Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,070) The Ides of March — “You Wouldn’t Listen” Warning: Do not read any further if you are from Chicago — this lovely and surprisingly sophisticated song launched the Ides of March’s (see #431) career and reached #7 in Chicagoland! It was the firstContinue reading “The Ides of March — “You Wouldn’t Listen”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,069) Katch-22 — “Don’t Listen” Here is an exquisite, ebullient and endearing early British Invasion number. What’s the catch? It was a ‘68 album track by Katch-22! It coulda been a huge hit — four years earlier! Who were Katch-22? Well, let’s have the band’sContinue reading “Katch-22 — “Don’t Listen”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,068)  Fresh Air — “Stop Look Listen” A captivating and upbeat UK pop rock confection with a bouncy Al Kooper-like organ accompaniment. ”No problems facing us that we cannot work out” Who were Fresh Air? ”Nothing is known of this four-piece group” (Vernon Joynson, TheContinue reading ” Fresh Air — “Stop Look Listen”: (Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 4, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,067) The Fairytale — “Listen to Mary Cry” “Superb [’67 UK] popsike” (MushroomMachineClub, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGTe7hwO4LI) from a “short-lived Lancastrian outfit who formed in . . . in March 1967 and tended to blend pop psychedelia with a taint of punk-rock on their two 45s”. (VernonContinue reading “The Fairytale  — “Listen to Mary Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 3, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,066)  Sands — “Listen to the Sky” ’67 Brit psych B-side is the band’s “finest moment”, “[m]indblowing stuff” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), “a pretty far-out creation, starting as a nice Carnaby Street pop sike excursion before distorting into sirens, explosions,Continue reading ” Sands — “Listen to the Sky”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 2, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,065) The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else” A gorgeous ballad by Barry and Maurice when the two brothers briefly were the Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962) ”TheContinue reading “The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 1, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,064) Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”* This is Donovan’s “Hey Jude”, written not to comfort Julian during John and Cynthia’s divorce, but to comfort Paul during the Beatles’ divorce.  “Thought to be inspired by Paul McCartney (who apparently loaned a guitar for theContinue reading “Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 31, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,063) The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend” A classic NYC “raw, garage rock rave-up[]” (James Allen, https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-cant-make-a-friend-1965-1968-mw0002082858) by a band out of Queens most of whose members went to Forest Hills High School along with Johnny and Tommy Ramone (who wereContinue reading “The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 30, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,062) Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times” “One of [Gene Chandler’s (see # 347)] best! [The Duke gives us a] killer from 1965″ (Wynonie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-_crgwzQE) that reached #92 (#40 R&B). It was written by the great Curtis Mayfield (see #118, 285) and boy doesContinue reading “Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 29, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,061) Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads” This soul-stirring ’69 A-side reached #104.  Michael Paquette notes that “[i}t contains the great line, ‘You can teach me lots of lessons; you can bring me a lot of gold; but you just can’t liveContinue reading “Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 28, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,060) Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke” Two “Limeys” give us either a gorgeously mellow L.A. “trip song” or enter the Inferno, “perfectly captur[ing] the image of a stoned Englishman wilting in the west coast heat”. I go with the former, but I’ll letContinue reading “Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 27, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,059) Opus 1 — “Back Seat ‘38 Dodge” Classic LA garage immortalizing a scandalous art exhibit that displayed what can happen in the back seat of a ‘38 Dodge. Alec Palao: Drummer John Christensen, short of a band for a party, improvised byContinue reading “Opus 1 — “Back Seat ‘38 Dodge”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 26, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,058) Tamam Shud — “Jesus Guide Me” “[L]ead singer Lindsay Bjerre is almost screaming the words ‘Jesus Guide Me’ as if he is crying out in desperation for help” in this powerful, stark, spiritual, and “rocking song” from “a very psychedelic album” byContinue reading “Tamam Shud — “Jesus Guide Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 25, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,057) Jerry & the Landslides — “Get Off My Roof [Santa]” Don’t get off of my cloud, get “off my roof, buddy”! ”Former radio DJ Jerry Worsham has a Santastic time with his [’65] Rolling Stones parody. Ho ho ho”. (Sids60sSounds, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjZc3y93ohs) ”A perfect parody!” (Estonius, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er5eLTUvo0A)Continue reading “Jerry & the Landslides — “Get Off My Roof [Santa]”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 24, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,056) Octopus — “Thief” ‘70 B-side and album track from this UK late psych group (see #759) “is a fast-paced rocker, complete with some nice rattling bass playing and cool riff” (Tom Ozrik, http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=5623) that “sounds like a rather nervously (in a goodContinue reading “Octopus — “Thief”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 23, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,055) Affinity — “I Am and So Are You” This stunning UK jazz-rock album track (and A-side in Portugal and B-side in France) was written by Alan Hull (founding member of Lindisfarne) with brass arranged by John Paul Jones (liner notes to theContinue reading “Affinity — “I Am and So Are You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 22, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,054) Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends — “Don’t Take Your Time” This ’68 B-side and lead off album track is a delighfully horn-y sunshine pop confection by the master. Matthew Greenwald says: A great example of up-tempo, West Coast MORContinue reading “Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends — “Don’t Take Your Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 21, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,053) Bobak, Jons, Malone — “House of Many Windows” This house is “built from a dramatic opening (very similar, incidentally, to the first few seconds of the Kaleidoscope single “Flight From Ashiya” [see #552]) to a fully-fledged psychedelic/progressive crossover epic, with more evocativeContinue reading “Bobak, Jons, Malone — “House of Many Windows”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 20, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,052) Les Charlots — “Hey Max” Les Charlots, the French crazy boys, gave us this ’67 A-side parody of French rock icon Johnny Hallyday’s version of “Hey Joe” (which in turn turned the song’s murderous rage into passive aggression). It’s a hoot, an homageContinue reading “Les Charlots — “Hey Max”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 19, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,051) John Williams — “Ramblin’ Boy” This is not Tom Paxton’s “Ramblin’ Boy” or even Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On” (though John Williams (see #402, 784, 857, 858) did play with Jimmy Page).  Rather, it is an exquisite ’67 Brit folk number about a ramblin’Continue reading “John Williams — “Ramblin’ Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 18, 2023”