Monthly Archives: September 2021

166) Gloria Jones — “Heartbeat” The original “Tainted Love” singer and Marc Bolan girlfriend belts out this Ed Cobb (producer of the Standells and the Chocolate Watchband) song. Here she is on Where the Action Is from October ’66: Here’s the single: 167) Gordon Lightfoot — “The Way I Feel” From Lightfoot’s first album (anContinue reading “Gloria Jones — “Heartbeat”, Gordon Lightfoot — “The Way I Feel”, Bill Jerpe — “Help Me Home”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 30, 2021″

163) Golden Earring — “Daddy Buy Me a Girl” ‘66 single, appropriate for a band named Golden Earring. A real Dutch treat! 164) Jackie Lomax — “Sour Milk Sea” George Harrison wrote “Sour Milk Sea” as an advert for transcendental meditation (which the Beatles picked up in Rishikesh). Such a great song, and it didn’tContinue reading “Golden Earring — “Daddy Buy Me a Girl”, Jackie Lomax — “Sour Milk Sea”, The Creation –”How Does It Feel to Feel”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 29, 2021”

160) The Chocolate Watchband — “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love In)” ‘67 single by the garage rock legends – they put it together in one day for the teen-ploitation classic The Love-Ins. IMDb describes the movie: “A college professor resigns in protest to the dismissal of student underground newspaper workers and laterContinue reading “The Chocolate Watchband — “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love In)”, Boudewijn de Groot — “Cinderella”, The Standells — “Riot on the Sunset Strip”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 28, 2021”

157) Michel Polnareff — “Le Bal des Laze” Dark masterpiece by Michel with lyrics were by Pierre Delanoë — a commoner has an affair with an aristocrat and is to be hanged for murdering her fiancé. 158) The Brogues — “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” The Nuggets comp calls this November ‘65 B-side from theContinue reading “Michel Polnareff — “Le Bal des Laze”, The Brogues — “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker”, Robbi Curtice — “When Diana Paints the Picture”and now for the songs — September 27, 2021”

154) Kaleidoscope — “The Sky Children” From the British psychsters’s ‘67 album, “a fairytale dream” full of “whimsical lyrics” (per Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited). It’s a close call, you be the judge: 155) Duncan Browne — “On the Bombsite” ’68 single (with lyrics by David Bretton) from an album that the CDContinue reading “Kaleidoscope — “The Sky Children”, Duncan Browne — “On the Bombsite”, The Merry-Go-Round — “Live”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 26, 2021”

151) Edwards Hand — “Banjo Pier” No apparent connection to Edward Scissorhands — the band emerged from Piccadilly Line. This song, from their first album (’69), was produced by George Martin. Richie Unterberger says that the album had “an ambience that captures something of the most innocuous side of the Swinging London/flower power era.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/edwards-hand-mw0000836925)Continue reading “Edwards Hand — “Banjo Pier”, The Furniture — “I Love It Baby”, The Pretty Things — “Midnight to Six Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 25, 2021”

148) The Open Mind — “Magic Potion” MOJO says that this ‘69 song is one “whose frantic riff, demented drumming and furious guitar solos make many consider it to be the finest heavy psychedelic rock 45 ever produced in Britain.” Alas, the song was banned because of its too-obvious to deny celebration of LSD andContinue reading “The Open Mind — “Magic Potion”, Louise Forestier — “La Boulee”, Richard Twice — “If I Knew You Were the One”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 24, 2021”

145) The Nazz — “Open My Eyes” B-side of Philly band’s September ’68 single was a visit to Who-ville, reaching #112. The Nuggets comp says that it “was their crowning achievement, a dazzling power pop production that pits a tough, hard rock riff against soaring, Beatles-esque harmonies.” Todd Rundgren went on to bang on aContinue reading “The Nazz — “Open My Eyes”, Manfred Mann Chapter Three — “Happy Being Me”, The Pipe Dream — “January Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 23, 2021”

142) The Temptations — “Message from a Black Man” A message song (’69) from the mighty Temptations whose message is even more relevant today than the day it was written. 143) The Lemon Drops — “I Live in the Springtime” The Drops’s only droplet (’67), only released in Chicagoland, but wow! 144) Billy Nicholls —Continue reading “The Temptations — “Message from a Black Man”, The Lemon Drops — “I Live in the Springtime”, Billy Nicholls — “London Social Degree”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 22, 2021”

139) The Caravelles — “Hey Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind” This gorgeous ‘67 folk-rock single was sung by Londoners Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson (who named their group after the French short commercial jet). They “were co-workers who entertained at office parties and amateur shows [who were e]ncouraged by co-workers to cut a record.”Continue reading “The Caravelles — “Hey Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind”, The Mojo Men — “She’s My Baby”, The Craig — “I Must Be Mad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 21, 2021”

