Monthly Archives: June 2024

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,245) The Montanas — “Roundabout” “The Montanas’ . . . Pye Records recordings . . . [constitute] one of the more self-consciously beautiful bodies of music that one is likely to cross paths with from mid-’60s England.” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/youve-got-to-be-loved-mw0000229331) And this, theirContinue reading “The Montanas — “Roundabout”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 21, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,244) Los Mitos — “Cuando Vuelvas”/“When You Come Back” This first single by Los Mitos (The Myths) from the Basque region of Spain is a delightful and effervescent romp about . . . a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend! ItContinue reading “Los Mitos — “Cuando Vuelvas”/”When You Come Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 20, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,243) Peter Pan & the Good Fairies — “Balloons” I’ve played the A-side (see #502), here’s the groovy B-side: both great psychedelic instrumentals. Who is Peter Pan? Technicolor Web of Sound says: Very little is known of this presumed to be studio concoctionContinue reading “Peter Pan & the Good Fairies — “Balloons”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 19, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,242) John Pantry — “Pitsea Pub” This demo by John Pantry (see #494), a singer and songwriter for the ages, is a wonderful love song, a “marvellous popsike creation[]”. (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp The Upside Down World of JohnContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: John Pantry — “Pitsea Pub”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 18, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,241) The Artwoods — “Keep Lookin’” The Artwoods (see #58, 845) — yes, founded by Art Wood (Ronnie Wood’s older brother) — were a top touring UK R&B band, but their success never translated to record. Here is “one of the many highlights”Continue reading “The Artwoods — “Keep Lookin’”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 17, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,240) The Orange Machine — “Real Live Permanent Dream” Welcome to the machine. The Irish band’s ‘68 single reached #14 in Ireland by taking on two of Tomorrow’s (see #72) pop psych classics and outclassing the originals. Not just my opinion. Big TomContinue reading “The Orange Machine — “Real Live Permanent Dream”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 16, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,239) Dayv Butler & The News — “The Boy Who Only Smiles” Back in the day, Cashbox called this ‘67 A-side, the crown jewel of Fading Yellow 20, a “[t]hrumming soft rock side with a catchy hand-clap backing and a set of peculiarContinue reading “Davy Butler & The News — “The Boy Who Only Smiles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 15, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,238) Nirvana — “Rainbow Chaser” Nirvana’s (see #287, 391, 475) only UK charting (#34) song was a “made in heaven collision of phased orchestra, ethereal vocals, shamanist lyrics and jaw-dropping melody that remains [the Irish/Greek duo’s] defining pop-psych moment”. (David Wells, Record Collector:Continue reading “Nirvana — “Rainbow Chaser”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,237) Lonnie and the Legends — “I Cried” A grand garage tearjerker by a “[c]ountry & western band from Sylmar, California, near San Fernando formed by Lonnie, Nancy and Donna Grah” . (Whitedoowopcollector, http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2020/07/lonnie-legendsimpression-records.html?m=1) Are we sure this wasn’t the Osmond family —Continue reading “Lonnie and the Legends — “I Cried”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 13, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,236) John Cale — “Charlemagne” John Cale (see #637) gives us a solo LP (his first) whose “placid compositions are all velvet, no underground[!]” (Rob Brunner, https://ew.com/article/2001/03/16/vintage-violence/) and a beautiful ballad whose “unison singing by Cale and [Garland] Jeffreys . . . isContinue reading “John Cale — “Charlemagne”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,235) Eric Andersen — “Looking Glass” This haunting love song by the first of the new Dylans is the “finest composition [on his debut LP] . . . an elaborate first-person narrative-fantasy with a melody similar to folk tunes such as ‘Scarborough Fair.’”Continue reading “Eric Andersen — “Looking Glass”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 11, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,234)  Shirley Ellis — “Don’t Let Go” How am I featuring this song as obscure when it was a #2 R&B hit and reached #13 on the pop charts? Well, that was Roy Hamilton’s original in ‘58. I am championing Shirley Ellis’ irresistiblyContinue reading ” Shirley Ellis — “Don’t Let Go”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 10, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,233) Africa — “Paint It Black” A “mind-blowing, conga-driven” (liner notes to the CD reissue of Music from “Lil Brown”) “inspired” and “slinky Latin-tinged psychedelic soul cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” (Richard Metzger, https://dangerousminds.net/comments/we_all_know_music_from_big_pink_by_the_band._what_about_music_from_lil_brow) that “significantly expand[s] upon the psychedelicContinue reading “Africa — “Paint It Black”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,232) The Electric Toilet* — “In the Hands of Karma” A tragic story, a questionable band name, but a glorious song: “a down-tempo fringe-shaker lifted onto a whole new plane by a richly melodic Gospel chorus” (Rob Fitzpatrick, https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/aug/21/popandrock) from a “[d]riving bluesyContinue reading “The Electric Toilet — “In the Hands of Karma”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS ,EVER HEARD 1,231) Jeff St. John and the Copperwine — “Teach Me How to Fly” If you are from Australia, where Jeff St. John (see #470) is justly legendary and beloved, read no further — as this song was a national hit (#11 (Badger45, https://www.45cat.com/record/cr214au)).Continue reading “Jeff St. John and the Copperwine — “Teach Me How to Fly”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 7, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,230) Amory Kane  — “Candy Queen” An American in London gives us some delicious ear candy, from a “brilliant UK Acid/Folk/Psych LP” with “plenty of great tracks ranging from psych/pop to floating acid/pop”, most written by said American and “produced by no otherContinue reading “Amory Kane — “Candy Queen”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,229) Howard Tate — “Give Me Some Courage” Here is an unreleased-for-decades gem by soul great Howard Tate (see #259, 261, 652), whose voice — and courage — were unmatched. Richie Unterberger tells us that: Howard Tate had some minor success with theContinue reading “I Shall be Released: Howard Tate — “Give Me Some Courage”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,228) Perry Leopold — “The 35th of May” This “gorgeous” (Stanton Swihart, https://www.allmusic.com/album/experiment-in-metaphysics-mw0000722983) song has a “zen-like beauty perhaps equalled only by Nick Drake. [Was Perry Leopold (see #293) a] homeless troubadour or the true soul of american music?” (JamesAnderson-cj1mi, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QpMNoq1slbE&pp=ygUdUGVycnkgbGVvcG9sZCB0aGUgMzV0aCBvZiBtYXk%3D) Both? IfContinue reading “Perry Leopold — “The 35th of May”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 4, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,227) Q’65 — “So High I’ve Been, So Down I Must Fall” This classic ‘67 garage rock B-side from the Netherlands is “spectacular”. (marcodona, https://www-freeforumzone-com.translate.goog/mobile/d/4559078/Q-65-/discussione.aspx?p=1&_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc) I wonder whether the band got eight miles high? Jeff Jarema and Jim Wynand calls the ‘65* (see #108,Continue reading “Q’65 — “So High I’ve Been, So Down I Must Fall”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 3, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,226) RO-D-YS — “You’d Better Take Care of Yourself” The Dutch (Oude Pekela, Groningen) band’s first A-side (‘66) is a fantastic pop rock confection. “The nasal vocals . . . were striking, in English with a Groningen accent. The b]and . . . often communicatedContinue reading “RO-D-YS — “You’d Better Take Care of Yourself”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 2, 2024”