Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊

Wendy & Bonnie — “The Winter Is Cold”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 16, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,847) Wendy & Bonnie — “The Winter Is Cold”

Baby, it’s cold outside, and Wendy & Bonnie (see #1,774) know that the winter is cold! “Well it might be cold but that ripping ass [guitar] solo [in “The Winter Is Cold”] just warmed things up”! (Turkeytoad1972, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavtoIrjFv4)

This remarkable sibling duo of (17 year old) Wendy and (13 year old) Bonnie gave us Genesis, “one of the most remarkable unheard albums of 1969[, w]ith melodic confections laced with radiant sisterly harmony”. (Sundazed Records, https://sundazed.com/c/279-Wendy-Bonnie.aspx)

Jive Time Records says of “Winter Is Cold”:

Genesis ends with perhaps its strongest cut . . . a rocker with chill-inducing, contrapuntal vocal harmonies. The song has moments of seriously groovy psychedelia, with [guitarist Larry] Carlton unleashing distorted solos that recall Howard Roberts’ work with Electric Prunes [see #893] circa Release Of An Oath.

https://jivetimerecords.com/2022/03/wendy-bonnie-genesis-skye-1969/

Joseph Neff adds:

[It] closes [the LP] with assurance, and is notably the release’s most fully realized uptempo number. Reminiscent of mainstream coffeehouse folk after a few rounds of strong espresso, the cut shows them capable of a well-mannered bluesy turn, and it’s also the one track on the platter that cozies right up to a full-blown rock temperament, featuring a nicely done psych guitar solo.

https://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/graded-on-a-curve-wendy-bonnie-genesis/

“Winter” was originally to be the B-side of WB’s first (and only) single, but was replaced by “It’s What’s Really Happening’”. (Jeanette Leach, Shindig Magazine, https://wendyandbonnie.com/articles.html) I guess I get it, as the single was released in July. Nonetheless, “Winter” should have been the A-side — I think it could have been a hit!

Jive Time Records writes of Genesis that:

Genesis likely wouldn’t have ascended to its burnished status without contributions from a cast of stellar session musicians such as drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Mike Melvoin, and guitarist Larry Carlton. They all play their asses off for these gifted upstarts, and it’s goddamn precious to witness. Production from bossa-nova/jazz vibraphonist [Gary] McFarland and label support from Skye co-owner and Latin-jazz percussionist Cal Tjader, who’d heard and loved the duo’s early demos, further bolstered the recording sessions.

https://jivetimerecords.com/2022/03/wendy-bonnie-genesis-skye-1969/

Richie Unterberger is equivocal as to the LP:

Genesis is pleasant, if naïve, harmonized light rock with psychedelic, jazz, and folk influences. It is impressive given their tender ages . . . and the pair wrote all of the material on the LP. . . . [It] is a nice, if not truly necessary, relic of the late 1960s. It’s the sort of unconventional yet accessible project that might have had trouble finding its way into release in any other era, but managed to at least get issued, even if it was largely undiscovered until cult listeners unearthed it decades later. The sisters’ harmonies have the sweet-sour major minor blend typical of many San Francisco rock artists of the time, yet with a more homespun, intimate flavor than those of many a heavily produced band. Their songs have the sort of slightly askew lyrics that, again, were prevalent in their time and place, glowing with anticipation of an era of greater love and less social constraints, and also imbued with a certain innocent naïveté. . . . There are sometimes jazzier accents to their singing and chord progressions than there were in most psychedelic or harmony pop/rock groups. . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-bonnie-mn0000818065#biography, https://www.allmusic.com/album/genesis-mw0000006402

Irwin Chusid’s liner notes to the CD reissue of Genesis tell the Flower sisters’ story:

The were influenced by the groundbreaking pop-psych ferment of the late ’60s, without having been much a part of it. The girls absorbed rock from the radio, sultry tropical strains from Latin jazz legend Cal Tjader (their godfather and a devoted family friend), and a love of jazz and classical from their parents. . . . In 1967, Wendy co-founded a local band, Crystal Fountain, for whom she was the featured vocalist; Bonnie later joined the group on drums. They recorded a few garage-psych originals, one of which, “The Night Behind Us,” received airplay on fabled station KSAN. “Cal heard some of the things we did with Crystal Fountain and some duo compositions,” recalled Bonnie, “So he connected us with Skye Records.” Skye was a jazz imprint whose roster boased Tjader, vibraphonist Gary McFarland, [and] guitarist Gabor Szabo [see #185] (all co-owners of the label) . . . . Wendy and Bonnie were . . . Skye’s only fling with rock . . . . [They] had been writing songs for years, and were now afforded a chance to record a 45 . . . . Bonnie had written “Paisley [Window Pane” (see #1,774)] in the seventh grade and performed it solo in French class for final exam credit. . . . The initial session proved promising, and Skye asked the sisters if they could generate an album’s worth of material. Within weeks they’d conjured up eight tunes. . . . McFarland agreed to produce the project. . . . [He] was an arranger, composer, and bandleader who’d worked with [many jazz greats]. . . . Thanks to McFarland and Skye’s connections in the West Coast jazz world, the Flower sisters were graced with top-notch sidemen. . . . [including] Larry Carlton on guitar, veteran drummer Jim Keltner . . . . Then, in 1970, just as the sister’s promising singing careers were being launched, Skye eclardd bankruptcy. . . . [Wendy recalls] “One day we were . . . scheduled to appear on The Merv Griffin Show. Next day, our label was no more. . . . We were totally devastated[.] . . . We were looking forward to doing other projects with Gary. . . . We were shattered to hear he passed away[.]” McFarland suffered a fatal heart attack on November 2, 1971, after being poisoned by liquid methadone slipped into his cocktail at a New York bar. . . . ” The opportunities were [still] there,” said Wendy. “However, life was pulling Bonnie and me in different directions. I wanted to record with Fantasy, but they wanted a sister act or nothing.[“]

Richie Unterberger notes that:

Although they did sing backup vocals on a couple of Tjader albums and some jingles and background vocals at Fantasy Records, they never recorded their own material again . . . . They did perform music separately in the subsequent decades, Wendy Flower issuing a children’s music cassette, and Bonnie Flower once rejecting an invitation to join the Bangles.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/wendy-bonnie-mn0000818065#biography

Here is an alternate take:

Here is a demo:

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The Box Tops — “Trouble with Sam”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 15, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,846) The Box Tops — “Trouble with Sam”

“Trouble with Sam” “could [be] another song from the 1966-1970 English pop factories . . . . I have no basis for saying this, but I’d bet that Alex [Chilton] hated it. I don’t, because I like goofy pop confections.” (BeSteVenn, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/thank-you-friends-alex-chilton-chris-bell-big-star-box-tops-song-by-song.1202469/page-17)

Robert Pincus:

It’s a teenage tearjerker, and the lyrics are hopelessly adolescent. However, I love it, and I love it just as much as I did . . . when I was more in touch with the song’s sentiment. Vocally, it’s magnificent, and Alex sings pretty close to what I believe was his natural voice. The stereo imagery is fabulous. If the song makes you feel a little teary, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/music-reviews/the-box-tops-cry-like-a-baby/

I also love it. I have no trouble with “Trouble with Sam”!

Some are more ambivalent: “It is really catchy — but feels underdeveloped, so the song is not quite the earworm that it seems to want to be. It’s screaming out for another section that never comes.” (intv7, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/thank-you-friends-alex-chilton-chris-bell-big-star-box-tops-song-by-song.1202469/page-17) It “foreshadow[s] the British Invasion style that [Alex] Chilton would employ with Big Star, but the melody lines and instrumentation lack the gritty authenticity found on ‘The Letter’.” (Steve Kurutz, https://www.allmusic.com/album/cry-like-a-baby-mw0000058519)

And then there is this sentiment: “This is barely half baked and Alex sounds like he couldn’t care less that Sam can’t remember his name”. (John Porcellino, https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/thank-you-friends-alex-chilton-chris-bell-big-star-box-tops-song-by-song.1202469/page-17) 🤣🤣🤣

Steve Huey opens the Box Tops:

During their brief lifespan, the Box Tops earned a reputation as one of the best blue-eyed soul groups of the ’60s . . . . Today they’re remembered not only for their smashes “The Letter” and “Cry Like a Baby,” but as the launching pad for singer Alex Chilton, who went on to become one of rock’s most revered cult figures thanks to his groundbreaking power pop unit Big Star. In his teenage years, Chilton was an amazingly gritty Memphis soul belter akin to an American version of . . . Stevie Winwood. The Box Tops’ music also encompassed touches of pop and psychedelia, although the group’s own lack of control over it eventually led to their split. The Box Tops began life as the Devilles, a white R&B group . . . . After the band’s local popularity blossomed, teenage singer Alex Chilton joined up, and [they] quickly caught the attention of songwriters/producers Chips Moman and Dan Penn [who wrote “Sam”], who were on the lookout for a . . . Winwood-type white soul singer. . . . [T]hey signed with Bell Records . . . . The first single . . . “The Letter,” rocketed to the top of the charts in 1967, not only spending four weeks at number one but ending up as Billboard magazine’s top number one single of the year. (Chilton was all of 16 at the time.) . . . Penn began to exert more control over the group . . . frequently us[ing] session musicians . . . sometimes replacing the whole band behind Chilton . . . . “Neon Rainbow,” didn’t do nearly as well, but the Box Tops managed another massive hit in 1968 with the Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham tune “Cry Like a Baby,” which went to number two . . . . Although a couple of minor hits followed . . . Chilton was rapidly growing dissatisfied with the inconsistency of the material the[y] were handed . . . . [and] chaf[ed] at Penn’s extreme reluctance to allow him to record his own original compositions. By the time of the Box Tops’ fourth and final LP . . . Penn had bowed out . . . . [T]he Box Tops began to disintegrate. When their contract expired in February 1970, they officially disbanded, and Chilton moved to Greenwich Village for a while. . . . [He] soon returned to Memphis and joined an Anglo-pop outfit run by his friend Chris Bell[ that] morphed into Big Star, one of the most revered and mercurial bands in power pop . . . history.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-box-tops-mn0000624504#biography

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Buddy Miles — “That’s the Way Life Is”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 14, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,845) Buddy Miles — “That’s the Way Life Is”

