Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,115) B.B. Blunder* (The Blossom Toes) — “Black Crow’s Nest” The former UK psychmeisters give us a joyous rock singalong with a country feel. Man, the times were a changin’! Bill Whitten and James Beaudreau write that the song is from Workers’ Playtime,Continue reading “B.B. Blunder (The Blossom Toes) — “Black Crow’s Nest”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 17, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD From Detroit’s Donovan comes two avian classic folk rock stunners with psychedelic touches . . . with a little help from the Funk Brothers and a future Motown producer . . . WTF? Man, it works. Paul Parrish’s (see #791) album The Forest of MyContinue reading “Paul Parrish Goes to the Birds Special Edition: Paul Parrish — “English Sparrows”, Paul Parrish — “The White Birds (Return to Warm Seas)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 16, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,112) Shades of Morley Brown — “Pretty Blue Bird” From “a nice, very obscure [’68 UK] psych/pop single”, here is the “particularly nice [B-side] with touches of wah-wah, and a good psychy feel.” (Popsike.com, https://www.popsike.com/SHADES-OF-MORLEY-BROWN-Silly-Girl-UNKNOWN-UK-PSYCH/4014924238.html) This song has a timeless slinkiness to it — itContinue reading “Shades of Morley Brown — “Pretty Blue Bird”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 15, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,111) Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Birdman of Alkatrash” Would you believe me if I told you that the Strawberry Alarm Clock’s (see #127, 272, 901) groovy and era-defining #1 “Incense and Peppermints” was originally the B-side and the loony, “sneering[, ] punkish” (BruceContinue reading “Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Birdman of Alkatrash”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,110) The Piece Kor – “Words Of The ‘Raven’” This ’68 “legendary 45” (Chris Bishop, http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-hangmen-bitter-sweet-1966-us-fine.html?m=1) from Bel-Air, Maryland’s Piece Kor is “one of the 1960s deadliest platters . . . . a Byrds-like psych-garage lament driven by Mick Ball’s desperate crooning andContinue reading “The Piece Kor– “Words Of The Raven”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 13, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,109) The Lewis and Clarke Expedition — “Freedom Bird” Here is the promo video for the Expedition’s second single from their only album. I first thought it must have been a classic 60’s Clairol commercial turned into an earnest yet infectious pop rockContinue reading “The Lewis and Clarke Expedition — “Freedom Bird”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,108) The Kinks — “Mr. Songbird” Left off all but the initial Scandinavian versions of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, this track is “blissfully infectious”, “beguilingly sweet”, and “you are just in the palm of it’s hand and may justContinue reading “The Kinks — “Mr. Songbird”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 11, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,106) Ora — “The Seagull and the Sailor” On the road to Byzantium, ravishing UK folk-rock, “[s]o beautiful” (purrr88, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvWW3QOzWgY), yes, so beautiful. From an album of the same, “nominally a psych-folk set but . . . actually quite more. . . . anContinue reading “Ora — “The Seagull and the Sailor”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,106) Dantalian’s Chariot — “High Flying Bird” “Four thousand people with flowers in their hair Walking around, just feeling the air . . . . San Francisco is losing its hate And all the love flows out through the Golden Gate” San Francisco’sContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: Dantalian’s Chariot — “High Flying Bird”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,105) Richard Barnes — “High Flying Electric Bird” Richard Barnes’ (see #7) album track/‘70 B-side (U.S. and Canada only) is a “magnificent cover of Pete Brown & Piblokto! song” (Abílio Nova, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh-SnCXD-eE), an “awesome version” (psychelatte, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBH-vxCxM00), “awesome and unique”. (liner notes to the CDContinue reading “Richard Barnes — “High Flying Electric Bird”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,104) The Barbarians — “Hey Little Bird” The Barbarians’ November ’64 A-side is “easily their best track” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/are-you-a-boy-or-are-you-a-girl–mw0000603778), and is “one of the earliest garage rock recordings – combining the energetic and crude American garage style with British invasion influence” andContinue reading “The Barbarians — “Hey Little Bird” (the T.A.M.I. Show): Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 7, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,103) The Exceptions — “The Eagle Flies on Friday” Primo UK freakbeat, a unique, stunning and “powerful drums and vibes driven track”. (robertplant, https://www.45cat.com/record/202632). The members then tried their luck with British folk, Fairport Convention style. WTF? The title . . . refersContinue reading “The Exceptions — “The Eagle Flies on Friday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,102) Matthews Southern Comfort This A-side (in Japan!) by Matthews Southern Comfort (see #173) is wonderful UK folk rock, a “[g]reat great tune” (Lemonade kid, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/iain-matthews-appreciation-thread-solo-album-by-album-track-by-track-pg-18.684924/page-18), “excellent”. (Stranger, https://therisingstorm.net/matthews-southern-comfort-self-titled/) Stranger: Surprisingly the album does not suffer much from [Iain] Matthews’ minimal writing contributions .Continue reading “Matthews Southern Comfort : Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,101) The Bee Gees — “How Many Birds” ’66 Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962, 1,065) gold, a perfect pop single that never was: “[a] really cool uptempo, power pop number” (RelayerNJ, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/with-the-sun-in-my-eyes-brothers-gibb-bee-gees-andy-gibb-song-by-song-thread.1188605/page-50), “anContinue reading “The Bee Gees — “How Many Birds”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 4, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,100) Honeybus — “Ceilings No. 1/Ceilings No. 2” Two versions (with different tempos) of the same gorgeous, honeyed song from the Story LP. Of this “hypnotic pop” (Jittery White Guy, https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2021/02/honeybus-story-1970.html), Roger Dopson says: The outstanding track is [the] enigmatic “Ceilings No. 1”,Continue reading “Honeybus — “Ceilings No. 1/Ceilings No. 2”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 3, 2024”

One great R&B song that has travelled the globe — written by Leiber and Stoller, first released by Alvin Robinson out of New Orleans, then by the Rolling Stones, and then by Chile’s Stones, Los Jockers. Each version gives me such satisfaction! THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,097) AlvinContinue reading ““Down Home Girl” Special Edition: Alvin Robinson/The Rolling Stones/Los Jockers: Alvin Robinson — “Down Home Girl”, The Rolling Stones — “Down Home Girl”, Los Jockers — “Down Home Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 2, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,096) Jimmy Campbell — “Lyanna” This blog o’ mine gives me great joy, as when I played as my 22nd song “Michel Angelo”, by Jimmy Campbell (see #22, 648, 736-38, 996) and the 23rd Turnoff. I called the song “[o]ne of the most gorgeousContinue reading “Jimmy Campbell — “Lyanna”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 31, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,095) Scorpion — “We Are Through” Beautiful, delicate, wistful folk rock from Sweden. As to Scorpion’s (see #1,009) album — I Am the Scorpion — SwedishProggBlog tells us that: One of the most legendary albums to come out of the Swedish progg scene,Continue reading “Scorpion — “We Are Through”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 30, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,094) Focal Point — “‘Cept Me” Co-band founder Paul Tennant recalls that this “rough demo” — two guys “in front of a microphone with two guitars” — was “a favorite of John Lennon’s and I can’t say how much that meant to us[,Continue reading “I Shall Be Released: Focal Point — “‘Cept Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 28, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,093) Brazilian Octopus — “Gamboa” Come to a fashion show in Rio accompanied by some absolutely fabulous lounge jazz from some of Brazil’s greatest musicians. “The opening melody shifts from a dreamlike intro to a swinging mid-tempo that recalls everything from Jacques Tati’sContinue reading “Brazilian Octopus — “Gamboa”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 27, 2024”