Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,080) Parliament — “The Silent Boatman” This “beautiful dirge” (Mark Montgomery French, https://www.uppitymusic.com/2005/06/parliament-osmium-1970.html) at the end of Parliament’s (see #249, 308, 723) first album is one of the uber funk band’s most atyptical and heartfelt songs. It originated as a Gaelic folk song hundredsContinue reading ““The Silent Boatman” Special Edition: Parliament — “The Silent Boatman”, Ruth Copeland — “The Silent Boatman”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 15, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,079) The Buckinghams — “Can’t Find the Words” (see #409, 413, 632, 730) This great unstoppable ’68 album track and ’69 B-side sees the Buckinghams “flex [their] muscles creatively” (RoyFIve, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjyqKPrazlM) with “a good sing-along chorus”. (https://jhendrix110.tripod.com/Buckinghams.html) It was self-written by lead singer Dennis Tufano andContinue reading “The Buckinghams — “Can’t Find the Words”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 14, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Two delightful “slightlydelic” ‘68 UK pop rock songs — the first of which started out as a jingle for a cider commerical, the second (bearing more than a slight resemblance) written about a friend who wanted to get enough from a pawnbroker toContinue reading ““Woodpecker, Yes I Would”! Special Edition: Calum Bryce — “Love-Maker”, Barbara Ruskin — “Pawnbroker, Pawnbroker”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 13, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,076) Aorta — “Strange” I don’t know whether to think of Aorta as a Chicago or Rockford band, but its members later stocked many notable Chicago bands (including, yes, Chicago). The song is a propulsive psych rocker — “You’re acting oh so strange!”– fromContinue reading “Aorta — “Strange”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 12, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,075) The Shadows of Knight — “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” Enshrined in the Nuggets CD collection, this Chicago garage classic by the Shadows of Knight (see #184) is “devastating”, “60’s punk at its sexually charged, aggressive best” with a “searing guitar break”,Continue reading “The Shadows of Knight — “I’m Gonna Make You Mine”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 11, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,074) James Brown — “Out of the Blue” Well, this June 1964 Smash B-side (https://www.45cat.com/record/s1908) came out of the blue — it’s not your typical James Brown. The “twisting original . . . backtracked on the evolutionary steps Brown’s music had been making”.Continue reading “James Brown — “Out of the Blue”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 10, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,073) H.P. Lovecraft — “That’s How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)” This Chicago band (see #829) truly put the LSD in Lake Shore Drive. As to the song, it is “Dean Martin on acid lounge” (Prog Sothoth, https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2273), “[a] jazzy thingContinue reading “H.P. Lovecraft — “That’s How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 9, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,072) The Pride and Joy (The Del-Vetts) — “If You’re Ready” This ’67 B-side is the band’s “crowning moment” (Office Naps, http://officenaps.com/?p=32), “Incendiary guitar rock. Chicago fire. Smokin” psych.” (thomassmith8721, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLlFktZ0JAY), “the Fuzzed Guitar work is downright awesome”. (joegongora2200, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLlFktZ0JAY) The song has “the same bite, the sameContinue reading “The Pride and Joy (The Del-Vetts) — “If You’re Ready”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 8, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,071) New Colony Six — “Can’t You See Me Cry” “A soulful and emotionally charged ballad, “Can’t You See Me Cry” showcases [Chicago’s own’s] The New Colony Six’s (see #410) ability to convey heartache and vulnerability through their music. The haunting melodies andContinue reading “New Colony Six — “Can’t You See Me Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 7, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,070) The Ides of March — “You Wouldn’t Listen” Warning: Do not read any further if you are from Chicago — this lovely and surprisingly sophisticated song launched the Ides of March’s (see #431) career and reached #7 in Chicagoland! It was the firstContinue reading “The Ides of March — “You Wouldn’t Listen”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 6, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,069) Katch-22 — “Don’t Listen” Here is an exquisite, ebullient and endearing early British Invasion number. What’s the catch? It was a ‘68 album track by Katch-22! It coulda been a huge hit — four years earlier! Who were Katch-22? Well, let’s have the band’sContinue reading “Katch-22 — “Don’t Listen”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 5, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,068)  Fresh Air — “Stop Look Listen” A captivating and upbeat UK pop rock confection with a bouncy Al Kooper-like organ accompaniment. ”No problems facing us that we cannot work out” Who were Fresh Air? ”Nothing is known of this four-piece group” (Vernon Joynson, TheContinue reading ” Fresh Air — “Stop Look Listen”: (Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 4, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,067) The Fairytale — “Listen to Mary Cry” “Superb [’67 UK] popsike” (MushroomMachineClub, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGTe7hwO4LI) from a “short-lived Lancastrian outfit who formed in . . . in March 1967 and tended to blend pop psychedelia with a taint of punk-rock on their two 45s”. (VernonContinue reading “The Fairytale  — “Listen to Mary Cry”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 3, 2024”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,066)  Sands — “Listen to the Sky” ’67 Brit psych B-side is the band’s “finest moment”, “[m]indblowing stuff” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), “a pretty far-out creation, starting as a nice Carnaby Street pop sike excursion before distorting into sirens, explosions,Continue reading ” Sands — “Listen to the Sky”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 2, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,065) The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else” A gorgeous ballad by Barry and Maurice when the two brothers briefly were the Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962) ”TheContinue reading “The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 1, 2024″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,064) Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”* This is Donovan’s “Hey Jude”, written not to comfort Julian during John and Cynthia’s divorce, but to comfort Paul during the Beatles’ divorce.  “Thought to be inspired by Paul McCartney (who apparently loaned a guitar for theContinue reading “Donovan — “New Year’s Resovolution”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 31, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,063) The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend” A classic NYC “raw, garage rock rave-up[]” (James Allen, https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-cant-make-a-friend-1965-1968-mw0002082858) by a band out of Queens most of whose members went to Forest Hills High School along with Johnny and Tommy Ramone (who wereContinue reading “The Vagrants — “I Can’t Make a Friend”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 30, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,062) Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times” “One of [Gene Chandler’s (see # 347)] best! [The Duke gives us a] killer from 1965″ (Wynonie, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-_crgwzQE) that reached #92 (#40 R&B). It was written by the great Curtis Mayfield (see #118, 285) and boy doesContinue reading “Gene Chandler — “(Gonna Be) Good Times”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 29, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,061) Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads” This soul-stirring ’69 A-side reached #104.  Michael Paquette notes that “[i}t contains the great line, ‘You can teach me lots of lessons; you can bring me a lot of gold; but you just can’t liveContinue reading “Sir Douglas Quintet — “At the Crossroads”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 28, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,060) Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke” Two “Limeys” give us either a gorgeously mellow L.A. “trip song” or enter the Inferno, “perfectly captur[ing] the image of a stoned Englishman wilting in the west coast heat”. I go with the former, but I’ll letContinue reading “Chad and Jeremy — “Sunstroke”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — December 27, 2023”