In America, the late 1950s and early 60s was an era of dance crazes . . . . Among them was the Mashed Potatoes, whose praises were first sung on a hit record by “King” Coleman . . . . This was the prelude to Coleman’s career as a compere, singer, disc jockey and preacher. . . . After winning a local talent show at the age of 15, he joined the Charles Taylor Bronze Mannequin Revue, which toured the south as part of a carnival show. By the time he was drafted in 1952, Coleman had also sung with the jazz vibraphone player Lionel Hampton’s band. Leaving the army, he returned to Florida and acquired the nickname “King Coleman” as a DJ. He had a reputation for extemporising rhyming couplets . . . . When James Brown’s band visited Miami in 1959, the local music mogul Henry Stone decided to make a recording of their crowd-pleasing song â(Do the) Mashed Potatoesâ. For contractual reasons, Brown was unable to sing lead vocals on the track, so Coleman took over. The track was credited to Nat Kendrick and the Swans and became a Top 10 r’n’b hit in 1960 . . . . Now known as “The Mashed Potato Man”, Coleman recorded a number of less successful singles in the 60s, including songs celebrating the Shimmy, Hully Gully and Booga Lou dances. Coleman, who was in demand as a compere of national package tours by black artists, was radicalised by the civil rights movement. A heated argument with Bobby Schiffman, the white owner of the Apollo theatre in Harlem, New York, led to Coleman being barred from the leading black music venue for a year. After surviving a serious car crash in 1967, Coleman decided to devote himself to religion. He was ordained and recorded an album of gospel songs. He spent the late 1970s and early 80s in California, preaching, doing charity work, running a security business and acting. He appeared in the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-79) and in several films including Claudine (1974) and Up the Academy (1980). . . . His eldest son, Tony, a drummer with BB King’s band, paid tribute to his father, saying: “He was one of the originals. He was one of the roots, and I’m one of his fruits.”
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
An impossibly gorgeous British beat ballad written and recorded by a later incarnation of the Tornados (yes, the “Telstar” Tornados) with a little help from Joe Meek, rerecorded a few years later with equally impressive results by Israel’s Churchills, then including co-writer and ex-Tornado Robb Huxley. Talk about an exodus! Mattgee3734 writes:
The singer here, who also happened to have co-written the song, presented as “Robb Gayle”… is Robb Huxley. He would re-surface . . . as a member of Israeli band The Churchills, with whom he re-recorded the song. The new version appeared as the A side of the Churchills 1st 45… they then switched to psych and recorded a magnificent album . . . .
1,573)The Tornados — âToo Much in Love to Hearâ
Robb Huxley recalls that:
Joe [Meek] asked us if we had anything for the B side. We had a song that I had started to write on my Dad’s old, out of tune piano . . . and Pete Holder helped me finish it off. . . . We played it to Joe and he liked it but he said that it should be done in three four and not in four four as we were playing it. My immediate reaction was that Joe had no idea what he was talking about until Dave Watts said “Yeah man! That’s it” and started to play the chords with what turned out to be a six eight feel. It seemed that like magic the song took on a completely different feel and appeal and all this had basically come from Joe. I have read over the years many articles portraying Joe as some one who could not sing in tune and was tone deaf but I do not agree entirely with that. He had a vivid imagination and heard things in his mind that he could only bring to the surface with the help of others. If any one was singing off key he would know immediately and anyone who was tone deaf would never have known this. Joe could sing but he was not a very good singer as he would often waver and go off key. . . . “Too Much in Love to Hear” actually came out very well. Dave Watts put a very nice jazzy almost old world feel to his piano parts, Pete Holder put in a nice typical Shadows style solo and together with jazzy style drumming and a good bass line, I put down the vocal and played rhythm guitar.
One of the U.K.’s most distinctive instrumental bands in the early-to-mid 1960s, the Tornados scored a worldwide hit with 1962’s soaring space age ode “Telstar.” The first song by a U.K. group to top the U.S. charts, its uniquely driven, clavioline-led sound was the perfect combination of the band’s musicianship and Joe Meekâs innovative production and recording techniques. As one of the house bands at Meekâs studio and as the backing group for Billy Fury, the Tornados juggled those obligations with releasing their own music, earning Top Five EPs in the U.K. with 1962’s The Sound of the Tornados and Telstar and Top 20 U.K. singles in 1963’s “Globetrotter,” “Robot,” and “Ice Cream Man.” By that time, shifting pop music trends and multiple lineup changes — more than two dozen members played in the group overall — contributed to the Tornados ‘ waning popularity. However, they remained creative to the end . . . .The group returned to backing Fury and issued a pair of 1966 singles that ranked among their most creative work: “Pop-Art Goes Mozart” arranged sections of The Marriage of Figaro [“Too Much in Love to Hear” was the B-side] . . . . The Tornados soldiered on for a time following Meekâs 1967 death . . . .
We had the famous writer of “Telstar” consumed with the hope that he might create another “Telstar” with another of the groups that he had formed to be the Tornados. On the other hand we have the virgin pure recently “Turned Pro” Saxons, together with Dave Watts, a seasoned professional musician, all with their individual desires to be part of what was “IN”, while masquerading as the Tornados.
Huxley further recalls — you need to read the whole thing, it is hilarious — that:
At a band meeting one Friday afternoon Yehuda [Talit] discussed with us the possibilities of making a record. He said that there was a good chance that CBS of Israel would be interested in releasing a single by the Churchills. I was rather surprised when it was suggested that we record “Too Much in Love to Hear”. . . . One time . . . [band member] Miki [Gavrielov] was sifting through my records when he came across the Tornados single and put it on the turntable. Miki asked me who wrote the song and I explained that I did, along with Pete Holder. So it was decided that we would record that song . . . . I showed the band the chords . . . . We were told that the record would be produced by Alex Weiss who was at that time a renowned musician, composer and conductor in Israel. [Band member] Stan [Solomon] and I had no idea who he was but we figured that he must have been pretty good judging by the excitement generated by the rest of the band and Yehuda. He would also arrange string accompaniment . . . . There would also be a brass section. . . . We were scheduled to arrive at the studio at 7.30 am. Stan said “What are they out of their f*ckinâ minds?” We didnât usually go to sleep till around 6 am. Stan and I were forced to have an early night and crawled into bed at around 4 am. Three hours later we dragged ourselves out of bed, smoked a joint . . . and walked over to the taxi stand . . . . At the studio we met Yehuda and the rest of the band and were introduced to sound engineer Amnon Roberman and his assistant Dori. . . . I believe that this was one of the first recordings of its kind to be made in Israel. Most of the recordings prior to this were either classical, folk music and for the most part were recorded using acoustic instruments. . . . Stan and I discussed what type of solo we should put on “Too Much in Love to Hear”. Stan said that he thought we should put a Hendrix style solo which I would play and then we would reverse it and play it backwards and dub it on to the track. . . . Amnon was looking concerned and called Stan into the control room where they talked back and forth until Stan returned. “They think that weâre crazy, Robbie, they tried to tell me that they canât record a guitar like that. I told âem that Hendrix records like that in England and thatâs the sound we want”. I resumed my work on the solo and I realized that it could not be a melodic type of solo as it would not fit with the backing track when it was played backwards. I decided to keep it as simple as possible and basically slid my fingers up and down the strings from octave to octave. We could see Amnon peering through the window shaking his head with disapproval. I said to Stan, “Wait till we tell him that we want to reverse the tape and play it backwards heâll sh*t his pants!” We got the solo down with Stan staying in the studio with me. He let out a scream at the beginning of my solo and also shouted “We are the t*t men of Tel-Aviv”. Yehuda was beside himself and complained profusely to Stan when we entered the control room to listen to the play back. “You canât say that on a record”. Stan replied telling Yehuda not too worry as it would be backwards and that nobody would understand it. Amnon swiveled round on his chair with a look of amazement, asking what did we mean backwards? . . . [He] almost fell out of his chair and with his eyes popping out of his head said that it couldnât be done. We explained that it could as we had heard it on the Jimi Hendrix album Are You Experienced. The result was that Amnon and Dori jabbered away in Hebrew with their hands waving in the air and with some input from the rest of the Churchills they eventually agreed to do as we asked. . . . Here we had a good melodic song, sung in a pop style voice combined with a group sound that was embellished with a typical almost 50âs sounding brass section, with classical style strings layered in; suddenly attacked in the solo by an imposing backward guitar, a scream and some unrecognizable utterance.
[T]he Churchills â Israelâs own psych-rock pioneers . . . . story began in Israel in 1965, when Mickey Gavriellov noticed Haim Romano playing a mandolin for a small group of friends. Gavriellov, who wanted to be in a band, started following Romano around with his guitar, trying desperately to get noticed. Gavriellov soon started playing bass with guitarist Yitzchak Klepter, drummer Ami Treibich, and vocalist Selvin Lifshitz. . . . [T]he band soon added Romano on lead guitar. The group soon became known as Churchillâs Hermits (in tribute to Hermanâs Hermits), and eventually just the Churchills. . . . Huxley had come to Israel from England in 1967 as a member of one of the various touring incarnations of the Tornadoes . . . . When the Tornadoes finished their tour in Israel, the bassist and drummer decided to return to England, but Huxley and the bandâs keyboardist decided to stay. After playing in a few groups in Israel, Huxley came across the Churchills. âThe band would play two sets . . . . one of pop covers and one of American soul music, on which they were joined by [Canadian singer] Stan Solomon.â At the time, Solomon was singing in a band called the Saints. Huxley and Solomon became friends very quickly, and soon moved in with each other. In 1968 Lifshitz and Klepter were drafted into the Israeli army. Solomon was almost immediately asked to become the bandâs new lead singer, and he in turn recommended Huxley as Klepterâs replacement. The change was dramatic. âStan and I had the other members of the band over to our apartment,â Huxley said, âwhere we smoked a bunch of hash, which there was a lot of in Israel at that time⌠We introduced them to the Doors, Vanilla Fudge, and Hendrix â that kind of music, and they just freaked out! They totally loved it!â . . . This unique mix of Eastern and Western music became very popular in Israel, no doubt helped by the fact that, thanks to Huxley and Solomon, the Churchills became the first Israeli rock band to play original material. . . . The band soon released its first single, âToo Much in Love to Hear,â a Huxley original, backed with Solomonâs âTalk to Me.â Not long after the single was released, the band ventured to Denmark, where they spent four months opening for Deep Purple. . . . When the band returned to Israel, they were asked to create a soundtrack for the film A Womanâs Case, a bizarre movie about an advertising executive who falls for and later plots to kill a lesbian fashion model. The songs Huxley, Solomon and Gavriellov wrote for the movie became the basis for the bandâs 1968 self-titled debut album. . . . In 1969, Stan Solomon left the band and returned home. âStanâs father was one of the richest men in Canada,â Huxley explained. âHe wanted Stan to come back and join the family business, which was a clothing business. . . . â[Stanâs quitting] was a crisis,â said Gavriellov. . . . In early 1970, Huxley briefly went back to England to get married. When he returned, the other band members informed him that while he was gone, they had added a new lead singer â Danny Shoshan, formerly of the Lions of Judea. âIn my opinion,â said Huxley, âDanny Shoshan became the other Stan Solomon. He and I started writing together like I had with Stan. But Danny sang with a very ballsy voice, so we started doing harder stuff because we could.â
The 1960s, for much of the world, were synonymous with social ferment and rebellion. Not so in Israel. Nineteen sixty-seven was the year of the Six-Day War, followed by the War of Attrition with Egypt, followed still by the Yom Kippur War in 1973. . . . [T]here was no Israeli equivalent of mass student uprisings, no Haight-Ashbury. . . . [But there] sprang a complete anomaly: The Churchills â a trippy, psychedelic band that emerged not from California, London, or other high temples of grooviness, but from the environs of Tel Aviv. The Churchills began as a standard Israeli cover band. At the same time, a revamped version of the Tornados, the British band that gave the world âTelstar,â toured Israel. The Tornados disbanded after that tour and one of its members, Robb Huxley, âdecided to stay in Israel as I had met and become friends with Canadian Stan Solomon, who was the [Churchills] singerâŚand then began our arduous task to change the music of the band and hopefully turn the Israeli audience on to a different style of music.â . . . The Israeli audiences âtook us as being a bunch of crazy musicians,â [Huxley] remembers, âwho played ânoiseâ and were all âsoakedâ in LSD.â . . . Yet the Churchills . . . doggedly plugged away. In 1968 came their eponymous album, Churchillâsâthe errant apostrophe a forgivable offense in a Hebrew-speaking world. The album was a psychedelic, expressive classic, with songs ranging from the bombastic to the plaintive. The fact that Churchillâs . . . existed at all was odds-defying. . . . The albumâs sonic palette is heavily inflected with strong doses of the jangly, drone-like tones of the Mediterranean and Middle East . . . . The band joined forces with Arik Einstein, one of the founding fathers of Israeli rock. They connected with other Israeli musicians who were forming a homegrown, nascent rock scene. . . . In Israel, the sort of music the Churchills championed was a marginalized, often scorned, form of expression. Yet it did find its way into public consciousness. The musicians and their fans coalesced. The Churchills are part of a wonderful, scattered lineage found in cultureâs nooks and crannies.
Well, were they popular in Israel or were they not?
* The bandâs name âwas simply a reference to founding member Yitzhak Klepterâs schoolboy nickname, inspired by his round, plump appearance that apparently conjured up images of the British prime ministerâ. (Richard klin https://www.jewishviews.com/israeli-gears/)
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,572) The Golden Earrings â âThat Dayâ
This song is by my favorite British beat group . . . from the Netherlands. But warning: If you are Dutch, read no further! The Golden Earrings’ (see #63, 163, 319, 1,215, 1,504, 1,560) 3rd A-side, written by guitarist George Kooymans and bassist Marinus Gerritsen, reached #2 in the charts in ’66, stopped from reaching #1 only by the Beatlesâ âMichelleâ. Ironic, because it is such a dead ringer for the Beatles that Paul McCartney must have woken up one morning wondering if he had written it! “Unreleased Beatles song? lol” (alphasigmasezon8597 (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_diAWMf0RE) “For me this remains the[ir] most beautiful song”. (pietkeizer5279 (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_diAWMf0RE)
Kremer Henk (courtesy of Google Translate) tells us that:
[T]he band . . . took the ferry to London, where the Earrings had booked a recording day at the Pye Studios. Partly out of dissatisfaction with the Dutch studios at the time and also because the manager was not averse to a stunt. [It] was the first Dutch pop song to be recorded in England. The single was received as a sensation; immediately after returning home, The Golden Earrings appeared on television with Willem Duys in his popular talk show Voor de vuist weg. Nothing was left to chance to ensure that the highest position in the charts would be reached.
Not only could the Earrings 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 didnât have the luxury of having Lennon and McCartney donate to the cause. The Earrings have earned a lot of good will in my book â everything that happened in the 70âs is forgiven! As Mark Deming writes:
Golden Earring were hailed as one of the hottest new bands in America when the song âRadar Loveâ . . . was released in 1973. Funny thing was, Golden Earring were hardly a new band; while they werenât well known outside the Netherlands, in their native Holland they were major stars who had been scoring hits for eight years.
They were always melodic . . . their music combined the tough chunkiness of The Who and The Kinks with the minor-key, brooding melodies of The Zombies. . . . Where bands like the rough-hewn Outsiders [see #615, 664, 1,218] defined the edgy sound of Amsterdam, the more polished Golden Earrings defined the sound of The Hague. . . . The[ir] roots . . . lie in The Tornados, a band formed by 13-year-old George Kooymans and 15-year-old Marinus Gerritsen in 1962. . . . An instrumental outfit, their repertoire included Shadows and Ventures numbers. . . . The Hague . . . was stuffed with rock ânâ roll bands and competition was tough. . . . [The] boom was fuelled by bands made up from Indonesian immigrants. Indo-Rock had been born. . . . After the British Tornadosâ Telstar became a Dutch hit in late 1962 . . . . the band chose The Golden Earrings, from the standard that Peggy Lee had a hit with in 1948. . . . [B]y the end of 1963, it became clear that the shifting musical climate meant the band would have to incorporate vocals. Frans Krassenburg became their singer in early 1964. . . . The[ir] break came in July 1965 . . . . Freddy Haayen saw the band at their regular venue Club 192 . . . . [and] said he worked for Polydor Records and that he wanted to record them. Actually, he was an architecture student who also worked as a trainee at Polydorâs warehouse. The Golden Earrings didnât know this and duly turned up . . . to record four tracks . . . . Haayen had made good on his bluff and scored a deal with Polydor. Released in September, âPlease Goâ . . . reach[ed] number 10. . . . In September they played with The Who; November saw them teamed up with The Kinks. . . . [T]he band[âs] first album, Just Earrings[, r]eleased [in] November 1965 . . . showcased the bandâs supreme confidence. . . . [They] were already making records that should have been heard beyond the borders of their native Holland. . . . While other Dutch legends like Qâ65 [see #108, 557, 913, 1,164, 1,227, 1,356] and The Outsiders were unhinged and freaked-out, The Golden Earrings focused their energies on structure and songwriting. . . . A year [after Just Earrings] they were riding high after three hit singles[, a]ll . . . kinetic numbers that relied on driving rhythms to make their mark. When the next single arrived in late August 1966 it became clear The Golden Earrings were absorbing the new textures that could be applied to pop. . . . [with] âDaddy Buy Me A Girlâ [see #163]. . . . [I]n late November when it was announced that rhythm guitarist Peter de Ronde had left the band. . . . Continuing as a four piece . . . the band immediately began recording . . . Winter Harvest . . . . [which] was a quantum leap. There were no cover versions, and no songs that had already been issued as singles. . . . Overall . . . the sound was of a band that were in total control and utterly confident. . . . They played dates in Stockholm and Hamburg just before the release of Winter Harvest, and also licensed the album to Capitol Records in America. . . . But they didnât find an American audience . . . . Back home, âIn My Houseâ and âSmoking Cigarettesâ were extracted . . . as a single coupling in April 1967. As usual it was another massive Dutch hit. The single was followed by the departure of vocalist Frans Krassenburg. His replacement was Barry Hay, the frontman of Hague band The Haigs [see #138] . . . .
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,571)The Jynx — âHowâ
A mysterious UK band gave us a â64 beat classic and then disappeared. Vernon Joynson says “[n]o other details known”. (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Thankfully, 06m.jones can tell us that the Jynx was â[a] group from Birkhamstead who won a beat contest and the prize was to record their song.â (https://www.45cat.com/record/db7304) How has âHowâ not been covered a million times?
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,570)Los Brincos — âCryâ
I’ve played their star-making B-side (see #1,172), here is the power ballad (if there even was such a thing in ’64) A-side by âThe Spanish Beatlesâ.
Diego Manrique writes:
[T]he Spanish answer to The Beatles[,] Los Brincos were Spainâs first truly pop band and their songs, image and attitude represented a needed breath of fresh air in a stale music scene and a country under a dictatorship. . . . Thereâd been young bands in Spain since the late 50s, but they were limited by the lack of good instruments, scarce information and the lack of liberty under Francoâs regime. Usually, these bands played cover songs of foreign hits and only released 4-song EPs. Suddenly, Los Brincos took it to another level: they wrote their own songs, and introduced themselves with an amazing debut LP supported by two EPs and two singles (until then a rare format in Spain). Novola, the recently created pop subsidiary of Zafiro, funded the adventure. Everything seemed rather impressive, from the looks â Spanish capes, shoes with bells â to the claim that they were going to cause âBrincosisâ . . . . Obviously, the point of reference was The Beatles, although with clearly nationalist aspects, such as the clothes or the reference to flamenco. There were, of course, no anti-establishment intentions: Juan Pardoâs father was a navy admiral, long hair was not allowed. Theyâd travelled around the world â Antonio Morales, aka Junior, was born in The Philippines . . . . However, their music vocation caused a drama within their conservative families, with the exception of Manolo, brother of the actor AgustĂn GonzĂĄlez. Making fun of that opposition, for a while they thought about naming the band Las Ovejas Negras (âThe Black Sheepâ). However, they had genuine rock credentials: they had been members of Los Estudiantes and the very strong Los Pekenikes; both Juan and Junior had recorded as solo artists. . . .
With their catchy good day sunshine feel + evident sense of humour . . . their music manages to conjure up a more innocent and optimistic era. Which is not bad when you consider that for many Spaniards âthe swinging 60sâ completely passed them by. Many rock records, films and books were censored or banned and there was no freedom of speech or official opposition to the government. Any form of protest could get you locked up, beaten up or even killed. . . . This seems to make Los Brincosâ achievement all the greater. . . . When I first came across [thr band] . . . I heard the same bright harmonies and perfect pop craftsmanship that can be heard in [The Beach Boys, The Lovinâ Spoonful, The Mama and Papas, and The Turtles]. For me Los Brincos deserve a place in the great 60s pop pantheon . . . . In the 1960s Spain was a corrupt fascist dictatorship morally propped up by a Catholic church with an obvious antipathy towards the new âliberalâ rock/pop culture . . . . Spain was cut off and the climate was conservative and claustrophobic. . . . Such was this moral rigidity that even the Beatles were not warmly welcomed by the Spanish authorities when they played Madrid in the summer of 1965. Ringo Starrâs abiding memory of playing in Spain . . . was of policemen beating up their young fans. However, despite all this, and rather amazingly, Spain actually had a thriving beat group scene in the 60s. . . . Los Brincos, who were known in Spain as the âSpanish Beatlesâ (they even had their own version of Beatlemania called Brincosis) were probably the most successful Spanish band of the decade. Over the 6 years they recorded (1964 â 1970) they had string of hits and left behind a body of work which, although varied, and, on occasion, a little too saccharine coated for me, . . . contain[s] some rather glorious 60s powerpop highlights. . . . Their first album . . . [â64âs] Los Brincos [comtaining âCryâ] comes over as a kind of 60s garage rock classic. It mixes influences as varied as RânâB, Doo-wop, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Surf and even proto punk and around half the songs are sung in English. . . . Like the great 60s UK bands they took something essentially American and merged it with their local culture to create something fresh.
As to the bandâs early history, Aloha Criticon tells us:
Los Brincos were created in Madrid in 1964. Fernando Arbex . . . had played as a teenager in a duo with Rafael Castellanos before joining the group Los Estudiantes in 1960. Four years later he met Juan Pardo . . . former Pekenikes, at the Norba nightclub, with whom he planned to form a new group. In this way, Arbex, as singer and drummer, joined the guitarist and vocalist Pardo . . . . [and added] vocalist and guitarist Antonio Morales, âJuniorâ . . . and Manolo GonzĂĄlez, bassist . . . brother of the actor Augustin Gonzalez. . . . Thanks to Luis Sartorius, a close friend of Arbor for having been part of Los Estudiantes, they managed to attract the attention of the Zafiro label to record in Novola, where they contacted the representative and producer MarinĂ Callejo. Unfortunately, Sartorius died in a traffic accident . . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,569)The Applejacks — âWhatâs the Matter Little Girlâ
A delightful British Invasion charmer from a band (see #973) that was the first from the Birmingham area to join the hit parade. But they get no respect! Richie Unterberger says that â[w]hile their discs had peppy harmonies, they were on the whole among the wimpier fare of the British Invasion fareâ and â[t]he overwhelming bulk of their material . . . was pleasantly bland or downright boringâ (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-applejacks-mn0001169341), and Vernon Joynson called them âwimpyâ too! (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Not fair!
Unterberger tells us:
A minor British Invasion group that had three hits in the U.K. . . . Their jaunty, lightweight pop/rock could have easily been mistaken for that of a Merseybeat combo, though they actually hailed from the town of Solihull, near Birmingham. The sextet also attracted more attention . . . due to the presence of one female member, Megan Davies, on bass. . . . Forming in 1961 as the skiffle trio the Crestas, the band soon expanded their personnel, moved into electric rock, and changed their name to the Applejacks the following year. Decca issued their first single, âTell Me When[]â . . . [which] made it to number seven in the U.K. They were fortunate enough to procure âLike Dreamers Doâ from Lennon and McCartney when they met the pair at a television rehearsal. . . . mak[ing] it to number 20 in the British charts. . . .
[I]n 1960, guitarists Martin Baggott and Philip Cash were in a church youth club skiffle group called The Crestas. Drummer Gerry Freeman persuaded Megan Davies, a fellow Sunday School teacher (and later his wife) to come in on bass. Adding organist Don Gould in 1962 the band went forth as The Jaguars, specialising in instrumentals. . . . The following year [they added] singer Al Jackson . . . . On the look-out around Birmingham, Decca A&R man Mike Smith visualised The Applejacks in their bright red smocks as harbingers of a âSolihull Soundâ. Hunting around publishersâ offices, a commercial vehicle was found to launch this plan â “Tell Me When” . . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,568)Ola and the Janglers — âBlow My Blues Awayâ
Swedenâs Ola and the Janglers (see #196, 323) give us a killer cover of a Mark Leeman song. They were founded in Stockholm in 1962 and are most well known for being the first (though certainly not the last!) Swedes on the US Billboard top 100 chart (reaching #82 with Chris Montezâs âLetâs Danceâ in â69). But they were much more than that. Swedish Pop History tells us (courtesy of Google Translate) that:
The breakthrough for Ola & The Janglers came in 1965 when their second single “Sheâs Not There” was released . . . . This cover of the Zombies[‘s] song went up to . . . 10th place . . . . Of the six singles released in 1966, five ended up [in Swedenâs top 10]. . . . [They] were now one of Swedenâs four biggest pop bands together with The Hep Stars [see #929], Shanes and Tages [see #286, 1,282, 1,353, 1,358]. The bandâs enormous popularity with thousands of young teenage fans in the audience created almost hysterical events at the pop bandâs gigs in the Swedish folk parks. During the years 1966 and 1967, Ola & The Janglers stood at the absolute top. Two LPs and five singles were produced and released in 1967. Despite the England tour and songs played on Radio Luxemburg and not least the hit with “Letâs Dance” in 1969, Ola & The Janglers never broke through abroad.
