Category Archives: Uncategorized

Who was John Greek? The Louie Report explains: Years before the Wailers recorded LOUIE LOUIE with Rockin’ Robin Roberts, they were considered one of the hottest rock bands to emerge from the Pacific Northwest. In 1959, when they were still in high school, they were signed to Golden Crest Records, their song “Tall Cool One”Continue reading “John Greek Special Edition: The Beautiful Daze — “City Jungle, Pt. 1”, The Sacred Cows — “Kill, Kill, Kill”, The Seeds — “The Wind Blows Your Hair”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 11, 2022″

443) William Bell — “I Got a Sure Thing” This song is a sure thing. Bell co-wrote it with Booker T. Jones. Ollie and the Nightingales first released it in ‘68, and reached #73 (#16 R&B). Bell’s version is so much better in my mind . . . it’s so smmmmooooooth, it’s criminal! The lyricsContinue reading “William Bell — “I Got a Sure Thing”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 10, 2022″

442) Sharon Tandy — “The Way She Looks at You” OK, I couldn’t resist, another classic by Sharon Tandy (see #371, 441). This “very Sandy Shaw-like” song (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/you-gotta-believe-its-mw0000741620 ) is “upbeat and undeniably commercial . . . squarely in the vogue of 1968 British pop and thus once again its total lack ofContinue reading “Sharon Tandy — “The Way She Looks at You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 9, 2022”

441) Sharon Tandy — “For a Little While” An unissued at the time (’66) Isaac Hayes-David Porter composition by the great Sharon Tandy (see #371, including for more on Tandy). It was later released by the Goodees (a white girl group on Stax?!), but Sharon’s version is a gazillion times better. Let’s say she addsContinue reading “Sharon Tandy — “For a Little While”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 8, 2022”

440) Alex Harvey — “Roman Wall Blues” Exquisite B-side and title track from Harvey’s ‘69 solo album, with lyrics courtesy of W.H. Auden. Yes, a sonnet by W.H. Auden about a Roman soldier! Why didn’t Pink Floyd ever give this a spin? All in all you’re just another brick in the Roman wall blues. OrContinue reading “Alex Harvey — “Roman Wall Blues”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 7, 2022”

439) Barry Gibb — “This Time” Matt Collar writes that “[t]he Bee Gees’ tempestuous personal relationships led to their 1969 breakup, and when the band members stopped working together, Barry turned to thoughts of a solo career [as did Robin and Maurice (see #353, 354)]. He began recording an album, which was supposed to be calledContinue reading “Barry Gibb — “This Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 6, 2022”

438) Haymarket Riot — “Trip on Out” “Trip on Out” is the A-side of the Riot’s only single (’68), an “ear scorcher” and an “[e]xtra strength fuzz overload from an Enid, OK sextet of teenage misfits.” (The 30 Seconds Before the Calico Wall! garage comp), and an “absolute monster[].” (Vol. 6 of the Pebbles garageContinue reading “Haymarket Riot — “Trip on Out”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 5, 2022”

437) Galliard — “And Smile Again” Here is a soothing UK Renaissance folk-prog charmer. Jazz Rock Soul says “’And Smile Again’ is folksy and plaintive; [Geoff] Brown, affecting an Ian-Anderson-like tone, wraps vocal melodies around the accordion-laden, acoustic-plucked arrangement”. https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/galliard/. Renaissance Festival anyone?! As to Galliard, LPCDReissues tells us Formed in the Midlands in 1969Continue reading “Galliard — “And Smile Again”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 4, 2022″

436) The Hardy Boys — “Long, Long Way to Nashville” “Nashville” is no bubblegum thing, it’s actually a really cool and sophisticated country/sunshine pop track from Wheels, the ’70 sophomore album by the Hardy Boys. Yes, the Hardy Boys! Greg Ehrbar writes that: Everyone connected with Saturday morning television and the recording industry sat upContinue reading “The Hardy Boys — “Long, Long Way to Nashville”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 3, 2022”

435) The Plague (UK) — “Looking for the Sun” ’68 A-side from the only single by the uber-mysterious band — not to be confused with the Canadian Plague (see #248). 23 Daves writes: “Looking for the Sun” [is] chiming and subtle [with an] eerie and doomed feel. . . . By the time Decca launchedContinue reading “The Plague — “Looking for the Sun”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 2, 2022”

434) The Honeybus — “I Remember Caroline” Another glorious track from the glorious Honeybus (see #6, 52, 207) — from the ’70 album Story. Sooty Chimney calls it “McCartney worship at its finest” (https://www.dreamchimney.com/tracks/12420) and Kingsley Abbott says “I Remember Caroline recalls the Fab Four’s hit sounds and feel”. (https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/story) All true. As to theContinue reading “The Honeybus — “I Remember Caroline”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — May 1, 2022”

433) Rock Workshop — “Spine Cop” Sean Trane calls “Spine Cop” a “steamy instrumental . . . where the horns offer a Chicago-highway to [the] wailing guitar. Enthralling and exciting stuff.” (https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/rock-workshop). Rock Workshop’s first album (’70-’71) was “a bold attempt at fusing what would be termed rock jazz as opposed to jazz rock.”(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rock-workshop-mn0000831923) WhateverContinue reading “Rock Workshop — “Spine Cop”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 30, 2022″

432) Carla Thomas — “More Man Than I’ve Ever Had” George Starostin calls this killer track from Carla’s ‘69 album Memphis Queen a “funk-pop anthem.” He goes on: [T]he gentle and romantic Carla Thomas is beginning to learn the basics of lusty, carnal music — still not quite up to the standards of Bessie Smith,Continue reading “Carla Thomas — “More Man Than I’ve Ever Had”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 29, 2022”

431) The Ides of March — “My Foolish Pride” As Clark Besch notes, “with 1967’s [A-side] “My Foolish Pride,” we get the first taste of the layered horn sound to become the [IOM’s] trademark in a few short years.” (http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-ides-of-march-part-2.html?m=1) The culmination of that sound was, of course, “Vehicle”, the band’s #2 hit in 1970.Continue reading “The Ides of March — “My Foolish Pride”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 28, 2022”

430) Marianne Faithfull — “In the Night Time”dd Dr What more can be written about Marianne Faithfull? The last song of her’s that I featured was the B-side of her last big hit (’65) (see #111). “In the Night Time” is a gorgeous, haunting rendition of a song by Donovan (that he would release asContinue reading “Marianne Faithfull — “In the Night Time”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 27, 2022″

429) The Action — “Little Boy” Let me repeat my–, er, let Matt Collar repeat himself (see #393): The term “lost classic” is applied liberally and often erroneously to unreleased recordings that resurface years later in a maelstrom of hype. However, for . . . the Action, the term is not only justified, it isContinue reading “The Action — “Little Boy”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 26, 2022″

428) Billy Nicholls — “Life Is Short” It has been too long since I’ve featured a cut from one of, if not the, greatest “lost” albums of the ’60’s — Billy Nicholls’ Would You Believe (see #2, 64, 144). As David Wells says, “lost classic is a much abused term amongst pop historians, but it’sContinue reading “Billy Nicholls — “Life Is Short”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 25, 2022”

427) The Lewis & Clarke Expedition — “Blue Revelations” The rousing flip side to the LCE’s ’67 “hit” (reaching #64) “I Feel Good (I Feel Bad).” Richie Unterberger calls “Blue Revelations” a “gorgeous folk-psych rocker . . . with . . . enchanting reverbed guitar and harmonies”. (https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lewis-clarke-expedition-mw0000842184) Richie wasn’t so kind about the restContinue reading “The Lewis & Clark Expedition — “Blue Revelations”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 24, 2022”

426) The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Pat’s Song” A beautiful baroque break-up song from the incomparable PTC (see #54, 136, 318). Taken from their sole album, which Beverly Paterson aptly describes as: [T]he self-titled platter was padded to the ceiling with layers of sweet soaring harmonies stacked neatly atop pastoral textures, glistening melodies and exoticContinue reading “The Peppermint Trolley Co. — “Pat’s Song”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 23, 2022″

OK, get your mind out of the gutter — I am referring to George as a triple threat: performer, songwriter, and producer! 423) George Harrison — “Beautiful Girl” George demo’d this beautiful song for his All Things Must Pass triple-album magnum opus, but didn’t finish/release it until ’76’s 33 & 1/3. I find his hauntingContinue reading “George Harrison Three-Way Special Edition: George Harrison/Doris Troy/Jackie Lomax: George Harrison — “Beautiful Girl”, Doris Troy — “Gonna Get My Baby Back”, Jackie Lomax — “The Eagle Laughs at You”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — April 22, 2022″