Monthly Archives: July 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,669) Steve & Stevie — “As I See My Life” Yesterday, I wandered through Australia’s Groves of gorgeous music, or at least Australia’s Steve Groves’ gorgeous music with the Kinetics (see #1,668). Today — Groves’ gorgeous music with Steve & Stevie (see #1,496).Continue reading “Steve & Stevie — “As I See My Life”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 31, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,668) The Kinetics — “Fed-uping Day” Mellow, melancholy Australian gold from a group featuring future Tin Tin man Steve Groves. He had a heart! Kimbo: The Kinetics were a popular band in Melbourne following their formation in 1965. Playing a progressive style ofContinue reading “The Kinetics — “Fed-uping Day”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 30, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,667) The Twilights — “Comin’ on Down” From “one of the most successful and popular Australian pop acts of the 1960s” (see #563) comes a late gem, a “cosmic, slightly confusing, phasing-drenched [song that] seemed to be about the apocalypse or something”. (PaulContinue reading “The Twilights — “Comin’ on Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 29, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,666) The Gibsons — “Lazy Summer Day” An Australian band takes off for the UK . . . No, I’m not talking about The Bee Gees! I’m talking about the Cicadas (renamed the Gibsons since, as Kimbo tells us, no one in theContinue reading “The Gibsons — “Lazy Summer Day”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 28, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,665) The Blue Beats — “She’s Comin’ Home” Sneering, “Cracking 60’s Aussie Garage Beat” (Sean Parry, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1dBgGRJgUM) by a “Sydney-based band . . . . [that] changed their name when they moved from Melbourne where they were known as The Outcasts. Neither [of itsContinue reading “The Blue Beats — “She’s Comin’ Home”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 27, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,664) Doug Ashdown — “For Lovin’ Me” Peter, Paul and Mary (see #1,307) had a #30 hit with this early Gordon Lightfoot (see #92, 167, 392) classic, which has been covered about a billion times (https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/119685/all) by everyone from Elvis Presley to JohnnyContinue reading “Doug Ashdown — “For Lovin’ Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 26, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,663) The Avengers — “Twiddle-E-Dee” Warning: If you are from Brisbane, read no further! This “unpromisingly titled [song] turns out to be a bouncy mod pop gem [verging on bubblegum], penned by the very talented Terry Britten who wrote some amazing psych stuffContinue reading “The Avengers — “Twiddle-E-Dee”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 25, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,662) Trevor McNamara — “Silver” I could swear Bono was singing this “sweet open[ing song to McNamara’s sole LP Yeah Captain] sung with regret bordering on tears” (KildareJohn, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/trevor_mcnamara/yeah_captain/), a “pounding guitar-driven [number] . . . complete with a shattered, scratching guitar solo”Continue reading “Trevor McNamara — “Silver”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 24, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,661) The Executives — “Summer Hill Road” This “glistening bauble of psych-pop whimsy” (Paul Culnane, http://www.milesago.com/artists/executives.htm) was a #15 hit in Perth and #35 in Sydney. (AussieOldies, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOChDAbGQkI) Carole King (no, not that Carole King!) and her husband Brian founded the Executives (seeContinue reading “The Executives — “Summer Hill Road”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 23, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,660) Russ Kruger — “Keep Me Satisfied” “Blistering Aussie freakbeat” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLrq_K64tQc), “the best of the eight singles Kruger cut with the Atlantics between 1966 and 1968 . . . . [with] the distorted yet powerful sound of the [Atlantics’] classic singles “ComeContinue reading “Russ Kruger — “Keep Me Satisfied”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 22, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,659) Ram Jam Big Band — “Sunshine And I Feel Fine” No, not Geno Washington’s Ram Jam band (see #903), but Australia’s horn pop masters with a “psych-dipped mod” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJgiGWXMIPc) monster that “Blood Sweat and Tears would love to claim” (burtramone765, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZw9lDSlces)Continue reading “Ram Jam Big Band — “Sunshine And I Feel Fine”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 21, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,658) Mike Furber — “I’m on Fire” I’ve played the B-side (see #596), here is the A-side, a “scintillating pop track underscored by a ripping lead fuzz guitar line and a solid rhythm section” (Iain McIntyre, Tomorrow Is Today: Australia in the PsychedelicContinue reading ” Mike Furber — “I’m on Fire”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 20, 2025″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,657) Ronnie Burns — “Piccadilly Pages” Ronnie Burns gives us a music hall-y nostalgic pop rock delight. “Long live . . . one of [Australia’s] truest pop heroes!” (Paul Culnane, http://www.milesago.com/artists/burns.htm). Indeed. Paul Culnane tells us Burns’ story in the definitive Milesago: AustralasianContinue reading “Ronnie Burns — “Piccadilly Pages”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 19, 2025”

performing on the ABC program Something Else THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,656) The Atlantics — “Come On” Australian surf-rock heroes gave us a “renowned” garage rock masterpiece “now considered [a] classic[] of Aussie ’60s rock”. (Milesago: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975, http://www.milesago.com/artists/atlantics.htm) Mike Stax writes that:Continue reading “The Atlantics — “Come On”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 18, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,655) The Allusions — “Mr. Love“ Here is a fantastic Australian pop rock number with such a captivating melody by a band that once rivaled the Easybeats in popularity (at least in Sydney!). Paul Culnane traces the history of the Allusions at theContinue reading “The Allusions — “Mr. Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 17, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,654) Rev Black and the Rockin’ Vicars* — “Walking and Talking” This is the Australian group’s last A-side, written by the Easybeats’ [see #201, 1,310, 1,359, 1,450] Harry Vanda and George Young. Terry Stacey writes of the hyper-melodic and ingratiating song that: “[It]Continue reading “Rev Black and the Rockin’ Vicars — “Walking and Talking”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 16, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,653) The Tol-Puddle Martyrs – “Time Will Come” From Australia comes “taut, distressed garage rock on the verge of getting slightly psychedelicized, with cutting minor-keyed distorted guitar/organ riffs and ominous, distrustful lyrics”, with “its organ, distorted guitar, and cool vocal recall[ing] American garage-psychedeliaContinue reading “The Tol-Puddle Martyrs — “Time Will Come”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 15, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,652) Clarence Carter — “You Can’t Miss What You Can’t Measure” One of Clarence Carter’s (see #296) classic cheating songs. “My favourite Clarence Carter song . . . Perfect Southern Soul”. (michaelhinchcliffe7213, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4wtG2szSN0) “But as sure as you can do it, brother SheContinue reading “Clarence Carter — “You Can’t Miss What You Can’t Measure”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 14, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,651) Shades of Morley Brown — “Silly Girl” I’ve played the B-side (see #1,112), here is the A-side, one of those impossibly bubbly 60’s numbers, with a whistling intro to boot, from a “nice, very obscure [’68 UK] psych/pop single”. (Popsike.com, https://www.popsike.com/SHADES-OF-MORLEY-BROWN-Silly-Girl-UNKNOWN-UK-PSYCH/4014924238.html) The singleContinue reading “Shades of Morley Brown — “Silly Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 13, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,650) The Pipe Dream — “The Middle of the Night” The Pipe Dream (see #105, 147) gives us absolutely ravishing, “[t]hrilling” and “evocative minor key” sunshine pop (hifrommike2120, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-maO2X9vjw), written by Estelle Levitt and Don Thomas and produced and arranged by Stephen “Wicked”Continue reading “The Pipe Dream — “The Middle of the Night”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 12, 2025”