Author Archives: georgefishman2

326) Mark Eric — “Night of the Lions” “Night of the Lions” was Mark Eric’s ‘69 A-side, an album track off of A Midsummer’s Day Dream — his sole sixties album — and on the soundtrack to the “relatively routine biker-exploitation” movie Angels Die Hard (Fred Beldin, All Music Guide). I love the song andContinue reading “Mark Eric — “Night of the Lions”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 21, 2022”

325)— Greg Anderson — “I Feel Good“ This ’66 A-side was Anderson’s first. It is “a stunner” (liner notes to The Hot Generation: 1960s Punk from Down Under comp) and “a superb beat number with a great guitar riff” (Vernon Joynson, Dreams, Fantasies & Nightmares: Australia). The “unique and rip-roaring guitar solo” was apparently byContinue reading “Greg Anderson — “I Feel Good”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 20, 2022″

324) — Sandie Shaw — “Change of Heart” ’68 track from the album The Sandie Shaw Supplement is a lovely song by Carole Bayer Sager. Shaw also had a ’68 TV show of the same name, but of course most of the episodes were lost when the BBC wiped them. Yes, one of the BBC’sContinue reading “Sandie Shaw — “Change of Heart”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 19, 2022”

323) Ola & the Janglers — “La La La La La” Not to be confused with Marianne Faithful’s “Sha La La Song” (see #111). the Janglers’s ‘66 A-side/album track is actually a cover of a number that Stevie Wonder recorded when he was 12 years old, written by Wonder’s mentor and Motown producer/songwriter Clarence Paul.Continue reading “Ola & the Janglers — “La La La La La”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 18, 2022”

322) Ice — “Ice Man” Well, I guess today is the perfect day for this song, the second A-side (’68) by the band from Sussex University. Jo-Ann Greene calls it “a wonderful piece of psychedelia whimsy” in All Music Guide. She goes on to say that: Some bands are deservedly obscure, some fall from graceContinue reading “Ice — “Ice Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 17, 2022″

321) The Vaqueros — “Growing Pains” This ’66 A-side is a “fuzz-heavy” garage classic (Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide). The single even sold well . . . in northern Minnesota. What is it with northern Minnesota? Zimmerman . . . Vaqueros . . . I’m a teenage boy. I don’t know what to do orContinue reading “The Vaqueros — “Growing Pains”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 16, 2022”

320) The Dave Clark Five — “To Me” OK, now for a British beat group that is actually British! “To Me” is a gorgeous ballad (see also #208) that dares to clock in at only 1:45. Bruce Eder says about this wonderful track and the wonderful album from whence it came (65’s Coast to Coast)Continue reading “The Dave Clark Five — “To Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 15, 2022″

319) The Golden Earrings — “Dream” The Golden Earrings are my favorite British beat group . . . from Holland! But not only could they sound just as if they had washed up on a bank of the Mersey, a feat in and of itself, they also wrote great songs. Unlike some groups, they didn’tContinue reading “The Golden Earrings — “Dream”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 14, 2022″

318) The Peppermint Trolley — “I’ve Got to Be Going” Who was America’s greatest TV band of the 60’s? Don’t think simian, think Peppermint. The Peppermint Trolley appeared rehearsing in an episode of the classic detective drama Mannix (see #136) and camped it up on The Beverly Hillbillies, and that’s just for starters. They alsoContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley — “I’ve Got to Be Going”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 13, 2022”

317) Barry Ryan — “Colour of Your Love” Another knockout performance by Barry of another fabulous Paul Ryan composition, from his ’69 album of his brother’s songs (see #88, 264-66). It was released as an A-side in Germany and hit #25. We miss you, Barry. Here is some cool “performance” footage from ’69:

