Number One with an Axe! A Look at the Guitar’s Role in America’s #1 Hits, Volume 3, 1965-69

What role has the guitar played in America’s #1 hit songs?

Guitar gadfly/pop historian Michael Rays continues to explore and answer this question in the third volume of his ebook series, “Number One with an AXE!” This book covers all 103 #1 hits of the years 1965-1969, an era when the guitar returned to #1-hit prominence after a lull in the early 60s. For each #1 hit, Rays gives:

• The title, artist, date the song reached #1 and number of weeks spent at #1
• Scores of 1-10 in four guitar-centric categories: Riffage, Rhythm, Fills and Solos (a song can score anywhere from 0-40 points)
• Commentary on the song and its guitar parts (plus various other observations)
• A video link to the song when available (which is most of the time)
The ebook ends with compiled lists of the top guitar #1 hits of 1965-69 based on various data gleaned from all the song scores.

"Number One with an AXE!" is a wildly fun slice of music history. It's a MUST for anyone who can't get enough guitar!