THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,256)The Beatles — âIf Youâve Got Troubleâ
The Beatles song that many Beatlemaniacs love . . . to hate, but I love it! John and Paul wrote it for Ringo to sing for the Help! album but “[t]hat the song wasnât working as planned can be heard in Ringoâs desperate call before the guitar solo: ‘Ah, rock on â anybody!'” (The Beatles Bible, https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/if-youve-got-trouble/)
Beatles know-it-all (in the best way!) Mark Lewisohn says that “[t]he Beatles captured the basic track . . . in a single take and then lead and backing vocals were overdubbed, but the overall sound did not gel” (liner notes to The Beatles Anthology 2) and that it was “not one of the better LennonâMcCartney numbers … nor was it brilliantly performed.” (The Beatles Recording Sessions) It didn’t see the (official) light of day until Anthology 2.
George Harrison said “Weâve just come across that, and itâs the most weird song. Iâve no recollection of ever recording it. Itâs got stupid words and is the naffest song. No wonder it didnât make it onto anything.” (The Beatles Anthology)
Ian MacDonald said the song is âa the only unmitigated disaster in the LennonâMcCartney catalogue”! (Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties)
The Beatles Bible says it “bears the unfortunate hallmarks of the two songwriters going through the motions: uninspired lyrics about diamond rings, ‘money and things’, references to Starrâs haplessness (his persona within the groupâs early years was that of an amiable clown), and a tune which was less than inspired.” (https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/if-youve-got-trouble/)
They could at least have given it to Billy J. Kramer! Itâs like your mother used to tell you, donât throw away good food, theyâre starving in . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,255)Bobby Jameson — âWindows and Doorsâ
Supercatchy sunshine pop produced by Curt Boettcher, with two more catches: the lyrics are profound and the singer/songwriterâs life was tragic.
Richie Unterberger says of the song that it âbears an early Love influenceâ and of the LP Color Him In that:
[I]t’s much more a Californian-sounding, faintly psychedelic-speckled pop/rock record than a British Invasion one. Produced by Curt Boettcher, it’s an odd LP . . . [for] its strange juxtaposition of 1966-1967 rock styles. Jameson writes intense songs of soul-searching and questioning, yet the tunes are dressed up in rather normal good-time Southern California pop/rock arrangements, with cheerful female backing vocals that verge on the too-chipper, sometimes to the point of annoyance [not to me!] At times, his sly, mind-rushing-to-keep-pace-with-the-tongue lyrics recall early Arthur Lee . . . . It’s an interesting, but not terribly interesting [yes, terribly interesting!] mildly eccentric pop/rock album with a dash of flower power.
The [LP] is co-produced by Boettcher, as well as Jim Bell and Steve Clark. All three producers part of the Los Angeles music scene along with Bobby. Color Him In conveys a sound of sweetness with Jamesonâs soulful voice, but the songs also have slicked backup singing. There is tension between the backup singing and Jamesonâs lead. It conveys a lightness but with an undercurrent of dread and anxiety. There are traces of Forever Changes by Love within the songs, and there are intense Arthur Lee-like vocalisms throughout the album. . . . [T]his record refuses to leave, and layers of meaning or sounds come through repeated listening.
“Color Him In” was a psychedelic work of the times. Much of what is on the record was inspired by LSD, Vietnam, and the Peace Movement. The overall context was freedom from the establishment or so we thought. It was basically a concept album, but most of the music’s conceptual arrangements were Curt’s. Songs I wrote like “See Dawn” dealt with duality. “What goes up must come down.” The lyric “See dawn, see dawn the setting sun” attempts to look at things from opposite ends of a single spectrum simultaneously. These pairs of opposites run throughout the work. Curt Boettcher was delighted by this kind of lyric. My words and melodies, according to Curt at the time, were like a playground for his arrangements. He would take the demos I made of me and a guitar, and arrange vocal harmonies and instrumentation around them. He would come up with entire arrangements based on a specific lick or chord progression of mine. . . . Another problem we encountered in making Color Him In was that Curt Boettcher was trying to finish up an album with The Association at the same time. The Association wanted to produce themselves and argued with Boettcher all the time about who had the final say. So as you can imagine we were never just concentrating on one thing. We were always arranging time to suit numerous demands made by several different entities. This tended to make Curt crazy and unable to do what he wanted on some of our work. . . . Curt was surrounded by people who all became friends of mine, like Michele O’Malley, Jim Bell, and Lee Mallory. . . . At one point I moved into a house with all of these people and we tried living together but it proved too difficult in the long run. Too many dominant personalities in one place. Working together was one thing, living together was another. Curt and I were very close friends while we worked on “Color Him In.” We were never anymore or less than friends. Those of you who are familiar with Curt’s personal life can put your questions away. Curt and I were good friends. We liked working together and we inspired each other.
West Coast folk-rocker Bobby Jameson is best known — or, perhaps, not known at all — for Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest [see #219] the sought-after cult LP he recorded under the alias Chris Lucey. . . . Jameson cut his debut single, “I Wanna Love You,” for the Talamo label in early 1964. The record was a regional hit, and even earned him an appearance on American Bandstand. Although the follow-ups . . . went nowhere, Jameson nevertheless captured the attention of Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham, and in late 1964 he flew to London to record the Decca single “All I Want Is My Baby,” co-written by Oldham and . . . Keith Richards . . . . After a 1965 one-off for the Brit imprint, “I Wanna Know,” Jameson returned to Los Angeles, where he befriended producer Marshall Lieb. . . . [who] was in the midst of helming the debut Surrey Records release by folkie Chris Ducey, but with the album covers already printed and the disc ready to ship, contractual snafus forced the project into limbo. Lieb coerced Jameson into writing and recording a new batch of tunes based on Ducey’s existing song titles, and after some creative tinkering with the cover art, [the album] — now credited to Chris Lucey and, for reasons unknown, featuring a photo of Rolling Stone Brian Jones — finally hit retail. Promoted via what was then the most expensive and lavish Billboard advertising supplement ever printed, the album — a deeply idiosyncratic psych-folk opus . . . proved a commercial flop . . . . Jameson did not resurface until mid-1966, releasing “Gotta Find My Roogalator” — arranged by Frank Zappa . . . . He then signed to Verve, where the Our Productions team of Curt Boettcher, Jim Bell, and Steve Clark helmed his 1967 LP Color Him In. That same year, Jameson also appeared in the infamous American International Pictures documentary Mondo Hollywood . . . . A 1969 album for GRT, Working!, proved Jameson’s swan song. During the ’70s, his frustrations with the music industry manifested themselves in substance abuse and two suicide attempts. . . . After he left the music business in 1985, he lived so quietly with his mother in San Luis Obispo County, California that many thought he was dead. He didn’t resurface until 2003, when he learned that Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest had been reissued unbeknownst to him . . . .
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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 750 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
1,254)Dick Hyman — âThe Moog and Meâ
Dick Hyman (see #798) put America in the mood to Moog, and put Beck in the mood to whistle. âSwitched-on pop for âcounterâ revolution!âÂ
The Candyman writes:
Years ago, Dick Hyman established himself as a whistler when he made the first hit recording of “Mack the Knife”. The tune then was still known by its original title, “Moritat”, and Dick’s whistling gave it a fascinatingly, exotically lonely feeling. On “The Moog and Me” . . . he whistles and plays both piano and the synthesizer, accompanied by the Maestro Rhythm [drum machine] unit. âThis,” he said, “is the ultimate attempt to humanize the Moog.” Notice the series of timbre changes he achieves in the synthesizer, somewhat similar to the effect that Jimi Hendrix used to get by using the wah-wah pedal on his guitar. And listen, too, to the breaks that [he] takes by turning off his rhythm unit briefly. This is done with a foot pedal. “With the Rhythm Unit you get perfect time,” [Hyman] commented, “but it has no initiative. Of course, this has its advantages. It doesn’t talk back to you and it doesn’t insist on having its own solos.” Some elements from this track, most notably the whistle that serves as the lead-in, were sampled by Beck for the song “Sissyneck” on his 1996 album “Odelay”.
The Electric Eclectics Of Dick Hyman is one of the great early Moog synthesizer records following the groundbreaking instrumentâs use at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967 and Wendy Carlosâ top-selling Switched On Bach. A master keyboard player, Hyman said his âobjective [was] to humanize electronic music as well as to humorize it and to play it as a full performance instead of a collection of unearthly sounds.â Cheeky whistling sounds, lounge instruments, and soundtrack arrangements meet electric drum, pads, basslines, laser tones, and futuristic lead lines from the legendary space age Moog synthesizer. Recorded all the way back in 1969, the album holds up surprisingly well placed up to modern synth recordings. . . .
[T]he now legendary âThe Minotaurâ . . . was the track . . . which got picked up by radio stations months earlier and was fundamental to the success of the . . . album, becoming the very first single featuring a Moog synthesizer to chart. . . .
Dick Hyman was already on his way to becoming a musical legend by 1968, and it had nothing to do with the Moog modular synthesizer. Having established himself as a jazz and studio keyboardist, arranger, and composer, he found himself thrust into yet another role â that of pioneering electronic musician. At the time, Hyman was extremely busy as a session musician for Enoch Lightâs Command label, known for its adventurous recordings of instrumental music and exotic arrangements. Hymanâs New York recording sessions for Command and other companies kept him busy for many years as a pianist, organist, arranger, and occasional player, as needed, of other keyboards. Then along came Bob Moogâs synthesizer. When producer Enoch Light . . . heard the Moog, he knew that it had to become a part of the new sound of Command Records. Before long, Light had the most remarkable keyboard player in his organization sitting in front of the Moog to see what would happen, and the results are now part of recorded music history. . . . Many early Moog experimenters viewed the synthesizer primarily as a special effects machine. But Hyman, like a select few of his contemporaries . . . recognized the musical potential of this instrument. . . . the unique tonalities that one could coax from it. . . . His mastery of Hammond and Lowrey organs also gave him insight into how to shape and play intriguing sounds with an electronic instrument. . . . [After] reportedly spending 70 hours crafting the album in the studio, Command unleashed Hymanâs first LP of electronic jazz pop. . . . Electric Eclectics was âSwitched-on pop for âcounterâ revolution!â Hyman had the first chart-making single using a Moog synthesizer, âThe Minotaurâ . . . . Hyman . . . partnered with audio technician Walter Sear . . . Bob Moogâs New York sales and technical representative. Sear worked with Hyman by programming the Moog patches and engineering the multi-track recordings. Often Hyman would suggest a kind of sound and the two would explore patches until they found what they liked. . . . [â]Walter would suggest registrations or tone productions which were new to me; sometimes I would ask him for settings comparable to my experience as an organist.â . . . Hyman, working with Sear, approached each session as one of exploration. Some pieces were totally improvised in this fashion. When Sear had presented a new and intriguing sound, Hyman would work out a melody or pattern, and then build the piece on successive tracks. The âcompositionâ per se was the multi-track recording itself, not a page of written music. Other pieces were based on compositions by Hyman, newly created for the album, or in some cases older works re-arranged for the new tonal universe offered by the Moog modular. . . .
A very versatile virtuoso, Dick Hyman . . . . worked with Red Norvo . . . and Benny Goodman . . . and then spent much of the 1950s and â60s as a studio musician. He appears on the one known sound film of Charlie Parker (Hot House from 1952); recorded honky tonk under pseudonyms; played organ and early synthesizers in addition to piano; was Arthur Godfreyâs music director . . ; collaborated with Leonard Feather on some History of Jazz concerts (doubling on clarinet), and even performed rock and free jazz; but all of this was a prelude to his later work. In the 1970s, Hyman played with the New York Jazz Repertory Company, formed the Perfect Jazz Repertory Quintet . . . and started writing soundtracks for Woody Allen films.
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This Graham Gouldman track was the band’s last U.K. single before disintegrating (Gouldman had recently joined the band . . . ). A Mindbenders CD I have states that the band were cutting this track at Olympic studios when Mick  Jagger (who was working on Beggars Banquet at the studio) strolled in and said “Why are you singing this shit?” Regardless of Sir Mick’s assessment this number is a decent candy floss type pop-psych song with some great pop hooks, strings and groovy harmonies.
Remaining together following the departure of frontman Wayne Fontana, the Mindbenders got off to one of the most promising starts any band could enjoy, when their debut single âA Groovy Kind of Loveâ soared to number two in the U.K. and topped the chart in America. And had the group only succeeded in locating a decent follow-up, they might well have developed into one of the finest British bands of the late â60s. Instead, a series of disastrous choices of 45s condemned them to the ranks of rank also-rans, and it is only later that the sheer quality of their other work â material hitherto lost on two Mindbenders LPs â had been re-evaluated sufficiently to let listeners state that here was one of the greatest of all Britainâs post-beat bands. A Groovy Kind of Love album totally failed to capitalize on the success of its title track, floundering to a lowly number 92 . . . . The Mindbenders made their final American tour in July 1966 . . . . Fighting hard to keep abreast of the changing currents, the Mindbenders next embarked on their most audacious yet strangely prescient move yet, a full-blown concept album. No matter that, several months before Sgt. Pepper . . . nobody had even heard of concept albums, the Mindbendersâ With Woman in Mind remains a gem in that genre. . . . Unreleased in America, it did little anywhere else and disappeared as quickly as the accompanying single . . . . The group was invited to contribute two songs to the soundtrack of Sidney Potierâs movie To Sir, With Love . . . . Unfortunately, not even major celluloid exposure could break the groupâs run of bad luck. . . . By the end of the year, the band was reduced to recording covers of current American hits, which could be rush released in Britain in the hope of beating out the original. . . . The Mindbenders made one final stab at reversing their fortunes, re-recording âSchoolgirlâ and pulling out every psychedelic rock trick in the book [see #496]. A BBC ban . . . kept the single a good armâs length from either the radio or the charts . . . . [I]n March 1968, [bassist] Bob Lang quit . . . . [and] was replaced by Graham Gouldman, in which form the band cut one final single “Uncle Joe, the Ice Cream Man.” The Mindbenders then broke up, calling it a day . . . . [Eric] Stewart and Gouldman, however, would continue working together, first as partners in the newly launched Strawberry Studios, then as one half of 10cc.
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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 750 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
1,252) Them â âCould You, Would Youâ
Before Van Morrison (see #188, 253) was Van the Man, he was Them. The opening track from Them their second album “combine[s] beautifully constructed lyrics with blues and soul in [an] enduring song[] that vibrate[s] and pulsate[s] with feverish R&B fervor.” (Hal Horowitz, https://americansongwriter.com/them/) It is “a moody and brutal beginning [to the LP]. Love that Van vocal growl and the band sounds inspired behind him.” (https://www.allmusicbooks.com/amb-blog/them-again)
Jack Rabid writes that:
Morrison was well on the road to his later genius when he penned “Could You, Would You” . . . . True, his material could stand to rock & roll more, just as the Yardbirds held fast to Chicago blues but made their beat stomp. But still he comes on like some swamp-dwelling, moonshine-drinking, big man on the prowl. Them were raw and ready, and . . . they are an eerie thing of bluesy beauty.
Morrison recalls that “Would You” “had nothing to do with any Them lineup whatsoever. [It was] me with session musicians for what was supposed to be my solo record. In fact, I actually wrote [the song] when I was with the Manhattan Showband prior to Them existing.” (liner notes to the CD comp The Complete Them: 1964-1967)
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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 750 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
1,251) The ChĆb* — âWe’re Pretty Quickâ
This ’67 B-side is “pure punk genius” with “a breathtakingly frantic pace and one of the more bizarrely entertaining lyrics of the era” (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60s Garage Collection), an “organ thumper with attitude and swagger to spare from Albuquerque, NM teens”. (liner notes to the CD comp Teenage Shutdown: I’m a No-Count: 19 Top Teen Punk Stomp Classics!) “‘Put your love in a bag and swing it round your head…’ Every other music lyric is now vying to be the SECOND greatest of all time”! (johnprestigiacomo2134, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM7mxugAG1o)
Alec Palao writes:
For all its novelty . . . the arrangement . . . bore a couple of classic hallmarks of the garage band style. For instance, the guitar breakâs lengthy, unmodulating crescendo was something commonly adapted by many combos of the time from the Yardbirdsâ influential and much-covered “Mister Youâre A Better Man Than I.” And the sound at the very end of the record is that of [the] organist . . . switching off his Farfisa whilst holding down a note, providing the odd high pitched sucking sound that can be heard at the climax of several garage discs. Sadly, that was the last we were to hear from this inspired aggregation.
liner notes to Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60s Garage Collection
This single by “five Albuquerque, New Mexico teenagers – Dick Hanson (vocals) Quinton Miller (guitar), Robbie Crnich (organ), Keith Bradshaw (bass) and Dave Elledge (drums)” was issued as “a small pressing in April 1967 on Southwest rock maven Lindy Blaskeyâs Lavette label, barely sold at the time, and is now considered a prize rarity.” (Alec Palao, liner notes to Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60s Garage Collection)
Bart Bealmear notes that:
Snotty garage rock from the â60s is a genre that causes collectors to drool with delight, and one such record, a 45 by the Albuquerque band the Chob . . . is among the holy grails. It isnât known for certain how many copies Lavette pressed . . . but Alec [Palao] believes it is likely in the 200-300 copies range, definitely not more than 500…. Itâs on Amazon and the asking price is $4,200.
* “[W]hat is a chob, you ask? Apparently the bandâs codeword for a pimple.” (Alec Paleo, liner notes to Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60s Garage Collection)
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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 750 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
One song so great it couldnât just be one song, so it became three â in â66 by Ray Sharpe, in â67 by Aretha Franklin, and in â69 by King Curtis. Curtis â the great saxophonist, writer, band leader and producer â was the connection between all three and the provider of the groove.
1,248) Ray Sharpe â âHelp Me (Get the Feeling)â
Ray Sharpe said that he was playing “Gloria” with the house band at the Galaxy in L.A. King Curtis and Cornell Dupree were there and Cornell “kept hearing something else as opposed to what I was singing” so they basically rewrote “Gloria” to come up with “Help Me” . . . . Given that Ray and Cornell came up with the tracks I’m sure Jimi Hendrix is there in a supporting not lead role and that the guitar break is by Cornell Dupree.
Ray Sharpe’s biggest and only hit, “Linda Lu,” only made it to number 46 on the Billboard charts and his music doesn’t fit into any convenient categories. He is that anomaly of anomalies, an African-American who made records that sounded like a hillbilly doing rock & roll and pop tunes. Sharpe could pick some pretty bluesy guitar and had a way of vocalizing and stuttering and stretching out syllables with a twang that would have given even Jim Nabors a moment of pause. But producer Lee Hazlewood [see #48, 269, 451, 702] sure knew how to get the best out of him . . . . [His] diverse but cool material . . . deserves a much wider hearing.
Described . . . as “the greatest white-sounding black dude ever,” Sharpe’s style encompasses all the best elements of early rock ‘n’ roll. As a singer-songwriter, he has mined Chuck Berry-type humor from the situations and wordplay in his songs. As a guitarist, he alternates snarling single note Albert King guitar bends with with twangy, free-flowing rockabilly. . . . The Sharpe family lived near a seedy bar called Cocoanut Grove. Undaunted by the bar’s tough reputation, young Ray talked the owner into letting him play and sing for tips. He proved so popular that he was repeatedly asked back . . . . Forming a band called Ray Sharpe and the Blues Wailers, he built up a good circuit of blues and rock gigs in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. . . . Among Sharpe’s early supporters were “Crying in the Chapel” tunesmith Artie Glenn and his son Darrel . . . . Impressed by his Penguin Club performances . . . . [they produced] two strong demos . . . . [which t]he senior Glenn circulated . . . to music industry contacts, finally securing meaningful interest from independent producers Lester Sill and Lee Hazelwood. . . . âThat’s the Way I Feel[]â and . . . âOh My Baby’s Gone[]â . . . is regarded . . . as inspired Chuck Berry-styled rockabilly, blessed with the feel of Texas blues. However, in 1958 the Dot Records’ subsidiary Hamilton Records was unable to sell the disc to the public. Sill and Hazelwood still had faith in their young singer, and called him back to do the four-song session that was destined to jumpstart his career. . . . He needed one more song to fill out the session. âWhen I wrote ‘Linda Lu’ back in the 1950s, I didn’t think much of it . . . . A buddy of mine named Mike had asked me to write a song about his girlfriend, Linda, who used to come into the club to dance.” . . . After playing the song in clubs, the singer forgot about it[. Then] . . . Lee Hazelwood . . . asked me if I had one more song to make four, and I was stuck. So I started playing ‘Linda Lu” for him.” âLinda Lu,” with it’s half-stuttered phrasing and rhythmic guitar hook, was the perfect teen rocker. . . . Dick Clark began playing “Linda Lu” on his American Bandstand TV program . . . . [and] the record rose to number 46 on the pop charts and number eleven on the R&B charts. . . . Despite a strong rapport with producers Sill and Hazelwood, Sharpe was never able to conjure a follow-up hit to “Linda Lu.” . . . Sharpe returned to the Texas bar scene, where he earned a steady living playing his danceable mix of rock and blues. . . . The Texas blues explosion of the late 1970s and early 1980s, headed up by the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan, threw a fresh spotlight on Sharpe’s work.
In late January of 1967, Aretha began work on her Atlantic Records debut at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals Alabama. . . . [T]he sessions broke up as a result of some legendary chaos involving Arethaâs husband Ted, a horn player, and Fameâs Rick Hall. After things simmered, Aretha, Jerry, and the Muscle Shoals musicians reconvened in New York City . . . . [T]he first and only record completed that first day was âSave Me.â Saxophonist King Curtis also joined the group in New York, and his presence had a transformative effect on the sessions. . . . Itâs his saxophone work that can be heard between verses on âSave Meâ (during these sessions he also laid down the sax solo on Arethaâs âRespectâ). King Curtis is also the reason that âSave Meâ exists. According to Arethaâs autobiography Aretha: From These Roots, King Curtis is the one who wrote âSave Me.â Aretha and her sister Carolyn apparently added some little bits, and âbeing a generous gentleman, (Curtis) gave Carolyn and (Aretha) credit for (their) minor contributions.â In reality, âSave Meâ is based on a record called âHelp Meâ that Curtis wrote with Ray Sharpe and Cornell Dupree . . . . [I]f the Muscle Shoals sessions hadnât broken up, Curtis may not have joined the sessions and Arethaâs version of this cut might not exist. . . . [M]usically âSave Meâ is a bare bones record that repeats those aforementioned 3 chords over and over again primarily on the guitar and bass, with percussion filling out the instrumentation. Curtisâ sax and the other horns break up the verses, which create the illusion that thereâs more to the record. But in actuality itâs the most musically simplistic record on I Never Loved A Man. Itâs also the sole record on the LP where Aretha isnât accompanying herself on the piano . . . . Aretha carries âSave Meâ completely solo. It lacks background vocals or vocal layering, which elevated many of her records to another level . . . . But their absence creates no void on âSave Meâ. If anything the single vocal furthers the message of the song. Arethaâs cries of âsave me, somebody save meâ go unaccompanied perhaps because sheâs in this struggle alone, as she pleads for help from a man who wants to taunt her.
1,250) King Curtis & the Kingpins — âInstant Grooveâ
This killer groove by the King is âpossibly my all-time fave King Curtis track . . . a soul rocker with relentless guitar rhythmâ (Mickey Rat, https://www.45cat.com/record/456680) that âshowcases the burning R&B Curtis was best known for. . . . [with] him doing the speaking on the track too.” (StooGP, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Lfth8OBlg) And, it was â[a] discotheque hit in 1969! Cash Box (1969/08/02 p.51 a report from Holland) Several deejays picked up this record as the discotheque record of 1969.â (yvondouville6460, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Lfth8OBlg) It even reached #35 on the R&B chart (#127 overall).
Mickey Rat writes:
[âInstant Grooveâ has] a rare King Curtis vocal followed by Curtis letting out all the stops on a demented Archie Shepp style sax solo and then an electric bass break by Jerry Jemmott. The Curtis and Jemmott bits are overdubs. The backing track on this one is actually part one of Ray Sharpeâs 1966 âHelp meâ with Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Sharpeâs vocal has been deleted and there are no guitar solos.
King Curtis was the last of the great R&B tenor sax giants. Born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Texas, he came to prominence in the mid-’50s as a session musician in New York, recording, at one time or another, for most East Coast R&B labels. A long association with Atco/Atlantic began in 1958, especially on recordings by the Coasters. He recorded singles for many small labels in the ’50s . . . . Curtis also had a number one R&B single with “Soul Twist” on Enjoy (1962). He was signed by Capitol (1963-1964), where he cut mostly singles, including the number 20 R&B hit “Soul Serenade.” He returned to Atco/Atlantic in 1965, where he remained for the rest of his life. He had solid R&B single success with “Memphis Soul Stew” and “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967). Beginning in 1967, Curtis started to take a more active studio role at Atlantic, leading and contracting sessions for other artists, producing with Jerry Wexler, and later on his own. He also became the leader of Aretha Franklin’s backing unit, the Kingpins. He compiled several albums of singles during this period. All aspects of his career were in full swing at the time he was murdered in 1971. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,247)Ambrose Slade/Slade — âKnocking Nails into My Houseâ
Cum on feel the pop psych! Yesterday, I featured the Idle Race’s ’68 A-side “The Skeleton and the Roundabout”. Today I feature the B-side, the equally “superb” “Knocking Nails into My House (David Wells, liner notes to the CD reissue of The Birthday Party) But “Nails” a done by Ambrose Slade (see #1,165), which is even better. Don’t just listen to me: “I am a huge Idle Race (also Jeff Lynne) fan………but I will admit……I love the original, but this Slade version is better…..just my opinion. [:-)]” (kiethblack3870, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns95Vrcj114), “Just heard the original…… more serious than this but bloomin’ marvellous. A stroke of genius by Slade to cover it in the first place and to produce an equally good version, albeit in a lighter vein. Long live Slade, Brum rock and Youtube !!” (bigmagic96, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skG8oPee1Ao) “Slade made a 100 times better version, I would not have appreciated it had Slade not made a cover of it” (carlphone, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skG8oPee1Ao), “[e]ver heard Slade’s version of “They’re Knocking Nails into My House”? Really brings out the best in was a great psych song to start with”. (Seeker_UK, https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/elo.138746/)
Imawalrus recalls:
I started off in the whole Move/ELO etc family tree around the El Dorado period and worked my way back to The Move, Roy Wood and so forth. Along the way I found a copy of the Idle Race’s Birthday Party . . . . I was getting into Slade and doing a similar thing with them. I got a US copy of their first album as Ambrose Slade called Ballzy (Beginnings in the UK). brought it home and started playing it and . . . a song called “Knocking Nails Into My House” came on. I thought “That sounds like a goofy Idle Race song”, so I look at the writing credit, sure enough it was written by Jeff Lynne. . . . I was just amazed at how much of Jeff’s/Idle Race’s style passed thru the Slade filter who seemed very eclectic in their choice of material on their first album.
The roots of Slade go back to a 1964 Wolverhampton-based band The Vendors who included Dave Hill and Don Powell and cut a four-song demo EP. By 1965 The Vendors had evolved into The In-Be-Tweens. The same year Noddy Holder was guitarist and backing vocalist in another Wolverhampton-based band, Steve Brett and the Mavericks. During 1966 The In-Be-Tweens split into two with only Hill and Powell remaining. They were then joined by Noddy Holder and another Wolverhampton lad Jimmy Lea. In early 1969 the foursome, who were now known as Ambrose Slade and playing Motown, Beatles and ska covers, moved down to London. They were spotted playing at Rasputinâs Club by ex-Animal Chas Chandler who became their manager/producer, got them a record deal with Fontana and fashioned them in boots, braces and close-cut hair to cash-in on the skinhead movement. By the end of the year, heâd also persuaded them to shorten their name to Slade.
