By 1964, the Viet Nam conflict was clearly escalating. In July two U.S. Navy destroyers were ambushed by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. In retrospect history now questions the seriousness of the apparent provocation
By 1964, the Viet Nam conflict was clearly escalating. In July two U.S. Navy destroyers were ambushed by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. In retrospect history now questions the seriousness of the apparent provocation, but President Lyndon Johnson used it as justification for a Declaration of War against North Viet Nam. By the following year the United States was deeply involved in combat operations with the Communist North.
President Johnson had struck the Warren Commission in late 1963 to investigate the circumstances of his predecessor’s assassination.
In September the tribunal reported Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in causing President Kennedy’s death.
In October, 1964 a palace coup organized by Leonid Brezhnev instigated the overthrow and forced retirement of Nikita Khrushchev from his posts as First Secretary and Premier of the U.S.S.R.
As time progressed the old warrior’s humiliations mounted as seems to have been the eventual norm for those who had risen to prominence in the Soviet Union. Barely two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, both major protagonists were gone. Khrushchev died in 1971, denied any kind of honors or recognition.
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in July, making any kind of racial discrimination or segregation illegal. Of course, just because bigotry was outlawed, it did not end and sadly continues in various forms today. Race riots erupted across the U.S.A. likely as manifestations of impatience with the rate of progress of social change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in trying to end discrimination nonviolently.
Although the Beatles had been touring and recording in Europe during 1963, release of their music in North America had inexplicably been actively suppressed. By Christmas, 1963 pressure from fans had reached the point where the Beatles phenomenon could no longer be ignored and several songs were rushed into release.
In February, 1964 the Beatles arrived in New York City to a tumultuous welcome from adoring fans. After twice appearing on the iconic “Ed Sullivan Show” and doing a few live concerts, Beatlemania was well and truly entrenched and the music landscape was forever changed. No more soft, gentle ballads celebrating innocent teen-age love and heartache – it was all raucous excess with funny haircuts and youthful rebellion. Critics rhapsodized about joyful intricate melodies replete with golden, heartwarming jubilance. It was either that or lose all credibility.
By April, 1964, the Beatles owned twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 including the top five. Movie deals were in the works and when released resembled nothing more than Pythonesque silliness, yet they were hailed as artistic works of surpassing talent and insight.
During the long years of arduous toil in Hamburg’s seedy clubs and dens of questionable repute, the Beatles-in-Waiting had experimented with diet pills to cope with the brutal work schedule to which they were subject. In mid-1964 they were introduced to folk singer Bob Dylan, who acquainted them with the felicitous gratification to be derived from Cannabis. Bob Dylan was becoming a major counter-culture figure, instrumental in fomenting dissatisfaction with the supposed degeneracy of American society. In 1964 Dylan and the Beatles appealed to completely different demographics. Dylan fans tended to be college types sporting tweed jackets, smoking pipes and driving Volvos. Early Beatles devotees could most politely be described as bubble-gummers. As it turned out, Dylan had a profound influence on the Beatles, especially John Lennon, who began to imitate Dylan’s style and even his voice mannerisms.
Personally, I was not a Beatles fan. I mourned the departure of Rhythm ‘n’ Blues based rock (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Drifters, Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington and many others), of which the Beatles left not a vestige. Their tunes were catchy ditties but devoid of personality and although hailed as musical genius, lacking in technical merit. Nonetheless they held down four of Billboard’s top 10 tunes for 1964. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the year’s #1 song and “Can’t Buy Me Love” was #2. Other British artists started to make an appearance in 1964. I think the best of the bunch were the Animals whose “House of the Rising Sun” took #7.
The Animals were everything the Beatles weren’t in terms of musical virtuosity. Manfred Mann offered “Doh Wah Diddy Diddy” and Peter & Gordon hit the charts with “World Without Love”.
Surf music managed a few final twitches before departing. Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” ended 1964 at #10 and “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” made it to #40. Motown’s Supremes got their big break in the Spring of 1964 with the release of “Baby Love” which went on to capture the #3 spot; they placed two more songs in the top 15. Johnny Rivers’ covers of Chuck Berry’s hits “Memphis” and “Maybelline” are legitimate rock classics.
The magnificent Four Seasons released eight pieces in 1964 led by “Rag Doll”, “Dawn”, “Save It for Me” and “Ronnie”.
Although members of the British Invasion, the Rolling Stones top entry for the year was “Time Is on My Side” peaking at #6 in October. Three earlier releases in 1964 are quite forgettable, but the group has gone on to become the most durable from the era. Another Briti