Golden Trails

The Vapour Trails, a UK band left by the father/son team of Kevin and Scott Robertson, released two excellent records in the past few years, the most recent being 2020’s Golden Sunshine. Just when I thought they were going to be taking a break (but really glad they didn’t) out comes a new 7-song EP! Apparently it was only going to a 4 songs but the band added a few extras and it’s just as strong as the band’s other material. They haven’t messed with the formula (if you could call it a formula) with loads of jangly guitars melded with ace harmonies that brings their 60’s influences right up to the present. “Tommy’s Tune” and the title track are the 1-2 punch that open the record and are both terrific cuts, among the band’s best really and there’s a few more (including a remix of “Strange’ and a Kinks-y number called “Autumn and Spring”). I won’t delve into all of the songs (‘cos where’s the fun in that?!) but suffice it to say it’s strong collection top to bottom. Pop music the way it was meant to be done.

The Top 100 '60s Rock Albums represent the moment when popular music came of age. In the earliest part of the decade, bands were still regularly referencing earlier sounds and themes. By the middle, something powerful and distinct was happening, which is why the latter part of the '60s weighs so heavily on our list. A number of bands evolved alongside fast-emerging trends of blues rock, folk rock, psychedelia and hard rock, adding new complexities to the music even as the songs themselves became more topical. If there's a thread running through the Top 100 '60s Rock Albums and this period of intense change, it has to do with the forward-thinking artists who managed to echo and, in some cases, advance the zeitgeist. Along the way, legends were made.