Sundazed Records, which released for CD Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital, Jade’s only album (from which today’s song is drawn), says “The 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) Michael Saltzman says of the LP that:
[It is] one of the most highly-coveted lost psych classics, and itâs 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. . . . [S]urprisingly, Jade claims he hadnât heard of Barrett at the time of recording).
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 Floydâs 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. . . . âCold Winter Sun” never fail[s] to inspire comparisons to Barrett when played for those unfamiliar with Jade. Faine, it’s fair to say, is somewhat blunted in comparison to Barrettâs 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.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
685) Head West â âSome Dayâ
A sinuous/funky/jazzy rock song by a future member of Fleetwood Mac. Vernon Joynson says the songâs âvocals have a haunting quality and the song . . . has a certain charm”. (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Itâs highly reminiscent of Manfred Mann Chapter III.
Wita Records hails the LP:
Head West, a trio as explosive as it was short-lived, recorded in 1970 a digest of soul, funk and psychedelic rock, a la Sky Stone . . . . [They] brilliantly recorded this fantastic blend . . . characteristic of the late 1960s, a musical fusion in which Sly and Family Stone were the masters. The record is remarkable for the quality of the production, for the magnificent soulful vocal harmonies, supported by the wild roar of Robert Huntâs Hammond organ. But it was certainly Henry Mooreâs heavy breakbeats and solid grooves that . . . the advent of sampling, gave this album a second life. Many artists and producers have recycled the drum parts with their formidable sound and efficiency. . . . Head West was born from the ashes of the Los Angeles soul band the Seven Souls . . . . [and] record[ed] this one and only record and a few singles. . . . Recorded in France in 1970 for Vogue records, these tracks are also a French production . . . .
Welch told People Magazine that his stay in Paris from â69-â71 were spent âliving on rice and beans and sleeping on the floor.â (https://www.westcoast.dk/artists/w/bob-welch/)
Bret Adams gives us Welchâs post-West history:
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bob Welch enjoyed a brief streak of mainstream success in the late ’70s after a four-year, pre-phenomenon stint in Fleetwood Mac. In 1971, Welch replaced Jeremy Spencer . . . . Welch’s finest Fleetwood Mac moment was the dreamily jazzy “Hypnotized” on Mystery to Me. Welch was asked to stay despite the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, but he departed and formed a hard rock trio called Paris. The band . . . released two poorly received albums in 1976. Welch then decided to craft blatantly commercial pop music, and he succeeded with 1977’s French Kiss, which went platinum and featured the hit singles “Sentimental Lady” . . . and “Ebony Eyes.” . . . Welch released . . . more albums through 1983, but sales steadily declined. . . . In 1994, he filed a lawsuit claiming he was underpaid royalties during his tenure. The case was settled out of court, but Welch says Fleetwood Mac retaliated by having him excluded from the band’s 1998 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
683) Alex Harvey — “Midnight Moses”
Here is another magical selection from Alex Harvey’s ’69 solo LP Roman Wall Blues (see #440). Harvey redid the song with the Sensational Alex Harvey Band in ’72 and its hard rock core became apparent. Eric Kamau in Classic Rock History names the song the 6th best SAHB songs:
In the number six spot on our top 10 Sensational Alex Harvey Band songs list is the smoking cut Midnight Moses. The song was released on the Sensational Alex Harvey Band [debut ’72] album entitled Framed. . . . The sound of the hit hats trigger those legendary guitar licks as the listener knows there is in for something special in the opening seconds. This is like a cross between Foghat, Montrose and AC/DC. This is 1970s classic rock at its finest.
The song became a heavy metal cover favorite. Listen to the versions by Britny Fox and the Dead Daisies.
Anyway, in the age of COVID, I am reevaluating the song. Consider — “I had an afternoon fever when I flew off to Geneva.” Just a lazy rhyme? Or a premonition of pandemic? Maybe the song was more about a “Midnight (Typhoid) Mary” than a “Midnight Moses.”
“Midnight Moses” ties together Harvey’s solo album and SAHB in another respect. When asked by Klemen Breznikar “how did the Sensational Alex Harvey Band come about?”, lead guitarist Zal Cleminson recalls that:
Our respective managers organised a meeting and rehearsal with Alex in Glasgow. Alex played us the riff to âMidnight Mosesâ and asked if we could play it. We instantly beat the shit out of it and he obviously liked what he heard.
Oh, for those who don’t know Alex, William Ruhlmann says:
Alex Harvey was a British journeyman rocker who enjoyed a brief period of widespread popularity in the mid-â70s after decades of struggle. Growing up in [Glasgow,] Scotland, he turned to music in his late teens . . . . 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 â70s, he recruited the Scottish band Tear Gas . . . christening the resulting quintet the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
683) The Human Expression â âEvery Nightâ
Mesmerizing and haunting â66 B-side by a hugely talented L.A. band whose music, as Mark Deming says, “lurked somewhere in between garage rock and psychedelia” and who had “imaginative songwriters with a clever, slightly bent approach, and [a] guitar style [that] was an interesting mixture of traditional folk-rock jangle, tough fuzzy leads, and a willingness to . . . come up with unusual sounds.” (Mark Deming, https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-at-psychedelic-velocity-mw0000075613)
Like true nature’s children, they were most assuredly born to be wild. Man, they could have climbed so high and exploded into space, had they not declined to head out on the highway.
Bruce Eder tells us that:
[A]n obscure but beloved psychedelic band from Los Angeles. . . . The band played played local clubs and USOs, and built up a great reputation for their hot live performances . . . an intensely virtuoso musicality coupled with punk defiance and a charismatic projection of all of these elements. . . . A second single, “Optical Sound” b/w “Calm Me Down,” released in 1967, showed the group becoming more experimental, utilizing studio electronic effects. . . . It was impressive, but that single wasn’t the breakthrough that the band had hoped for. The Human Expression’s downfall came with the decision over what was to be their third single. Offered a pair of songs to choose from, they selected a number called “Sweet Child of Nothingness.” The one they rejected was a song [also] authored by Mars Bonfire [see #598] called “Born to Be Wild,” because [singer Jim] Qua[r]les had some doubts about the lyrics.
The Expression’s comp from Collectables tells of the band’s ability to turn a hostile crowd:
[The band began to get bookings at places like Gazzari’s in Los Angeles, as well as playing at USO clubs (not the band’s idea, but the record label’s). For a group like the Human Expression to play at a USO club in the mid 60s was like throwing a match on tinderwood. For example one time the band played a USO gig . . . . [with an] audience [of] about 800 crewcut marines. In walked The Human Expression with long hair, mod clothes and Beatle boots. The marines started hooting and hollering at the group, saying things like “Hey, honey,” or “Look at these fags.” Jim recalls that “we played for our lives, we knew if we didn’t, we wouldn’t get out of their alive!” By the third song, the crowd of marines were going wild with cheers.
liner notes to the Collectables label CD comp The Human Expression: Love at Psychedelic Velocity
Here is a demo, which Deming says “doesn’t reveal much except that the group’s early recordings were done in a really crummy-sounding studio”:
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
682) Johnny Young â âGood Evening Girlâ
This delightful pop psych B-side from down under was “written by three of the Easybeats but never recorded by that group, although it’s easily up to the standards of their better songs.” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-generation-1960s-punk-from-down-under-mw0000660957) The A-side was written by Barry Gibb. Talk about being penned by (Aussie) rock royalty!
As to Johnny Young, the definitive MilesaGo: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964-1975, says:
Like so many Aussie pop stars, Johnny was born overseas and came to Australia [at age three] during the huge influx of migrants after WWII. He was born Johnny Benjamin deJong in Rotterdam . . . . At the time of his birth his father Jan was stationed in Indonesia with the Netherlands armed forces . . . . As an adult Johnny discovered that [at the time,] his mother had a brief affair with a young Dutch singer — and he was the result of that romance. . . .
[He] began work as a trainee disc jockey on Perth radio, started singing at local dances, and spent eighteen months as lead vocalist with [a] local group . . . . In 1965, Johnny got his first break into TV when he became host of a local Perth pop show Club 17. . . . [I]n early 1966 . . . [t]he Easybeats visited Perth. They gave Johnny the ultimate seal of approval by presenting him with one of their new songs. “Step Back” . . . was issued as a single in May 1966 . . . . [and] became . . . the second biggest-selling Australian single of the Sixties . . . .
Johnny decided to heed the siren call of Swinging London. . . . On June 6, 1967 Johnny set sail for the UK and to mark his departure Clarion released his new single, “Lady” (backed by a[ Easybeats] original, “Good Evening Girl”), which reached #34 in July. The A-side, “Lady”, was a Barry Gibb song, which Barry had written specially for him. The story behind this is typical of Johnny’s good nature — while working in Brisbane, he ran into Barry Gibb, who was facing a long, arduous drive back to Sydney for a TV appearance. With typical generosity, Johnny paid Barry’s airfare, enabling to fly back to Sydney, so Barry returned the favour by presenting Johnny with the song. . . . Johnny failed to make a major impression on the UK scene, and he returned to Australia in January 1968 . . . .
With his pop career faltering, Johnny fell back on his early training as a DJ . . . . While in London, encouraged and coached by his friend Barry Gibb, he had begun to compose songs and he now began writing in earnest . . . . Over the next two years he had tremendous success — his credits include Russell Morris’ “The Real Thing” and “Part Three Into Paper Walls” [and] Ronnie Burns “Smiley” — all national #1 singles . . . .
[His] greatest success came with . . . the children’s talent quest cum variety show Young Talent Time, which premiered . . . in early 1971. It was a massive success . . . a genuine family show that appealed to everyone from eight to eighty . . .
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Seger settles into a shimmying, rockabilly-meets-R&B groove that probably made Mitch Ryder beam with paternal pride. The lyrics? Pure mid-century hipster cool: âHeâs dressed real mod, from his head to his toe! Heâs lost a little weight, but his jelly still rolls! . . . . Come on, Cupid! Donât just stand there looking stupid!â Thereâs a reference to Batman, too, but you get the idea. Sock-hopping Yuletide fun.
Bob Seger was writing and performing garage rock classics in the mid-sixties? Who knew?! Well, if you lived in Detroit at the time, you knew. Dave Marsh said in Rolling Stone in â78 that:
Bob Seger . . . . grew up in Ann Arbor[, Michigan]. It was tough enough to be a townie in a college town, but it was far worse if your father went off when you were ten, leaving your mother, you and your brother to tiny apartments, cooking on hot plates.
Wow, I went to law school in Ann Arbor, and I didnât know!
Then came the music. Cut to Mark Deming in All Music Guide:
[Segerâs mid-sixties singles are] as passionate and powerful a celebration of âthe big bad beatâ as you could hope for, and Segerâs first step into inarguable greatness. . . . proof that Seger was a major talent as a singer, songwriter, and frontman right from the start, and this is as good as Midwestern rock of the mid-â60s gets.
Sublime Stax single (â70) by the Staple Singers, lamenting that people were âtoo busy fighting wars, trying to make it to Mars . . . too busy having fun, drinking with everyoneâ.
Rob Bowman:
[T]he Staple Singers embraced an impressive stylistic diversity while always staying true to their roots in gospel harmonies. Led by Roebuck âPopsâ Staples, the quartet first rose to stardom in the gospel music community before detouring into folk and a socially conscious gospel and R&B hybrid, then enjoying their greatest success with a handful of soul music hits for Stax Records in the ’70s. Throughout their evolution, the constants in their work were the rich blend of their vocals, delivered with a churchy mix of joy and restraint . . . and in the Stax era, the glorious lead vocals of Mavis Staples. . . . [B]y 1937 [Pops] was singing and playing guitar with the Golden Trumpets . . . . Moving to Chicago four years later, he continued playing gospel music with the Windy City’s Trumpet Jubilees. A decade later [he] presented two of his daughters, Cleotha and Mavis, and his one son, Pervis, in front of a church audience, and the Staple Singers were born. The[y] recorded in an older, slightly archaic, deeply Southern spiritual style . . . . In 1968, the Staples signed with Memphis-based Stax. . . . [They] were now singing entirely contemporary “message” songs . . . . In 1970 . . . Al Bell started handling production chores, taking the group down the road to Muscle Shoals, and things got decidedly funky. . . .
â67 garage âclassicâ gets you in the spirit, yeah! Jason Ankeny tells us that:
Houston psych-punks A440 formed in 1966 but did not release their first album until 12 years later. Roster information on the band’s earliest incarnation is slim . . . . [with three singles to their credit]. But A440 remained a constant of the Houston live scene for a decade until they signed to 20th Century Fox to release their debut LP Ulysses, the Greek Suite. . . . [T]he double-album set was a strange, rather anachronistic concept record inspired by ancient Greek myth that, released at the peak of the disco era, made absolutely no commercial impact.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
678) The Collage — “Any Day’s a Sunday Afternoon”
â67 A-side is a self-written soft pop psych masterpiece by the Collage (see #415). Richie Unterberger feels that the songâs âpsych-pop-circus feel . . . might have made for the best attempt at a hit singleâ for the band. (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-collage-mw0002103702)
Unterberger gives us some history:
Part of the idea behind the formation of the Collage was to emulate the Mamas and the Papasâ lineup with a two-man, two-woman quartet of harmonizing singers. The groupâs sole . . . album . . . has a yet more pronounced sunshine pop feel, as well as yet lusher production . . . . The songs have a sweeter tone, almost as if elements of the Mamas and the Papas and the 5th Dimension have been layered with production and songwriting a little more oriented toward an adult pop/variety entertainment audience. . . . There are some mild psychedelic touches, but also some hammy vaudevillian ones, and . . . the original songs had showtune-style melodies.
When Ron [Joelson] met Jerry [Careaga], according to Jerry:
[Ron] was a hippie poet, smoked grass, and, as a teenager, was friends with Bob Dylan. I was his polar opposite â with a short-haired, clean-shaven look courtesy of the Air Force â and was fascinated with his lifestyle and what he wrote. Ronâs poems were unstructured and freeform, with unusual metaphors. My songs were structured and commercial-sounding. I had begun writing in the mid-â50s as a teenager, but as a result of my military upbringing, I never ventured into the subversive culture of the beat generation. I didnât smoke dope either. Ronâs lifestyle was all new to me, and it was fun.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
677) Ferguson Tractor â â12 OâClock Highâ
Here is a fuzz/riff monster post-garage era (â69) garage track, the A-side of the only single by a pretty unknown band. SF Scene calls it âa great sounding fuzz-a-delic trackâ. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mHJtTI8YZB0). So have a Fuzzy Navel and enjoy!
Chris Bishop says that:
Ferguson Tractor was the vehicle . . . for D. Ferguson, who wrote both these songs. â12 OâClock Highâ has strong fuzz guitar backing the vocals and what sounds like a Leslie speaker for the guitarâs wah effect on the chorus.
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[The Quiet Five] ma[d]e the lower reaches of the U.K. charts . . . releas[ing] half a dozen singles in 1965-1967 (one in the U.S. only) in various styles showcasing their accomplished vocal harmonies. The best of these, their debut, “When the Morning Sun Dries the Dew,” was written by guitarist/singer Keis Ife for Marianne Faithfull. While it[] . . . would have been appropriate for [her] . . . the Quiet Five ended up releasing it themselves, and it did nudge just inside the British Top 50. . . . Some of their work had fleeting similarities to other pop-oriented acts of the British Invasion, such as the Fortunes, Peter & Gordon, and the Tremeloes, but they never established too strong an identity of their own. . . [T]hey also backed Faithfull on a 1965 EP. . . . Ife left the group in 1967 to record as a solo act with MGM, and is best known for the late-’60s single on which he covered Joe Southâs âHush,” as this was the version that inspired the big cover hit of the same song by Deep Purple.
A London based group of musicians formed the Trebletones in 1961 . . . . Learning there was another Trebletones, [what are the odds of that?!] the group became The Vikings. . . . The Vikings’ manager, John Smith, had wanted a group he had seen, Patrick Dane and The Quiet Five, to turn professional. The group were not interested in touring, so the entire group was dropped and the Vikings group was brought in as replacements. . . . Kris Ife had written “When the Morning Sun Dries the Dew” for Marianne Fairhfull, but the song was considered to have hit potential, and the group were brought to Abbey Road Studios to record it . . . . Upon release, it charted at number 45. A cover of Fats Walkerâs Honeysuckle Rose”, the second release, failed to chart. âHomeward Bound” from . . . Simon and Garfunkel . . . followed, but only achieved a chart placing of 44 as it met with competition from Simon and Garfunkel’s own version that went to Number 9. . . . The group moved to CBS records for one last single and then called it quits.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
675) George Gallacher and the Pathfinders â âDawnâ
How was this “[v]ery catchy, unknown psych gem with a great keyboard riff and beautiful vocals” (AldousLeary, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-4lhgFdGTBU) not a hit? Man, it wasn’t even released. George and the Pathfinders just recorded it “for a bit of fun” when they had some time on their hands! (http://www.richieunterberger.com/gallacher.html) The story begins when George Gallacher, lead singer and a main songwriter for Scotland’s glorious Poets (see #47, 86, 223, 489), leaves the band in ’67. He recalled (in an utterly enthralling and definitive interview with Richie Unterberger) that:
There were a few reasons why I left the band when I did. Andrew [Loog Oldham] was preoccupied with divorcing the Stones and there was very serious money being played for. So ourselves, Marianne [Faithfull], Chris Farlowe, and P.P. Arnold [all managed by Oldham as well] were neglected during this time and it was hardly inspiring. There were rifts in the band developing about what direction we should be going in. My main reason, however, was that [guitarist] Hume[ Paton]’s father–a millionaire business man–started interfering in things, knowing nothing about the game, and objecting to me objecting about his ignorance of music matters. His interference eventually drove Andrew and us apart, and by then I’d had had enough.
[George] stayed in London until the end of the â60s singing back-up on sessions for such as Keith Relf and Spencer Davis, doing A&R work, writing and recording for labels including United Artists, Fontana and Major Minor. Gallacher also taped some excellent songs of his own with backing by the pre-White Trash group, the Pathfinders, who included former Poets guitarist (and by then Gallacherâs brother-in-law) Fraser Watson. At least four titles exist on acetate only including âThe Tailor,â âA Weathercockâs View Of Life,â and the more well-known âDawn (A Portrait).â A little-known fact, however, is that in 1968 Gallacher also supplied lead vocals for an album project by a group called the Illusive Dream which remains unreleased to this day.
The Pathfinders had come down to London at my request, because I thought they were a tremendous band. I introduced them to the Shadows’ ex-drummer Tony Meehan and as you probably know, he eventually got them a deal with Apple, where, ironically, they suffered the same fate as the Poets., i.e. they fell victim to the politics created by the Lennon/McCartney feud. They were some band! As it happened I was working for United Artists at the time and had access to the Marquee studios, so one day as none of us had much to do we met at the studio and messed about with some ideas. That’s all it was, and all that “Dawn” is memorable for, in my opinion, is the keyboard riff, which Ronnie Leahy played. It was just a bit of fun.
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The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
674) Appaloosa â âBi-Weeklyâ
“Bi-Weekly” is an absolutely gorgeous âfolk-baroqueâ song off of Appaloosaâs sole album (see #463). Richie Unterberger calls it one of âthe album’s standoutsâ with âsoaring orchestration and distinctive [Al] Kooper organ”. (http://www.richieunterberger.com/appaloosa.html). Oldscreamo describes a âfull orchestra reflect[ing] the bustle of the city streets that the protagonist . . . wanders as he anticipates visits from a distant lover. A solemn oboe emulates his melancholy thoughts.” (https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/appaloosa/appaloosa/)
Singer, songwriter and guitarist John Parker Compton himself reminisces that:
We recorded . . . âBi-Weeklyâ live in CBSâ larger studio in the center of Manhattan with a horn section. Al [Kooper (see #642)] brought in Charlie Calello (Laura Nyroâs producer/arranger) to do the horn arrangements. Al also asked Laura Nyroâs guitar player to the session and he added the nice Glen Campbell-ish lead guitar on âBi-Weekly.
I like . . . “Bi-Weekly” because of Charlie Calello’s brilliant arrangement. In hindsight, [it] should have been âthe single,â with its radio-friendly Glen Campbell-sounding lead guitar part combined with the strings.
[It] bears the heavy scent of the â60s coffeehouse scene, with overtones of jazz (thereâs some nice saxophone work here) and Renaissance minstrel sounds (a la Steeleye Span) threaded through literate, melancholic singer-songwriter fare.
While Comptonâs lyrics were occasionally on the clunky and fey side, Iâm sure female college aged English majors were sent into fits of delirium by the sensitivity and insight . . . . Admittedly the setâs arty and delicate feel coupled with those touchy-feely lyrics spelled instant obscurity, but what a way to go down in flames.
When I was sixteen I attended a small boarding school in farm country in upstate New York and was fortunate to have a great English teacher who taught poetry brilliantly.. . . I wrote most of the songs for âAppaloosaâ for my girlfriend at [the] . . . school.
