The Beach Boys release Good Vibrations
Capitol Records released the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations as a standalone single, a track Brian Wilson assembled in pieces across four different studios using a theremin-like electro-theremin alongside the band's usual harmonies.
The sessions reportedly cost more than any single recorded up to that point, and the finished record went on to hit No. 1 in the US and UK, becoming the Beach Boys' first RIAA Gold single.
October 10 at a Glance
Tap any event to jump straight to its full card below.
| Category | Event |
|---|---|
| 1969 | |
| release | King Crimson release their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King |
| 1968 | |
| industry | The Beatles add strings to Piggies and Glass Onion at Abbey Road |
| 1967 | |
| industry | The Who record Pictures of Lily for the BBC's Top Gear |
| 1966 | |
| release | The Beach Boys release Good Vibrations |
| release | The Monkees release their self-titled debut album |
| 1965 | |
| broadcast | The Supremes sing You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You on Ed Sullivan |
| 1964 | |
| chart | Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman holds No. 1 |
| broadcast | The Dave Brubeck Quartet tape Take Five for Belgian television |
| concert | The Beatles play two shows at Leicester's De Montfort Hall |
| 1963 | |
| industry | Elvis Presley overdubs vocals for Kissin' Cousins |
| 1962 | |
| concert | The Beatles play two sessions at Liverpool's Cavern Club |
| 1960 | |
| chart | Larry Verne hits No. 1 with the novelty song Mr. Custer |
King Crimson release their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King
Island Records released King Crimson's debut studio album, In the Court of the Crimson King, in the UK, opening with the jarring blast of 21st Century Schizoid Man before moving into the mellotron-heavy title track.
The album reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 28 in the US, and is widely credited as one of the records that founded progressive rock as its own genre.
The Beatles add strings to Piggies and Glass Onion at Abbey Road
The Beatles brought in an eight-piece string section, four violins, two violas and two cellos, for producer George Martin to overdub arrangements onto George Harrison's Piggies and John Lennon's Glass Onion during a session at EMI Studios.
Glass Onion's string line was recorded as a slowing, unsettling edit piece meant to close out the song, while Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr used the same day to finish their own stripped-down Why Don't We Do It in the Road? elsewhere in the building, all for the White Album.
The Who record Pictures of Lily for the BBC's Top Gear
The Who recorded a session version of Pictures of Lily, plus alternate takes of other songs, at De Lane Lea Studios in London for BBC Radio One's Top Gear.
The booking was the first time the BBC allowed an outside act to record for one of its own shows away from a BBC studio, and the session aired five days later on October 15.
The Beach Boys release Good Vibrations
Capitol Records released the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations as a standalone single, a track Brian Wilson assembled in pieces across four different studios using a theremin-like electro-theremin alongside the band's usual harmonies.
The sessions reportedly cost more than any single recorded up to that point, and the finished record went on to hit No. 1 in the US and UK, becoming the Beach Boys' first RIAA Gold single.
The Monkees release their self-titled debut album
Colgems Records released The Monkees, the band's self-titled debut album, built around the hit single Last Train to Clarksville and songs supplied by outside writers including Boyce and Hart.
It became the first of four consecutive No. 1 albums for the group, holding the top spot on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks while their TV show was still a new hit on NBC.
The Supremes sing You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You on Ed Sullivan
Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard performed the standard You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You live on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show, a change of pace from the group's usual run of Motown singles.
The appearance put the trio in front of Sullivan's enormous Sunday-night audience at the height of their commercial run, reinforcing Motown's reach into mainstream American television.
Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman holds No. 1
Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman, co-written with Bill Dees and released on Monument Records, held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for its third straight week.
The song went on to sell millions of copies and later became the subject of a 1994 US Supreme Court copyright ruling after 2 Live Crew's parody version, cementing its place as one of Orbison's two US No. 1 hits.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet tape Take Five for Belgian television
The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Joe Morello on drums and Eugene Wright on bass, taped a television performance of Take Five in Brussels, Belgium.
The 5/4-time instrumental, written by Desmond for the quartet's 1959 album Time Out, was already a jazz standard by 1964, and the Brussels footage remains one of the most-viewed surviving clips of the group performing it live.
The Beatles play two shows at Leicester's De Montfort Hall
The Beatles played two concerts at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, the second stop on the UK tour that had opened the night before in Bradford.
The same day marked the twelfth straight week that A Hard Day's Night held No. 1 on the UK album chart, a run that showed no sign of slowing even as the band kept up a punishing night-after-night tour schedule.
Elvis Presley overdubs vocals for Kissin' Cousins
Elvis Presley recorded his lead vocals for the title song Kissin' Cousins at MGM's Hollywood soundstage, the backing track having already been cut days earlier at RCA's Studio B in Nashville.
Because the film cast Presley in a dual role as two lookalike cousins, he sang the song's ending twice in two distinct voices, one more polished and one broader and more country, to fake a duet between his own characters.
The Beatles play two sessions at Liverpool's Cavern Club
The Beatles played a lunchtime session and an evening session at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, sharing the evening bill with the Four Jays and Ken Dallas and the Silhouettes.
The band had put out its debut single, Love Me Do, only five days earlier, and crowds at the Cavern that autumn were among the first anywhere to hear the song played live by the group that wrote it.
Larry Verne hits No. 1 with the novelty song Mr. Custer
Larry Verne topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week ending October 10, 1960, with Mr. Custer, a comic spoken-and-sung record about a cavalry trooper begging General Custer to let him sit out the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Written by Fred Darian, Al De Lory and Joseph Van Winkle, the record held the top spot for one week and reached No. 9 on the R&B chart, one of the oddest records ever to top the Hot 100.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in 1960s music on October 10?
October 10 saw 12 verified music events across the decade.
They're headlined by the Beach Boys releasing Good Vibrations in 1966, King Crimson releasing their debut album in 1969, and the Supremes performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965.
When was Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys released?
Good Vibrations came out on October 10, 1966, on Capitol Records.
Brian Wilson assembled the track in pieces across four different studios, and it later became the Beach Boys' first RIAA Gold single.
What album did King Crimson release on October 10, 1969?
King Crimson released their debut studio album, In the Court of the Crimson King, in the UK on October 10, 1969.
It reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and is widely credited with helping found progressive rock.
What song held No. 1 on October 10, 1964?
Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman held No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 10, 1964, its third straight week at the top.
The song later sold millions of copies and became the subject of a 1994 US Supreme Court copyright case.
When did the Monkees' debut album come out?
The Monkees' self-titled debut album was released on October 10, 1966, the same day as the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations.
It became the first of four straight No. 1 albums for the group, built around the single Last Train to Clarksville.
What were the Beatles doing on October 10 earlier in the decade?
On October 10, 1962, the Beatles played a lunchtime and evening session at Liverpool's Cavern Club, days after releasing their debut single Love Me Do.
Two years later, on October 10, 1964, they played two shows at Leicester's De Montfort Hall during their UK tour.