I don’t know much about this group, but it laid down some mesmerizing garage rock on this ’67 B-side.
118) The Impressions — “I’ve Been Trying”
One of those wonderful B-sides overshadowed by the iconic status of the A side — in this case, “People Get Ready.” “Trying” did reach #133 and #35 on the R&B chart in February of ’65.
119) Pete Townshend — “Day of Silence”
Such a comforting song, on Pete’s “Happy Birthday” album in ’70 honoring his spiritual guide, Meher Baba, shortly after his death.
Fantastic garage rock single (’66) by the Golliwogs . . . to become Creedence Clearwater Revival . . . done even better by the Dee-Jays that year.
Here is the Golliwogs’s version:
5
115) Pandemonium — “No Presents for Me”
A Brit psych classic, this April ‘67 single was a favorite of John Lennon, but it was admittedly “too weird to be a hit.”
116) The Seeds — “Pushin’ Too Hard” (appearing on “The Mothers-in-Law”)
Nuggets notes that Sky Saxon “belts out the frustrated lyrics with a babbling intensity that verges on the psychotic.” OK, it reached #36 in February of ‘67, but how many of you have seen the Seeds “live” on the sitcom “The Mothers-in-Law”? As summarized by imdb.com:
Jerry convinces his folks to put up $500 for a hippie rock group to make a demo recording. They scare off the band with talk of crew cuts, tuxedos, and old songs. The parents wind up recording ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ w/the help of a Salvation Army band. The Seeds play The Warts, and sing their hit song, “Pushing Too Hard.”
113) John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band — “Love”
On this 20th anniversary of 9/11, the only thing I could think of to play that was remotely appropriate was John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band‘s “Love” from 1970, one of the most beautiful, delicate and consoling songs ever written. Even if it is about Yoko. No primal screaming here!
107) Boudewijn de Groot (and Elly Nieman) — “Meester Prikkebeen”
De Groot was born in a Japanese prison camp in Java in 1944 (where his mother died the following year). He became a hugely popular singer in the Netherlands, and “under the influence of the upcoming hippie movement as well as being more or less challenged by the release of [the Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper’s, he] decided to launch into the phenomenon of psychedelic pop music. This resulted in” 1967’s Picknick album. Meester Prikkebeen became a top ten hit in the Netherlands “and the underground magazine ‘Hitweek’ called the album the first real Dutch language pop album.” (https://www.antiwarsongs.org/artista.php?id=446&lang=en&rif=1).
108) Q’65 — “The Life I Live”
Second single (’66) by standout Dutch blues rockers was a #5 hit in Holland. What about the UK? Well, and this sounds right out of a Spinal Tap prequel, Bruce Eder recounts that:
[T]he single got “Phonogram’s management interested in promoting the group in England, which led to a publicity stunt [that involved] sending the group . . . by boat and having them come ashore in a rubber lifeboat, as though they’d come across the ocean . . . . They were then supposed to play a gig, but as nobody had secured work permits, the group was only able to pose for photographs and press interviews before returning to the Netherlands.
Before they rocketed to success with their cover of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” the Scottish group released this anthemic single in August of ’67. It was Jimi Hendrix’s favorite song that year, and Jimi was spot-on. The Nuggets comp says it was “as good as British psychedelic pop gets.” The single failed to chart in the UK, but reached #23 in Holland. Rain in London? Say it ain’t so!
102) The Landlords — “I’m Through with You”
The B-side of the Winchester, Massachusetts group’s March ’67 single. “Everybody knows I’m through with you.” A great song, but maybe it got the guys so depressed that they joined the French Foreign Legion — it was their only single.
103) Georgie Fame — “Somebody Stole My Thunder”
As Steve Huey says, Georgie’s “swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the ’60s.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/georgie-fame-mn0000543055/biography) This ’70 single is sooooo good, and it reminds everyone — don’t mess around with Georgie!
From 1970’s Lola album. Shaun Richman wonderfully puts Ray Davies’s “anti-union” song in context:
[I]n 1964 . . . . The Kinks were stars, but they were denied the opportunity to tour America while all of their compatriots were making the Ed Sullivan Show their first stop in lucrative and career-enhancing tour of the states. The exact reason for the Kinks Ban is murky. It had something to do with Ray’s tendency to get into fist fights on stage with his brother Dave. Many, Ray Davies chief among them, blame the American Federation of Musicians for banning the Kinks from America. . . . In 1970, Davies wrote the song “Get Back In Line.” Although the yearning ballad is a poetic imagining of a union hiring hall, the clear subtext is that it’s Davies’ shot at the Musicians union in America. . . . It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking song . . . . championing a little guy’s survival from forces that are frequently beyond his control.”
A-side of their only single (5/67), and the NYC band nailed it. Garage psych at its best. Supposedly pulled off the air because of presumed drug references.
