Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 677) Ferguson Tractor — “12 O’Clock High” Here is a fuzz/riff monster post-garage era (‘69) garage track, the A-side of the only single by a pretty unknown band. SF Scene calls it “a great sounding fuzz-a-delic track”. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mHJtTI8YZB0). So have a Fuzzy NavelContinue reading “Ferguson Tractor — “12 O’Clock High”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 22, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 676) The Quiet Five — “When the Morning Sun Dries the Dew” This gentle strummed ballad of “haunting folksiness” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-quiet-five-mn0000896096) originally meant for Marianne Faithfull, hit #45 in the UK. Richie Unterberger gives us some band history: [The Quiet Five] ma[d]eContinue reading “The Quiet Five — “When the Morning Sun Dries the Dew”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 21, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 675) George Gallacher and the Pathfinders — “Dawn” How was this “[v]ery catchy, unknown psych gem with a great keyboard riff and beautiful vocals” (AldousLeary, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-4lhgFdGTBU) not a hit? Man, it wasn’t even released. George and the Pathfinders just recorded it “for aContinue reading “George Gallacher and the Pathfinders — “Dawn”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 20, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 674) Appaloosa — “Bi-Weekly” “Bi-Weekly” is an absolutely gorgeous “folk-baroque” song off of Appaloosa’s sole album (see #463). Richie Unterberger calls it one of “the album’s standouts” with “soaring orchestration and distinctive [Al] Kooper organ”. (http://www.richieunterberger.com/appaloosa.html). Oldscreamo describes a “full orchestra reflect[ing] theContinue reading “Appaloosa — “Bi-Weekly”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 19, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 673) Thomas Edisun’s Electric Light Bulb Band Vaudevillian pop-psych ’67 A-side by Louisiana forerunners to power-pop band Zuider Zee. Igor Igorev tells us: [This is a] previously unreleased album from 1967 by [an] obscure US psychedelic band . . . . Thomas EdisunContinue reading “Thomas Edisun’s Electric Light Bulb Band — “No One’s Been Here for Weeks”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 18, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 672) Kippington Lodge — “Tomorrow Today” A groovy pop psych ode to living for today (or, “Tomorrow Today”) by the band that was to become Brinsley Schwarz. It was written by “the hitmaking team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway”. (Joe Marchese, https://theseconddisc.com/2011/07/08/nick-lowe-welcomes-you-to-kippington-lodge/).Continue reading “Kippington Lodge — “Tomorrow Today”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 17, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 671) Paul & Barry Ryan — “Pictures if Today” The last single by Paul and Barry as a duo (’68) should have been a double A-side triumph (“Madrigal” being the B-side (see #88)). Delightful “psych-pop experimentation” indeed. (liner notes to the Paul &Continue reading “Paul & Barry Ryan — “Pictures of Today”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 16, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 670) The Bar-Kays — “Yesterday” Like a phoenix, the post-disaster Bar-Kays rose and soared and released the phenomenal Gotta Groove album (see #416). Jason Ankeny calls it, the reconstituted band’s first album after the tragic plane crash that took the lives of OtisContinue reading “The Bar-Kays — “Yesterday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 14, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 669) Paul McCartney and Wings — “Tomorrow” After playing a song honoring each day of the week, I thought I’d play one for tomorrow. So, here is Paul McCartney and Wings’ wonderful “Tomorrow”. What, you thought I’d do “Tomorrow Never Knows”?! From theContinue reading “Paul McCartney and Wings — “Tomorrow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 13, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 666) Charles Manson — “Cease to Exist” Yes, that Charles Manson. A song which does full justice to the moniker “acid folk”. Even more intriguing than the song is Manson’s relationship with the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, who transformed it into 20/20′s “NeverContinue reading “I Get My Kicks on Route 666 Special Edition: Charles Manson/The Beach Boys/David Bixby: Charles Manson — “Cease to Exist”; The Beach Boys — “Never Learn Not to Love”, Dave Bixby — “666”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 12, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 665) The Spike Drivers — “Blue Law Sunday” Does anyone remember blue laws? Well, Chick-fil-A closes on Sunday, doesn’t it? Blue law Sundays were not quite immortalized by this folk psych song by the Spike Drivers. As Jason Ankeny says, “[m]id-sixties Detroit psych-popstersContinue reading “The Spike Drivers — “Blue Law Sunday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 11, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 664) The Outsiders — “Daddy Died on Saturday” From the legendary Dutch rockers’ (see #615) last album, CQ, which is, as Richard Groothuizen says, the product of “a passionate band at the height of their creative powers.” (liner notes to CD reissue). AsContinue reading “The Outsiders — “Daddy Died on Saturday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 10, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 663) Edwards Hand — “Friday Hill” A delicate, gentle, wistful George Martin-produced baroque/folk/psych pop jewel. Who says producing the White Album doesn’t leave time for any fun? And, just to set the record straight, Johnny Depp was not in this band! It wasContinue reading “Edwards Hand — “Friday Hill”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 9, 2022”

https://www.discogs.com/master/85913-The-Millennium-Begin/image/SW1hZ2U6NDY2MzI2MA== THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 662) The Millennium — “To Claudia on Thursday” Sunshine pop went supernova with the Millennium (see #397, 506, 586), a 60’s sunshine supergroup that created Begin, the greatest sunshine pop album ever recorded. Begin cost more to make than any other album from ’68 otherContinue reading “The Millennium — “To Claudia on Thursday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 8, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 661) The Royal Guardsmen — “Wednesday” Such a groovy Wednesday — not! This Byrdsy ’67 A-side and track off The Return of the Red Baron (with the title “Any Wednesday”) about trying to forget an unfaithful girl is no “Snoopy Vs. the RedContinue reading “The Royal Guardsmen — “Wednesday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 7, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 660) The Mellow Yellow — “Tuesday” Not released until it appeared on the grand Come Join My Orchestra: The British Baroque Pop Sound 1967-1973 comp, this song of longing for a girl named Tuesday feels like sleeping in Egyptian cotton sheets. It isContinue reading “The Mellow Yellow — “Tuesday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 6, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 659) Original Caste — “Mr. Monday” I don’t like Mondays, but Mr. Monday would disagree. From Calgary comes this soaring pop nastygram to go-getters. It was a huge hit in Medicine Hat . . . and San Antonio. Go figure. Ray McGinnis: InContinue reading “Original Caste — “Mr. Monday”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 5, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 658) Leviathan (The Mike Stuart Span) — “Through the Looking Glass” Glorious late-60’s UK heavy psych from the Mike Stuart Span (see #225, 268) for John Peel, done even better a year later by the same band with a name change ordered byContinue reading “Leviathan (The Mike Stuart Span) — “Through the Looking Glass”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 4, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 657) Evie Sands — “Crazy Annie” “Crazy Annie”, beautiful, soulful and full of personality, is “Midnight Cowboy in a 3 minute song.” (Bill, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/evie-sands-i-cant-let-go-what-a-hollies-ripoff.324039/page-2) Yes, that Midnight Cowboy, the iconic X-rated Dustin Hoffman/John Voight flick. As Alfiehitchie summarizes: Texas greenhorn Joe Buck arrivesContinue reading “Evie Sands — “Crazy Annie”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 3, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 656) The Leaves — “Too Many People” Hey Joe, this “bluesy and funky slow drag number” (Woody Anders, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2022233/bio) was the Leaves’ first A-side (’65). And it is not about Yoko Ono! Richie Unterberger says: [It] was a substantial hit in the LosContinue reading “The Leaves — “Too Many People”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 2, 2022”