Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,207) Joe Bataan — “Make Me Smile” Joe Bataan (see #55, 339) takes a #9 hit by Chicago and turns it into a swinging and joyous Latin romp. Richard Pierson tells us about Joe: Born Peter Nitollano, of African-American/Filipino parents, Joe Bataan grew upContinue reading “Joe Bataan — “Make Me Smile”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 12, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,206) Barclay James Harvest — “Mother Dear” This “incredibly beautiful” (VianaProgHead, https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=3380) song off their ’70 debut is “a Poe-like Gothic mystery (about dream-like figures in black or white) as an acoustic, string-laden gem first penned in ’67”. (Brian Banks, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2018/05/barclay-james-harvest-barclay-james.html) It “combinesContinue reading “Barclay James Harvest — “Mother Dear”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,205) Billy Nicholls — “Come Again” Another installment of gorgeous UK pop psych from Billy Nicholls, who gifted us with one of, if not the, greatest “lost” albums of the ’60’s — Would You Believe (see #2, 64, 144, 428, 757, 964, 1,085). As David Wells says,Continue reading “Billy Nicholls — “Come Again”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 11, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,204) M.G. & The Escorts – “A Someday Fool” This ‘67 A-side is a garage classic, a “killer track . . . [with] raw, savage power” (johnprestigiacomo2134, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGglguGM1eE), “fiery garage rock, lifted by a blazing fuzz guitar riff and a powerfully simple rhythm”Continue reading “M.G. & The Escorts – “A Someday Fool”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 10, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,203) The Shangri-Las — “Sophisticated Boom Boom” Sometimes called the first female rap record, this ’65 and ‘66 B-side is a hoot, “a brilliant single”, “one of the most bizarre things ever committed to vinyl. . . . a paen to lounge music,Continue reading “The Shangri-Las — “Sophisticated Boom Boom”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,202) Jackie DeShannon — “Windows and Doors” This ’66 A-side, a Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition, is a “haunting” and “underrated gem[]” (Joe Marchese, https://theseconddisc.com/2011/01/06/come-and-get-them-upcoming-releases-due-from-deshannon-nelson-and-more/), “a wonderful, haunting ballad with a gorgeous melody – a secret favourite of the big Bacharach/David catalogue” (Xanadu, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2vJtIfD5HA),Continue reading “Jackie DeShannon — “Windows and Doors”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,201) John Carter & Russ Alquist — “Laughing Man” Too weird to be a hit? Too irresistible not to be? To me, the latter, but in the UK unfortunately, this ‘68 A-side by one of the UK’s great songwriters was the former, “[n]iceContinue reading “John Carter & Russ Alquist— “Laughing Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 7, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,200) The New Wave — “Little Dreams” This gorgeous ‘67 B-side and track from the duo’s only album is “enchanting . . . such a Rare Gem full of BEAUTY & MAGIC which I have had the rare privilege to discover in this life”. (eleni930038, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hTOx3qfdM44&pp=ygUaVGhlIG5ldyB3YXZlIGxpdHRsZSBkcmVhbXM%3D)Continue reading “The New Wave — “Little Dreams”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Stir together some old British folk tunes and an old Texas gambling song, recordings by early 20th Century luminaries such as Fiddlin’ Jack Carson and blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson, Dylan musings from the back cover of Another Side of Bob Dylan, andContinue reading “You Don’t Know Jack About Diamonds Special Edition: Ben Carruthers and the Deep/The Daily Flash/Fairport Convention: Ben Carruthers and the Deep — “Jack O’ Diamonds”, The Daily Flash — “Jack of Diamonds”, Fairport Convention — “Jack O’ Diamonds”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,196) Joe Tex — “I’ll Never Do You Wrong” I love my Joe Tex (see #42, 455, 609, 732) — and not only the raucous, riotous and raunchy Joe Tex. Here is a beautiful and heartfelt ballad by JT at his sweetest. ItContinue reading “Joe Tex — “I’ll Never Do You Wrong”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 4, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,195) Jackie Lomax — “Sunset” This smoldering slow burner by the Beatles’ BFF (see #164, 425, 543) is a “strong psychedelic-pop song[]” (abel, https://psychedelicsight.com/9448-obit-jackie-lomax/) that “stands out for an unusual piano jazz interlude.” (Joe Marchese, https://theseconddisc.com/2010/11/18/review-the-apple-records-remasters-part-4-harrisons-soulful-trio/) Lomax he had “a fondness” for theContinue reading “Jackie Lomax — “Sunset”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 3, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,194) The New Mix — “Sun Down” This wonderful song appeared on the New Mix’s (see #1,184) sole LP, in ’68, and prior to that, when the band had been known as the Eighteenth Edition, was released as an A-side in ’67 (anContinue reading “The New Mix — “Sun Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 2, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,193) The Tremeloes — “Till the Sun Goes Down” This May Day, enjoy stunning “soft, acoustic-textured balladry” that “rates right alongside the[ Tremeloes’] best work of the 1960s”. (Bruce Eder (talking about the album as a whole, but I know he meant thisContinue reading “The Tremeloes — “Till the Sun Goes Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 1, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,192) Tangerine Zoo — “Wake Up Sun” New England heavy rock rollin’ in from somewhere between Bosstown and Rhode Island. “[T]he instrumental breaks strewn throughout the album are marvel to be behold . . . [like] the extended tribal dance in ‘Wake UpContinue reading “Tangerine Zoo — “Wake Up Sun”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 30, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,191) The Astral Projection — “Today I Saw the Sunrise” “[O]ne of those weirdly compelling pop albums that could have only emanated from the Age of Aquarius. . . . with moments of pure delight that bring the ’60s experience back in fullContinue reading “The Astral Projection — “Today I Saw the Sunrise”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 29, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,190) Robin Gibb — “Down Came the Sun” From Robin’s (see #497) solo album Robin’s Reign, released amidst the fleeting breakup of the Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125), comes “vintageContinue reading “Robin Gibb — “Down Came the Sun”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 28, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,189) David Bixby — “Morning Sun” From Dave Bixby’s (see #531, 668) “definitive loner acid folk album” comes a song that has resonated with a lot of people, judging from the hundreds of comments on YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ch5lOo5cL1U&pp=ygUXZGF2aWQgYml4YnkgbW9ybmluZyBzdW4%3D) Here are some heartfelt ones: “[o]neContinue reading “David Bixby — “Morning Sun”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 27, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,188) Jan & Lorraine — “Snow Roses”  “Hauntingly pretty” (PsyVen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_dxXj4agzI) psych folk from a female dynamic duo (see #1,116). “When one considers that these ladies wrote, arranged, sang and played these tracks and then faded into obscurity, it boggles my mind”. (heyday2day, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/jan-and-lorraine/gypsy-people/)Continue reading “Jan & Lorraine — “Snow Roses”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 26, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,187) Hardin & York — “Candlelight” This ’69 A-side and track from the keyboard/drum prog duo’s first album is “an organ driven psychedelic number, regal sounding with thundering bass”. (Kevin Rathert, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2021/09/hardin-york-cant-keep-a-good-man-down-the-hardin-york-anthology-2021.html) Stuart Robinson tells us: [It is] cracker of a song .Continue reading “Hardin & York — “Candlelight”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 25, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,186) P.J. Proby — “Three Week Hero” Yesterday we heard from a rock star despairing over his fans wanting him to be God and bemoaning that the more he gave, the more people asked of him. Today we hear from a “three week”Continue reading “P.J. Proby — “Three Week Hero”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 24, 2024”