Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,718) The Monkees — “Shades of Gray” This is “one of [the Monkees’] finest album tracks, ever” (Matthew Greenwald, https://www.allmusic.com/song/shades-of-gray-mt0008175824), written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, with “a singalong chorus that’s as poignant as it is contagious”. (Ed Masley, https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/01/07/the-monkees-greatest-hits-of-all-time/72079810007/) Off ofContinue reading “The Monkees — “Shades of Gray”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 14, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,716) Jesse Colin Young — “Four in the Morning” This devastating “haunting, all acoustic solo masterwork, [is] so stark and so blue you can almost hear the water dripping in his apartment.” (Mark Rosen, https://www.facebook.com/groups/240098362684435/posts/23878830535051219/) It lead off JCY’s first LP, ’64’s TheContinue reading “Four in the Morning Special Edition: Jesse Colin Young/The Sunshine Company: Jesse Colin Young — “Four in the Morning”, The Sunshine Company — “Four in the Mornin’”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 13, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,715) The Honeybus — “She Said Yes” This “exquisite” (45rpy, https://45rpy.wordpress.com/2018/09/30/honeybus-story-1970/) song is “one of the ultimate ‘Hurrah, I’ve got a girlfriend’ songs” (Rob Morgan, https://agoldfishcalledregret.wordpress.com/tag/honeybus/)! Honeybus is one of my favorite bands (see #6, 52, 207, 434, 562, 605, 764, 1,100, 1,439, 1,582),Continue reading “The Honeybus — “She Said Yes”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 12, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD (song first featured as #113) John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love” As I do each year on September 11, and also in light of Charlie Kirk’s murder yesterday, I will play John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band‘s “Love” from 1970, oneContinue reading “John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 11, 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”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,704) Supertramp — “Words Unspoken” Long before Supertramp conquered the airwaves, it gave us “simply a beautiful song” (Cesar Inca, https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1249) with “quite a beautiful melody” (TCat, https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1249), an “attractive . . . mixture of ardor and subtlety”. (Mike DeGagne, https://www.allmusic.com/album/supertramp-mw0000191983) “[O]ne ofContinue reading “Supertramp — “Words Unspoken”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 31, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,703) Nat Turner Rebellion — “Love, Peace and Understanding” What’s so funny about love, peace and understanding? “The spirited social commentary” of this incredibly inventive ’70 A-side “calls for harmony” (Fred Thomas, https://www.allmusic.com/album/laugh-to-keep-from-crying-mw0003267247) — despite the Philly soul/funk band’s provocative name and blackContinue reading “Nat Turner Rebellion — “Love, Peace and Understanding”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 30, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,702) October Country — “End of the Line” A kiss-off song disguised as winsome L.A. sunshine pop! Renowned producer, arranger, songwriter and musician Michael Lloyd wrote this song with future Three Dog Nighter Jimmy Greenspoon. After they released it in ’67 as theContinue reading “October Country — “End of the Line”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 29, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,701) Octopus — “Girlfriend” This ’69 B-side is a very sweet and wistful song about a young man’s looking back at his youth as he grows up. It predates the UK late psych group’s wonderful album Restless Night (see #759, 1,056). “I’ve been aContinue reading “Octopus — “Girlfriend”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 28, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,700) The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “World’s on Fire” Light some incense and pop some peppermints, here is an “epic psychedelic jam” (The Recoup, https://therecoup.com/2013/11/01/strawberry-alarm-clock-incense-and-peppermintswake-up-its-tomorrow-tune-in/) off of the SAC’s (see #127, 272, 901, 1,111) first LP that “the listener is assured of gettingContinue reading “The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “World’s on Fire”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 27, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,699) The Koobas — “Royston Rose” This “[o]utstanding piece of Mod/Psych!” ( EdwinJack64, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__wcl2UUcM), is a “[p]owerhouse psych rocker, not forgetting its mod roots . . . their crowning achievement” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpZGu6VOSuw), “resplendent in rippling guitar parts, lots of fuzz-tone, searing breaks thatContinue reading “The Koobas — “Royston Rose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 26, 2025”