Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 636) Duffy Power — “Mary Open the Door” This stunning number from the British blues legend “is a fine soulful blues-rock Power original” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/duffys-nucleus-mn0001805601), unlike pretty much anything he ever recorded. Diana Donald comments on YouTube that: Duffy and I wroteContinue reading “Duffy Power — “Mary Open the Door”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 12, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 637) John Cale — “Gideon’s Bible” What, the Velvet Underground’s classically-trained demon’s first solo album was . . . pure pop pleasure?! Yup, and peak pleasure is “Gideon’s Bible”, though I have to admit the lyrics are fairly inscrutable. As Brendan says, “CaleContinue reading “John Cale — “Gideon’s Bible”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 11, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 636) The Searchers — “Crazy Dreams” The Searchers’ chart successes dwindled in the latter half of the ‘60’s, but they still released exquisite singles, ones that deserved to be hits. One of the best was this barnstorming psychy ‘67 B-side, written by JohnContinue reading “The Searchers — “Crazy Dreams”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 10, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 635) Olympic — “Everybody” The great and pioneering Czech band — going strong after 60 years! — gives us this infectious and buoyant gem off of its second album, ’69’s Pták Rosomák (The Bird Wolverine). Even if it is about a bar fightContinue reading “Olympic — “Everybody”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 9, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 634) Georgie Fame – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” I love Georgie (see #103, 169), and not just because my mother used to call me Georgie! He has always been, per Max Bell, “the coolest of the cool” (https://www.udiscovermusic.com/artist/georgie-fame/) and it’s beenContinue reading “Georgie Fame — “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 8, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 633) The Basement Wall — “Never Existed” The band’s lone A-side (‘67) was “a keyboard-driven regional smash similar in spirit to Texas punk” (Jason Ankeny, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-basement-wall-mn0000030994/biography). Gilesi enthuses: “Never Existed” is a melodic garage psycher that contrasts a relatively understated verse with aContinue reading “The Basement Wall — “Never Existed”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 7, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD I present three extraordinary and unheralded covers of the Beatles’ classic ballad “I’ll Be Back” — by Cliff Richard, Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends, and The Buckinghams. They each bring out the horns, and each bring out something unique andContinue reading ““I’ll Be Back”: The Beatles, not Arhhnold, Special Edition: Cliff Richard/Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends/The Buckinghams: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 6, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 629) Buddy Miles — “The Segment” Ah, Buddy Miles (see #112, 221, 366). As Jamie Ludwig says, he was a “force of nature as a drummer, vocalist, and bandleader. ” He moves my soul. Ludwig goes on: “The Segment” is a piece ofContinue reading “Buddy Miles — “The Segment”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 5, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 628) Richie Havens — “For Haven’s Sake” A haunting, meditative and unforgettable song, released shortly before Havens made history at Woodstock. Carl Bookstein says it is “a melancholy blues, and beautiful.” (https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=24934) and Hope Silverman calls it: Sad, desperate and determined . .Continue reading “Richie Havens — “For Haven’s Sake”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 4, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 627) Love Sculpture — “In the Land of the Few” This single “flopped” (Vernon Joynson, The Tapestry of Delights Revisited), but it is a “superb” (http://www.makingtime.co.uk/lovesculp.html#.Y2M0hHbMK3A) psychedelic “mini-epic” with a “blistering [guitar] solo” (Mike Stax, liner notes to the Nuggets II comp) byContinue reading “Love Sculpture — “In the Land of the Few”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 3, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 626) Paper Bubble — “Being Human Being” How could such a “bouncy, singalong” and “happy-go-lucky” song (Richie Unterberger — who did not meant it as a compliment!, https://www.allmusic.com/album/scenery-mw0000786501) not have been a ’69 UK hit? Well, it wasn’t released as a single! DavidContinue reading “Paper Bubble — “Being Human Being”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — November 2, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Two songs hand-selected for Halloween — “My Girlfriend is a Witch” and “Warlock” — one goofy pop rock and one an eerie prog apocalyptic vision. 624) October Country — “My Girlfriend Is a Witch” And he seems tickled pink — “What a fate,Continue reading “Halloween Special: October Country/ Paul Brett Sage: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 31, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 623) The Kinks — “Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home” Mia Kulpa! I featured a song yesterday about a Rosy that I thought might have been written by Ray Davies. Turns out it wasn’t. To make amends, here is a song about aContinue reading “The Kinks — “Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 30, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 622) The Rockin’ Vickers — “Little Rosy” A jaunty music-hally number, unreleased for decades, that is distinguished by two facts: 1) the Vickers’ guitarist at the time was the iconic Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead to be, and 2) the songwriter may have been RayContinue reading “The Rockin’ Vickers — “Little Rosy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 29, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 621) The Reekers/The Hangmen — “The Girl Who Faded Away” ’65 B-side of the Hangmen’s (see #560) big Washington, DC hit that knocked the Beatles off the top spot on local radio — a wonderful, wistful garage ballad with a complicated history. Oh,Continue reading “The Reekers/The Hangmen — “The Girl Who Faded Away”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 28, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 620) The Hysterics — “Everything’s There” Richie Unterberger says of this ’65 garage rock classic that “[t]hey had a characteristic organ-guitar sound and snarling, immature teen putdown vocals”. (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hysterics-mn0000269897). Yup. Did those teen boys sound put upon! “The Hysterics were from San BernardinoContinue reading “The Hysterics — “Everything’s There”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 27, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 619) Bob Lind — “Eleanor” As we used to say at the University of Michigan, “Oh how I hate Ohio State.” Well, oh how I hate “Elusive Butterfly”. But: 1) I love “Eleanor”! As Joe Viglione says, “when you hear . . .Continue reading “Bob Lind — “Eleanor”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 26, 2022″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 618) The Mark Leeman Five — “The Boy Who Walks All Alone” The group’s first demo, circa ‘62, is a haunting and unforgettable mod/northern soul number. The Five had conquered the London clubs and were readying an assault on the realm when theirContinue reading “The Mark Leeman Five — “The Boy Who Walks All Alone”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 25, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 617) Jake Holmes — “Think I’m Being Had” OK, I feel a little dazed and confused after listening to this song, the B-side of Holmes’ first single (’67). It has got to be the greatest “I know you’re cheating on me” song thatContinue reading “Jake Holmes — “Think I’m Being Had”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 24, 2022”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 616) The Bonzo Dog Band — “”Humanoid Boogie” The very same year that HAL told David Bowman to take a chill pill and sang “Daisy”, the Bonzos gave us the “Humanoid Boogie”, which “got the humanoid hip-types jumpin’ and-a jivin’”! As Harvey J.Continue reading “The Bonzo Dog Band — “Humanoid Boogie”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — October 23, 2022”