Search - Elvis Presley, Skeeter Davis, Jefferson Airplane :: Nipper's Greatest Hits: The 60's 1

Tremendous, versatile collection of 1960s sounds!

John A. Kuczma | Marietta, GA USA | 06/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most unusual group of songs ever committed to a single collection. There is no single musical theme apparent here, as the 20 cuts cross all genres of popular music from the turbulant 1960s. There is the classic Elvis Presley cut "It's Now or Never", Ann-Margret's surprisingly effective mainstream pop cut "I Just Don't Understand", and the tremendously popular doowop-styled offering "The Lion Sleeps Tonite."From the country side comes Bobby Bare's "500 Miles from Home," which was covered so many times it disappeared in the confusion. Al Hirt's lively "Java" represents the jazz genre, and Glenn Yarbrough adds a folk perspective with the wonderful "Baby, the Rain Must Fall."In order to mention every good cut on this disc, I'd have to recite the song list. Just look to the top of this listing and you'll see what I'm talking about. Everyone from Sam Cooke to Henry Mancini to Jefferson Airplane is included. There simply aren't enough superlatives to go around.If you loved the music of the magical 60's, this disc needs to be in your collection. An absolute gold mine of hits!"

Nipper Kept His Ear Open For These 60s Classics

Anthony G Pizza | FL | 03/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 60s were a transitional, catacylsmic time in society, in music, and for RCA Records. The label, represented here by a selection of its top 1960s hits, sandwiched the innocent rock of the early 60s and the socially-concious rock of its end with a series of adult-contemporary and one-hit wonders.It was a producer-driven decade, and the label's two most notable producers, Chet Atkins (he produced Floyd Cramer's #2 hit , Skeeter Davis, and Eddy Arnold) and and the team of Hugo and Luigi (producing Elvis, Sam Cooke, and the Tokens #1), take up most of the disc's first half. Ann-Margaret's lone Top 40 hit is also worth mentioning because the Beatles covered it on their "BBC Sessions" album.The cut-off point is Al Hirt's 1964 Top 5 "Java," written by Allen Toussaint and which peaked the same week the Beatles hit America. The British Invasion pushed the label into a slump with only Elvis and Eddy Arnold reaching the Top 10 in 1965. But Arnold's mellow "Make The World Go Away" crashes headfirst into "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane, unleashing the label's late-60s run of hits by Canada's Guess Who, Jose Feliciano (1969's flamenco "Light My Fire") and Henry Mancini's #1 movie theme.This set holds little of the camp value of similar "Nipper" decade sets, but entertains and educates about the decade without relying on its usual touchstones (Dylan, Beatles, Stones). Recommended, with the essential tracks best heard on performers' full albums."

And the nostalgia continues...

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nipper's Greatest Hits: The 60's, Vol. 1 has a fine assortment of some pretty awesome tunes that made the airwaves hot back in the `60s! This brings back memories for people who first heard these tunes on the radio; and oldies lovers like me simply can't get enough of this type of CD. The artwork is very good, too.



"It's Now Or Never" has a charming Latin beat as Elvis Presley sings this so well; he really gets a chance to show off his operatic pipes on this number! The piano and guitar arrangements on "It's Now Or Never" stun me; they are so well done. Elvis's voice is in excellent form and he doesn't miss a beat. Ketty Lester also does great on her slow dance number entitled "Love Letters;" this has a great piano arrangement and Ketty's voice conveys all the subtle nuances of each word that she sings. In addition, there's also "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)" by The Tokens. The Tokens do a fabulous job on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)" and I still enjoy hearing this soulful ballad today.



Neil Sedaka gives a flawless performance on "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do;" this arrangement is written in such a way as to accentuate the innocence of this song along with the sweet if somewhat mournful lyrics. The upbeat melody is beautiful although it belies the seriousness of the lyrics. Little Peggy March also sings "I Will Follow Him" without a superfluous note; and the backup singers do a great job of bolstering Peggy's singing. The percussion on "I Will Follow Him" also impresses me a lot.



Al Hirt's "Java" is easily a highlight of this album--what a catchy number! "Java" has a great horn arrangement all the way through as well. Be prepared, however, for a major shift of gears when Jefferson Airplane comes on board with their "Somebody To Love." This rock ballad is classic and it still rocks well today!



"These Eyes" by The Guess Who continues in the same rock and roll vein; this tune also has a rather lush arrangement with strings for a `60s pop rock tune. The CD ends strong with Henry Mancini & His Orchestra--and a chorus--performing the love theme from Romeo and Juliet. This is a magnificent number that will leave you wanting more.



Overall, this CD gives us quite a good look at the diverse types of music and song that dominated the forever changing 1960s. I highly recommend this album for people who love all kinds of `60s music; and this is a great starter CD for people just getting familiar with `60s music.

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