Richie Unterberger gives the Janglers a mixes write-up:
[L]ike numerous Continental bands, they were pretty derivative of British and American rock trends. Even stacked up against other long-lived Swedish bands of the era, such as Tages, they donât stand up as among the best, or certainly among the more original. Still, for the most part, they have an enjoyably competent period sound, more influenced by the moody, keyboard-driven sound of the Zombies than many groups were. . . . There are too many non-notable covers of American rock and soul hits, but even some of these have bashing energy that make them a little better than youâd expect . . . .
âEnjoyably competentâ â I want that to be my epitaph!
All Music Guide tells us about Mark Leeman:
A popular attraction in Londonâs clubs, the Mark Leeman Five made their debut in January 1965 with the Manfred Mann-produced âPortland Townâ. Mark Leeman (b. John Ardrey . . . .vocals/guitar), Alan Roskams (lead guitar), Terry Goldberg (keyboards), David Hyde (bass) and Brian âBlinkyâ Davison ( . . . drums) showed an impressive, almost âprogressiveâ grasp of R&B. This was confirmed on their next single âBlow My Blues Awayâ, but by the time of its release Leeman had been killed in a car crash.
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Tuesday’s Children grew out of the group Steve Douglas & the Challengers, who formed in North London in 1964. The following year they changed their name to the Prophets, recording some tracks with legendarily eccentric British producer giant Joe Meek that never got released. After singer Steve Douglas left, the three remaining members — guitarists Phil Cordell and Mick Ware, as well as drummer Derrick Gough — added bassist Paul Kendrick and changed their name to Tuesday’s Children. For their first three singles, the group’s figurehead was Cordell, who sang lead and wrote most of their material. After his departure in the summer of 1967, the group carried on with new keyboardist Bob Hodges, Ware becoming the principal singer and songwriter. Although some of their releases got airplay on British pirate radio, Tuesday’s Children never broke through commercially, and changed their name to Czar by the end of 1969, issuing a progressive rock album under that name the following year.
Tuesday’s Children were formed in 1966 by Phil Cordell, Mick Ware and Derrick Gough who had been in a North London band called Steve Douglas and the Challengers who later changed their name to The Prophets. The Prophets did some recording with producer Joe Meek, but nothing was ever issued . . . . When Steve Douglas and Freddie Fields left, the remaining members reformed the band as Tuesdays Children. Paul Kendrick subsequently joined on bass guitar. Tuesday’s Children were signed to E.M.I. in 1966. Their debut single (“When You Walk In The Sand”) was written by Phil Cordell . . . and it was released on the Columbia label . . . in August 1966. . . . [It] was in the [pirate station] Radio London Fab Forty for 2 weeks, no. 39 on 7th August 1966 and at no. 27 on 14th August 1966. . . . Radio London also owned Pall Mall Music who published the Phil Cordell songs that were the first 3 Tuesday’s Children singles. Phil Cordell quit Tuesday’s Children in summer of 1967 and subsequently had solo hits as Springwater. . . .
Mick Ware recalled that “We were on tour with this band — I can’t remember their name — but in this band was a sax player who happened to be a girl. So when we got home, Phil got together with this girl — whom he later married — and left the band and his wife, all at the same time.” (liner notes to the CD comp Strange Light from the East)
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,566) Roek Williams and the Fighting Cats — âIâll Cryâ
Another lost Beatles ballad from ’65? Nope, just another uncanny and irresistible â65 replica, this time by the Dutch Buddy Holly. It reached #40 in the Netherlands.
Ondergewaardeerde Liedjes/Underrated Songs tells us (courtesy of Google Translate):
[Roek] Willemze . . . joined The Fighting Cats [in 1961]. The band attracts attention partly because of the bespectacled singer who therefore has strong similarities with Buddy Holly. The participation in a talent parade results in a radio debut and performances abroad. The first two singles flop, but with “Iâll Cry” they score a hit (one week at number 40 in the Top 40). . . .The successor is the Dutch-language “Kom Terug En Dans Met Mij” (“Youâll Never Walk Alone”) and a justified miss, despite the fact that the guitar work is nice. “Please Donât Go Away” is a perfect example of Merseybeat, but the Netherlands does not warm to it. The boring and indolent “Take Your Time” becomes their biggest hit, but it does not reach higher than the 32nd place. On the advice of Veronica’s Rob Out, they change their name to Roek’s Family and score a big hit with “Get Yourself A Ticket”, which just misses the Top 10. The song is known for its groaning and the repetition of the melody (Ă la “Hey Jude”). A few more singles follow, but the band runs out of steam and splits up. Roek focuses on solo stuff and producing. The band (with Will Luikinga and Richard de Bois) continues as Ginger Ale with singer Koen Merkelbach (ex-Names And Faces, Dean Alan Set and George Cash). Only since then, they do score two big hits (“The Flood”, based on Bizet’s Pearl Fishers) and the bland “Scoobidab”). Roek then makes a single with ex-Masker Jaap de Groot as Mike & Michael. They make four singles in 1971 and 1972, but only “A Star” makes it into the charts (4 weeks with a top at #23).
[The] Amsterdam band [was] founded by the brothers Rick and Frans Beekman. Active between 1961 and 1968. Initially, the sister of the Beekman brothers acts as a singer, but she is soon replaced by singer Roek Williams, known as the Dutch Buddy Holly because of his striking glasses. The first performance with Williams is in the summer of 1961 at a Talent Parade of the Amsterdam Minerva Pavilion. The band plays for the first time on the radio with the popular program De Wigwam. After performances in the Netherlands, Italy, France and Germany, the first single “You Walked Away” is released in 1963, a song that is influenced by the Merseybeat. The Fighting Cats provide the support act for the Dutch tour of the British Tornados. The Dutch single “Kom Back En Dans Met Mij” is released on Polydor, a translation of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. The single did not become a hit and the band made a few more singles for the Delta label with more accessible repertoire. [T]here is still no success, the name is changed to Roek’s Family in 1968. When . . . Roek Willemze leaves Ginger Ale becomes the new band name. . . . Band members: Rook Willemze: vocals, Ronny BĂźhre: bass, Richard De Bois: drums, Rick Beekman: guitar.
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[The Quiet Five] ma[d]e the lower reaches of the U.K. charts . . . releas[ing] half a dozen singles in 1965-1967 (one in the U.S. only) in various styles showcasing their accomplished vocal harmonies. The best of these, their debut, âWhen the Morning Sun Dries the Dew,â [see #676] was written by guitarist/singer Kris Ife for Marianne Faithfull. While it[] . . . would have been appropriate for [her] . . . the Quiet Five ended up releasing it themselves, and it did nudge just inside the British Top 50. . . . Some of their work had fleeting similarities to other pop-oriented acts of the British Invasion, such as the Fortunes, Peter & Gordon, and the Tremeloes, but they never established too strong an identity of their own. . . [T]hey also backed Faithfull on a 1965 EP. . . . Ife left the group in 1967 to record as a solo act with MGM, and is best known for the late-â60s single on which he covered Joe Southâs âHush,â as this was the version that inspired the big cover hit of the same song by Deep Purple.
A London based group of musicians formed the Trebletones in 1961 . . . . Learning there was another Trebletones, [what are the odds of that?!] the group became The Vikings. . . . The Vikingsâ manager, John Smith, had wanted a group he had seen, Patrick Dane and The Quiet Five, to turn professional. The group were not interested in touring, so the entire group was dropped and the Vikings group was brought in as replacements. . . . Kris Ife had written âWhen the Morning Sun Dries the Dewâ for Marianne Faithfull, but the song was considered to have hit potential, and the group were brought to Abbey Road Studios to record it . . . . Upon release, it charted at number 45. A cover of Fats Walkerâs Honeysuckle Roseâ, the second release, failed to chart. âHomeward Boundâ from . . . Simon and Garfunkel . . . followed, but only achieved a chart placing of 44 as it met with competition from Simon and Garfunkelâs own version that went to Number 9. . . . The group moved to CBS records for one last single and then called it quits.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,564) RenĂŠ & His Alligators — âI Can Waitâ
A lost Beatles ballad from ’65? Sounds like it, except it comes from a formerly instrumental Dutch group that was big in the Netherlands. The moral of the song? Girl, don’t worry, RenĂŠ is not going to walk away.
