Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,179) The Music Machine/Bonniwell Music Machine — “Astrologically Incompatible” This infectious ‘67 B-side is an absolute Zodiac killer by the original Music Machine lineup (and was also the opening track on the Bonniwell Music Machine LP). It was “inspired by [Sean] Bonniwell’s fascinationContinue reading “The Music Machine/Bonniwell Music Machine — “Astrologically Incompatible”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 17, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,178) The Harbinger Complex — “I Think I’m Down” This “fuzz-Punk masterpiece” (Cory Linstrum, The Rock & Roll of San Francisco’s East Bay, 1950-1980) is “kick-ass proto-punk at its finest” (Stansted Montfichet, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-harbinger-complex-mn0000554526#biography), “propelled by a nasty, fuzz-guitar riff . . . featur[ing]Continue reading “The Harbinger Complex — “I Think I’m Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 16, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Don’t forget to file . . . away these versions of “Taxman” in the box of all-time fab Beatles’ covers! 1,176) The Loose Ends — “Tax Man” Here is the Loose End’s “superb freakbeat version” (Nick Warburton, https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/interviews/the-loose-ends/) of “Taxman”, “hard-hitting but respectful”Continue reading “Tax Day Special Edition: The Loose Ends/Junior Parker: The Loose Ends — “Tax Man”, Junior Parker — “Tax Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 15, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,175) Arlo Guthrie — “Running Down the Road” This is not your father’s Arlo Guthrie, and it certainly ain’t Arlo Guthrie’s father’s Arlo Guthrie! Coming out of nowhere, the song’s “guitar freak-out by some studio musicians . . . ought to send 20Continue reading “Arlo Guthrie — “Running Down the Road”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,174) Chuck Jackson — “Forgive My Jealousy” Forgive my incredulity, but how was this irresistible number from Jackson’s (see #405) first Motown album, ‘68’s Chuck Jackson Arrives, not a hit? How was it not covered by 100 artists? Heck, it wasn’t even anContinue reading “Chuck Jackson — “Forgive My Jealousy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,173) Alacran — “Sticky” From the Spanish Beatles (see #1,172) to the Spanish Santana . . . here is Fernando Arbex’s band Alacran’s “Sticky” with its “irresistibly funky rhythm of the bongos and drums along with the wrenching sound of the guitar”. (https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/153820812504/alacr%C3%A1n-alacr%C3%A1n-1971-mega-rare-private-spanish)Continue reading “Alacran — “Sticky”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,172) Los Brincos (The Jumps) — “Flamenco” Trigger Warning — if you are from Spain, read no further! For I am talking about “The Spanish Beatles”, who hit #1 with this song in ‘64, the first flamenco rock hit? It “revealed the swaggerContinue reading “Los Brincos — “Flamenco”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,171) One in a Million* — “Fredereek Hernando” The Scottish band’s ’67 Christmastime 45 (with “Double Sight” as the B-side) is truly one in a million: “one of the very greatest obscure British psychedelic singles” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/double-sight-mw0001743746), “one of the jewels ofContinue reading “One in a Million — “Fredereek Hernando”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 10, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,170) Giles, Giles & Fripp — “One in a Million” This ’68 A-side, representing King Crimson in the womb, sounds a lot like the offspring of Syd Barrett and Monty Python — “very English music hall psych … the sort of track doneContinue reading “Giles, Giles & Fripp — “One in a Million”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,169) Caleb Quaye — “A Woman of Distinction” I played the A-side (see #807) — here’s the B-side, “just as good . . . though certainly not as mind numbingly lysergic!” (AnorakThing, https://anorakthing.blogspot.com/2010/10/second-greatest-british-60s-psychedelic.html?m=1) The songs together make a “magnificent 45” (liner notes toContinue reading “Caleb Quaye — “A Woman of Distinction”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,168) Harry Nilsson — “Love Story” A sweet story, told by a man in love pondering a life of happily ever after . . . all the way to the end: “We’ll play checkers all day / ’til we pass away”. WTF? IsContinue reading “Harry Nilsson — “Love Story”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,167) The Daughters of Eve — “Help Me Boy” This song twice charted in ‘66 — Cleveland’s Outsiders reached #37 and Eric Burdon’s Animals reached #29 (#14 in the UK), both in October. But the best version was issued a year later (withContinue reading “The Daughters of Eve — “Help Me Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,166) Damon — “Poor Poor Genie” A Lounge Lizard becomes Lizard King and gives us a mystical and almost mythical LP that “just oozes lysergia” (Tymeshifter, https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5DDDE08017204B40), consisting of “tranced out gypsy Arabian acid fuzz crooner psych with deep mysterious vocals, a captivatingContinue reading “Damon — “Poor Poor Genie”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,165) Ambrose Slade/Slade– “Pity the Mother” The first song to be written by Slade’s future songwriting team of Noddy Holder and Jim Lea., this “hauntingly folky” (Dave Thompson, https://www.allmusic.com/album/beginnings-mw0000849687) “SAD song [is] about a pitiful lonely single mum, featuring stunningly heart-rending violin byContinue reading “Ambrose Slade/Slade — “Pity the Mother”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 4, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,164) Q’65 — “I Despise You”  The dutch punks’ nasty ‘66 A-side reached #19 in the Netherlands. High Times calls the ‘65* (see #108, 557, 913) ugly, slobs, and less intelligible than a New York cab driver, and it means that as aContinue reading “Q’65 — “I Despise You”: (Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 3, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,163) Earth Island — “Doomsday Afternoon” Another helping of stellar sunshine pop from Earth Island’s sole album (see #448, 653). Ecologically-aware, but from when sunshine was still a good thing! The album is a “Sunshine Psychedelic gem”. (https://psychedelic-rocknroll.blogspot.com/2009/02/earth-island-we-must-survive.html) By all accounts, Curt Boettcher mustContinue reading “Earth Island — “Doomsday Afternoon”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 2, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,162) Bob Dylan and the Band — “Kickin’ My Dog Around” Recorded in Big Pink’s doghouse, this is the song that fetched the Pulitzer for Dylan. Dalriadajohannsen says that “My dad used to sing this when he was drunk.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odybt2tHOB4) That also seemsContinue reading “Bob Dylan and the Band — “Kickin’ My Dog Around”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 1, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,161) Aretha Franklin — “Won’t Be Long” Released on December 23, 1960, this A-side was Aretha’s first charting song (#76 and #7 R&B) and the first track on her first album. It displayed “wanton exuberance in the (broken) mold of Ray Charles’ ‘IContinue reading “Aretha Franklin — “Won’t Be Long”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 31, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,160) Ian & the Zodiacs — “No Money, No Honey” Germany’s favorite Star-Club playing British beat group! OK, other than the Beatles. This ‘66 A-side “is exceptional, powerful mod R&B with fuzz guitar and a pounding beat with forceful drumming in a tightContinue reading “Ian & the Zodiacs — “No Money, No Honey”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 30, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,159) Freddie Scott — “He Ain’t Give You None” Freddie Scott (see #735) cut a “fine version of Van Morrison’s [see #188, 253] big-voiced beat ballad” (Heikki Suosalo, https://www.soulexpress.net/freddiescott.htm), and it reached #100 (#24 R&B). Fine? It is so fine, so funky, andContinue reading “Freddie Scott — “He Ain’t Give You None”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 29, 2024”