“Too Young to Marry” by Summer’s Children [1966]

Belle and Sebastian self-consciously look back to the Sixties with both their name and their sound. But the resemblance of their sound to this 60s flop is uncanny.

Curt Boetcher, producer for The Association, had a knack for glittery sunshine pop. In late 1965, The Association had yet to hit it big (‘66 would be their year), so Boetcher continued experimenting. Among other things, he recorded a pair of duets with Victoria Winston under the name Summer’s Children. “Too Young to Marry” and “Milk and Honey” had to be some of the most innocent, saccharine music to come out in 1966. Recall that songs like “Eve of Destruction,” “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Satisfaction” had revolutionized the sound of pop music in the second half of ‘65. Neither song charted as they were probably just too sweet for pop radio at the time. Nevertheless, we can admire them, if only because they created a musical formula for later groups like Belle and Sebastian. 

These songs can be found on the album 2001 3-CD compilation Magic Time, which focuses mostly on Boetcher’s later work with The Millennium. It’s a must-have album for anyone interested in the sounds of the late ’60s.