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

Doris — “Don’t”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 7, 2026

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

1,872) Doris — “Don’t”

Today is Doris’ funky Day, with a “monster shaker” (https://www.blaxploitation.com/blax_recommends_5.html), “a dizzying Swedish psych-funk knockout”! (Fav45s, https://www.instagram.com/p/DIoVtFnOCD6/) Fav45s adds that this “left-field groove[] from a singer who deserves way more shine” “hits with deep, funky bass from Doris’ husband Lukas Lindholm, anchored again by Carlsson’s signature drum work. Soulful, strange & somehow still unsampled (for now). Joni Mitchell meets Zeppelin meets crate gold.” (https://www.instagram.com/p/DIoVtFnOCD6/) The moral of the song? Never, never, never love a married man!

“Thanks for the funky tunes that have graced many a swinging DJ set and radio show the world over. Only one album, but that voice! So raw and commanding.” (Left Side Clouded, https://www.facebook.com/groups/anotherangle/posts/5835561666492959/) As to that LP — Did You Give the World Some Love Today, Baby — it was “[p]roduced by Håkan Sterner & arranged by jazz pianist Berndt Egerbladh, . . . was largely ignored on release but reborn through 90s reissues & heavy sampling.” (Fav45s, https://www.instagram.com/p/DIoVtFnOCD6/)

Blaxploitation writes:

Here’s an oddity that caused quite a stir on its discovery a few years back. A Swedish folk-funk album with a loungey feel, this classic dancefloor groover from the late 60s/early 70s . . . . If you like your funk just a little cheesy with plenty of big band brass and chunky drums, this is for you.

https://www.blaxploitation.com/blax_recommends_5.html

The Band opines that: “The ensemble playing is solid and Doris’ young voice is lovely, but they obviously did not have access to sheet music with correct lyrics — Doris and her backing singer do quite a bit of guessing/improvising here.” (https://theband.hiof.no/albums/did_you_give_the_world_some_love_today_baby.html) That must be about the cover of the Band’s “Whispering Pine” or Jan Bradley’s “Mama Didn’t Lie” or the Chiffons’ “One Fine Day”. Why didn’t Doris just ask Siri?!

Finally, Roger Wallis, from the LP reissue’s liner notes:

This LP marks the highlight in the career of a talented Nordic blond vocalist – Doris Svensson from Gothenburg, Sweden. It seems as though she’s finally managed to find and record a set of songs that suit her 100%. Maybe this isn’t surprising when you consider the musical genius that went into writing and scoring the album. Most of the material was written and arranged by TV producer, jazz-pianist, composer, “rarely-out-of-the-news-man-about-town” Berndt Egerbladh. Lyrical assistance was generously provided by . . . Francis Cowan. . . . . Anyway, quite a combination which gave a fantastic result, with a little help from the producer Håkan Sterner. . . . Doris’ album provides 36 minutes of qualified musical joy guaranteed to satisfy all tastes. Discotheques will find that two numbers in particular, “Don’t” and “Beatmaker” are good box office draws. Jazz die-hards might even start visiting discotheques after digesting “I wish I knew” and “I’m pushing you out”. Note too an incredible ballad called “Daisies” and tell me if Sweden hasn’t produced a dangerous competitor for Melanie. Once again, this LP’s got something for everybody, the best of underground, jazz, rock and folk – not mixed up in one gigantic hotch-potch, but all in gentle harmony. Listen to Doris – a good time will be has by all.

https://theband.hiof.no/albums/did_you_give_the_world_some_love_today_baby.html

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Mario Molino and Edda dell’Orso — “T’amo”/”I Love You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 6, 2026

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

1,871) Mario Molino and Edda dell’Orso– “T’amo”/”I Love You”

From an “[a]bsolute killer [Italian film] score based on groovy beat and psychedelic cuts” (see #1,469), here is a song that will lull you into a glorious trance. It appears multiple times in the movie, with Edda dell’Orso singing in the featured version and providing “splendid wordless vocals” in the others (see https://www.popsike.com/Mario-Molino-Gli-Angeli-Del-2000-RARE-PSYCH-BEAT-OST-CAM-LIBRARY-LP-/280926957249.html)). The whole score by Mario Molino (see #1,469) is “[m]ad retro futuristic library music… top stuff” (gotofritz, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mario-molino/gli-angeli-del-2_000/), a “fantastic soundtrack by one of the most underrated Italian musicians . . . top class Italian sounds for psych beat club dancers, cocktail easy goers and experimental groovers featuring the fabulous vocal talents of Edda dell’Orso”. (Soundohm, https://www.soundohm.com/product/gli-angeli-del-2000)

I haven’t watched the ‘69 flick Gli Angeli del 2000/The Angels of 2000. As to the the film, Soundohm tells us that it “is a 1969 flick directed by Honil Ranieri that has all the drug, sex and counter culture ingredients of the era but which had very small distribution when first released – it was probably better distributed its photonovel version rather than the film itself! . . . The music is amazing”. (https://www.soundohm.com/product/gli-angeli-del-2000)

Estudiodelsonidoesnob/soundstudiosnob describes the movie thusly (courtesy of Google Translate):

[A]nother . . . of the countless examples in which the music that illustrates the images for which it was conceived is infinitely superior to what is illustrated. . . . [The] story [is] of Marco, a drug dealer and addict obsessed with the memory of Valeria, his girlfriend, who died in front of him in a tragic accident. Marco maintains a kind of idyll with Angela, a student who lives in an apartment building near his flat and with whom he intends to replace the painful memory of Valeria. Disgusted with his life and his circumstances, he reluctantly participates in a gang war that seems to open his eyes and redeem him. Once he has achieved the feat, waiting for Angela and partly overcoming his traumas, while crossing the street to meet her, he is now the one who is run over, dying in front of her and thus preventing her from starting over.

https://estudiodelsonidoesnob.wordpress.com/category/mario-molino/

As to Mario Molino, Forced Exposure says:

Although much about [Italian composer, musician, and guitarist Mario Molino] remains unknown to this day, [he] was a prominent figure in the world [of] library music, celebrated for his genre-spanning versatility. On one hand, he was a virtuoso classical guitarist, while on the other, he had a strong foundation in jazz and contemporary music. This duality, spanning from classical guitar solos to spaced out psychedelic rock with fuzzed guitars, eccentric funk-infused Hammond organ grooves, proto-hip hop, and orchestral compositions, is reflected in his discography.

https://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/MOLINO.MARIO.html

As to Edda dell’Orso, the King of Fuh writes;

Since the mid-1960s, Edda Dell’Orso has provided haunting wordless vocals to a large number of film scores by Ennio Morricone [see #1,737] and other prominent, mostly Italian composers of those times; Piero Piccioni, Bruno Nicolai, Roberto Pregadio and Luis Bacalov. But her name is synonymous with Morricone and in particular, the soundtracks of the original spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, such as A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and Once Upon A Time In The West, where her dramatic voice was deployed as an instrument for the first time and to revolutionary effect. The singer’s sensuous and often playful vocals help provide tense atmospheres and dreamy moods to these soundtracks, as well as to the scores for Leone’s A Fistful Of Dynamite, composer Piccioni’s lovely music for the film Scacco Alla Regina, and Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril’s strange but highly effective score for the offbeat 1967 sci-fi drama 4-3-2-1 Morte!, that with Edda’s assistance somehow successfully helps blend an atonal chamber orchestra with a go-go beat and cartoon jazz. In the 1970s, Edda contributed to two films by Italian shock horror director Dario Argento, including L’uccello Dalle Plume di Cristallo (The Bird With Crystal Plumage), and then in 1976 collaborated with the Italian progressive instrumental group Goblin (often used by Argento as well) for Perche Si Uccidono?“(Why Do They Kill Themselves), a film essay about drugs and self-destruction. She continues to perform and lives today in Italy with her husband, conductor and composer Giacomo Dell’Orso. Their last name translates to “of the bear”.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1397767/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Wikipedia (courtesy of Google Translate)) adds:

Originally from Genoa, [Edda Sabatini] moved to Rome with her family; she graduated in 1956 in singing and piano at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, and began his career as a chorister in Franco Potenza’s choral group. In 1958 she married Giacomo dell’Orso, whom she had met at the Academy in 1952 and with whom she had a son and a daughter; after two years she joined [Alessandro] Alessandroni’s [see #815] “Cantori Moderni”, where she had the opportunity to participate in the recording of many 45s by artists of RCA Italiana. It was during these recordings, where Ennio Morricone was often present as arranger, that the maestro noticed Dell’Orso’s soprano voice, with a range of three octaves, and decided to entrust her with solo parts in the creation of some soundtracks, among which the most famous of this period were The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1966 and Once Upon a Time in the West in 1968, both by Sergio Leone. While continuing to sing in . . . Alessandroni’s vocal group , Edda Dell’Orso began a solo career . . . . 1971 is the year of Duck, You Sucker!, and it is the moment when her singing voice . . . enters the history of film music. . . . In 1972, as a soloist, still within the context of . . . I cantori moderni . . . she recorded the soundtrack of the successful drama A come Andromeda, composed and directed by Mario Migliardi. [see #1,586]

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edda_Dell’Orso

Finn Cohen talks about the resurgence of interest in Italian library music:

“[L]ibrary” music — obscure vinyl records containing songs written directly for radio, television or ad placement, in this case the lush, string-laden, funk- and jazz-informed arrangements of classically trained Italian composers. “There was no interest in this stuff when I started,” [says Lorenzo] Fabrizi[, who has] run the reissue label Sonor Music Editions since 2013. “They had pressed 200, 300, 500, 1,000 copies, but they were not destined for shops or distributors. They were only given to internal circles of music supervisors, journalists and people who worked in television.” Sonor is one of several labels in the last few decades that have resurrected Italian classics from the European library genre . . . . From the 1960s well into the 1980s, there was a lot of money to be made in themes: TV and radio producers needed music to accompany opening credits, action or love scenes, game show sequences or advertising. Well-trained composers had access to large ensembles and budgets, and the Italians in particular swung for the fences. . . . “They had a lot more latitude because they weren’t making this music for a particular audience,” [says producer and composer Adrian Younge]. “So if they needed something dramatic, they could just do the craziest [expletive] and wouldn’t have to deal with somebody saying, ‘It’s not pop enough.’” Because it had no commercial life, the output of many talented composers lay hidden for years. But in the late 1990s, labels like Easy Tempo started reissuing soundtracks and compilations of the Italian works. . . . “Unapologetically Black music came into the forefront for cinema in the late ’50s through the early ’70s; European composers, Italian composers took this sound and synthesized it with their classical teachings,” Younge said. “And that created a palette of music that inspired hip-hop producers generations later that were trying to find the coolest samples. It became a treasure trove for many of us.” For the character-based narratives of hip-hop, a genre built on finding loops from records few had heard, these compositions were practically begging to be mined. . . . Once the word got out about the Italians, a collectors’ arms race was on.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/arts/music/italian-library-music-sven-wunder.html

You can watch Gli Angeli del 2000 (in Italian) on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLR-HRKIqfI.

