Monthly Archives: September 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,714) Janis Ian — “Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind” Janice Ian’s follow-up A-side to the #14 “Society’s Child” was a song about suicide?! No wonder it topped out at #109. The song is “explosively poppy” (W.L. Swarts, https://wlswarts.blogspot.com/2012/11/janis-ians-sophomore-album-remains-for.html), “brilliantly conceived” (MichaelContinue reading “Janis Ian — “Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 10, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,713) The Riot Squad — “I Wanna Talk About My Baby” Here is “a superb piece of smooth blue-eyed soul, closer to Georgie Fame [see #103, 169, 634, 695, 721, 1,044] than to the Animals”. (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-riot-squad-mn0001344667#biography) Closer to Georgie Fame? This isContinue reading “The Riot Squad — “I Wanna Talk About My Baby”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 10, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,712) Nirvana — “Illinois” Two expatriates in Swinging London — one from Ireland, one from Greece — as Nirvana (see #287, 391, 475, 1,238, 1,525) give us this pop psych masterpiece (along with all their other pop psych masterpieces), a “remarkable tour-de-force with a quiteContinue reading “Nirvana — “Illinois”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 8, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,711) Bob Dylan — “No More Auction Block” Well, everyone in the world has heard this song — at least the song that was either inspired by or adapted from this song. For the anti-slavery Black spiritual “No More Auction Block” begat “BlowingContinue reading “Bob Dylan — “No More Auction Block”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 7, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,710) The Marvelettes — “You’re the One for Me, Bobby” This “blue-chip” (Adam White, https://www.adampwhite.com/westgrandblog/tough-times) soul “standout” is a marvel that “could have been a hit”. (Bill Buckley, https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/reviews/the-marvelettes-forever-more-motownhip-o-select/) “[Writer] Smokey [Robinson] is a genius. And Wanda [Young] always put her own distinctiveContinue reading “The Marvelettes — “You’re the One for Me, Bobby”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 6, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,709) The Blues Project — “No Time Like the Right Time” It only reached #96?! As Richie Unterberger says, this “quite ingenious and catchy song” was the Blues Project’s (see #1,411) “greatest achievement and one of the best ‘great hit singles that neverContinue reading “The Blues Project — “No Time Like the Right Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 5, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,708) Climax Chicago Blues Band — “Please Don’t Help Me” This Chicago Blues Band — from Stafford, England! — gives us “a killer old-school electric blues jam”, “[c]omplete with blues harp and organ” and “some pretty awesome musical passages” (Gary Hill, https://www.musicstreetjournal.com/artists_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=106899) thatContinue reading “Climax Chicago Blues Band — “Please Don’t Help Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 4, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,707) The Outer Limits — “Help Me Please” “Fantastic Mod Beat! Sound a bit Paul Weller!” (EdwinJack64, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aND8l6A3b0U) This “jumpy party-starter” (Fred Thomas, https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-one-more-chance-the-anthology-1965-1968-mw0004589462) is “threatening, guitar heavy” (John Reed, liner notes to the CD comp Decca Originals: The Freakbeat Scene) and glorious!Continue reading “The Outer Limits — “Help Me Please”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 3, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,706) The Primitives — “Help Me” This “real scorcher[]” (N.E. Fulcanwright, liner notes to the CD comp Freakbeat Freakout) is “a classic blast of punky mod/r’n’b” (happening45, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlaqM43d8M&pp=ygUWVGhlIHByaW1pdGl2ZXMgaGVscCBtZQ%3D%3D) that sounds positively primitive next to Sonny Boy Williamson’s original. Bruce Eder can’t get enough:Continue reading “The Primitives — “Help Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 2, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,705) Neoton — “Bolond Város”/”Crazy City” “[S]uperb popsike from behind the iron curtain!” (MushroomMachineClub, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86CeLcUSAs) — from the band that would become Hungary’s ABBA! Mikhail Badanin and Kirill Babanin tell us (translated by Andrey Sinelnikov): The history of Neoton Familia started long agoContinue reading “Neoton — “Bolond Város”/”Crazy City”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 1, 2025”