Soundtrack to your studies - 1964

Two of the most important events on the student calendar were the Freshers Ball and the Graduation Ball, which both took place at the Peter Pan Cabaret at the top of Queen Street with the Arthur Skelton orchestra providing music for dancing and a floorshow featuring vocalists from other notable venues around the city.

The orientation programme included a jazz performance featuring musicians who would go on to be Auckland’s finest. The Bob Keven Trio's pianist Allen Broadbent, who later received a Downbeat magazine scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music (Boston), was the first New Zealander to be nominated for a Grammy (for his song ‘Children of Lima’), and was a sideman for top artists such as Chet Baker. Then there was Lew Mercer’s quartet which featured Kevin Haynes, a mainstay of the Auckland scene for decades and father of Nathan Haines.

Yet the ongoing love of jazz in musical circles on campus would receive its biggest challenge with increasing tours by overseas pop musicians, which in 1964 included The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, The Surfaris, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Sounds Incorporated, Dusty Springfield, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Eden Kane, The Searchers, Peter and Gordon, and Del Shannon.

Biggest of all was The Beatles for a show at the Auckland Town Hall. Craccum responded by republishing an article from the New Statesman entitled ‘No Soul In Beatlesville” which quotes the maxim “if something becomes big enough and popular enough then solemn men will not be lacking to invest it with virtue.” This contrasted widely with a rave review from earlier in the year of the Eddie Condon All Stars in April who played Dixieland and Chicago styles of jazz. Safe to say that The Beatles are remembered a bit more fondly these days...

The mayor wanted to provide a Civic Reception for The Beatles, but his councillors vetoed it. Instead he gave them a Civic Welcome outside the Town Hall. To prove it was a less prestigious event he only his chains of office but not his robe. 

Here’s The Beatles playing ‘All My Loving’ in Australia during the same trip down under.

Of course, New Zealand had its own answer to The Beatles - Ray Columbus and the Invaders. They had a dance move called the mod’s nod, so their publisher presented them with a song with ‘mod’ in the title. The band added a line of ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ to make it sound more like The Beatles and then they had what they needed for a cross-Tasman hit.

What was on your turntable while you were on campus? Suggest songs to add to our 1960s playlist, and you could win $100 Flying Out voucher.