Here is a hidden treasure from the vaults of 1968. "My Father's Name Was Dad" by The Fire is one of those never heard gems that shoulda-coulda been a hit. Like a cross between The Easybeats and The Who it has a chunky driving beat and groovy guitar hook. Not much more I can tell you about this other than that this is exactly the kind of late life find that keeps me digging through the archives. I just cannot get enough of this stuff.
"Porpoise Song" is possibly The Monkees finest musical moment in terms of production and music. Carol King outdid herself in capturing the sad aftermath of the Summer of Love, and her partner Gerry Goffin took George Martin and "I Am The Walrus" to the next level. The final coda - only on the 45rpm single - is awash in organ, chimes and strings. As far as I know, Micky Dolenz is the only actual Monkee on the track. It is a true one-off, never to be replicated. I barely remember it from back in the day but it has become a dear favorite.
By the time this was released The Monkees TV show had been canceled and the subversive movie Head was about to crash in the theaters, quite literally. Preceded by the top 5 showing of "Valeri", then the unfortunate release of "D. W. Washburn", "Porpoise Song" would only climb to 62 on the charts. Peter Tork ditched the group soon thereafter. The writing was on the wall but the remaining three held together for a couple more LPs.
In 1968 Michael Nesmith recorded a slew of his songs in Nashville with the apparent intent of including them on an upcoming Monkees LP. For reasons unknown to me almost none of these tunes had an official releases while the Monkees were still a working entity. Many would later be covered on Nesmith's fine 1970s solo records. "Listen To The Band" was one of the few exceptions and was released as a single in 1969.
Many years later Rhino records obtained exclusive license to release a gigantic backlog of unreleased Monkees material. Between three Missing Links sets and expanded releases of the original albums almost everything they recorded is now available. Among the gems recorded in Nashville is "St Matthew", a semi psychedelic country number with phased vocals and killer twangy guitar. Like many Nesmith lyrics these are bathed in pathos. On the surface they tell the story of a woman who lives life in the fast lane, but underneath there lies a sadness that belies the upbeat arrangement that encircles the song.
She walks around on brass rings that never touch her feet
She speaks in conversations that never are complete
And looking over past things that she has never done
She calls herself, "St Matthew" when she is on the run
Gary Usher was a songwriter and producer who had a hand in some of the most gorgeous pop records of the 1960s. He co-wrote songs with Brian Wilson early in the Beach Boys career, including the resplendent In My Room. He produced my favorite Byrds LP The Notorious Byrds Brothers, their last record to include the nucleus of the original band. His revolutionary production merged psychedelic effects throughout that record. Along with cohort songwriter and musician Curt Boettcher they released one of my favorite lost sike-pop LPs Present Tense under the band moniker of Sagittarius.
The oddly named Song to the Magic Frog (Will You Ever Know) boasts one of the most exquisite melodies that I can think of. The accompaniment is mostly acoustic guitar and harpsichord, with xylophone thrown in for good measure. Against this baroque pop atmosphere are angelic vocals that leap and soar into the heavens. Frankly it can be tear inducing if it catches me in the right moment.
Above the cloud-like, shimmering oval
Through some misty blue
Still before me
Stands the morning when I first saw you
Today's tune is sometimes referred to as a great lost psych single, but to me this is one of the first and greatest examples of pure Power Pop. One has to wonder if Nick Lowe ever heard this song, because it sure has the look and feel of his late 70s work. God only knows why the record company put Continental Hesitationon the B-side, for if
there ever was a coulda-shoulda been hit single, it would be this song.
Four seconds in, a killer acoustic guitar riff drops in and drives the song forward. The bass leaps and bounds in all the right spots. The second stanza sets the scene for the songwriter's views on alternative spirituality - "Ali Taj Mahashish Yogi Bear promised me. He will open up your mind to truth and you'll see.No need for lucky charms to hang on your doors. Continental Hesitation makes you feel free." I am never one to ridicule someone for their beliefs, but there certainly were some odd directions for seeking enlightenment back in the late 60s, and the Eastern mysticism and mind altering drugs get the full send up here.
The story behind Rifkin is copied verbatim from a website for Mr. Ed Furst, the man behind the band.