The band’s website notes that (courtesy of Google Translate):
In 1965 it is time for a different approach. RenĂŠ decides to sing his own compositions. The Nederbeat songs released in this year “She Broke My Heart” and “I Can Wait” were even released in England, but unfortunately the sales figures were rather disappointing.
As to RenĂŠ and his Alligators, Renee-Alligators Artists Club tells us (courtesy of Google Translate):
RenĂŠ and his Alligators was founded in 1959 by, according to many . . . the best guitarist in the Netherlands: RenĂŠ Nodelijk. . . . [H]e managed to score many instrumental hits including the radio staples “Guitar boogie” and “In the mood”. The band has taken on several forms in the decades of its existence. . . . The history of this famous band goes back to the mid-fifties; as (The Hague) Rocking Sensation Boys they belong to the first rock ‘n roll groups of the country. The group existed from 1956 to 1959 . . . . In 1959 the[y] became the backing band of Rein de Vries, which led to conflicts. RenĂŠ left the band and formed his own group, The Alligators. . . . As RenĂŠ & his Alligators they participate in a talent show in which the Rocking Sensation Boys and several renowned . . . bands also participate. They win and become formidable competitors . . . . The group consists of: RenĂŠ Nodelijk (guitar), Pim Veeren (bass), Ton van de Graaf (guitar), Richard van de Kraats (drums). In 1960 RenĂŠ Nodelijk is proclaimed ‘Netherlands roughest rocker’ but Tuney Tunes nevertheless states that he is ‘definitely not a hoot’ but studies guitar and violin at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. In that same year the first single appears . . . “So Mad”. In November 1961 the group leaves for West Germany for three months. It does not work out and the group returns home without bassist Pim Veeren, who switches to the Crazy Rockers . . . . He is replaced by Ruud Schoonewelle. Between 1964 and 1967 the line-up changes constantly. . . . In this instrumental era, this legendary band from The Hague had a lot of hits. Especially âGuitar Boogieâ also known as âAlligator Boogieâ has become a standard work in Dutch pop history. In that period up to 1967 they had many more hits: “Limelight”, “Gipsy Rock” (1962) – “Heisser Sand”, “In the Mood”, “Guitar Boogie” (1963) – “La Comparsa”, “Two Guitars”, “My Happiness” (1964) – “Black Swan”, “Dansevise”, “Telstar” (1965) – “Eurovisie Mars”, “12th Street Rag”, “She Broke My Heart” (1966). In 1967 the LP Guitar Boogie is released. . . . In 1977, singer RenĂŠe (the wife of Rene Nodelijk) joined the group and changed the name of the band to RenĂŠe. From 1978 onwards, the group did well and they broke through at home and abroad and were often seen on television with international hits . . . . RenĂŠe opts for a solo career. After a few years, she joins the re-established Alligators, who now operate as RenĂŠe & the Alligators.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,563) The Hellions — âTomorrow Never Comesâ
This “slab of sunshine fun” (Kingsley Abbott, liner notes to the CD comp Ripples, Vol. 1: Look at the Sunshine (British Summer Tyme Pop)) was the second A-side from the Hellions (see # 1,500), a pre-supergroup with future members of Traffic, Spooky Tooth and Family.
Brumbeat tells us of the Hellions:
The Hellions were formed in 1963 when Jim Capaldi . . . got together with guitarists Gordon Jackson [see #1,261] . . . and Dave Mason . . . . The early Hellions line-up tried several bass guitarists before Dave Meredith . . . was chosen . . . . By 1964, the Hellions were becoming well known around Worcester . . . . The[y] âturned professionalâ and accepted an engagement at the famous Star Club in Hamburg, Germany in August of 1964 as backing group to Walsall singer Tanya Day . . . . The working conditions at the club were gruelling but the hard work paid off and the band became a much tighter unit due to the long hours of performing. Sharing the same hotel as the Hellions were fellow Midlanders The Spencer Davis Group [see #1,427] whose young vocalist Steve Winwood, found much in common musically with Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason. Following their return from Germany, The Hellions soon established a reputation as a musically proficient act and they were hired to provide backing to visiting celebrities such as Adam Faith [see #1,274] and Dave Berry [see #554, 778, 887, 955]. By the end of 1964, the group had made the right connections to secure them a residency at the trendy âWhisky-A-Go-Go Clubâ in London. While performing there, The Hellions were seen by visiting American record producer Kim Fowley [see #89, 449] and songwriter Jackie De Shannon [see #1,202] who was at that time writing hits [like âWhen You Walk in the Roomâ] for The Searchers [see #352, 394, 636, 1,278]. Jackie was impressed enough by the group to offer them a song to record and helped to arrange a contract for the Hellions with Piccadilly Records, a subsidiary of Pye. The Hellions first single . . . âDaydreaming Of Youâ, composed by De Shannon, was produced by Kim Fowley . . . . but neither it or two following underrated singles recorded by the band in 1965 managed to reach the charts. . . . The Hellionâs work schedule remained busy and they soon went on a UK tour to back the notorious American vocalist P.J. Proby [see #1,186]. The line-up was increased to five when John âPoliâ Palmer . . . joined the band on drums later in the year which allowed Jim Capaldi more freedom to front the band as their lead vocalist. By 1966 with business expenses mounting, The Hellions moved back to Worcester, but the local music scene had changed while the group were away in London. Their record company issued a final Hellions single . . . but under the group name of The Revolution (the band did not find out about this until after the singleâs release). By this time, Dave Mason had left to play guitar with a few other local groups while earning extra money working as a roadie for The Spencer Davis Group. Undaunted, Jim Capaldi brought guitarist Luther Grosvenor . . . into the line-up and the bandâs name was changed to Deep Feeling . . . .
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Thorâs Hammer was the most notable â60s Icelandic rock band . . . . In part thatâs because they were able to record in London for Parlophone, and even get a solitary 45 released in America in 1967. . . . In the mid- to late â60s, they made quite a few recordings, the best of them in a ferocious mod, British Invasion style reminiscent of the early Who and sub-Who groups like the Eyes. . . . Thorâs Hammer formed as Hlijomar . . . in Keflavik, Iceland, in 1963. In a small, isolated country that didnât even have television in 1963, a rock band of any kind was a novelty. They became extremely popular [there] and began recording for the Icelandic market in 1965, also supporting some visiting British acts on their Icelandic tours. They named themselves Thorâs Hammer for English-sung recordings made in London and released on the Parlophone label.
Their initial releases were sung in their native tongue, but the group and their record company quickly realized that to export the groupâs popularity, they would need to sing in English and adjust the bandâs name accordingly. In late 1965 Thorâs Hammer traveled to England for recording sessions which included ones for tracks that were to be used in an upcoming movie starring the band, called Umbarumbamba. . . . The song was released on an EP, issued in conjunction with the movie in the fall of 1966. The film was something of a flop, however, and the record consequently sold poorly. Though the bandâs popularity was fading in their home country, they pursued their international ambitions with a 1967 single for Columbia Records. However, the single â cut by U.S. session men, with the bandâs vocals added laterâ sank without a trace. In Iceland, the groupâs career . . . eventually recovered and they thrived in a more progressive vein until their final split in 1969.
liner notes to the CD comp Nuggets II (Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969)
Now, Umbarumbamba wasnât a feature â only 15 minutes long, it is a âstylized account of an Icelandic country dance.â (https://www.icelandicfilms.info/films/nr/783) Supposedly, the film has never been screened since. Well, I want to see it! If anyone reading this has done so, let us all know!
I am not sure what Umbarumbamba means â Google Translate tells me that itâs English equivalent is Umbarumbamba.* Maybe one problem here is that Iceland doesn’t have the best international marketers â naming their country Iceland when it is so beautiful while Greenland gets to call itself Greenland (what a joke)! Maybe if they had named it Ummagumma, it would have been a blockbuster.
