Who are the best all time 1960's pop groups?

The Beatles

The Monkees

The Doors

The Byrds

The Animals

The Kinks

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Beach Boys

Jefferson Airplane

The Mamas and the Papas

And not necessarily in that order, but those are the best of the best. Hope you like!

@Kardamom Funny, I was listening to The Byrds (One Hundred Years From Now) when I found this question. And I was listening to the The Jimi Hendrix Experience for the first time in months earlier today.

But no Stones? No Who? No Dylan?

Ehh, okay lets stray away from anything that sounds like the Doors.

Let’s get some girl groups and doo wop in the mix!

@jaytkay I don’t dislike The Rolling Stones, I just think they’re a little bit boring. I heard them and The Beatles a million times when I was growing up. I still love The Beatles, the Stones meh.

I like Bob Dylan a lot, especially some of his songs Blowing in the Wind and Lay Lady Lay and I Want You, but after that, he just gets boring and monotonous.

I probably should have listed Simon and Garfunkel, though. : )

Mama and the Papa’s
Rolling Stones
CCR
Byrds
Hermans Hermits :-)
Simon and Garfunkel

I’ll add more as I think of them.

Ehh, okay lets stray away from anything that sounds like the Doors.

Well, all of Motown was pretty much awesome.

The Temptations & The Supremes especially IMHO.

And Smokey & The Miracles. I think Curtis Mayfield & The Imperials were on a different label.

@jaytkay Wasn’t even thinking of them. GA.

For the Motown crowd I’m adding the Jackson 5.

I’m not too thrilled about any of the girl groups but I do love some of the female solo singers like Petula Clark and Astrud Gilberto and Dusty Springfield and Lulu and Linda Ronstadt (with The Stone Poneys) and Spanky McFarland from Our Gang. And let’s not forget about Eartha Kitt and Shirley Bassey! Woot!

@Kardamom

When Amy Winehouse died, I played a lot of Dusty Springfield – another British girl who could sing American soul.

Procol Harum
Byrds
Beatles
The Buckinghams
Yardbirds
The Turtles

1. Beatles … 23 hits with 8 in top 10 (average song in top 20)
2. Beach Boys … 15 hits with 3 in top 10 (average in top 28)
3. Rolling Stones … 10 hits with 1 in top 10 (average in top 33)
4. Four Seasons … 9 hits with 3 in top 10 (average in top 20)
5. Supremes … 8 hits with 1 in top 10 (average in top 27)
6. Drifters … 6 hits with 3 in top 10 (average in top 11)
7. Miracles … 6 hits with 1 in top 10 (average in top 22)
8. Four Tops … 6 hits with 1 in top 10 (average in top 24)
9. Temptations … 5 hits with 2 in top 10 (average in top 12)
10. Doors … 5 hits none in top 10 (average in top 19).

Read more at Suite101

The Who, The Kinks, The Grassroots, The Turtles

@jaytkay Wasn’t there another pretty famous female soul singer that sounded kind of like Amy Winehouse from the 60’s? I’m trying to think of everybody, but I’m drawing a blank.

What about all the folk singers? Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary were fun to listen to, even if not the greatest musically.
Then there were all the solo folk singers:
James Taylor
Joan Baez
Jim Croce
Judy Collins
Carly Simon
Bob Dylan

There was some great country music also, but I am not much into country music.

@LostInParadise I love the Kingston Trio! I’m guessing that you have heard the soundtrack album for the movie A Mighty Wind? If not, you should check it out. The movie is a spoof of the folk singers of the 60’s, but the actor/musicians who made the music for the movie are ridiculously talented and that album is one of my top 5 favorite albums of all times.

Check out Kiss at the End of the Rainbow

And the Ballad of Bobby and June

and A Mighty Wind

Oklahoma’s finest….........Blood, Sweat and Tears

“Spinning Wheel” and “You Made Me So Very Happy”......................

Way ahead of their 1969 sound.

All i know if I had asked this question it would be kicked off before I finished it-sour grapes.
Well, there was old Moby Grape, but I don’t think they were 60’s. Jefferson Airplane with Grace, and certainly Credence’s Suzy Q.

Beatles
Stones
The Who
The Doors
The Kinks
The Funk Brothers (the backing musicians for most of Motowns hits)
The Isley Brothers
Sly and the Family Stone
The Rascals
Jefferson Airplane
The Lovin’ Spoonful

How about some go go groups?

This is my Top 10.

The Beatles
The Kinks
The Staple Singers
Aretha Franklin (and her backing band when she recorded for Atlantic)
The Beach Boys
Cream
Pink Floyd
Sly & The Family Stone
The Rolling Stones
The Byrds

Special Mentions to Mike Nesmith and Frank Zappa.

MY favorite is Jay and the Americans.

1960 to 1964 and 1965–1969 are extremely different. Almost like two completely different decades.

half of these don’t exactly qualify as pop, but still…
Mamas and the Papas
Beatles
Supremes
Beach Boys
Buffalo Springfield
Velvet Underground
Grateful Dead
Kinks
Shangri-las
The Doors

Hendrix
Supremes
Doors
Beach Boys
Four Seasons
Beatles
Stones
Temptations
Mamas and the Papas
Cream. Even though they almost never did Top 40, they and Hendrix were a level above other pop groups, based on their creativity and instrumental mastery.

We cannot leave out the The Platters…...............

Only You

Great Pretender

Harbor Lights

Magic Touch

With This Ring

The Seekers (with Judith Durham) are my favourite

Wilson Pickett
Marvin Gaye
Otis Redding (dare you not to sing along to Try a Little Tenderness)
The Shangri-Las (Leader of the pack)
Three Dog Night
Guess Who

plus all the others named above.

the 60s defies top 10s, when you got reggae, motown, RnB, the psych rock and of course all the British music too, couldnt narrow it down….

But I think y’all forgotten someone who deserves a mention…
the one and only Junior Walker

I so agree with Otis Redding, “sitting on the dock on the bay watching the clouds move away…, (something like that) I can’t count how many times I have listened to that song into the wee hours of the morning. I should just do that right now, thank you YT!

Wow!