136) The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Trust” Cool ‘68 single written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols “performed” on a cool TV show — Mannix, the classic detective series. In the episode, as summarized by IMDb, “Mannix is hired by a secretive multi-millionaire to find his ex-wife. At least that’s what he has been toldContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Trust”, Nick Garrie — “Seashore”, The Haigs — “Never Die”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 20, 2021”

“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do. I’m half crazy all for the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage. I can’t afford the carriage. But you’d look sweet on the seat of a bicycle built for two.” It is one of the most iconic scenes in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.Continue reading “2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY SPECIAL EDITION: THAT’S A HAL OF A WAY TO RUN A SPACESHIP!: IBM 7094/Edward Favor: IBMN 7094 — “Daisy Bell”, Edward Favor — “Daisy Bell”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 19, 2021″

132) Paul McCartney — “Junk” Maybe I was so amazed by this song’s haunting melody and wistful lyrics that it became the theme song for my wedding. Paul composed it in India in ‘68 — finally released on his debut ‘70 solo album. The ’68 Beatles demo: 133) The Foggy Notions — “Need a LittleContinue reading “Paul McCartney — “Junk”, The Foggy Notions — “Need a Little Lovin’”, Black Merda — “Cynthy-Ruth”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 18, 2021”

129) The Creation — “Through My Eyes” ’67 B-side by the Who’s doppelganger who beyond all rational explanation never made it big in the UK. As the liner notes to the Our Music Is Red – with Purple Flashes comp state, “[t]he Creation story is that apocryphal rock’n’roll tale of busts-ups, missed opportunities, dashed dreamsContinue reading “The Creation — “Through My Eyes”, Disraeli — “What Will the New Day Bring”, The End — “Shades of Orange”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 17, 2021”

126) Bob Dylan — “She’s Your Lover Now” Abandoned unfinished in the studio in January of ‘66. One of Dylan’s great caustic/bitter songs, up there with “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Positively 4th Street” and “Idiot Wind.” Do not get crosswise with this guy (or pick through his garbage in Greenwich Village)! “Pain sure brings outContinue reading “Bob Dylan — “She’s Your Lover Now”, The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Pretty Song from Psych-Out”, The Starlets — “You Don’t Love Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 16, 2021”

123) Los Mac’s — “El Amor Despues De Los Veinte Años” The best psychedelic album (‘67) to ever have come from Chile? Yes! Even the band says so! And definitely recorded in an altered state. 124) Dirty Martha — “Children’s Song” A horn-driven band inspired by Blood, Sweat and Tears (that I presume wasn’t namedContinue reading “Los Mac’s — “El Amor Despues De Los Veinte Años”, Dirty Martha — “Children’s Song”, The Remains — “Don’t Look Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 15, 2021”

120) Michel Polnareff — “Mes Regrets” Stunning, from the flamboyant French star’s second album. 121) The (Australian) Playboys — “Sad” Brilliant ‘67 B-side of the only single released by the Aussie band (which had backed Normie Rowe), recorded while in the UK. The A-side, not so much — rockin’ out to “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”Continue reading “Michel Polnareff — “Mes Regrets”, The (Australian) Playboys — “Sad”, Les Fleur De Lys — “Circles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 14, 2021”

117) The Blue Condition — “Once There Was a Girl” I don’t know much about this group, but it laid down some mesmerizing garage rock on this ’67 B-side. 118) The Impressions — “I’ve Been Trying” One of those wonderful B-sides overshadowed by the iconic status of the A side — in this case, “PeopleContinue reading “The Blue Condition — “Once There Was a Girl”, The Impressions — “I’ve Been Trying”, Pete Townshend — “Day of Silence”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 13, 2021”

114) The Fantastic Dee-Jays — “Fight Fire” Fantastic garage rock single (’66) by the Golliwogs . . . to become Creedence Clearwater Revival . . . done even better by the Dee-Jays that year. Here is the Golliwogs’s version: 115) Pandemonium — “No Presents for Me” A Brit psych classic, this April ‘67 single wasContinue reading “The Fantastic Dee-Jays — “Fight Fire”, Pandemonium — “No Presents for Me”, The Seeds — “Pushin’ Too Hard”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 12, 2021”

113) John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love” On this 20th anniversary of 9/11, the only thing I could think of to play that was remotely appropriate was John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band‘s “Love” from 1970, one of the most beautiful, delicate and consoling songs ever written. Even if it isContinue reading “John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 11, 2021″