16) The Aerovons, “World of You”
A young band from St. Louis writes a wonderful and haunting song, gets signed by EMI and gets to record the song (and an entire album’s worth of material) in England at the Abbey Road studios . . . the single is released to little attention and the album remains unreleased for decades.
17) Jotta Herre, “Penina”
You can’t make this stuff up: Late in 1968, a Portuguese band is playing at the Penina hotel in Portugal, where they met a drunken Paul McCartney. He ends up getting up and playing with them, and offers them a song — “Penina” — which he had written on the spot. The song was never released as as single in the U.S.
18) Lee Mallory, “That’s the Way It’s Gonna Be”
Sunshine pop legend Lee Mallory (of the Millenium) releases a song by folkies Phil Ochs and Bob Gibson. His version, unrecognizable as a folk song but a sizzling pop creation, makes it all the way to . . . #86 (but #2 in Seattle and #1 in Holland).
Here is the Ochs’s version:
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations 