Author Archives: georgefishman2

217) Lord Sitar — “I Can See for Miles” No, Klaatu fans, “Lord Sitar” was not George Harrison, rather, session guitar wiz Bill Jim Sullivan (who happened to own a sitar). He and his label were trying to cash in on the sitar craze in ‘68. Bruce Eder in All Music Guide says that: “OnContinue reading “Lord Sitar — “I Can See for Miles”, The Whispers — “Knowin’”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 19, 2021”

215) Susan Hampshire — “When Love Is True” Who knew that renowned English actress Susan Hampshire was a wonderful singer? Here is her A-side from July of ‘65. Per IMDb: “[H]er role in the 1967 BBC mini-series, The Forsyte Saga . . . made her famous and won her the first of her three EmmyContinue reading “Susan Hampshire — “When Love Is True”, The La De Das — “How’s the Air Up There”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 18, 2021”

212) Ike and Tina Turner — “Get It – Get It!”  ’67 single and ’66 album title track — smokin! 213) The Accent — “Red Sky at Night”  The Rubble comp calls this October of ’67 single by the lads from Yorkshire “staggering, with monstrous bone-crunching lead guitar and deaths-head voices that swirl out ofContinue reading “Ike and Tina Turner — “Get It – Get It!”, The Accent — “Red Sky at Night”, The Brain Train — “Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 16, 2021”

I love Oasis to death, but Noel has been known to “borrow.” See, e.g., I don’t buy some of the examples in this video “expose,” but you have to be an idiot to hear “How Sweet to Be an Idiot” and not say “wait a second . . . .” The late great Neil InnesContinue reading “FROST IN THE OASIS? SPECIAL EDITION: Thomas and Richard Frost/Dick Domane: Thomas and Richard Frost — “If I Can’t Be Your Lover”, Dick Domane — “Bad Dream”, Thomas and Richard Frost — “She’s Got Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 15, 2021”

206) Annie Philippe — “Pas de Taxi” Bouncy ‘67 single by the protege of Paul “Love Is Blue” Mauriat. In the song, a young lady is considering getting into a car driven by a not-handsome man because it is cold outside. Suddenly, a taxi arrives and saves her. The “morale: when you’re not very handsome,Continue reading “Annie Philippe — “Pas de Taxi”, The Honeybus — “Black Mourning Band”, The Dave Clark 5 — “When”: Brace for the Obscurte (60s rock)! — October 14, 2021″

203) Los Mac’s — “F.M. Y Cia” From Chile’s Sgt. Pepper’s. The Rising Storm says that: [The song] ha[s] what may be strident left-wing political lyrics [but] the vocals are pretty unintelligible, so it’s hard to say whether this is in fact a scathing indictment of United States media control in Chile or just anotherContinue reading “Los Mac’s — “F.M. Y Cia”, Vashti Bunyan — “Train Song”, The Scandal — “Girl, You’re Goin’ Out a My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 13, 2021”

200) Justine — “She Brings the Morning with Her” Melody Maker called this ’70 A-side “balm to the ears.” Yup. Johnkatsmc5 says: An odd British psych folk band comprised at their peak of three female vocalists and a couple male guitar players . . . American West Coast acid pop combined with rather staid EnglishContinue reading “Justine — “She Brings the Morning with Her”, The Easybeats — “Sorry”, Tom Parrott — “Hole in the Ground”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 12, 2021”

197) West Coast Experimental Pop Art Band — “Help, I’m a Rock” Mark Deming says that: “[WCEPAB was o]ne of the more offbeat acts to emerge during the psychedelic era . . . eclectic and ambitious enough to live up to their slightly clumsy moniker, capable of jumping from graceful folk-rock to wailing guitar freakoutsContinue reading “West Coast Experimental Pop Art Band — “Help, I’m a Rock”, Focal Point — “Lonely Woman”, Please — “Seeing Stars”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 11, 2021”

194) Les Irresistibles — “My Year Is a Day” ‘68 single by the American band, formed while living in Paris the prior year. The song is an English cover version of Dalida’s dramatic “Dans la Ville Endormie” and was their biggest success. It was released in the U.S. under the band name Arch of Triumph.Continue reading “Les Irresistibles — “My Year Is a Day”, Omega — “Gyöngyhajú Lány”, Ola and the Janglers — “That’s Why I Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 10, 2021”

191) Johnnie Taylor — “Watermelon Man” The Philosopher of Soul pours some soul into Herbie Hancock’s composition on this track from his ’67 album. Alex Henderson says that “[a]dding lyrics [to] Herbie Hancock’s ‘Watermelon Man,’ Taylor removes the song’s jazz elements and turns it into pure Southern R&B.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/wanted-one-soul-singer-mw0000674917) 192) The Paupers — “Think IContinue reading “Johnnie Taylor — “Watermelon Man”, The Paupers — “Think I Care”, The Eyes — “When the Night Falls”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 9, 2021″

188) Them — “I Can Only Give You Everything” Them, actually Him – Van Morrison ‘66. The Nuggets II comp says that the single possesses a “magnificent, soul-stirring vocal, spawning a thousand garage-band imitators.” 189) The Brigands — “Would I Still Be (Her Big Man)” Richie Unterberger in All Music Guide calls this April ‘65Continue reading “Them — “I Can Only Give You Everything”, The Brigands — “Would I Still Be (Her Big Man)”, The Elastik Band — “In a Family Tree”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 8, 2021”

185) Gabor Szabo and the California Dreamers — “A Day in the Life” Yes, that “A Day in the Life”! Douglas Payne says that: [The album by the Hungarian guitarist] celebrates much of what was important to [him] — the new world of rock music, the lure of California and the hope and inspiration ofContinue reading “Gabor Szabo and the California Dreamers — “A Day in the Life”, The Caravelles — “New York”, The Sons of Adam — “Take My Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 7, 2021”

182) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles — “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” Off his ‘70 album of “wedding” songs. As Andrew Hamilton says: A stunning concept album . . . that should have fared better. . . . Every selection is a wedding song, and Smokey caresses the lyrics like they were newborns. TheContinue reading “Smokey Robinson and the Miracles — “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”, The Alan Price Set — “The House that Jack Built”, Shadows of Knight — “Bad Little Woman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 6, 2021”

180) The Orange Seaweed — “Pictures in the Sky” B-side of the English group’s only single in April of ‘68. Dazzling pop-psych. 181) Willie Mitchell — “That Driving Beat” Grooving ‘66 song by trumpeter/bandleader (and later force behind Al Green) Mitchell.

177) Dr. John — “Mama Roux” Off of Dr. John’s debut album Gris-Gris (’68) — which Gabe Soria calls “the spookiest album ever recorded” (https://www.trunkworthy.com/dr-johns-gris-gris-spooks-us-the-hell-out/) — “Mama Roux” is a song that Alison Fensterstock described in Rolling Stone as a “co-composition with local New Orleans R&B star Jessie Hill” that is “spooky [and] snaky” andContinue reading “Dr. John — “Mama Roux”, The Koobas — “Barricades”, The Jelly Bean Bandits — “Say Mann”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 4, 2021”

175) The Bread and Beer Band — “Mellow Yellow” Groovy cover of Donovan by Elton John’s first band. “The album was planned for June of 1969, but cancelled, and the band put out on their own label in a handmade sleeve. . . . Reginald Dwight was enlisted by aspiring producer Tony King to joinContinue reading “The Bread and Beer Band — “Mellow Yellow”, The Voice — “Train to Disaster”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 3, 2021”

172) The Plastic Cloud — “Art’s a Happy Man” Sole album (‘68) by the Canadian folk-rockers. Expose yourself to Art. 173) Matthews Southern Comfort — “Something in the Way She Moves” No, not George Harrison’s song, but Iain Matthews’s (former lead singer of Fairport Convention). The song, off MSC’s ‘69 Second Spring album, has theContinue reading “The Plastic Cloud — “Art’s a Happy Man”, Matthews Southern Comfort — “Something in the Way She Moves”, Randy Newman — “Mama Told Me Not to Come”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 2, 2021”

169) Georgie Fame — “Seventh Son” Georgie’s version of Willie Dixon’s oft-covered classic reached #25 in the UK in December of ‘69. The video is such a guilty pleasure! Here is Dixon’s version: 170) Paul Jones — “Tarzan etc.” From the ex-Manfred Mann lead singer’s ’67 solo album. 171) The Music Machine — “Come onContinue reading “Georgie Fame — “Seventh Son”, Paul Jones — “Tarzan etc.”, The Music Machine — “Come on In”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 1, 2021”

166) Gloria Jones — “Heartbeat” The original “Tainted Love” singer and Marc Bolan girlfriend belts out this Ed Cobb (producer of the Standells and the Chocolate Watchband) song. Here she is on Where the Action Is from October ’66: Here’s the single: 167) Gordon Lightfoot — “The Way I Feel” From Lightfoot’s first album (anContinue reading “Gloria Jones — “Heartbeat”, Gordon Lightfoot — “The Way I Feel”, Bill Jerpe — “Help Me Home”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 30, 2021″

163) Golden Earring — “Daddy Buy Me a Girl” ‘66 single, appropriate for a band named Golden Earring. A real Dutch treat! 164) Jackie Lomax — “Sour Milk Sea” George Harrison wrote “Sour Milk Sea” as an advert for transcendental meditation (which the Beatles picked up in Rishikesh). Such a great song, and it didn’tContinue reading “Golden Earring — “Daddy Buy Me a Girl”, Jackie Lomax — “Sour Milk Sea”, The Creation –”How Does It Feel to Feel”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 29, 2021”