Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,943) Kusudo & Worth — “Of Sun and Rain” Here is a gorgeous and melancholy song from a ’68 folk LP self-produced and recorded over a three hour span by two California high schoolers: Ken Kusudo and Jeff Worth (see #1,127). “This isContinue reading “Kusudo & Worth — “Of Sun and Rain”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,941) Harry Nilsson — “1941” From Harry Nilsson’s (see #1,168, 1,298, 1,854) first LP — Pandemonium Shadow Show — here is one of his greatest songs, “quietly heartbreaking beneath its jaunty cabaret”. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/album/pandemonium-shadow-show-mw0000179116) Matthew Greenwald writes that: “1941” is aContinue reading “1941 Special Edition: Harry Nilsson/TomNorthcott — “1941”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,939) The Impressions — “I’m the One Who Loves You” Curtis Mayfield wrote this endearing and lovely ’63 Impressions (see #118, 285, 1,347, 1,544, 1,848) A-side that moved on up to #73 (but nowhere on the R&B chart). “It’s impossible to fault .Continue reading “I’m the One Who Loves You Special Edition: The Impressions/The Paramounts — “I’m the One Who Loves You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,938) The Dave Miller Set — “Bread and Butter Day” This B-side by New Zealand’s Dave Miller Set (see #1,010) is an “[u]nder-the-radar Beat Bespoke style hard mod psych dancer with killer guitar and funky bass.” (happening45, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZRPUzpydEc&list=RD3ZRPUzpydEc&start_radio=1&pp=ygUkRGF2ZSBtaWxsZXIgc2V0IGJyZWFkIGFuZCBidXR0ZXIgZGF5oAcB&ra=m) I don’t know what theContinue reading “The Dave Miller Set — “Bread and Butter Day”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 10, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,937) Larry’s Rebels — “Fantasy” New Zealand’s hard-rocking Rebels take an exquisite excursion into psychedelia. “Taking their lead from the English childlike take on the genre, the strings back this Snow White tale splendidly.” (Jason Barnard, https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/i-feel-good-the-essential-purple-flashes-of-larrys-rebels-1965-1969/) Grant Gillanders writes: Their new singleContinue reading “Larry’s Rebels — “Fantasy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 9, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,936) The Gremlins — “The Only Thing on My Mind” Off a ’66 EP, this affecting and “sublime” beat ballad written by the Gremlins’ Glyn Conway has a “meditative, almost hallucinogenic quality”, “encompass[ing] the idea of going off to war with the army,Continue reading “The Gremlins — “The Only Thing on My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 8, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,935) The Human Instinct — “Renaissance Fair” New Zealand’s Human Instinct (see #271) recorded a “brilliant” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww31Q3NO_AY) and “spectacular”(thomassmith8721, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4eaTvYUrds) cover of the Byrds’  [see #1,430, 1,605] “Renaissance Fair” that “actually eclipses the original, the strings being an amazing addition”, “[s]imply stunning.”Continue reading “The Human Instinct — “Renaissance Fair”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 7, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,932-34) The Cleves — “Today/Don’t Turn Your Back/Today/Thirties/Today” From New Zealand’s Abbey Road, here is part of a suite of perfect pop rock songs (see #1,532-34) by the Cleves (see #1,532-34, 1,740) written for a short film by the to-be-famous Australian director Peter Weir. IContinue reading “The Cleves — “Today/Don’t Turn Your Back/Today/Thirties/Today”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,931) The Fourmyula — “Turn Your Back on the Wind” From New Zealand’s greatest lost album, here is the Fourmyula’s (see #977, 1,398) “gloriously uplifting, string-elevated” (Graham Reid, https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/music/2944/the-fourmyula-the-complete-fourmyula-emi/), “moving epic that should have become a stadium singalong”. (Chris Bourke, https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/upper-hutt-leader/3495519/Stunning-comeback-from-natures-best) “Turn YourContinue reading “The Fourmyula — “Turn Your Back on the Wind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 5, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,930) The La De Da’s* — “Tales of the Nile” New Zealand’s La De Da’s (see #216, 846, 946) take a walk on the Wilde side with this wistful proto-prog number from The Happy Prince, which would have been the world’s first rockContinue reading “The La De Da’s — “Tales of the Nile”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 4, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,929) Tony Summers and the Echoes — “I’m on the Right Side” This infectious ‘66 beat number by New Zealand’s Tony Summers/Hayden Wood (see #1,018) was first released in ‘65 by the UK’s Blue Chips (“the debut record for the Blue Chips’ sixteenContinue reading “Tony Summers and the Echoes — “I’m on the Right Side”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 3, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,928) The Montanas — “That’s When Happiness Began” The Montanas (see #1,245, 1,724), Wolverhampton’s harmony pop heroes, give us a “fuzz-laden . . . frantic, emphatic piece of harmony-based freakbeat/garage rock” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/youve-got-to-be-loved-mw0000229331) for their second A-side, “their best 45, hard fuzz ‘freakbeat’Continue reading “The Montanas — “That’s When Happiness Began”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 2, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,927) The Kinks a.k.a. “The Tol-Puddle Martyrs” — “Nellie Bligh” In ’68, the Kinks [see #100, 381, 417, 450, 508, 529, 606, 623, 753, 865, 978, 1,043, 1,108, 1,330, 1,451, 1,591, 1,697, 1,784, 1,907] released this single in Australia in the guise ofContinue reading “The Kinks a.k.a. “The Tol-Puddle Martyrs” — “Nellie Bligh”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 1, 2026″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,926) Keith West — “On a Saturday” Ah, Saturday in Swinging London with Keith, a “fantastic slab of pop psych” that “[s]hould have been a huge hit” (AnthonyMonaghan, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=soYuUaFBJSE&list=RDsoYuUaFBJSE&start_radio=1&pp=ygUYS2VpeWggd2VzdCBvbiBhIHNhdHVyZGF5oAcB), “a gorgeous jazzy ballad” with “jumbo acoustic guitar, double bass [by Ron Wood] andContinue reading “Keith West — “On a Saturday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 31, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,925) The Hounds — “The Office Girl” This ain’t nothin’ like a hound dog. It’s a dreamy Swedish dream about an office girl, “an attractive psych-pop tune, complete with wah-wah guitar, attractive four-part harmonies and… Accordion? . . . Nonetheless perhaps the bestContinue reading “The Hounds — “The Office Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 30, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,924) The Yardbirds — “Still I’m Sad” Leave it to the Yardbirds to give us “one of the most unusual and pioneering tracks of the British Invasion era” (Golden Oldies Music, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1648861329476762), what could be “the first rock/pop record to rip off aContinue reading “The Yardbirds — “Still I’m Sad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 29, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,923) The New Wave — “Where Do We Go from Here” “[A] Stunning & Hauntingly crafted song” (spacecadett47, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tc5u29ivvw), incomparable L.A. baroque pop by the New Wave (see #1,200) courtesy of Ken of Ken and Barbie fame — yes, that Ken. The duo’sContinue reading “The New Wave — “Where Do We Go From Here”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 28, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,922) The Knaves — “Your Stuff” Chicago garage rock perfection from “the quintessential long-haired juvenile delinquent rock ‘n’ roll punks” (the Monocled Alchemist, https://monocledalchemist.com/2024/12/07/the-knaves-your-stuff-sundazed/) who “look[ed] like a Windy City version of English R&B thugs The Pretty Things [see #82, 94, 153, 251, 572,Continue reading “The Knaves — “Your Stuff”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 27, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,900) Jerry Butler — “Since I Lost You Lady” (see #347) ’70 B-side Co-written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Jerry Butler, Si Written-By – B. Butler*, J. Butler*, K. Gamble*, T. Bell* collapses under it’s own sadness FunkMySoul, https://www.funkmysoul.gr/jerry-butler-1969-ice-on-ice/ John Bush: Ice on Ice didn’t yield as manyContinue reading “Jerry Butler — “Since I Lost You Lady”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 26, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,920) Vamp — “Floatin’” This “rarely comped classic of UK psych[] featur[es] shimmering distorted guitar and detached drumming. . . . almost like a more lethargic version of Tintern Abbey’s equally lauded ‘Vacuum Cleaner’” [see #35]. (Mag1c_hand, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/vamp/floatin-thinkin-too-much/) A “[c]lassic cult favorite fromContinue reading “Vamp — “Floatin’”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 25, 2026”