As to Appaloosa and âfolk-baroqueâ, Richie Unterberger relates:
Although the term somehow didnât stick as part of standard rock criticism vocabulary, for a while in the late 1960s, there was a vogue of sorts for music that was described in the press as âfolk-baroque[]â . . . . folk-oriented material with classical-influenced orchestration. . . . One of the most talented such acts was Appaloosa, whose self-titled 1969 LP matched . . . Comptonâs thoughtful, melodic compositions to sympathetic arrangements . . . . In both its combination of instruments and the absence of a drummer, it was a most unusual instrumental lineup for a rock band, even at a time when boundaries and restrictions were routinely bent. The core quartet were bolstered by top session players (including members of Blood, Sweat & Tears) and, above all, producer Al Kooper, who also added a lot of his own keyboards and guitar to the album.
As to Appaloosaâs history and how the band hooked up with Al Kooper, Joslyn Layne explains that:
Compton co-founded the acoustic band Appaloosa with violinist Robin Batteau in the late â60s. Both musicians had been heavily influenced by the folk scene in their hometown, Cambridge, MA. . . . [and] began playing the coffeehouse circuit together. [Compton] showed up at producer Al Kooperâs Columbia Records office in late 1968, hoping to show him his songs. Uninterested, Kooper [asked] the kid [then 18] to come back some other time. But a little while later, Kooper came in on Compton and Batteau performing for the office secretaries. Finally won over, [he] recorded their demo,* and within a year the newly signed musicians had released an album . . . . Appaloosa soon gave way to a duo project for Compton & Batteau [see # 468]. . . .
Robin and I had played the songs at coffeehouses for about a year before we recorded âAppaloosa.â . . . We recorded all of the songs as a live band, doing several takes and picking the best one. . . . I fondly remember how Clive Davis, Columbiaâs president at the time, was such a gentleman to us and was super-friendly and supportive. Unfortunately, we didnât have a manager so we had no one to talk to Columbia. We were just teenagers and so naive and amazed to be in a big city. . . .
Playing the Filmore East was exciting. We opened for the Allman Brothers. I remember Gregg Allman saying to us when we walked past their dressing room, âHey, where are your groupies?â . . . We also opened for the Young Rascals at Harvard Stadium on a beautiful autumn day and we opened for Van Morrison in Boston.
* Well, maybe, maybe not. Compton tells Richie Unterberger that â[m]eeting Al Kooper was just a fluke. We were playing for some secretaries at Columbia while waiting for an appointment. Al Kooper walked by and instantly asked us if we would like to make a demo tape that night.â
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
673) Thomas Edisunâs Electric Light Bulb Band
Vaudevillian pop-psych ’67 A-side by Louisiana forerunners to power-pop band Zuider Zee.
Igor Igorev tells us:
[This is a] previously unreleased album from 1967 by [an] obscure US psychedelic band . . . . Thomas Edisun played Beatlesque, psychedelic-pop/proto power-pop of the highest order with amazing songs and incredible harmony vocals. In 1967, just after âSgt. Pepperâ had c[o]me out, the band decided to register their own psychedelic masterpiece, so they entered a rudimentary studio and recorded a whole album during a weekend, under the influence of âsmokingâ and âmind alteringâ substances. The album was never released, the tapes were stored in attics and basements and the band broke up with some of their members forming cult power-pop band Zuider Zee. âThe Red Day Albumâ ranges from pure Emitt Rhodes-Macca pop to Forever Amber/Lazy Smoke styled lo-fi pop-sike and almost early Caravan keyboard freak-outs.
“The Red Day Album” was recorded and mixed from a Friday night to a Sunday evening, sometime on a week-end after the release of “Sgt Peppersâ . . . .
Richard Orange . . . . met Gary Simon Bertrand . . . . [whose] mother . . . was also a cabaret owner from Paris, who had settled in Louisiana to continue her nightclub and cabaret ventures. “Edisun”, as they came to be called, continued honing their craft in several of [her] nightclubs and cabarets. . . . [and] would go on to win multiple “battle of the band” competitions and commanded larger and more adoring crowds. Before Richard Orange had reached his 18th birthday, Edisun would release a self-promoted single on the Tamm label [yes, todayâs song] that received considerable radio airplay and attention . . . .
Orange would carry on his talent in âZuider Zeeâ. He would write his first international hit song for Cyndi Lauper . . . . [and] write as staff-writer for groups and artists varied as “Starship” to Jane Wiedlin of “[the Go Goâs]â and Brazilian Pop Star Deborah Blando and “Missing Persons[‘]â Dale Bozzio.
Plastered with plucky and polished choruses, circled by experimental detours, The Red Day Album proves to be . . . ambitious and challenging . . . . The influence of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Zombies, and the Monkees canât be denied, but all songs on the disc are original and sail beyond mere parroting. In fact, some of the expressions presented here are so peculiar that, if you didnât already know, it would be impossible to tell exactly when the album was recorded. . . . A fondness for mixing vaudeville, cabaret styled moves, and dance hall music with modern maneuvers frequents much of the material . . . . Shaped of unusual hooks, melodies and arrangements, The Red Day Album makes for a very fine psychedelic pop experience. Not bound by rules, Thomas Edisunâs Electric Light Bulb Band aimed to craft a piece of music pairing conventional ideas with freaky insights, and if you ask me they succeeded in doing so.
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Best remembered as the vehicle for the earliest Nick Lowe . . . recordings, Kippington Lodge* stemmed from Loweâs first band . . . which he formed with school pal, Brinsley Schwarz. On leaving school, Lowe . . . decided to go and see some more of the world leaving Schwarz [who] . . . formed Threeâs A Crowd who were signed to EMI Records in 1967. Changing their name to Kippington Lodge they released their debut âShy Boyâ in October. This effective pop song was accompanied by the equally good âLady On A Bicycleâ. At this point, Lowe returned to England and joined his friends in time for the second single âRumoursâ which was produced by Mark Wirtz. . . . To supplement their lack of income from record sales, Kippington Lodge became Billie Daviesâ backing group and released three further singles during 1968-69. . . . The last single, a version of the Beatlesâ âIn My Lifeâ, came out in April 1969 and, after doing as poorly as previous efforts, left the group at a loose end. . . . the name Kippington Lodge was dropped in favour of that of lead guitarist Brinsley Schwarz.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
671) Paul & Barry Ryan â âPictures if Todayâ
The last single by Paul and Barry as a duo (’68) should have been a double A-side triumph (“Madrigal” being the B-side (see #88)). Delightful “psych-pop experimentation” indeed. (liner notes to the Paul & Barry Ryan: Have Pity on the Boys!: The Pop Hits and More 1965-1968 comp) Acid Revolver says that:
The A-Side [“Pictures of Today”] is a charming psychedelic pop song liberally sprinkled with sitar and orchestration, written by Peter Morris who also contributed songs recorded by The Orange Seaweed and City Smoke. It was perfect pop psych concoction for 1968 but it failed to hit the Charts. “Pictures Of Today” was produced by Steve Rowland who was also working with The Herd, DDDBM&T and P.J. Proby at the time.
The twin sons of popular singer Marion Ryan . . . were launched as a clean-cut act to attendant showbusiness publicity. Their debut single, âDonât Bring Me Your Heartachesâ reached the UK Top 20 in 1965, and over the ensuing months the siblings enjoyed respectable, if unspectacular, chart placings with âHave Pity On The Boyâ and âI Love Herâ. The Ryans shifted away from their tailored image with âHave You Ever Loved Somebodyâ (1966) and âKeep It Out Of Sightâ (1967), penned, respectively, by the Hollies and Cat Stevens, but such releases were less successful. They split amicably in 1968 with Paul embarking on a songwriting career while Barry recorded as a solo act (see #264, 265, 266, 317). Together they created âEloiseâ, the latterâs impressive UK number 2 hit and subsequent million seller, but ensuing singles failed to emulate its popularity.
Barry Ryan passed away last September 28th, at the age of 72. The (UK) Guardianâs obituary says:
Barryâs life had its share of Dionysian excess â parties at his flat in Eaton Place were renowned; Jimi Hendrix spent his first night in London there. But he never forgot his roots. Born in Leeds, he was the son of Marion (nee Ryan) and Fred Sapherson. Fred left when the boys were two, and Barry and Paul were brought up by âNanaâ, their adored grandmother, watched over by three loving âsistersâ â technically their aunts, but who were roughly the same age as the twins â while Marion, who had had her boys as a teenager, pursued her singing career. She became a successful performer, rising to prominence in the 1950s with the band leader Ray Ellington, and was a regular on the television musical quiz show Spot the Tune. . . . At 16 Marion sent them to a kibbutz in Israel, where they lasted two weeks and were later discovered singing in a Tel Aviv nightclub. Now they knew what they wanted.
Marion suggested they try a career as singers. Her soon-to-be second husband, the American impresario Harold Davison, managed the brothers and, with further guidance from other leading lights in the record industry, Paul & Barry Ryan had five Top 30 hits. . . .
Styled and groomed for stardom, the image of the groovy singing twins living together in a pad in Swinging London could have come straight out of some retro Austin Powers type flick . . . . But it was all too true. . . .
liner notes to the CD release of â68âs Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan and â69âs Barry RyanÂ
Anyway, the Telegraph goes on:
A Cat Stevens song, Keep it Out of Sight, returned them to the upper echelons of the charts in 1967, but subsequent singles bombed. Paul then confronted Barry to tell him he no longer wanted to perform. âHe had a nervous breakdown and wanted to quit show business,â Barry [said]. âHeâd been frustrated about the fact we were getting nowhere. He didnât like singing in public [but] thought he could write songs.â Eloise, included on the album Barry Ryan Sings Paul Ryan, proved that he could compose a hit and the brothersâ singer-songwriter partnership continued for several years. But future singles . . . were only mildly successful in Britain, compensated for by the fact that they charted well across Europe . . . . [H]e packed in singing in 1976 to become a [renowned] commercial and portrait photographer . . . . âThe hits werenât coming,â he [said]. âI was drinking a lot. I was slightly off the rails and I thought Iâd had enough of this, and I discovered photography.â
Upon Barryâs death, the singer best known to us as Cat Stevens tweeted that:
Yesterday a good old buddy of mine passed away, his name was Barry Ryan. Our time together began back in the 60âs when he and his twin brother, Paul, were all tuxedo-suited, poppy teenage stars. I had written a song for Paul and Barry Ryan called âKeep It Out Of Sightâ and so we began hanging out. . . . We were prone to ravingâa lot. . . . When I contracted TB, it was Paul who gave me my first introductory book on Buddhism and meditation, The Secret Path, that inspired me to delve deep inside myself in search of ultimate answers to lifeâs questions. . . . When I spoke with [Barry] recently he told me he was fully at peace knowing he only had a short time left on this earth.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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Like a phoenix, the post-disaster Bar-Kays rose and soared and released the phenomenal Gotta Groove album (see #416). Jason Ankeny calls it, the reconstituted bandâs first album after the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Otis Redding, four members of the Bar-Kays, and two others âa celebration of life and music that ranks among the funkiest, hardest-driving LPs ever released under the Stax aegisâ (https://www.allmusic.com/album/gotta-groove-mw0000674644). Andrew Winistorfer says that they “hit the ground running [OK, not the best metaphor, all considering] with this funky instrumental album that imagines Funkadelic if they never had anyone who could sing. Come for the funk, stay for the delirious cover of the Beatlesâ âYesterdayâ that, given the albumâs context, feels like a funeral processional.” (https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/magazine/bar-kays-primer) Well, it starts off like one, but this “Yesterday” then begins to party like a New Orleans funeral procession, and even brings in an Ennio Morricone-style horn blast. Tower Records Japan says that the Bar-Kays’ version “featuring Ben Cauley’s smooth trumpet work, is decidedly reminiscent of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.” (https://tower.jp/item/162801?kid=gs162801) Yeah, that too. Hank Cherry opines that â’Yesterday,’ a delicacy in the hands of its writers, here is stewed into a greasy requiem, [the] stop-ground organ holding court until a middle eight eruption by the rest of the band dances along for a few bars before disappearing quick as it came.” (https://theweeklings.com/hcherry/2013/07/10/soul-seduction-the-bar-kays-gotta-groove/amp/)
[T]he Bar-Kays entered the US R&B chart [in â69] with . . . Gotta Groove, the sound of which was very much up the same soul-rock alley as that of Sly and the Family Stone. It provided a taster for the burgeoning funk sound, but retained elements of . . . psychedelia . . . . Gotta Groove failed to cross over to the pop album chart, but spent four weeks on the R&B list and reached No. 40. It would be more than two years further down the line before the latter-day Bar-Kays established themselves as a chart force to be reckoned with, hitting the R&B top ten with âSon Of Shaft,â and then another long gap before they emerged once again with the disco-funk of their most consistently successful sales period of the mid-1970s to the mid-â80s.
The Bar-Kays were formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1966, growing out of a local group dubbed the Imperials [and m]odeled on classic Memphis soul instrumental outfits like the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & the MGâs, the Bar-Kays . . . . [T]he band . . . caught the attention of Stax/Volt, which signed the sextet in early 1967. [T]he label began grooming [them] as a second studio backing group that would spell Booker R. & the MGâs on occasion. . . . âSoul Finger,â a playful, party-hearty instrumental punctuated by a group of neighborhood children shouting the title[,] reached the pop Top 20 and went all the way to number three on the R&B chart, establishing the Bar-Kays in the public eye . . . . Otis Redding chose them as his regular backing band that summer.
[D]isaster struck on December 10, 1967. En route to a gig in Madison, Wisconsin, Reddingâs plane crashed into frozen Lake Monona. He, his road manager and four members of the Bar-Kayâs were killed. Trumpeter Ben Cayley survived the crash, and bassist James Alexander had not been on the flight; they soon assumed the heavy task of rebuilding the group. . . . [T]hey were used as the house band on numerous Stax/Volt recording sessions; they also backed Isaac Hayes on his groundbreaking 1969 opus Hot Buttered Soul. Still, they were unable to land a hit of their own [until the â70âs, when they took off].
And Hank Cherry provides a marvelous summation of the album’s vibe:
Most other bands would have quit, started new bands, or given music a rest. Cauley and Alexander realized early after the crash that the only cure for the pain in their hearts was music, specifically the music of the Bar-Kays. With the jive kicking bravado of their youthful band still ringing in their heads, the two jumpstarted a new version of the band that first brought them fame. . . . Undeterred by the psychic wounds brought by Redding and [Martin Luther] Kingâs shocking deaths, perhaps even inspired by them, Cauley and Alexander headed into the studio with a new band. . . . Odds against them, the Bar-Kays made a record commensurate to or better than their first. . . . When Gotta Groove didnât score the success of the Bar-Kayâs debut sending them out on an endless tour, Isaac Hayes employed the band to record his Hot Buttered Soul. . . . [which] is often considered the bench mark for soul music, and it gave the Bar-Kays their first number one hit, if only as the backing band. . . . [But] Gotta Grooveâs innards deliver just as urgent a funk as Hayesâs issue, maybe more so. . . . Gotta Groove offers some of the best music the Bar-Kays ever made, new era funk abstractions layered right over top of their wound tight soul beginnings, providing categorically undeniable ass-wiggling goodness thatâs all at once tender, compassionate and furious.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.
When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.
Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.
THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
669) Paul McCartney and Wings â âTomorrowâ
After playing a song honoring each day of the week, I thought I’d play one for tomorrow. So, here is Paul McCartney and Wings’ wonderful âTomorrow”. What, you thought I’d do “Tomorrow Never Knows”?!
Tomorrow [is] perhaps the best song [on the album]. Still, the emotional tug of the verse melody alone makes you wish Paul had taken more time with the arrangement. Itâs a sunny-sounding song with a surprisingly anxious lyric â a fretful Paul pleads with his love not to let him down while he puts his faith (not all that convincingly) in the escape the future offers. Allowed more time to breathe, its greatness may have shone a little brighter.
The album generated some inspired invective. Dave Connolly writes that â[i]tâs important to note that Wild Life isnât just a cut below Paulâs usual workâitâs a cut below his worst work.â (https://progrography.com/paul-mccartney/wings-wild-life-1971/amp/) And John Mendelssohn wrote in the original Rolling Stone review that:
One somehow convinced of McCartneyâs basic perversity might argue that heâs quite intentionally making mediocre music, knowing that his ex-partner will suffer more watching effortlessly-produced pop quasi-Muzak easily outsell his own anguishâpredicated soul-barings. A more likely explanation for a theory holding that McCartneyâs records have been deliberately second-rate is that heâs attempting to comment ironically on Lennonâs obsession with putting yet another huge hunk of his personality on every 12-inch vinyl disk by himself sticking to the most banal imaginable themes. . . . âTomorrow” [is] archetypal post-Beatles McCartney: banal, self-celebrating lyrics full of many of the most tired rhymes in Western pop, sentiments that Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy would embrace without a momentâs hesitation; glossy, if unfocused production; pretty, eminently Muzakable melodies . . . .
Dylan inspired Wild Life, because we heard he had been in the studio and done an album in just a week. So we thought of doing it like that, putting down the spontaneous stuff and not being too careful. So it came out a bit like that. We wrote the tracks in the summer, Linda and I, we wrote them in Scotland in the summer while the lambs we gambolling. We spent two weeks on the Wild Life album all together. At that time, it was just when I had rung Denny Laine up a few days before and he came up to where we were to rehearse for one or two days.
Wild Life has been getting more respect as of late. Jamie Atkins says:
In a fantastically rebellious move, [McCartney] defied expectations by making Wingsâ debut a raw, brilliantly sloppy and human album that sounds a lot like freedom. . . . All the things Wild Life was once disparaged for â its spontaneity, untidy corners, looseness and indifference to expectations â are reasons to cherish it . . . .
And Stephen Thomas Erlewineâs views are, well, hard to pin down:
[I]t feels like one step removed from coasting, which is wanking. It’s easy to get irritated by the upfront cutesiness, since it’s married to music that’s featherweight at best. Then again, that’s what makes this record bizarrely fascinating — it’s hard to imagine a record with less substance, especially from an artist who’s not just among the most influential of the 20th century, but from one known for precise song and studiocraft. Here, he’s thrown it all to the wind, trying to make a record that sounds as pastoral and relaxed as the album’s cover photo. He makes something that sounds easy — easy enough that you and a couple of neighbors who you don’t know very well could knock it out in your garage on a lazy Saturday afternoon — and that’s what’s frustrating and amazing about it. Yeah, it’s possible to call this a terrible record, but it’s so strange in its domestic bent and feigned ordinariness that it winds up being a pop album like no other.
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Yes, that Charles Manson. A song which does full justice to the moniker “acid folk”. Even more intriguing than the song is Manson’s relationship with the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, who transformed it into 20/20′s “Never Learn Not to Love” and who never recovered from the psychic scars of his close encounter with “the Wizard”.
Lauren Bronston writes that:
In 1966, a 33-year-old Manson was discharged from prison and jumped right into the Summer of Love. He lived in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco where heâd begun to cultivate his family of loyalists who would later become part of the Manson family. At the end of 1966, Manson insisted on moving to Los Angeles to start his music career . . . .
Charles Manson’s . . . [album LIE] and released . . . in 1970 while the Tate/La Bianca murders and subsequent Manson Family trials were still headline news. The album cover is an altered version of Manson’s likeness as it appeared on the cover of Life Magazine on December 19, 1969. On the record jacket the “F” has been removed, transforming “LIFE” into “LIE” in graphic denial of Manson’s guilt. . . . The mass media’s portrayal of Manson as the archetypal homicidal freak . . . permanently tarnished the common perception of ’60s counterculture . . . . Composer John Moran . . . has stated that “Until the murders, psychedelia had been associated with the idea of love. After Manson, and because of the way the media portrayed him, psychedelia became associated with flipping out and violence and fear.”
The Beach Boys give the song the Beach Boys treatment, and it shines (until you ponder its origins). Again, Lauren Bronston:
In the spring of 1968, Dennis Wilson, drummer for the Beach Boys . . . picked up two female hitchhikers. . . . [who u]nbeknownst to Wilson . . . were Patricia Krenwinkel and Ella Jo Bailey from the Manson family. . . . [They saw] Wilson . . . as another good-looking Angeleno to fool around with â not fully appreciating his . . . status as a Beach Boy. . . . [and] relish[ing] having a place to crash, particularly since it was a mansion. . . . Manson was drawn to Wilson for his connections in the music industry, and Wilson was enticed by Mansonâs open pocket of drugs, women, and sense of spiritually. . . . often referr[ing] to Manson as âthe Wizard.â . . . It wouldnât be long before Wilson would start hosting parties filled with Mansonâs guitar playing, LSD trips, and sex . . . . With the Manson clan staying with Wilson, they were slowly taking over his house. . . .
Wilson tried to get Manson some attention by taking him out to nightclubs to meet people from the music industry, including Neil Young . . . and [producer] Terry Melcher. . . . [but Manson] never wound up getting any deals. . . . Wilson himself would sign Manson . . . . [and] set up recording sessions with Stephen Desper . . . . Mansonâs erratic behavior raised many red flags . . . . [and w]hen his criminal past was discovered, it was passed along to Wilson who at this point shelled out around $100,000 to pay for Manson and his familyâs lifestyle of food, gifts and penicillin to control a gonorrhea outbreak. To avoid a confrontation, Wilson had deserted his leased house . . . . When the lease expired, Manson and his crew were kicked out . . . . Wilson . . . continued to try to help him out.
One of Mansonâs songs, “Cease to Exist,” was of particular interest to Wilson who [procured the] rights to the song. . . . for some money and a motorcycle. . . . Wilson changed the lyrics, tune, and name to âNever Learn Not to Love.â Taking full credit, the song wound up on the Beach Boysâs album, 20/20, without the other members knowing [at the time that] it was written and created by Manson . . . . Wilson changed a key component of the lyric âcease to exist[ just come and say you love me” to âcease to resist, [come on say you love me]â . . . . Manson, who had no idea that Wilson was going to change the song so much, became enraged at this and laid a bullet on Wilsonâs pillow to let him know “the bullet was for him.” Wilson cut ties with Manson immediately . . . .
With one door of opportunity closed to having a music career, Manson sought out one final option through Melcher, who tried to give Manson a shot but [ultimately] . . . withdraw his offer. . . . igniting hatred and anger . . . . Melcher and his wife would move out of [their house] having been scared of Manson, allowing its new occupants, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, to move in. It would be months later when Tate, and several guests, would be murdered by the Manson family because of a misunderstanding that Melcher still lived there.
Wikipedia cites Jon Stebbins’ book Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy for the Manson quote “Dennis Wilson was killed by my shadow because he took my music and changed the words from my soul.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Wilson#CITEREFStebbins2000)
It sounds trite to call “666” haunting and apocalyptic, but here is a haunting and apocalyptic song by the mesmerizing Dave Bixby. Klemen Breznikar tells us that:
Daveâs definitive loner acid folk album, ‘Ode to Quetzalcoatlâ, was recorded following a long period of time [he] spent in what he calls âthe voidâ. A dark, depressive episode after a prolonged period of taking LSD almost daily. Dave came out of the void and turned to God, a journey and transformation âOde to Quetzalcoatlâ documents. . . . Daveâs lived a vivid and fascinating life, beginning with his leadership within a Michigan-based Christian cult only known as âThe Groupâ. Always a loner and an adventurer, Dave left the group after being sent to various corners of the country to launch new chapters, built a cabin and lived off the land.
For collectors of the downer/loner folk movement of the late â60s . . . the solo debut from Michigan garage rocker-turned-born-again Xian Dave Bixby . . . go[es] for upwards of $2,000 on eBay. . . . Recorded after he spent a year playing solo and experimenting with LSD, Bixby laid down this album in a living room with the bare bones of amenities. . . . Bixby relies on the strength of his deeply faithful lyrics rooted in the Book of Revelations and the artistâs own personal drug-fueled Armageddon to carry his songs through the night.
[Ode]. . . was the work of a man in search of himself. . . . a brutally honest downer-folk album[. Then,] Bixby met and joined Don DeGraafâs religious group. A charismatic Christian guru, DeGraaf quickly harnessed Bixbyâs talent and got him to write and perform uplifting, utopian songs about finding the light and understanding yourself â which was what Bixby had written before, although this time the lyrics have lost their erstwhile aspect in favor of a more didactic style. [W]hereas Ode . . . simply chronicled a personal path to inner realization, Second Coming [see #531] is more about collective salvation, communal bonding, and proselytism.
Winter of 1968 I was not doing so well. Too many acid trips . . . . I quietly freaked out. I was in hell with no way to communicate it to anyone. Some months later my lead guitar buddy Brian MacInness introduced me to Don DeGraff I ended up in a prayer circle. . . . That night I did my own praying, fell asleep and a new spirit was born in me. . . . I saw peopleâs pain and fear, it was just like mine. I knew what to say to give comfort. Songs began to flood in to me, writing them down I sang them everywhere DeGraff had the first Group meeting at his house with about ten to twelve people and the numbers grew every week eventually needing a bigger building; then we out grew that building. I performed songs every Tuesday night at group meetings. These meetings grew to 300 people. I was asked many times to record an album. I selected twelve songs out of thirty I had written. Each song supported the next song in theme. The Quetzalcoatl story of a Christ like man walking the Americaâs captivated my imagination becoming the title for the LP. . . . In the studio it seemed a little lonely. âOde to Quetzalcoatlâ is a lonely journey so it all worked well. . . . This album is a concept. Each song is a chapter in a book. The theme throughout is one of stepping out in faith and walking through the darkness into the light. . . . Apocalypse. [Asked in what state of mind he was when he recorded it, Bixby said] I felt new, humbled and grateful. When I prayed I got answers and direction. I was moving forward with out doubt. I was going through a metamorphosis with out words to describe my experience. I captured some of it in song.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
665) The Spike Drivers — âBlue Law Sundayâ
Does anyone remember blue laws? Well, Chick-fil-A closes on Sunday, doesn’t it? Blue law Sundays were not quite immortalized by this folk psych song by the Spike Drivers. As Jason Ankeny says, “[m]id-sixties Detroit psych-popsters the Spikedrivers were fronted by Ted Lucas, previously known to local audiences as a leading light of the Motor City folk music scene.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spike-drivers-mn0003463526) This “Hendrix-gone-folky” number (ANKH, https://savagesaints.blogspot.com/2011/08/spike-drivers-60s-folkrocking.html) went unreleased, though the song came out as a B-side a year or two later as done by Lucas’ new band the Misty Wizards (in a version that Acid Revolver calls “a personal favourite psychedelic raver”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExZHlzKPEQk).
Jason Ankeny also tells us that:
[T]he Spikedrivers debuted in 1966 with the single âHigh Time;â originally recorded for the Om label, it was soon snapped up for national distribution by Warner/Reprise, but despite limited success on the East Coast and across the Midwest the record failed to chart. When their 1967 follow-up âStrange Mysterious Soundsâ [see #530] met the same grim fate the Spikedrivers disbanded . . .
Ted Lucasâ son talks of his fatherâs battles with mental illness:
Throughout his career Lucas struggled with mental illness and erratic behavior that weighed heaviest on his family until his death in 1992. . . . Lucasâ son, Tony, [talks] about his fatherâs legacy. âWhen people ask me about my dad, itâs weird, because when I was growing up most of my time was avoiding talking about my dad,â Tony says. âIt always included some kind of insanity, right. Some kind of craziness, some kind of nuttiness. And when I talk about my dad now, I almost brag about him. You know, itâs such a different way of thinking about somebody.”
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
664) The Outsiders — âDaddy Died on Saturdayâ
From the legendary Dutch rockersâ (see #615) last album, CQ, which is, as Richard Groothuizen says, the product of âa passionate band at the height of their creative powers.â (liner notes to CD reissue). As to todayâs song, Richard Mason describes âDaddy Died On Saturdayâ as boasting âa slick chord progression over which [Wally] Tax wryly relates the tale of a young man whose prospective father-in-law refuses to give his blessing to his daughter’s proposed union with such a lowlife . . . so they poison him.â (https://www.furious.com/perfect/outsiders.html) Compare that to Dutch superstars the Golden Earrings, who simply ask daddy to buy them a girl! (see #163)
That young man isnât that the only one to consider resorting to violence. Mason states that âThe Outsiders were one of the all-time greats of rock music and anyone who says different had better be outside in the car park in 10 minutes. I’ll be waiting.â!!! (https://www.furious.com/perfect/outsiders.html)
Jason writes that:
C.Q. was to be the Outsiders last album (their 3rd LP), an attempt to reach the groupâs original core audience amidst a troubling commerical downfall. Not only is this one of the best âinternationalâ psych albums but itâs as good as anything by the early Pink Floyd, psychedelic era Pretty Things or Love. Its closest reference point is probably the Pretty Things superb S.F. Sorrow â there are no soft, wimpy moments on either of these records, just pure intensity and garage punk muscle. . . . C.Q.âs strength is in itâs consistency and diversity. No two songs sound alike yet every experiment is well thought out and successful. The groupâs hallmark start-stop punk rhythms are firmly in place on many of C.Q.âs tracks but by 1968 the Outsiders had grown considerably, incorporating more folk-rock and psych sounds into their repertoire. . . . C.Q. is one of the immortal 60s albums.
The Amsterdam-based combo were one of the most popular homegrown bands in the Netherlands from 1965 to 1967, and have since become a favorite among historians of the beat music era; Richie Unterberger wrote that the Outsiders âcould issue a serious claim for consideration as the finest rock band of the â60s to hail from a non-English-speaking nation[.]â. The Outsiders were formed in 1964 by Wally Tax (vocals and rhythm guitar), Ronald Splinter (lead guitar), Appie Rammers (bass), and Lendert âBuzzâ Busch (drums); the band embraced an eclectic style that made room for R&B, folk-rock, pop, and beat influences, as well as psychedelic accents as the decade wore on. . . . Named for an amateur radio term meaning âIs anyone listening?,â CQ was an ambitious set that combined the bandâs beat music influences with outrĂŠ psychedelia and avant-garde sounds that were far ahead of the curve for the era. However, Polydor failed to promote the album properly . . . and the Outsiders disbanded in 1969.
[O]ne of the great popular music recordings of our time, and almost certainly the most unjustly overlooked. . . . This was an extraordinary, incomparable group who’ve remained unduly neglected for too long. . . . Their following was as committed and wild as their music and stage act, with the result that the band and their fans were banned from several Dutch venues. . . . [T]hey had supported (and, according to Tax, blew off stage) The Rolling Stones . . . . CQ . . . [is] a staggering achievement. . . . What the group were not to know at the time was that Polydor already had the Golden Earrings, Holland’s most successful group, on its books and were determined to concentrate their promotional efforts on them. They conspicuously failed to get behind the Outsiders to the extent that only something in the region of 500 copies of CQ were released at the time and subsequently the album died a grisly commercial death. But unless you’ve heard this record you have no real idea of the magnitude of the crime. . . .
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THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
663) Edwards Hand — âFriday Hillâ
A delicate, gentle, wistful George Martin-produced baroque/folk/psych pop jewel. Who says producing the White Album doesn’t leave time for any fun? And, just to set the record straight, Johnny Depp was not in this band! It was not Edward Scissorhands. The band members were Rod Edwards and Roger Hand. Get it?! (see #151)
Forced Exposure tells us that:
Rod Edwards and Roger Hand formed this breezy, psychedelic pop outfit after briefly recording as The Picadilly Line. Sadly, this album never made it to a British release as their record label folded, which subsequently took their EMI deal and UK distributor contract away at precisely the wrong time. This is therefore a genuine lost UK ’60s gem that received glowing reviews upon its release in the U.S. . . . Recorded in late ’68, with Geoff Emerick and George Martin during a break in the sporadic White Album sessions, you can hear the benefits from Martin and Emerick’s vast experience, technical skills and orchestral arrangements. There is plenty of swinging London vibes and whimsical vocals here . . . . The Beatles connection is obviously strong, and much of this material is reminiscent of late ’60, early ’70s Paul McCartney as well as Donovan — with its chirpy, evocative lyrics, harmonies and warm arrangements — but there is also a late Small Faces/Kinks vibe in their lyrical descriptions of old London Town.
[The album is a] beautiful whimsical record of lush harmony pop rock with progressive/psych tinges. The music can perhaps be compared to the more orchestrated moments of Kaleidoscope [see #154, 336, 552] and Fairfield Parlour and was produced by George Martin during time off from working on the White album. George contributed some stunning string arrangements . . . . An undiscovered treasure of an album.Â
[The album has] an English cosy warmth and familiarity that breathes the fresh air of an earlier,  innocent and more carefree musical age. Sweeping pastoral string arrangements perfectly counterbalance a pop sensibility adding a certain air of mystery and romanticism. . . . [a] blend of pop orchestration and melancholy harmony . . . .Â
[T]he harmonies, melodies, and orchestrations bear some similarity to those heard on the very most pop-oriented of the Beatles’ productions, though in truth there’s a stronger resemblance to the ornate pop-psychedelia of the late-’60s Bee Gees. . . . It’s more something of a combination of Beatles/Bee Gees-lite with poppier, soaring, sometimes fruity orchestral arrangements — most likely Martinâs strongest contribution to the record — and more of a middle of the road/sunshine pop/toytown psychedelic influence . . . . Certainly some of the lyrics make one blanch a bit on the printed page, with their fey references to picture books, kings and queens, bringing flowers in the morning, walking down London’s Charing Cross Road, magic cars, and the like. . . . It has reasonably catchy though not stunning melodies, good duo vocal harmonies, and an ambience that captures something of the most innocuous side of the Swinging London/flower power era.
In 1968 CBS abandoned the idea of a follow up album for the Picadilly Line and looked instead for commercial success through singles. When the singles also failed to hit the charts CBS started to lose interest in the band . . . . American manager Lennie Poncher . . . offered them a US management deal [and] secured a record contract with CRT records, a new operation set up by the tape manufacturing conglomerate. . . . [T]hrough the force of his personality [he] secured the services of George Martin to produce Rod and Roger’s new album. . . . [T]hey were to be the first group produced by George after the Beatles. . . . [A]s musical director George worked closely with the duo planning, pruning, orchestrating, recording and mixing the material. . . . [T]hey also attracted the cream of the UK session musicians. . . . The reviews were excellent and a buzz was in the air but GRT had moved too soon too fast and they lacked the depth of experience of a major label. They did not have the promotion, the organisation or quite simply the men hitting the radio stations. . . .[A]lthough Edwards Hand’s album garnered critical acclaim in the USA, the GRT label folded almost immediately after release of the album taking the band’s first steps at a career with it.
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Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (ârelating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainmentâ â dictionary.com).
The playlist includes all the âgreatest songs of the 1960âs that no one has ever heardâ that are available on Spotify. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.
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Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelationsđ 
