Monthly Archives: December 2023

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,064) Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”* This is Donovan’s “Hey Jude”, written not to comfort Julian during John and Cynthia’s divorce, but to comfort Paul during the Beatles’ divorce.  “Thought to be inspired by Paul McCartney (who apparently loaned a guitar for theContinue reading “Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 31, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,063) The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend” A classic NYC “raw, garage rock rave-up[]” (James Allen, https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-cant-make-a-friend-1965-1968-mw0002082858) by a band out of Queens most of whose members went to Forest Hills High School along with Johnny and Tommy Ramone (who wereContinue reading “The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 30, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,062) Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times” “One of [Gene Chandler’s (see # 347)] best! [The Duke gives us a] killer from 1965″ (Wynonie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-_crgwzQE) that reached #92 (#40 R&B). It was written by the great Curtis Mayfield (see #118, 285) and boy doesContinue reading “Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 29, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,061) Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads” This soul-stirring ’69 A-side reached #104.  Michael Paquette notes that “[i}t contains the great line, ‘You can teach me lots of lessons; you can bring me a lot of gold; but you just can’t liveContinue reading “Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 28, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,060) Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke” Two “Limeys” give us either a gorgeously mellow L.A. “trip song” or enter the Inferno, “perfectly captur[ing] the image of a stoned Englishman wilting in the west coast heat”. I go with the former, but I’ll letContinue reading “Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 27, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,059) Opus 1 — “Back Seat ‘38 Dodge” Classic LA garage immortalizing a scandalous art exhibit that displayed what can happen in the back seat of a ‘38 Dodge. Alec Palao: Drummer John Christensen, short of a band for a party, improvised byContinue reading “Opus 1 — “Back Seat ‘38 Dodge”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 26, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,058) Tamam Shud — “Jesus Guide Me” “[L]ead singer Lindsay Bjerre is almost screaming the words ‘Jesus Guide Me’ as if he is crying out in desperation for help” in this powerful, stark, spiritual, and “rocking song” from “a very psychedelic album” byContinue reading “Tamam Shud — “Jesus Guide Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 25, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,057) Jerry & the Landslides — “Get Off My Roof [Santa]” Don’t get off of my cloud, get “off my roof, buddy”! ”Former radio DJ Jerry Worsham has a Santastic time with his [’65] Rolling Stones parody. Ho ho ho”. (Sids60sSounds, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZc3y93ohs) ”A perfect parody!” (Estonius, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er5eLTUvo0A)Continue reading “Jerry & the Landslides — “Get Off My Roof [Santa]”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 24, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,056) Octopus — “Thief” ‘70 B-side and album track from this UK late psych group (see #759) “is a fast-paced rocker, complete with some nice rattling bass playing and cool riff” (Tom Ozrik, http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=5623) that “sounds like a rather nervously (in a goodContinue reading “Octopus — “Thief”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 23, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,055) Affinity — “I Am and So Are You” This stunning UK jazz-rock album track (and A-side in Portugal and B-side in France) was written by Alan Hull (founding member of Lindisfarne) with brass arranged by John Paul Jones (liner notes to theContinue reading “Affinity — “I Am and So Are You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 22, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,054) Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends — “Don’t Take Your Time” This ’68 B-side and lead off album track is a delighfully horn-y sunshine pop confection by the master. Matthew Greenwald says: A great example of up-tempo, West Coast MORContinue reading “Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends — “Don’t Take Your Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 21, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,053) Bobak, Jons, Malone — “House of Many Windows” This house is “built from a dramatic opening (very similar, incidentally, to the first few seconds of the Kaleidoscope single “Flight From Ashiya” [see #552]) to a fully-fledged psychedelic/progressive crossover epic, with more evocativeContinue reading “Bobak, Jons, Malone — “House of Many Windows”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 20, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,052) Les Charlots — “Hey Max” Les Charlots, the French crazy boys, gave us this ’67 A-side parody of French rock icon Johnny Hallyday’s version of “Hey Joe” (which in turn turned the song’s murderous rage into passive aggression). It’s a hoot, an homageContinue reading “Les Charlots — “Hey Max”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 19, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,051) John Williams — “Ramblin’ Boy” This is not Tom Paxton’s “Ramblin’ Boy” or even Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” (though John Williams (see #402, 784, 857, 858) did play with Jimmy Page).  Rather, it is an exquisite ’67 Brit folk number about a ramblin’Continue reading “John Williams — “Ramblin’ Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 18, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,050) Rare Earth — “Eleanor Rigby” People either love or hate Rare Earth’s (see #869) cover of “Eleanor Rigby”. You get “[o]ne of the best rock versions of this song ever” (60seczmusicvideos86, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1_wwr_Slck&t=344s) and “[h]ow to make the beatles better just add some smoothContinue reading “Rare Earth — “Eleanor Rigby”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 17, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,049) Reparata and the Delrons — “Boys and Girls” I love Reparata and the Delrons (see #258, 389, 578, 740) — and not just because they got together in ‘62 (the year I was born!) at St. Brendan’s Catholic School in Brooklyn (whereContinue reading “Reparata and the Delrons — “Boys and Girls”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 16, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,048) Yellow Bellow Room Boom* (Godley & Creme) — “Easy Life” The B-side of future 10cc’ers Godley & Creme’s first single (‘68) is a “droll” (David Wells, liner notes to Frabjous Days: The Secret World of Godley and Creme 1967-1969) and wonderful song. ”SuchContinue reading “Yellow Bellow Room Boom (Godley & Creme) — “Easy Life”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 15, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,047) Maxine Brown — “Love in Them There Hills” From “one of the most underrated soul and R&B vocalists of the ’60s” (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxine-brown-mn0000396154#biography) comes the definitive and killer version of this early Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Roland Chambers rich/poor loveContinue reading “Maxine Brown — “Love in Them There Hills”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 14, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,046) The Tokens — “Animal” This crazy, wild, frisky song belongs in a zoo or on a Kim Fowley (see #89, 449) album. Wait, is there are difference? But an A-side?! I am not surprised that it flopped! Wikipedia tells us that “In 1968, The Tokens (seeContinue reading “The Tokens — “Animal”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 13, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,045) Samantha Jones — “Ford Leads the Way“ Well, after playing Georgie Fame’s “Getaway”, I need to play Samantha Jones’ “Ford Leads the Way”, “a pretty swinging number” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/surrounded-by-a-ray-of-sunshine-the-ua-recordings-mw0000069372) and “Ridiculously Infectious!!” (SuperXavier30, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7p5mCutB20) Georgie’s song originated “as a jingle [heContinue reading “Samantha Jones — “Ford Leads the Way”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 12, 2023”