Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,267) West Coast Delegation — “Mister Personality Man” Master producer and songwriter Tony Macaulay gives us this ‘67 B-side, a delightful slice of pop rock about a lady’s man who’s out to get your girlfriend. As to WCD: This obscure band was theContinue reading “West Coast Delegation — “Mister Personality Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 10, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,266) The Mother Love — “The Flim-Flam Man” The verb “flim-flam” means to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat”. (https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/flimflam-2019-04-10/) The ’67 movie The Flim-Flam Man starred George C. Scott as Mordecai Jones. “[He] is a rural con artist . . . who takesContinue reading “The Mother Love — “The Flim-Flam Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,265) The HiFis — “Odd Man Out” From a Germany-only LP by British expats comes this “hook-laden” song with “hints of the burgeoning psychedelic movement”. (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds: The British PsychedelicContinue reading “The HiFis — “Odd Man Out”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,264) The Association — “Barefoot Gentleman” From the Association’s ‘68 LP Birthday comes the utterly gorgeous “Barefoot”, which is “[a]rguably, Jim Yester’s finest moment [with] beautiful, ravishing harmonies!” (maxmerry8470, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldRCeLlfh74), “co-written with Skip Carmel . . . . a hazy, primordial tale ofContinue reading “The Association — “Barefoot Gentleman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 7, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,263) The Good Feelins — “I’m Lost” I’ve featured the A-side (see #492), here’s the B-side, a sterling garage ballad, “a great moody folk-rocker with strong organ and flute accompaniment . . . . a potential hit to my ears”. (Gilesi, https://cosmicmindatplay.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/classic-singles-76-the-good-feelins-im-lost-shattered-1968/) Psychedelicized givesContinue reading “The Good Feelins — “I’m Lost”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,262) Erick Saint-Laurent – “Le Temps D’y Penser”/”Time to Think About It” Talk about a genre-bender, here from a ‘67 EP is “rare, perfect beat-pop-jerk-psychedelic-folk-garage French” (gerardo9633, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnd-zbIK_94) “with its beatnik air, its fuzz guitar, the soulful winds and its rhythm section in steamroller mode, covering aContinue reading “Erick Saint-Laurent — “Le Temps D’y Penser”/“Time to Think About It”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 5, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Our July 4th Spectacular starts off with one of Paul Revere and the Raiders’ first singles, retelling the “Midnite Ride” of, of course, Paul Revere! Then we turn to songs of freedom from the Netherlands and England. OK, that may be a littleContinue reading “July 4th Special Edition: Paul Revere and the Raiders/The Motions/Gordon Jackson: Paul Revere and the Raiders — “Midnite Ride”; The Motions — “Freedom”; Gordon Jackson — “Song for Freedom”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 4, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,259) Sandie Shaw — “Mama Roux” Today, Sandie Shaw (see #324) proves that this mama was no puppet on a string! Shaw was seen “as epitomizing the ‘swinging Sixties’, and her trademark of performing barefoot endeared her to the public at large.” (https://www.vintag.es/2021/09/sandie-shaw.html).Continue reading “Sandie Shaw — “Mama Roux”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 3, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,258) Val McKenna and Robin Shaw — “Hey Girl (No Need to Push)” Sweet sultry soul from the UK’s Val McKenna (see #988, 1,181) that gets under your skin, a “fabulous duet” with Robin Shaw “that somehow escaped release”. (Mark Frumento, liner notes toContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: Val McKenna and Robin Shaw — “Hey Girl (No Need to Push)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 2, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,257) Les Sauterelles* — “Montgolfier” Well, after the Beatles, let’s listen to the “Swiss Beatles” (see #500), led by Toni Vescoli! Bad Cat Records says: [“Montgolfier” is] a surprisingly engaging slice of classic pop-psych.  Full of breezy lysergic touches and waves of shimmeringContinue reading “Les Sauterelles — “Montgolfier”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 1, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,256) The Beatles — “If You’ve Got Trouble” The Beatles song that many Beatlemaniacs love . . . to hate, but I love it! John and Paul wrote it for Ringo to sing for the Help! album but “[t]hat the song wasn’t workingContinue reading “The Beatles — “If You’ve Got Trouble”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 30, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,255) Bobby Jameson — “Windows and Doors” Supercatchy sunshine pop produced by Curt Boettcher, with two more catches: the lyrics are profound and the singer/songwriter’s life was tragic. Richie Unterberger says of the song that it “bears an early Love influence” and ofContinue reading “Bobby Jameson — “Windows and Doors”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 29, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,254) Dick Hyman — “The Moog and Me” Dick Hyman (see #798) put America in the mood to Moog, and put Beck in the mood to whistle. “Switched-on pop for ‘counter’ revolution!”  The Candyman writes: Years ago, Dick Hyman established himself as a whistler whenContinue reading “Dick Hyman — “The Moog and Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 28, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,253) The Mindbenders — “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man” Man, it’s hot out there. Thankfully, here comes “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man”, the Mindbenders’ (see #496) final A-side. This “lost anthem of what John Lennon would have termed ‘granny music’ [wasContinue reading “The Mindbenders — “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 27, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,252) Them — “Could You, Would You” Before Van Morrison (see #188, 253) was Van the Man, he was Them. The opening track from Them their second album “combine[s] beautifully constructed lyrics with blues and soul in [an] enduring song[] that vibrate[s] andContinue reading “Them — “Could You, Would You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 26, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,251) The Chōb* — “We’re Pretty Quick” This ’67 B-side is “pure punk genius” with “a breathtakingly frantic pace and one of the more bizarrely entertaining lyrics of the era” (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60sContinue reading “The Chōb — “We’re Pretty Quick”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 25, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD One song so great it couldn’t just be one song, so it became three — in ‘66 by Ray Sharpe, in ‘67 by Aretha Franklin, and in ‘69 by King Curtis. Curtis — the great saxophonist, writer, band leader and producer — wasContinue reading “Help Me, Save Me, Groove Me Special Edition: Ray Sharpe, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis & the Kingpins: Ray Sharpe — “Help Me (Get the Feeling)”, Aretha Franklin — “Save Me”, King Curtis & the Kingpins — “Instant Groove”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 24, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,247) Ambrose Slade/Slade — “Knocking Nails into My House” Cum on feel the pop psych! Yesterday, I featured the Idle Race’s ’68 A-side “The Skeleton and the Roundabout”. Today I feature the B-side, the equally “superb” “Knocking Nails into My House (David Wells,Continue reading “Ambrose Slade/Slade — “Knocking Nails into My House”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 23, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,246)  The Idle Race — “Skeleton and the Roundabout” As I have said, the Idle Race (see #30, 343, 491) and its “cheerfully trippy” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-birthday-party-mw0000579621) first album, ’68’s The Birthday Party, were the divine sparks that lit the Electric Light Orchestra. Here isContinue reading ” The Idle Race — “Skeleton and the Roundabout”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 22, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,245) The Montanas — “Roundabout” “The Montanas’ . . . Pye Records recordings . . . [constitute] one of the more self-consciously beautiful bodies of music that one is likely to cross paths with from mid-’60s England.” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/youve-got-to-be-loved-mw0000229331) And this, theirContinue reading “The Montanas — “Roundabout”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 21, 2024”