Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 798) Dick Hyman — “Give It Up or Turn It Loose” I give you “the most mind-blowing interpretation of James Brown’s ‘Give It Up or Turn It Loose’ you’ll ever hear” (Thom Holmes, https://moogfoundation.org/moog-a-history-in-recordings-dick-hyman-master-stylist-of-the-moog-modular/), “über-funky . . . [with] more freaky libidinousness thanContinue reading “Dick Hyman— “Give It Up or Turn It Loose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 17, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 797) The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Nightmare” The most demented (and greatest) music video ever made, from the crazy mind of Arthur Brown (see #783), for a song that actually hit #56 in the UK and #107 in the U.S. Don’tContinue reading “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Nightmare”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 16, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 796) The Fruit Machine — “The Wall” This ‘69 A-side by a London band (http://left-and-to-the-back.blogspot.com/2010/06/fruit-machine-wall.html) is fabulous —and very English — pop psych. Therefore, it was released only in . . . the States! It might have done better if it were releasedContinue reading “The Fruit Machine — “The Wall”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 15, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 795) The Answers — “Just a Fear” ‘66 A-side from their debut single is “a bona fide freakbeat classic” that was “written by guitarist Tony Hill, whose incisive, driving, at times almost raga-like fretwork is a key feature of the number – aContinue reading “The Answers — “Just a Fear”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 14, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 794) Freda Payne — “Unhooked Generation” Which soul song has the greatest, oft-samples. guitar riff? I’d suggest this ‘69 A-side by the great Freda Payne. Sally O’Rourke says that this “debut single by the First Lady of Invictus Records . . . allowedContinue reading “Freda Payne — “Unhooked Generation”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 793) Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention — “Flower Punk” Have I given you enough flower power that you’re sneezing and wheezing? Well, here is the antidote — Frank Zappa’s utterly hilarious deflowering. Son Raw says “Like the best satire, ‘Flower Punk’Continue reading “Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention — “Flower Punk”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 792) The Floor — “Hey, Mr. Flowerman” Here’s a bouncy, infectious Danish delight from the Floor’s only album (see #640). As Swingin’ Shakespeare might say, something is groovy in the state of Denmark! Richie Unterberger tells us that: Evolving out of the Hitmakers,Continue reading “First Floor — “Hey, Mr. Flowerman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 791) Paul Parrish — “Flowers in the Park” ’68 folk rock stunner with psychedelic touches . . . from Detroit . . . with a little help from the Funk Brothers and a future Motown producer . . . WTF? Man, it works.Continue reading “Paul Parrish — “Flowers in the Park”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 10, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 790) O.P.M.C. — “Easter Song” Richie Unterberger says that this yearning and affecting folk-rocker “sounds like the late-’60s Hollies trying to go a little folkier.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/amalgamation-mw0001282367) “Hey, come on home for Easter.” Discogs calls O.P.M.C.* a “Dutch hippy blues-folk band”. (https://www.discogs.com/artist/918956-OPMC). Unterberger dismissivelyContinue reading “O.P.M.C. — “Easter Song”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 9, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 789) Powder — “Flowers” Before Thomas and Richard Frost had a minor hit and created one of the great lost albums of the 1960s (see #209, 211, 247, 385, 595, 775), they had ignited Powder (as in gunpowder), the first and greatest U.S.Continue reading “Powder — “Flowers”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 8, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 788) The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band — “Flowers Never Cry” ’67 A-side is L.A. psych/sunshine/baroque pop heaven from the band’s first album The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band Featuring Steve Hoffman. Man, people either love or hate this band. In the former category, AlbethContinue reading “The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band — “Flowers Never Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 7, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 787) Mojo — “Flower of Love” This wonderful ’69 B-side alternates between gentle balladry and jaunty interludes, with “The Entertainer”-style piano on occasion, all about a woman “sad and lonely somewhere . . . waiting for someone to love”. The Mojo Men wereContinue reading “Mojo — “Flower of Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 786) Joyce’s Angels — “Flowers for My Friends” Where have all the flowers gone? This “Great Hippie Dippie Track about some Cheerful Guy giving Flowers away” (Vintage Vinyl Via Valves, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-tMQ1Z9I-8), “a nice Psych Pop Hippy dancer track about a happy chappy givingContinue reading “Joyce’s Angels — “Flowers for My Friends”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 5, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 785) Alan David — “Flower Power” Flower power. What is it good for? Absolutely everything! Say it again! Happening45 calls this British ode to flower power, titled appropriately “Flower Power”, “probably a bandwagon zeitgeist jumping effort, or a pee-take, or a genuine odeContinue reading “Alan David — “Flower Power”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 4, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 784) John Williams — “Flowers in Your Hair” Staying with the flower children theme, here is a ’67 A-side from John Williams, no, not that John Williams — I’m talkin’ about the one who hung out with Jimmy Page! (see #402 for theContinue reading “John Williams — “Flowers in Your Hair”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 3, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 783) The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Give Him a Flower” The Crazy World’s ’67 B-side proves that even the god of hellfire can be won over by flower power and give a flower to the eight stone bully who kicks sandContinue reading “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown — “Give Him a Flower”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 2, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 782) The Masked Marauders (John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan) — “I Can’t Get No Nookie” Before there were the Travelling Wilburys, there were the Masked Marauders. The supergroup included future Wilburys George Harrison and Bob Dylan, plus JohnContinue reading “The Masked Marauders (John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan) — “I Can’t Get No Nookie”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 1, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Someone once quipped that many bands could have made their careers off of Lennon and McCartney throwaways. Well, in some cases, they actually did . . . . 779) Paul McCartney — “From a Window” Besides “Bad to Me” (see #520), written byContinue reading “Do You Want to Know a Secret? — These Songs Were Written by Lennon and/or McCartney #2: Paul McCartney — “From a Window”, Paul McCartney — “I Don’t Want to See You Again”, John Lennon & Paul McCartney — “That Means a Lot”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 31, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 778) Dave Berry — “You Made a Fool of Me” Slinky ’66 number by Dave Berry (see #554) about a woman who made a fool out of him. Hope it doesn’t get him into that crying game! Nostalgia Central gives us a grounding:Continue reading “Dave Berry — “You Made a Fool of Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 30, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 777) Maryrené — “Je T’appelais Monsieur“ Bouncy, infectious ’66 yé-yé by a quite obscure artist. What is yé-yé? Matt Collar explains: Yé-yé pop showcased young, cherubic-voiced female singers framed against dance-ready beats and rock & roll hooks in songs often riddled with thinlyContinue reading “Maryrené — “Je T’appelais Monsieur”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — March 29, 2023”