Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 993) Poet and the One Man Band — “The Fable” Utterly magical and haunting folk rock by some future musical luminaries, including guitar legend Albert Lee and two future members of Sandy Denny’s Fotheringay. “The Fable” has “[s]imilarities to the late-period Zombies, thoughContinue reading “Poet and the One Man Band — “The Fable”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 27, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 992) Edge of Darkness — “Mean Town” Sort of a mashup of Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and Scorsese’s Mean Streets. No, really! This A-side from the upstate New York (Oswego) band’s only single, is “[b]rooding ’68 . . . guitar/organContinue reading “Edge of Darkness — “Mean Town”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 26, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 991) Focal Point — “Far Away from Forever” Focal Point is one of the greatest coulda/shoulda-beens in the annals of British pop psych (see #4, 43, 198, 538, 747). This “languid, introspective” (Len, https://therisingstorm.net/focal-point-first-bite-of-the-apple/) and trance-like number was a favorite in Beatleland. Co-bandContinue reading “Focal Point — “Far Away from Forever”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 24, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 990) The Heirs — “You Better Slow Down” I love my moody teenage 60’s garage rock, and here is a fabulous example from Eugene, Oregon — “delicious jangle introduces a moody, melodic beat ballad with haunting backing vocals” (maxmyndblown, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJp8nFMlJks) that “conjures anContinue reading “The Heirs — “You Better Slow Down”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 23, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 989) Boudewijn de Groot — “Aeneas Nu”/“Aeneas Now” A “[t]roubadour with a Dylan-esque impact, who shoots to fame in [the Netherlands in] the ’60s and ’70s” (https://en.muziekencyclopedie.nl/action/entry/Boudewijn+de+Groot) (see #107, 161, 305), gives us the only A-side I know about Aeneas, Trojan hero fromContinue reading “Boudewijn de Groot — “Aeneas Nu”/“Aeneas Now”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 22, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 988) Val McKenna — “House for Sale” Northern soul doesn’t get much better than this “marvellous and baroquely atmospheric” self-penned ‘68 A-side. (Kieron Tyler, liner notes to the CD comp Sassy and Stonefree: Prime Late ’60s Brit Girl Rock & Soul) Of course,Continue reading “Val McKenna — “House for Sale”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 21, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 987) Ottilie Patterson — “Spring Song” Ottilie, “the world’s only Irish blues singer”, wrote this totally unexpected and magical ’69 B-side and album track — “jazzy, laid-back pop that flirted carelessly with psychedelia in the genre’s dying days” and was produced by GiorgioContinue reading “Ottilie Patterson — “Spring Song”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 20, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 986) The New Dawn — “Dark Thoughts” A stunning dark psyche/garage cut from the Pacific Northwest that “is the ultimate in doomy bumblebee fuzz guitar”. (Ron Moore, The Acid Archives (2nd ed.)) Ron Moore calls the New Dawn’s album: Dreamy downer LP withContinue reading “The New Dawn — “Dark Thoughts”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 19, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 985) The Renegades — “Thirteen Women” The Renegades “[s]avage[ly] maul[]” (https://www.nortonrecords.com/158-the-renegades-thirteen-women-cant-see-you-158/) Bill Haley and the Comets’ pondering of the age-old question: What happens when there are “Thirteen Woman” but “Only One Man in Town”? The accompanying promotional video is “a brilliant maniacal clipContinue reading “The Renegades — “Thirteen Women”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 18, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 984) P.K. Limited — “My Imagination” As to this sparkling gem that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, Tony 879 says: [It] is a lovely summery little pop psyche number with plucked guitar and wistful harmonies that sounds like something off one of thoseContinue reading “P.K. Limited — “My Imagination”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 17, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 983) Peter and the Wolves — “Woman on My Mind” Oh man, does John Pantry (see #494) kick ass. OK, since he followed his calling and embarked on a notable career in Christian music and broadcasting after the 60’s came to a close,Continue reading “Peter and the Wolves — “Woman on My Mind”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 16, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 982) Episode Six — “Jak D’Or” This ’69 B-side is an ultra-hip and “[g]roovy” (Sids60sSounds, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY_VhAMaZBs) near-instrumental from Episode Six’s (see #811) last single before Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left to join Deep Purple. Why they didn’t score hits is a mystery.Continue reading “Episode Six — “Jak D’Or”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 15, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 981) The Knight Riders — “Where Did I Fail” A moody garage classic, unfortunately never released in the 60’s, from a bunch of San Carlos hell raisers! Alec Palao tells us that: Hailing from San Carlos on the San Francisco peninsula, the groupContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: The Knight Riders — “Where Did I Fail”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 14, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 980) Chris Britton — “How Do You Say Goodbye” Troggs’ guitarist Chris Britton released a little known but stunning solo album, As I Am (see #15). “Goodbye” is gorgeous, longing, pop psych gem, languorous in a good way. Vinyl Kiosk tells us that:Continue reading “Chris Britton — “How Do You Say Goodbye”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 13, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 979) Johnnie Taylor — “Time After Time” Stax’s “Philosopher of Soul” (see #191, 390) gives us a “mesmerizing and very unorthodox spin on the Hollywood classic and Sinatra hit ‘Time After Time’”(Soulmakossa, https://www.funkmysoul.gr/albums-no-review/johnnie-taylor-1970-one-step-beyond/), “an amazing reading of the jazz standard”. (Cook, https://www.allmusic.com/album/one-step-beyond-mw0000185795) OfContinue reading “Johnnie Taylor — “Time After Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 12, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 978) The Kinks — “Got My Feet on the Ground” Off the Kinks’ (see #100, 381, 417, 450, 508, 529, 606, 623, 753, 865) second album, Kinda Kinks, Dave Davies sings and co-writes with his brother Ray this infectious and “boisterous” song (https://jhendrix110.tripod.com/Kinks.html),Continue reading “The Kinks — “Got My Feet on the Ground”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 11, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 977) Fourmyula — “Come With Me” WARNING — If you are a New Zealander, do not read any further regarding this “gorgeously intimate then anthemic” song! (Graham Reid, https://timberjackdonoghue.com/157435146/157435161) It reached #2 in New Zealand, and the Fourmyula (by then a quintet) hadContinue reading “Fourmyula — “Come With Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 10, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 976) The Who — “Rael” From ’67’s The Who Sell Out, “Rael” is a wonderful “mini-opera, with musical motifs that reappeared in Tommy”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-who-sell-out-mw0000652659) What I didn’t realize until recently was that the song is about Israel. In a time ofContinue reading “The Who — “Rael”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 9, 2023”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 975) The Churchill’s* — “Song from the Sea” From the classic album by “Israel’s own psych-rock pioneers” (Jesse Rifkin, http://www.furious.com/perfect/churchills.html) comes this haunting song. “Swim with me in darkness, underneath the dark sky, bits of tears are falling, now I know you canContinue reading “The Churchill’s — “Song from the Sea”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 8, 2023″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 974) Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs — “Black Sheep” Sam the Sham does his best Dylan (see # 126, 823) impersonation, complete with an Al Kooper-like (see #642, 705, 804) organ accompaniment. Yes, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs! And the songContinue reading “Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs — “Black Sheep”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 6, 2023”