Rock and roll only grew more romantically dramatic, more sophisticated, sonically inventive, and exotic as the 20th century's most culturally tumultuous decade started to take root. The proof lies in these ten songs, culled from the best pure rock hits of the 1961 Top 40. Contains trivia, recording info, release info, and more.

Believe it or not, that slow, jazzy, groovy version of "Revolution" you hear on the "White Album" is the original, and the single was the afterthought -- for John to get his non-violent message across to student strikers all around the globe, he first had to engage in some old-fashioned sonic rabble-rousing. And good thing he did, for the result is one-half of what may be the greatest rock single of all time. Read a detailed breakdown of "Revolution" in my Beatles fact sheet.

With the recent sad passing of founder and vocalist Dan Peek, I take a look back at America, the other transatlantic folk-pop group. They may not have garnered the respect that CSNY did, but they did make a comfortable home at AM radio with well-loved favorites like "A Horse With No Name," "Ventura Highway," and "Sister Golden Hair." Read all about America the band in my profile.

One of the most contentious terms in all of rock categorization, the term "blue-eyed soul" can unfortunately reveal as much about the person wielding it as the artist to which it's being applied. But there's a rich and identifiable strain of pop-inflected soul running through the Sixties and Seventies... and beyond. Read more about the genre as part of my series on oldies styles.