THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,180) Neal Ford and the Fanatics — “I Have Thoughts of You”
This ‘67 A-side is a “sublime” (Lenny Helsing, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2014/03/neal-ford-fanatics-good-men-2013-review.html) garage rock ballad, “absolutely beautiful . . . [a] masterpiece of pop psych”. (thomassmith8721, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKv0QeGkrxU) It “has a much more thoughtful, ethereal and soulful sound. . . . because of Neal’s wistful, heartfelt vocal and the tender harmonies. . . . [It’s] one of the best tracks the[y] recorded.” (Derek Anderson, https://dereksmusicblog.com/2013/11/20/neal-ford-and-the-fanatics-good-men/)
Of the Fanatics, Alec Palao writes:
In mid-60s America, every major city had at least one rock’n’roll band that ruled the town. Such top-dogs enjoyed a rabidly partisan audience that packed the teen centres, populated the fan clubs and pushed their records to the top of the local charts. In . . . Houston,Texas, that group was Neal Ford and the Fanatics. . . [who] ruled the roost at Houston clubs . . . . [O]nce they signed to Nashville indie Hickory in late 1966, seemed destined for national stardom. . . . [T]he Fanatics were a well-oiled professional machine, capable of putting on a memorable show . . . . Despite the British elements to their music – Kinks chording, Zombies moodiness – theirs was very much an American sound. Lead vocalist Neal Ford had a professed love for vintage rock and R&B, but the group’s real strength vocally was the three-part harmony of Ford, [guitarist Jon] Pereles and bass player Dub Johnson. When allied to the classic organ and fuzz-driven “Vox” sound of the group, it was an unbeatable combination. Texas has a well-deserved reputation for some of the most acerbic 60s rock on record, but the state also produced a fair tranche of acts such as Dallas’ Five Americans who excelled in the commercial pop of the time. The Fanatics straddled the fence. . . . [But] once they became regionally successful with ‘Gonna Be My Girl’ and a much more lightweight formula, the group’s releases stopped representing anything more than the commercial dictates of the record company.
https://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2014/07/neal-ford-and-fanatics-good-men-1965-68.html
Derek Anderson gives some history:
Between 1964 and 1968, Neal Ford and The Fanatics were Kings of the Houston music scene. . . . Their unique and slick fusion of rock, R&B and garage won friends and influenced other groups all over Texas. . . . [It] seemed [they] were riding the crest of a musical wave with their amalgam of American and British music. . . . What [they] really wanted, was to translate this success to a national level. . . . The combination of [NF&F] and Hickory Records looked like a winning combination. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. . . .
[Fellow Payne University student] Kim [Espy] and Neal called themselves The Ramadas and started performing live. After that, they recorded their debut single [—] Teenage Dream . . . . in 1963 . . . . [In] 1964, The Ramadas moved to the New World label, where they released a trio of singles. Later in 1964, [they] formed their own label and as the VIPs [and] released another single. . . Neal was drafted into the US Army. When he left the army, [he] set about forming a new band. . . . Neal Ford and The Fanatics[. A]fter the band left Tantara, where they were one of the label’s biggest acts, their manager decided that . . . nationwide success was where the money was. So, he shopped the band around various labels. . . . [and] the band decided upon the Nashville based Hickory Records. . . . When Joe Ford a DJ at KNUZ radio station played [their B-side] “Gonna Be My Girl”, it became a hit right through the Gulf Coast, selling 20,000 copies and reaching number one in the region. [They] were on the cusp of making a commercial breakthrough. Sadly, it never came. In 1967 . . . [they] released their eponymous debut album. . . . [which] despite the undoubted quality . . . wasn’t a commercial success. . . .
Despite their undoubted talent and ability to combine genres and influences, commercial success and critical acclaim eluded them. There’s maybe a simple explanation for that. That’s that Neal Ford and The Fanatics stood still. Between 1966 and 1967, they were producing cutting-edge music. This continued into 1968. Then when [guitarist] John Stringfellow was drafted. This meant one of the group’s most important members was missing. They continued to release singles and even opened for Jimi Hendrix. What should’ve been a momentous evening wasn’t. They weren’t as well received. Catcalls from the audience [at the Hendrix concert] signalled music had changed. That should’ve resulted in [their] changing direction. They considered heading in the direction of psychedelia, but didn’t. After that their contract with Hickory ran out in 1968. After a one-off single deal with ABC . . . the band split-up in 1970.
https://dereksmusicblog.com/2013/11/20/neal-ford-and-the-fanatics-good-men/
Stephen Thomas Erlewine adds:
[NF&F] showed a deep appreciation for the British Invasion but also found space for swirling, insistent organ and a facility with an R&B groove that wasn’t quite common among other garage bands. Ironically enough, [they] wound up hampered by the very thing that made them distinctive: they were poppier and lighter than their peers . . . and that made labels eager to package them in an even lighter setting, a commercially minded move that never paid off. . . . The group’s third single, “I Will If You Want To,” was, upon its September 1966 release, the group’s most popular to date and they started getting attention outside of Houston, which led to more commercial-oriented sessions that fall. Early in 1967, “Gonna Be My Girl” wound up catching fire in the Houston region and the group seemed poised for a breakthrough but its sequel, “Wait for Me,” didn’t do quite as well. Nevertheless, 1967 saw Neal Ford & the Fanatics playing the gulf region to big audiences and they started to record material for an album . . . . The eponymous album didn’t do well, nor did the singles that followed in 1968, each moving the band closer to the mainstream. Nevertheless, none of these commercially oriented records resulted in an actual hit. . . . [NF&F] harnessed the softer sound of [garage rock]. At times, the Fanatics seem as if they were poised to run away with the ragged variation of the kind of sunshine pop that came beaming out of the West Coast, so comfortable were they with effervescent melodies and lighter textures. But they could still rock . . . . [They] had a facility with melody, an eagerness to get trippy without ever losing sight of home base, and would occasionally thump with a clear knowledge of R&B; their facility with grooves is rarely heard in garage. . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/neal-ford-the-fanatics-mn0000380602#biography, https://www.allmusic.com/album/good-men-mw0002581197
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