Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,838) Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand” This haunting and sublime spiritual meditation was Medicine Head’s first A-side and a track off their first LP New Bottles Old Medicine. The album was produced by their champion John Peel, who had signed the (twoContinue reading “Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 7, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,837) The Merry-Go-Round — “You’re a Very Lovely Woman” From L.A. wunderkind Emitt Rhodes’ band the Merry-Go-Round (see #50, 156), here is a “sweeping orchestral pop gem” (Tim Sendra, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-merry-go-round-mw0000862964), a “gorgeous, haunting string ballad” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-merry-go-round-mw0000856619), “[a]n exciting showcase of Rhodes’Continue reading “The Merry-Go-Round — “You’re a Very Lovely Woman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 6, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,836) The Four Tops —  “Wish I Didn’t Love You So” How was this romantic rave not a hit for the Four Tops (see #1,148, 1,429)?! Well, it wasn’t even released as a B-side, but appeared on their ’69 album Four Tops Now!Continue reading “The Four Tops —  “Wish I Didn’t Love You So”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 5, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,835) Timebox — “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind” England’s timeless Timebox (see #1,285, 1,355, 1,750) gives us a “soul-meets-Summer of Love ode” (Jon “Mojo” Mills, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-deram-anthology-mw0000968588), “combin[ing] sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic arrangement”. (Jon “Mojo” Mills, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/timebox-mn0000602690#biography)  As to Timebox,Continue reading “Timebox — “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 4, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,834) The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Barefoot in Baltimore” While I would not recommend walking barefoot in Baltimore, this ’68 A-side by the Strawberry Alarm Clock (see #127, 272, 901, 1,111, 1,700) is “truly magical”, which I “can imagine . . . beingContinue reading “The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Barefoot in Baltimore”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 3, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,833) The Honeybus — “Scarlet Lady” Another spendid song by Honeybus, with “the Byrds [see #1,430, 1,605] shining through” (Jittery White Guy, https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2021/02/honeybus-story-1970.html?m=1) 45rpy writes: Colin Hare’s “Scarlet Lady” concerns a different kind of clod—namely, an infatuated one—though his plea to the listenerContinue reading “The Honeybus — “Scarlet Lady”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 2, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,832) The Peppermint Trolley Co.  — “Sunrise” A new sun rises over a new year. Take a ride on the Peppermint Trolley with this lustrous and consoling song by America’s greatest 60’s TV band, a song “about hope and finding strength to carryContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Sunrise”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 1, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,831) Information — “Oh Strange Man” Here is “[o]ne of the rarest and best on the Beacon label released in 1969, [a] lovely mellotron soaked slice of psych pop” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4zw3U0WXtc) Vernon Joynson says it “is reputed to be good”. (The Tapestry ofContinue reading “Information — “Oh Strange Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 31, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,830) Chris Britton — “That Was the Time” Troggs’ guitarist Chris Britton released a little-noticed but stunning solo album, As I Am (see #15, 980), including this little layover at the village green’s bandstand. Is that Chris playing the classical guitar? Dig that arrangement by TroggsContinue reading “Chris Britton — “That Was the Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 30, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,829) The British Lion Orchestra — “Big Bare Beat” From the movie Girl on a Motorcycle starring Marianne Faithfull (see #111, 430) and Alain Delon, here is a “[b]ig beaty and grooving to the max – fab!!!!” (narinderdhanjal221, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yap7FwYnQX4) orchestral number written andContinue reading “The British Lion Orchestra — “Big Bare Beat”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 29, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,828) Thoughts and Words — “Back in 1939” Oh so gorgeous UK baroque folk rock. Vernon Joynson says, “[Martin] Curtis and [Bob] Ponton had been the founders and mainstays of Pandamonium [see #115] but, tired of record company inteference, resolved in 1969 to proceedContinue reading “Thoughts and Words — “Back in 1939”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 28, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,827) The Gang of Saints — “Yes, It’s Too Bad” Yes, it’s too badass groovy, with such a slinky badass groove it should have been in a David Lynch movie. Maybe it was! This garage great with “an outstanding bass and lead guitarContinue reading “The Gang of Saints — “Yes, It’s Too Bad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 27, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,826) Billy Mitchel — “Electronic Dance” This jazz-rock/psych pocket symphony ended up on the soundtrack of Nicolas Roeg’s Australian new wave film Walkabout. It is “[j]azzy folky dreamy hippie goodness” (newarkpsych, https://rateyourmusic.com/account/login), “[a] forgotten slice of late 60s lysergic studio-psych”. (Soul Jazz Records,Continue reading “Billy Mitchel: “Electronic Dance”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 26, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,825) Brian Wilson — “Surf’s Up” Brian Wilson’s greatest achievement? Quite possibly. Rock music’s single greatest achievement? Quite possibly. “Absolutely perfect song. Sometimes I think it’s the best song ever written.” (Versionsound, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/what-is-it-about-surfs-up-the-beach-boys-song.1228202/) “There is no better song in the history of theContinue reading “Brian Wilson — “Surf’s Up”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 25, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,824) Roberta Flack — “I Told Jesus” Here is Roberta Flack’s (see #61, 701) “quietly spine-tingling” (Richard Williams, https://thebluemoment.com/2025/02/24/roberta-flack-in-london/) “arrangement of the traditional ‘I Told Jesus'[, possessing a] simmering power”. (John Bush, https://www.allmusic.com/album/first-take-mw0000193572) Ethan Iverson writes: “A slow waltz with Flack’s piano andContinue reading “Roberta Flack — “I Told Jesus”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 24, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,823) Tina Charles — “Bo Bo’s Party” Warning: If you are from France, read no further. For a weird, irritating, and “engagingly unconventional” (Jonny Whiteside, https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/tn-gnp-me-melanie-safka-20161004-story.html) song by Melanie that somehow became a number one hit in France* (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanie_(singer)) is transformed into aContinue reading “Tina Charles — “Bo Bo’s Party”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 23, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,822) Blues Section — “End of a Poem” This “seminal and ground-breaking [Finnish] band” (Aleksi, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOdXm6rhtRM) with a British singer gives us a wistful and simply gorgeous breakup song in English. “Let me be Set me free” Wigwam tells us (Translation checked byContinue reading “Blues Section — “End of a Poem”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 22, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,821) Vashti Bunyan — “Winter Is Blue” Winter is here, and winter is blue. Vashti’s (see #204, 1770) “haunting 1966 rendering . . . continues to inhabit the season existentially. Culled from an unreleased acetate . . . the track cuts right throughContinue reading “Vashti Bunyan — “Winter Is Blue”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 21, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,820) The Dutch Masters — “The Expectation” This “incredible 60’s Punk Gem” (HemjVic, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Sj1T661JnYQ&list=RDSj1T661JnYQ&start_radio=1) has an insistent groove that just socks it to you. Bayard writes: [It] is outstanding, mid to uptempo, garage rock with a great beat, performed by sustained Hammond organ,Continue reading “The Dutch Masters — “The Expectation”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 20, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,819) Sunset Love — “Run to the Sun” Here is a real treat. The best sounding version I have ever heard of this haunting, “sweet and slightly spooky” (Dusty Groove, https://www.dustygroove.com/item/215159/Sunset-Love:Run-to-the-Sun) pop psych jewel just landed on YouTube a few weeks ago. ThankContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: Sunset Love — “Run to the Sun”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 19, 2025”