up and Michael Caine played Alfie also from 1966; The Graduate from 1967 was the classic coming-of-age comedy; Bonnie and Clyde, the story of the depression era bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, came out in 1967; Barbarella was set in the 40th Century and released in 1968; Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, came out in 1968; Midnight Cowboy hit screens in 1969; Easy Rider was also released in 1969 and became the ultimate road movie.
From Tiny Tears and Action Man to Lego and Twister, the youth of yesteryear had plenty of playthings to keep them occupied.
Doodling was revolutionized with Etch-a-Sketch in 1960; 1960 also gave birth to Lego; Barbie was lonely by 1961 so she got her very own plastic fantastic boyfriend Ken (then Sindy went on sale as a rival to Barbie in 1963); Spiderman (the comic) hit the shelves in 1962; Mr Potato Head was invented in 1964 and the humble spud took on an exciting new role; Tiny Tears arrived in the UK from America in 1966 (I’ve never understood why her ability to drink from a bottle and then cry and wet her nappy made her an instant hit).
Twister, the floor game, about trying to get hands and feet on the right colours without injuring yourself, went down a storm in 1966; 1966 also brought dolls for the boys in the form of Action Man; a bunch of sticks and marbles became a highly strategic sport in 1967 with Kerplunk; the Frisbee craze took flight in the UK in 1967; board game Battleships brought naval warfare in a box in 1967; Hot wheels came out in 1969; and Silly string (string in a spray can) was an instant party hit in 1969.
And for Saturday mornings (and a long lie in bed) there was ‘The Victor’ comic (Alf Tupper et al), The Beano, The Dandy, The Buster, The Hotspur, The Eagle, The Topper and a fight with my big brother to see who got to read them first.
The Sixties was a watershed decade. The Sixties were different from anything that came before.
It was thought the generation gap which existed between teenagers and their parents would be a permanent feature. But here was just one generation gap - between those who grew up before the Beatles and those who grew up after it.
The Sixties revolution involved moving from scarcity to abundance, the struggle to survive losing its intensity, the search for identity, the desire to make something of oneself, a new spirit. It produced a consumer society. The mass market broke through class barriers, upturned traditions, made revered customs obsolete.
The decade was a triumph of economic freedom, of the power of free markets to change lives and produce a more open, exciting society. But change was not all gain - family breakdown, drug addiction, a coarsening of public debate and a continuing deterioration in standards of civility and decency.
Pop was the first choice of most people who were young. Television was very much making its presence felt and cinemas were starting to close. Smoking was popular (70% of men and around 40% of women). Pubs were favoured by most, but also Working Men's Clubs, student or college bars. Eating out was less popular; it was an expensive luxury.
The Sixties brought a revolution to the home in the form of a multitude of electric and electronic gadgets. The television became almost universal, the radio, record player, radiogram, reel-to-reel tape recorder, washing machine (twin tub rather than an automatic), cameras (Kodak Instamatic), electric irons.
People had to save to buy things rather than have them on credit.
Supermarkets were fairly new and many people still used local shops or corner shops (some of these shops were prepared to deliver to the door), many people still made their own clothes (but then there was Marks & Spencer, C&A, the Co-op, Lewis's), for men it was the era of the made-to-measure suit; Minis were popular cars (and very popular skirts); the new motorways but service stations were not well-liked (expensive for petrol and unpleasant food); new house buyers could expect to lay out their own gardens and even build their own garages.
The big issues (no, not today’s magazine) included Dr Beeching's savage pruning of under-used of branch lines; CND Ban the Bomb marches; The Profumo Scandal; the death John F Kennedy; the death of Sir Winston Churchill; the Torrey Canyon disaster; racial unease; pollution; housing; the Rhodesian Crisis; apartheid in South Africa; preparing for decimalisation; the Common Market; Biafra; the Iron Curtain; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Prince of Wales' Investiture; 11+ and selective state education; rising interest rates; the Sterling crisis and devaluation; manned space flight and landing on the moon.
There was a slower pace of life, less pressure to succeed, lower expectations; a simpler, less crowded, less complicated life but, in many respects, a modern, forward looking decade. Less traffic and quieter roads; respect and a greater trust and neighbourliness; families did more together and there was a greater sense of family values; religion was also more important than today
A perceived freedom from crime (in some areas, you could leave your house unlocked); children could play outside without too much worry; a freedom to walk around without fear.
There was more open space, green belt, open parks and common land; less pollution and less noise; travel abroad was felt to be for the privileged classes (most people had to make do with a UK holiday); no mobile phones or internet access
Today people have so much and yet seem no happier and certainly don't seem to have the love of life we had.
Music:
13th Floor Elevators; The 5th Dimension; 1910 Fruitgum Company
Jon Abnor; Johnny Ace; The Ad Libs; Jewel Akens; Amen Corner
The American Breed; The Ames Brothers; Chris Andrews
Bobby Angelo; The Angels; The Animals; Paul Anka
The Applejacks; The Archies; Louis Armstrong; Eddie Arnold
PP Arnold; Arrival; The Association; Patti Austin; Frankie Avalon
The Bachelors; Badfinger; Joan Baez; Bobby Baker; Lavern Baker
Long John Baldry; Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen; The Band
Barrett Strong; The Barron Knights; Len Barry; Fontella Bass
Shirley Bassey; The Beach Boys; The Beathovens; The Beatles
The Beau Brummels; Jeff Beck; Bee Gees; Harry Belafonte
Archie Bell & The Drells; Jesse Belvin; Bern Elliot & The Fenmen
Brook Benton; Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers; Chuck Berry
Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones; Mike Berry & The Outlaws
Dave Berry; Big Bopper; Big Brother And The Holding Company
Acker Bilk; Bill Black's Combo; Billie And Lillie; Cilla Black;
Marcie Blane; Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg; Mr Bloe; Blond
Blood, Sweat And Tears; Bobby Bloom; Blue Mink; Blues Magoos
The Bobbettes; Bobby Fuller Four; Graham Bonney; Sonny Bono
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band; Booker T & The MGs; Daniel Boone
Pat Boone; David Bowie; The Box Tops; Idalia Boyd; Bread
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart; James Brown; The Buckinghams
Joe Brown & The Bruvvers; Tommy Bruce; Buffalo Springfield
Eric Burdon & The Animals; Johnny Burnette; Jerry Butler
The Byrds
Glen Campbell; Canned Heat; Freddy Cannon; The Caravelles
The Carpenters; Vikki Carr; Clarence Carter; The Cascades
Johnny Cash; Mama Cass; The Castaways; The Casuals; CCS
Chad And Jeremy; Gene Chandler; Bruce Channel; Ray Charles
Sonny Charles and the Checkmates Ltd; Chubby Checker; Cher
Chicken Shack; Chicory Tip; The Chiffons; The Chordettes
Neil Christian & The Crusaders; Christie; Lou Christie; Dee Clark
Petula Clark; The Cleftones; The Clovers; The Coasters
Eddie Cochran; Joe Cocker; Alma Cogan; Leonard Cohen
Nat King Cole; Judy Collins; Arthur Conley; Consortium
Russ Conway; Sam Cooke; Count Five; Country Joe And The Fish
Michael Cox; Crazy Elephant; The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
The Cream; The Creation; Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Crests; The Crystals; Cupid's Inspiration; The Cyrkle
Roger Daltrey; Danny & The Juniors; Bobby Darin; James Darren
Dave Clark Five; Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich; Dave Davies
David And Jonathan; Spencer Davis Group; Dawn; Bobby Day
Doris Day; Jimmy Dean; Joey & The Starlighters; The Deejays
Deep Purple; Desmond Dekker & The Aces; The Dells; Derek
Karl Denver; Jackie DeShannon; Detroit Road Runners
Neil Diamond; The Diamonds; Dick And Dee Dee; Bo Diddley
Mark Dinning; Dion; The Dixie Cups; Carl Dobkins Jr; Donovan
Fats Domino; The Donays; The Doors; Lee Dorsey; Craig Douglas
Mike Douglas; Ronnie Dove; The Downliners Sect; The Drifters
The Dreamlovers; Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity
Simon Dupree & The Big Sound; The Duprees; Bob Dylan
Movies:
The Easybeats; Edison Lighthouse; Dave Edmunds; Shirley Ellis
Bern Elliot & The Fenmen; The Equals; The Everly Brothers
The Essex; Faces; Percy Faith & His Orchestra; Marianne Faithfull
Georgie Fame; Family; Family Dogg; Don Fardon; Chris Farlowe
Jose Feliciano; Larry Finnegan; The Fireballs; Fleetwood Mac
The Five Americans; The Flowerpot Men; The Flying Machine
Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders; Emile Ford; The Fortunes
The Foundations; The Four Pennies; The Four Seasons
The Four Tops; The Fourmost; Connie Francis; Aretha Franklin
John Fred & His Playboy Band; Freddie & The Dreamers
Billy Fury
Gale Garnett; David Garrick; Gary US Bonds; Marvin Gaye; Gun
The Gentry's; Bobbie Gentry; Lorne Gibson; Ginger & The Snaps
Robin Gibb; Bobby Goldsboro; Lesley Gore; The Grass Roots
Gerry & The Pacemakers; Norman Greenbaum; Guckenheimer
The Guess Who; Tim Hardin; Harmony Grass; Dale Hawkins
Edwin Hawkins Singers; Bobby Hebb; Jimi Hendrix
Hedgehoppers Anonymous; Heinz; Clarence 'Frogman' Henry
The Hep Stars; The Herd; Herman's Hermits; The Highwaymen
Al Hirt; Eddie Hodges; The Hollies; Buddy Holly; The Honeybus
The Hollywood Argyles; The Honeycombs; The Honeys
Mary Hopkin; The Hounds; Humble Pie; Engelbert Humperdinck
Brian Hyland; Idle Race; Frank Ifield ;The Impalas; The In Crowd
The Innocents; Big Dee Irwin; The Isley Brothers; The Ivy League
The Iveys; Terry Jacks; The Jackson Five; Wanda Jackson
Tommy James; Tommy James & The Shondells; Jan And Dean
Jethro Tull; Jay And The Americans; John Howard Abdnor
Jefferson Airplane; Jon and Robin and The In Crowd; Davy Jones
John's Children; Elton John; Jon Paul Jones; Tom Jones;
Janis Joplin; Ernie K-Doe; Eden Kane; Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
Jonathan King; The Kinks; Ben E King; The Knickerbockers
The Kingston Trio; Curtis Knight; The Kingsmen; Buddy Knox;
Gladys Knight And The Pips; Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas
Steve Lawrence; Led Zeppelin; Left Banke; The Lemon Pipers;
Brenda Lee; Jackie Lee; Leapy Lee; John Lennon; Bobby Lewis;
Gary Lewis & The Playboys; John Leyton; Bob Lind; Mark Lindsay
Little Anthony & The Imperials; Little Eva; Lobo; Locomotive
Trini Lopez; Los Bravos; The Love Affair; Love Sculpture
The Lovin' Spoonful; Lulu; Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
The Mama's & The Papa's; Barry Mann; The Marbles; Marmalade
Manfred Mann; Peggy March; The Marketts; Dean Martin
The Marvelettes; The Mascots; Matthews Southern Comfort
Paul Mauriat; Paul McCartney; The McCoys; Gene McDaniels
Barry McGuire; Scott McKenzie; Don McLean; Clyde McPhatter
Melanie; The Merseybeats; The Merseys; The Migil Five;
Ned Miller; Rex Miller; Roger Miller; The Miracles; The Mojos;The Mindbenders; The Monkees; Chris Montez; The Moody Blues
The Move; The Murmaids; The Music Explosion
The Namelosers; Napoleon XIV; The Nashville Teens; The Nice
Nat King Cole; Rick Nelson; Aaron Neville; The Newbeats
The New Vaudeville Band; Nilsson; Peter Noone; Ohio Express
Gilbert O'Sullivan; Esther & Abi Ofarim; Oliver; Roy Orbison
Ola & The Janglers; The Outsiders; The Overlanders
Pacific Gas & Electric; Patti Page; The Paper Dolls;
The Paramounts; The Partridge Family; Don Partridge
Bobby Patterson; Paul & Paula; Peaches & Herb; Peter & Gordon
Peter, Paul & Mary; Ray Peterson; Pinkerton's Assorted Colours
John Phillips; Wilson Pickett; Pink Floyd; The Pipkins
Gene Pitney
The Plastic Penny; The Platters; Brian Poole & The Tremeloes
Sandy Posey; Joey Powers; Elvis Presley; The Pretty Things
Alan Price; Lloyd Price; The Primates; PJ Proby; Procul Harum
Question Mark & The Mysterians
Radna Krishna Temple; The Rascals; The Red Squares;
Otis Redding; Jim Reeves; Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
The Remains; Paul Revere & The Raiders; Cliff Richard
The Righteous Brothers; The Rip Chords; The Ripples; Robin
Johnny Rivers; Marty Robbins; Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
The Rockin' Berries; The Rockin' Rebels; Clodagh Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers; Tommy Roe; The Rolling Stones; The Ronettes
The Roulettes; The Routers; The Royal Guardsmen; Barry Ryan
Billy Joe Royal; Royal Showband Waterford; Billy Joe Royal
