Monthly Archives: July 2024

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,288) Public Nuisance — “Strawberry Man” This anti-Vietnam War song “stand[s] out as quite imaginative”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/gotta-survive-mw0001893156) “I love this track it starts off in fine pop/punk style then cuts . . . into a completely new song!” (sf scene, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FrpXNz2HkWI&pp=ygUoUHVibGljIE51aXNhbmNlIOKAlCDigJxTdHJhd2JlcnJ5IE1hbuKAnQ%3D%3D) ItContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: Public Nuisance — “Strawberry Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 31, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,287) Sounds of Modification — “Balloon Man” A sunshine pop/baroque pop/pop psych/toytown tribute to balloon men everywhere that’s liable to whisk you up into the air without you even knowing it. The “Man” is “frothy pop-oriented ‘product’”. (RDTEN1, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/sounds-of-modification/sounds-of-modification/) Is that bad? TalkContinue reading “Sounds of Modification — “Balloon Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 30, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,286) Eternity’s Children — “Gypsy Minstrel Man” Eternity’s Children’s (see #706, 1,131) “finest moments rank alongside anything in the soft pop canon. . . . (Jason Ankeny, https://www.allmusic.com/album/eternitys-children-mw0000221884). Here is one of them, a plaintive tale of a gypsy minstrel man ever searching for theContinue reading “Eternity’s Children — “Gypsy Minstrel Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 29, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,285) Timebox — “Gone Is the Sad Man” This ’68 B-side is a “near-perfect piece of English psychedelic pop”, the “exuberant harmonies and . . . soulful lead vocal . . . swoop and glide”. (Mike Stax, liner notes to the CD compContinue reading “Timebox — “Gone Is the Sad Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 28, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,284) Fortes Mentum* — “Saga of a Wrinkled Man” Whimsical UK pop psych . . . as written by Frédéric Chopin! With its “distinctive, quasi-classical piano motifs” (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp Psychedelic Pstones III: House of Many Windows: AContinue reading “Fortes Mentum — “Saga of a Wrinkled Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 27, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,283) The Carolyn Hester Coalition — “Buddha (Was Her Best Man)” Carolyn Hester (see #558) — folkie turned psychedelic. OK, she didn’t get booed at the Newport Folk Festival, but she does get her share of grief and eye-rolls. “[S]tarry-eyed idealism and girlish,Continue reading “The Carolyn Hester Coalition — “Buddha (Was Her Best Man)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 26, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,282) The Tages — “There’s a Blind Man Playin’ Fiddle in the Street” From the best Swedish band of the 60’s (see #286) comes a ’68 pop psych delight and their last A-side to reach the top 10 in Sweden. “Retrospectively . .Continue reading “The Tages — “There’s a Blind Man Playin’ Fiddle in the Street”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 25, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,281) Gary Walker & the Rain — “Thoughts of an Old Man” From their Japan-only LP (and a Japanese B-side), Gary Walker & the Rain (see #483, 601) give us a song that is “distinctly Pepper-ish musically and lyrically” (Len, https://therisingstorm.net/gary-walker-the-rain-album-no-1/), and aContinue reading “Gary Walker & the Rain — “Thoughts of an Old Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 24, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,280) Skip Bifferty* — “Man in Black” From Skip Bifferty (see #288, 1,157), here is a “pulsating rocker . . . [that] firmly eschewed the Technicolor dreamscapes of yore”. (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp Real Life Permanent Dreams: A CornucopiaContinue reading “Skip Bifferty — “Man in Black”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 23, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,279) Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds — “Paperman Fly in the Sky” This ’68 B-side is a riveting “pop psych delight” (the Monocled Alchemist, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWPwUc_SYD4) by Chris Farlowe (see #473, 1,083), “widely regarded as Britain’s finest ever blues and soul singer”. (Merseysider Magazine, https://vancouversignaturesounds.com/hits/time-chris-farlowe/). WhoContinue reading “Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds– “Paperman Fly in the Sky”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 22, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,278) The Searchers — “Umbrella Man” Hand-clappin’ heaven, one of the Searchers’ (see #352, 394, 636) great singles from the latter half of the 60’s. “Umbrella Man” was written by Kenny Young, who wrote “Under the Boardwalk” with Art Resnick (who later recordedContinue reading “The Searchers — “Umbrella Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 21, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,277) The Third Rail — “Invisible Man” Sometimes you feel like an invisible man, sometimes you don’t! Future barons and baronesses of bubblegum, and a future jinglemeister to boot, gave us “Run, Run, Run” of Nuggets fame and an LP whose “songcraft isContinue reading “The Third Rail — “Invisible Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 20, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,276) The Fugs — “Dirty Old Man” I don’t give a fug, but I do give you the Fugs’* (see #67) “timeless, hysterically funny, howlingly scatological, barely musical rant[] and rave[]” (Jim Derogatis, https://www.wbez.org/jim-derogatis/2012/11/28/return-of-the-original-freak-folks-the-fugs), “[s]ung to the tune of Chuck Berry’s “School Days,”Continue reading “The Fugs — “Dirty Old Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 19, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,275) Them — “Dirty Old Man” Belfast’s Them (without Van the Man) give us a ’67 A-side that is “pure 60’s Garage punk!” (HemiVic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmycGm0c158), fueled by [Kenny] McDowell’s snarling garage punk vocal and a wonderfully angst ridden organ-led middle-eight this is aContinue reading “Them — “Dirty Old Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 18, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,274) Adam Faith — “Cowman* Milk Your Cow” Courtesy of songwriters Barry and Robin Gibb, here is “an early 1960’s U.K. rocker attempting to bounce back with a dose of pop sike whimsy”. (Wilthomer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2oGZV851kU), But ye of little faith, it works! “[I]Continue reading “Adam Faith — “Cowman Milk Your Cow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 17, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,273) Benjamin Carry Ltd. — “Old Man” A wisp of ’67 baroque pop splendor. Chuck Carry was from Indianapolis, Indiana (https://www.discogs.com/artist/7959612-Moore-And-Moore-2) and Randy Benjamin was from Vincennes, Indiana. Vinylfool writes as to Randy Benjamin (who wrote “Old Man”): Randy Benjamin is quite theContinue reading “Benjamin Carry Ltd. — “Old Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 16, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,272) The Hobbits — “I’m Just a Young Man” Pop psych from Queens “built on a nifty folk-rock melody with an urgent electric sitar riff” with “background orchestration and some interesting studio effects added to give it a lysergic tinge”. (RDTEN1, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-hobbits/down-to-middle-earth/) ArchieContinue reading “The Hobbits — “I’m Just a Young Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 15, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,262) The Young Idea — “Mr. Lovin’ Luggage Man” Delightful pop psych by a duo featuring soon to be famous producer Tony Cox. Cash Box opined in its January 27, 1968 issue that: “Stylings in the Beatle tradition of ‘Elanor [sic] Rigby’ withContinue reading “The Young Idea — “Mr. Lovin’ Luggage Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,270) Selwyn & John — “Bogey Man” Here is some “[v]ery cool swinging mod with fuzz” (Happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crwPkKl_vzE), a “deranged and manic slice of beat-pop” (liner notes to the CD comp Piccadilly Sunshine: Volumes 1-10: A Compendium of Rare Pop Curios from theContinue reading “Selwyn & John — “Bogey Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 13, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,269) Dantalian’s Chariot — “The Madman Running Through the Fields” Dantalian’s Chariot (see #727, 1,106) of the gods gave the human race “[o]ne of the most brilliant obscure psychedelic singles of the late ’60s — indeed, one of the most brilliant obscure rockContinue reading “Dantalian’s Chariot — “The Madman Running Through the Fields”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 12, 2024”