Tim Benton Sings

The 1960s spawned more than one band of lovable mop-tops. The Monkees were a made-for-American-TV group of actor-musicians, namely Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Englishman Davy Jones. Despite their squeaky-clean, prime time family viewing image, the Monkees managed to deliver some surprisingly subversive songs. Pleasant Valley Sunday was a poke at rampant consumerism…

Mature readers will remember Bob Dylan’s classic anthem The Times They Are a-Changing. It’s usually regarded as quintessential Americana and very much of its time – the mid 1960s. In fact, it was in fact heavily influenced by traditional songs from the UK side of the pond, particularly Irish and Scottish ballads. Dylan himself cited…