Monthly Archives: January 2022

338) The Glass Family — “House of Glass” Here is a second helping of Glass (see #309). Light in the Attic Records says that “‘House of Glass’ is the impressive opening track, full of tension and convincing vocals over some 13th Floor Elevators style grooves”. (https://lightintheattic.net/releases/1758-electric-band). And Nathan Ford writes that: Why more people don’tContinue reading “The Glass Family — “House of Glass”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 31, 2022”

337) John Bromley — “Weather Man” English songwriter John Bromley has written “over 200 works with over 60 recorded and performed worldwide by major artists such as Shirley Bassey, Sacha Distel, Petula Clark, Richard Harris, Paul Anka . . . John Farnham”, Jackie De Shannon and the Ace Kefford Stand. (Facebook). He also recorded someContinue reading “John Bromley — “Weather Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 30, 2022″

336) Kaleidoscope — “A Dream for Julie” How can Kaleidoscope not bring a smile to your face and send you into a childhood reverie? (see #154) As David Wells says, it is “one of the most fondly remembered of the more cultish UK pysch pop bands, even if their fey sensitivity and high whimsy quotientContinue reading “Kaleidoscope — “A Dream for Julie”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 29, 2022”

335) The Lords — “Shakin All Over” Ah, “Shakin’ All Over,” it sends quivers down my backbone. The song has a long and proud pedigree, beginning as a #1 UK hit for (and written by) Johnny Kidd & the Pirates in ’60, then a #1 Canadian hit in ’65 for Chad Allan & the Reflections/TheContinue reading “The Lords — “Shakin All Over”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 28, 2022”

332) Freedom’s Children — “Stories Towards the North (Parts 1 & 2)” As Nick Warburton writes in Ugly Things: One of the best rock bands the world never heard? . . . Just another one of those “what if” stories by your average ’60s rock aficionado bent on hyping their favourite obscure band[?]* But inContinue reading “Freedom’s Children’s Children Special Edition: Freedom’s Children/John and Philipa Cooper: Freedom’s Children — “Stories Towards the North (Parts 1 & 2)”, John and Philipa Cooper— “Man in a Bowler Hat”, John and Philip Cooper — “The Mad Professor”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 27, 2022″

331) The Tallifer Group — “This Happiness Feeling” “This Happiness Feeling” was the A-side (’68) of the only single by this Aussie band. It is the PERFECT sunshine pop song — perfect melody — perfect lyrics. Well, the sun does shine a lot in Australia. “Micko’s Aussie Rock & Pop Legends (..well mostly)” posted theContinue reading “The Tallifer Group — “This Happiness Feeling”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 26, 2022”

330) Tom Jones — “Hold On, I’m Coming” Tom does Sam and Dave! — from his ’67 album 13 Smash Hits and ’68 album Tom Jones’ Fever Zone (and an A-side in Lebanon). Stephen Cook says of the album in All Music Guide that: Tom Jones dives into a soul bag to bring on theContinue reading “Tom Jones — “Hold On, I’m Coming”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 25, 2022″

329) Ike and Tina Turner — “Game of Love” “Game of Love” is a track on Ike and Tina’s (see #212) most successful album, ’70’s Workin’ Together, which reached #25 (yes, the “Proud Mary” album). As Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes in All Music Guide, Workin’ Together “feels like a proper album, where many of theContinue reading “Ike and Tina Turner — “Game of Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 24, 2022”

328) Annie Philippe — “Plus Rien” “Plus Rien,” a ’67 B-side, is another wonderful exercise in yé-yé by Annie Philippe (see #206). It has a soaring melody but bitter lyrics that say good riddance to a lover. What is yé-yé? — Yé-yé pop showcased young, cherubic-voiced female singers framed against dance-ready beats and rock &Continue reading “Annie Philippe — “Plus Rien”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 23, 2022″

