Sunshine Pop - Revival

Revival

For many years, sunshine pop lingered in obscurity, although the music enjoyed some interest among collectors of rare vinyl singles and LPs. Certain albums would occasionally fetch hefty prices at online auctions or in record stores.

In the early 1990s, a renewed interest began in Japan, where record companies started publishing compilations of long-forgotten, obscure 1960s music. This revival subsequently spread to Europe and the United States. Music that was previously available only on vinyl was now re-issued on CD.

Notable examples of compilations containing sunshine pop are:

• Morning Glory Daze: Universal Soft Rock Collection (2 volumes; Universal, 1997)
• Sunshine Days: 60s Pop Classics (5 volumes; Varese, 1997–1998)
• Get Easy! Sunshine Pop (double-disc, Universal/Polygram, 2003)
• Soft Sounds For Gentle People (4 volumes; Pet, 2003–2004)
• Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults (Rhino, 2004).

Compilations or even box-sets by groups such as Spanky and Our Gang, The Association, The Arbors and The Love Generation have also been released on CD. As a result, a wide audience has been able to get acquainted with sunshine pop and many of its key acts. Two record labels in particular have specialized in these sort of sunshine pop re-releases; Revola Records from Britain and the American label Sundazed. Furthermore, digital remastering has meant that the music can now be heard in unprecedented sound quality.

The influential role of sunshine pop can be heard in the later genre of twee pop and the culminating C86 movement which originated in the mid-1980s within the United Kingdom.

A re-appraisal of The Beach Boys – and Brian Wilson's work in particular – has also contributed in providing an afterlife for many obscure sunshine pop groups and their songs.