Monthly Archives: April 2022

433) Rock Workshop — “Spine Cop” Sean Trane calls “Spine Cop” a “steamy instrumental . . . where the horns offer a Chicago-highway to [the] wailing guitar. Enthralling and exciting stuff.” (https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/rock-workshop). Rock Workshop’s first album (’70-’71) was “a bold attempt at fusing what would be termed rock jazz as opposed to jazz rock.”(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rock-workshop-mn0000831923) WhateverContinue reading “Rock Workshop — “Spine Cop”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 30, 2022″

432) Carla Thomas — “More Man Than I’ve Ever Had” George Starostin calls this killer track from Carla’s ‘69 album Memphis Queen a “funk-pop anthem.” He goes on: [T]he gentle and romantic Carla Thomas is beginning to learn the basics of lusty, carnal music — still not quite up to the standards of Bessie Smith,Continue reading “Carla Thomas — “More Man Than I’ve Ever Had”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 29, 2022”

431) The Ides of March — “My Foolish Pride” As Clark Besch notes, “with 1967’s [A-side] “My Foolish Pride,” we get the first taste of the layered horn sound to become the [IOM’s] trademark in a few short years.” (http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-ides-of-march-part-2.html?m=1) The culmination of that sound was, of course, “Vehicle”, the band’s #2 hit in 1970.Continue reading “The Ides of March — “My Foolish Pride”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 28, 2022”

430) Marianne Faithfull — “In the Night Time”dd Dr What more can be written about Marianne Faithfull? The last song of her’s that I featured was the B-side of her last big hit (’65) (see #111). “In the Night Time” is a gorgeous, haunting rendition of a song by Donovan (that he would release asContinue reading “Marianne Faithfull — “In the Night Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 27, 2022″

429) The Action — “Little Boy” Let me repeat my–, er, let Matt Collar repeat himself (see #393): The term “lost classic” is applied liberally and often erroneously to unreleased recordings that resurface years later in a maelstrom of hype. However, for . . . the Action, the term is not only justified, it isContinue reading “The Action — “Little Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 26, 2022″

428) Billy Nicholls — “Life Is Short” It has been too long since I’ve featured a cut from one of, if not the, greatest “lost” albums of the ’60’s — Billy Nicholls’ Would You Believe (see #2, 64, 144). As David Wells says, “lost classic is a much abused term amongst pop historians, but it’sContinue reading “Billy Nicholls — “Life Is Short”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 25, 2022”

427) The Lewis & Clarke Expedition — “Blue Revelations” The rousing flip side to the LCE’s ’67 “hit” (reaching #64) “I Feel Good (I Feel Bad).” Richie Unterberger calls “Blue Revelations” a “gorgeous folk-psych rocker . . . with . . . enchanting reverbed guitar and harmonies”. (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lewis-clarke-expedition-mw0000842184) Richie wasn’t so kind about the restContinue reading “The Lewis & Clark Expedition — “Blue Revelations”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 24, 2022”

426) The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Pat’s Song” A beautiful baroque break-up song from the incomparable PTC (see #54, 136, 318). Taken from their sole album, which Beverly Paterson aptly describes as: [T]he self-titled platter was padded to the ceiling with layers of sweet soaring harmonies stacked neatly atop pastoral textures, glistening melodies and exoticContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Pat’s Song”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 23, 2022″

OK, get your mind out of the gutter — I am referring to George as a triple threat: performer, songwriter, and producer! 423) George Harrison — “Beautiful Girl” George demo’d this beautiful song for his All Things Must Pass triple-album magnum opus, but didn’t finish/release it until ’76’s 33 & 1/3. I find his hauntingContinue reading “George Harrison Three-Way Special Edition: George Harrison/Doris Troy/Jackie Lomax: George Harrison — “Beautiful Girl”, Doris Troy — “Gonna Get My Baby Back”, Jackie Lomax — “The Eagle Laughs at You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 22, 2022″

422) The Beatles — “Lucille” John Lennon famously almost blew out his vocal chords belting “Twist and Shout” on the Beatles’ debut album. As Ultimate Classic Rock recounts: “Twist and Shout” is beloved for its blemishes: John Lennon’s voice is moments away from disintegration — a raw snapshot of a singer wrestling a rock song inContinue reading “The Beatles — “Lucille”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 21, 2022″

I couldn’t decide which version of this rare gem I love better — the original by Canadian Tom Northcott or the cover version by the Explosive from the UK — so I am featuring them both. So sue me. I’ll hire Tom Northcott to defend me (pro bono, I hope) — he became a lawyer!Continue reading “Thorns in the Garden Special Edition: Tom Northcott/The Explosive: Tom Northcott — “Who Planted Thorns (in Miss Alice’s Garden), The Explosive — “Who Planted Thorns (in Miss Alice’s Garden)””Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 20, 2022″

419) Bobby Christian — “Boogaloo” This song is shagadelic, baby! If you loved Quincy Jones’ “Soul Bossa Nova”, you’ll love Bobby Christian’s “Boogaloo.” Jason Ankeny tells us: Bobby Christian quit school at 14 to join Chicago bandleader Louie Panico . . . . [and] rose to national prominence in 1938 after joining the famed PaulContinue reading “Bobby Christian — “Boogaloo”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 19, 2022”

418) The Nerve — “Magic Spectacles” Magical ’68 pop psych A-side from a Hampshire band discovered by Reg Presley. Acolytes of the Troggs? Trogg-lod-ytes! Discogs tells us: F[irst] Mark Faine And The Fontains, the[n] . . . The Children . . . . In 1967 they signed to Page One Records. Label owner Larry PageContinue reading “The Nerve — “Magic Spectacles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 18, 2022”

417) The Kinks — “The Way Love Used to Be” David Levesley rightly calls “The Way Love Used to Be” “one of the[ Kinks’] most beautiful songs . . . . The[y] loved songs about dreams of a better place and this is a perfect example.”  (https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-kinks-songs) As Barry Lenser describes: [The song] is aContinue reading “The Kinks “The Way Love Used to Be”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 17, 2022”

416) The Bar-Kays — “Street Walker” Ah, the Bar-Kays, like a phoenix rising. Jason Ankeny calls Gotta Groove, the reconstituted band’s first album after the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Otis Redding, four members of the Bar-Kays, and two others “a celebration of life and music that ranks among the funkiest, hardest-drivingContinue reading “The Bar-Kays — “Street Walker”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 16, 2022”

415) The Collage — “My Mind’s at Ease” Super-cool and soothing “electric-piano driven gem” from the Collage’s sole album (‘68) (liner notes to the Soft Sounds for Gentle People 2 comp (“far-out and beautiful tracks from California and beyond”). Per Richie Unterberger: Part of the idea behind the formation of the Collage was to emulateContinue reading “The Collage — “My Mind’s at Ease”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 15, 2022”

414) The Y’Alls — “Please Come Back” “Please Come Back” is a ’66 fuzz guitar drenched B-side by the Y’Alls (backing a cover of the Beatles’ “Run for Your Life”), formerly the Illusions, to become the Kitchen Cinq. As Lenny Helsing says: [The single is] a tremendous piece of teen punk on 45 for theContinue reading “The Y’Alls — “Please Come Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 14, 2022″

413) The Buckinghams — “I Know I Think” “I Know I Think” is a track from the Buckinghams’ underappreciated In One Ear and Gone Forever (’68). It is a “hazy, contemplative” pop psych song with ingenious, enchanting lyrics. (https://jhendrix110.tripod.com/Buckinghams.html) I have added a Facebook page for Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock! If you likeContinue reading “The Buckinghams — “I Know I Think”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2022”

412) The Dave Clark Five — “Maze of Love” This ‘68 B-side and album track is a psychedelic romp by a band not known for their plunges into altered states. But they pull it off like the true professionals they were (see #208, 320, 411). Beverly Paterson raves that: Although the Dave Clark Five neverContinue reading “The Dave Clark Five — “Maze of Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2022″

411) Dave Clark Five — “Your Turn to Cry” “Your Turn to Cry” is a ’65 B-side and album track on two albums. I love the Dave Clark Five, for their glorious hits and underappreciated ballads (see #208, 320), like today’s song. It appears that at least at one time, the band had a moreContinue reading “Dave Clark Five — “Your Turn to Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2022″