Here is a wordless version:

Here is another version:

Here is yet another version:

Here is a cool version with trumpet:

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Eyes of Blue — “Chances”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 5, 2026

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

1,870) Eyes of Blue — “Chances”

What are the chances that this “Welsh underground progressive/psychedelic/blues rock crossover band from the late 60s” (Blake Mitchner, https://vinylantiquity.blogspot.com/2015/08/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-and-me.html) would record “a folkish guitar and harmonica based track” (Kevin Rathert, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2025/02/eyes-of-blue-the-light-we-see-the-recordings-1969-1971-2024.html#google_vignette) “evok[ing] wide-open spaces” (Jean Jacques Perez (courtesy of Google Translate), https://classicrock80.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-1969/), a song as gentle, yearning and inexorable as a hymn? In hindsight, 100%.

As to Ol’ Blue Eyes, Bruce Eder writes:

By rights, the Eyes of Blue should have an exalted place in the pantheon of art rock and progressive rock bands. They were around before almost all of them, and doing film work and making music in a jazz-rock fusion idiom before the latter had been understood, and they were signed to two major labels in succession, Deram and Mercury. Instead, except for drummer John Weathers, who later joined Gentle Giant, the Eyes of Blue are scarcely remembered at all. [It] started out as a jazz and rhythm & blues-oriented outfit . . . . They were initially signed to Decca’s progressive rock imprint Deram Records, and cut a series of excellent but neglected singles, and then moved to Mercury, where they concentrated on albums, enjoying their greatest musical if not commercial success. They were taken seriously enough to collaborate with Quincy Jones on the score of the movie Toy Grabbers, and the group actually managed to appear in the movie Connecting Rooms. Their early strength lay in R&B-based material . . . but even on their first album, the Eyes of Blue showed some Eastern influences. Their second album [In Fields of Ardath, from which “Chances” comes] had some tracks from the first film score . . . but is more experimental, with extended instrumental passages and some classical music influences. In late 1968, the Eyes of Blue backed Buzzy Linhart [see #346, 647] on a self-titled album, and they rated a supporting act spot at the Marquee Club in London in 1969, but their days were numbered given their lack of success as a recording outfit. Phil Ryan later played in Man, and John Weathers joined Pete Brown and Piblokto! on the Harvest label, before jumping to Gentle Giant.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eyes-of-blue-mn0000724876#biography

Blake Mitchner adores the album:

In Fields of Ardath is so good that Quincy Jones wrote the liner notes after none other than Graham Bond had done so for them on the predecessor Crossroads of Time. Unfortunately, too freaky and strange was this band for mainstream success even back in the 60s so they remained a secret pleasure to club goers then . . . . [D]espite being as innovative and bizarre as King Crimson and sounding a bit like early Genesis [see #767] gone into ultra neoclassical moods Mercury Records f*cked this band’s career up just as was and always will be common practice for record companies. . . . Apparently the lyrics on the album all stem from the occult . . . . [It] had roots in African, jazz, classical, rhythm and blues and whilst all but classical and African are American music forms we didn’t have a band nor really was there another band quite as strange as Eyes Of Blue. . . . There are songs on this album . . . that are so crazily uncommercial and inventive . . . . The more you concentrate on the nearly frantic changes of mood, vocal and instrumental acrobatics, and imagery the more into the dark spirit world you journey. . . . [It] is so good . . . . Every track is a masterpiece.

https://vinylantiquity.blogspot.com/2015/08/eyes-of-blue-in-fields-of-ardath-and-me.html

RDTEN1 is more equivocal:

The title track and several of the songs built around the theme of reincarnation.* . . . Featuring a largely original collection of material with writing contributions from all the band members, their sophomore album wasn’t particularly focused. Progressive influences predominated . . . but the band seemed more interested in broadening their musical horizons. This time around there were a host of influences including country-rock . . . English blues . . . pop . . . and even a scratchy tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt . . . . The combination of Ray Bennett’s lead guitar and Phil Ryan’s Hammond B-3 and keyboards provided the album with a thick and elaborate texture. As lead vocalist Pickford-Hopkins raspy voice remained an acquired taste, though to be perfectly honest, he was occasionally all but drown out by the elaborate arrangements. While nowhere near as much fun as the debut the collection wasn’t a complete wash out. Perhaps not a big surprise, but to my ears they were at their best when sticking with more mainstream rock oriented material . . . . It was all pleasant, but hardly the forgotten classic some dealers would have you believe.

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/eyes-of-blue/in-fields-of-ardath/

* RDTEN1 elaborates:

To quote the liner notes: “The title of the album stems from the interest of Eyes of Blue in the supernatural and the occult. Ardath is the title of a book by Marie Corelli published in 1897. The theme of the novel is based on the story of reincarnation. According to the book the field of Ardath is located near the ruined city of Babylon. Corelli’s characters find evidence for this presumed location in the Book of Esdras.” Admittedly that description left me puzzled. Here’s some additional information I found on Wikipedia: “The Fields of Ardath are a mystical meadow of ancient Babylon, symbolizing unity and diversity. It represents a place where individuals can find their personal experiences while contributing to a unified entity. . . . It also symbolize a place on Earth where one physically journeys to, representing the reincorporation of lost parts of the soul and the healing of karma. It is a healing measure that involves disturbances to create necessary healing and information for soul growth and reintegration.”

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/eyes-of-blue/in-fields-of-ardath/

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The Lovin’ — “All You’ve Got”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 4, 2026

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

1,869) The Lovin’ — “All You’ve Got”

This, the Nottingham band’s second A-side, is an “appealing slice[] of pop psych” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) that sounds just like an 80’s New Wave hit — in fact, it should have been a New Wave hit! The video on M-TV would have been so cool. After the Lovin’, the band was championed by the Troggs’ Reg Presley and became the Nerve (see #418, 1,387). Acolytes of the Troggs? Trogg-lod-ytes!

Discogs tells us:

F[irst] Mark Faine And The Fontains, the[n] . . . The Children . . . . In 1967 they signed to Page One Records. Label owner Larry Page insisted on a name change and liked The Lovin’. Under this name they made their record debut with “Keep on Believin’”. One other record followed before they changed their name again, this time to The Nerve. Three records were released as The Nerve with “Piece By Piece” [see #1,387] their best known. The songs were produced by Reg Presley from The Troggs, after seeing them in action in a hotel where the Troggs stayed. He became their manager in 1968. Finally they issued their last single “You Wrecked My Life” as Duffy Taylor Blues, before returning home as virtual unknowns.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/1277320-The-Nerve-4

Popsike.com adds:

[They] being groomed for stardom by none other than legendary independent pop impressariio, Larry Page before being championed and produced by . . . Reg Presley. Presley was so impressed by the band’s energy, look and original songwriting, he himself directed their infamous promo shot for the Fleet Street press!! . . . [The Nerve was] an everyday provincial rock band . . . thrust into the dazzling limelight of London’s pop circus at the height of the British pop phenomena in the 1960s!!

https://www.popsike.com/THE-NERVE-THE-LOVIN-Piece-By-Piece-LP-196769-Rare-UK-Mod-Poppin-Freakbeat/151056057648.html

Tell me more about the infamous photoshoot!

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The Egyptians — “Suzanne”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 3, 2026

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

1,868) The Egyptians — “Suzanne”

Don’t even think Leonard Cohen, think an anthemic love song with the singer desperately but blissfully urging the woman who changed his life to come back. “Before you came, I lived a lonely life, then you changed my ways, Suzanne” Oh, and this is certified authentic ’66 garage rock from Hot Springs, Arkansas! Well, the song worked. 2020catdaddy commented on YouTube 14 years ago that: “This is my older brother Bob singing about his girlfriend at the time and now his wife of 40 years Suzanne (Bayles). He still plays in a band at his church in Georgetown outside of Austin Texas. Mike.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4K5CI0Bi8o) OMG, that is so sweet! And jocelynn62985 then added: “I service Bob and Suzanne’s house . . . . Have so for the past almost 5 years. Some of the absolute most wonderful people you could hope to meet!!!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4K5CI0Bi8o) Sometimes garage rock can reaffirm one’s faith in humanity. This is one of those times. Also check out “Cryin All Night Long” (see #936) by the Invaders for similar uplift.

As to the Egyptians, MeArtist unearthed these antiquities:

Written & sung by Bob McFarland, vocals/lead guitar; Jack Atkinson, vocals/bass; Shelley Tackett, vocals/organ; Mike Jones, vocals/12 string guitar; James Gilford Scott, vocals/drums. . . . Bob left in 1967, the group disbanded in ’68 after remaining members graduated from high school and went their separate ways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4K5CI0Bi8o

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Dave Miller, Leith Corbett and Friends — “Reflections of a Pioneer”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 2, 2026

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

1,867) Dave Miller, Leith Corbett and Friends — “Reflections of a Pioneer”

The Dave Miller Set (see #1,010) set sail from New Zealand to Australia, and when the sun set on the band, Miller teamed up with former bandmate Leith Corbett to record an LP that included the exquisite, easy-going “country-tinged psychedelic pop” of the title tune/A-side (New Zealand Music of the 60’s, 70’s and a bit of 80’s, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090915214845/http://www.sergent.com.au/davemillerset.html), which ranks with Ola and the Janglers’ “La, La, La” (see #323) as having one of the great “la la la” refrains. It was “inspired by the life of his grandfather”, who had recently died at 98 years of age. (https://www.45cat.com/record/ek4002)

The definitive MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975 tells us:

After the breakup [of the Dave Miller Set], Dave had a short holiday . . . and he began working on new songs. John [Robinson], Leith and Mike [McCormack] stayed together and in April 1970 they recruited Neale Johns as their new lead singer. . . . Renamed Blackfeather, they became (albeit briefly) one of the most successful and celebrated Aussie bands of the early 70s with their classic single “Seasons Of Change” . . . and their debut album At The Mountains Of Madness. . . . Leith and Mike both left Blackfeather shortly after it formed, but Leith and Dave had remained close. Leith was a regular visitor at the Miller home . . . and it wasn’t long before the pair had developed the idea for an album. Through the winter months of 1970 they wrote the songs — Dave wrote nine of the 11 tracks that ended up on the LP — and then recorded the backing tracks, playing all the instruments except the drums and producing themselves. It is surely the first duo project of its kind in Australian rock. It’s a very individual and innovative work, blending influences from heavy rock, folk, progressive, psychedelia and country. Even if it’s not entirely perfect, it still has a lot of value . . . their first venture into the album format . . . their first major outing as songwriters. . . . [and] self-produced . . . . Dave: “I enjoyed working with Leith. It was very concentrated, very tiring, very high energy, but the pair of us bounced off each other. To this day it’s one of the happiest musical projects I’ve ever been involved with, and for that I’m grateful to him … it was just fun to do!” The LP was released in around September 1970 with the evocative title Reflections Of A Pioneer . . . .

http://www.milesago.com/artists/dms.htm

Dave recalled that “For the first time, in my musical life, I had the luxury of time! I set about writing with no pressures, and it become a fulfilling way to move on past The DMS.” (https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/interviews/dave-miller/)

As to Dave Miller and the Byrds and then the Dave Miller Set, New Zealand Music of the 60’s, 70’s and a bit of 80’s says:

Dave Miller and the Byrds came from Christchurch, before moving to Auckland in 1965. They were one of the best R&B cover acts to appear in the early sixties, faithfully reproducing all manner of Chuck Berry and Chicago blues originals on stage. . . . In 1962 Phil Garland formed the Playboys . . . . [a] later version of the Playboys consisted of Graeme Miller, John O’Neill, Kevin O’Neill, Brian Ringrose, Phil Garland and Dave Miller. Phil left the group and with Dave Miller as the lead singer, and a couple of more personnel changes, they very shortly afterwards renamed themselves Dave Miller and the Byrds. After arriving in Auckland, they soon became a top attraction on the club scene. The group came to the attention of Eldred Stebbing [owner of the Zodiac label] and he soon had them into his studio to do some recordings. “Bright Lights, Big City”, a cover from the Pretty Things [see #82, 153, 572, 1,327], was their first single on Zodiac in 1965 . . . and it performed quite well on the local charts. . . . In 1967, [two members departed and] the rest of the group renamed themselves the Dave Miller Set and moved to Australia.

Not long after their arrival, the band fell apart and Dave put together a new line-up with John Robinson on lead guitar. . . . A recording contract was negotiated with Spin Records . . . . In 1969 . . . John Robinson emerged as a fluid and inventive guitarist and the Dave Miller Set attained prominence as one of the first heavy rock bands on the local scene in the Led Zeppelin mould. Under the direction of Festival’s in-house producer Pat Aulton, the band cut its fourth single, “Mr Guy Fawkes” [see #1,010] . . . in July 1969. . . . By 1970 the group was near its end. . . .

https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090913081842/http://www.sergent.com.au/davemill.html, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090915214845/http://www.sergent.com.au/davemillerset.html

See http://www.milesago.com/artists/dms.htm for a definitive history of the Dave Miller Set.

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Ike & Tina Turner — “What You Don’t See (Is Better Yet)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — February 1, 2026

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

1,866) Ike & Tina Turner — “What You Don’t See (Is Better Yet)”

An absolute scorcher from Ike & Tina’s (see #212, 329, 837) underrated ‘Nuff Said LP. Tina “is a vocal BEAST!!!!! Good Lawd!!!!!” (ronaldwilliamson5696, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC41K6lL6GY) and Ike and the band’s “speedy, flickering wah-wah guitar work, thrusting rhythm, and blustery horn section are rated XXXtraordinary. (The song foreshadows Lightnin’ Rod’s ultra-funky, proto-rap classic ‘Sport.’)” (Buckley Mayfield, https://jivetimerecords.com/2023/05/ike-tina-nuff-said-united-artists-1971/) Well said, guys!

Buckley Mayfield LOVES ‘Nuff Said:

‘Nuff Said yielded no hits, an oddity for the Turners in the early ’70s, but no matter. This album’s stacked with raw and soulful funk rock that could enliven any DJ set. Ike—who was a very, very bad man—produced and arranged with his usual commanding skill, and his band, the Vibs (formerly the Kings Of Rhythm), are tight as hell and funkier than a mosquita’s tweeter. Drummer Soko Richardson, bassist Warren Dawson, and guitarist Jackie Clark are particularly on fire here. . . . Anyway, if you like filthy funk and gritty, soulful singing by a mega-talented married couple in the midst of a torrid creative streak, you need ‘Nuff Said in your collection.

https://jivetimerecords.com/2023/05/ike-tina-nuff-said-united-artists-1971/

So do I!

Here is Lightin’ Rod (’73):

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Thomas and Richard Frost — “The City”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 31, 2026

“The City” starts at 20:56.

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

1,865) Thomas and Richard Frost — “The City”

Here is a folk rock gem from another contender for the greatest lost album of the 1960’s — Thomas and Richard Frost’s (actually Thomas and Richard Martin) psych pop classic Visualize (see #209, 211, 247, 385, 595, 775, 967, 1,733). Alec Palao says that “[t]he unreleased album Visualize . . . taken with its attendant singles . . . is a sparkling and heartwarming gem of late 1960s pop”. (http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/12/thomas-and-richard-frost-visualize-1969.html?m=1)

Palao gives some background:

[T]he thundering mod sound of the Martins power trio Powder [see #789, 1,556]; whose own LP, recorded while the group was based in Los Angeles and employed as Sonny & Cher’s road band, remained frustratingly unissued, and indeed acted as a precursor to the creation of the masterpiece [Visualize]. [A]fter the Powder debacle, the Martins returned to northern California to lick their wounds and demo some more introspective material. . . . [Their] innate . . . pop sensibility lingered in new compositions like “She’s Got Love” [see #211]. It was to be the latter tune that caught the ear of promo man John Antoon, who signed the Martins to his . . . publishing imprint, assumed managerial duties and got the duo signed to Imperial Records under the nom de disque Thomas & Richard Frost. As a single, the simple, catchy “She’s Got Love” was to achieve a modicum of success as a turntable hit, reaching only the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969, but with strong regional airplay across the country, upon the back of which the Frosts were able to tour. Back in LA, Rich and Tom made the scene with their pals Rodney Bingenheimer and Frank Zinn, enjoying a brief but eye-opening spell as bona fide pop stars. Plans were big for the Frosts, with a full, lavishly orchestrated, album release, but it was all to fall apart as the follow-up singles stiffed and parent label Liberty/UA decided to wind down Imperial. . . . . The proceedings are imbued with the Zeitgeist of Los Angeles in its last throes of pop innocence, and the Martins heart-on-their-sleeve Anglophilic sensitivity is less derivative then remarkably refreshing, with superbly recorded arrangements that any late 1960s pop fan will cherish.

http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2013/12/thomas-and-richard-frost-visualize-1969.html?m=1

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Hendrickson Road House — “Forget About You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 30, 2026

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

1,864) Hendrickson Road House — “Forget About You”

This sounds like a huge Linda Ronstadt hit that never was- – from 19 year old Sue Eakins’ (see #909) “lost classic of the West Coast psychedelic folk genre” (https://www.lpcdreissues.com/item/hendrickson-road-house), “[s]o good [a] slice of acid West Coast folk that it’s difficult not to go overboard” (Jan Zarebski, http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2012/08/hendrickson-road-house-hendrickson-road.html), “one of the great holy grails of the psych/folk rock world”. (https://thatrealschitt.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/the-hendrickson-road-house-reissue-is-a-reality/) PHILL MOST CHILL aka SOULMAN “fell in love with [“Forget”] instantly”. https://thatrealschitt.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/the-sue-akins-interview/)

Well, Jan Zarebaki found it too difficult not to go overboard, not that there’s anything wrong with that:

[The LP’s] sophisticated jazzy undertow … and sparse, intelligent arrangements are bound together by a female vocal so delicious, it could be picked and eaten. Opener “Forget About You” could be a template – pure, sparkly guitar and wispy, shuffling drums underpin that voice”

http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2012/08/hendrickson-road-house-hendrickson-road.html

Oh, and Sue Eakins herself commented on YouTube a few years ago: “Happy [“Forget About You”] is still here. In 2023, amazing! — Sue Akins ♡ you all”. (@suenamifree, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M54vMqzD1c)

LPCD Reissues tells us:

Recorded to showcase the prodigious talents of teenage singer/songwriter Sue Eakins, the Hendrickson Road House album was issued in 1970 as a limited edition pressing by the Ojai-based Two:Dot studio/label. Widely regarded these days as one of the rarest vinyl artefacts to emerge from the late 60s Californian counterculture, the LP now sells for in excess of $1000 on the rare occasions that copies surface.”

https://www.lpcdreissues.com/item/hendrickson-road-house

Zarebski adds:

Lost for more than 40 years and coveted by a handful of acolytes willing to exchange $1,000 for a copy, this is a rediscovered gem so pure it makes all previous claims to that title look like uneducated sycophancy. . . . [T]he coherence of the material belies its variety. Intense harmonising . . . prog-like time changes . . . and free-roaming jazz . . . the album is littered with unique and varied touches of class in all departments. . . . Whoever you are – or think you are – you need this record.

http://rockasteria.blogspot.com/2012/08/hendrickson-road-house-hendrickson-road.html

Aaron Milenski:

This rare, moody folkrock album is one of the few from the era in which the creative force is a woman, Sue Eakins. It isn’t much like all of the Airplane- wannabe bands, either. [It] has a distinctive sound with mildly jazzy arrangements, subtle lead guitar, a tad of autoharp, smooth vocals and a definite late-night feel. The guitar playing has a bit of a westcoast influence, though it’s not the least bit heavy. The closest comparison would be the Serpent Power songs with Tina Meltzer on lead vocals [see #873]. . . . [L]ocal Ojai [California] 19 year-old Eakins (listed as “Akins” on the sleeve) sings all of the songs, and the album has a coherence not often felt in the genre.

The Acid Archives, 2nd Ed. (Patrick Lundborg, ed.)

Sea Eakins tells PHILL MOST CHILL aka SOULMAN:

About half of my songs were from personal experience, (like) “Forget About You”. Of course, you figure when I’m nineteen how experienced am I? I haven’t had the great heartbreak of the century or anything. But “Forget About You … very personal if you understand what the song’s about. . . . The funny thing is the better songs, at least the ones I like, almost literally wrote themselves. It was almost as if someone stepped into the room, or stepped into the brain and said “get a pencil and write this down as fast as you can- here’s the melody, now go figure out the chords.” And literally, when a song would start to come to me the words would be coming and I wrote them down as fast as I could so I wouldn’t forget them. The melody was there, it was coming right along with (the lyrics). “Forget About You” was like that . . . a couple of others… very little changes made to those. And it really was like someone was in my head saying “here, here’s what you need to do.”

https://thatrealschitt.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/the-sue-akins-interview/

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Ronnie Burns — “Easy Rider”: for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 29, 2026

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

1,863) Ronnie Burns — “Easy Rider”

No, this is not the Byrds’ “Ballad of Easy Rider”! It is “Easy Rider”, performed by Ronnie Burns (see #1,657) , “one of [Australia’s] truest pop heroes” (Paul Culnane, http://www.milesago.com/artists/burns.htm), and written by his frequent collaborator Johnny Young. To be fair, Burns is headed to experience America livin’ like Easy Rider! But, given how things went down at the end of Easy Rider, I’m not sure he really wants to do that. Easy Rider is of course “the landmark American film” starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson in which “[t]wo hippie bikers set out to discover ‘the real America’ and wind up taking the ultimate bad trip”. (https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Rider-Special-Peter-Fonda/dp/B000022TSY) You all owe it to yourselves to listen to Little Steven’s paean to the flick — https://www.undergroundgarage.com/shows-589-580/show-589-easy-rider (set #3).

Paul Culnane tells us Ronnie Burns’ story in the definitive Milesago: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1965-1975:

He began his musical career as a folk singer in Melbourne before catching the ‘Beatle bug’ in 1964, whereapon he became a founding member of The Flies . . . . one of the very first bands in Melbourne to catch on to the new ‘beat’ style and gained attention as “Victoria’s top Beatle-alikes” . . . . achieved considerable popularity on the booming Melbourne dance circuit, with a repertoire of Brit-vasion standards from the catalogues of The Searchers, The Hollies and Herman’s Hermits and others . . . . The Flies toured interstate during late 1964 and early 1965 . . . . supporting The Rolling Stones on their first Australian tour in January 1965. . . . Ronnie quit the band in August 1965 to go solo . . . . [He] clean-cut image, appealing, boyish, dimpled good looks and impeccable sartorial presentation immediately made him a favoured TV and pin-up star when he launched his solo career under the aegis of leading Melbourne impresario Jeff Joseph. . . . Ronnie could often be seen on pop TV shows including The Go!! Show and Uptight . . . . was extremely popular, and enjoyed a series of strong chart hits, many written and/or produced by the cream of Aussie pop composers and backed by some of our top musicians. And he was voted Australia’s most popular male performer, or “King Of Pop”, on more than one occasion. . . . [H]is popularity gradually spread thanks to regular TV and concert appearances. He signed a solo recording contract with the Spin label, and his debut solo single for them . . . “Very Last Day” . . . . made the Top 20 in Melbourne in June 1966, as did the follow-up, “True True Lovin’” . . . (#17 in September), and it also made the new Go-Set national Top 40, first published in the 5 October 1966 edition, coming in at #22 in the inaugural chart. . . . He scored major success on the singles chart by tapping into a rich vein of material written by his illustrious label-mates The Bee Gees . . . . The Bee Gees [see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125, 1,190, 1,321, 1,336, 1,343, 1,465, 1,584, 1,640, 1,685, 1,843] penned Ronnie’s third solo single “Coalman” . . . especially for him . . . . [It] became a national Top 10 hit . . . peaking at #6 . . . . [and] followed by another brisk, hard-beat Gibb number, “Exit Stage Right” . . . peak[ing] at #19 at the end of July. . . . His growing popularity was certainly assisted by the fact that his biggest competitor, Normie Rowe, had been away from the local scene, first with trips to Europe and America in 1967, and then by his call up for National Service . . . . in early 1968. The Groop’s songwriting team of Brian Cadd and Max Ross, provided Ronnie with both sides of his next single, “When I Was 6 Years Old”, which charted briefly in Go-Set, reaching #28 (Mar. 1968) . . . . Ronnie’s next single — and one of his best — was the magnificent “Age Of Consent” (#16, Jan. 1969), a lush, emotive ballad penned by The Twilights’ [see #563] Terry Britten . . . . Britten wrote quite a few songs for Burns, as did Johnny Young. . . . Ronnie toured the land extensively over the next few years . . . . Johnny Young produced a full album’s worth of solid material in 1969’s Smiley. The LP’s wistful title track was an enormous hit for Ronnie in December 1969, only just missing out on the #1 spot [with today’s song on the B-side]. It was one of the few Australian hits of the ’60s to directly address the issue of the Vietnam War, although it was not the first, as is sometimes claimed — that honour goes to The Masters Apprentices’ “Wars Or Hands Of Time” [see #297] . . . . Further introspective Young-penned songs for Burns’ singles, like “The Prophet” and “If I Die” helped to prolong Ronnie’s turn in the spotlight. After a couple more polished pop albums that featured well-chosen material from notable singer-songwriters of the day . . . . Burns retreated from the glare of the pop music spotlight for some time. . . .

http://www.milesago.com/artists/burns.htm

Here are the Byrds:

Here is Roger McGuinn’s version, from the soundtrack to Easy Rider:

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The Velvet Underground — “Pale Blue Eyes”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 28, 2026

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

1,862) The Velvet Underground — “Pale Blue Eyes”

I hope you weren’t expecting Metal Machine Music! Thís touch of velvet is “possibly one of [Lou] Reed’s finest love songs (that he’d been working on as early as ’65 with [John] Cale), gentle, understated, propelled by the most unassuming tambourine in rock: the[ir third] album’s first real masterpiece”. (Ian Fortnam, https://www.loudersound.com/features/velvet-underground-albums) Until Tomorrow Blog calls it “[t]he best of the band’s more elegant and simplistic style songs” in which “[a] beautiful, yet complex message is conveyed through the lyrics and furthered by a tender and terse solo”. It “can bring you to tears or inspire you, but it still contains a quiet force.” (https://untiltomorrowblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/ranking-the-songs-of-the-velvet-underground/)

Joe Jatcko writes:

Appearing on the group’s third album— the first not to feature co-founder John Cale—this song is a study in understatement for a band previously known for their heavy, guitar driven sound. A bittersweet ballad penned by Lou Reed for his first love – who just happened to be married at the time – Reed trades in his usual sarcastic wit for earnestness in one of the bands most beautiful and haunting songs.

https://www.watchmojo.com/amp/articles/top-10-the-velvet-underground-songs

Joe Lynch muses:

Backed by a depressive tambourine (how is that even possible?), muffled guitar and gentle Hammond organ drone, Reed sings about his boundless, and ultimately rebuffed, love for a married woman (which in real life was his first serious love, Shelley Albin, whose hazel eyes he took some poetic liberties with). Nearly every line is emotionally devastating . . . . This isn’t romance; it’s melancholic acquiescence to letting your heart override your brain as you pledge fealty to a lover who, despite your own misgivings and the stringent judgment of the world, has complete power over you. . . . [A] gospel undercurrent runs beneath the temporal concerns, and somehow Reed makes an adulterous liaison seem like the holiest treasure of all.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/the-velvet-underground-self-titled-1969-songs-8501516/

“He never really got over her and often begged her to come back to him, if you can believe it. Lou Reed begging a girl? She must have been really something.” (@MelBee128, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aNSH8OdHx2A&list=RDaNSH8OdHx2A&start_radio=1&pp=ygUsVGhlIFZlbHZldCBVbmRlcmdyb3VuZCDigJQg4oCcUGFsZSBCbHVlIEV5ZXOgBwE%3D)

Here is REM:

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Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham Special Edition: Mac Davis/Alex Harvey/Nancy Sinatra/John Randolph Marr — “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 27, 2026

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

Baby, baby, am I hooked on “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”, which should have an exhibit at the songwriting hall of fame. Written by Mac Davis and Delaney (“Delaney & Bonnie”) Bramlett, many artists have recorded (Chris Richardson, https://www.zeroto180.org/hello-l-a-bye-bye-birmingham-the-other-johnny-marr/) this “terrific song about a cross-country ramble” (Gillian G. Gaar, https://rockandrollglobe.com/pop/these-boots-keep-a-walkin/) and yet it never became a hit. Larry writes that “[t]he popularity of the song doesn’t surprise me, since it has the kind of funky framework that works well at just about any speed, as well as a fantastic lyric about a cat that bags his home turf and goes on the road to seek success as a songwriter.” (https://funky16corners.com/?p=4271) The song is uniquely pliable — letting diverse artists make it their own.

Jason Ankeny gives us Davis’ story:

At his commercial peak in the mid-’70s, Mac Davis was one of America’s most popular entertainers, a countrypolitan-styled singer and actor who found considerable success in both fields. First making his name in the music business as a label manager and a songwriter, he went on to become a star on the strength of his warm, smooth voice, engaging personality, and confident but self-effacing demeanor. . . . Born Scott Davis in . . . Lubbock, Texas, he began performing in local rock groups while still in his teens. After moving to Georgia, Davis first broke into the music business in 1962, when he was hired by the Chicago-based record label Vee-Jay as their Atlanta-based regional manager. After joining the Liberty label three years later, he moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to head the company’s publishing arm, Metric Music; in addition to running Metric’s day-to-day operations, he also began composing his own songs, with Glen Campbell, Bobby Goldsboro, Lou Rawls, and Kenny Rogers & the First Edition among the artists recording his work. In 1968, Elvis Presley [see #80, 879] recorded Davis’ “A Little Less Conversation,” and soon the King was requesting more of his work. After notching a Top 40 hit with Davis’ “Memories,” Presley reached the Top Five in 1969 with the songwriter’s “In the Ghetto[]” . . . Davis also arranged the music for Presley’s first television special before signing his own recording contract in 1970. That year, he released his first chart single, “Whoever Finds This, I Love You,” from his debut album, Song Painter [which also contains today’s song]. In 1972, Davis scored a number one pop hit with “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” which also reached the country Top 20. His crossover success continued throughout the decade, with singles like 1974’s “Stop and Smell the Roses,” 1975’s “Burnin’ Thing,” and the following year’s “Forever Lovers” scoring with listeners in both camps. Between 1974 and 1976, Davis hosted a musical variety show for NBC television, followed by a string of specials; in 1979, he also starred in the film North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte. Davis’ success continued in the early ’80s; “It’s Hard to Be Humble[]” . . . was the first of four consecutive Top Ten country hits that culminated with his biggest country single up to that point, “Hooked on Music,” the next year. . . . A co-starring role . . . in 1983’s disastrous The Sting II . . . seriously slowed the momentum of his film career . . . . In 1985, he had recorded his last Top Ten hit, “I Never Made Love (‘Til I Made Love with You).”

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mac-davis-mn0000185669#biography

William Ruhlmann does the same for Delaney Bramlett:

Although his popularity was often eclipsed by the artists he mentored, Delaney Bramlett was an accomplished guitarist and singer/songwriter whose style influenced the likes of Eric Clapton [see #769], J.J. Cale, and Duane Allman. A native of Pontotoc, MS, he served time in the U.S. Navy before moving to Los Angeles in 1959. He soon became a member of the Shindogs, the resident band on the TV show Shindig. . . . allow[ing] Bramlett to rub shoulders with other notable musicians, and in 1967 he met Bonnie Lynn O’Farrell, a member of Ike & Tina Turner’s [see #212, 329, 837, ] backup group the Ikettes. The two were married within five days; they also formed a duo named Delaney & Bonnie. Delaney & Bonnie cut an album for Stax Records in Memphis, backed by Booker T. & the MG’s, but the record was not released at first. They then expanded the group (welcoming such musicians as Leon Russell into the fold) and adopted the modified name Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. This new lineup recorded Accept No Substitute in 1969, and although its sales were lukewarm, the album still endeared Delaney Bramlett’s music to a number of rock icons. Eric Clapton took particular interest and invited Delaney & Bonnie & Friends to tour alongside Blind Faith in mid-1969; he then left his band and joined Bramlett’s loose collective, along with such notables as George Harrison and Dave Mason. This resulted in the release of On Tour with Eric Clapton . . . . Delaney & Bonnie made several more albums before divorcing . . . . Delaney Bramlett then released his debut solo effort, Something’s Coming, in 1972, followed by Mobius Strip (1973), Giving Birth to a Song (1975), and Delaney Bramlett and Friends — Class Reunion (1977).

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/delaney-bramlett-mn0000235121#biography

1,858) Mac Davis — “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”

Davis included the song, as a “terrific boogie” (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/album/song-painter-mw0001880271), on his first LP — Song Painter.

1,859) Alex Harvey — “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”

Harvey (see #440, 684) included his version — possibly the best recording of the song — on his ’69 solo LP Roman Wall Blues.

William Ruhlmann tells us of the sensational Harvey that:

Alex Harvey was a British journeyman rocker who enjoyed a brief period of widespread popularity in the mid-’70s after decades of struggle. Growing up in Scotland, he turned to music in his late teens and was in a skiffle band by 1955. By 1959, it had evolved into the Alex Harvey Big Soul Band[, which he] took the group to Hamburg, West Germany in the early ’60s . . . . [They] made their London debut in February 1964 . . . . In 1965, Harvey dissolved the Big Soul Band and later returned to Glasgow. But he was back in London in 1967, assembling Giant Moth, a psychedelic group that existed only for a short time. He then accepted a job working in the pit band of the musical Hair . . . . In 1969, he released Roman Wall Blues, his first solo effort in five years. Up to this point, none of his musical efforts had attracted much attention. But in the early ’70s, he recruited the Scottish band Tear Gas . . . christening the resulting quintet the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Their first two albums . . . didn’t sell, but in the fall of 1974 The Impossible Dream became Harvey’s first chart record in the U.K. . . . Tomorrow Belongs to Me followed in the spring of 1975, hitting the Top Ten along with the Top Ten singles placing of Harvey’s flamboyant cover of the Tom Jones [see #330, 380, 1,691] hit “Delilah.” With that, Next belatedly made the charts, and in September Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live came out and reached the Top 20 (also making the Top 100 in the U.S), as “Gamblin’ Bar Room Blues” became a Top 40 single. This commercial success continued into 1976, with Penthouse Tapes entering the LP charts in April and becoming a Top 20 hit, “Boston Tea Party” making the singles charts in June and making a Top 20 showing, and SAHB Stories following in July and just missing the Top Ten.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alex-harvey-mn0000617929/biography

1,860) Nancy Sinatra

The glorious Nancy Sinatra “sound[s] coolly confident as she sets out on the road to fame and fortune”. (Gillian G. Gaar, https://rockandrollglobe.com/pop/these-boots-keep-a-walkin/) Her version “feel[s] like [a] remnant[] of Hollywood’s weirdest era, and . . . help[s] make for a convincing portrait of Nancy Sinatra as an idiosyncratic artist happily working within the confines of L.A.’s lushest studios.” (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/album/start-walkin-1965-1976-mw0003442919)

1,861) John Randolph Marr

John Randolph Marr’s version “has a swamp-funk feel with strong horn sections and a harpsichord intro!” (Franko, https://whatfrankislisteningto.negstar.com/roots-rock/john-randolph-marr-john-randolph-marr-warner-brothers-1970/) “”[H]e takes things a slightly slower pace, the drums and bass are killing it, and Marr had cool, whiskey-tinged voice (I hear a bit of David Clayton Thomas in there).” (Larry, https://funky16corners.com/?p=4271) “Such an obvious A-side . . . and yet Warner Brothers felt it unworthy of even the flip side of the only single issued from [Marr’s only] album.” (Chris Richardson, https://www.zeroto180.org/hello-l-a-bye-bye-birmingham-the-other-johnny-marr/)

Oh, and it was co-produced by Harry Nilsson (see #1,168, 1,298, 1,854) and Gary Osborne. Osborne reminisces:

I met Harry Nilsson in London in 1969 when I was working at his record company RCA. Harry produced the backing tracks for “1941” and “Pity The Man” but although Randy Marr had a terrific voice Harry found it impossible to get vocals out of him in the studio. I happened to be visiting LA at the time and Harry asked me to have a go at producing Randy’s vocals on those two tracks. Nilsson liked the result … and asked me to produce and mix the whole of the rest of the Album with him as Executive Producer. I was only 20 at the time and quite inexperienced … which probably shows, nevertheless it was a very happy 4 or 5 months. My fee for the album was $1000 so I went home to England and waited for Nilsson’s manager, Denny Bond, to send me the cheque… He never did! A dozen or so years later on a drunken night in London I mentioned to Harry in passing that I had never been paid. He wrote me a cheque there and then. At the time I was writing with Elton John [see #175, 1,598] and had just had a million seller called “Little Jeannie” so, not being short of money, I just pinned the cheque to the wall in my Kitchen where it stayed until it eventually expired … now Harry too has expired. So although you may not be mad about the album, at least I can claim that, having never been paid for my work, it was truly “a labor of love”.

https://playitagainmax.blogspot.com/2007/01/john-randolph-marr-john-randolph-marr.html

The rest of the album . . . is an odd mix of country soul and chamber pop” (Larry, https://funky16corners.com/?p=4271), “mellow pop sike sounds with loads of strings and horns. A hidden treasure of the 70’s.” (Marios, https://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2024/01/john-randolph-marr-john-randolph-marr.html) SleepObsessed says of the LP:

[T]his album does indeed sound a bit like a Harry Nilssen record. But one can also hear touches of Ray Charles, Randy Newman and CCR in the mix. The music is heavily orchestrated. Horns and strings dominate over the more rocking aspects of the music. The tone of the record is one of celebration and jubilation. Its really happy! It almost reminds me of a circus or tent revival down in the bayou swamps with John Marr as the delirious ringmaster.

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/john_randolph_marr/john_randolph_marr/

Here is Lee Montgomery:

Here is Kim Vassey:

Here is Juicy Lucy:

Here is Blue Cheer:

Here is Gainsborough Gallery:

Here is the First Edition:

Here is Bobby Whitlock:

Here is Eve:

Here are Max Merritt & the Meteors:

Here is Artie Christopher:

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Flamengo — “Zavraždil Jsem Lásku”/”I Murdered Love”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 26, 2026

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

1,857) Flamengo — “Zavraždil Jsem Lásku”/”I Murdered Love”

Here’s a groovy, spooky B-side from Prague, which “marked [Flamengo’s] turn toward fatalistic and psychologically driven lyrics”. (Jazz Rock Soul, https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/flamengo/) The lyrics are a bit disturbing — if you know Czech (or use Google Translate)!

Jazz Rock Soul tells us:

Flamengo formed in August 1966 in Prague under the direction of drummer and manager Přemysl Černý, who reconfigured the rhythm-and-blues group Mahagon into a new soul-rock act. Guitarist Pavel Fořt, a student of classical composition and orchestration at the People’s School of Art, had just begun his musical career in Mahagon and became a founding member of Flamengo. Early vocal duties rotated between Petr Novák [see #1,369], Viktor Sodoma, and Karel Kahovec, with occasional appearances by beat scene peer Pavel Sedláček. The band’s early repertoire drew from UK and US R&B, including songs by John Mayall. After Novák’s departure in June 1967, Flamengo deepened their focus on soul and blues, gradually moving away from standard beat music. Between 1967 and 1969, Flamengo released a sequence of singles that reflected their shift from beat-rooted repertoire toward a heavier, blues-influenced sound. Early recordings featured alternating lead vocals by Petr Novák, Viktor Sodoma, Karel Kahovec, and occasionally Pavel Sedláček. Their first 1967 single, “Já budu chodit po špičkách”/“Povídej,” adhered to standard beat phrasing with Czech lyrics. This was followed by “Vyber si palác”/“Svou lásku jsem rozdal” and “Náhrobní kámen”/“Paní v černém,” both issued the same year. The band began introducing darker lyrical imagery and more minor-key melodic content on “Džbán”/“Poprava blond holky,” with the B-side in particular suggesting a stylistic break from early pop influences. In 1968, Flamengo continued this trajectory with “Co skrýváš v očích”/“Zavraždil jsem lásku,” whose themes marked a turn toward fatalistic and psychologically driven lyrics. This period culminated in the 1969 single “No Reply”/“The Way for Horses.” The A-side was a Czech-language cover of John Mayall’s “No Reply,” performed with amplified instrumentation and phrasing aligned with British electric blues. The B-side, sung in English, extended this approach with a harder rhythmic framework and blues-oriented delivery. A second 1969 release, “Summertime”/“Too Much Love Is a Bad Thing,” paired a Janis Joplin–derived cover with another English-language track, confirming the band’s transition into a blues-rock format and increasing use of non-Czech material. These singles document Flamengo’s gradual departure from mainstream beat structures toward a denser, imported electric sound that prefaced the lineup changes and compositional developments of the next decade. Flamengo released their singular album, Kuře V Hodinkách[/Chicken in the Clock], in May 1972 . . . . The album marked a departure from their earlier beat and blues-based singles, integrating brass arrangements, electric jazz textures, and a denser, lyrically structured format anchored by the writing of poet Josef Kainar. . . . Lyricist Josef Kainar wrote all texts except [with one exception] . . . . [and his] literary stature helped secure the album’s release despite restrictions on rock output in early-70s Czechoslovakia.

https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/flamengo/

Czech Musical Dictionary of Persons and Institutions adds (courtesy of Google Translate):

[With Kuře V Hodinkách, p]revious stylistic escapades and professional downfalls were suddenly forgotten: Flamengo suddenly spoke in the current language of advanced rock, drawing on the best Anglo-Saxon traditions (Steve Winwood, Van Morrison, Roger Chapman) and Slavic singing. However, even this evident artistic success did not become a link in the group, which after the publication of its manifesto could not withstand the increasing pressure of political “normalization” and finally broke up.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110807130943/http://www.ceskyhudebnislovnik.cz/slovnik/index.php?option=com_mdictionary&action=record_detail&id=1000412

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The Choir — “It’s Cold Outside”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 25, 2026

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

1,856) The Choir — “It’s Cold Outside”

Warning: If you are from Cleveland, read no further, ’cause I’d be just singin’ to the choir — it hit number one there! “With its energetic delivery, melodic harmonies, and chiming guitars, the song was an instant [’66] smash in Cleveland. Roulette Records picked up the single for national distribution, and it became a minor national hit [#68] in mid-’67.” (Mike Stax, liner notes to the CD comp Nuggets (Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968))

Richie Unterberger tells us:

“It’s Cold Outside” is one of the best-known, and from certain angles more successful, ’60s garage rock singles. . . . [T]he song (though not at all to its detriment) was poppier and more Beatlesque than the rawer, bluesier records that have come to be associated with garage rock. . . . [It] was something like Merseybeat on amphetamines . . . . what can now be recognized as a sort of antecedent to power pop. . . . [A]lthough the lyrics . . . are a somewhat sad recounting of a failed love affair, the[y] are . . . delivered with such unrelenting sunny cheer that the effect is one of joyousness rather than mourning. . . . [It] was a mammoth hit in Cleveland, topping the local charts for several consecutive weeks in 1967, but made only number 68 in the national listings. Perhaps it was just a little too late, sounding more suitable for the innocent times of 1964 than for the increasingly complicated culture and music scene of 1967.

https://www.allmusic.com/song/its-cold-outside-mt0005724902

Here is Unterberger on the Choir:

Stars in their Cleveland hometown . . . the Choir played an accomplished British Invasion-influenced pop/rock in the late ’60s. The group started off in 1964 under the name the Mods, then in 1966 changed their name . . . . [They] released two [further] singles . . . but neither charted[ and t]he Choir was dropped by [Roulette]. After disbanding for a short period in 1968, the band headed back to the studio, this time with . . . a sound that leaned in a more Baroque pop direction. They recorded enough songs for an album, but weren’t able to find a record label. After more personnel changes, they managed to release one more single, 1970’s “Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight,” before disbanding for good. . . . [Three] members of the band (guitarists Wally Bryson and Dave Smalley, as well as drummer Jim Bonfanti) were in the Raspberries . . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-choir-mn0000060535#biography

Here is Stiv Bators (’79):

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Forever Amber — “On a Night in Winter”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 24, 2026

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

1,855) Forever Amber — “On a Night in Winter”

This “Kinks dusted” (Obladada, https://obladada.com/2020/10/14/revisio-forever-amber-the-love-cycle/) song is from The Love Cycle, one of the rarest and most sough-after relics of the UK’s psychedelic era (well, only 99 copies of the LP were pressed!). “A lo-fi psychedelic pop masterpiece. . . . this . . . song-writing is incredible”. (Gabriel_II, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/forever-amber/the-love-cycle/) “If ever there was a place on the map where I could put down a finger, and say, “This is the place where Lo-Fi began …,” it would be here”. (streetmouse, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/forever-amber/the-love-cycle/) The LP “merged Swinging London-era basement psychedelia . . . with the guileless innocence, melodic invention, ambitious arrangements and irresistible pop hooks of ’65-era Beatles.” (David Wells, liner notes to the CD reissue of The Love Cycle) “The album “resides in a secret garden all of its own, bursting with unfettered melodic glee and the pop experimentation prevalent in the provinces in 1968. . . . English as tuppence, [it] has a distinctly Grantchester Baroque atmosphere – the nearest comparisons are the Zombies [see #1,138] and neighbours Pink Floyd [see #13, 38, 260]”. (Bob Stanley, https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/forever-amber-the-love-cycle-t955b5rlm5b?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqduTckaQoTvavsX1c5UJOFAd5aF-WR1WSFNkq5shTXtsVsrhqX-gA40izGZBpg%3D&gaa_ts=69728243&gaa_sig=Emj86EP52IQRQhF7AzfxY9a-ArUNAFcnIKS9QG9CznlECdykTNurVNKjN1jNP3qflvtlslbaWSGU06JMChUwCw%3D%3D)

Obladada puts it exquisitely:

[This is a] brand of late 60’s psych pop that exudes a vibe like footage on bleached out 16mm reels, full of duck ponds, rose gardens and wide-eyed wonder. . . . The album continues to jump through odd stylistic hoops that feel like a compilation gathered from a previously invisible 60’s dimension. . . . In an age where it seems many try to ration and drip feed creativity, careful to avoid giving up all of their ideas – [the band] delights in throwing everything they have at you, in one unwieldy 42-minute serving. A packed, spacious, moody, groovy and gloriously flanged elevator pitch in sound.

https://obladada.com/2020/10/14/revisio-forever-amber-the-love-cycle/

David Wells expands on the band’s achievement:

The Love Cycle was the brainchild of undergraduate John M. Hudson, an aspiring Brian Wilson-style pop auteur who wrote the entire set, co-produced it and also helped out on piano and harpsichord. Bearing in mind the limitations of the set up — the six-piece Forever Amber’s semi-professional status, their extreme youth, the fairly makeshift studio facilities and minuscule budget — [it] was a ludicrously ambitious work. A concept piece chronicling the development and ultimate break-up of an adolescent love affair, the album featured no less than five lead vocalists over its 16 cuts, which ranged from ornate, Left Banke-leaning harpsichord-based pop to full-blown psychedelic freak-out. . . . The overall effect is akin to a low-budget garage band version of the Zombies’ masterpiece Odessey And Oracle, and would have been a notable achievement for a major label act. For a bunch of provincial kids, it’s an absolutely staggering achievement.

Record Collector: 100 Greatest Psychedelic Records: High Times and Strange Tales from Rock’s Most Mind-Blowing Era

Keep in mind that clinikillz points out that while the “album features a collection of unique, well-written and catchy psychedelic pop songs. . . . it sounds like it was recorded on an Edison phonograph device. The audio leveling is atrocious and it sounds like they recorded the entire album in a giant tin can. (https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/forever-amber/the-love-cycle/) But Jerry Kessler notes that while “the music does suffer without a producer, but for my way of thinking, that element just makes it all the richer and enticing, being that the music is exactly what the lads heard in their heads.” (https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2018/06/from-vault-forever-amber-love-cycle-1969.html#google_vignette)

Lindsay Planer explains:

Love Cycle (1969) from the virtually unknown and short-lived sextet Forever Amber is practically the definition of an obscure sleeper album. . . . [T]he no-budget band only pressing up a mere 99 copies of the album to avoid having to pay a purchase tax . . . . In a decidedly unorthodox combining of talents, the author and arranger was not actually a member of the Cambridge-based combo. Prior to adopting the moniker of Kathleen Winsor’s racy novel Forever Amber, the group played the lucrative local cover band circuit of private parties and the like as “the Country Cousins”. The Cousins’ manager Derek Buxton became the liaison between the band and John M. Hudson. Made for around [£200], the [LP] was documented in a mammoth 19-hour recording session in September of 196[8] at the D.I.Y. Studio Sound in Hitchin, England.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-love-cycle-mw0001011512

Bob Stanley notes that “Hudson went on to run his own accountancy firm. Of the band, only Chris Parren turned pro, ending up as the keyboard player on George Michael’s Careless Whisper, which outsold The Love Cycle by roughly three million copies.”(https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/forever-amber-the-love-cycle-t955b5rlm5b?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqduTckaQoTvavsX1c5UJOFAd5aF-WR1WSFNkq5shTXtsVsrhqX-gA40izGZBpg%3D&gaa_ts=69728243&gaa_sig=Emj86EP52IQRQhF7AzfxY9a-ArUNAFcnIKS9QG9CznlECdykTNurVNKjN1jNP3qflvtlslbaWSGU06JMChUwCw%3D%3D) Ha, ha, ha . . . .

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I Shall Be Released: Harry Nilsson — “Snow”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 23, 2026

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

1,854) Harry Nilsson — “Snow”

Given the positively awful versions of Randy Newman’s (see #174) song released at the time, it is beyond belief that Harry Nilsson’s (see #1,168, 1,298) “achingly beautiful”, “[q]uietly devastating” (acertainshape, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpVNtzdPIWU) version was left off his groundbreaking ’70 LP Nilsson Sings Newman. In Nilsson’s hands, it is “probably one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in my life” (megadora1969 (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7AdNpP1eKM)), with his “voice match[ing] the emotion of th[e] song perfectly”. (@Shapelander, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7AdNpP1eKM). It “may be my favorite out of their entire catalogs combined. It’s the perfect warm, fuzzy, melancholic song to listen to while drinking hot tea and watching flakes fly out the window.” (silentm999, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrQjSrdvcTw)

“Harry Nilsson introduced Newman to the world through a stunning album of interpretations of his songs (with Newman himself playing piano!)”. (Elusive Disc, https://elusivedisc.com/harry-nilsson-nilsson-sings-newman-180g-lp-1/) Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes about the album:

[G]enerally regarded as the album that introduced Randy Newman the songwriter to a wide audience, Nilsson Sings Newman has gained a reputation of being an minor masterwork. . . . It’s deliberately an album of subtle pleasures, crafted, as the liner notes state, line by line in the studio. As such, the preponderance of quiet piano-and-voice tracks . . . means the record can slip away upon the first few listens, especially for anyone expecting an undeniable masterpiece. Yet, a masterpiece is what this is, albeit a subtle, graceful masterpiece where the pleasure is in the grace notes, small gestures, and in-jokes. Not to say that this is devoid of emotion; it’s just that the emotion is subdued . . . . For an album that introduced a songwriter as idiosyncratic as Newman, it’s only appropriate that Nilsson’s interpretations are every bit as original as the songs. His clear intonation and sweet, high voice are more palatable than Randy’s slurred, bluesy growl . . . . He’s created gentle, intricate arrangements of tuneful yet clever songs, and as such, the album may be as much an acquired taste as Newman. Once you’ve acquired that taste, this is as sweet as honey.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/nilsson-sings-newman-mw0001961763

As to Nilsson’s early years, Richie Unterberger tells us:

Although he synthesized disparate elements of both rock and pop traditions, singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson[‘s] . . . allegiance belonged to neither. He’s best-known for his versions of other people’s songs but he was a skilled composer . . . . Nilsson had been struggling to make inroads into the music business for . . . years . . . . He made demos, sang commercial jingles, and shopped songs, all the while keeping his job at a Los Angeles area bank. In the mid-’60s, he wrote a few songs with Phil Spector that were recorded by the Ronettes . . . . The Monkees [see #1,718] recorded his “Cuddly Toy,” and the Yardbirds did “Ten Little Indians” . . . . But Nilsson didn’t quit his bank job until after the release of Pandemonium Shadow Show [in ‘67, which] caught the attention of the Beatles. . . . John Lennon and Paul McCartney named him as their favorite American singer at a press conference, an extraordinary accolade for an unknown. . . . Three Dog Night took his “One” into the Top Ten in 1969, and Nilsson’s second LP, Aerial Ballet, continued the ambitious pop/rock direction of his debut, marrying his slightly eccentric, bouncy (if sometimes precious) tunes to Baroque orchestral production. When one of its songs, “Everybody’s Talkin’,” was used as the theme for the Midnight Cowboy film, Nilsson had his first Top Ten hit. . . . It was another cover (of . . . Badfinger . . . ) that gave him . . . the number one smash “Without You.” . . . [H]e never performed in concert . . . preferring to craft his artistry in the studio.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/harry-nilsson-mn0000560208#biography

Here is Harpers Bizarre:

Here are the Johnny Mann Singers:

Here is Claudine Longet:

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George Edwards — “Never Mind, I’m Freezing”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 22, 2026

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

1,853) George Edwards — “Never Mind, I’m Freezing”

Here is “a pretty damned great folk rock 45” (Monocled Alchemist, https://monocledalchemist.com/2025/03/13/george-edwards-never-mind-im-freezing-dunwich-1966/) by the founder-to-be of Chicago psychsters H.P. Lovecraft (see #829, 1,073), “mid tempo folk rock with effective jangly guitars, bass and drums and an appealing vocal as George chides his girlfriend who swore she would always be true but who has left him”. (bayard, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/george-edwards/norwegian-wood-never-mind-im-freezing/)

Bad Cat Records tells us that:

Having tried his hand as a New York-based folk singer, touring and recording an album as a member of The Village Singers, and supporting the folk duo Len and Judy, by 1965 singer/guitarist George Edwards was back in his native Chicago. He started playing on the city’s club circuit, finding a mentor in the former of manager George Badonsky who brought the singer to the attention of his partner Bill Traut and helped him record a couple of sides for their Chicago-based Dunwich label . . . . Pulled from those sessions, in 1966 Dunwich released an Edwards solo 45. . . .

http://badcatrecords.com/HPlovecraft.htm

Monocled Alchemist adds:

George Edwards[] . . . was a Chicago based folkie playing the local venues. He was in the right place at the right time and started working with Dunwich Records as a session musician and was involved in the early recordings of The Shadows Of Knight [see #184, 1,075]. That connection enabled him to record and release this 45 as a solo artist. “Norwegian Wood” is his version of The Beatles classic but I’ll highlight “Never Mind, I’m Freezing” . . . . The vocal delivery reminds me of Sal Valentino’s [lead singer of The Beau Brummels (see #713)] wavery takes and the folk rock backing is a highlight, especially the drums…pure greatness. George Edwards (now known as Ethan Kenning) would later form H.P. Lovecraft.

https://monocledalchemist.com/2025/03/13/george-edwards-never-mind-im-freezing-dunwich-1966/

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Vashti Bunyan — “Girl’s Song in Winter”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 21, 2026

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

1,852) Vashti Bunyan — “Girl’s Song in Winter”

I’ve recently featured Vashti’s (see #204, 1,170, 1,821) “Winter Is Blue” (see # 1,821). Today — “Girl’s Song in Winter”. To expand on a beautiful insight of François Gorin (https://www.telerama.fr/musique/vashti-bunyan-3-la-fille-de-l-hiver,157777.php), Vashti’s melancholy songs and soul are at home in these months.

D.M. Edwards writes that:

[This was] Bunyan’s first ever recording session from 1964. She paid for an hour in a studio to make a demo and ran through 11 songs. I’m guessing the microphone was close to her mouth, as her guitar is sometimes so quiet that she seems to be singing unaccompanied. The material was mostly written when she was just 18 years old, and it’s impossible to know whether the gentleness in her quiet delivery or the assurance and sophistication of her lyrics reflects the real teenager. “Girl’s Song In Winter” is especially intriguing, due in part to our not knowing for sure if she refers to a dead lover or to their child.

https://www.popmatters.com/vashti-bunyan-some-things-just-stick-in-your-mind-2496210349.html

Jason Ankeny tells us Vashti’s story:

Vashti Bunyan is an English singer/songwriter whose 1970 debut album Just Another Diamond Day was an overlooked gem in its time that later grew to be a defining classic of acid folk. Sluggish record saless discouraged Bunyan enough to give up music entirely shortly after its release, but as the years went on, more new fans grew enamored with the album’s hushed but surreal beauty. . . . Bunyan . . . first took up the guitar while a student at the Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing. She was ultimately expelled at age 18 for spending too much time writing songs and not enough time painting. A bit of a free spirit even then, she took a trip to New York and, while there, fell under the spell of Bob Dylan’s music . . . . Once back in London, Bunyan was committed to a career in music, and through theatrical agent Monte Mackay she soon met Rolling Stones manager/ producer Andrew Loog Oldham. . . . [H]e signed her to Decca Records and for her debut single brought her the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards-penned “Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind.” The record earned little attention, and Bunyan moved to Columbia for the follow-up, “Train Song,” [see #204] released in May of 1966. She moved into the orbit of Oldham’s Immediate Records after its founding that year and recorded a brace of sides, mostly of her own music, none of which was issued commercially. She also cut one side with the Twice as Much (Immediate’s answer to Simin & Garfunkel) entitled “The Coldest Night of the Year.” The latter, with its Phil Spector-like production and beautiful harmonizing, showed off her singing at its most pop-oriented and commercial. Sometime after that, she left London in a horse-drawn wagon on a two-year journey into communal living in the Hebrides, with the ultimate goal of meeting folk icon Donovan [see #908, 1,036, 1,064] on the Isle of Skye. She later chanced to cross paths with American producer Joe Boyd, who had made his name in London recording acts such as Pink Floyd [see # 13, 38, 260] and Fairport Convention [see #1,199]. Throughout her travels Bunyan had continued writing songs, and in 1969 she teamed with Boyd to record her debut LP, the lovely Just Another Diamond Day, which included some assistance from such British folk notables as Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick from Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band’s Robin Williamson. After completing the album she left for Ireland, dropping out of music to raise a family.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/vashti-bunyan-mn0000099104#biography

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Ro-d-Ys– “Winter Woman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 20, 2026

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

1,851) Ro-d-Ys– “Winter Woman”

Beatlesque pop psych from the Netherlands, this is the band’s (see #1,226) “best song” (Gelkinghe (courtesy of Google Translate), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_kXER46Exg), “[a]bsolutely hypnotic” (archenema6792, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_kXER46Exg), “beautiful and haunting”. (nikink, https://www.discogs.com/release/4169281-Ro-D-Ys-The-Complete-Collection?srsltid=AfmBOoofU9iuEEMh-CTUrex47ZjLKtPCvRnaoq9q-1Wq_ikRIH6T2a7U#:~:text=The%20Ro%2Dd%2Dys%20were%20from%20the,were%20formed%20somewhere%20around%201965.&text=In%201968%20more%20quality%20singles,and%20%22Earnest%20Vocation%22%20in%201968)

Richie Unterberger tells us that:

Stylistically, the[ Ro-d-Ys] favored, like many Dutch groups, a very British-influenced sound with a slightly raw and sardonic edge . . . . At various points, their songs (all written by lead singer and guitarist Harry Rijnbergen) incorporated prominent streaks of mod rock, soul, and late-’60s British pop-psychedelia, the lyrics often informed by archly phrased anti-establishment youth viewpoints. . . . When the Ro-d-Ys broke up at the end of the 1960s, some of the members, including Rijnbergen, were in another Dutch band, Zen.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ro-d-y-s-mn0000517865#biography

Ro-d-Ys.com (courtesy of Google Translate) goes on:

The Ro-d-Ys started their musical journey in 1965 as the Popular Pipers Boys Band at the ULO school in Oude Pekela, Groningen. With Harry Rijnbergen, Joop Hulzebos, Wiechert Kenter and Berend Groen as their core, they mainly played covers of bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. In 1966, Harry Rijnbergen, from De Sputniks, joined the trio and changed the band name to The Rowdies. When it turned out that another band with that name already existed, it eventually became Ro-d-Ys. With manager Wim Zomer at the helm, the band quickly began to gain national fame through frequent performances and efficient promotion. Harry Rijnbergen distinguished himself as a composer and singer, attracting the attention of record company Phonogram. Their first single “You Better Take Care of Yourself” [see #1,226] was released in late 1966, followed by the hit “Take Her Home” in May 1967. The Ro-d-Ys rapidly released singles and toured Europe, but kept their home base in Oude Pekela, where they wrote new material in a farm. Their first album Just Fancy was critically acclaimed upon its release in September 1967. Despite line-up changes and an experimental album in 1968 called Earnest Vocation, the band’s popularity began to decline. After a series of less successful singles, the band split up in 1969. Harry Rijnbergen and Bennie Groen joined the Amsterdam band Zen.

https://www.ro-d-ys.com/biografie.html

Wikipedia (courtesy of Google Translate) adds:

They were discovered by Wim Zomer, who attended drama school in Arnhem . . . . In the summer the band broke away from their then manager . . . who was a hotel, theater and cinema owner and mainly saw them as a suitable backing band for his son . . . . Zomer organized pop concerts in Arnhem under the Mod a gogo label, thus giving the band their first performances outside the region. He also managed to interest Hans van Hemert, who worked for Phonogram, in the group. Van Hemert . . . took the group under his wing . . . . The group toured Italy and England, and the records also sold well in Germany and Belgium. The first LP Just Fancy received good reviews. 1968 was supposed to be the big year for Ro-d-Ys. A concept album was planned under the title Earnest Vocation , which was based on the novel De kleine Johannes by Frederik van Eeden. Producer Van Hemert approached Bert Paige, who took care of the orchestration of the songs. The result of this production method was that only Rijnbergen could be heard as a band member on the recordings. The album, which fit into the psychedelic era of that moment, was well received, but the singles that were released from the album had little success.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro-d-Ys

And, the coda, from Ro-d-Ys.com (courtesy of Google Translate):

In January [1969], the Ro-d-Ys attempted a comeback with the single “Winter Woman”/”Looking for Something Better”. . . . with singer Annet Hesterman, an idea of their new manager, Krijn Torringa. The song’s fame was limited to a single tip. The group then disbanded . . . .

https://www.ro-d-ys.com/geschiedenis.html

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John Hartford — “Landscape Grown Cold”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 19, 2026

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

1,850) John Hartford — “Landscape Grown Cold”

This stalk, haunting ’67 B-side by the legendary John Hartford (see #1,183) puts the woe in winter. It is one of the “highlights of his RCA period”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-love-album-mw0000860236), coming from The Love Album.

Hartford’s website tells us:

John Hartford won Grammy awards in three different decades . . . and wrote one of the most popular songs of all time, “Gentle On My Mind”. . . . He added music and narration to Ken Burns’ landmark Civil War series, and was an integral part of the hugely popular O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and Down From The Mountain concert tour. But that hardly explains John Hartford [–] an American original [who] was a musician, songwriter, steamboat pilot, author, artist, disc jockey, calligrapher, dancer, folklorist, father, and historian. At an early age, John fell in love with two things: music and the Mississippi River. In 1965 he moved to Nashville. The following year he was signed to RCA Records by the legendary Chet Atkins. It was Atkins who convinced John to add a “t” to his last name, becoming John Hartford. In 1967 his second RCA release “Earthwords & Music” featured the single “Gentle on My Mind”, a song Hartford wrote after seeing the movie Dr. Zhivago. That year, the song earned four Grammy awards. Hartford would take home two awards, one as the writer and one for his own recording of the song. The other two went to Glen Campbell who had heard Hartford’s version on the radio and decided to record it. Campbell’s rendition became an instant classic, and the song became one of the most recorded and performed songs of all time . . . . Hartford often said that “Gentle On My Mind” bought his freedom. . . . to explore his various creative curiosities . . . . In 1968 John Hartford left Nashville for Los Angeles, where he played on the Byrds’ [see #1,430, 1,605] classic album, Sweethearts of the Rodeo. He became a regular guest and contributor on CBS’s Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and later on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. He would also earn his riverboat pilot’s license by the end of the decade. John Hartford became mentor and mystic for a generation of pickers, singers, and songwriters. His landmark record, Aereo-plain (1971) . . . bridged a musical gap between traditional bluegrass and a progressive new audience . . . . In 1976, John won another Grammy award for his contemporary folk masterpiece, Mark Twang [which] featured a set of quirky river-centric original songs, presented in stripped down arrangements, typically featuring only Hartford accompanying himself on banjo, fiddle, or guitar while tapping his feet on an amplified sheet of plywood. . . . becom[ing] his trademark sound for many years as a solo act. . . . He died on June 4, 2001, after a long battle with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma.

https://www.johnhartford.com/about-john/

James Manheim adds:

Hartford was a multi-talented old-time musician, a riverboat captain, a satirical songwriter, a one-man showman of exceptional talents, and one of the founders of both progressive country music and old-time string music revivalism. He was a prolific recording artist who issued no fewer than 33 albums during his lifetime that ranged across old-timey fiddle music, bluegrass and newgrass, folk, blues, jazz, and country . . . . While he never again attained the success of “Gentle on My Mind,” he was quite successful . . . . [He] grew up in St. Louis near the Mississippi River he would always love. His took his first job on a riverboat at age ten. As a boy he liked the traditional country music he heard on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast from Nashville, and by age 13 he was an accomplished fiddler and five-string banjo player . . . . Soon he added guitar and mandolin to his repertoire. He founded his first bluegrass band in high school . . . . Hartford made a few singles for small local labels in the early ’60s. In 1965 he moved with his [family] to Nashville, taking a DJ job at . . . . It didn’t take him long to meet the other architects of the city’s songwriting renaissance – Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury [see #1,478], and the Glaser Brothers [see #76], who . . . began promoting Hartford and his songs around Music Row. . . . In 1968 Hartford moved to Los Angeles . . . . By the end of the decade, Hartford also earned his riverboat pilot’s license. Financially secure thanks to “Gentle on My Mind,” he decided to spend the rest of his life pursuing an artistic vision rooted in country music traditions. In 1971, Hartford returned to Nashville and founded a bluegrass band . . . . The all-acoustic Aereo-Plain album . . . featured a free bluegrass feel often cited as seminal both by progressive bluegrass musicians and by adherents of the modern jam band movement. In the mid-’70s Hartford worked out a solo act in which he appeared in a trademark bowler hat and black vest.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-hartford-mn0000221603#biography

Here is Tom Northcott (see #20, 420):

Hree is Maffitt/Davies:

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