THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,870) Eyes of Blue — “Chances”
What are the chances that this “Welsh underground progressive/psychedelic/blues rock crossover band from the late 60s” (Blake Mitchner, https://vinylantiquity.blogspot.com/2015/08/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-and-me.html) would record “a folkish guitar and harmonica based track” (Kevin Rathert, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2025/02/eyes-of-blue-the-light-we-see-the-recordings-1969-1971-2024.html#google_vignette) “evok[ing] wide-open spaces” (Jean Jacques Perez (courtesy of Google Translate), https://classicrock80.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-1969/), a song as gentle, yearning and inexorable as a hymn? In hindsight, 100%.
As to Ol’ Blue Eyes, Bruce Eder writes:
By rights, the Eyes of Blue should have an exalted place in the pantheon of art rock and progressive rock bands. They were around before almost all of them, and doing film work and making music in a jazz-rock fusion idiom before the latter had been understood, and they were signed to two major labels in succession, Deram and Mercury. Instead, except for drummer John Weathers, who later joined Gentle Giant, the Eyes of Blue are scarcely remembered at all. [It] started out as a jazz and rhythm & blues-oriented outfit . . . . They were initially signed to Decca’s progressive rock imprint Deram Records, and cut a series of excellent but neglected singles, and then moved to Mercury, where they concentrated on albums, enjoying their greatest musical if not commercial success. They were taken seriously enough to collaborate with Quincy Jones on the score of the movie Toy Grabbers, and the group actually managed to appear in the movie Connecting Rooms. Their early strength lay in R&B-based material . . . but even on their first album, the Eyes of Blue showed some Eastern influences. Their second album [In Fields of Ardath, from which “Chances” comes] had some tracks from the first film score . . . but is more experimental, with extended instrumental passages and some classical music influences. In late 1968, the Eyes of Blue backed Buzzy Linhart [see #346, 647] on a self-titled album, and they rated a supporting act spot at the Marquee Club in London in 1969, but their days were numbered given their lack of success as a recording outfit. Phil Ryan later played in Man, and John Weathers joined Pete Brown and Piblokto! on the Harvest label, before jumping to Gentle Giant.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eyes-of-blue-mn0000724876#biography
Blake Mitchner adores the album:
In Fields of Ardath is so good that Quincy Jones wrote the liner notes after none other than Graham Bond had done so for them on the predecessor Crossroads of Time. Unfortunately, too freaky and strange was this band for mainstream success even back in the 60s so they remained a secret pleasure to club goers then . . . . [D]espite being as innovative and bizarre as King Crimson and sounding a bit like early Genesis [see #767] gone into ultra neoclassical moods Mercury Records f*cked this band’s career up just as was and always will be common practice for record companies. . . . Apparently the lyrics on the album all stem from the occult . . . . [It] had roots in African, jazz, classical, rhythm and blues and whilst all but classical and African are American music forms we didn’t have a band nor really was there another band quite as strange as Eyes Of Blue. . . . There are songs on this album . . . that are so crazily uncommercial and inventive . . . . The more you concentrate on the nearly frantic changes of mood, vocal and instrumental acrobatics, and imagery the more into the dark spirit world you journey. . . . [It] is so good . . . . Every track is a masterpiece.
https://vinylantiquity.blogspot.com/2015/08/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-and-me.html
RDTEN1 is more equivocal:
The title track and several of the songs built around the theme of reincarnation.* . . . Featuring a largely original collection of material with writing contributions from all the band members, their sophomore album wasn’t particularly focused. Progressive influences predominated . . . but the band seemed more interested in broadening their musical horizons. This time around there were a host of influences including country-rock . . . English blues . . . pop . . . and even a scratchy tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt . . . . The combination of Ray Bennett’s lead guitar and Phil Ryan’s Hammond B-3 and keyboards provided the album with a thick and elaborate texture. As lead vocalist Pickford-Hopkins raspy voice remained an acquired taste, though to be perfectly honest, he was occasionally all but drown out by the elaborate arrangements. While nowhere near as much fun as the debut the collection wasn’t a complete wash out. Perhaps not a big surprise, but to my ears they were at their best when sticking with more mainstream rock oriented material . . . . It was all pleasant, but hardly the forgotten classic some dealers would have you believe.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/eyes-of-blue/in-fields-of-ardath/
* RDTEN1 elaborates:
To quote the liner notes: “The title of the album stems from the interest of Eyes of Blue in the supernatural and the occult. Ardath is the title of a book by Marie Corelli published in 1897. The theme of the novel is based on the story of reincarnation. According to the book the field of Ardath is located near the ruined city of Babylon. Corelli’s characters find evidence for this presumed location in the Book of Esdras.” Admittedly that description left me puzzled. Here’s some additional information I found on Wikipedia: “The Fields of Ardath are a mystical meadow of ancient Babylon, symbolizing unity and diversity. It represents a place where individuals can find their personal experiences while contributing to a unified entity. . . . It also symbolize a place on Earth where one physically journeys to, representing the reincorporation of lost parts of the soul and the healing of karma. It is a healing measure that involves disturbances to create necessary healing and information for soul growth and reintegration.”
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/eyes-of-blue/in-fields-of-ardath/
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 Like Thisfamiliar 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 1,200 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😊 