Former Third Bardo lead singer Jeff Monn released an incredible album in ’68. Orchestration courtesy of Peter Schickele — the one and only P.D.Q. Bach.
“Don’t need a lover, got too many other.”
99) The Birds, “No Good Without You Baby”
’65 single is a searing cover of Marvin Gaye’s song.
Actually, the Banana was the Pretty Things in disguise, making some much needed money by providing songs for films trying to be hip. The liner notes to the Complete De Wolfe Sessions comp explain that:
[The] Swinging London phenomenon had led to a profusion of groovy movies chronicling life [there] that, naturally enough, required an appropriately switched-on soundtrack for added verisimilitude. However, film companies soon discovered that the cost of licensing bona fide hit singles was prohibitively high [so, the music library de Wolfe] started searching for a young, vibrant pop group who were capable fo providing an authentic but relatively inexpensive sound.
“Alexander” was recorded for the soundtrack of What’s Good for the Goose. British Comedy Guide tells us that an assistant bank manager goes to a conference and is “[t]ricked into picking up a couple of young female hitch-hikers on the drive up from London. [He] is soon taken on a whirlwind initiation of the permissive society, swinging Britain, and 1960s counter-culture.” (https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/whats_good_for_the_goose/)
When his boss is hospitalised, Assistant Bank Manager Timothy Bartlett is sent to take his place at the Executive Bankers’ Conference at the seaside resort of Southport. Tricked into picking up a couple of young female hitch-hikers on the drive up from London, Bartlett is soon taken on a whirlwind initiation of the permissive society, swinging Britain, and 1960s counter-culture.
95) Joe Simon, “I Got a Whole Lot of Lovin’”
This ’70 B-side by the soul/country superstar is a rollicking good time.
96) Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, “I See the Light”
The liner notes to the Part of My Past comp say that the song “was a very minor hit in the UK, due in no small part to the support of pirate radio stations.” It was the group’s first single (December of ’66), the demo having gotten EMI interested. This staple of their live shows was a cover of a Five Americans song.
MOJO’s Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers comp calls the Flies’ take on the song “almost psychotically venomous.” They were definitely not Monkeeing around. The band became infamous at the storied 14 Hour Technicolor Dream benefit in part by urinating on the audience. Acid Drops concludes that “given the essentially beatific nature of English psychedelia, the Flies’ sense of cultural alienation marked them out.”
This single (’65) from Lightfoot’s wonderful first album (’66), predated the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The lyrics, though, might generate some consternation if released today: “I’m not sayin’ that I love you . . . I’m not sayin’ that I’ll care . . . .”
93) Fire, “Father’s Name Is Dad”
Paul McCartney was a fan and tried to fan Fire’s flames — according to Vernon Joynson, after he heard the song on the radio, “he arranged for the band to recut [it] with backing vocals, and doubled guitar riffs an octave higher” in order to punch it up. (The Tapestry of Delights Revisited) Alas, the reissued ’68 single — which the Rubble comp calls “one of the best pop 45s ever” — still failed to break through.
Not former House Speaker Paul Ryan, but the twin brother of Brit heartthrob Barry Ryan (and son of singer Marion Ryan). Or, was he? Anyway, a wonderful, wistful song.
89) Kim Fowley, “The Trip”
The deliriously deranged Fowley left an indelible mark on L.A. rock history, created the Runaways, and literally dropped acid on this single from ‘65.
The Beatles’ recording was ruined (in my estimation) by George (Harrison)’s awful/annoying guitar part. Sabotage? George M. to the rescue with a lovely orchestral version from his ‘66 album saluting the “Beatles girls.” Bruce Eder says that “[t]he Beatles’ music was so successful that, for the first time, Martin began going into the studio himself to record instrumental versions of their songs — although those records were never hugely popular, they sold reasonably well.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-martin-mn0000649950/biography)
From his little noticed Rough Edges album in ‘70 — but so much better than the innumerable soul versions of “Hey Jude.” John Lennon returned the favor five years later with “Stand By Me.”
86) The Poets, “In Your Tower”
The flip-side of “Wooden Spoon,” by Scotland’s premier psych-masters.
“Wench you’d better watch your master. ” If only Renaissance Festivals were around back then!
87) Syd Barrett, “Gigolo Aunt” (Peel session)
From a John Peel BBC session in February ‘70, the song is so much better than the album (Barrett) version. Shine on you crazy diamond.
WTF? The Urban Dictionary says that a gigolo aunt is a woman “who is usually very cute and pretty that seduces men makes them madly fall in love with her . . . but . . . she’s not interested in money but only the pleasure of capturing and breaking their heart.” (https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gigolo%20aunt) Oh!
82) The Pretty Things, “Walking Through My Dreams”
This April ’68 B-side by the incomparable Pretty Things represents British psychedelia at its best. The Rubble comp boldly but accurately stated that “[t]he prime of British flower-power records came out of groups who’d previously grunted their way through rabbblehouse R&B. . . . [T]he cream of the genre came from the Pretty Things.”