The Tapestry of Delights Revisited
Chas Chandler recalled:
I was going to take time out to take stock of things. Then John Gunnell told me about this group in the Philips studio⊠I went to Rasputins to see them. They were like a breath of fresh eayer⊠Mon. . . . There was a certain amount of amateurism about them but the main fault was that they didnât play any of their own material. I liked the arrangements they did of other peopleâs material and I thought that if they could do that, they must be able to write as well. I made up my mind to manage them that night.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,246)The Idle Race — âSkeleton and the Roundaboutâ
As I have said, the Idle Race (see #30, 343, 491) and its âcheerfully trippyâ (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-birthday-party-mw0000579621) first album, â68âs The Birthday Party, were the divine sparks that lit the Electric Light Orchestra. Here is one of the most “memorable” of their “fine” singles, per Vernon Joynson. (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) David Wells calls it “highly commercial, vaudeville-meets-psych-pop” (liner notes to the CD reissue of The Birthday Party) and Bruce Eder says it is “beguilingly innocent in its zaniness, and the softer middle section anticipates the structure of Lynne’s later work with ELO.” (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-birthday-party-mw0000579621)
David Wells:
[D]espite their . . . cordial . . . relationship with Radio One, whose support was normally so crucial, The Idle Race just couldn’t buy a hit. Even . . . [“Roundabout”] didn’t do the trick when issued in March 1968 despite a fabulously comic lyric, a hugely contagious chorus, Jeff’s endearing “skellington” mispronunciation (“It’s a localism to get the words wrong’, claimed Roger Spencer) and even a woozy approximation of the theme tune to popular tea-time TV show The Magic Roundabout (“No pastiche was intended”, insists [Dave] Pritchard. “That’s just the way the song evolved. We were trying to convey a fairground image.”) The B-side . . . was the equally superb “Knocking Nails into My House'” another Lynne composition that this time featured a lead vocal from Dave Pritchard, and which was subsequently covered by fellow West Midlanders (Ambrose) Slade.
liner notes to the CD reissue of The Birthday Party
Of the album David Well proclaims that âit showcased the groupâs blend of music hall sensibilities, Beatles-ish melodic flair and disturbed flower-child lyrical approachâ. (liner notes to The Birthday Party) Bruce Eder adds that:
[The Birthday Party] . . . is a piece of classic British psychedelia that transcends its origins. Most British bands trying to achieve a psychedelic sound in those days simply played softly and sang in a very effete and poetic manner â the Idle Race, by contrast, play hard here and donât sound effete so much as just cheerfully trippy, a lot like the Beatles of âPenny Laneâ and âStrawberry Fields Foreverâ . . . . Jeff Lynne is the dominant personality here, as composer, guitarist, and singer, and, as one might expect given his presence, the music all has a Beatles-like quality of playfulness amid the musical invention. . . . [T]his album is steeped in beautiful melodies and even prettier embellishments in the singing and playing, yet never loses sight of its rock & roll underpinnings. . . . a great deal of fun, as well as full of little surprises and signposts pointing toward Lynneâs future.
James Turner gives a bit of the history of the Idle Race:
The Birmingham music scene in the early to mid â60s was incredibly incestuous, and when Roy Wood, guitarist and vocalist with Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders, left to join embryonic Brumbeat supergroup the Move (so named because all members had âmovedâ to join this new group), the Nightriders found a new guitarist, lost Mike Sheridan and . . . found themselves advertising for a replacement [guitarist] . . . . Eighteen year old guitarist Jeff Lynne . . . was the successful applicant, and . . . the band found themselves putting [him] front and centre . . . . [T]he bandâs name evolved from The Nightriders to the more pastoral Idyll Race before settling on The Idle Race, partly because Jeff didnât want the 9-5 . . . . Jeff [said]âMy Mum would come bounding up the stairs, â Come on you lazy bugger, get out, get to work!â This time she came up, I was holding the sheets down going â Nope, listen, Mum Iâve never got to get up, ever again. Iâm a professional musician now â That was the greatest feeling because I was so fed up with (bang, bang, bang) âGet up you lazy git!ââ . . .
[I] see [the album in] a long tradition of British rock of the â60s that was influenced by what came before â skiffle, music hall, vaudeville⊠(The music hall element is something Jeff Lynne would revisit with Roy Wood on the Move songs The Duke of Edinburghâs Lettuce and My Marge) and so what you get on Birthday Party is a cast of loners, misfits and the underbelly of society. Eleven songs were written by Jeff Lynne, one by Dave Pritchard . . . . The Birthday Party . . . marked the debut of Jeff Lynne as a songwriter and producer of note, and is one of the great lost albums of the late â60s.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,245)The Montanas — âRoundaboutâ
“The Montanas’ . . . Pye Records recordings . . . [constitute] one of the more self-consciously beautiful bodies of music that one is likely to cross paths with from mid-’60s England.” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/youve-got-to-be-loved-mw0000229331) And this, their “self-penned . . . Pye swansong in February ’69” (Roger Dopson, liner notes to the CD comp You’ve Got to Be Loved (Singles A’s & B’s): The Montanas) is âtheir most perfect slice of intelligent, harmony-strewn, psych-inflected pop . . . a criminally neglected . . . A-side” (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp Psychedelic Pstones II: Haunted)
Birmingham’s Montanas were “essentially a mainstream harmony-pop band. . . . They issued a series of beautifully crafted mid-sixties singles that marked the development of beat into summer pop with even a hint of psychedelia, without getting the success they deserved.â (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited)
Bruce Eder tells us more:
A middleweight outfit from England’s Midlands, their sound was a kind of high-energy pop/rock, with chiming guitars and seriously elegant and robust harmonies, somewhere midway between, say, the Hollies and the Ivy League. . . . generally runs toward fairly punchy beats, chiming rhythm guitars, and high harmonies. . . . By 1967, they’d evolved a bright sunshine pop sound that, had they been based in America on a reasonably strong label, might’ve had them breathing down the necks of the Association . . . .
The group originated in Birmingham in 1964 . . . . The group had a very theatrical presentation, which included bits of comedy between the songs. The Montanas were managed by Roger Allen, who was able to get them a contract with Pye Records, which brought them under the wing of songwriters Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent. . . . [who] also wrote hits for Petula Clark . . . . They had three songs, “Ciao Baby,” “You’ve Got to Be Loved,” and “Let’s Get a Little Sentimental,” that were favorites among reviewers, and got very heavy radio play, all without scoring any major chart action in England. Somehow, however, “You’ve Got to Be Loved” managed to make the American Top 50 — but they lacked the resources to come to the United States to promote the record, and watched as it rose and fell from the sales listings, all under its own power. . . . Everyone who ever saw the Montanas perform live respected and admired them as one of the top bands in Birmingham; they were first-rate musicians and had a powerful sound playing live, and were deserving of a break and a hit. . . . Their reliance on outside songwriters, which had been a mere detail . . . in 1965, had become a liability by 1967, and their records, for all of their excellence, didn’t reflect the group’s actual sound, which was a lot less pop-oriented than their singles would have led one to believe.
Tony Hatch was convinced he was going to get us away eventually . . . he spent an enormous amount of time and trouble with us. He produced all our releases . . . and he wrote some really strong songs for us. But in hindsight, we really should have gone over to The States once we found out “You’ve Got to Be Loved” was moving . . . that would probably have made all the difference . . .
liner notes to You’ve Got to Be Loved (Singles A’s & B’s): The Montanas
Finally, Brian Nicholls notes that:
Their unique blend of R&B, pop, and classic covers together with their close harmony versions of Beach Boys and Four Seasons hits ensured sell-out crowds, particularly in the Midlands area where fans would literally queue before the venue opened to ensure a seat. . . . The Monts were also constantly in demand for live radio broadcasts on Radio One Club with the shows hosted by Jimmy Young, Dave Lee Travis and Simon Bates. On 16 July, 1967 they appeared on ‘Easybeat’ performing ‘River Deep Mountain High’, ‘Morning Dew’ and ‘Take My Hand’ and were told it was one of the finest live performances in the history of the show.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,244)Los Mitos — âCuando Vuelvasâ/“When You Come Back”
This first single by Los Mitos (The Myths) from the Basque region of Spain is a delightful and effervescent romp about . . . a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend! It is âeasy to assimilate, with uncomplicated lyrics, arrangements similar to [the] Beach Boys and an ideal structure between an orchestral rhythm and . . . trag[ic] vocal that made it one of the classic melodies of 1968″. (LastFM (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.last.fm/music/Los+Mitos/+wiki) The song and band are much beloved, eliciting Youtube comments such as “THANK YOU [singer] TONY [Landa] FOR all those songs that with your wonderful voice that transport us to a time that not even the years can make us forget, you and the myths are engraved in the heart”. (mariaalayon4769 (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79PkzNL0SC8)
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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 750 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
1,243)Peter Pan & the Good Fairies — âBalloonsâ
I’ve played the A-side (see #502), hereâs the groovy B-side: both great psychedelic instrumentals.
Who is Peter Pan? Technicolor Web of Sound says:
Very little is known of this presumed to be studio concoction that issued one outstanding instrumental 45 . . . on the Challenge label in 1967. The record was the brainchild of a Jim Gordon . . . who would later go on to cut a respectable instrumental solo LP in 1969. It should also be noted that, contrary to popular belief this is not the same Jim Gordon of Derek & The Dominos fame.
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That is high praise, but oh God, does John Pantry (see #494) deserve it. Literally, since Pantry began a quite successful career in Christian music and broadcasting after the â60âs came to a close.
And “Pitsea Pub” features the best use of the phrase “you know what I mean” since “I Saw Her Standing There”!
Jason gives us a sense of Pantryâs B.C. history:
John Pantry is one of those artists that deserves to be heard by more people, especially those who value melodic British pop. . . . [He was] a talented studio engineer for IBC Studios (working with Eddie Tre-Vett), producing for the likes of Donovan, The Small Faces, The Bee Gees, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream. He was also a member of Peter & The Wolves, an accomplished mid 60s pop group from Leigh-on-Sea/Southend and had a major hand with many other IBC studio projects of the time: the Factory, Sounds Around, Wolfe, The Bunch and Norman Conquest. . . . Besides being a savvy studio technician, Pantry was a gifted songwriter and vocalist and an accomplished musician (. . . keyboards). . . . [O]ne of Pantryâs first groups, Sounds Around. . . . played straight pop with slight soul and psych influences â they released two singles in 1966-1967. Peter & The Wolves came shortly after Sounds Aroundâs demise (they were essentially the same group). This is the group with which Pantry is most associated, along with The Factory. . . . [Peter & The Wolvesâ] most productive period was probably the years of 1967-1969, where they released a string of pop gems [see #983]. . . . It was around this time that John Pantry was asked to write two tracks for The Factory, a legendary psychedelic group who had previously released the classic âPath Through The Forestâ 45 [see #5]. Pantry wrote and sang lead on the two Factory standouts, âTry A Little Sunshineâ [see #460] and the more folk-like âRed Chalk Hill [see #761]â . . . .
We are lucky enough to be able to hear John Pantryâs original demo for âPitsea Pubâ because, as David Wells informs us, âsongwriter demos . . . are taken from a thirteen-track acetate album that mysteriously turned up at a Lancashire car boot fair in late 2008â. (liner notes to the The Upside Down World of John Pantry) Book me a trip to Lancashire, Iâm goinâ to the car boot fair.*
* Wikipedia lets us Yanks know that âCar boot sales or boot fairs are a form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods. They are popular in the United Kingdom, where they are often referred to simply as âcar bootsâ.â Oh, fleamarkets â I think âcar bootsâ have a whole other connotation in the U.S.!
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,241)The Artwoods — âKeep Lookinââ
The Artwoods (see #58, 845) — yes, founded by Art Wood (Ronnie Wood’s older brother) — were a top touring UK R&B band, but their success never translated to record. Here is “one of the many highlightsâ on their sole LP (liner notes to the CD comp Keep Lookin’: 80 More Mod, Soul & Freakbeat Nuggets), a cover of Solomon Burke’s “Keep Looking” (which earlier in ’66 had reached #109 (#38 R&B) for Burke) that “explod[es] into driving rhythms, drum-breaks and âbadaboomlam-samalamâ high-energy. But beneath its styling, itâs still another Solomon Burke Rock ânâ Soul cover”. (Andrew Darlington, http://andrewdarlington.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-art-of-artwoods-story-of-cult-mod.html)
As if that’s a bad thing! Well, it is in the sense that, as Andrew Darlington writes: “Every sixties name-group started out with covers-based sets, from the Beatles and Rolling Stones through the Kinks and the Who. But by 1966 theyâd all evolved to a predominant reliance on original material. Despite the odd âBâ-side, the Artwoods found themselves stranded on the wrong side of the culture-shift.” (http://andrewdarlington.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-art-of-artwoods-story-of-cult-mod.html) And Len writes that â[i]n contrast to the commercially-successful but artistically-bankrupt pop sensations of the UKâs 1960s beat era there was a small hardcore of bands in the UK who couldnât get arrested record-sales-wise but whom other musicians would cross continents to catch playing live.” https://therisingstorm.net/the-artwoods-art-gallery/
Bruce Eder tells us more of the Artwoods:
The Artwoods[‘] . . . . following was confined to the clubs they played, despite releasing a half-dozen singles and an LP during their four years together. Art Woods . . . had been involved with the London blues scene almost from the beginning, as an original member of Blues Incorporated . . . . He was the backup rhythm singer in the band’s early lineup . . . [and] he also had a group of his own that he fronted on the side, called the Art Woods Combo. They later became the Artwoods in 1963 and Jon Lord later joined along . . . . [T]hey joined Decca Records’ roster in 1964. The Artwoods’ early records are some of the most fondly remembered British R&B singles . . . . Their sound was as steeped in soul and funk as it was in blues, which set them apart from many of their rivals. . . . [T]hey had a virtuoso lineup . . . . [and] a top stage attraction. Club audiences always knew they were good for a great show and the band loved playing live. Ultimately, in fact, the group’s success in touring and their love of playing live may have hurt them. They had no problem playing hundreds of gigs a year at venues like Klooks Kleek in Hampstead and dozens of lesser clubs for the sheer enjoyment of it, but they earned relatively little money doing it. At the same time, their singles never seemed to connect . . . . Their failure as a recording outfit is inexplicable upon hearing the singles — they weren’t strong songwriters, to be sure, but when covering American-style R&B, their records were soulful, funky, and played not only well but inventively; close your eyes and it seems like they were the U.K. answer to Booker T. & the MG’s. And the vocals . . . were attractive and memorable and sounded authentically American. And, in contrast to a lot of other British bands of that period, they did manage to capture something of their live sound on those records, which made them very potent. . . . A series of label switches in 1967 to Parlophone and then Fontana gave them some furtive success on the continent (in Denmark, of all places) and after four years of hard work, the Artwoods called it quits after a brief foray under the name the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. . . .
Oh, and Darlington reminds us that Deep Purple’s Jon Lord cut his teeth with the Artwoods:
[A]lthough focused on R&B and Soul, [John Lord’s] virtuoso organ-flourishes were already nudging towards the beginnings of more ambitious prog-Rock projects. . . .
Lord was their strongest writer, but he still saw himself primarily as their keyboard-player. . . . After the demise of the Artwoods Jon admits “I had nothing to go to and for eight or nine months I did not work apart from a few sessions to pay the bills.” He was even touring-MD for the Flowerpot Men . . . . [who] hit no.4 on the chart with âLetâs Go To San Francisco[“] . . . . Bassist Nick Simper was also with the Flowerpot Men, and through him, around the end of 1967, Jon met Ritchie Blackmore, the core of the first Deep Purple . . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,240)The Orange Machine — âReal Live Permanent Dreamâ
Welcome to the machine. The Irish bandâs â68 single reached #14 in Ireland by taking on two of Tomorrow’s (see #72) pop psych classics and outclassing the originals. Not just my opinion. Big Tom says âIMO the Orange Machine version [of “Real Life”] is far better than the original by the band Tomorrow. . . . With the exception of The Movement[‘]s âTell Herâ the Orange Machine singles were the best records to come out of Ireland during the 60s.” (bigtom, https://www.45cat.com/record/7n17559)
And David Wells writes:
[The Machine] were evidently heavily influenced by Tomorrow. In addition to playing “My White Bicycle” during live gigs, their debut single comprised covers of “Real Life Permanent Dream” and the Disney-on-acid aural cartoon “Three Jolly Little Dwarfs” . . . . both of which had recently appeared on Tomorrow’s debut album. Impressively, the Orange Machine’s vigorous, guitar-led treatment of both songs improved upon the originals, and the coupling gave them a Top 20 hit in their native land.
liner notes to the CD comp Real Life Permanent Dreams
As to the Machine, Irish Showbands says:
Their single “Three Jolly Little Dwarfs” was one of the best Irish “psychedelic” singles and reached No.14 in the Irish charts. It and its follow-up “You Can All Join In” are keenly sought by collectors worldwide. Ernie Durkin later joined Gentry, Tommy Kinsella joined the Cotton Mill Boys and drummer Jimmy Greally became a successful radio broadcaster. Lead guitarist was Robin Crowley.
[Ernie Durkin]: I think the Orange Machine was a great group. We had some original songs that did not get recorded because of the break-up of the group, we were all very young and did not know what we really had. What we needed was a good manager to keep us on the right track and give us some direction – then maybe the group could have stayed together and made some more recordings. We could have been one of Irelands top original groups. We had a really original sound, and everyone complemented each other.”
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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 750 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
1,239) Dayv Butler & The News — âThe Boy Who Only Smilesâ
Back in the day, Cashbox called this â67 A-side, the crown jewel of Fading Yellow 20, a â[t]hrumming soft rock side with a catchy hand-clap backing and a set of peculiar lyrics [that] could bring enough attention to this side to get it moving into the best seller picture”. (https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1967/CB-1967-11-25.pdf) Well, not so much!
Not Available tells us:
[The News was o]ne of the best, if not THE best, psychedelic rock bands to come out of the Carolinas in the late ’60s. Dave Butler (stage spelling “Dayv”) and The News are better known for their second 45 for MU (Music Unlimited) records “Blue Shoes.” This first one is a genuine grail! Hailing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, the group evolved from an earlier project The Delmars . . . .
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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 750 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
1,238) Nirvana â âRainbow Chaserâ
Nirvanaâs (see #287, 391, 475) only UK charting (#34) song was a âmade in heaven collision of phased orchestra, ethereal vocals, shamanist lyrics and jaw-dropping melody that remains [the Irish/Greek duoâs] defining pop-psych moment”. (David Wells, Record Collector: 100 Greatest Psychedelic Records: High Times and Strange Tales from Rockâs Most Mind-Blowing Era)
Oregano Rathbone writes that:
[âRainbow Chaserâ was an] unjustly middling . . . chart placing for the beautifully warped blare of . . . phased brass and timpani in June 1968. . . . It would come to define Nirvana, [an] imperious, Bond-in-a-centrifuge [song] . . . . With its luxuriant phasing, described by [Patrick] Campbell-Lyons as âa beautiful accidentâ, itâs Top 40 placing in June 1968 constituted a blazing sunset for the psych era and provided a welcome profile boost. âWhen Rainbow Chaser became a hit, it took us to another level. We travelled to promote ourselves live in Europe with the resident radio orchestra musicians, playing from our arranger Syd Daleâs written parts.â
David Wells writes that âNirvanaâs sound involves âmystical, gently romantic lyrics . . . [with a] breathy falsetto and a gorgeous combination of soft psych/pop melodic flair and baroque-flavoured arrangements that incorporated the use of cello and French horn.â (Record Collector: 100 Greatest Psychedelic Records: High Times and Strange Tales from Rockâs Most Mind-Blowing Era)
Let me sprinkle some more Oregano:
Nirvana, the nonchalantly enigmatic duo of Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos . . . . releas[ed] a brace of the most airily accessible and mercilessly hooky albums to have floated into being in the culturally charged domain of 1967 and â68, without sacrificing a neutrino of integrity. . . . [We must] ponder anew why Nirvana didnât make a deeper impression on the malleable hearts of the record-buying public. They fared rather better in mainland Europe, admittedly, where their billowing, romantic, sumptuously arranged and gracefully baroque compositions were tailor-made for trailing fingers in petal-strewn lakes on warm nights and contemplating Greco-Roman statuary. Nevertheless, their comparatively brief entry in the historical record remains mystifying when they were the perfect panacea for intense times. [A]n ambrosial, benevolent air blew over them and lightly draped a paisley pattern over most everything they recorded. Theirs was a sonic picture unassailed by acid horrors . . . . For the most part, this was sweet-natured, serenely uplifting mood music for the watering of ferns and the lighting of joss sticks; and even in the hard light of 1968, when the compass-overboard hedonism of the previous year had tipped over into revolution, riots and a return to rock, you still had the option of sinking into Nirvanaâs plushly-upholstered sound cave of incense, patchouli, silks and satins after a hard day at the barricades.
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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 750 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
1,237)Lonnie and the Legends — âI Criedâ
A grand garage tearjerker by a â[c]ountry & western band from Sylmar, California, near San Fernando formed by Lonnie, Nancy and Donna Grahâ . (Whitedoowopcollector, http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2020/07/lonnie-legendsimpression-records.html?m=1) Are we sure this wasnât the Osmond family â a little bit country, a little bit rock ân roll?!
Owenrainey59072 commented on YouTube a couple of years ago that â[m]y grandma was in this band with her brother lonnie she passed a couple months agoâ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi8f7tJHxlk) Flat5flat9flat13 commented that âI play[ed] tenor sax with Lonnie & … in 1965 until his parents found out I tried pot :-)”! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi8f7tJHxlk)
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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 750 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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âCharlemagne,” a melancholy five-plus minute piano-dominated tune that the back cover of the disc proclaims is about “an inhabited region of Antarctica,” . . . Charlemagne” stands as a poetic and compelling statement, the band staying behind John Cale as he indulges in poetic exploration . . . . âThey know good fences make good neighbors” is all you need to hear to grasp the isolation at play — “Don’t wanna be like all the rest.” Here Cale is the minstrel in the gallery, fusing Keith Reid-style Procol Harum words with a repeating piano line to underscore the monotone verses, magnified by the excellent chorus of “Many times, many tried…simple stories are the best.” It is John Cale in control with the freedom denied him when he played in a group format, finding a platform that he would expand on the music that followed this.