* Interestingly, Google Translate notes that the word means “thinness” in Nyanja. Wikipedia tells us that “Chewa (also known as Nyanja) is a Bantu language spoken in Malawi and a recognized minority in Zambia and Mozambique.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewa_language)
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The song was produced by Joe Meek. Who was Joe Meek? Little Steven says âWho was the craziest record producer of all time? Joe Meek was his name . . . .â (https://www.undergroundgarage.com/shows-699-690/show-693-joe-meek). See the movie (yes, there was a movie). David Wells tells us that:
[G]roup member Roger Hall . . . recalls that they approached Joe with a demo of their best song, the moody “Little Baby”, penned by their lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player Mickey Stubbs. Meek was so impressed that he became the group’s manager, and the song was rerecorded as their first release. “We couldn’t believe [it[ when Joe played it back to us”, admits Hall. “We never sounded remotely that tight live! Joe was convinced it’d be a hit . . . but it never quite took off.â
liner notes to the CD comp Joe Meek Freakbeat: You’re Holding Me Down: 30 Freakbeat, Mod & R&B Nuggets
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The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,560)TheGolden Earrings — âCall Meâ
Don’t call Debbie Harry, call the Golden Earrings (see #63, 163, 319, 1,215, 1,504)! They gave us this uncannily Beatlesque ballad on their second LP — Winter Harvest — written by founding guitarist George Kooymans. The Earrings are my favorite British beat group . . . from the Netherlands! 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 didnât have the luxury of having Lennon and McCartney donate to the cause. The Earrings have earned a lot of good will in my book â everything that happened in the 70âs is forgiven! As Mark Deming writes:
Golden Earring were hailed as one of the hottest new bands in America when the song âRadar Loveâ . . . was released in 1973. Funny thing was, Golden Earring were hardly a new band; while they werenât well known outside the Netherlands, in their native Holland they were major stars who had been scoring hits for eight years.
[T]he Golden Earrings still sounded like a crack British Invasion-era outfit who had made a wrong turn somewhere when they cut . . . Winter Harvest, but they were inarguably a stronger and more ambitious group a year after releasing their debut. All 14 songs on Winter Harvest were originals (primarily written by bassist Rinus Gerritsen and guitarist George Kooymans) and the stylistic range of this collection is noticeably wider . . . exploring sounds and styles the band had not pursued before. [and t]hey could also rock harder than ever before . . . . The Golden Earrings clearly had the confidence to try new things when they recorded Winter Harvest, and with good reason â they sounded good on Just Earrings, but theyâre tighter and sharper here, hitting a more consistent groove and making the most of the possibilities of the studio. Gerritsen began playing keyboards as well as bass on these recordings, and the added tonal colors serve the material well, and vocalist Frans Krassenburg had picked up a lot of nuance after a year of steady recording and performing. If Just Earrings was [their] Please Please Me, Winter Harvest is their Rubber Soul, an album that masterfully consolidates their old strengths while revealing many new ones. . . . [It] remains impressive more than four decades after it was released.
They were always melodic . . . their music combined the tough chunkiness of The Who and The Kinks with the minor-key, brooding melodies of The Zombies. . . . Where bands like the rough-hewn Outsiders [see #615, 664, 1,218] defined the edgy sound of Amsterdam, the more polished Golden Earrings defined the sound of The Hague. . . . The[ir] roots . . . lie in The Tornados, a band formed by 13-year-old George Kooymans and 15-year-old Marinus Gerritsen in 1962. . . . An instrumental outfit, their repertoire included Shadows and Ventures numbers. . . . The Hague . . . was stuffed with rock ânâ roll bands and competition was tough. . . . [The] boom was fuelled by bands made up from Indonesian immigrants. Indo-Rock had been born. . . . After the British Tornadosâ Telstar became a Dutch hit in late 1962 . . . . the band chose The Golden Earrings, from the standard that Peggy Lee had a hit with in 1948. . . . [B]y the end of 1963, it became clear that the shifting musical climate meant the band would have to incorporate vocals. Frans Krassenburg became their singer in early 1964. . . . The[ir] break came in July 1965 . . . . Freddy Haayen saw the band at their regular venue Club 192 . . . . [and] said he worked for Polydor Records and that he wanted to record them. Actually, he was an architecture student who also worked as a trainee at Polydorâs warehouse. The Golden Earrings didnât know this and duly turned up . . . to record four tracks . . . . Haayen had made good on his bluff and scored a deal with Polydor. Released in September, âPlease Goâ . . . reach[ed] number 10. . . . In September they played with The Who; November saw them teamed up with The Kinks. . . . [T]he band[âs] first album, Just Earrings[, r]eleased [in] November 1965 . . . showcased the bandâs supreme confidence. . . .
The Golden Earrings were riding high in 1966. Their first three singles had been massive Dutch hits, and the previous year had seen the release of their classic debut album . . . . [They] were already making records that should have been heard beyond the borders of their native Holland. . . . Winter Harvest marries a tough mod-beat approach to sensitive minor-key melodies, merging The Small Facesâ kineticism with the moody sensibilities of The Zombies. The sound was unique to The Golden Earrings, a band that carved their own niche from the start While other Dutch legends like Qâ65 [see #108, 557, 913, 1,164, 1,227, 1,356] and The Outsiders were unhinged and freaked-out, The Golden Earrings focused their energies on structure and songwriting. . . . A year [after Just Earrings] they were riding high after three hit singles[, a]ll . . . kinetic numbers that relied on driving rhythms to make their mark. When the next single arrived in late August 1966 it became clear The Golden Earrings were absorbing the new textures that could be applied to pop. . . . [with] âDaddy Buy Me A Girlâ [see #163]. . . . [I]n late November when it was announced that rhythm guitarist Peter de Ronde had left the band. . . . Continuing as a four piece . . . the band immediately began recording . . . Winter Harvest . . . . [which] was a quantum leap. There were no cover versions, and no songs that had already been issued as singles. . . . Overall . . . the sound was of a band that were in total control and utterly confident. . . . They played dates in Stockholm and Hamburg just before the release of Winter Harvest, and also licensed the album to Capitol Records in America. . . . But they didnât find an American audience . . . . Back home, âIn My Houseâ and âSmoking Cigarettesâ were extracted . . . as a single coupling in April 1967. As usual it was another massive Dutch hit. The single was followed by the departure of vocalist Frans Krassenburg. His replacement was Barry Hay, the frontman of Hague band The Haigs [see #138] . . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,559)The Mockingbirds — âHow to Find a Loverâ
Maybe heâs gonna buy you a mockingbird, but he couldnât buy Graham Gouldmanâs [see #226] Mockingbirds a hit. This “very catchy” (HorseMouth, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/the-mockingbirds/how-to-find-a-lover-my-story.p/) “strong, upbeat pop song [is] made distinctive by the stop-and-start arrangement and unusual jangling guitar hook behind the chorus”. (Mike Stax, liner notes to the CD comp Nuggets II:Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969) It was the bandâs final A-side, and “[w]hile Gouldman didn’t write [it], it’s very much suited to his style, and . . . you can probably file it under freakbeat for its garage-y approach and psych-tinged chorus.” (HorseMouth, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/the-mockingbirds/how-to-find-a-lover-my-story.p/) It was written by Peter Cowap, later of Herman’s Hermits (see #300, 613, 639, 841).
Mike Stax tells us:
Graham Gouldman’s worldwide success as a songwriter had completely overshadowed the activities of his own group . . . . While that band continued to release records, Gouldman’s best songs were earmarked for proven hitmakers like The Hollies, Dave Berry, and Herman’s Hermits, and he was embarking on a sporadic solo career. . . . Soon after [“How to Find a Lover”‘s] release, the group disbanded . . . .
liner notes to Nuggets II:Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969
Dave Thompson gives us some history:
The Mockingbirds were formed by Graham Gouldman in late 1964, following the breakup of the earlier Whirlwinds. The lineup included two fellow members of that band, bassist Bernard Basso and guitarist Steve Jacobsen, plus drummer Kevin Godley from another recently disbanded Manchester group, the Sabres. The stage was set for perhaps Britain’s greatest should have but didn’t band of the mid-’60s. Throughout that period, after all, Gouldman was writing some of the most successful and individual hits of the entire decade — but not one of them brought the Mockingbirds success. Their bad luck commenced immediately. Signing to Columbia, the Mockingbirds announced their debut single would be “For Your Love,” a song Gouldman wrote in the changing room of the men’s clothing shop where he worked. Columbia, however, had other ideas; they rejected it in favor of another Gouldman original, taped on the same day, “That’s How It’s Gonna Stay.” It bombed, even as the rejected song resurfaced on the same label, courtesy of the Yardbirds, after Gouldman hand-delivered it to the band in their dressing room at a London gig. A second Mockingbirds single, “I Can Feel We’re Parting,” went nowhere, even as the Yardbirds soared high with further Gouldman compositions “Heartful of Soul” and “Evil Hearted You.” The Hollies scored with his “Look Through Any Window,” but a Mockingbirds single for Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate label, “You Stole My Love,” sank without trace. The group became the regular warm-up band for BBC television’s Top of the Pops, which was then being filmed in Manchester, and Gouldman himself spent more time on the U.K. chart during 1965-1966 than anyone outside of the Beatles/Rolling Stones. Jeff Beck, Cher, the Shindigs, and Herman’s Hermits all recorded, or were preparing to record, Gouldman compositions, with Peter Noone recalling, “Graham wrote “No Milk Today,” “Listen People,” “East West,” “Ooh She’s Done It Again”; he was just a phenomenal songsmith. I mean, everything he played to me, I loved. And it’s the construction. We turned down Carole King songs and Neil Diamond songs, but we never ever turned down a Graham Gouldman song.” He was mystified by the Mockingbirds’ lack of success, and Gouldman himself admits that he was baffled. Signing to Decca, two further singles, “One By One” and “How to Find a Lover,” went nowhere, and Gouldman reflected, “I was writing songs for everybody and anybody, but everything the Mockingbirds recorded was a failure and everything I gave away was a hit. Gradually I realized that the Mockingbirds weren’t going to make it, that there was some vital chemistry lacking.” He broke up the band in mid 1966 and prepared to launch a solo career — he also joined the Mindbenders [see #496, 1,253] for a short time before linking with that band’s Eric Stewart as owners of the Strawberry Studios setup. Drummer Godley, meanwhile, teamed with fellow ex-Sabre Lol Crème in the duo Frabjoy and the Runcible Spoon [see #968, 1,147], before they, too, became part of the Strawberry setup. In 1972, the four then combined as 10cc.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,558)Edwin Starr — âIâm Still a Struggling Manâ
This ’69 A-side by Edwin Starr (see #693) is a “jewel[]” that “feature[s] one of Starr’s most moving vocal performances, and in its lyric was the distant precursor to the musical/social vision that would burst forward full-force on Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Goin On’ — it’s still a love song, but is laced with bitter images and a social awareness that makes it all the more poignant. ” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/25-miles-mw0000653604) It was considered a disappointment sales-wise — reaching #80 (#27 R&B). No Starr âWarâ here!
Steve Huey tells us about Starr:
[Charles Edwin Hatcher] formed a doo wop quintet called the FutureTones while still in high school . . . . but Starr was drafted into the military in 1960, stalling the groupâs momentum. When he returned in 1962 . . . he wound up joining Bill Doggettâs group as a featured vocalist . . . . Two years later, Starr wrote what he felt was a surefire hit in the spy-themed âAgent Double-O-Soul,â and left . . . to sign with Ric Tic Records . . . . [It] hit the R&B Top Ten later in 1965, and just missed the pop Top 20. . . . [He] return[ed] to the Top Ten a year later with âStop Her on Sight (S.O.S.).â Motown head Berry Gordy subsequently bought out Ric Tic and took over its artist roster . . . . Starr [had] his biggest hit yet in 1969âs â25 Miles,â which reached the Top Ten on both the pop and R&B charts. . . . When he returned to the studio, it was with producer Norman Whitfield, whoâd been reinventing the Temptations as a psychedelic soul act. . . . [and] had co-written a strident anti-war protest song, âWar,â for the Temp[tations, but] Motown didnât want the group to take such an aggressive stance. Whitfield recut âWarâ with Starr, and the resulting version was arguably the most incendiary song Motown ever released. It zoomed to the top of the pop charts in 1970 . . . .
Doggettâs manager, Don Briggs, . . invited [Hatcher] to join the combo . . . . After hearing Edwinâs voice, Briggs told him that he would be a star some day and said that he should use the name âStarrâ with the extra ârâ. Starr traveled with Doggettâs organization for two-and-a-half years and gained valuable road experience. âIf youâd done something wrong,â Starr recalled, âBill would play a little riff on his organ, which meant you would be fined five dollars. One night he introduced me as Edwin Starr and played a riff, so I knew my new name would cost me five dollars.â. . .
We had like three or four days off in New York,â [Starr] told writer Bill Dahl. âI went to the movie while I was there, and the movie happened to be Goldfinger . . . . watched the movie like three times, and then went back to my hotel room . . . . I came up with âAgent Double-O-Soulâ.â Starr went to Doggett and told him that he wanted to record his new song, but Doggett didnât think he was ready for a solo career and advised him to wait a year. âI said to him, I canât wait a yearâ, Starr recalled to Dahl. . . . [â]itâll be old hat.â Convinced that his secret agent song was a surefire hit, Starr quit Doggettâs group . . . . [It] went all the way to # 8 on the Billboard R&B chart and reached # 21 on the Hot 100. . . .
During the 1980âs, Starr moved to England where he was a hero on the Northern Soul circuit.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
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Piero Umiliani isn’t nearly as well known as Ennio Morricone or Nino Rota, in part because the films he scored haven’t been widely seen outside Italy. But he was also an Italian soundtrack composer who was prolific during the ’60s and ’70s . . . . Umiliani’s . . . [scores are characterized by] unpredictable, imaginative eclecticism. . . . favor[ing] the playful, whimsical side more than Morricone and some other high-profile Italian film composers do. There’s a collision of elements that most listeners would think rare to find used in combination with each other, like go-go jazz, cheesy organ, dreamy European easy listening music, and bits of pieces from mariachi, twangy rock guitar, spy themes, chirpy (sometimes downright goofy) incidental vocals, and what would later come to be known as space age bachelor pad grooves. . . . [I]tâs consistently entertaining and grin-provoking . . . .
Umilianiâs website tells us of his life (courtesy of Google Translate):
Piero Umiliani was born in Florence . . . [in] 1926. . . . At sixteen, he began [working] for the daily newspaper Il Nuovo Giornale di Firenze, an experience that brought him satisfaction but also some trouble when in an article he praised American jazz music, which at the time was opposed and defined at best as “negroid”. Maestro Pippo Barzizza, who in those years broadcast American hits on Radio Firenze, passing them off as Italian songs with invented titles, read the article and wanted to compliment the author, obviously in great secrecy. [At t]he appointment . . . a very excited Piero would listen to Maestro Barzizza conduct “Il Ruggito della Tigre” which was none other than the famous “Tiger Rag” . . . . [His] career as a reporter was abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. . . . [He] preferred to tune in to Switzerland whose national radio dedicated half an hour every evening to Duke Ellington. The passion was born, but getting those records . . . was almost impossible, to the point that many shopkeepers would chase away the kids who dared to ask for “that rubbish”. In 1944, with the arrival of the Allies, he found work as an improvising pianist in a club frequented by Americans . . . . Having graduated in law in 1948 from the University of Florence . . . to respect his parents’ wishes . . . he enrolled at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory where he graduated in Counterpoint and Fugue in 1952. . . . His closeness to the Americans and the discovery of their music made a decisive contribution to his training as a jazz pianist and in 1951 he moved to Milan several times to record two albums . . . the first in bebop style ever recorded in Italy. . . . In 1954 Piero and other jazzist friends left for Norway where they played for over six months in the clubs of Oslo. The Masseglias jazz band . . . gains a certain notoriety . . . . [He] returned to Florence . . . and then moved to Rome, encouraged also by Claudio Gambarelli, the first publisher to print pieces of his compositions for jazz bands. The capital of Italy (…and of Italian cinema) welcomed him in the best way. The brothers Paolo and Emilio Taviani entrusted him with the music for their documentary Pittori in CittĂ , the first experience of music for images for the musician. . . . In 1958 the director Mario Monicelli contacted him for the composition of the soundtrack of the film I Soliti Ignoti. . . . the first Italian soundtrack entirely in jazz. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the foreign language film section and . . . a new era began for Umiliani and for the world of soundtracks. The red thread between jazz, cinema and the Florentine maestro continues with titles such as L’Audace Colpo dei Solti Ignoti (1958), where Chet Baker ‘s trumpet bursts in[,] with Smog (1962) again with Baker and the great vocalist Helen Merrill, Una Bella Grinta with Gato Barbieri ‘s sax and Accattone by Pier Paolo Pasolini. . . . Umiliani’s versatility leads him to confront all musical styles working with great directors for films of all genres. Thus came the music for Il Vigile (1958) by Luigi Zampa with Alberto Sordi, A Cavallo della Tigre (1962) by Luigi Comencini with Nino Manfredi, La Celestina PR by Carlo Lizzani in 1964. In that same year Umiliani, who had just won the critics’ award for best Italian jazz album with Piccola Suite Americana, founded the Omicron record label with which he produced the first three . . . in a long series of soundtracks . . . intended for use as background music for radio and television productions. . . . Between the end of the 60s and throughout the 70s Umiliani worked on films that are now cult films such as 5 Bambole per la Luna d’Agosto . . . La Ragazza dalla Pelle di Luna . . . and Svezia, Inferno e Paradiso . . . for which Umiliani composed the famous “Mah NĂ Mah NĂ ”, up to La Pupa del Gangster with the excellent couple Marcello Mastroianni and Sofia Loren . . . . Since the time of his first recording successes the maestro began to work for radio and television. . . . [H]e hosted the programs Moderato Swing (1961) and Fuori l’Orchestra (1963) which brought jazz into all Italian homes . . . . And it was television that made Umiliani climb the charts all over the world when “Mah NĂ Mah NĂ ” became the theme song for the famous . . . Muppets Show in 1969 . . . by Jim Henson.Â
Wikipedia includes an excerpt from Umiliani’s diary (courtesy of Google Translate):
In the 1940s I lived in Florence. One day I saw a record in a little shop called Hot & Bothered published by a New York label. In Italy, at the time, nobody knew who Duke Ellington was and listening to that kind of music was forbidden, illegal, to the point that if you were discovered you could even end up in jail! The war broke out and I remember that every time I played Mood Indigo on the piano I told myself that it was the most beautiful piece of music ever written. Such a sweet melody, so different from everything I had listened to and played until then… When, finally, the American troops arrived in Florence they brought the V-discs. That’s how I discovered the rhythm and the sound of this music.
Oh, Umiliani wrote “Bob and Hellen” (and the rest of the soundtrack) for the apparently forgettable (except for the music) 1969 Italian/German private detective film La Morte Bussa Due Volte/Blonde KĂśder fĂźr den MĂśrder/Death Knocks Twice. Janiojala explains:
In it, a wealthy businessman, Francesco Villaverde, who suffers from mental issues, strangles Mrs. Ferretti, the beautiful wife of another businessman, on a beach after they make love. The murder is witnessed by two criminals who then blackmail Francescoâs wife to get some property they desire from her. Two private eyes try to prove that Francesco murdered the woman on the beach, so they use a young blonde (the daughter of one of the detectives) to pose as bait for Francesco to kill. An obscure soundtrack to an obscure Italian-German crime thriller from just the end of the decade. (And not a very critically lauded thriller either). . . . [T]he album itself . . . do[es] everything right. . . . Itâs a soundtrack that I am just endlessly enthralled by, without-fail every time that I put it on.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,556)Powder — âGrimbley Leitchâ
(see #789)
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, 967), these two Who-obsessed brothers had ignited Powder (as in gunpowder), the first and greatest U.S. Who-inspired mod band, and gave us another of the great lost albums of the 1960s. Notice a trend here? “Grimbley Leitch” is a power pop psych gem that “possess[es] an unbridled energy and sense of fun”, being “a tongue in cheek tribute to Ray Columbus; the line about bagpipes refers to ‘I Would Rather Blow a Bagpipe’, the Kiwi singer’s poor attempt at a novelty hit.” (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp biff! bang! powder)
Mark Deming gives us the story:
After the Beatles broke big in America in 1964, plenty of young American rockers began following the lead of their peers in the U.K., and very few did so with greater enthusiasm than Powder, a California-based combo whose explosive style was rooted in their enthusiasm for the Who, the Small Faces, the Creation . . . . [G]uitarist Richard Martin, aka Richard Frost, . . grew up in San Mateo, California, not far from San Francisco. Frost became a rock & roll fan at an early age, and had already played in a handful of local acts with his brother Thomas Martin (aka Tom Frost) when the British Invasion struck in 1964. The Frost Brothers formed a band called the Newcastle Five, whose jangly style was informed by the new British sounds and early folk-rock. The Newcastle Five were playing clubs in San Francisco when they were spotted by Ray Columbus, a rock & roll singer from New Zealand who had come to the United States in hopes of advancing his career. Colombus invited the Newcastle Five to be his backing band, and the new combo took on a new name, the Art Collection. . . . and released [with Columbus] a fine example of fuzztone proto-punk, âKick Me,â [see #1,014] in 1966 . . . Columbus didnât stay with the group long, and as the first waves of the San Francisco psychedelic sound began to appear, the Frost Brothers relocated to Los Angeles in search of an audience for their louder, wilder sounds. . . . [They] caught a lucky break in 1967 when they were hired to be Sonny & Cherâs backing group for a nationwide tour. In addition to a well-paying road gig, th[is] . . . gave the[m] connections with Sonny Bono, who had launched his own music production concern, Progress Production Company, with producer Denis Pregnolato. . . . Progress signed them to a deal, and the group cut an album . . . with Bono and Pregnolato as producers, that they planned to lease to Atco Records. However, the deal went sour when Progress demanded the publishing rights to the songs, and the album was shelved. Powder soon broke up . . . .
Crescendo follows crescendo, and power chord follows power chord. For The Who, âI Can see for Milesâ was the apex of this style. But this is not The Who. Instead, it is a band from California called Powder whose shelved album from 1968 was crammed with thrilling, British-influenced gems. . . . [that] filtered a British sensibility through an American outlook. . . . Martin confirms that âwe were Who fanatics and got hold of the My Generation album before it was released in the States. People used to think we were from Britain because of our stage attire.â
And Alec Palao provides a vivid description: âRich and Tom read the British mags like Rave, dressed in dandified threads brought directly from Carnaby Street . . . dug the latest hip UK sounds on import-only singles and albums . . . . and were forever being asked by fans whether or not they were from England.â (liner notes to the Biff! Bang! Powder CD comp)
Oh, what could have been. Derek Anderson:
Sonny Bono pitched the potential album to the wrong man. Sonny choose to take Powderâs recording to Atlantic Recordsâ Ahmet Erteugen. However, he was better known for jazz, R&B and soul. Only later, would Atlantic Records become a rock label. . . . So, itâs no wonder . . . Erteugen didnât show any interest . . . . Following the disappointment of the recording sessions, Sonny and Cherâs management team decided to concentrate on Chastity, a film starring Cher. Powder were meant to contribute some of the music. However, in early 1969, drummer Bill Schoppe quit . . . . decid[ing] to wander down the spiritual path that was proving popular in San Francisco. . . . Powderâs biggest mistake was turning down Mercury Records to sign for Sonny and Cherâs management team. That must have seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime. It proved not to be the case.
All itâs possible to think is âhow did a band this great, this melodic and this potent escape attention at the time?â . . . After looking at their contemporary context, it becomes clear why Powder didnât attract widespread attention. They simply didnât fit in. . . . Rich Martin (later Frost) declares âwe revelled in not conforming to the San Francisco sound â it was a badge of honour and a bit of rebellion against what was popular.â . . . Powder played San Francisco but werenât part of the ballroom scene. They were suburban and definitely not hippies. . . . Musically, the San Francisco narrative for 1967 was . . . dominated by lengthy songs, jamming and a general looseness. . . . The kinetic, sharp-edged Powder were something else. Their heads were filled with neon visions of a concise mod-pop rather than notions of soundtracking journeys to inner space.
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One of Neil Young’s most beautiful and graceful early compositions, “Expecting to Fly” was indeed a surprise to many listeners, especially juxtaposed along such scathing compositions as “Mr. Soul.” Young’s sense of craft and the ability to accurately convey the bittersweet emotions of the end of a relationship are positively spellbinding. Built around extremely simple and subtle chord changes, and a melody and feel that recall the early work of Tim Hardin (both Stills and Young were huge fans), it’s one of Young’s finest early works. Recorded with session arranger Jack Nitzsche during one of the periods when Young had temporarily left the Springfield, it was and is (for all intents and purposes) his first solo work. The recording and Nitzsche’s string arrangement (which has been described as “Phil Spector on acid”) fit the song’s grandeur and sense of grace perfectly. Young was to explore similar emotional avenues with orchestral arrangements down the road, but “Expecting to Fly” is possibly his finest work in this idiom.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify — now over 1,000 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
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He had a vivid imagination and heard things in his mind that he could only bring to the surface with the help of others. If any one was singing off key he would know immediately and anyone who was tone deaf would never have known this. Joe could sing but he was not a very good singer as he would often waver and go off key. . . . “Too Much in Love to Hear” actually came out very well. Dave Watts put a very nice jazzy almost old world feel to his piano parts, Pete Holder put in a nice typical Shadows style solo and together with jazzy style drumming and a good bass line, I put down the vocal and played rhythm guitar.
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelationsđ 