The emptiness in her eyes was cruel to see

With a blog named after my favorite Monkees' song, one would think I would have posted an entry about this band long before now.  For most of my adult life I enjoyed their hit singles but had no knowledge of their albums.  Only in the last few years have I made that leap, and in the process discovered several things.  (1) Mike Nesmith is a top notch song writer.  (2) They recorded dozens of songs that were never officially released until long after they broke up, and many of these are some of the best music they ever committed to tape.  (3)  They could actually play their instruments, although that really only occurred for a couple of LPs in the middle of their career. (4) I don't care that many of their songs were recorded with session musicians.   I love most of it regardless.

That said it is about time I featured them in some blog posts, so here goes.

According to Wikipedia "Love Is Only Sleeping" was planned as the preceding single to the Pisces, Aquarius, Carpicorn & Jones Ltd. LP, but "was canceled due to fears that the title of the A-side might be too risqué".   It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, of course one of the top notch songwriting duos of all time.  I just love the syncopated guitar riff and Mike's Texas drawl.  And to top it off it ends in a flurry of psychedelic feedback.

Martha My Dear

The new Beatles 1+ release with two Blu Ray disks of videos is just about the best Beatles product ever.   The CD portion is fine although the Fab Four community is up in arms over the omission of "Please Please Me" since it was a #1 on some charts in the UK.  The new mixes are nice, with more clarity in just about every regard.  The guitar in "Paperback Writer" is absolutely pummeling.

But the videos are the real star here.  Going chronologically, they really kick in with "I Feel Fine" and never let up.   Options of stereo and two version of 5.1 surround are great but I am really in it for the actual videos.   To see those four together, singing, playing, laughing, enjoying themselves is what floats my boat.  Apple has pretty much shut down all Beatles videos on You-tube but who needs them now that we have top notch versions in an official release.   The videos that were initially created on film are just stupendous.   Restored with care and just bursting from the screen. 

Some days I think "Strawberry Fields Forever" may be my favorite song ever.   So thanks to Apple the new version is up on Youtube, and here it is.  But take my word for it, the actual blu ray version is twice as clear and deep.

Just a quick note to say that I have been away due to health issues.  Thanks to my doctors and my partner I am just about back to myself after nearly a year of recovery.  Howdy to all who may have wondered where I disappeared to.

And yes, Martha the sheepdog does make an appearance at the very end of the video, a detail I had never noticed before.

Have You Seen Her Dressed In Blue?

Just because.   I am a marginal fan of the Rolling Stones, but I sure dig their Summer of Love output.  The LP Their Satanic Majesties Request and the single We Love You are quite my cup of tea.  Full flowered psychedelia with a pinch of foreboding.  Here is She's A Rainbow, with that eerie opening piano riff courtesy of Nicky Hopkins.

Ignore the year posted on the YouTube video - this was definitely from 1967.

A Luck That's Brought Me Down

The last 45rpm released by The Action before Parlophone canceled their recording contract was Shadows and Reflections.   Produced by George Martin, the song was written by Larry Marks and Tandyn Almer.  Mr. Almer was the composer of Along Comes Mary as well as co-writer of Sail On Sailor with Brian Wilson.  This track gives a good idea of what the Rolled Gold tracks might have sounded like if they had ever made it past the demo stage.

After a lovely but sad harpsichord introduction the verse kicks in and Reg King reminisces about love that is lost:

There's an old vacant apartment
Above the shop on the square
Something keeps bringing me back to
Those final moments we shared
To that glass the reflections
Cast their glow on the door
Empty shadows of night on the floor

At the 1:50 mark that Martin magic comes blaring in with horns and heavenly harmonies carry through to the end. 

This Kind of Love's Bringing Down This Man

On my top 100 45rpm singles posting I placed the Easybeats' Friday on My Mind in the top ten.  Written by Easybeats pair of lead guitarist Harry Vanda and rhythm guitarist George Young, the song became a worldwide hit in late 1966, with a delayed USA release in May '67.   The advanced songwriting and frenetic musical technical requirements were well beyond most bands on the charts at the time.   Clearly this was a band with the ability to break into the upper ranks of the current scene.  Other than the Beatles I would say that they could have challenged just about anyone else around.

But of course they were not a "new" band.  From their start in 1965 in Australia they became local legends and accumulated a significant number of hit records before they burst onto the international scene.   In late '66 they moved to London and signed with United Artists (NY) for their international releases.   What ensued would make a great comedy if it were not for the tragedy that resulted to their career.   I have neither the knowledge nor the time to relate everything that happened from this point forward, but I can sketch the overall arc for you.   Attorneys became involved, entire LPs were recorded and discarded, singles were prepared then withdrawn, and the records that were released were done so in a haphazard fashion.  While a new LP of heavily orchestrated psychedelic tunes sat in the vault, tastes changed and hit bands were moving in a new direction.   And worst of all, the record companies involved seemed to lose interest and did not aggressively market the music that was released. 

Hence today's post.  The follow up single to FOMM was Heaven and Hell, released in mid '67.  First of all the title scared off the radio stations, then one line of lyric resulted in a hastily edited US version to prevent panic in the streets.   Of course the end result is that it received little to no airplay and completely tanked on the UK and US charts.   It performed slightly better in their home country of Australia, but the die was already cast.   Though they continued to record and release some spectacular music over the next couple of years, they managed only a few scattered chart placements and by the end of 1969 it was pretty much over for them.

This track bursts forth with a guitar and harpsichord introduction, then the verse kicks in and Stevie Wright lays down the opening verse.  Clearly this guy is going through a major girl problem.  Alternating between verse and chorus, the song suddenly takes a 180 into a softer middle eight, all the while maintaining a high energy level.   By the final chorus the band is harmonizing like choir boys while Stevie spills his guts.  This is amazing songwriting, musical production, and performance.  Methinks I must go back and reappraise my top 100 single list.

I can't rest while the sun & the stars are so bright

To get in the mood for summer I have been delving into that mutant strain of the Summer of Love - British Psychedelia.   I am finding myself amazed at every turn, with one discovery leading to another.  Much of this music was quickly rushed to market to capitalize on the sudden interest in all things psychedelic, likely thanks to the Beatles (Strawberry Fields, Sgt. Peppers, etc.)  Because there was so much product being released a great deal of it completely missed the charts and received little to no radio play.

Tintern Abbey is one such band.   Their short recorded history - one 45 rpm single - is cataloged in the linked Wikipedia article.    Even though the single made no known chart, nowadays the original UK 45 on Deram is fetching in excess of 1000 pounds.   Although the asking price is clearly a reflection of supply and demand, there is no argument on my account that this is one of the tastiest pieces of popsike out there.  Beeside (which was the A-Side) is one of those multi-part mellotron driven tunes, with very odd lyrics relating to bees and their pursuit of flowers during every moment of daylight.  A central falsetto / piano / oboe section takes the action in a different direction for a few seconds.  Quite the sweet dreamy little nugget.

I Haven't Seen A Thing Like This Since You

There is a particular guitar sound that one sometimes finds on a mid 60's pop song.  I refer to it as "rubber band" guitar.   Today's tune is a perfect example of what I am referring to.  This is not meant as a derogatory description, as in this particular case the notes being played are crazy genius work.

I am referring Look At The View, yet another amazing track from The Action's Rolled Gold LP.  After the guitar intro, the first verse adds vocals and bass.  But on the second pass, the drums come in and this turns into one hell of a great 60's stomp rocker.  At 2:45 the song goes off into quavering Strawberry Fields land with hazy high vocal harmonies with organ accompaniment.  If only this had made it past demo stage, one can just imagine what George Martin's production wizardry could have done for this track.  But no complaints from me - their demo more than shows what excellent rockers and melody writers they were.

Remember Me

Two chords.   Generally my tastes call for lots of chords, with interesting progressions and odd harmonies.   For years Elvis Costello tried to write a song with only one chord - but always ended up using at least two.   Two of those are amongst my favorites.  "Beyond Belief" spills over with word associations and builds to a fevered pitch.  And "Uncomplicated" begins with thunder and cuts to the bone.  Those two gems are about the only two chord songs that I would care to list amongst my favorite songs.  Until last week.  When I discovered the long lost Rolled Gold LP by the mod British rockers The Action.

For a bit of background on that album, they were produced by none other than George Martin, and released less than half a dozen singles on Parlophone Records, none of which made a dent in the UK charts.  But they had a large mod cult following, apparently not so far behind The Who and The Small Faces.   About the time that they were dropped by Parlophone in 1967, they were working on demos for an album.  By this point they had graduated from American soul covers to writing their own acid drenched rockers.   Many of the songs had fully fleshed out melodies and harmonies, but the lyrics were just placeholders awaiting further tuning, and the arrangements were still quite spare.  No Martin magic had yet been applied.

Thirty years passed and the LP never saw the light of day.  Then an ex-band member released an acetate to a small label that put it out on CD.   The quality was poor but it piqued some interest, then another ex-member acknowledged that he had the master tape in his possession.   Finally released in its full yet spare glory, it sat there for about fifteen years waiting for me to discover it over at the excellen Monkey Picks blog.  There are many truly great songs on this album that never was.

That was five days ago.  And since then I cannot stop playing it.  Especially the song that inspired today's post.  "Brain" is that holy grail - the two chord song that has everything it needs.   The chiming rhythm guitar and a phased lead set the environment for alternating loud and soft sections.  Thrust forward by some just killer drumming, the song pummels and pleads.  And best of all is the passionate vocal by lead singer Reg King.  His voice is almost a ringer for Pete Hamm of Badfinger, but with even more soul.   It is all still new to my ears, but I can guarantee you that I will playing it loud for many years to come.

Take your brain it's time to go
You don't have long to go
Remember me (re)member me
Cause I'm the one that made you see
(re)member me

At Six O'Clock The Moon Came Out

Although the previous single had a very lackluster chart showing, Mickey Most used another tune by an outside writer to try to boost the Yardbirds flailing career.   This time he chose Ten Little Indians by up-and-coming singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson.  Released in October of 1967, what an odd little song this is, and this time around Jimmy Page was allowed to participate.   To a martial snare beat, there are some odd brass parts that pop in from nowhere then disappear into the darkness.  Between "six" and "five" Jimmy adds a strange pulsating guitar figure, then the song just builds and builds until the final verse drops to a scream and whisper (together) then the guitar goes bananas and the ever present drum beat continues until the song collapses.   It was all for naught as the song climbed no higher than #91 in the US charts.  But I find it weirdly intriguing and worth repeated listenings.  Certainly not in the class of their epic Jeff Beck-led guitar freak outs, but seemingly a better direction than their previous attempt at pop.

Is The Knight Being Tight On Romance?

With the Yardbirds previous two singles failing to rise high on the charts, management brought in producer Mickie Most to "rescue" the band.  Three pop oriented tunes would be the next singles, starting with Ha! Ha! Said The Clown, written by Tony Hazzard.   In the UK Manfred Mann had a hit with this tune, so Most hoped to replicate that success in the US with the Yardbirds version.  Rumor has it that the only Yardbird on this record is the singer Keith Relf, and that the backing band was the New York pop outfit Cyrkle.   Apparently Rick Neilsen - the awesome guitarist in Cheap Trick - played keyboards on this track.  Needless to say this enjoyable bit of pop fluff was totally at odds with the guitar-driven sound of the Jimmy Page-led Yardbirds.  It does have some odd time signatures and sprightly organ lines.  The lyric subject jumps from knights of the middle ages to a modern day carnival.  The US-only single climbed to #45 before disappearing from view.

Mixing With Kinky Cats

The last of the Yardbird's great guitar-driven singles was also the first with Jimmy Page as lead guitarist.  Little Games was released in March of 1967, one month after Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane changed the universe of pop music.  The insistent repeated guitar chord telegraphs its message, later taken up by strings.   The lyrics have lost the cosmic philosophy of the previous singles and deal straight out with the free living of a young man in the swinging sixties.  The single bombed in the UK and barely scraped to #51 in the US.   In fact it would be the final UK single for the Yardbirds, though there are three more odd pop-leaning singles to come in the US.

Shut the door

I have nothing against arrogant pricks per se, although there is ample evidence that David Crosby fits that description to a tee.   But during his tenure in the Byrds he wrote some of the most gorgeous jangle pop ballads ever.  And not only could he construct a pretty melody but he often was a fine lyricist.   In fact - when he was "on" - his perceptions were insightful.   Perhaps the best example is his ode to broken hearts, Everybody's Been Burned from 1967's "Younger Than Yesterday".  His words of wisdom, coming at the very end of the song, shows him to be quite the optimist.   And I like that in a person.   Even if he is an arrogant prick.

I know all too well
How to turn, how to run
How to hide behind
A bitter wall of blue
But you die inside
If you choose to hide
So I guess instead, I'll love you...

I Should Have Learned to Duck

This is one of those posts where I am not sure what to say, other than that I feel the need to share a song that I consider the high point of the career of a band that I have unbelievably ignored in previous posts.   I was very late discovering the wonders of The Byrds, other than a few of their early  12-string hits such as "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn Turn Turn".   My brother sent me a CD containing all of their LPs (excluding their short-lived reunion), and within a few days I was completely transfixed by the quality and diversity of their 60s output.  The magic exudes from those first five LPs and assorted singles that were produced by the original nucleus of the group. They were blessed with four fine singers, each with a real talent for songwriting, and some amazing instrumental chops to boot.   

By mid 1967 they had not had a top 40 hit since "My Back Pages" in March of the previous year.  Gene Clark was long gone, and David Crosby was months away from departing the group.  And yet the quality of their output was still on an upward path.   Prior to the release of "The Notorious Byrds Brothers" in early 1968, their fifth LP and last of their great masterworks,  they produced a single that to my ears was a pinnacle of 60s pop/rock.   It was clearly radio friendly, with amazing chiming guitar lines, gorgeous harmonies, an instrumental break capped by trumpet volleys, and one of Mr. Crosby's finest melodies.    "Lady Friend" was a culmination of the Byrds sound and deserved a lofty status in their canon.  But like a lot of other great music, it was lost in the sea of other great tunes in mid-67 and sank like a stone on the charts.    Because of internal struggles in the band it was omitted from the following LP, and for years was not available other than on an import "best of" LP.

Here it comes, it looks just like the last wave I drowned in.
Here it comes, and I'm so far from shore.
She's going to go, and take her trinkets.
And I will have to live without her and survive

Distorted view, see through baby blue

I came late for the party. The Pink Floyd party that is. And even then it was only that wacky, hallucinogenic early period that ever caught my fancy. I expended considerable effort to gain some enjoyment from their 70s heyday recordings, but frankly it all still leaves me cold. But that early Syd Barrett material is another story. Especially those first three singles released before Syd's internal psychic battle resulted in his departure from the band. Arnold Layne beat the Kinks to the tranvestite-themed punch by three years. Needless to say it never garned any US airplay, but what a wonderful little trippy tune it is, along with its witty description of Arnold's predilection for stealing women's undergarments from a clothes line.



As for Syd, he managed to record a couple of solo albums before his internal demons rendered him unable to continue. One of the off kilter tunes from The Madcap Laughs - his first LP - is also a personal favorite. When I listen I imagine an acoustic Kinks song with chord changes inspired by Charles Ives and a lyric that is so obtuse that even John Lennon would be in awe. Ladies and gentlemen, please leave us here to close our eyes to the Octopus ride:

Life is kinda groovy in the gutter

For those who consider the Fifth Dimension to be corny or square, you can skip this entry entirely. I for one am a unabashed fan. Their stellar harmonies and pop/soul hooks of the late sixties are essential listening for me a decade into the 21st century.

Jimmy Web wrote all but one song on their 1967 Magic Garden LP, just as he was breaking up with his longtime girlfriend Susan. Her name pops up frequently in the lyrics. A true pop/psych song cycle, there are introductions and connecting pieces between the plethora of fantastic songs. The turmoil of the breakup is reflected by the increasingly depressing song subjects. In Dream/Pax/Nepenthe the singer refers to "cobweb shadows all over her face like lacquered lace", as if some long buried memory. In the heartbreaking The Worst That Could Happen he imagines her marrying another.

The true test of real "ear candy" is a song that hooks me within five seconds. The dense syncopated piano cluster chords that open Paper Cup are absolutely smile-inducing for me. Even in my worst mood this song will perk up my spirit. Quite the enigma considering that the lyrics are one supreme downer. "And everyone says I'm quite insane, and someday I'll be going down the drain. I know they're right, but I don't care. I feel no pain."