What must Velvet Underground fans have made of this 1970 solo debut from the former Velvets viola-sawer? Given its men-acing title and Caleâs avant-garde credentials, surely they were expecting noisy experimentalism. No such luck . . . . Itâs an elegant collection of stately songcraft.
As Brendan says, âCale proves heâs got mad pop song skills to match his solid, driving piano stomping. No doubt some of these songs should have been hits.â (http://therisingstorm.net/john-cale-vintage-violence/) And as Syd Fablo says:
John Caleâs solo debut is shocking. One might have expected some all-out avant-rock akin to what Cale did with The Velvet Underground. Maybe some droning classical compositions . . . . [or] maybe even something like the albums he produced for The Stooges and Nico. Instead he delivered a Bee Gees Odessa, a Beach Boys Sunflower, or something along those lines at least.
John Cale had the strongest avant-garde credentials of anyone in the Velvet Underground, but he was also the Velvet whose solo career was the least strongly defined by his work with the band, and his first solo album, Vintage Violence, certainly bears this out. While the banshee howls of Caleâs viola and the percussive stab of his keyboard parts were his signature sounds on The Velvet Underground and Nico and White Light/White Heat, Caleâs first solo album, 1970âs Vintage Violence, was a startlingly user-friendly piece of mature, intelligent pop whose great failing may have been being a shade too sophisticated for radio. Caleâs work with the Velvets was purposefully rough and aurally challenging, but Vintage Violence is buffed to a smooth, satin finish . . . . Cale has rarely sounded this well-adjusted on record, though his lyrical voice is usually a bit too cryptic to stand up to a literal interpretation of his words. If Cale wanted to clear out a separate and distinct path for his solo career, he certainly did that with Vintage Violence . . . .
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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 750 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
1,235)Eric Andersen — âLooking Glassâ
This haunting love song by the first of the new Dylans is the âfinest composition [on his debut LP] . . . an elaborate first-person narrative-fantasy with a melody similar to folk tunes such as ‘Scarborough Fair.'” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/today-is-the-highway-mw0000204369)
Peter Stone Brown writes that “It could be said that Eric Andersen was the first of the ânew Dylansâ. He played guitar and harmonica, his lyrics were poetic â. . . . [but his] singing style . . . was much gentler, sweeter, and his performances less frenzied.” (https://peterstonebrownarchives.substack.com/p/eric-andersen-today-is-the-highway-june-2nd-1965) William Ruhlmann tells us that:
Since rising out of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s, Eric Andersen has maintained a prolific, adventurous, and varied career that spans folk, rock, country, blues, and beat poetry. Writing with a philosophical and poetic bent, he . . . recorded a series of albums for the Vanguard label before finding mainstream success amid the singer/songwriter movement with his 1972 standout Blue River. He was part of legendary ’70s tours like the Festival Express and Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, and he toured throughout Europe, Japan, and North America on his own. He later based himself in Norway where in the ’90s he formed the acclaimed folk-rock trio Danko Fjeld Andersen with Band bassist Rick Danko and Norwegian musician Jonas Fjeld. . . . After stints in Boston and San Francisco, fellow folk singer Tom Paxton invited him to come to New York City where he arrived at the height of Greenwich Village’s early-’60s folk scene. He signed with the Vanguard label and released his 1965 debut, Today Is the Highway . . . . Andersen’s second album, ‘Bout Changes & Things, contained some of his best-known songs of that era, including the poetic “Violets of Dawn” and “Thirsty Boots[]” . . . During this period he also made his debut at the Newport Folk Festival, was courted by . . . Brian Epstein, and appeared in one of Andy Warhol’s experimental films. In the latter half of the ’60s, Andersen experimented with country, pop, and rock music . . . . Splitting his time between California and New York, he often stayed at the famous Chelsea Hotel where befriend the likes of Leonard Cohen, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Patti Smith . . . .
Andersen’s website lovingly chronicles his early years:
[A]fter dropping out of Hobart, he hitchhiked west to San Francisco to try his luck singing solo in North Beach coffeehouses and seek out the poets of the Beat Generation. Through the poet David Meltzer [see #873, 874, 1,023] . . . with whom [he] shared a singing group, The Snopes County Camp Followers, along with his wife Tina [see #873, 874, 1,023] and Andersenâs future first wife, Debbie, he met Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti . . . . Weeks later, he heard them recite at a poetry reading in Haight-Ashbury, on the evening President John F. Kennedy was assassinated . . . . There was a gathering afterward at Ferlinghettiâs house where he also met the romantic hero of On The Road, Neal Cassady, and poet/playwright, Michael McClure. . . . [H]e began to write in earnest . . . . While passing through San Francisco, songwriter Tom Paxton heard him . . . performing . . . . and invited him to New York City. In the winter of 1964, [he] accepted the invitation and upon landing in New York was soon introduced to the Greenwich Village songwriting circle of Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Fred Neil, Bob Dylan, Ramblinâ Jack Elliott, and many others. . . . His first gig in New York City was as opening act for John Lee Hooker in 1964 at Gerde’s Folk City. Robert Shelton of the New York Times . . . called him “a writer and performer of the first rankâŠpossessing that magical element called star quality.” He soon started playing songwriter protest Hootenannies with Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Peter LaFarge at the Village Gate. Through an introduction by the music critic Robert Shelton . . . he was signed to Vanguard Records and began recording his first album. . . . Eric recalled, before he first started out solo. âA traveling band was expensive and venues were scarce, I realized how a single performer armed only with only a song and arresting tales could entertain and spellbind and audience.â Over the next three years he wrote and recorded four albums . . . . Judy Collins, the Blues Project, and Peter Paul and Mary created pop hits of his songs âThirsty Boots,â âViolets Of Dawn,â and âRolling Home.â The Brothers Four recorded a single of “Bedside” for Columbia Records and it was immediately banned from AM radio, on the grounds of obscenity. . . . In the spring, he traveled to Hazard, Kentucky with Phil Ochs. They drove down in support of the striking coal miners. That was the south and for protest singers, union organizers, or those volunteers helping to get out the vote in registration drives, it was a dangerous time and dangerous work. . . . [H]e accompanied Jack Newfield to Liberty, Mississippi to witness first hand the struggles of voter registration . . . . Also that year, after meeting with New York publicist Danny Fields, he did two screen tests and starred in the Andy Warhol film Space with Edie Sedgwick. It devolved into an off the cuff, inadvertent, docu-comedy, sans script, of weird camera pans, rambling dialogues, where Eric played guitar and improvised on several songs. . . . Andersen made his Newport Folk Festival debut in 1966 . . . . Manager Brian Epstein expressed his wish to sign Andersen . . . so in 1967, Eric was invited to London where he attended some Beatlesâ recording sessions and plans were made. In his posthumous letters Brian is quoted as saying, âEricâs music makes me happy.â Then Brian died unexpectedly that summer . . . .
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