Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,253) The Mindbenders — “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man” Man, it’s hot out there. Thankfully, here comes “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man”, the Mindbenders’ (see #496) final A-side. This “lost anthem of what John Lennon would have termed ‘granny music’ [wasContinue reading “The Mindbenders — “Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 27, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,252) Them — “Could You, Would You” Before Van Morrison (see #188, 253) was Van the Man, he was Them. The opening track from Them their second album “combine[s] beautifully constructed lyrics with blues and soul in [an] enduring song[] that vibrate[s] andContinue reading “Them — “Could You, Would You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 26, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,251) The Chōb* — “We’re Pretty Quick” This ’67 B-side is “pure punk genius” with “a breathtakingly frantic pace and one of the more bizarrely entertaining lyrics of the era” (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp Uptight Tonight: The Ultimate ’60sContinue reading “The Chōb — “We’re Pretty Quick”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 25, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD One song so great it couldn’t just be one song, so it became three — in ‘66 by Ray Sharpe, in ‘67 by Aretha Franklin, and in ‘69 by King Curtis. Curtis — the great saxophonist, writer, band leader and producer — wasContinue reading “Help Me, Save Me, Groove Me Special Edition: Ray Sharpe, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis & the Kingpins: Ray Sharpe — “Help Me (Get the Feeling)”, Aretha Franklin — “Save Me”, King Curtis & the Kingpins — “Instant Groove”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 24, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,247) Ambrose Slade/Slade — “Knocking Nails into My House” Cum on feel the pop psych! Yesterday, I featured the Idle Race’s ’68 A-side “The Skeleton and the Roundabout”. Today I feature the B-side, the equally “superb” “Knocking Nails into My House (David Wells,Continue reading “Ambrose Slade/Slade — “Knocking Nails into My House”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 23, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,246)  The Idle Race — “Skeleton and the Roundabout” As I have said, the Idle Race (see #30, 343, 491) and its “cheerfully trippy” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-birthday-party-mw0000579621) first album, ’68’s The Birthday Party, were the divine sparks that lit the Electric Light Orchestra. Here isContinue reading ” The Idle Race — “Skeleton and the Roundabout”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 22, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,245) The Montanas — “Roundabout” “The Montanas’ . . . Pye Records recordings . . . [constitute] one of the more self-consciously beautiful bodies of music that one is likely to cross paths with from mid-’60s England.” (Bruce Eder, https://www.allmusic.com/album/youve-got-to-be-loved-mw0000229331) And this, theirContinue reading “The Montanas — “Roundabout”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 21, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,244) Los Mitos — “Cuando Vuelvas”/“When You Come Back” This first single by Los Mitos (The Myths) from the Basque region of Spain is a delightful and effervescent romp about . . . a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend! ItContinue reading “Los Mitos — “Cuando Vuelvas”/”When You Come Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 20, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,243) Peter Pan & the Good Fairies — “Balloons” I’ve played the A-side (see #502), here’s the groovy B-side: both great psychedelic instrumentals. Who is Peter Pan? Technicolor Web of Sound says: Very little is known of this presumed to be studio concoctionContinue reading “Peter Pan & the Good Fairies — “Balloons”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 19, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,242) John Pantry — “Pitsea Pub” This demo by John Pantry (see #494), a singer and songwriter for the ages, is a wonderful love song, a “marvellous popsike creation[]”. (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp The Upside Down World of JohnContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: John Pantry — “Pitsea Pub”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 18, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,241) The Artwoods — “Keep Lookin’” The Artwoods (see #58, 845) — yes, founded by Art Wood (Ronnie Wood’s older brother) — were a top touring UK R&B band, but their success never translated to record. Here is “one of the many highlights”Continue reading “The Artwoods — “Keep Lookin’”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 17, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,240) The Orange Machine — “Real Live Permanent Dream” Welcome to the machine. The Irish band’s ‘68 single reached #14 in Ireland by taking on two of Tomorrow’s (see #72) pop psych classics and outclassing the originals. Not just my opinion. Big TomContinue reading “The Orange Machine — “Real Live Permanent Dream”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 16, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,239) Dayv Butler & The News — “The Boy Who Only Smiles” Back in the day, Cashbox called this ‘67 A-side, the crown jewel of Fading Yellow 20, a “[t]hrumming soft rock side with a catchy hand-clap backing and a set of peculiarContinue reading “Davy Butler & The News — “The Boy Who Only Smiles”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 15, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,238) Nirvana — “Rainbow Chaser” Nirvana’s (see #287, 391, 475) only UK charting (#34) song was a “made in heaven collision of phased orchestra, ethereal vocals, shamanist lyrics and jaw-dropping melody that remains [the Irish/Greek duo’s] defining pop-psych moment”. (David Wells, Record Collector:Continue reading “Nirvana — “Rainbow Chaser”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,237) Lonnie and the Legends — “I Cried” A grand garage tearjerker by a “[c]ountry & western band from Sylmar, California, near San Fernando formed by Lonnie, Nancy and Donna Grah” . (Whitedoowopcollector, http://whitedoowopcollector.blogspot.com/2020/07/lonnie-legendsimpression-records.html?m=1) Are we sure this wasn’t the Osmond family —Continue reading “Lonnie and the Legends — “I Cried”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 13, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,236) John Cale — “Charlemagne” John Cale (see #637) gives us a solo LP (his first) whose “placid compositions are all velvet, no underground[!]” (Rob Brunner, https://ew.com/article/2001/03/16/vintage-violence/) and a beautiful ballad whose “unison singing by Cale and [Garland] Jeffreys . . . isContinue reading “John Cale — “Charlemagne”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,235) Eric Andersen — “Looking Glass” This haunting love song by the first of the new Dylans is the “finest composition [on his debut LP] . . . an elaborate first-person narrative-fantasy with a melody similar to folk tunes such as ‘Scarborough Fair.’”Continue reading “Eric Andersen — “Looking Glass”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 11, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,234)  Shirley Ellis — “Don’t Let Go” How am I featuring this song as obscure when it was a #2 R&B hit and reached #13 on the pop charts? Well, that was Roy Hamilton’s original in ‘58. I am championing Shirley Ellis’ irresistiblyContinue reading ” Shirley Ellis — “Don’t Let Go”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 10, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,233) Africa — “Paint It Black” A “mind-blowing, conga-driven” (liner notes to the CD reissue of Music from “Lil Brown”) “inspired” and “slinky Latin-tinged psychedelic soul cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” (Richard Metzger, https://dangerousminds.net/comments/we_all_know_music_from_big_pink_by_the_band._what_about_music_from_lil_brow) that “significantly expand[s] upon the psychedelicContinue reading “Africa — “Paint It Black”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,232) The Electric Toilet* — “In the Hands of Karma” A tragic story, a questionable band name, but a glorious song: “a down-tempo fringe-shaker lifted onto a whole new plane by a richly melodic Gospel chorus” (Rob Fitzpatrick, https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/aug/21/popandrock) from a “[d]riving bluesyContinue reading “The Electric Toilet — “In the Hands of Karma”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — June 8, 2024”