Ruby & The Romantics; Bobby Rydell
Barry Sadler; Buffy Sainte-Marie; Kyu Sakamoto; Sam & Dave
Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs; Chris Sandford; The Sapphires
Peter Sarstedt; The Scaffold; Science Poption; The Searchers
Jack Scott; Linda Scott; Neil Sedaka; The Seeds; The Seekers
The Shadows of Knight; The Shadows; The Shakers; The Shanes
Bobby Shafto; The Shangri-las; Del Shannon; Helen Shapiro
Sandie Shaw; The Sherrys; The Shirelles; The Silkie; Paul Simon
Simon & Garfunkel; Shocking Blue; Frank Sinatra; Nancy Sinatra
The Singing Nun; Frank Slay; Percy Sledge; The Small Faces
Sly & The Family Stone; OC Smith; Whistling Jack Smith
The Smoke; The Snobs; Errol Sober; Sonny & Cher; The Sorrows
The Soul Clan; Sounds Nice; Dusty Springfield; Crispian St Peters
St Louis Union; Joe South; Terry Stafford; The Statler Brothers
Edwin Starr; Ringo Starr; Status Quo; Tommy Steele; Steppenwolf
Cat Stevens; Connie Stevens; Billy Stewart; Maria Strattin
Rod Stewart; The Strawbs; Strawberry Alarm Clock; The Survivors
The Supremes; Screaming Lord Sutch; Swinging Blue Jeans
The T-Bones; T Rex; Tages; The Tams; R Dean Taylor; Thin Lizzy
The Temptations; Ten Years After; Them; BJ Thomas; The Tokens
Three Dog Night; Thunderclap Newman; Johnny Tillotson; Traffic
The Toys; The Trashmen; The Tremeloes; The Troggs; Twinkle
Ike & Tina Turner; The Turtles; Truth; Twice As Much; The Tymes
The Union Gap; Unit Four Plus Two; Ritchie Valens; Vanity Fair
Mark Valentino; Leroy Van Dyke; Bobby Vee; The Velvelettes;
The Velvet Underground; Jimmy Velvet; Gene Vincent;
Bobby Vinton; The Vogues; The Walker Brothers; Gary Walker
Scott Walker; Gordon Waller; Dionne Warwick; Lenny Welch
Pat Wayne & The Beachcombers; We Five; Mary Wells
Keith West; White Plains; Tony Joe White; The Who
Andy Williams; Jackie Wilson; Mark Wirtz; The Wizzard
The Wonder Who; Stevie Wonder; Brenton Wood; Roy Wood
Glenn Yarbrough; The Yardbirds; Young Idea; Karen Young;
The Young Rascals; Zager And Evans; The Zombies
Zoot Money & The Big Roll Band
Like me, if you were born in the Fifties, we were born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, xerox, contact lenses, frisbees and the Pill.
We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, ball-point pens, tights, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes and before man walked on the moon.
Men and women got married first..........and then lived together. You needed a husband and a wife to have a baby Oh, how quaint can you be?
Closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of". Bunnies were small rabbits, designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne; and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with our cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent; and Outer Space was the back of the Odeon Cinema.
No house-husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, computer marriages, day-care centres, group therapy or nursing homes.
FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word-processors, yoghurt, guys wearing earrings, pizzas, MacDonalds and instant coffee were unheard of.
Time-sharing meant togetherness; not computers or apartments. A chip meant a piece of wood; hardware meant hardware.....and software wasn't even a word! "Made in Japan" meant junk and the term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam.
Cigarette smoking was fashionable. Grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink, pot was something you cooked in, snow was snow and crack was something you didn’t stand on. Rock music was a grandmother's lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal's office.
Then came the Sixties.
We were certainly not born before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were before the sex change; we made do with what we had.
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