Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,862) The Velvet Underground — “Pale Blue Eyes” I hope you weren’t expecting Metal Machine Music! Thís touch of velvet is “possibly one of [Lou] Reed’s finest love songs (that he’d been working on as early as ’65 with [John] Cale), gentle, understated,Continue reading “The Velvet Underground — “Pale Blue Eyes”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 28, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Baby, baby, am I hooked on “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”, which should have an exhibit at the songwriting hall of fame. Written by Mac Davis and Delaney (“Delaney & Bonnie”) Bramlett, many artists have recorded (Chris Richardson, https://www.zeroto180.org/hello-l-a-bye-bye-birmingham-the-other-johnny-marr/) this “terrific song aboutContinue reading “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham Special Edition: Mac Davis/Alex Harvey/Nancy Sinatra/John Randolph Marr — “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 27, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s oTHAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,857) Flamengo — “Zavraždil Jsem Lásku”/”I Murdered Love” Here’s a groovy, spooky B-side from Prague, which “marked [Flamengo’s] turn toward fatalistic and psychologically driven lyrics”. (Jazz Rock Soul, https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/flamengo/) The lyrics are a bit disturbing — if you know Czech (or use GoogleContinue reading “Flamengo — “Zavraždil Jsem Lásku”/”I Murdered Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 26, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,856) The Choir — “It’s Cold Outside” Warning: If you are from Cleveland, read no further, ’cause I’d be just singin’ to the choir — it hit number one there! “With its energetic delivery, melodic harmonies, and chiming guitars, the song was anContinue reading “The Choir — “It’s Cold Outside”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 25, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,855) Forever Amber — “On a Night in Winter” This “Kinks dusted” (Obladada, https://obladada.com/2020/10/14/revisio-forever-amber-the-love-cycle/) song is from The Love Cycle, one of the rarest and most sough-after relics of the UK’s psychedelic era (well, only 99 copies of the LP were pressed!). “AContinue reading “Forever Amber — “On a Night in Winter”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 24, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,854) Harry Nilsson — “Snow” Given the positively awful versions of Randy Newman’s (see #174) song released at the time, it is beyond belief that Harry Nilsson’s (see #1,168, 1,298) “achingly beautiful”, “[q]uietly devastating” (acertainshape, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpVNtzdPIWU) version was left off his groundbreaking ’70Continue reading “I Shall Be Released: Harry Nilsson — “Snow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 23, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,853) George Edwards — “Never Mind, I’m Freezing” Here is “a pretty damned great folk rock 45” (Monocled Alchemist, https://monocledalchemist.com/2025/03/13/george-edwards-never-mind-im-freezing-dunwich-1966/) by the founder-to-be of Chicago psychsters H.P. Lovecraft (see #829, 1,073), “mid tempo folk rock with effective jangly guitars, bass and drums andContinue reading “George Edwards — “Never Mind, I’m Freezing”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 22, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,852) Vashti Bunyan — “Girl’s Song in Winter” I’ve recently featured Vashti’s (see #204, 1,170, 1,821) “Winter Is Blue” (see # 1,821). Today — “Girl’s Song in Winter”. To expand on a beautiful insight of François Gorin (https://www.telerama.fr/musique/vashti-bunyan-3-la-fille-de-l-hiver,157777.php), Vashti’s melancholy songs and soulContinue reading “Vashti Bunyan — “Girl’s Song in Winter”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 21, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,851) Ro-d-Ys– “Winter Woman” Beatlesque pop psych from the Netherlands, this is the band’s (see #1,226) “best song” (Gelkinghe (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_kXER46Exg), “[a]bsolutely hypnotic” (archenema6792, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_kXER46Exg), “beautiful and haunting”. (nikink, https://www.discogs.com/release/4169281-Ro-D-Ys-The-Complete-Collection?srsltid=AfmBOoofU9iuEEMh-CTUrex47ZjLKtPCvRnaoq9q-1Wq_ikRIH6T2a7U#:~:text=The%20Ro%2Dd%2Dys%20were%20from%20the,were%20formed%20somewhere%20around%201965.