Ah, Buddy Miles (see #112, 221, 366, 629, 853, 1,483) As Jamie Ludwig says, he was a “force of nature as a drummer, vocalist, and bandleader. ” (https://chicagoreader.com/music/buddy-miles-wrings-every-drop-of-emotion-from-the-segment/) He moves my soul. This “[s]tone cold rumination” (In Viscera Veritas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgs76Fq3lEk), the final track on Buddy’s ’71 album Message to the People is “beautiful” (Swampland.com, http://swampland.com/posts/view/title:buddy_miles_dies_at_home_in_texas), “rank[ing] among Miles’ best songs and performances” but unfortunately is “over just as [it’s] barely begun”. (Victor W. Valdivia, https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-message-to-the-people-mw0000861638) If it was twice as long, it would be too short. “Life Is” sets such a wonderfully haunting, contemplative and spiritual spell that a number of rappers have used the song to set exactly such a mood on their numbers. (https://www.whosampled.com/Buddy-Miles/That%27s-the-Way-Life-Is/sampled/)

As to A Message to the People, Victor W. Valdivia says:

In the league of funk-rock albums, A Message to the People is top-notch. Buddy Miles was easily one the better bandleaders of the early ’70s, and his ability to unite a group of talented players around well-crafted songs definitely makes this one of his best albums. . . . [T]he album is so good, it’s mystifying why it barely clocks in at a meager half-hour. . . . Why Miles felt the need to edit the material so severely is bizarre, since the album could easily have been twice as long and still hit its mark. It’s a testament to Buddy Miles’ talent that, as first-rate as the album is, it will leave any listener wanting more. Still, A Message to the People is every bit a funk classic.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-message-to-the-people-mw0000861638

Steve Huey tells Miles’ tale:

Best known as the drummer in Jimi Hendrix’s [see #1,577, 1,776] Band of Gypsys, Buddy Miles also had a lengthy solo career that drew from rock, blues, soul, and funk in varying combinations. Born George Miles in Omaha, Nebraska . . . he started playing the drums at age nine, and joined his father’s jazz band the Bebops at a mere 12 years old. As a teenager, he went on to play with several jazz and R&B outfits, most prominently backing vocal groups like . . . the Ink Spots, and the Delfonics. In 1966, he joined Wilson Pickett’s [see #1,397] touring revue, where he was spotted by blues-rock guitarist Mike Bloomfield. Bloomfield had left the Paul Butterfield Blues Band earlier in 1967 and was putting together a new group, the Electric Flag, which was slated to be an ambitious fusion of rock, soul, blues, psychedelia, and jazz. Bloomfield invited Miles to join, and the band made its debut at the Monterey Pop Festival; unfortunately, the original lineup splintered in 1968. . . . Miles briefly took over leadership of the band on its second studio album, which failed to reignite the public’s interest. With [the] horn section in tow, Miles split to form his own group, the similarly eclectic Buddy Miles Express. Signed to Mercury, the group issued its debut album, Expressway to Your Skull, in 1968, with . . . Hendrix in the producer’s chair. In turn, Miles played on . . . Electric Ladyland . . . . Hendrix also produced the Miles Express’ follow-up, 1969’s Electric Church . . . . Hendrix, Miles, and bassist Billy Cox formed Band of Gypsys, one of the first all-Black rock bands. Bluesier and funkier than Hendrix’s previous work, Band of Gypsys didn’t last long in its original incarnation; Miles departed in 1970 . . . but not before his powerhouse work was showcased on the group’s lone album, the live Band of Gypsys. . . . Miles . . . recorded his most popular album, Them Changes, in 1971; it stayed on the charts for more than a year, and the title cut became Miles’ signature song. From December 1971 to April 1972, Miles toured with Carlos Santana . . . . Miles cut a few more albums for CBS . . . [and] then moved to Casablanca in 1975 for a pair of LPs. . . . Miles kept a low profile over the next decade, partly to battle personal problems. Miles returned in 1986 as the lead voice in a TV ad campaign that featured clay-animated raisins singing “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”; the ads proved so popular that a kid-friendly musical franchise was spun off, and thus Miles became the lead singer of the California Raisins, performing on two albums (mostly R&B covers) and a Christmas special.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buddy-miles-mn0000943936#biography

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Faine Jade — “Don’t Hassle Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 13, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,844) Faine Jade — “Don’t Hassle Me”

Here is a stunning number from Faine Jade (see #314, 686) — Long Island’s Syd Barrett (see #87, 315, 922) — that “captures the spirit of rebellious youth”. (Faris Badwan, (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/27/the-lost-albums-loved-by-the-stars-from-ecstatic-gospel-to-italian-prog) “No! Don’t you hassle me! I am trying to be young, I am trying to be free”

Sundazed Records, which released the CD reissue of Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital, Jade’s only album (from which “Hassle” is drawn), says “[t]he brilliant psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll of Faine Jade passed through the orange-colored skies of 1968 like a pink and lavender comet, then was gone . . .” (http://tyme-machine.blogspot.com/2009/04/faine-jade-introspection-faine-jade.html) Dusty Groove Records adds:

[F]or this late 60s gem, [Jade] adopts a bit of a British accent, and a sound that echoes changes in music from London to the Sunset Strip. There’s a nice bit of fuzz on most of the tunes here — a heady psyche pop brew of Hammond and guitar, all brought into relatively tight focus, with some nice brighter tones on the best numbers. The real English influence is in the way that the vocals are recorded — a bit like the way The Byrds [see #1,430, 1,605] aped the UK a few years before — sweet, but a bit cold at the same time — with a sound that’s as compelling as the lyrics of the tunes!

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/181233/Faine-Jade:Introspection-A-Faine-Jade-Recital

Michael Saltzman says of the LP that:

[It is] one of the most highly-coveted lost psych classics, and it’s obvious why. Fronting a sparse combo complemented by a distant droning organ, the bespectacled Jade (born Chuck Laskowski in Long Island, New York) sings quirky, melodic tunes drenched in the flavour of their time. The feel is tense and fractured, with stabs of trebly guitar and jittery percussion, but the songwriting remains pithy and pop-radio accessible. . . . Syd Barrett-era Floyd [(see #13) is] the most obvious influence throughout (surprisingly, Jade claims he hadn’t heard of Barrett at the time of recording).

https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/introspection-a-faine-jade-recital

Richie Unterberger adds that:

It’s hard to imagine that a 20-year-old New York guitarist fresh out of garageland would have been infatuated with Syd Barrett in 1968. However, Faine Jade’s 1968 album sounds as if he was besotted with Pink Floyd’s first LP, which was barely known in the States at the time. Jade’s vocals and songwriting uncannily evoke an American Syd Barrett with their evocative, cryptic lyrics, thick organs, and psychedelic guitar lines. . . . Faine, it’s fair to say, is somewhat blunted in comparison to Barrett’s madcap edge. More laid-back and grounded, he also deals more explicitly with hippie-era concerns like being hassled for being different and the necessity of being compassionate toward your brother, without being sappy or preachy.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/introspection-a-faine-jade-recital-mw0000778113

Here is a rehearsal instrumental track:

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The Bee Gees — “Turn of the Century”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 12, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,843) Bee Gees — “Turn of the Century”

On first listen [the Bee Gees’ (see #291, 484, 594, 717, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125, 1,321, 1,343, 1,685) ’67 LP] Bee Gees 1st plays like a wonderful, lost baroque-pop album, which isn’t far from the truth. The opening track, ‘Turn Of The Century’, with its lush orchestration and classic vocals from the Brothers Gibb, will immediately have the listener waiting for more.” (K. Kanitz, https://therisingstorm.net/the-bee-gees-bee-gees-1st/embed/#?secret=gCZmRVNu8Y#?secret=g4ohz1eaNo) Indeed. What a wonderful song — and the best one featuring a bicyle built for two since 1892’s “Daisy Bell” (see #135)! Even HAL 9000 agrees!

But as jeffryphillipsburns queries:

At the turn of WHAT century? I very much doubt there were still many “town criers” around by 1900. In any case, it was not a thing we particularly associate with the period. On the other hand, in 1800 the tandem bicycle had yet to be invented.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qPDmpSQjghA&list=RDqPDmpSQjghA&start_radio=1&pp=ygUcYmVlIGdlZXMgdHVybiBvZiB0aGUgY2VudHVyeaAHAQ%3D%3D

Well, maybe they still had town criers in Australia!

K. Kanitz can’t get over the LP:

[T]he Bee Gees were master craftsmen of some of the greatest pop-rock the late ‘60s and early ‘70s had to offer. . . . [T]hey exploded in the North American market in the late summer of 1967 with this album (their first US Top 10 album), and three Top 20 singles: “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” “To Love Somebody” (originally meant to be recorded for the late great Otis Redding), and “Holiday.” . . . [T]he record embodies the sweet sounds of the summer of ’67. . . . full of tunes that will make you smile, whether out of pure joy or bittersweet introspection. . . . If you want to hear classic, endearing, and beautiful 1960s pop, pick up this album.

https://therisingstorm.net/the-bee-gees-bee-gees-1st/embed/#?secret=gCZmRVNu8Y#?secret=g4ohz1eaNo

Here is Bruce Eder’s take:

Up until 1966, they’d shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia’s answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies [see #461] and the Tremeloes [see #1,193], and this long-player, Bee Gees’ 1st, is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa Revolver, but there was far more to their sound than that. The three hits . . . were gorgeous but relatively somber, thus giving Bee Gees’ 1st a melancholy cast, but much of the rest is relatively upbeat psychedelic pop. . . . Robin Gibb’s lead vocals veered toward the melodramatic and poignant, and the orchestra did dress up some of the songs a little sweetly, yet overall the group presented themselves as a proficient rock ensemble who’d filled their debut album with a full set of solid, refreshingly original songs.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/bee-gees-1st-mw0000198604

Live ’68:

On The Midnight Special ’73:

Here’s an alternate take:

And here is the Cyrkle:

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The Cortinas/Octopus — “Phoebe’s Flower Shop”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 11, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,842) The Cortinas*/Octopus — “Phoebe’s Flower Shop”

Brighten your Sunday with a “happy-go-lucky . . . Vaudeville-ian ditty” (Garwood Pickjon, https://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2018/11/), a “[t]oytown classic that seldom gets mentioned. A jaunty piano rave carries the tune, and the falsetto vocals and soaring strings keep it aloft.” (neo6666, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/the-cortinas/phoebes-flower-shop-too-much-in-love/). “A little pop, glam and bubblegum. Sweet harmonies. The strings add a symphonic touch. England was ablaze with flower power.” (thomassmith8721, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDO_9ZFE0jE) Indeed.

The Cortinas, to become Octopus (see #759, 1,056, 1,701), released “an innocuous, bouncy little ditty with some commercial appeal” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) that unfortunately had no commercial success. Oh, and innocuous or not depends on whether you take the lyrics literally or as metaphors! “[A]s a phoebe, i 100% endorse this song”. (phoebew7377, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wg65WgJiDo) You can’t get higher praise than that! Forget “I’ll Be There for You”, this should have been Friends theme song.