Skip's Song

I have been a fan of that first great Moby Grape LP for years, but only just discovered the song Seeing last year. It was never quite finished by Skip Spence before his departure from the group in 1968 after ingesting large amounts of hallucinogens. The remaining band members finished the song for inclusion on Moby Grape '69.

This song haunts me. It stays in my head for days. I cannot really say why. It just does.

If you'd seen the naked dream
I had of you
Would you care
And would you now come through?

Take me far away
My miles and mind can't beat the dream of death today
Hard to get by
When what greets my eyes takes my breath away

In my dream you are around the stars
I watched your walls all fall away
You were bare of thoughts, we were to part
And we stayed that way

Some try to hide because they lied
They were not true, they were afraid
And they refuse to see or be free
Be on to the gods they prayed

Ahh, save me, save me, save me, save me
save me, save me, save me
I'll save you, can I spend you?

And now this naked dream
I had of you
And will you care
And will you now come through?

Take me far away
My miles and mind can't beat the dream of death today
Oh, no, hard to get by
When what greets my eyes takes my breath away

Oh, cryin', save me, save me, save me, save me
save me, save me, save me
I'll save you, can I spend you?

-- Alexander Lee Spence

Music of the spheres

Back in the 1980s there was a classical music FM station in Tulsa that always closed their broadcast day with an a capella Russian choral piece. Sometimes late at night I would have the radio on that station just so that could be the last thing I heard before falling asleep. Pure serenity and peacefulness.

What does that have to do with a blog about power pop? Everything really. For in the rock universe we have our own vocal prayer, that never-duplicated combination of Brian Wilson at the top of his game and the peerless harmonies of the Beach Boys. From the aborted Smile project circa 66/67, here is Our Prayer to lull you off into a night of peaceful contended sleep.

Nothing can hold the tears in me

Back in the 70s I was an avid reader of "Stereo Review" and especially the reviews by rock critic Steve Simels (now a co-host over at the fabulous Power Pop). He mentioned a long lost classic 45 by The Left Banke, the 1967 followup to their hit Pretty Ballerina. Desiree was a chart failure, barely denting the Billboard top 100 before disappearing in the mist. I searched high and low for years and was finally rewarded when a greatest hits LP was released in the 80s.

What other pop record starts with a string quartet and bassoons? It is a song of incredible complexity - mulitple sections which intertwine betwixt and between organ, trumpet, strings, brass, jangly guitar and the kitchen sink. Lead singer Steve Martin has a one-of-a-kind tenor voice that works perfectly within the baroque atmosphere of Michael Brown's compositions. And that ending with the cacophony of "la la las" over the orchestral counterpoint sends me over the edge. A guaranteed 2 and 1/2 minutes of pure listening pleasure.

99 + 1 = 103?

Someday soon I plan to post the complete Pleasant Valley Sunday top 100 singles. The list has been in existence for a while and other than a few minor alterations, the list has remained fairly constant over time. There are a few ties, but I cheat by not skipping the next position. So in actuality there are 103 singles on the list.

Last October I wrote about three Beatles' singles in Teenage Angst. Turns out that one of those is in my top spot, another is #3, and the third is #29. Not to spoil the unveiling party, I won't disclose which is which just yet. But since #1 and #3 have already been covered here, let me introduce #2, the first Who entry here at PVS - I Can See For Miles. Not sure what I can say it that has not already been said. This is a pinnacle, one of the most powerful, amazing, unrepeatable artifacts of what rock'n'roll is all about. Townshend's lyrics about a young man with (possibly imaginary) super powered vision to spy on his cheating lover are cut from the same cloth as many of the other Who diamonds from those pre-Tommy years.

Due to the complexity of the song, it was rarely performed live during Keith Moon's lifetime. There are a gaggle of lip synced video performances, but many are from a few years later when the band took on a different persona and it just does not work for me. I need to see the Oooo in frilly shirts and Roger Daltrey with his page boy haircut to really appreciate this song. Probably the best lip synced version is available here, but alas no embedding. So instead here is an arty black and white video which consists mostly of jump cut face shots.

The summer's all gone

It has been a busy weekend in the Mister Pleasant household so I had to delay the next Kinks' LP posts until things settle down a bit. In the meantime here is a non-LP single from October 1967, the exquisite Autumn Almanac. No bullsh*t from me this time, just one of the finest 45 rpm singles ever cut.