Rifkin was
the invention of a fan of the Ingoes. She suggested the name, going
solo, composing all my own songs, playing guitar & harmonica
simultaneously ('Oh, what, like Dylovan?' - 'No, not your drippy voice, use your ballsy
voice, and keep your home made solid guitar with the holes in, etc,
etc.') Pity she fancied Brian Godding, but then they all did. Anyway,
two years later I realised I had spontaneously done everything she
suggested except call myself Rifkin, so I gave it a go. Page One
released 'We're Not Those People Any More' (drippy voice) b/w
'Continental Hesitation' (ballsy voice), and Radio Luxembourg guaranteed
50 plays a week, but Page One forgot to get it printed because their
staff were all concentrating their energy on somebody called Reg, with a
song (which I must admit I almost forgot to hate) called 'Don't Let The
Sun Go Down On Me'. Wonder what happened to him. The session band was: Ed
Furst as Rifkin (vocals/gtr/sitar), Colin Frechter
(harpsichord/vocals), Dee Murray (bass/vocals) and, I'm told, Dave
Mattacks (drs/vocals); plus Colin Frechter again
(producer/MD/logistics/tea lady). The full lyrics can be found here.
The Factory is back again for the second day in a row. This is their first single - Path Through The Forest- from 1968. Though a bit less aggressive than Try A Little Sunshine, it more than makes up for that with its overall soundscape, which could be from another dimension, or another planet, or even the future. In fact it really does sound as if it could have come from an alternative band from thirty years forward. The processed vocal technique is the real kicker. It makes it seem as if the singer is rooms (or miles) away, and his voice is broadcast over some ancient speaker technology. The subject matter seems to relate to a hallucinogenic journey through some mystical forest, though you are free to reach your own conclusions.
If you google the band and song name, you will see quite a few blog posts that consider this one of the absolute greatest 60s psych singles. And frankly I cannot disagree. It creates its own little world and takes me someplace I have never been before.
You've got to slow down now
or you'll grow cold.
Leap past the flowers that sleep,
The hours that spring those old
Shadows confuse you
and silence is loud
you're reaching for the light
you're losing sight
You've just got to swing past the forest
where colours can blind you
and everything finds you
it can drive you insane
Fairport Convention is one of those limey bands that flew under my radar for years. Sure, I agree that Sandy Denny was a fine vocalist, but their music just never really clicked for me. Recently I discovered their first album Fairport Convention (UK only), recorded in 1967 and release in 1968. Prior to the arrival of Ms. Denny, Judy Dyble was the female vocalist. And wow, does she ever have a lovely voice. The Wikipedia article on this LP mentions that blueprint for the early version of Fairport was Jefferson Airplane, and sure enough the album is a veritable smorgasbord of summer of love songwriting.
My favorite from this LP is their cover of Joni Mitchell's I Don't Know Where I Stand. It kicks off with a sparse guitar intro, then suddenly transforms into a Byrds-ish take on Joni. From the opening verse, the lyrics are filled with that pensive feeling when you want to take that next step and let someone know how important they are to you, but you are not sure if the feeling is mutual.
Funny day, looking for laughter and finding it there
Sunny day, braiding wild flowers and leaves in my hair
Picked up a pencil and wrote "I love you" in my finest hand
Wanted to send it, but I don't know where I stand
This is a shout out to fellow blogger and all around good guy Who Am Us Anyway?. Thanks for checking in on me via this blog over the last few months. My health issue has improved greatly, and although I must be vigilant from here on out, I am pretty much back to living a normal life. Having never had any serious health problem until last year - not even a broken bone - this has all been quite humbling. But life is good and I am out to make the best of it.
Today's gem is a lost pysch classic from 1968 by the studio assemblage known as Sagittarius, led by producer/song writer Gary Usher. He collaborated with Brian Wilson during the early years of the Beach Boys, penning the lyrics for 409 and In My Room. When released as a single in 1968, today's tune My World Fell Down bumped its way up to #70 in the US charts. None other than Glen Campbell provided the lead vocal, and another Beach Boy touring member Bruce Johnston added backing vocals. A few months later when the record company demanded a full LP, the song was cut to remove the musique concrete middle section.
From the opening piano diddle I was hooked the first time I heard this. The delicacy of the verse melody is contrasted with the Beach Boy-like chorus, and then the chamber pop section blows right into the found audio section. It's all a bit silly and yet the overall effect is quite stunning. Yet another attempt at a little pop symphony.
Well, if the Yardbirds were going to be poured into a "pop" singles band mold, at least their final single was a rip-roaring farewell. Thanks to Jimmy Page and his fuzzed out guitar work, Goodnight Sweet Josephine rocks and rolls in a very upbeat way. Maybe the best pop song ever about a hooker! After the gentle 12 string acoustic picking for the opening riff, on its second pass the electric guitar lets us know Mr. Page was not going to let the band pass away gently.
For the third single in a row neither Jim McCarty (drummer) or Chris Dreja (bass) participated. Clem Cattini played drums, John Paul Jones (future Led Zep) on bass, and Nicky Hopkins played piano.
Released in March of 1968 in only the US, the song bubbled up to #127 on the charts. Such a sad showing for their last bit of official recording. The B-side Think About It is a wonderful guitar-led workout that is more representative of the band at this late stage in their career. The failure of the single in the US resulted in no release in the UK.
Over at the always wonderful Burning Wood blog I learned of a 1968 single B-side featuring a rare and unusual quartet of 60's rock musicians. The Dog Presides feature Paul Jones of Manfred Mann on vocals, Paul McCartney on drums, Jeff Beck on guitar and Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds on bass. Amazing song - it rocks like nobody's business. Beck and McCartney go to town and Paul Jones layers one of Beck's psychedelic guitar journeys with a ripping harmonica solo. The world may not have been changed as a result of the recording of this song, but it sure is fun to hear a group of excellent musicians working outside of their usual band and having a blast doing it.
What better way to make up for my inexcusable omission of the Byrds in this blog than to have two posts in a row? From their 1968 masterpiece "Notorious Byrd Brothers" here is a lovely tune by bassist Chris Hillman and guitarist Roger McGuinn, written in the odd meter (for pop music) of 5/4. "Get To You" is chock full of odd Lesley Speaker phased-vocals and a melody that just gets lovelier as it goes. By this point Mr. Hillman was supplying about a third of the songs on the LP, matching that provided by the recently departed David Crosby. One of pop music's great "if only" moments would have been to see Crosby stay in the band long enough to produce another LP. The sheer variety of musical styles on this album is amazing. But it was not meant to be, as the Byrds went country on the next release and soon thereafter Chris left, along with drummer Michael Clarke and suddenly the original Byrds were no more.
I have this theory - totally unprovable - that the key moment when things went wrong with the internal chemistry with the Beatles was not mid-68 during the White Album sessions, nor early the next year for the Get Back sessions. My theory is that everything went awry during the "Magical Mystery Tour" sessions up through the scattered recordings done just before they left for India in early 1968. Bare with me as I list some events during that period.
Paul commandeered the group into making the MMT movie and EP. Yes the music was top notch, and John provided perhaps one of his finest moments with "I Am The Walrus". But it was clearly Paul's brainchild and the other three were just along for the ride. It is possible that John's resentment of Paul's attempts to lead the group had been building since "Sgt Pepper's".
John's heyday for getting singles A-sides were on the wain. "Strawberry Fields" in early 1967 had to share double-A side status with "Penny Lane". Totally understandable as both songs are revolutionary, but still John did not get full A-side credit. So that leaves "All You Need Is Love" in the summer as John's last A-side until mid-1969.
John hated "Hello Goodbye" and has been quoted trashing Paul's lyrics. He also was pushing to make "I Am The Walrus" as the A-side. I should note that I love "Hello Goodbye" for its sunshine pop and the clever production, but regardless it was another put down for John to see Paul get another A-side.
During the short recording windows before they left for India in early 1968, the band worked on "Lady Madonna" and "Across the Universe". John contended that Paul purposely undercut him by bringing in a couple of young ladies off the street to sing backup vocals on "Across the Universe". Although I greatly prefer this original version, which only saw the light of day on a charity album until it reappeared on the "Rarities" LP in the 80s, I can see John's point that the vocals add nothing to the song and the singers are less than stellar. Later after the Beatles break-up Paul was quoted complaining about Phil Spector's work on "Let It Be", in part because he added female chorus voices to a Beatles song! Now that was a twist.
The day the band was set to record a video for the new "Lady Madonna" single, John arrived in the studio with a new song "Hey Bulldog" - and the band decided to film themselves recording it instead, although the official video superimposed LM on the audio track. HB is a cracker-jack piece of rock and roll and should never have been relegated as a toss-off for inclusion on the "Yellow Submarine" soundtrack.
So how could things have gone differently? Perhaps one of George's shelved 1967 tunes such as "Only a Northern Song" could have been the B-side for "Hello Goodbye", and "I Am The Walrus" could have been its own A-side. Yes, it is the most pyschedelic song they ever recorded, but the world would have eaten it up at that time during the height of their popularity.
While the Beatles were off in India two more singles should have been issued. "Hey Bulldog" b/w "It's All Too Much" as a follow up to "Lady Madonna". I say follow up one rocker with another! Then early summer, before "Hey Jude" conquers the universe, "Across The Universe" b/w "All Together Now" would have given light to perhaps the most beautiful, touching, and spiritual song that John ever wrote. It would have required wiping the female harmony vocals but Geoff E. and George M. would have been up to the task, and possibly could have added a minimal string arrangement in its place.
Would all of this had made a difference? Would John have been pacified enough to prevent him from instilling Yoko at every recording session going forward, thus removing one of the major hindrances to the working relationship between the four Beatles? Totally unknowable but I do believe that it might have bought more time before the eventual split. That said, I love "Abbey Road" so much that I am afraid a different path might have resulted in it never being made.
Anyway, here is the unofficial video for "Hey Bulldog" - which as you can see is what they were actually singing/recording, not "Lady Madonna". This song just kills me. And Paul's bass line is just amazing.
What pop single from the late 60s starts with an awesome acoustic guitar lick, the most ferocious hand claps ever recorded, contains delicious vocal harmonies to extremely bitter lyrics, and ends with a sitar freakout? Why Carpet Man from the Fifth Dimension's Magic Garden LP, of course! Also released as a 45 rpm single on Soul City Records #762, debuted 2/3/68 and peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Another Jimmy Webb gem wherein the upbeat melodies attempt to hide the intense pain of the subject matter.
I would think you'd get tired of hurtin' Every now and then It's no good down there that's for certain And carpets do get thin And that's when they have to be thrown away That's what she'll say to herself some sunny day And she'll say come to my wedding and of course you do And then the groom and her will have a dance on you She walks all over you You know she can, she knows she can You're a carpet man
Back in the late 70s after Apple Records was dissolved, some bright entrepreneur put all of the remaining Apple LPs and singles on sale via mail order. I was a total Beatles nut by that point so I ordered nearly every single I could get my hands on. A good portion of the non-Beatles singles were heinous, but there were definitely some surprises. Ronnie Spector's Try Some Buy Some (a George Harrison tune) from 1971 is really quite lovely and epic. There is a wonderful early James Taylor song - Carolina in My Mind. And of course Badfinger - all of which rules my world.
One tune really knocked me out. George Harrison wrote Sour Milk Sea around the time of the White Album. There is even a rough demo out there with the Fab Four performing it. But alas like so many Harrison songs, this one was never to be part of the offical Beatle's canon. Instead he gave it to Jackie Lomax, an up-and-coming singer who was signed to Apple early on. It was released as a single in the US and UK in 1968. Apparently it sank without a trace.
On the recording you will find George on guitar, Paul on bass, and Ringo on drums. Nicki Hopkins tickles the ivories and Eric Clapton joins George with some blistering licks. It has a "sound" that really works for me. Deep and heavy, with lots of reverb. With Paul and Ringo holding down the rhythm section, how could it not be good?
The current post over at the PowerPop blog reminded me just how much I love The Small Faces. Just as they reached their peak with Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, they splintered when lead singer Steve Marriott left to join Humble Pie. That album has a unique construction, with hard rockers and music hall tunes on side one, while the flip is a philosophical journey of a character named Happiness Stan, and is told as a fairy tale.
Here is the fabulously soul-drenched Afterglow from side one. I love everything about this song - the initial comical acoustic opening, the Hammond organ sound, Marriott's vocal pyrotechnics from a whisper to a scream, Kenny Jones' powerful drumming, and the way the song builds each time to the furious chorus. They were an amazing band at this point in the career.
From Stockholm to Wichita in 24 hours. Wichita is a great little city. Clean and prosperous, never in the race to build a clunky downtown skyline like Dallas. Beautiful 1930s bungalows stretch north of downtown along the meanders of the Little Arkansas River. The gorgeous art deco tower and terra cotta work on Wichita North High School brings to mind a time when school architecture was adventurous and a student actually could look forward to going to school there. A two hour drive north of my home town, I always felt a special affinity there and still have fond memories of once a week journeys during my senior year in college to take viola lessons at WSU (The Wheatshockers!).
