Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,952) The Montage — “Men Are Building Sand” Left Banke mastermind Michael Brown wrote this exquisite polyphonic baroque pop number with an early environmentalist theme, originally an unreleased LB song, with Bert Sommer and Tom Feher. It wouldn’t have sounded out of placeContinue reading “The Montage — “Men Are Building Sand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 22, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,951) Chris Clark — “I Want to Go Back There Again” Berry Gordy, Jr., wrote and produced this sumptuous ’67 A-side “which unjustly fail[ed] to chart” — reaching #114 — but “remains one of his favorite compositions and displays convincing vulnerability, yet anotherContinue reading “Chris Clark — “I Want to Go Back There Again”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 21, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,950) The Creation — “Making Time” Here is the first A-side of the UK’s singular creation — The Creation [see #129, 165, 1,502, 1,643, 1,748]. “[W]ith its violent power-chord delivery, [it] is their most deafening, defining moment. Eddie Phillips’ bowed guitar and feedbackContinue reading “The Creation — “Making Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 20, 2026″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,949) Pink Floyd — “Remember a Day” Pink Floyd (see #13, 38, 260) keyboardist Rick Wright wrote and sung this towering ode to childhood lost, a ‘68 U.S. B-side (to “Let There Be More Light”) and track off of the band’s second LPContinue reading “Pink Floyd — “Remember a Day”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 19, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,948) Del Shannon — “I Think I Love You” Del Shannon, yes that Del Shannon (see #1,453), runs away to psychedelia, giving us a brooding psych juggernaut, an “especially catchy psych rocker” (Jacksondale, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/del-shannon/the-further-adventures-of-charles-westover/reviews/1/) with “some of the heaviest psychedelic production and instrumentationContinue reading “Del Shannon — “I Think I Love You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 18, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,947) Johnny Neal & Starliners — “Walk Baby Walk” This stunning, strutting mod number was the B-side from the first of two singles the Starliners released before being grounded. Earlier, they were the band that took over for the Beatles at the StarContinue reading “Johnny Neal & Starliners — “Walk Baby Walk”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 17, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,946) Sandy Posey — “Hey Mister” In this devastating and hearbreaking song, countrypolitan icon Sandy Posey (see #1,154, 1,752) asks “Mister, Mister have you got a dime? I wanna call my mother down in Caroline A ramblin’ man took advantage of me .Continue reading “Sandy Posey — “Hey Mister”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 16, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,945) Mastermind — “Turn of the Head” This gritty, riveting and absolutely brilliant psych exercise in apathy-shaming is “[s]till a full-blown mystery 20 years after it appeared on a U-SPACES disc. No info on location, personnel or date or label.” (U-Spaces Archives, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3m63H8Afds)Continue reading “Mastermind — “Turn of the Head”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 15, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,944) The Cymbaline — “Matrimonial Fears” Here is Swinging London’s anthem for the swinging bachelor: “I’ve been having the time of my life for several years I won’t marry a wife, I’ve got matrimonial fears” Supposedly, this inspired Beyoncé to record “Single Ladies (Put aContinue reading “The Cymbaline — “Matrimonial Fears”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 14, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,943) Kusudo & Worth — “Of Sun and Rain” Here is a gorgeous and melancholy song from a ’68 folk LP self-produced and recorded over a three hour span by two California high schoolers: Ken Kusudo and Jeff Worth (see #1,127). “This isContinue reading “Kusudo & Worth — “Of Sun and Rain”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 13, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,941) Harry Nilsson — “1941” From Harry Nilsson’s (see #1,168, 1,298, 1,854) first LP — Pandemonium Shadow Show — here is one of his greatest songs, “quietly heartbreaking beneath its jaunty cabaret”. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/album/pandemonium-shadow-show-mw0000179116) Matthew Greenwald writes that: “1941” is aContinue reading “1941 Special Edition: Harry Nilsson/TomNorthcott — “1941”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 12, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,939) The Impressions — “I’m the One Who Loves You” Curtis Mayfield wrote this endearing and lovely ’63 Impressions (see #118, 285, 1,347, 1,544, 1,848) A-side that moved on up to #73 (but nowhere on the R&B chart). “It’s impossible to fault .Continue reading “I’m the One Who Loves You Special Edition: The Impressions/The Paramounts — “I’m the One Who Loves You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 11, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,938) The Dave Miller Set — “Bread and Butter Day” This B-side by New Zealand’s Dave Miller Set (see #1,010) is an “[u]nder-the-radar Beat Bespoke style hard mod psych dancer with killer guitar and funky bass.” (happening45, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZRPUzpydEc&list=RD3ZRPUzpydEc&start_radio=1&pp=ygUkRGF2ZSBtaWxsZXIgc2V0IGJyZWFkIGFuZCBidXR0ZXIgZGF5oAcB&ra=m) I don’t know what theContinue reading “The Dave Miller Set — “Bread and Butter Day”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 10, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,937) Larry’s Rebels — “Fantasy” New Zealand’s hard-rocking Rebels take an exquisite excursion into psychedelia. “Taking their lead from the English childlike take on the genre, the strings back this Snow White tale splendidly.” (Jason Barnard, https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/i-feel-good-the-essential-purple-flashes-of-larrys-rebels-1965-1969/) Grant Gillanders writes: Their new singleContinue reading “Larry’s Rebels — “Fantasy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 9, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,936) The Gremlins — “The Only Thing on My Mind” Off a ’66 EP, this affecting and “sublime” beat ballad written by the Gremlins’ Glyn Conway has a “meditative, almost hallucinogenic quality”, “encompass[ing] the idea of going off to war with the army,Continue reading “The Gremlins — “The Only Thing on My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 8, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,935) The Human Instinct — “Renaissance Fair” New Zealand’s Human Instinct (see #271) recorded a “brilliant” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww31Q3NO_AY) and “spectacular”(thomassmith8721, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4eaTvYUrds) cover of the Byrds’  [see #1,430, 1,605] “Renaissance Fair” that “actually eclipses the original, the strings being an amazing addition”, “[s]imply stunning.”Continue reading “The Human Instinct — “Renaissance Fair”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 7, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,932-34) The Cleves — “Today/Don’t Turn Your Back/Today/Thirties/Today” From New Zealand’s Abbey Road, here is part of a suite of perfect pop rock songs (see #1,532-34) by the Cleves (see #1,532-34, 1,740) written for a short film by the to-be-famous Australian director Peter Weir. IContinue reading “The Cleves — “Today/Don’t Turn Your Back/Today/Thirties/Today”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,931) The Fourmyula — “Turn Your Back on the Wind” From New Zealand’s greatest lost album, here is the Fourmyula’s (see #977, 1,398) “gloriously uplifting, string-elevated” (Graham Reid, https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/music/2944/the-fourmyula-the-complete-fourmyula-emi/), “moving epic that should have become a stadium singalong”. (Chris Bourke, https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/upper-hutt-leader/3495519/Stunning-comeback-from-natures-best) “Turn YourContinue reading “The Fourmyula — “Turn Your Back on the Wind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 5, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,930) The La De Da’s* — “Tales of the Nile” New Zealand’s La De Da’s (see #216, 846, 946) take a walk on the Wilde side with this wistful proto-prog number from The Happy Prince, which would have been the world’s first rockContinue reading “The La De Da’s — “Tales of the Nile”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 4, 2026”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,929) Tony Summers and the Echoes — “I’m on the Right Side” This infectious ‘66 beat number by New Zealand’s Tony Summers/Hayden Wood (see #1,018) was first released in ‘65 by the UK’s Blue Chips (“the debut record for the Blue Chips’ sixteenContinue reading “Tony Summers and the Echoes — “I’m on the Right Side”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 3, 2026”