Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 553) Ihre Kinder (Your Children) — “Hilf Mir” (“Help Me”) John Lennon asked for “Help” and a year later Ihre Kinder pleaded “Help Me” — a wonderful folky psychy song with a killer electric guitar solo (think “Sound of Silence”). From the firstContinue reading “Ihre Kinder — “Hilf Mir” (“Help Me”): Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 16, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 552) Kaleidoscope — “Flight from Ashiya” Kaleidoscope was one of the great unsung (until years later) U.K. pop psych bands (see #154, 336) and “Flight from Ashiya” was its first A-side. As Vernon Joynson relates, it was “an amalgam of pop and psychedelia,Continue reading “Kaleidoscope — “Flight from Ashiya”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 15, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 551) Willie Mitchell — “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” “Alright” is the A-side of one of my favorite double threat R&B singles, hitting #126 in November ’65. I featured its B-side a while back (see #181). No need for a shotgun wedding! “EverythingContinue reading “Willie Mitchell — “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 14, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 550) Pacific Drift — “God Has Given Me” Manchester United! — Pacific Drift was a brief stopover point for members/members-to-be of Wimple Winch, Sponge and Blodwyn Pig. The Drift’s sole album (’70) was, as David Wells describes, “a sparkling, West Coast-influenced amalgam ofContinue reading “Pacific Drift — “God Has Given Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 13, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 548) Barry Booth — “He’s Very Good With His Hands” Before “The Lumberjack Song”, before “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, before Monty Python, there was an “ode to a shy but dexterous model maker who is taken by a girl,Continue reading “Barry Booth — “He’s Very Good With His Hands”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 12, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 547) The Who — “Glittering Girl” Who-didn’t do it — why was this wonderful song left off The Who Sell Out? Glittering indeed! Plus, thanks to Iowgens2: This rare 1967 footage, excerpted from the German TV documentary Die Jungen Nachtwandler – London UnterContinue reading “The Who — “Glittering Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 11, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 546) The Pickwick Papers — “You’re So Square” B-side of the Papers’ only single (‘66) is a cover of a number that Elvis did in ‘57 for the Jailhouse Rock movie — and it works. I guess the moral of the story isContinue reading “The Pickwick Papers — “You’re So Square”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 10, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 545) The London Phogg — “The Times to Come” A-side of the Phogg’s only single (’68) is a sunshine pop supernova. As Richard Cameron says, it is a “unique juxtaposition of pop harmony vocals and fuzz guitar psychedelia”, a “kind of a sub-genreContinue reading “London Phogg — “The Times to Come”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 9, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 545) George Harrison — “Circles” Unlike The Who’s “Circles”, George Harrison’s “Circles” is no instant party, but rather a haunting and groovy meditation on reincarnation! George wrote the song in Rishikesh and demoed it — with whispered voice and harmonium — at Esher,Continue reading “George Harrison — “Circles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 8, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 544) McCully Workshop — “Rush Hour at Midnight” A cool boss’s nova rock track . . . from South Africa?! McCully Workshop, Inc. (’70) was the “superb South African band’s stunning debut album.” (The Forced Exposure website, https://mccullyworkshop.wordpress.com/about/) “Of all the albums we’veContinue reading “McCully Workshop — “Rush Hour at Midnight”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 7, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 543) The Lomax Alliance — “Try As You May” A-side of the Alliance’s only single (’67), which, per Steve Leggett, “combine[s] blue-eyed soul with a kind of British Invasion template.” Why wasn’t this a hit? Leggett also noted that: Jackie Lomax . .Continue reading “The Lomax Alliance — “Try As You May”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 6, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 542) The Garden Club — “Little Girl Lost and Found” One of the greatest early pop psych tunes, sung by the writer of “Windy”, with lyrics perfectly balanced between twee and weeeee! Funky16corners says it ‘s “cool . . . early, sing-song popsikeContinue reading “The Garden Club — “Little Girl Lost and Found”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 5, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 541) Los Blops — “Los Momentos”/(“The Moments”)* A stunning folk rock song from Chile that “would become a classic of Chilean popular music” (http://losblops.blogspot.com/) and for Los Blops — the band’s name “inspired by the sound of a drop of water hitting theContinue reading “Los Blops — “Los Momentos”/(“The Moments”): Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 4, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 540) Rainy Daze — “Blood of Oblivion”/”Fe Fi Fo Fum” Fab ’67 A-side was no Apaculco Gold, but much tastier, a great pop-psych track that deserved so much more. Billboard said in July of ’67 that it was a “hot follow-up” and anContinue reading “Rainy Daze — “Blood of Oblivion”/”Fe Fi Fo Fum”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 3, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 539) Black Merda — “Got Me Running” Here is an incendiary funk-rock out-take from Detroit’s legendary Black Merda (see #134, 467) If the song was a fine wine (which it is, and it gets even better with age), I would say that toContinue reading “Black Merda — “Got Me Running”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 2, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 538) Focal Point — “Hassle Castle” A magical, wistful song by Focal Point, one of my favorite bands of all time (see #4, 43, 198). Focal Point only released one single, but it all started out like a fairy tale when they corneredContinue reading “Focal Point — “Hassle Castle”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 1, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 537) The Rolling Stones — “Blood Red Wine” A great unfinished song from May ‘68, apparently too rich for the Banquet, recorded at Olympic Sound Studios in London (Martin Elliott, The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012). Jim Connelly says that: “Despite theContinue reading “The Rolling Stones — “Blood Red Wine”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 31, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 536) The Rose Garden — “Here’s Today” To my mind, the best thing this Byrds-obsessed L.A. group ever did was “Here’s Today”, the B-side to their final single (and one of their only self-penned songs). Michael Doherty calls it “a really cool folk-rockContinue reading “The Rose Garden — “Here’s Today”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 30, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 535) Le Cirque — “Land of Oz” Leon Russell and Marc Benno made quite a team. First, with Le Cirque and then with Asylum Choir — heavenly psychedelia before Russell found fame. “Land of Oz” was the bodacious Beatlesque A-side of Le Cirque’sContinue reading “Le Cirque — “Land of Oz”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 29, 2022*”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD The perfect songs to welcome in the recession! 534) Nobody’s Children — “Good Times” The A-side of the Children’s only single (’68) is a hilarious garage rock classic from the Irving, Texas band about a hardscrabble life. Or is it? “Well, I workContinue reading “The Recession’s Here! Special Edition: Nobody’s Children/The Artwoods: Nobody’s Children — “Good Times”, The Artwoods — “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — July 28, 2022″