What brings me to revisit Wichita is perhaps one of the finest songs written in the 20th century. Those that read this blog know that I have a big gooey soft spot for the songwriting of Jimmy Webb. He has a way with weaving his words into melodies that seem to have always been there in the back of my mind. And more often than not the lyrics hit a chord with me that continues to vibrate years later. Wichita Lineman conveys a feeling of yearning, a desire for a connection that never quite transpires. The lineman imagines the voice of his lover echoing over the electric lines. But there he is, up on the pole, miles away from the real thing and the reality and loneliness sets in. The arrangement adds to the mood, with swooning strings and a Gulbransen synthesizer (thanks Wikipedia!) telegraphing an insistent morse code signal.
I hear you singing in the wire I can hear your through the whine And the Wichita lineman is still on the line
And I need you more than want you And I want you for all time But the Wichita lineman is still on the line
Ah, sweet psychedelia is in bloom on my speakers. Here is Fantasy Island - the uber-fine A-side for the 1968 single by Swedish band Tages. The track kicks off with a fuzzy descending guitar riff that grabs me by the throat and will not let go. The drummer puts in his best clomping Ringo licks and a fiddle adds texture to the middle eight. The chorus harmonies are infinitely lovely. Then at 1:10 a riff out of Yardbirds heaven breaks open the skies.
The B-side - To Be Free - is a lovely piano driven Beatleish tune that would have fit nicely on Magical Mystery Tour. Wish it was available on Youtube so that I could share it. If I had to pick a year that was the peak of the 45rpm single it would probably be 1968.
Based on what I read at Tages they were the predominant pop/psych band in Sweden in the mid 60s. Based on a dozen tracks I downloaded a few years ago I can see why. Tuneful, great harmonies, and production work nearly on a par with the best UK bands. Many of their later tracks were recorded at EMI/Abbey Road studios in London.
According to Wikipedia, The Pretty Things 1968 album "S.F. Sorrow was released in the same week as The Beatles White Album, The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet, and The Kinks Village Green Preservation Society. The album was barely promoted by EMI." Produced by former Beatles former engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, it was a concept album sometimes referred to as the first rock opera. For me, its narrative of a man's descent into melancholy madness holds together better that Tommy.
Musically, Sorrow is a product of its time with psychedelic flourishes throughout. Mr. Smith's production adds odd instruments along with layered vocals. Pandora's box was opened with Sgt. Pepper the previous year and Sorrow takes advantage of the giant leap forward. Unlike the musical kaleidoscope, the story is quite grim. In fact it may well contain the most depressing story arc in the history of pop music. Before side one has ended, Sebastian F. Sorrow - the protagonist - as a young man has taken a job as a scab worker at a factory where his father had previously been employed. He goes off to war, witnesses atrocities, returns home only to witness his fiance's death in a Zeppelin disaster.
Later in the story Sorrow has been shown the dark side of life by the wicked Baron Saturday, and comes to the conclusion that the world is devoid of people of honor and trust. The song Trust finds him barely holding on to the last of his sanity. The loping melody, syncopated bass line and gorgeous vocal harmonies stab at a sharp angle with the hopelessness of the lyrics. This is truly one of the lost treasures of the sixties.
Excuse me please as I wipe a tear Away from an eye that sees there's nothing left to trust Finding that their minds are grey And there's no sorrow in the world that's left to trust.
In 1968 The Pretty Things released a couple of singles that were totally out of left field. Their previous R&B incaranation was gone, never to return. In its place came a band totally immersed in the psychedelic movement, in no small part thanks to producer Norman Smith. Smith previously was the recording engineer for the Beatles up through Rubber Soul, and upon his promotion to producer he became the sound steward for the Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.
The first of these singles, Defecting Grey b/w Mr. Evasion is a groovy trip through hallucinogenic fields. All sorts of odd instruments and sound were used, included phased vocals, early synthesizers, and tons of guitar feedback. As far as I can tell the single sold about five copies in the UK. Undaunted the band released another pair of gems in the same vein - Talkin' About the Good Times b/w Walking Through My Dreams. The A side kicks off with jangly guitar which is almost immediately overridden by an electric guitar riff that sounds almost like a rooster crowing. Then the chorus comes in - oddly before the verse - with all sorts of Beatle-ish goodness. Mellotron, lovely harmonies, crazy stilted martial drumming, I could go on forever. Yeah its just my opinion, but this is probably in the top five finest psychedelic 45s ever released. And of course it disappeared without a trace upon release.
She has sun in her face Her lips kiss the sun, caress the sun, arrest the sun, fields of light we found the place She has sun in her eyes The clouds cross the sun, without the sun, the evening shadows in her eyes