Grokipedia tells us:

In June 1963, [Paul] Griggs formed Shelayne & The Cortinas with his brother Nigel Griggs on bass guitar, whom he had taught to play the instrument specifically for the group. The initial lineup featured Pat Heley on lead vocals, Paul Griggs on lead guitar and vocals, Barry Banks on rhythm guitar, Nigel Griggs on bass and vocals, and Roger Cook on drums; the band debuted in September 1963 at local venues in Hertfordshire, England. Heley and Banks departed in November 1963, prompting rhythm guitarist Paul Crowland to join in January 1964, after which Griggs assumed lead vocal duties and the group shortened its name to The Cortinas. The Cortinas quickly established themselves through frequent local performances, drawing inspiration from The Beatles and focusing on beat music. . . . These performances, primarily in Hertfordshire towns such as Hatfield, Hitchin, St Albans, and Welwyn Garden City, helped build a regional following, with the band evolving their sound amid lineup changes, including the temporary involvement of future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor on guitar in August 1966, the addition of Cliff Franklyn on rhythm guitar in April 1965, and Gary Whinyates on drums in May 1967. By 1968, The Cortinas had shifted toward pop-psychedelia and secured a recording deal with Polydor Records. The band’s sole single . . . released in May 1968 . . . . Composed by Grahame Dee and Brian Potter, the A-side showcased a sunny pop arrangement . . . . In late 1968 . . . [the group] rebranded [itself] as Octopus . . . .

https://grokipedia.com/page/paul_griggs

Bruce Eder tells us a little about Octopus:

Octopus’ origins lay in Hatfield, 30 miles from London, and a mid-’60s quartet called the Cortinas . . . made up of Paul Griggs (guitar), Nigel Griggs (bass), Brian Glassock (drums), and Rick Williams (guitar). By 1967, the Cortinas had moved from Brit beat into pop-psychedelia and cut one single (“Phoebe’s Flower Shop”) for Polydor without success. The following year, the quartet renamed and redirected itself and Octopus was born. The band earned a support spot to Yes which was, itself, an up-and-coming group at the time. They also appeared on stage with acts like Status Quo and Humble Pie, and were discovered by Troggs bassist Tony Murray, who helped get them a record deal with independent producer Larry Page, who was the Troggs’ manager. Octopus . . . released a single, “Laugh at the Poor Man” . . . in 1969. Midway through the recording of their debut album, Restless Night, Glassock and Williams quit the band, and it was a re-formed Octopus, with John Cook on keyboards and Malcolm Green on the drums, that finished the record . . . . The resulting LP was popular in Hatfield but never found an audience anywhere else. . . . [The band] disbanded in 1972. . . . Malcolm Green and Nigel Griggs later became members of Split Enz.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/octopus-mn0001886653

* Bruce Eder notes that “the name came from an English Ford compact car”. (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/octopus-mn0001886653)

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The Joyfull Noise — “Wrapped in the Hide of a Yellow Cow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 10, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,841) The Joyfull Noise — “Wrapped in the Hide of a Yellow Cow“

Mellow pop psych/baroque pop inspired by the I Ching.* Some question whether the Noise’s LP is psych, but as one wag put it, “from the first song it’s clear it’s psych. How else would you come up with ‘wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow’?”!!! (Alan Zweig, https://www.facebook.com/groups/968112868534089/posts/1111734490838592)

“Sometimes life moves so very fast. One change upon another. Seems no matter what you do, isn’t worth the bother”

Marios tells us:

Joyfull Noise were an early hippie rock crew with a melodious double guitars & keyboard line up, not unlike others from the “Bosstown Sound” sector which was a spin off of the West Coast rock scene of the era . . . . While their psych moves are successful . . . those numbers are stronger than their pop/rock moves. . . . [T]he band certainly had the talent to do well . . . .

https://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2025/02/joyfull-noise-joyfull-noise-1968-us.html

Discogs explains that:

The Joyfull Noise . . . took part in the 1968 RCA promotion “Groupquake” and performed in May of 1968 in the East Village along with fellow RCA acts Autosalvage, Group Therapy, The Status Cymbal and The Youngbloods (who was the only group to make it with successful sales). They also appeared at the Fillmore East as part of the promotion.

https://www.discogs.com/es/artist/1085606-Joyfull-Noise

Fred Kirby further elaborated in Billboard’s May 25, 1968, issue:

Joyfull Noise . . . proved promising with an inventive set containing some of the evening’s best original material. . . . The East Village concert was part of RCA’s Groupquake promotion in which the company is plugging eight young groups through intensive advertising. RCA took over the 2,600-seat theater and gave out the reserved tickets on a free basis. The fine Joshua Light Show backed the acts. Placed on each seat was a promotion album The Groupquake containing selections by each of the eight groups. . . . [The Joyfull Noise’s] John Rowe . . . probably had the best voice of the evening in good soul style. It was difficult to determine how much of the unit’s performance was put on, but much of it obviously was. David Hanni, the New England group’s poet laureate, recited several verses in monotone, frequently leading into songs. Also, the outfit’s name indicates a cross between the serious and the lighter. But, the line-up of songs . . . were not put-ons: they were good numbers well performed.

Fred Kirby, https://books.google.com/books?id=rAoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=%22joyfull+noise%22+rowe&source=bl&ots=-0CDEQVaX-&sig=ACfU3U0GVq4puXMROgpAGPCMxCg48_v_SQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiLx4a84Z35AhV_g2oFHduhAiE4ChDoAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

* Here goes:

Wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow.

Changes ought to be undertaken only when there is nothing else to be done. Therefore at first the utmost restraint is necessary. One must becomes firm in one’s mind, control oneself-yellow is the color of the means, and the cow is the symbol of docility-and refrain from doing anything for the time being, because any premature offensive will bring evil results.

http://www2.unipr.it/~deyoung/I_Ching_Wilhelm_Translation.html

Wikipedia tells us that:

The I Ching or Yijing . . . usually translated Book of Changes or Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The I Ching was originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou period (1000–750 BC). Over the course of the Warring States and early imperial periods (500–200 BC), it transformed into a cosmological text with a series of philosophical commentaries known as the Ten Wings. After becoming part of the Chinese Five Classics in the 2nd century BC, the I Ching was the basis for divination practice for centuries across the Far East and was the subject of scholarly commentary. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, it took on an influential role in Western understanding of East Asian philosophical thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching

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Steppeulvene/The Steppe Wolves — “Dunhammeraften”/”Dunhammer Evening”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 9, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,840) Steppeulvene/The Steppe Wolves — “Dunhammeraften”/”Dunhammer Evening”

Something’s funky in the State of Denmark! And, no, I’m not talking about Operation Dunhammer! I’m talking about the Steppe Wolves’ very funky evocation of strange goings on during a Danish evening in the ’60s, as can be surmised from a bit of the lyrics (https://genius.com/Steppeulvene-dunhammeraften-lyrics, courtesy of Google Translate):

“I Frue Kirke kan ingen begribe Hvem der sidder og ryger på orgelpibe Det’ da ellers ikke særlig svært at forstå Når man har sine violette snabeltyrkersko på”/”In room 7 Rifbjerg plays chess with Grundtvig sitting and humming Bach In Frue Kirke no one can understand Who is sitting and smoking on the organ pipe It’s not that hard to understand When you have your violet turkish shoes on”

“Dunhammeraften” is the opening song of the band’s only LP — Hip. “It is a very acid-bubbling poetry, where the imagination is given free rein, says Michael Charles Gaunt, music critic at Berlingske.” (Sarah Schlüter, https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/steppeulvenes-hip-er-tusinder-af-kroner-vaerd (courtesy of Google Translate)) Indeed!

Wikipedia (courtesy of Google Translate) tells us of the Steppe Wolves:

Steppeulvene . . . was a Danish rock band which despite its short life has become the icon for the Danish hippie music scene. The name of the group was taken from the 1927 novel Steppenwolf by German Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse. Also in 1967, in California, the band Steppenwolf named itself after the novel. Their only album Hip (1967) was the first rock album with original Danish lyrics, and has attained near-mythological status in the history of Danish rock. The group was the result of a collaboration between lead singer Eik Skaløe, who had traveled in the Orient in the early 1960s and wrote the Bob Dylan-inspired, highly symbolic and almost surreal lyrics, and Stig Møller (guitar, vocal), who wrote the drawling, psychedelic, folk-influenced music. . . . A tour in October 1967 came to a chaotic end when a concert was cut short by the police and the group members were arrested for cannabis use. Shortly after being released, Eik Skaløe went on a journey to Afghanistan/Nepal (on the so-called “hippie trail”*) and was found dead . . . near the Indian/ Pakistani border in October 1968, apparently after a drug-induced suicide. Back in Denmark the rest of the group attempted to carry on, but, lacking the characteristic Skaløe as a front figure, quickly dissolved.

https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppeulvene

Ralf Christensen tells us more (courtesy of Google Translate):

Danish rock’s so-called Jellinge Stone** did not go down well when it was erected on June 1, 1967. . . . [T]he 24-year-old hippie Eik Skaløe . . . front[ed] the Copenhagen quartet. A Danish-speaking, self-thinking entity thrust its proboscis monkeys into the arena of barbed wire music, and broke the framework for what Danish music could be. But Steppeulvene’s debut album Hip was released in only 700 copies, and it took about two years to sell the modest edition. Skaløe was at the microphone and was the lyricist, Stig Møller was the guitarist and – with one exception – the songwriter. Søren Seirup operated the bass and harmonica – and wrote one song – and Preben Devantier played drums. . . . Time called for acid in the two-stroke engine, and in Steppeulvene it was drilled by a unicorn in free flight through the barn of colors. Eik Skaløe was a formidable meaning-transformer and language developer. Bob Dylan had put 10,000 volts into the English language, and Skaløe had listened, yes. But in his Danish lyrics one could also trace – occasionally explicit – references to and influences from Danish language artists such as Klaus Rifbjerg, Halfdan Rasmussen, Benny Andersen. . . . As Carsten Grolin originally wrote on the album cover, the band’s music is performed “in a Danish that is for the first time young and contemporary”. And it is also truly amazing to hear how funny and inventive, in love and desperate Eik Skaløe appears in the lyrics. . . . The giggle herb exerts its influence. The echo of the voices and the laughter in the spoken intermezzos is a hint with a cart pole about the state of affairs at the reel-to-reel tape recorder. “Be serious now, Stig,” chuckles Skaløe. But that doesn’t hurt the songs, indeed, during the later – only two-day-long – recordings of Hip there were also hash, LSD and hard drugs in play. . . . The Steppe Wolves only lived for nine months in 1967 in their original form, then they disbanded. Skaløe went to Nepal and ended up committing suicide on October 15, 1968 in the borderland between Pakistan and India. Hip was the band’s only album, and it was the first Danish-language rock band of high artistic caliber. “The pop song is today what the novel was 20 years ago. The electric guitar is the typewriter of our time,” Carsten Grolin quotes Skaløe as having said in the cover text from ’67. Rock could then be seen as a new form of contemporary novel. It was the vessel for a movement’s storming of the conservative supremacy of adults. . . . It’s an album of its collective time because it’s so full of late-’60s flighty dreams, rock musical catechisms, and psychedelic imagination. And it’s an individual, timeless experience because everyone – but not everyone – can become completely electric from listening to the best songs.

https://www.information.dk/kultur/anmeldelse/2015/01/elektriske-modstande-svunden-tid

* Wikipedia tells us that the hippie trail was “an overland journey taken by members of the hippie subculture and others from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, travelling from Europe and West Asia through South Asia such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Thailand.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie_trail) Maitreya Kali (see #1,016, 1,722) is another artist I have featured who fell victim to the hippie trail.

** Wikipedia informs us that:

The Jelling stones . . . are massive carved runestones from the 10th century, found at the town of Jelling in Denmark. . . . The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm’s son, Harold Bluetooth, in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. The runic inscriptions on these stones are considered the best known in Denmark. . . . The stones are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state. Both inscriptions mention the name “Danmark” . . . .The larger stone explicitly mentions the conversion of Denmark from Norse paganism and the process of Christianisation . . . . it is therefore popularly dubbed “Denmark’s baptismal certificate” . . . . In 1997 a photo of this stone inspired the name Bluetooth for the wireless technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelling_stones

Here is the demo (sans funk):

There is a 2014 Danish biopic about the band (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsi_Bitsi) Here are two trailers in English:

Seems pretty cool!

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Hyde — “Exit Hero Number One”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 8, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,839) Hyde — “Exit Hero Number One”

Here is the hilarious Dylanesque lament of a put-upon Canadian farmer. “I’ve got the lower 40 left that I’ve gotta plow and I’m stuck behind a sacred cow.” Canadian Cult Classics (the blog of a Canadian music historian from Toronto) states that it is from an an album of “amazing original songs with . . . sparse arrangements [that] weave a delicate, urgent musical web . . . in part thanks to the consummate musicianship of [the backing band] Rockadrome. Each song in this ten-song cycle creates a unique mood spun by [the] music and words.” (https://canadiancultclassics.blogspot.com/2024/12/yorkvilles-forgotten-poet-origins-of.html?m=1)

The Museum of Canadian Music tells us that “[t]he story behind Hyde, a self-titled 1969 album, is one of the most intriguing and mysterious chapters in Canadian music history. For decades, the man behind this masterpiece remained unknown to most, shrouded in secrecy by close friends and family.” (https://citizenfreak.com/artists/96823-hyde)

Here is the story, as told by the MCM:

Brian Victor Alexander, the creative force behind the Hyde alias, was a Toronto-based singer-songwriter whose talent, determination, and artistry made a lasting impression on those lucky enough to witness his rise. . . . [He] was born . . . in Toronto . . . . excelled in sports like baseball and hockey . . . . Brian’s fascination with R&B and blues ignited during his childhood. By the age of ten, he was immersing himself in records and eventually became a DJ for neighborhood dances. At fifteen, Brian picked up a guitar and harmonica, teaching himself to play and pouring countless hours into practicing. When he discovered Bob Dylan’s debut album in 1962, it was a revelation. Inspired by Dylan’s ability to blend poetic lyrics with folk melodies, Brian began writing his own songs, embracing the singer-songwriter path and dreaming of making his mark in Toronto’s burgeoning folk music scene. . . . During the 1960s, Yorkville in Toronto was the epicenter of Canada’s counterculture and music scene. Brian, captivated by the talent and energy of the area, became a regular at venues like the Riverboat and the Mynah Bird coffeehouse. In December 1965, he approached Colin Kerr, the owner of the Mynah Bird, for a chance to perform. After a brief audition, he secured a regular spot, earning recognition for his introspective lyrics and Dylan-inspired vocal delivery. Brian’s formative experiences in Yorkville, including seeing Bob Dylan’s controversial 1965 concert at Massey Hall, inspired him to stay true to his art. Performing in Yorkville’s iconic venues alongside emerging musicians helped him refine his craft and develop his signature sound. . . . By 1969, Brian had adopted the alias Hyde, a persona he used to distance himself from his personal struggles and focus entirely on his music. He caught the attention of Art Snider, a prominent figure in Toronto’s music industry, who signed him to record an album. Backed by the talented Toronto psych-rock band Rockadrome, Hyde recorded his self-titled album . . . . The album, featuring nine original songs and a heartfelt cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Threw It All Away”, showcased Brian’s lyrical depth and haunting melodies. With sparse yet evocative arrangements, it was a unique blend of folk and psych influences. Released in August 1969, Hyde received limited promotion, including a few spins on CHUM Radio and a live performance at Toronto’s underground club, Global Village. Despite its critical potential, the album faded into obscurity . . . . After the release of Hyde, Brian faced the harsh realities of the music industry. Opportunities dwindled, and personal struggles took their toll. By the early 1970s, he relocated to Calgary, stepping away from the music scene to focus on a more stable career. For nearly a decade, Brian put his guitar aside, distancing himself from the creative pursuit that had defined much of his youth. In the 1980s, he returned to Toronto and gradually reconnected with music. By the late 1990s, after retiring to Wasaga Beach, Brian rediscovered his passion for songwriting. He built a home studio and began recording and jamming with friends, reigniting the spark that had driven him decades earlier. . . . Though Brian Victor Alexander never achieved widespread fame, his album . . . remains a testament to his talent and artistry. . . . [S]teeped in introspection and poetic lyricism, [it] is a gem of Canada’s 1960s music scene . . . .

https://citizenfreak.com/artists/96823-hyde

Canadian Cult Classics, responsible for seeking out Hyde’s true identity and telling the world, tells us that:

[H]earing Bob Dylan’s debut album in 1962 blew [Brian] away . . . . Bob was his sole inspiration thereafter to pursue folk music, learn to sing, and soon, learn how to write songs of his own. He fashioned himself after the American folk troubadour in many respects, but his songwriting grew to be wholly unique. . . . A formative musical experience for Brian was seeing . . . Dylan perform at Massey Hall during late 1965 . . . . during Bob Dylan’s highly contentious “electric” period, backed by local Toronto R&B act Levon & The Hawks . . . . As with many shows along their tour, Bob Dylan was arguing with hostile fans over their dislike of his new sound. . . . Paired with Brian’s constant intake of top-tier folk talent in Yorkville, the Bob Dylan event inspired Brian to stand by his music, stand up for his art, and, most importantly, develop the courage to sing.

https://canadiancultclassics.blogspot.com/2024/12/yorkvilles-forgotten-poet-origins-of.html?m=1

You might get a kick out of the LP’s original liner notes by Bill Shelson:

In a drawing, delving manner does he cross the borders of his place and let some of his soul be known. The rise and fall of his pulsing rhythms and trying words bring to the foreground almost-forgotten or not-yet-found insights. Don’t skip lightly over the images and parallels of this offering. Let your consciousness catch itself in Hyde’s stream. Its a cool brook compared to the murky esoterics of others. Toronto’s stature as a breeding place of Free Music is increased even, more with this chance to try on Hyde’s speed for the learning. His songs leave the ordinary, trite conformities of many of his peers. The mystique of introspection, The fires of passion, and all the nuances in between are explored by Hyde in his work. This is an artist of dedication with the scars to prove it. Think about your own dreams and what you’re on to as you listen (and maybe hear) Hyde. If you’ve put half as much of yourself into your thing as Hyde has his, you deserve this collection of truths.

https://citizenfreak.com/titles/283959-hyde-st

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Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 7, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,838) Medicine Head — “His Guiding Hand”

This haunting and sublime spiritual meditation was Medicine Head’s first A-side and a track off their first LP New Bottles Old Medicine. The album was produced by their champion John Peel, who had signed the (two man) band to his fledgling Dandelion Records label. They recorded the song a number of times for Peel on the BBC. (https://peel.fandom.com/wiki/Medicine_Head)

Andreasegde asks “Was this recorded with someone holding a microphone in the kitchen when it was being played in the cellar?” and demcny8941 responds “This was in fact recorded in John Fiddler’s kitchen on an old Grundig tape recorder! John Peel loved it, played it at his London studio for John [see #29, 113, 520, 522, 781, 1473] and Yoko and they all decided it needed to be released simply as it was recorded, low-fi and raw”! (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s36CuVUK1cQ&list=RDs36CuVUK1cQ&start_radio=1&pp=ygUebWVkaWNpbmUgaGVhZCBoaXMgZ3VpZGluZyBoYW5koAcB)

Brian Banks calls New Bottles Old Medicine a “heady mix of storm-rousers . . . juxtaposed with spiritual ballads, hauntingly simple yet articulate”. (https://www.therocktologist.com/artist-profile-medicine-head.html) Dave Thompson gets inside Medicine’s Head:

[T]wo guys with a Jew’s Harp, a handheld drum, a harmonica, and an acoustic guitar . . . make mountains move . . . . There’s a ghostly Dylan air to a lot of Medicine Head’s early work . . . . one moment reflective, one moment boisterous, but always loose and laconic enough to remind you just what kind of arsenal was making all the noise. . . . Medicine Head’s achievement isn’t simply in writing and performing such memorable songs. It lies in making them sound so memorable as well, and New Bottles Old Medicine overflows with that magic.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-bottles-old-medicine-mw0000664911

Jason Ankeny gives us some Head history:

Formed in Stafford, England in 1968, the British blues duo Medicine Head were comprised of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist John Fiddler and Peter Hope-Evans, who played the harmonica and jew’s harp. Upon their formation at art college, Medicine Head became a staple of the local club circuit, eventually recording a demo which found its way to influential BBC radio personality John Peel, who began championing the track “His Guiding Hand.” Other DJs soon followed suit, and quickly the duo was on the brink of stardom. With Peel’s continued assistance, Medicine Head entered the studio to begin recording their 1970 debut LP New Bottles Old Medicine. Their focus shifted from basic blues to a more intricate sound for 1971’s Heavy on the Drum, produced by former Yardbird Keith Relf. after scoring a surprise hit with the single “(And the) Pictures in the Sky,” Hope-Evans left the group, and was replaced by Relf and drummer John Davies for 1972’s The Dark Side of the Moon. Hope-Evans rejoined prior to 1973’s One and One Is One, which launched the title track to the Top Three of the U.K. singles chart. Now a five-piece . . . Medicine Head notched two more hit singles, “Rising Sun” and “Slip and Slide,” but 1974’s Thru’ a Five failed to chart, and the group began to disintegrate. Only Fiddler and Hope-Evans remained by the time of 1976’s Two Man Band, and after one last single, “Me and Suzy Hit the Floor,” Medicine Head officially disbanded. Fiddler later resurfaced in the British Lions, followed by a stint in Box of Frogs and finally a solo career, while Hope-Evans contributed to the Pete Townshend [see #119] albums Empty Glass and White City.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/medicine-head-mn0000404726#biography