316) Etta James — “Watch Dog” Big Mama Thornton and Elvis, please move aside. Etta James’s “Watch Dog” is R&B’s and rock ‘n’ roll’s true killer canine. The song — written by Don Covay — is “feverish” and “snarls with rock ‘n’ roll energy” (Charles Hughes, https://68comebackspecial.wordpress.com/2018/09/14/etta-james-tell-mama/). Dave Writz used it to epitomize James inContinue reading “Etta James — “Watch Dog”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 11, 2022″

https://www.discogs.com/master/53459-Syd-Barrett-Barrett/image/SW1hZ2U6NjAxMTQwNDM= https://www.discogs.com/master/210981-Faine-Jade-Introspection-A-Faine-Jade-Recital/image/SW1hZ2U6NTcyNTgwOA== As we learned yesterday, Bohemian Vendetta backed Faine Jade on his sole album — Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital— in 1968 (see #313). Today, we turn to that album, which has deservedly become a critical darling. Most interesting is that is that Faine Jade (real name: Chuck Laskowski) is often described as highlyContinue reading “Will the Real Syd Barrett Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up Special Edition/Faine Jade/Syd Barrett: Faine Jade — “A Brand New Groove”, Syd Barrett — “Baby Lemonade”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 10, 2022″

313) Bohemian Vendetta — “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” Who were the Vendetta? — a “quintet . . . from New York’s Long Island, who backed Faine Jade on his Introspection album in 1968. That same year, they recorded and released a self-titled album for the Mainstream label.” (Bruce Eder in All Music Guide). OneContinue reading “Bohemian Vendetta — “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 9, 2022″

312) Peter Sando — “Bird in the Hand” OK, after yesterday’s blog, featuring dirge-like music and bleak lyrics, I thought I would lighten the atmosphere by playing a song with upbeat/finger-snapping/funky-cool music . . . and bleak lyrics. Peter Sando, of the legendary psych group Gandalf, recorded “Bird in the Hand” as a solo artistContinue reading “Peter Sando — “Bird in the Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 8, 2022″

311) Felius Andromeda — “Meditations” Anorak Thing says that “Meditations” is “[p]ossibly one of the oddest records of British 60’s psychedelia” (http://anorakthing.blogspot.com/2010/12/and-with-death-of-my-comprehension.html). Damn straight. The song is also often derided as a Procol Harum copycat crime. For instance, Graham Reid writes that: [A]ny number of acts at the time [tried to replicate Procol Harum’s “WhiterContinue reading “Felius Andromeda — “Meditations”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 7, 2022”

Protestors carried placards saying “Peace on the Strip.” They weren’t referring to conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, they were protesting a 10 p.m. curfew on teens and the closure of the Pandora’s Box coffee house on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The ’65-’66 Sunset Strip “Curfew” or “Hippie” Riots wereContinue reading “The Sunset Strip “Curfew/Hippie” Riots Special Edition: Terry Randall — “S.O.S.”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 6, 2022″

309) The Glass Family — “Sometimes You Wonder (Henry’s Tune)” Wonderful hypnotizing soft psych L.A. style ’67-68 (I love L.A.!). People got to be free to do as they please! Bob Koch talks of Electric Band, the album from which today’s song is drawn: Electric Band is way above average post-garage band era L.A. rock,Continue reading “The Glass Family — “Sometimes You Wonder (Henry’s Tune)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 5, 2022″

308) Parliament — “Little Ole Country Boy” As I have said, Osmium, the album from which this song is drawn, is where it all began for Parliament (see #249). Mark Montgomery French writes that: According to George Clinton, the five-man ex-doo-wop group Parliament performed polite music you could play for your mother, while their five-manContinue reading “Parliament — “Little Ole Country Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 4, 2022″

307) The Buzz — “You’re Holding Me Down” “You’re Holding Me Down” is the Platonic ideal of freakbeat. The only A-side by the (Edinburgh) Buzz, released in ’66 (of course) and produced by Joe Meek (of course), is “the stuff of legends” and an “insane slice of Joe Meek produced freakbeat mayhem” (Wilthomer), an “eternallyContinue reading “The Buzz — “You’re Holding Me Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 3, 2022”

306) Great Speckled Bird — “Love What You’re Doing Child” Canadian country-rock from the eponymous ’70 album by the folk-rock duo Ian & Sylvia and their new band. Randall Adams calls it “one of the best country rock albums of all time.” He goes on: [The album] immediately sank without a trace . . .Continue reading “Great Speckled Bird — “Love What You’re Doing Child”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 2, 2022”