&text=In%201968%20more%20quality%20singles,and%20%22Earnest%20Vocation%22%20in%201968) Richie Unterberger tells us that: Stylistically, the[ Ro-d-Ys] favored, likeContinue reading “Ro-d-Ys– “Winter Woman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 20, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,850) John Hartford — “Landscape Grown Cold” This stalk, haunting ’67 B-side by the legendary John Hartford (see #1,183) puts the woe in winter. It is one of the “highlights of his RCA period”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-love-album-mw0000860236), coming from The Love Album. Hartford’sContinue reading “John Hartford — “Landscape Grown Cold”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 19, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,849) Zion de Gallier — “Winter Will Be Cold” This Mark Wirtz-produced B-side is a “Swinging 60s dancer . . . [an i]rresistibly bouncy beaty track . . . [with a] Psych Pop edge” (teabiscuit, https://www.45cat.com/record/r5686), “upbeat and jaunty with a whimsical feeling”Continue reading “Zion de Gallier — “Winter Will Be Cold”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 18, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,848) The Impressions — “Long, Long Winter” I hope the Impressions’ (see #118, 285, 1,347, 1,544) meteorological forecast is way off base, or it’s gonna be a long, long, winter. “My girl is gone from me And my hearts in misery And it’sContinue reading “The Impressions — “Long, Long Winter”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 17, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,847) Wendy & Bonnie — “The Winter Is Cold” Baby, it’s cold outside, and Wendy & Bonnie (see #1,774) know that the winter is cold! “Well it might be cold but that ripping ass [guitar] solo [in “The Winter Is Cold”] just warmedContinue reading “Wendy & Bonnie — “The Winter Is Cold”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 16, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,846) The Box Tops — “Trouble with Sam” “Trouble with Sam” “could [be] another song from the 1966-1970 English pop factories . . . . I have no basis for saying this, but I’d bet that Alex [Chilton] hated it. I don’t, becauseContinue reading “The Box Tops — “Trouble with Sam”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 15, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,845) Buddy Miles — “That’s the Way Life Is” Ah, Buddy Miles (see #112, 221, 366, 629, 853, 1,483) As Jamie Ludwig says, he was a “force of nature as a drummer, vocalist, and bandleader. ” (https://chicagoreader.com/music/buddy-miles-wrings-every-drop-of-emotion-from-the-segment/) He moves my soul. This “[s]tone coldContinue reading “Buddy Miles — “That’s the Way Life Is”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 14, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,844) Faine Jade — “Don’t Hassle Me” Here is a stunning number from Faine Jade (see #314, 686) — Long Island’s Syd Barrett (see #87, 315, 922) — that “captures the spirit of rebellious youth”. (Faris Badwan, (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/27/the-lost-albums-loved-by-the-stars-from-ecstatic-gospel-to-italian-prog) “No! Don’t you hassle me! IContinue reading “Faine Jade — “Don’t Hassle Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 13, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,843) Bee Gees — “Turn of the Century” On first listen [the Bee Gees’ (see #291, 484, 594, 717, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125, 1,321, 1,343, 1,685) ’67 LP] Bee Gees 1st plays like a wonderful, lost baroque-pop album, which isn’t far from the truth. The openingContinue reading “The Bee Gees — “Turn of the Century”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 12, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,842) The Cortinas*/Octopus — “Phoebe’s Flower Shop” Brighten your Sunday with a “happy-go-lucky . . . Vaudeville-ian ditty” (Garwood Pickjon, https://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2018/11/), a “[t]oytown classic that seldom gets mentioned. A jaunty piano rave carries the tune, and the falsetto vocals and soaring strings keepContinue reading “The Cortinas/Octopus — “Phoebe’s Flower Shop”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 11, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,841) The Joyfull Noise — “Wrapped in the Hide of a Yellow Cow“ Mellow pop psych/baroque pop inspired by the I Ching.* Some question whether the Noise’s LP is psych, but as one wag put it, “from the first song it’s clear it’sContinue reading “The Joyfull Noise — “Wrapped in the Hide of a Yellow Cow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 10, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,840) Steppeulvene/The Steppe Wolves — “Dunhammeraften”/”Dunhammer Evening” Something’s funky in the State of Denmark! And, no, I’m not talking about Operation Dunhammer! I’m talking about the Steppe Wolves’ very funky evocation of strange goings on during a Danish evening in the ’60s, asContinue reading “Steppeulvene/The Steppe Wolves — “Dunhammeraften”/”Dunhammer Evening”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 9, 2026″