Here is the single version:

BBC radio session ’70:

Live on Radio 1 ’70:

Live on Radio 1:

Live ’75:

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The Merry-Go-Round — “You’re a Very Lovely Woman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 6, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,837) The Merry-Go-Round — “You’re a Very Lovely Woman”

From L.A. wunderkind Emitt Rhodes’ band the Merry-Go-Round (see #50, 156), here is a “sweeping orchestral pop gem” (Tim Sendra, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-merry-go-round-mw0000862964), a “gorgeous, haunting string ballad” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-merry-go-round-mw0000856619), “[a]n exciting showcase of Rhodes’ songwriting abilities[ that] will leave one gasping for breath [at the] intense and dark . . . overall sound”. (MOOF, https://moofmag.com/2017/09/18/the-merry-go-round-youre-a-very-lovely-woman-live-1967/) “[It] display[s] a songwriting touch far beyond Emitt’s years . . . . One listen [and] you can’t help but think,’This kid was 17?'” (Farmer John, https://psychedelicscene.com/2025/04/06/vinyl-relics-emitt-rhodes-by-emitt-rhodes/)

Ray McGinnis writes:

“You’re A Very Lovely Woman” is a rather dark song. The singer finds the lovely woman, admittedly, has charms. However, the world she offers ~ one of wine and sin ~ is ugly. After having a fling with this lovely woman, he realizes that there are other things he misses. He recognizes there is another woman “a girl” who loves him. Staying with the “lovely woman” would only ruin his life, he concludes. In addition, the “lovely woman” wants him to forget the things he’s been searching for that he’s spent time and effort trying to find. It seems that he and the “lovely woman” don’t have a lot in common, at least out of bed.

https://vancouversignaturesounds.com/hits/youre-a-very-lovely-woman-by-the-merry-go-round/

When asked by Russ Auwerter in ’71 how “Lovely Woman” began, Rhodes answered “I was playing drums in the Palace Guard when I was exposed td Hollywood in its heyday and I didn’t like it at all.” (https://www.onamrecords.com/artists/merry-go-round)

As to the band and their sole LP (largelyt a compilation of singles), Farmer John writes:

[They] had a unique sound – they weren’t quite folk-rock; they weren’t quite pop or baroque and they weren’t quite garage rock. They somehow managed to pull off sounding West Coast AND British Invasion simultaneously. Unique indeed.

https://psychedelicscene.com/2025/04/06/vinyl-relics-emitt-rhodes-by-emitt-rhodes/

MOOF adds:

From time to time, an artist or band will come along that will absolutely exceed all musical expectations. They will go beyond the stratosphere of excellence, and invade your eardrums with sounds of astonishment. This is what we have here . . . . Emitt Rhodes has a true talent of creating masterful pop tunes. . . . [I]f you are interested in hearing instantly memorable songs that have a strong Beatles [see #422, 1,087, 1,256] influence, this is an album to take a serious listen to. . . . [If it is] a new experience [it] will bring everlasting joy…

https://moofmag.com/2017/09/18/the-merry-go-round-youre-a-very-lovely-woman-live-1967/

Finally, Tim Sendra:

The Merry-Go-Round’s self-titled 1967 album is a breathtaking blend of chiming folk-rock guitars, British Invasion harmony vocals, baroque pop arrangements, and pure pop songcraft . . . . The Beatles are a huge influence, and there is plenty of McCartney [see #28, 132, 374, 521, 669, 779-81, 840] in Emitt Rhodes’ sweet vocals and their vocal harmonies. You can hear the Byrds [see #1,430, 1,605] a bit, some Left Banke (especially on . . . “You’re a Very Lovely Woman”), some L.A. garage on rockers . . . . [T]he overall quality of the songs and the group’s loose and earthy playing, help lift the album above the pack and should lead to it being mentioned in the same breath as Love’s first album or Buffalo Springfield’s [see #1,555] first when talking about classic American debut albums of the ’60s.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-merry-go-round-mw0000862964

Tim Sendra give us some history:

The Merry-Go-Round formed in Los Angeles during the summer of 1966 when Palace Guard drummer Emitt Rhodes left that band and began rehearsing . . . with his high school buddy Gary Kato. . . . [T]he duo hooked up with a couple of L.A. movers in bassist Bill Rinehart [who] had played in the Leaves [see #656] and drummer Joel Larson with the Grass Roots, and both had been in the short-lived Gene Clark Group [see #655] in 1966 and later played on Clark’s classic 1967 album, Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers. Rhodes, Kato, Rinehart, and Larson recorded demos that attracted label attention and led to a deal with A&M. “Live” [see #156] was released as a single in early 1967 and quickly became a huge hit in L.A., eventually reaching number 63 on the Billboard singles chart. The B-side, “Time Will Show the Wiser,” became somewhat well-known, too, as Fairport Convention [see #1,199] cut a version on their 1968 debut album. Their next single, the highly arranged and orchestrated “You’re a Very Lovely Woman,” didn’t fare as well on the charts, hitting only number 90 in late 1967. A&M perhaps sensed that the window of opportunity was closing for the group and hastily released The Merry-Go-Round in November of 1967. The album, excellent though it is, consists of singles, their flipsides, and assorted demos. The record stalled out at number 190 and Rinehart left the band soon after. He was replaced by Rick Dey, who had been with San Francisco band the Vejtables [see #1,005] and also the Wilde Knights . . . . The Merry-Go-Round released two singles in 1968, “Listen, Listen”/”Missing You” [see #50] and “Highway”/”‘Til the Day After,” but neither hit and they soon found that fewer fans were drawn to their shows, and offers to play were drying up. After plans to release a second album dissipated, Rhodes disbanded the Merry-Go-Round in 1969 and began working on solo material. His first album, The American Dream, contained solo tracks cut with session musicians as well as a few studio-sweetened Merry-Go-Round demos. Rhodes went on to release a handful of critically acclaimed solo albums, most notably 1970’s amazing Emitt Rhodes. Gary Kato later formed Bullet and became a member of the group Derek, which had a hit with the bubblegum classic “Cinnamon.” Rick Dey went on to do session work (including a stint working for the Monkees [see #1,718]) and recorded an album in the early ’70s with his brother Tony and Barry Melton (of Country Joe & the Fish fame).

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-merry-go-round-mn0000474208#biography

Here they are with Dick Clark:

Here is Rhodes’ solo version:

Here is Linda Ronstadt’s ’71 B-side:

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The Four Tops — “Wish I Didn’t Love You So”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 5, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,836) The Four Tops — “Wish I Didn’t Love You So”

How was this romantic rave not a hit for the Four Tops (see #1,148, 1,429)?! Well, it wasn’t even released as a B-side, but appeared on their ’69 album Four Tops Now! “Love You So” was written by the underrated songwriting-production team of William Weatherspoon and James Dean.

Ron Wynn writes of the LP:

This wasn’t among their biggest hit albums, but was a well-produced, nicely sung set anyhow. They were one of Motown’s most versatile ensembles, and their albums tended to be all over the stylistic board, some ballads, some show tunes, some jazzy pop. That was the case with this one as well, with only one single making it to the middle of the R&B charts.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/four-tops-now%21-mw0000207872

Andrew Hamilton tells us of Weatherspoon and Dean:

William Henry Weatherspoon was half of Motown’s songwriting and production team — (James) Dean and Weatherspoon, who went solid gold via Jimmy Ruffin’s recording of “What’s Become of the Brokenhearted,” co-written with arranger Paul Riser. Their songs were also recorded by Edwin Starr [see #693, 1,558] , the Monitors, the Marvelettes [see #1,710], Gladys Knight & the Pips [see #1,407, 1,793], Marv Johnson, the Contours, and Dennis Edwards . . . . They used the Originals as prominently on productions as the main artist, giving a unique distinction to their work. . . . Motown regulated them to second tier groups with little chance of becoming major because of miniscule promotion budgets. Their songs often credited a third writer (i.e. Stanley Mullen, Stephen Bowden, William Stevenson, or Jack Goga), but the productions were solely Dean and Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon was an old pro when he signed with Motown and fit right in with Berry Gordy’s system of having experienced singers and writers working as producers and trainers of the company’s younger inexperienced artists. He began singing with the Tornados in 1956 . . . . They called it quits around 1960 and Weatherspoon worked as a songwriter and producer for Detroit’s Correc-tone Records . . . . Inking with Motown and befriending James Dean was a career shaper for Weatherspoon; the duo became the creative force behind Jimmy Ruffin (“I’ll Say Forever My Love”/”I’ve Passed This Way Before”) and cranked out tunes for a laundry list of Motown artists including Edwin Starr (“I Am the Man for You Baby”), Marv Johnson (“I’ll Pick a Rose for My Rose”), the Contours (“It’s So Hard Being a Loser”), and the Monitors (“Bring Back the Love”/”Step By Step (Hand in Hand”). When Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland defected from Motown with lawsuits pending, Weatherspoon joined them and signed with their Invictus/Hot Wax/Music Merchant setup. Though he never experienced anything the magnitude of “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” he scored some significant hits, mainly because he worked with some of their top artists. Ironically, Dean, a relative of the Holland’s, went in another direction and rolled with Don Davis, with whom he hit significantly, mainly with new collaborator Henry Glover, for the Dells, the Dramatics, Johnnie Taylor [see #191,390, 979], Billy Davis & Marilyn McCoo (“You Don’t Have to Be a Star”), the Soul Children, and others. Weatherspoon kept busy writing by himself and with Angelo Bond, chalking hits for Laura Lee (“Rip Off,” “Women Love Rights,” and “Love and Liberty”) and the Flaming Embers (“I’m Not My Brother’s Keeper” and “Sunshine”). But Dean clearly made the best choice by going with Davis. When HDH closed shop, Weatherspoon returned to Motown along with Bond, they wrote “Go for It” and “Struck By Lightening Twice” for the Temptations [see #142] and songs for the label’s newer artists like Hi Inergy, but Weatherspoon never had another big one and devote[d] himself to the gospel music he produce[d] and publishe[d] . . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/william-weatherspoon-mn0000683981#biography

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Timebox — “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 4, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,835) Timebox — “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind”

England’s timeless Timebox (see #1,285, 1,355, 1,750) gives us a “soul-meets-Summer of Love ode” (Jon “Mojo” Mills, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-deram-anthology-mw0000968588), “combin[ing] sharp blue-eyed soul harmonies with a psychedelic arrangement”. (Jon “Mojo” Mills, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/timebox-mn0000602690#biography)

As to Timebox, Mills writes:

[The band] turned professional and headed towards London. . . . [T]hey were soon working on package tours . . . as well as striking up a residency at the legendary the Whiskey a Go Go. With two singers leaving . . . U.S. singer John Henry was drafted in and the band changed their name to Timebox — an American term for a prison cell. Signed to Piccadilly in February 1967, their debut single, “I’ll Always Love You” . . . was released and displayed an early jazz-tinged, soulful talent. . . . [E]x-G.I. Henry [was] whipped back off to the U.S.A by officials . . . . Mike Patto . . .. joined Timebox . . . and took on a prominent role as vocalist and songwriter. . . . Timebox soon became a hot live act. . . . one of the first rock bands in London to really explore jazz in a rock context. A wonderful performance at the Windsor Jazz Festival on August 12, 1967, caught the eye of Decca producer Gus Dudgeon, who immediately signed them to the label’s subsidiary Deram. The first 45, a fantastic version of Tim Hardin’s “Don’t Make Promises,” was backed by the even better [guitarist Peter “]Ollie[” Halsall] original “Walking Through the Streets of My Mind[]” . . . . The follow-up — again a classic example of British soul — was a cover of the Four Seasons’ “Beggin” and reached number 38 in the charts . . . . Deram viewed Timebox as a pop band, and so the more experimental songs were left in the can while the silly sing-a-long tune “Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye,” written for fun when the band members were drunk, was the next release in March 1969. Its styling was a little too late for the era of novelty psychedelia, and of no interest to the more rock-oriented record buyer . . . . By the summer of 1969, things were turning sour. The final release, “Yellow Van,” was a great record . . . but was banned due to the nature of the lyrics. This really was the end of the road . . . . The nucleus of the band merged into Patto, who released three albums in the 1970s.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/timebox-mn0000602690#biography

Barry Monks adds:

They worked solidly on package tours with The Kinks, The Small Faces, Tommy Quickly, Lou Christie etc. and landed a Wednesday night residency at London’s Whisky a Go Go, a trendy and prestigious venue . . . . [Vocalist Frank] Dixon contracted tuberculosis . . . . In November 1966, a replacement vocalist was found in US singer John Henry . . . . who, as a GI deserter, was shortly to be unceremoniously carted off by two large military policemen! . . . [Mike] Patto . . . had begun to carve a promising solo career with a single . . . on Columbia in December 1966. After fronting the final version of the Bo Street Runners . . . Mike formed Patto’s People (later The Chicago Blues Line) . . . . After a late-night jam at The Playboy Club, Mike agreed to join Timebox . . . . A prestigious gig at The Windsor Jazz Festival on 12 August 1967 caught the eye and ear of ace Decca Records producer Gus Dudgeon who immediately signed them to their new subsidiary Deram. In October 1967, they released a splendidly raga-esque cover of Tim Hardin’s ‘Don’t Make Promises’ . . . . [The next A-side was] a finely crafted cover of The Four Seasons ‘Beggin’ . . . . The B-side, ‘A Woman That’s Waiting’, [see #1,355] was penned by Mike Patto and guitarist Ivan Zagni from the Chicago Blues Line days. . . . The February/March 1968 sessions which produced the ‘hit’ also spawned . . . Patto/Halsall collaborations for a projected album provisionally titled Moose on the Loose . . . . Ollie’s ‘psychedelic’ masterpiece “Gone is the Sad Man” [see #1,285] remains an icon of it’s time [with “Girl, Don’t Make Me Wait” [see #1,750] its A-side]. . . . [A] cult following developed around their Marquee Club residency . . . . The self-penned A-side was finally achieved in March 1969 with the rather silly but, nevertheless, endearing “Baked Jam Roll in Your Eye” . . . . Having finally begun to establish their own material, it seemed that Timebox had, effectively, run its course.

https://www.pattofan.com/Timebox/tb_deramcd.htm (liner notes to the CD comp Timebox: The Deram Anthology)

Here are the Beethoven Soul:

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The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Barefoot in Baltimore”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 3, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,834) The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “Barefoot in Baltimore”

While I would not recommend walking barefoot in Baltimore, this ’68 A-side by the Strawberry Alarm Clock (see #127, 272, 901, 1,111, 1,700) is “truly magical”, which I “can imagine . . . being played at some late-60s beach party as the sun is setting, ahhhhhhhhhhh……..” (T Moss, https://www.45cat.com/record/55076). It reached #67 (#39 adult contemporary) (https://www.musicvf.com/Strawberry+Alarm+Clock.songs#gsc.tab=0) It also appeared on The World In a Sea Shell LP.

Millie Zeiler declares “BiB” the SAC’s 8th best song ever, writing:

[It] stands out as one of the heartfelt offerings from [the LP], yet it retains the gentle and playful essence pervasive throughout the album. . . . “Barefoot” is portrayed as someone meandering through Baltimore and along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, soaking in the vibrant street-party atmosphere. The song is distinctively light and engaging, characterized by its brief yet intriguing verses filled with quirky descriptions and occasionally disjointed scenes.

https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-strawberry-alarm-clock-songs/

Coldsore78 writes:

The highlights of this album are so fantastic that you forget the album as a whole is not as good as it could be. “Barefoot in Baltimore” is definitely my favorite on this album. This song is so beautiful!! (both lyrics and the melody) It’s so easy on the ears, but has crazy chord changes, it actually will take you quite a bit to even be able to hum it properly. The lyrics go so well with the melody, I just have to say that this is one of the greatest love songs written up to date. Seriously!!!

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/strawberry-alarm-clock/the-world-in-a-sea-shell/reviews/2/

As to SAC, Bruce Eder tells us that:

Strawberry Alarm Clock occupies a peculiar niche in the history of ’60s rock. Their name is as well known to anyone who lived through the late-’60s psychedelic era as that of almost any group one would care to mention, mostly out of its sheer, silly trippiness as a name and their one major hit, “Incense and Peppermints,” which today is virtually the tonal equivalent of a Summer of Love flashback. But there was a real group there, with members who had played for a long time on the Southern California band scene, who were proficient on their instruments and who sang well and generated four whole LPs . . . . The band’s origins go back to Glendale, CA, in the mid-’60s, and a group then known as the Sixpence. It was 1965 and all things British were still a selling point, so the name made as much sense as anything else. . . . They mostly did covers of then-popular hits and developed a considerable following in Glendale and also in Santa Barbara, playing there so often that a lot of histories have them coming out of Santa Barbara.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/strawberry-alarm-clock-mn0000633079/biography

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The Honeybus — “Scarlet Lady”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 2, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,833) The Honeybus — “Scarlet Lady”

Another spendid song by Honeybus, with “the Byrds [see #1,430, 1,605] shining through” (Jittery White Guy, https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2021/02/honeybus-story-1970.html?m=1)

45rpy writes:

Colin Hare’s “Scarlet Lady” concerns a different kind of clod—namely, an infatuated one—though his plea to the listener to understand his reasoning doesn’t hold to scrutiny: “If I’m such a fool, tell me why I stand here looking at her all the time?” Sorry Colin, still sounds a wee bit pathetic to me . . . .

https://45rpy.wordpress.com/2018/09/30/honeybus-story-1970/

Honeybus is one of my favorite bands (see #6, 52, 207, 434, 562, 605, 764, 1,100, 1,439, 1,582, 1,715), with the honey being especially bittersweet with what should have been, what could have been. LN writes:

When I once lent a friend a copy of my beloved Story [including “Scarlet Lady”] he quipped that it sounded almost like a Beatles [see #422, 1,087, 1,256] album from the 1960s that had somehow escaped release. I had for some time lacked just the right phrase to describe the album, and here it was; my friend had completely summed up my feelings about one of rock music’s true lost treasures in one neat soundbite.

http://lyndslounge.blogspot.com/2008/01/1000-great-albums-honeybus-story-1970.html

Jittery White Guy also puts it perfectly:

Honeybus had the pop touchstones of the Beatles and the Hollies [see #461], while balancing the more sunshiny, twee aspects of the early Bee Gees [see #291, 484, 594, 717, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125, 1,321, 1,343, 1,685] with some mild touches of post-Sgt. Pepper psychedelia. . . . Their songs were unusually tuneful, some lovely little hooks paired with sweet harmonies, and it’s almost shocking to hear these songs today and realize the band had pretty much zero commercial success (at least here in the US).

https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2021/02/honeybus-story-1970.html?m=1

Bruce Eder beautifully ponders what made the band so special and what could have been:

Considering that most have never heard of them, it’s amazing to ponder that they came very close, in the eyes of the critics, to being Decca Records’ answer to the Rubber Soul-era Beatles. The harmonies were there, along with some catchy, hook-laden songs . . . . The pop sensibilities of Honeybus’ main resident composers, Peter Dello and Ray Cane were astonishingly close in quality and content to those of Paul McCartney [see #28, 132, 374, 521, 669, 779-81, 840] and the softer sides of John Lennon [see #29, 113, 520, 522, 781, 1,473] of that same era. What’s more, the critics loved their records. Yet, somehow, Honeybus never got it right; they never had the right single out at the proper time, and only once in their history did they connect with the public for a major hit, in early 1968. . . .

Dello and Cane . . . were the prime movers behind Honeybus. In 1966, they formed the Yum Yum Band . . . . A collapsed lung put Dello out of action in early 1966, and it was during his recuperation that he began rethinking what the band and his music were about. He developed the notion of a new band that would become a canvas for him to work on as a songwriter — they would avoid the clubs, working almost exclusively in the studio, recreating the sounds that he was hearing in his head. . . . It was a novel strategy, paralleling the approach to music-making by the Beatles in their post-concert period, and all the more daring for the fact that they were a new group . . . . The group was one of the best studio bands of the period, reveling in the perfection that could be achieved . . . .

They were duly signed to England’s Decca Records and assigned to the company’s newly organized Deram label . . . . The critics were quick to praise the band . . . [but their first two singles were commercially] unsuccessful. Then . . . their third release, “I Can’t Let Maggie Go,” [see #6] . . . . . . peaked at number eight. . . . [It] should have made the group, but instead it shattered them. Peter Dello resigned during the single’s chart run. He had been willing to play live on radio appearances and the occasional television or special concert showcase . . . but he couldn’t accept the physical or emotional stresses of performing live on a regular basis, or the idea of touring America . . . . Dello left . . . . [and] Jim Kelly came in on guitar and vocals, while Ray Cane . . . took over most of the songwriting, and Honeybus proceeded to play regular concerts. The group never recovered the momentum they’d lost over “Maggie,” however, despite a string of fine singles . . . . [that] never charted . . . . [T]he group had pretty well decided to call it quits once they finished the[ir] LP . . . . The Honeybus Story . . . was released in late 1969, but without an active group to promote it, the record sank without a trace. . . . [I]t was a beautiful album, with the kind of ornate production and rich melodies that had become increasingly rare with the passing of the psychedelic era . . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/honeybus-mn0000259186/biography

Here is the BBC version:

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The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Sunrise”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 1, 2026

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,832) The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Sunrise”

A new sun rises over a new year. Take a ride on the Peppermint Trolley with this lustrous and consoling song by America’s greatest 60’s TV band, a song “about hope and finding strength to carry on during a dark time”. (Face the Music, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQfRQSUX-1k) “Sunrise” “featur[es] delicate guitar and keyboard arpeggios enveloping tender vocal passages, creating perfect moments of folk-pop, with instrumental effects in the background that lead into a beautiful, undulating vocal section”. (Magic Pop Blog, https://magicpopblog.wordpress.com/2021/09/10/out-sider-guerssen-reedita-el-disco-popsike-de-culto-de-the-peppermint-trolley-company/)

Band member and “Sunrise” singer Danny Faragher explains:

“Sunrise” was penned solely by Pat [McClure]. It is a song that spoke to me, and which I had the good fortune to sing lead on. Years later he provided the back story of its creation. He’d been up north dealing with the draft, and had driven back through the night. Just before dawn he pulled off to the side of the road, grabbed his guitar, opened the back door of his bread truck, and sat there strumming as the sun rose. The words and music came simultaneously, and the song was completed within minutes. “Today let me down but I know that the sun will shine”. These lyrics bear the imprint of a McClure song: Sad, but always hopeful. In my opinion these tunes are timeless. In a just world they would be recognized as the musical gems they are.

http://www.dannyfaragher.com/tag/peppermint-trolley-company/

Fifty years ago the Peppermint Trolley Company recorded this beautiful Patrick McClure song . . . . I got the chance to sing the lead vocal on it. The tune was special to me; it seemed to embody the way I felt in that turbulent moment. The performance was so nakedly honest and vulnerable that for decades I could not listen to it. . . . A half century [later] I find the song’s sad but hopeful vibe still haunts just as it did when Pat first played it for me. My voice may no longer have the fresh-faced innocence of the kid who performed it in 1968, but the hope and longing are still there.

https://www.facebook.com/100063580778262/posts/danny-faragher-performs-sunrisefifty-years-ago-the-peppermint-trolley-company-re/10156301516824011/

America’s greatest TV band of the 60’s? Don’t think simian, think peppermint. The Peppermint Trolley (see #54, 136, 318, 426, 1,409) appeared rehearsing in an episode of the classic detective drama Mannix (see #136) and camped it up on The Beverly Hillbillies, and that’s just for starters. They also recorded the theme song to the generation-defining iconic TV series The Brady Bunch (at least for the first season). Talk about Monkee business!

In addition to the Trolley’s contributions to television, it was a wonderful pop psych/ baroque pop band (not bubblegum, despite what its name might suggest). “Sunrise” is taken from their sole LP, which Beverly Paterson aptly describes:

[T]he self-titled platter was padded to the ceiling with layers of sweet soaring harmonies stacked neatly atop pastoral textures, glistening melodies and exotic interludes. The band’s attention to detail and their ability to deliver the songs in such a natural manner remains flawless. A spiffy paisley pop vibe, akin to that of the Poor, the Left Banke, and the Strawberry Alarm Clock [see #127, 272, 901, 1,111, 1,700] , hugs the tunes. Challenging and ambitious, but highly accessible, [it] is one of the greatest overlooked efforts of the era.

https://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/12/06/forgotten-series-the-peppermint-trolley-company-beautiful-sun-1968/

As the the Trolley, Al Campbell tells us:

Formed in Redlands, CA, in 1967, Peppermint Trolley Company managed to release one album and five singles. They were one of the initial bands signed to the Acta label, whose biggest success was the American Breed “Bend Me Shape Me.” Only one of Peppermint’s singles managed to make the charts, “Baby You Come Rollin’ Across My Mind[]” [see #54]. It peaked at number 59 in the summer of 1968. They managed to keep a relatively high profile by performing the weekly TV theme songs for Love American Style and the first season of The Brady Bunch (the cast members sang the theme from the second season on). The band consisted of Bob Cheevers (vocals and guitar), Jimmie Faragher (bass, guitar, and sax), Danny Faragher (keyboards), Casey Cunningham (guitar and flute), and Greg Tornouist (drums). Their success was short lived and by the early ’70s the band changed their name to Bones and finally the Faragher Brothers before disbanding. Bob Cheevers gained success as a solo artist, releasing several discs in the contemporary folk genre.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peppermint-trolley-company-mn0000411009#biography

Danny Faragher wrote a great history of their career which I highly recommend —http://www.dannyfaragher.com/bio/the-peppermint-trolley-company/. Here is Danny, 50 years later:

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Information — “Oh Strange Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 31, 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,831) Information — “Oh Strange Man”

Here is “[o]ne of the rarest and best on the Beacon label released in 1969, [a] lovely mellotron soaked slice of psych pop” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4zw3U0WXtc) Vernon Joynson says it “is reputed to be good”. (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) I repute it to be great!

However, Music Street Journal is more equivocal:

“There is almost a funky element at play on this piece. That gets mixed with a slightly awkward psychedelic rock sound on the verses. The choruses seem to work better. This is not bad, but probably relegated to the less effective end [of the CD comp Love, Poetry and Revolution: A Journey through the British Psychedelic and Underground Scenes 1966-72]

https://www.musicstreetjournal.com/cdreviews_display.cfm?id=104293)

Discogs gives a little information on Information:

A five-piece based around singer Dave Moir and lead guitarist Albie Harrup that released two singles respectively in 1969 (on Beacon) and 1970 (on Evolution). When Moir and Harrup left, the group settled as a four-piece with new guitarist Bill Puplett (from Serendipity). At this point they changed their name to Scarecrow.

https://www.discogs.com/es/artist/635520-Information-3

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Chris Britton — “That Was the Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 30, 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,830) Chris Britton — “That Was the Time”

Troggs’ guitarist Chris Britton released a little-noticed but stunning solo album, As I Am (see #15, 980), including this little layover at the village green’s bandstand. Is that Chris playing the classical guitar? Dig that arrangement by Troggs music director Colin Frechter (https://www.coda-uk.co.uk/colin_frechter.htm)!

Vinyl Kiosk tells us that:

Recording a solo album . . . allowed . . . Britton to take a greater artistic freedom, though [it] didn’t veer too far from The Troggs’ standard blend of poppy psychedelia and garage rock, constructed with a particular English bent. Yet, with Britton composing all of the songs except one . . . the material is surprisingly varied, [from] . . . rocking grooves with bright brass, Latinesque percussion and a bit of psychedelic phasing [to] “a slinky blues” [to] pure dreamy psych.”

https://stores.vinylkiosk.com/chris-britton-as-i-am-69-uk-psych-new-lp/

Vernon Joynson adds: “[S]ome popsike fans swear by [the album] while others dismiss it as overblown pap. As usual, the truth lies somewhere between. . . . [O]verall this is a varied and unfairly neglected piece of the psych-pop jigsaw.” (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited).

I swear by it and swear at those who don’t — including Richie Unterberger! He writes:

As guitarist for the Troggs, Chris Britton made important contributions to the raw British Invaders’ sound with his crunchy, wiry style. Though Reg Presley was the Troggs’ principal lead singer and songwriter, Britton also took occasional lead vocals and wrote a bit of material on their records, the odd primitive buzzing psychedelia of “Maybe the Madman” and the sultry midtempo rocker “Say Darlin’” . . . being the highlights in that respect. . . . Though [As I Am] betrayed his modest gifts/limitations as a singer/songwriter, it was an agreeable, varied batch of period British psychedelic pop songs, sung by Britton in his idiosyncratic, diffidently cool and amused style.

Chris Britton’s rare solo album . . . . [is] fairly pleasant psychedelic-tinged late-’60s British pop/rock, delivered with understated, almost laconically sly vocals. Plenty of the period trimmings of British psych-pop . . . can be heard: chirpy Baroque-tinged string arrangements, harpsichord, hints of Eastern exotica, buoyant romantic lyrics, melodic acoustic folky guitar, the odd vaudevillian flavor, Swinging London brass, and the like.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-britton-mn0000105432
https://www.allmusic.com/album/as-i-am-mw0000698634

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The British Lion Orchestra — “Big Bare Beat”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 29, 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,829) The British Lion Orchestra — “Big Bare Beat”

From the movie Girl on a Motorcycle starring Marianne Faithfull (see #111, 430) and Alain Delon, here is a “[b]ig beaty and grooving to the max – fab!!!!” (narinderdhanjal221, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yap7FwYnQX4) orchestral number written and arranged by Les Reed.

The soundtrack is “[p]ulsing with the spirit of the late ’60s[, ] blending lush orchestration with psychedelic grooves to mirror the film’s sensual, dreamlike journey, [a] bold fusion of pop, jazz, and cinematic flair, [that] remains a mesmerizing snapshot of an era defined by freedom and artistic experimentation.” (liner notes to the digital reissue of the Girl on a Motorcycle soundtrack, https://thebritishlionorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-girl-on-a-motorcycle-music-from-the-soundtrack-of-the-british-lion-film)

Richie Unterberger adds:

The late-’60s film starring Marianne Faithfull and Alain Delon has a cult reputation, if only because it’s one of Faithfull’s few film appearances (and has rarely been seen, especially in the U.S.). The soundtrack has enough of a groovy late-’60s period feel to merit a cult reputation of its own, with its bordering-on-bizarre mix of solid ’60s Hammond organ grooves, soothing quasi-classical interludes, lush ’60s Europop along the lines of the theme from A Man and a Woman, and brief flashes of psychedelia and avant-gardisms. . . . The recurring motifs are quite insinuating, and treated with a number of imaginative arrangements, making this a pretty interesting find for fans of ’60s Euro easy listening/pop hybrids . . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/album/girl-on-a-motorcycle-mw0000056242

The liner notes to the reissue of the soundtrack have more to say:

Life, for a young girl longing at one time for security then the abandoned passion of maturity, is all these things and more – her motorcycle for The Girl on a Motorcycle. Rebecca (Marianne Faithfull) the food of her love is Daniel (Alain Delon), the security her husband Raymond (Roger Mutton), her passion and the link between the three-the motorcycle. To capture these turbulently youthful emotions in cinema form is an artistic achievement, but to amplify them and the action of a film-is aesthetically almost impossible. That brilliant young composer, Les Reed, has succeeded is evident not only to the filmgoer but also to the listener of this album. Using a wide range of orchestral and pop sounds, he follows the film situations with musical images complementing the many moods of Rebecca. In the context of the film the music is an integral part of the atmosphere, but taken as a separate entity re-creates the same moods of passion, exhilaration, despair and violence. . . . Tetragrammaton Records wasn’t built to play it safe. Launched in 1968 by Hollywood risk-takers Bruce Post Campbell, Roy Silver, and Bill Cosby—alongside industry veteran Artie Mogull—the label thrived on fearless creativity.

https://thebritishlionorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-girl-on-a-motorcycle-music-from-the-soundtrack-of-the-british-lion-film

Finally, William:

The great Les Reed has a host of film scores under his belt and production tags . . . but my favorite will always be the shimmering, funky, kitschy soundtrack to the Alain Delon/Marianne Faithful celluloid turkey Girl On A Motorcycle. Composed and arranged by Reed it was conducted by Denis Comper and Peter Knight (the latter had previously conducted the classical music on The Moody Blues Days Of Future Passed LP). The soundtrack LP released on Polydor in the U.K. and was issued in the States on Bill Cosby’s fledgling Tetragrammaton label (which he ran with his manager Roy Silver). However the title theme was never issued as a 7″ in the U.K. (or anywhere else for that matter that I am aware of) but here in the U.S. it was released in December 1968 . . . . Curiously the main title theme was the flip side to the confusingly titled “Theme To Girl On A Motorcycle (Souvenirs Of Stefan)”. This track was later covered with lyrics by Dana Gillespie [see #11, 106] on her rare 1968 US only LP Foolish Seasons . . . and as a schlocky/dreadful 45 by French artist Mirelle Mathieu (which was incidentally produced by Les Reed).

https://anorakthing.blogspot.com/2016/05/#:~:text=We%20discussed%20a%20previous%20American,that%20you%20can%20view%20here.

As to Les Reed, All Music Guide tells us:

A pianist, conductor, arranger, musical director, and highly successful composer, particularly in the 60s and 70s. . . . [He received a] Royal College of Music scholarship and [performed his] National Service in the Royal East Kent Regiment. As well as learning clarinet, he also played piano in a mess dance band . . . . On demobilization in 1956, Reed became a freelance session player, then joined the John Barry Seven who, as well as playing in concerts and on records in their own right, backed other artists – notably those appearing on Jack Good’s Oh Boy! television series. Among them was Adam Faith [see #1,274], for whom Reed wrote a b-side. From this small beginning as a pop composer, Reed’s 60 or more major hits since have earned numerous gold discs, Ivor Novello awards and, in 1982, the British Academy Gold Badge Of Merit. In the mid-60s, it was unusual for a British singles chart not to list a Les Reed song (usually with collaborators like Gordon Mills, Geoff Stephens or Barry Mason). Among numerous Top 30 acts indebted to Reed as writer and arranger are the Applejacks [see #973, 1,569] (‘Tell Me When’), Tom Jones [see #330, 380, 1,691] (‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘Delilah’), P.J. Proby [see #1,186], Mirielle Mathieu, Engelbert Humperdinck (‘The Last Waltz’), Des O’Connor (‘I Pretend’) and the Dave Clark Five [see #208, 320, 411-12, 565, 716] (Everybody Knows’, 1967). In 1969, towards the end of their regular partnership, Reed and Mason wrote ‘Love Is All’, a powerful ballad with which Malcolm Roberts triumphed at the San Remo Song Festival. Reed subsequently became one of the best-known faces at annual song festivals all over the world . . . . His work in the late 60s included two songs with Robin Conrad, ‘Don’t Bring Me Your Heartaches’, a hit for Paul And Barry Ryan [see #88, 264-66, 317, 671], and ‘Leave A Little Love’, which received a compelling treatment from Lulu [see #960]. Reed also collaborated with comedian Jackie Rae for ‘When There’s No You’, another of Humperdinck’s US hits, and ‘Please Don’t Go’, which provided veteran singer Donald Peers with his first chart entry. Both songs were adapted from classical pieces. Reed’s renewed working association with Geoff Stephens in the late 60s and early 70s resulted in ‘There’s A Kind Of Hush’ for Herman’s Hermits [see #300, 613, 639, 841], ‘Daughter Of Darkness’ for Tom Jones, and a Leeds United football song. . . . Reed and Stephens also won the Silver Prize at the 1973 Tokyo Music Festival for their composition ‘Sandy Sandy’ which was sung by Frankie Stephens. Four years later, Reed and Tony Macaulay won the International Song Contest at Mallorca with ‘You And I’. And in 1980, together with lyricist Roger Greenaway and singer Marilyn Miller, Reed carried off the Grand Prix Award in Seoul for ‘Everytime You Go’. Other artists who have recorded Reed’s songs over the years have included Elvis Presley [see #80, 879] (‘Girl Of Mine’), Shirley Bassey (‘Does Anybody Miss Me’) and Bing Crosby (‘That’s What Life Is All About’ . . .). Reed has also composed several film scores including Crossplot, Girl On A Motor Cycle, One More Time, My Mother’s Lovers, Bush Baby, and Creepshow 2, and has written for stage musicals such as The Magic Show, American Heroes and And Then I Wrote. . . . [H]e was estimated to have written more than 2,000 songs. . . . In 1998 Reed was awarded an OBE . . . . In 2004 his musical Beautiful And Damned opened in London. He co-wrote it with Roger Cook and was based on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-reed-mn0000818640#biography

As to the movie, Macnemo writes:

Rebecca (Marianne Faithfull), a dissatisfied and restless young woman prone to talking to herself way too much leaves her boring, effete schoolteacher husband (“You never do what you want to do, only what you ought to do.”) and hits the road from France to Germany to be with her more virile Swiss lover Daniel (Alain Delon). If you dig cult cinema; the 60s when free love was happening, Baby; and an offbeat, erotic story told in a visually dazzling and kinetic fashion, then this . . . offers you a wild, sexy trip through her far-out mind that I think you’ll definitely dig! Hop on and go for a spin, Daddy!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063013/reviews/?featured=rw0102332&ref_=tt_ururv_c_1

Moonspinner55’s opinion is less flattering:

Jack Cardiff co-wrote, directed and photographed this low-rent film about a girl (on a motorcycle!) rushing to see her former lover on a whim after being unhappily married to a milquetoast teacher for two months (Cardiff shows us a snippet of the teacher at work; he can’t control his pre-teen students and trembles when they get rowdy). Wretched script combines the usual rebel pretensions with the young woman’s wistful thoughts about Life, some of which are fairly funny (while passing a cemetery, she thinks, “Not everyone who is buried is dead!”). Padded with flashbacks and dream-sequences, which are also amusing, we do get to see Marianne Faithful nude, which seems to have been Cardiff’s Modus Operandi (so much for his classy reputation). The picture does have a moody, misty-morning feel which, despite being somewhat enervating, is certainly fascinating, but the slim budget and the lack of real imagination keeps this Girl grounded.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063013/reviews/?featured=rw0102332&ref_=tt_ururv_c_1

Here is a trailer:

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Thoughts and Words — “Back in 1939”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 28, 2025

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,828) Thoughts and Words — “Back in 1939”

Oh so gorgeous UK baroque folk rock. Vernon Joynson says, “[Martin] Curtis and [Bob] Ponton had been the founders and mainstays of Pandamonium [see #115] but, tired of record company inteference, resolved in 1969 to proceed as a stripped-down duo.” (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Bob Ponton himself recollects (in the liner notes to the CD reissue of Thoughts and Words’ [see #237, 580, 1,479] eponymous ’69 album (from which “1939” is drawn):

It got me down. I went to bed and couldn’t get up for a month.

We were furious at the way we’d been treated, so decided to ditch the production-heavy approach and make more simple, straightforward music together instead.

We were getting more and more into acoustic sounds and absolutely loved the Incredible String Band.

As to the album, Ponton calls it “‘classical folk’ — many of [the] chord progressions are straight out of Bach.” Joynson calls it “a dainty collection of earnest folk-pop.”

Team Rock gives some backstory:

Bob Ponton and Martin Curtis met at primary school where they formed the first band and later played around the youth clubs in Gravesend, until they met Ray Jenns and Dennis Jenns. . . . [and] joined [their] band which later turned into the Pandas. . . . [then] Pandamonium[. A]fter the demise of Pandamonium they formed the duo Thoughts and Words. In mid-’68, five years and three singles into their career as Pandamonium, Bob Ponton and Martin Curtis . . . [were] at the epicentre of London’s psychedelic folk scene and hanging out with the likes of Davy Graham and Sandy Denny and the other Fairport members. The duo, fed up with the way they had been treated and supported by Denny and producer Joe Boyd, decided to go it alone. They’d built up songs and confidence, so Ponton decided to contact his old work mate, Andrew Lauder who was in charge at Liberty. After hearing the material, Lauder placed the duo in the tender care of rising producer and head of A&R, Mike Batt [see #1,610]. The duo’s delicate, wistful songs gave Batt an ideal opportunity to hone his talents as an arranger and producer, as well as the album’s pianist. Thoughts and Words is a largely upbeat collection of melodic, pensive songs, so unlike the psychedelic rock vibe that had prevailed in their late ‘60s output. The duo decided to name the album after a track on the Byrds’ [see #1,430, 1,605] album Younger Than Yesterday, but were surprised to learn that they had been given the name too! The sound is warm and soft – and so is the music. A great folk album.

http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2016/09/thoughts-and-words-thoughts-and-words.html

Richie Unterberger adds:

Thoughts and Words itself is by and large pleasant folk-rock, but lacked either the identity or strong material necessary to make a strong impression on the late-’60s British rock scene. Certainly they were a versatile group, as “Morning Sky” [see #237] was about as close as any U.K. act came to approximating the sounds of the Byrds circa 1967. . . . [T]he album . . . find[s] its most pleasant groove on dreamy acoustic songs with fingerpicked guitar in the style of Donovan [see #908, 1,036, 1,064] and Paul McCartney [see #28, 132, 374, 521, 669, 779-81, 840] at his lightest.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/thoughts-words-mw0000766611

I have never disagreed more with Richie Unterberger than with his first sentence. The album is stellar. Unfortunately, as the CD reissue’s liner notes note: “Despite the LP receiving enthusiastic notices in IT, Melody Maker and elsewhere, Liberty [the record label] did little to promote it and sales were sluggish.”

Here is Bob Ponton, a few years down the road:

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