Author Archives: georgefishman2

139) The Caravelles — “Hey Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind” This gorgeous ‘67 folk-rock single was sung by Londoners Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson (who named their group after the French short commercial jet). They “were co-workers who entertained at office parties and amateur shows [who were e]ncouraged by co-workers to cut a record.”Continue reading “The Caravelles — “Hey Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind”, The Mojo Men — “She’s My Baby”, The Craig — “I Must Be Mad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 21, 2021”

136) The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Trust” Cool ‘68 single written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols “performed” on a cool TV show — Mannix, the classic detective series. In the episode, as summarized by IMDb, “Mannix is hired by a secretive multi-millionaire to find his ex-wife. At least that’s what he has been toldContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Trust”, Nick Garrie — “Seashore”, The Haigs — “Never Die”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 20, 2021”

“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do. I’m half crazy all for the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage. I can’t afford the carriage. But you’d look sweet on the seat of a bicycle built for two.” It is one of the most iconic scenes in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.Continue reading “2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY SPECIAL EDITION: THAT’S A HAL OF A WAY TO RUN A SPACESHIP!: IBM 7094/Edward Favor: IBMN 7094 — “Daisy Bell”, Edward Favor — “Daisy Bell”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 19, 2021″

132) Paul McCartney — “Junk” Maybe I was so amazed by this song’s haunting melody and wistful lyrics that it became the theme song for my wedding. Paul composed it in India in ‘68 — finally released on his debut ‘70 solo album. The ’68 Beatles demo: 133) The Foggy Notions — “Need a LittleContinue reading “Paul McCartney — “Junk”, The Foggy Notions — “Need a Little Lovin’”, Black Merda — “Cynthy-Ruth”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 18, 2021”

129) The Creation — “Through My Eyes” ’67 B-side by the Who’s doppelganger who beyond all rational explanation never made it big in the UK. As the liner notes to the Our Music Is Red – with Purple Flashes comp state, “[t]he Creation story is that apocryphal rock’n’roll tale of busts-ups, missed opportunities, dashed dreamsContinue reading “The Creation — “Through My Eyes”, Disraeli — “What Will the New Day Bring”, The End — “Shades of Orange”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 17, 2021”

126) Bob Dylan — “She’s Your Lover Now” Abandoned unfinished in the studio in January of ‘66. One of Dylan’s great caustic/bitter songs, up there with “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Positively 4th Street” and “Idiot Wind.” Do not get crosswise with this guy (or pick through his garbage in Greenwich Village)! “Pain sure brings outContinue reading “Bob Dylan — “She’s Your Lover Now”, The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Pretty Song from Psych-Out”, The Starlets — “You Don’t Love Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 16, 2021”

123) Los Mac’s — “El Amor Despues De Los Veinte Años” The best psychedelic album (‘67) to ever have come from Chile? Yes! Even the band says so! And definitely recorded in an altered state. 124) Dirty Martha — “Children’s Song” A horn-driven band inspired by Blood, Sweat and Tears (that I presume wasn’t namedContinue reading “Los Mac’s — “El Amor Despues De Los Veinte Años”, Dirty Martha — “Children’s Song”, The Remains — “Don’t Look Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 15, 2021”

120) Michel Polnareff — “Mes Regrets” Stunning, from the flamboyant French star’s second album. 121) The (Australian) Playboys — “Sad” Brilliant ‘67 B-side of the only single released by the Aussie band (which had backed Normie Rowe), recorded while in the UK. The A-side, not so much — rockin’ out to “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”Continue reading “Michel Polnareff — “Mes Regrets”, The (Australian) Playboys — “Sad”, Les Fleur De Lys — “Circles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 14, 2021”

117) The Blue Condition — “Once There Was a Girl” I don’t know much about this group, but it laid down some mesmerizing garage rock on this ’67 B-side. 118) The Impressions — “I’ve Been Trying” One of those wonderful B-sides overshadowed by the iconic status of the A side — in this case, “PeopleContinue reading “The Blue Condition — “Once There Was a Girl”, The Impressions — “I’ve Been Trying”, Pete Townshend — “Day of Silence”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 13, 2021”

114) The Fantastic Dee-Jays — “Fight Fire” Fantastic garage rock single (’66) by the Golliwogs . . . to become Creedence Clearwater Revival . . . done even better by the Dee-Jays that year. Here is the Golliwogs’s version: 115) Pandemonium — “No Presents for Me” A Brit psych classic, this April ‘67 single wasContinue reading “The Fantastic Dee-Jays — “Fight Fire”, Pandemonium — “No Presents for Me”, The Seeds — “Pushin’ Too Hard”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 12, 2021”