83) The Jackpots, “King of the World”
No, not Leonardo DiCaprio, but Swedish psych band. More specifically, this gorgeous ’68 single is by the Jackpots. Let me quote the liner notes from the Jackpots compilation Jack in the Box, which are in Swedish even though the Jackpots’ songs are in English: “Men om Jackpots hade det motigt i Sverige sa gick det battre utomlands.” Just to clarify, I have no idea what that means. And I apologize to the Swedish people for not putting in the appropriate accents.
Sort of an “Imagine”-like song: “If I were king of the world, I’d change everything, everywhere.”
84) The Mojo Men, “Sit Down I Think I Love You”
I remember from school that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. With that in mind, I’m going to admit upfront that by the time the Mojo Men released this single, they were led by Jan Errico (she/her). And I’m going to admit that the song did crack the top 40 (#36) in February of ’67. And I’m also going to admit that the song was a Buffalo Springfield cover. But it always brings a smile to my face, thanks to Errico (who doesn’t change the song’s genders) and the orchestral arrangement by Van Dyke Parks. So sue me.
From “Vicar Sweet” to “Snakeskin” slinky, quite an evolution! Manfred Mann Chapter Three, the Mann’s experimental jazz-rock incarnation, didn’t last long (two albums), but it was extraordinary and unlike anything they had done before. “Snakeskin Garter” comes from the first album (in ’69), which wasn’t released in U.S. — the band had split by the time it came out.
80) Elvis Presley, “Change of Habit”
Yes, you heard right. This is the title song of his last movie (in ’69). As Rotten Tomatoes describes the plot, Elvis plays a doctor who “takes the job of running a health center in a low-income district. He enlists three women to help out who — unbeknownst to him — are actually nuns in street clothes. . . . Unaware of her unavailability, John falls for Sister Michelle (Mary Tyler Moore), serenading her with his guitar . . . .” (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/change_of_habit)
81) The Hassles, “Every Step I Take”
With Billy Joel. Yes, that’s right, a teenage Billy Joel. From the first (’68) of two album by the popular in Lon Giland band. Joel is supposedly embarrassed by the effort, but I love this song.
“Every step I take, every move I make, I’m trying to scare my life without you.” I think he stole that line from the Police. Oh, wait a second . . . .
76) Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, “Set Yourself Free”
Wonderful song from the 1970 movie “. . . Tick . . . Tick . . . Tick . . .” — “Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man [Jim Brown] is elected sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the Deep South.” (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065360/) The song was written by Hoover and appeared on his eponymous ‘69 album as “Theme from Tick Tick Tick.” The version in the movie (released in early ‘70) is performed by Tompall & the Glaser Brothers. It reached #42 in May of ‘70.
James Christopher Monger writes that:
In 1969 [they] fulfilled their contract with MGM, and as an incentive to re-sign offered to score [the film. The song] was written by fellow country outlaw and frequent Tompall collaborator Hoover. . . . [I]t manages to mix country, soul, and a gospel-tinged chorus into a sepia-toned snapshot of the ’60s that is genuinely moving.
Best song from a wonderful blues/folk/psych album recorded in ‘68-‘70 but inexplicably not released until decades later.
According to Lost.FM, the band describes its naming as follows:
“On Halloween night we went to an old cemetery, dropped acid, and spent a very strange night . . . . The tombstones appeared to be melting and taking on animal shapes. . . . Afterwards, we referred to that night as the ‘Headstone Circus.”
Incendiary. The start of the legendary Memphis soul career of former gospel singer Overton Vertis Wright. Bill Dahl calls it “spine-chilling .” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ov-wright-mn0000457807/biography) Yup. It reached #86 in the summer of ‘65 (#6 R&B).
From the classic ‘66 Virgin Fugs album by the adorable Greenwich Village degenerates. If you are expecting “Secret Agent Man,” please do not listen to this song!
Paul McCartney’s brother Mike gets his psych on, with a little help from his brother’s friends Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Spencer Davis; Graham Nash, and Jane Asher.
69) Wichita Fall, “Ornamental Sideshow”
Let’s bring in the LA Philharmonic! I find the results, at least on this song, charming, but some commentators find the band’s songs overwhelmed by the orchestrations, and the band’s drummer supposedly quit rather than participate in the creation of the ‘68 album.
Another selection from one of the two greatest “lost” albums of the 1960’s.
65) Nick Garrie, “Can I Stay With You”
Another selection from the other towering lost classic of the 1960’s — Nick Garrie’s The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas.
66) The Tokens, “She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)”
Before the era of bands “selling out” and letting their songs be used in commercials, a dreamy Clairol folk-rock jingle was expanded into a proper song oft recorded by artists including the Tokens (yes, of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” fame). Their single reached #61 in December of ‘69.
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊 