Monthly Archives: April 2023

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 810) The Millennium — “5 A.M.” Sunshine pop* went supernova with the Millennium (see #397, 506, 586, 662), a 60’s sunshine supergroup that created Begin, the greatest sunshine pop album ever recorded. Begin cost more to make than any other album from ’68Continue reading “The Millennium: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 30, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 809) Heinz & The Wild Boys — “I’m Not a Bad Guy” A wild freakbeat version of a Crickets tune — OK, post-Buddy Holly Crickets, but still the Crickets! On the Flip-Side tells us that: “I’m Not a Bad Guy” was written byContinue reading “Heinz & The Wild Boys— “I’m Not a Bad Guy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 29, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 808) Tyrone Davis — “She’s Looking Good” This song was co-written and released by Rodger Collins in ’67 and reached #101 (#44 R&B). Wilson Pickett then had a #15 hit with it (#7 R&B). But to me, Tyrone Davis made the definitive, mostContinue reading “Tyrone Davis — “She’s Looking Good”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 28, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 807) Caleb Quaye — “Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad” A “magnificent” (liner notes to the Chocolate Soup for Diabetics Volumes 1-5 CD comp) and “very fuzzy guitar driven song” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), that is an “over-phased slice of distortedContinue reading “Caleb Quaye — “Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 27, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 806) The Picadilly Line — “Emily Small” (The Huge World Thereof)” This late-Summer of Love A-side is “whimsical toytown pop-psych” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), “a gentle baroque-pop arrangement of strings and horns and period-perfect background vocals. . . . definitelyContinue reading “The Picadilly Line — “Emily Small (The Huge World Thereof)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 26, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 805) Nocturnal Day Dream — “I Had a Dream Last Night” This B-side of the band’s only single (’68) is a “melodic [garage] gem” (Rog Brown, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7mz3EK932w), not so much moody as eerie/otherwordly. Now that’s a sub-genre! The song deserves to be moreContinue reading “Nocturnal Day Dream —“I Had a Dream Last Night”: for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 25, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 804) Al Kooper — “Love Theme from The Landlord“ This ’70 album track and ’71 B-side and soundtrack track is a gorgeous and “haunting” song (Lindsay Planer, https://www.allmusic.com/album/easy-does-it-mw0000740238) by Kooper (see #642, 705) Kooper, the victim of a bloody, sweaty and tearful coupContinue reading “Al Kooper — “Love Theme from The Landlord”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 24, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 803) Dreams — “New York” The dream of nuclear fusion, achieved! This jazz-rock barn burner is hardly a love letter to NYC (where all the lonely, uptight people do come from). The band — filled with a Murderer’s Row of future fusion HallContinue reading “Dreams — “New York”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 23, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 802) Mojo — “New York City” ’68 sunshine pop A-side/’69 album track is a California tourist’s itinerary for New York City. “I want to go down to the Village . . . . take in a coffee shop or two.” NYC should haveContinue reading “Mojo — “New York City”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 21, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 801) Country Weather — “Fly to New York” I’ve never played a jam before, but today I give you a cool one by Country Weather, the great San Francisco band that never quite made it despite being a mainstay at the Filmore, theContinue reading “Country Weather — “Fly to New York”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 20, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 800) New York Public Library — “Got to Get Away” After yesterday visiting “the freaked-out, drugged-up street world of New York’s Lower East Side” circa 1968 (Mister Mark, http://thedirtymindofmistermark.blogspot.com/2010/11/lotti-golden.html?m=1), I thought I’d let us listen to New York Public Library — a British band!Continue reading “New York Public Library — “Got to Get Away”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 19, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 799) Lotti Golden — “Gonna Fay’s” Rock n’ roll, meet cinéma vérité, and let’s visit “the freaked-out, drugged-up street world of New York’s Lower East Side” circa 1968 (Mister Mark, http://thedirtymindofmistermark.blogspot.com/2010/11/lotti-golden.html?m=1) PATH tells us that: [Lottie Golden takes us] to Fay’s, the meet-upContinue reading “Lotti Golden — “Gonna Fay’s”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 18, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 798) Dick Hyman — “Give It Up or Turn It Loose” I give you “the most mind-blowing interpretation of James Brown’s ‘Give It Up or Turn It Loose’ you’ll ever hear” (Thom Holmes, https://moogfoundation.org/moog-a-history-in-recordings-dick-hyman-master-stylist-of-the-moog-modular/), “über-funky . . . [with] more freaky libidinousness thanContinue reading “Dick Hyman— “Give It Up or Turn It Loose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 17, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 797) The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Nightmare” The most demented (and greatest) music video ever made, from the crazy mind of Arthur Brown (see #783), for a song that actually hit #56 in the UK and #107 in the U.S. Don’tContinue reading “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Nightmare”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 16, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 796) The Fruit Machine — “The Wall” This ‘69 A-side by a London band (http://left-and-to-the-back.blogspot.com/2010/06/fruit-machine-wall.html) is fabulous —and very English — pop psych. Therefore, it was released only in . . . the States! It might have done better if it were releasedContinue reading “The Fruit Machine — “The Wall”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 15, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 795) The Answers — “Just a Fear” ‘66 A-side from their debut single is “a bona fide freakbeat classic” that was “written by guitarist Tony Hill, whose incisive, driving, at times almost raga-like fretwork is a key feature of the number – aContinue reading “The Answers — “Just a Fear”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 14, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 794) Freda Payne — “Unhooked Generation” Which soul song has the greatest, oft-samples. guitar riff? I’d suggest this ‘69 A-side by the great Freda Payne. Sally O’Rourke says that this “debut single by the First Lady of Invictus Records . . . allowedContinue reading “Freda Payne — “Unhooked Generation”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 793) Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention — “Flower Punk” Have I given you enough flower power that you’re sneezing and wheezing? Well, here is the antidote — Frank Zappa’s utterly hilarious deflowering. Son Raw says “Like the best satire, ‘Flower Punk’Continue reading “Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention — “Flower Punk”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 792) The Floor — “Hey, Mr. Flowerman” Here’s a bouncy, infectious Danish delight from the Floor’s only album (see #640). As Swingin’ Shakespeare might say, something is groovy in the state of Denmark! Richie Unterberger tells us that: Evolving out of the Hitmakers,Continue reading “First Floor — “Hey, Mr. Flowerman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 791) Paul Parrish — “Flowers in the Park” ’68 folk rock stunner with psychedelic touches . . . from Detroit . . . with a little help from the Funk Brothers and a future Motown producer . . . WTF? Man, it works.Continue reading “Paul Parrish — “Flowers in the Park”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 10, 2023″