113) John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love” On this 20th anniversary of 9/11, the only thing I could think of to play that was remotely appropriate was John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band‘s “Love” from 1970, one of the most beautiful, delicate and consoling songs ever written. Even if it isContinue reading “John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 11, 2021″

110) Led Zeppelin — “Sugar Mama” Zeppelin unheard?  No way!  Way, as this smoking outtake from their first album wasn’t released until 2015. 111) Marianne Faithfull — “The Sha La La Song” The B (better) side of “Summer Nights,” her last hit single (#24 in Sept. ’65). 112) Buddy Miles — “Memphis Train” Buddy, drummerContinue reading “Led Zeppelin — “Sugar Mama”, Marianne Faithfull — “The Sha La La Song”, Buddy Miles — “Memphis Train”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 10, 2021”

107) Boudewijn de Groot (and Elly Nieman) — “Meester Prikkebeen” De Groot was born in a Japanese prison camp in Java in 1944 (where his mother died the following year). He became a hugely popular singer in the Netherlands, and “under the influence of the upcoming hippie movement as well as being more or lessContinue reading “Boudewijn de Groot (and Elly Nieman) — “Meester Prikkebeen”, Q’65 — “The Life I Live”, Paul Revere and the Raiders — “Midnite Ride”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 9, 2021”

104) Nick Garrie — “Bungles Tour” The great album’s comic relief. 105) The Pipe Dream — “The 5:23” Sunshine pop about commuting on the train — “Book me a ticket on the 5:23.” Written by band member Stephen Schwartz. Stephen Schwartz who wrote Godspell, Pippin and Wicked?! Yes, according to https://whatfrankislisteningto.negstar.com/sunshine-pop-and-baroque/the-pipe-dream-wanderers-lovers-rca-1969/. 106) Dana Gillespie —Continue reading “Nick Garrie — “Bungles Tour”, The Pipe Dream — “The 5:23”, Dana Gillespie — “No, No, No”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 8, 2021”

101) Marmalade, “I See the Rain Again” Before they rocketed to success with their cover of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” the Scottish group released this anthemic single in August of ’67. It was Jimi Hendrix’s favorite song that year, and Jimi was spot-on.  The Nuggets comp says it was “as good as British psychedelic pop gets.”  TheContinue reading “Marmalade, “I See the Rain Again”, The Landlords — “I’m Through with You”, Georgie Fame — “Somebody Stole My Thunder”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 6, 2021”

100) The Kinks — “Get Back in Line” From 1970’s Lola album. Shaun Richman wonderfully puts Ray Davies’s “anti-union” song in context: [I]n 1964 . . . . The Kinks were stars, but they were denied the opportunity to tour America while all of their compatriots were making the Ed Sullivan Show their first stopContinue reading “Labor Day Special: The Kinks — “Get Back in Line”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 6, 2021”

97) Third Bardo, “Five Years Ahead of My Time” A-side of their only single (5/67), and the NYC band nailed it.  Garage psych at its best. Supposedly pulled off the air because of presumed drug references. 98) Jeff Monn, “I Need a Friend” Former Third Bardo lead singer Jeff Monn released an incredible album inContinue reading “Third Bardo, “Five Years Ahead of My Time”, Jeff Monn, “I Need a Friend”, The Birds, “No Good Without You Baby”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 4, 2021”

94) The Electric Banana, “Alexander” Actually, the Banana was the Pretty Things in disguise, making some much needed money by providing songs for films trying to be hip. The liner notes to the Complete De Wolfe Sessions comp explain that: [The] Swinging London phenomenon had led to a profusion of groovy movies chronicling life [there]Continue reading “The Electric Banana, “Alexander”, Joe Simon, “I Got a Whole Lot of Lovin’”, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, “I See the Light”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 3, 2021”

91) The Flies, “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” MOJO’s Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers comp calls the Flies’ take on the song “almost psychotically venomous.” They were definitely not Monkeeing around. The band became infamous at the storied 14 Hour Technicolor Dream benefit in part by urinating on the audience. Acid Drops concludes thatContinue reading “The Flies, “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”, Gordon Lightfoot, “I’m Not Sayin’”, Fire — “Father’s Name Is Dad”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 1, 2021″

88) Paul & Barry Ryan, “Madrigal” Not former House Speaker Paul Ryan, but the twin brother of Brit heartthrob Barry Ryan (and son of singer Marion Ryan). Or, was he? Anyway, a wonderful, wistful song. 89) Kim Fowley, “The Trip” The deliriously deranged Fowley left an indelible mark on L.A. rock history, created the Runaways,Continue reading “Paul & Barry Ryan, “Madrigal”, Kim Fowley, “The Trip”, George Martin, “Here, There and Everywhere”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 31, 2021”