The Vejtables — “I Still Love You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 4, 2023

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,005) The Vejtables — “I Still Love You”

Wait, is it a Byrd (song)? Is it a Beatle (song)? No, it’s the first A-side by the San Francisco Bay area band (reaching # 84), “a jangly synthesis of the Beatles and the Byrds” (Jud Cost, liner notes to the CD comp Feel . . . The Vejtables), a “Mersey-flavoured local smash . . . that got the band a spot on northwest tours with the Yardbirds and the Beach Boys, as well as the TV shows American Bandstand and Where The Action Is“. (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp Dance With Me: The Autumn Teen Sound) Beverly Patersons writes that “[It] favorably paired bouncy Merseybeat curves with crisp and crackling folk rock overtones. A regional hit, the catchy tune resembled a razor sharp hybrid of the Beatles and the Beau Brummels, fronted by a top-dollar female vocalist, Jan Errico.” (http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-vejtables-feelthe-vejtables-1965-66.html) Yeah, Jan was a force of nature — a superwoman among mojo men, a triple threat — singer, songwriter and drummer.

As to the Vejjies, Beverly Paterson tells us that:

The Vejtables were [a] great band from the San Francisco area, and had their discs received more promotion, they surely would have attained widespread commercial success. . . . People talk about how influential and innovative San Francisco acts like the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead were, but here’s a band that deserves just as much acclaim. . . . Right from the start, the Vejtables attracted attention and were signed to the local Autumn label, which also employed the Beau Brummels [see #713]. . . . Chiming twelve-string guitars and billowy harmonies were indeed an integral part of the band’s repertoire.

http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-vejtables-feelthe-vejtables-1965-66.html

Richie Unterberger adds:

Their pair of singles for the San Francisco-based Autumn label strongly recalled a much poppier Beau Brummels, with their 12-string guitars, folky harmonies, and sparse harmonica. The similarity was quite understandable: the Beau Brummels were not only also from San Francisco, but also on the same label. The Vejtables’ chief distinguishing mark and asset was one of the very few female drummers in a mid-’60s rock group, Jan Errico, who also sang and wrote much of their material (including “I Still Love You”).

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-vejtables-mn0000483351#biography

Paterson tells of the band post-Errico:

1966 was a transitional year for the Vejtables. To begin with, Autumn Records ceased to be and Jan left the fold to join the Mojo Men [see #84, 140, 275, 720, 787, 802], another red hot San Francisco band. Upon losing Jan and their contract with the Autumn label, the Vejtables basically deserted their folk pop roots and simply got better and better. Imagination reigned and trippy raga rock aspirations pierced a good deal of their ensuing ventures. . . . In 1967, the Vejtables switched their handle to the Book of Changes and gifted with the Tower label with a groovy single. . . . [T]he band was equally as capable of playing underground rock as they were mainstream pop music. A pity they didn’t stick around longer and realize their full potential. The musicians in the Vejtables may not be as immediately recognizable as Jerry Garcia or Grace Slick, but it is important to mention that a few of them performed in other worthy bands. For instance, Rick Dey was a member of the Wilde Knights from the Pacific Northwest. He also wrote “Just Like Me,” which was of course a hit single for Paul Revere and the Raiders. After exiting the Vejtables in 1966, Jim Sawyers landed a job with the Syndicate of Sound, while Richard Fortunato held a role in the Los Angeles based Preachers, a band garage rock junkies certainly need no introduction to.

http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-vejtables-feelthe-vejtables-1965-66.html

Here is a hilariously embarassing “live” performance. As commenters note: “Jan…’left, right, left, right, left’, head movement…I’m sure she wished she could re-record the video! (Sorry, Jan…it’s history!) (:” (thomasvee329, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdToSxH1KtY), “Middle linebacker front man[]” (STPfuzzDemon, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdToSxH1KtY), “Gee whiz that singer in the front [not Jan] is built like a fire hydrant.” (haroldhumerickhouse7904, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdToSxH1KtY):

I have added a Facebook page for Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock! If you like what you read and hear and feel so inclined, please visit and “like” my Facebook page by clicking here.

Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise

Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (“relating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainment” — dictionary.com).

The playlist includes all the “greatest songs of the 1960’s that no one has ever heard” that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.

All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.

When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.

Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.