Rolling Stone ’67” – A Tribute Playlist

Let’s spin a playlist that captures the spirit of Rolling Stone magazine’s debut in November 1967. This isn’t just about the music of the time — it’s about the cultural shift, the rise of counterculture, and the fusion of rock, rebellion, and reportage. Think of this as a sonic snapshot of the magazine’s ethos: raw, revolutionary, and deeply rooted in storytelling.

📀 Side A – Counterculture Chronicles

1. The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever”
   🧠 Psychedelic introspection from Lennon, echoing the surrealism of his How I Won the War persona.

2. Bob Dylan – “Ballad of a Thin Man”
   🕶️ A scathing critique of clueless authority — pure Rolling Stone attitude.

3. Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit”
   🐇 Psychedelic rebellion meets literary metaphor — a San Francisco anthem.

4. The Rolling Stones – “Let’s Spend the Night Together”
   💋 Provocative and bold — banned by some networks, embraced by the underground.

5. The Byrds – “So You Want to Be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star”
   🎸 A satirical jab at fame and the music industry — perfect for a magazine dissecting it.

📀 Side B – San Francisco Sound & Social Pulse

1. Janis Joplin (Big Brother & the Holding Company) – “Piece of My Heart”
   🔥 Raw emotion and vocal power — a voice of the Haight-Ashbury scene.

2. The Doors – “The End”
   🌘 Dark, poetic, and cinematic — Rolling Stone’s early coverage loved Morrison’s mythic edge.

3. Otis Redding – “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”
   🌊 Soulful reflection, recorded just before his tragic death — a moment Rolling Stone memorialized.

4. Cream – “Sunshine of Your Love”
   🎶 Heavy blues meets psychedelic rock — a sound that defined late ’67.

5. Buffalo Springfield – “For What It’s Worth”
   ✊ A protest anthem that Rolling Stone would revisit again and again.

🕰️ Bonus 45 RPM Single – The Editorial Spirit

• Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sound of Silence”
  🕯️ Journalism meets poetry — the quiet tension beneath the headlines.

• Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention – “Trouble Every Day”
  📰 A biting commentary on media and race — practically a Rolling Stone editorial in song.