327) Fapardokly — “Mr. Clock” Forget Astrid Kirchherr, “Mr. Clock” is the ultimate expression of rock ‘n’ roll existentialism — from the perspective of a grandfather clock questioned as to whether it would have been better had the person that made it never made it at all.  The song also sounds very reminiscent of theContinue reading “Fapardokly — “Mr. Clock”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 22, 2022”

326) Mark Eric — “Night of the Lions” “Night of the Lions” was Mark Eric’s ‘69 A-side, an album track off of A Midsummer’s Day Dream — his sole sixties album — and on the soundtrack to the “relatively routine biker-exploitation” movie Angels Die Hard (Fred Beldin, All Music Guide). I love the song andContinue reading “Mark Eric — “Night of the Lions”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 21, 2022”

325)— Greg Anderson — “I Feel Good“ This ’66 A-side was Anderson’s first. It is “a stunner” (liner notes to The Hot Generation: 1960s Punk from Down Under comp) and “a superb beat number with a great guitar riff” (Vernon Joynson, Dreams, Fantasies & Nightmares: Australia). The “unique and rip-roaring guitar solo” was apparently byContinue reading “Greg Anderson — “I Feel Good”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 20, 2022″

324) — Sandie Shaw — “Change of Heart” ’68 track from the album The Sandie Shaw Supplement is a lovely song by Carole Bayer Sager. Shaw also had a ’68 TV show of the same name, but of course most of the episodes were lost when the BBC wiped them. Yes, one of the BBC’sContinue reading “Sandie Shaw — “Change of Heart”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 19, 2022”

323) Ola & the Janglers — “La La La La La” Not to be confused with Marianne Faithful’s “Sha La La Song” (see #111). the Janglers’s ‘66 A-side/album track is actually a cover of a number that Stevie Wonder recorded when he was 12 years old, written by Wonder’s mentor and Motown producer/songwriter Clarence Paul.Continue reading “Ola & the Janglers — “La La La La La”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 18, 2022”

322) The Ice — “Ice Man” Well, I guess today is the perfect day for this song, the second A-side (’68) by the band from Sussex University. Jo-Ann Greene calls it “a wonderful piece of psychedelia whimsy” in All Music Guide. She goes on to say that: Some bands are deservedly obscure, some fall fromContinue reading “The Ice — “Ice Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 17, 2022″

321) The Vaqueros — “Growing Pains” This ’66 A-side is a “fuzz-heavy” garage classic (Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide). The single even sold well . . . in northern Minnesota. What is it with northern Minnesota? Zimmerman . . . Vaqueros . . . I’m a teenage boy. I don’t know what to do orContinue reading “The Vaqueros — “Growing Pains”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 16, 2022”

320) The Dave Clark Five — “To Me” OK, now for a British beat group that is actually British! “To Me” is a gorgeous ballad (see also #208) that dares to clock in at only 1:45. Bruce Eder says about this wonderful track and the wonderful album from whence it came (65’s Coast to Coast)Continue reading “The Dave Clark Five — “To Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 15, 2022″

319) The Golden Earrings — “Dream” The Golden Earrings are my favorite British beat group . . . from Holland! But not only could they sound just as if they had washed up on a bank of the Mersey, a feat in and of itself, they also wrote great songs. Unlike some groups, they didn’tContinue reading “The Golden Earrings — “Dream”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 14, 2022″

318) The Peppermint Trolley — “I’ve Got to Be Going” Who was America’s greatest TV band of the 60’s? Don’t think simian, think Peppermint. The Peppermint Trolley appeared rehearsing in an episode of the classic detective drama Mannix (see #136) and camped it up on The Beverly Hillbillies, and that’s just for starters. They alsoContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley — “I’ve Got to Be Going”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 13, 2022”

317) Barry Ryan — “Colour of Your Love” Another knockout performance by Barry of another fabulous Paul Ryan composition, from his ’69 album of his brother’s songs (see #88, 264-66). It was released as an A-side in Germany and hit #25. We miss you, Barry. Here is some cool “performance” footage from ’69: