THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,463) A. M. Gately — “Battle in the City”
A back to nature call to arms with a to die for melody by a cherished friend of Al Kooper who left us too soon. “I’ve loved [“Battle”’s] sunlit melancholy tone, built around acoustic guitar, cello/strings and horns”; “one if the best songs of its kind I think I’ve ever heard”. (Wayne Burrows, https://serendipityproject.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/july-9-2011-battle-in-the-city-by-a-m-gateley-columbia-promo-45-c-1969/)
“I ain’t got time for breaking my mind and doing battle in the city”
Gately “shares the same melodic stage and songwriting prowess as Harry Nilsson [see #1,168, 1,298] and Curt Boettcher [see # 397, 506, 586, 662, 810, 1,002] . . . yet he’s basically never been mentioned anywhere as far as I’ve ever read”. (allerlei2013riffmaster, https://allerlei2013riffmaster.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/michael-gatley-gatelys-cafe-1972/) Wayne Burrows informs us that:
[A]bout the mysterious A.M. Gately and his recording career[, i]t turns out that he wrote and recorded mostly under the name Michael Gately, releasing several singles (perhaps the least obscure with Robert John, a rather lovely Beach Boys inflected bit of sunshine pop called “If You Don’t Want My Love”) and two US albums, Gately’s Cafe (1971) and Still Round (1972) . . . . Both LPs feature contributions from Gately’s regular collaborator Al Kooper [see #642, 705, 765, 804, 1,447] (for whom he seems to have returned the favour, appearing as a writer, arranger and backing vocalist on Kooper’s own records), but despite his links to better-known musicians, a berth on a major label, and the fact that it’s clear he was a highly distinctive singer-songwriter, with plenty of commercial promise, it seems none of Gately’s various releases left the kinds of mark they deserved to, and Gately himself eventually died of a heart condition in 1982 at the age of 39. All of which . . . seems a terrible waste, and offers further proof, if any were needed, that success and talent more rarely coincide than is generally assumed.
Barney’s offers this gem of a note:
I knew Michael very well. We were in LA in the 80’s together and he was a wonderful person. . . . He loved music, had great stories of the old days in the City, grew up in New Jersey . . . had a brother, loved his parents and was a good man overall. We dated for 2 years or so and I do miss him. He also had a very great sense of humor. Brilliant and also studied theology in school. . . . In LA, Michael worked for years as the night manager of the Record Plant recording Studio. He was always part of the music scene although never made it big. His best friends Robert John (his middle son’s middle name is [G]ately) and Al [K]ooper were around in LA during this time. He was always writing….he sang beautifully…one of my favorites was “Christmas carol blue” about his close friend from jersey. I’m not sure if it was ever recorded but I know it well. As you saw on the albums, Michael was very overweight. When I was with him, he was down to 185 lbs. we had so many great times at the record plant..saw many great artist in their recording sessions…he was so well-liked by everyone. I have some great photos of our times together. It’s kind of a sad story why we broke up but I treasured our time and memories together. I was told he wrote a song about me after I left LA…what I would give to hear that song…
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/michael-gately-robert-johns-songwriting-partner.232303/
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 — now over 900 songs. 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.
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊 