THE MARMALADE - MAN IN A SHOP / CRY (THE SHOOB DOROORIE SONG), JANUARY 1968

Although unsuccessful at release (late 1967 in the UK) this pair of originals from the Marmalade has much to offer.  Both sides are very much in the pop song vein full of strings, horns and sugar coated harmonies, but 'Man A The Shop' is given a distinct edge by the inclusion of what is presumably a backwards fuzz guitar riff that is featured throughout the song.  This is psych at it's lightest, but extremely pleasing nonetheless.

THE CYRKLE - PENNY ARCADE / THE WORDS, JULY 1967

This non LP single from The Cyrkle barely cracked the Billboard top 100 in the summer of 1967 which isn't too surprising.  They had a lot of competition, to say the least.  

'Penny Arcade' written by Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer (a songwriting duo who also wrote a few lightweight numbers for the Monkees) is a decent piano driven pop number with lyrics that could be described as 'typical' for the times.  Some nice harmonies and handclaps are provided from the boys.

The spotlight belongs to the flipside, an original number written by founding member of the Cyrkle Tom Dawes. 'The Words' is lead by some classic folk rock jangle and backed with thumping bass, electric sitar, and treated harmony vocals.  This tune ranks among the best from this short lived group and should not be overlooked.

THE APPLETREE THEATRE - WHAT A WAY TO GO / LOTUS FLOWER, MARCH 1968

No need for any sweet talking, 'What A Way To Go' by The Appletree Theatre is a gorgeous tune with gorgeous lyrics, and I'm quite thrilled to know it.  It's a perfect fit for those of us who are 'world weary' and prefer to 'get lost in the soundscape' so to speak.  Brother Terrance Boylan was the primary writer of the song and was most assuredly going for a 'Day In The Life' feel.  He succeeded in doing so as this song closes out the Appletree Theatre's Playback album perfectly.  Zal Yanovsky of the Lovin' Spoonful was also featured on this record.

The flipside 'Lotus Flower' is a more upbeat instrumental number featuring some killer backwards tape effects.

SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE - FAIRY TALES CAN COME TRUE (HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT LUCY) / SU SU, JUNE 1968

Here we have another delightful single from Kenny Young's 'tinkertoying' San Francisco Earthquake.  'Fairytales Can Come True' is a lightweight bouncy pop ditty which is worthy enough to have had a compilation named after it.  The lyrics are fairly disposable, but it's a nicely arranged tune with multiple parts and variety of instrumentation to keep things interesting.

The flip 'Su Su' evokes a sort of spoken word dictation from Mr. Young concerning a fascination with one Su Su.  Once again the lyrics can be less than impressive, but another nicely arranged backing track with some nice bits of lead flute and other assorted implements make this one a keeper.

I especially enjoy the odd pink promo label on my copy which compliments the music quite nicely...  Both tunes will be featured in an upcoming Drifting Radio Broadcast.

ETERNITY'S CHILDREN - MRS. BLUEBIRD / LITTLE BOY, MAY 1968

Put it in the books, 'Mrs. Bluebird' by Eternity's Children is an absolutely flawless piece of psychedelic sunshine pop.  This record was co-produced by Curt Boettcher which is enough to make it a curiosity, but just listening to the opening few seconds is all that's needed for approval.  Indeed, something special is about to happen.  After the mysterious intro come the organ bursts, 'ba ba ba' harmonies and pounding bass, and just when you thought things couldn't get any better your ears get blasted with a blistering hot guitar break.  When those harmonies kick back in is when I start weeping.

'Mrs. Bluebird' is credited to 'Karl Marion' though a simple search tells me the song was actually written by Bruce Blackman who was an original member of Eternity's Children.  This group like many others suffered from poor management which at least partially explains why they didn't have a smash hit here.

The more laid back flip 'Little Boy' is another great tune also featuring prominent organ work and some nice bits of flute for added touch.  Both of these cuts were included on the self-titled album, Eternity's Children released on Tower Records in 1968.

THE TURTLES - SHE'S MY GIRL / CHICKEN LITTLE WAS RIGHT, NOVEMBER 1967

In a post Sgt. Pepper world The Turtles found themselves recording another piece of Bonner & Gordon gold.  'She's My Girl' is a musical triumph of the highest order within the pop music spectrum.  The tune was further accompanied with a killer picture sleeve and a nice promo film which was becoming increasingly popular.  DIG IT.

'Chicken Little Was Right' on the flip is no disappointment.  This psychedelic hoedown is a bit different than the tamer version which appeared on the Battle Of The Bands LP the following year..

LAST FRIDAY'S FIRE - I CAN'T HELP THE WAY I FEEL / WHAT IS SHE THINKING OF, MARCH 1967

Last Friday's Fire was the moniker of the talented Mike Condello's Arizona based group who had been around for a few years in various incarnations.  In 1967 this group would cut two 45's on Lee Hazlewood's LHI label, and also serve as the backing band on the Lynn Castle single.

'I Can't Help The Way I Feel' written by Lee Hazlewood features a cool 'Eastern inspired' melody and a nice bass line from Ray Trainer who played and wrote a number of songs on Condello's excellent Phase 1 album released the following year.

The psychedelic undertones are dropped on the Condello penned flipside 'What Is She Thinking Of' in favor of a more basic rock sound.  These sounds would be further explored on the Phase 1 LP.

BAKER KNIGHT AND THE KNIGHTMARES - HALLUCINATIONS / I FEEL SICK ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, FEBRUARY 1967

I had a 'top score of the year' recently in the form of a minty promo copy of 'Hallucinations', a single released by Baker Knight in early 1967.  By that time Thomas Baker Knight had already racked up ten plus years in the music business, but this would be his first and only psychedelic single.  He sure made it count!  It's one hell of an outing with guitars a buzzing and sound effects that cascade around an absolutely killer vocal delivery.  You can go ahead an file it next to your singles from the Electric Prunes who were label mates of Knight at the time.

On the flip 'I Feel Sick About The Whole Thing' is mostly a return to form for Knight who is known more for his rockabilly/country/pop vocal sounds.  A decent tune it is, but 'Hallucinations' is enough for the price of admission alone...

THE TURTLES - GRIM REAPER OF LOVE / COME BACK, MAY 1966

Simply put I can't get enough Turtles at the moment.  Their entire output from '65 to '69 is littered with gems aplenty, and today I will highlight a current favorite which is the excellent 'Grim Reaper Of Love' originally released as a non LP single in Mid 1966.  Co-written by original Turtles bassist Chuck Portz and guitarist Al Nichol, 'Grim Reaper' is quite a departure from their previous single 'You Baby' which saw the Turtles taking on the commercial pop sound that they are most recognized for.

All commerciality is set aside on this outing as heard in the opening harmonies which hauntingly set the dark mood of the music and lyrics.  'Grim Reaper' sits more comfortably next to an Electric Prunes burner than any P.F. Sloan penned material.  It's even been labeled 'raga rock' which I will neither agree nor disagree with.  This must have been a bit confusing for the DJ's at the time, and the single was a flop overall.  It still managed to reach no. 81 on the pop charts, although it was predicted to reach the top 60 by Billboard.

On the flip is 'Come Back', a Howard Kaylan original which is decent enough, but forgettable in comparison.  The sound sits somewhere in between folk rock and sunshine pop which is exactly where they were in 1966.  SPOILER ALERT: You can expect to hear some Turtles on the next Drifting Radio Broadcast.

Billboard Pop Spotlight May 28, 1966

DINO, DESI & BILLY - LOOK OUT GIRLS (HERE WE COME) / SHE'S SO FAR OUT SHE'S IN, JULY 1966

Dino, Desi & Billy may not be the most credible group from the 60's, but you can't deny the charm of this pair of upbeat tunes from the summer of 1966.  Both of these songs were written by Baker Knight, an established songwriter who was first brought to my attention by a pair of songs he wrote for the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.  Other members involved in this expedition were Jimmy Bowen, Shorty Rogers, Lee Hazlewood and Billy Strange.

'Look Out Girls (Here We Come)' has a fuzz riff that brings to mind the Stones' classic, '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' while 'She's So Far Out She's In' features a thumping backbeat with killer bass and a super infectious set of lyrics.

You can hear both sides in their full glory on Drifting Radio Broadcast No. 1

SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE - MARCH OF THE JINGLE JANGLE PEOPLE / BRING ME BACK A LITTLE WATER, AUGUST 1968

Yesterday marked the beginning of August, and things started off rather splendid for me with an extremely fruitful trip to the record shop.  I picked up a handful of gems for a nice price, among them was this 45 by the San Francisco Earthquake.

The San Francisco Earthquake released several 45's on Smash from late 1967 and into '69 that don't seem to get much attention.  Apparently songwriter Kenny Young was the band, and it's assumed he was backed with some session musicians while crafting these pop-psych delights.  Kenny Young is a man with a vast musical career and can be most easily recognized as co-writer of 'Under The Boardwalk' .  Check out a brief interview with him here.

As for the record at hand, 'March Of The Jingle Jangle People' is one of those tunes where it only takes 5 seconds into the song to realize you've got a winner.  The flute and sitar intro leads into an eastern flavored guitar line and lyrics describing a 'happy finger cymbal snappin' day'.  Fan-fuckin'-tastic.  The song is a 'two-thirty punchbowl' filled to the brim with what seems to be every damn thing they had laying around in the studio.  It's the sound of all of the coolest pop song implements leftover from '67 that's for sure.  I can't believe this tune isn't more well known.

The flip side, 'Bring Me Back A Little Water', is an acoustic guitar based song that is not quite as happening, but it's still a nice listen with some interesting percussion and a slight country vibe.

THE STANDELLS "MEDICATION"

In late 1965 the Standells hooked up with producer Ed Cobb and struck a deal with Tower Records.  At this point they had already been a band for a few years, released several singles, a live album, and made some television/film appearances, but they were still a few months away from having a big hit with 'Dirty Water'.  That track is OK, but the commercial appeal doesn't really do anything for me.  I need to dig in a little deeper to get my fix if you know what I mean.

The Standells debut studio album on Tower showed up in the summer of 1966 as the 'Dirty Water' single saw a slow but steady rise in the pop charts.  You don't have to dig in very far to find 'Medication', one of my all time fave garage numbers.  It's the lead off track on the LP!  This choice cut receives seldom mention so all the better to highlight it here.

The song starts off abruptly with a cool-as-fuck hazy vibrato fuzz guitar accompanied by droning organ notes and a killer bass riff.  Enter some laid back vocals from Dick Dodd and you have THEE sound.  The songwriting credits go to Minette Alton and Ben DiTosti whose origins are unknown to me.

The other notable rendition of 'Medication' was recorded by The Chocolate Watchband for their 1968 LP The Inner Mystique.  The backing track is alright, but I find Don Bennetts vocals to be cringeworthy at best.  Standells all the way...

THE HIGHER ELEVATION - SUMMER SKIES / COUNTRY CLUB AFFAIR, APRIL 1968

The Higher Elevation can be traced back to Colorado band The Monocles.  After some local success they changed their name and signed a recording deal with Liberty Records out of Los Angeles.  This would be one of three releases on the label.  All the information you could ever need about the Higher Elevation can be found here in an interview with band member Rick Hull.  You can also find some nice bits about the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band on the webpage courtesy of Bob Yeazel who was a member of that band for a brief period.   Back to the record at hand...

'Summer Skies' is an excellent piece of folk-pop with subtle 'Byrdsian' jangle.  It features some breezy sunshine lyrics with a nice bridge and guitar break while clocking in at just over two minutes.  A finely crafted tune produced by Frank Slay who also worked with The Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Rainy Daze.  This track can be found on Fading Yellow Vol. 2 albeit the sound is a bit harsh...  I was lucky enough to find a nice playing copy recently for $2 while digging through several boxes of 45's.

'Country Club Affair' is somewhat forgettable, but features a nice pop melody and a prominent organ sound.  Both tunes were written by songwriting duo Tim Gilbert and John Carter (mispelled Carver on this release) who have been on this blog a few times.

THE KINKS - SEE MY FRIENDS / NEVER MET A GIRL LIKE YOU BEFORE, JULY 1965

I'm excited to bring my first Kinks post to the blog, and it comes at quite a fitting time as this record was first released around this time in July nearly 50 years ago!

See My Friends' first hit the streets in the UK during the summer of '65 and though it was not a smash hit it received considerable recognition on the charts.  The tune is often labeled as an early example of 'raga rock' with it's subtle eastern like guitar drone.  Some even go as far as to say it was the first rock song to integrate indian raga sounds.  I won't make any arguments, but I will say it's a damn fine song and worthy of discussion.  The song is often titled 'See My Friend' due to a misprint on the original UK label.  The record wouldn't see release in the US until late September where it essentially flopped.

On the flip side we have 'Never Met A Girl Like You Before', a simple uptempo rocker with that early Kinks charm.

THE TEA COMPANY - FLOWERS / COME AND HAVE SOME TEA WITH ME, AUGUST 1968

The Tea Company's origins begin with Queens, New York garage band The Naturals.  After cutting a pair of 45's in 1967 with local label Jowar Records they underwent a line up/name change and were signed to Smash Records.  The bands exploration of heavy psychedelic sounds was displayed on their LP released on Smash in 1968.

'Flowers' was pitched as a single which is interesting to say the least.  The album was basically lacking any kind of commercial appeal with its extended pieces and freaky sounds.  The single version of 'Flowers' is much edited in form omitting six-odd minutes of lysergic freakout which is featured on the end of the LP version.  Stealing the show is the ever-present shrill, reverb-drenched guitar, a unique pairing of sorts combined with Frankie Carr's loose vocal delivery.

'Come And Have Some Tea With Me' might be better than 'Flowers' and features more reverb soaked madness with echoed vocals and sound effects throughout.  Not a very inviting sound to the average human ear, but I find it to be quite pleasing.

Billboard Magazine May 6, 1967

THE SUNSHINE COMPANY - HAPPY IS THE SUNSHINE COMPANY, OCTOBER 1967

There are many pleasantries to be found within the Sunshine Company's body of work, that of which is somewhat impressive given the fact that they released three LP's and a string of singles in just over a years time.  Their sound is most easily compared to the Mama's and The Papa's although the vast majority of their songs harvest more mellow sunshine vibes due in large part to the lush arrangements of George Tipton.  They rarely venture out of easy listening / bubblegum territory, and this can be partly attributed to the pressures of the square record company heads they were working with.  Their debut LP which hit the streets in October 1967 included a pair of chart hits and plenty of album specific gems worthy of mention.

Happy Is features some well known cover songs which are surprisingly done with class and are very enjoyable companions to their original compositions.  My pick among these is an excellent folk-rock-lyte version of the Beatles 'Rain'.  The arrangement is peppered with harpsichord and of course features some terrific harmonies.  The back of the sleeve contains a thank you note addressed to folk singer Mary McCaslin who apparently helped out with the recording of 'Rain' and the other Beatles tune on the album 'I Need You'.

I must mention side one closer 'Four In The Mornin', another cover that is undeniably based on the Youngbloods version which appeared on their debut album early in the same year.  The Sunshine Company melds their signature harmonies with some killer fuzz guitar action showing the tune a new light.  It's further accompanied by piano, bongos and handclaps giving the listener a refreshing change of pace.  The hard-time lyrics don't particularly reflect their namesake...  

In fact, quite a few tunes on the record contain moments of beautiful melancholia.  Aside from a few happy go lucky 'fluffers' the sad undertones are a far more prominent theme.  This is presented beautifully on 'Warm In My Heart' and 'A Year Of Jaine Time'.  The formers woeful verse gives way to a triumphant chorus while the latter maintains it's plaintive longing.  'A Year Of Jaine Time' is the only track on the album written by a member of the group.  

'Back On The Street Again' proved to be the groups biggest moment reaching number 36 on the charts.  Once again the arrangement is sunny and upbeat on the surface, but it's lyrics written by folksinger Steve Gillette are forlorn at best.  I'm particularly fond of the line 'Once I thought the world belonged to me, now it belongs to someone else.'   The Sunshine Company would continue to explore this territory with it's subsequent releases.  More on that later...

Billboard Magazine ad October 28, 1967

THE BYRDS - PREFLYTE (TOGETHER RECORDS)

Preflyte has been released in many incarnations over the years, but the original Together Records release from 1969 is a special occasion.  In fact, this post is just as much highlighting the label as the music within.

Together Records was formed in the early months of 1969 by Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher and Keith Olsen.  Gary Usher had just been fired from his position at Columbia Records and was looking to start a 'boutique' label where he and a select group of friends could exercise complete artistic freedom.  Although the label folded rather quickly they started off on the right track with a few first rate releases.  First of all just look at that beautiful label!  The unique design which was an original drawing by artist Keita Colten is worth the price of admission alone.

Preflyte was the first album released on Together in the summer of 1969, a time when Roger McGuinn was the only original member left in The Byrds.  It featured 11 tracks recorded at World Pacific Studios in 1964 by the original lineup, the majority of them being Gene Clark originals.  The groups early folk leanings really radiate on such notable tracks as 'You Showed Me' which became a big hit for the Turtles in 1969.  Early recordings of favorites like 'You Won't Have To Cry' and 'I Knew I'd Want You' shine a new light upon the greatness of their final polished incarnations.  Although they were still finding their definitive sound this set of songs creates a cohesive statement which is enjoyable all the way through.  Above I have included an excerpt from liner notes written by Billy James, a publicist who wrote the sleeve notes for the Mr. Tambourine Man album.  Choice words indeed...

Billboard Ad August 23, 1969

THE OUTSIDERS "SUN'S GOING DOWN"

The (Dutch) Outsiders are one of my all-time favorite groups.  Their unique blend of garage, beat, r&b, and folk rock stands out among the best of the era, and their string of singles from late 1965 through 1968 are hard to beat, especially considering their location.

I recently found a bootleg reissue copy of this EP which combines their first two 45's originally released in October 1965 and February 1966, respectively.  All four cuts are classics and each evokes a distinct mood or feeling.  Wally Tax's songwriting was simple and often redundant, but in most cases he manages to turn everyday girl trouble into vivid realness that, combined with Ronnie Splinter's guitar work, is unmistakeable.

It's a tough choice, but 'Sun's Going Down' is my pick from this set.  It's one that has stuck with me since I first heard it.  Some listeners comment on the slightly out of tune guitar, and I suppose that's in part what makes the opening four note riff so great.  The gritty guitar work is accompanied by a wandering bass line, and tender, heartfelt lyrics which Wally Tax claimed to have wrote when he was 14.  That comes as no surprise to me, the man was brilliant.

THE LEFT BANKE - THE LEFT BANKE TOO (Sundazed reissue), NOVEMBER 1968

The Left Banke Too often seems to be passed off as a secondary work to its predecessor, but such is not the case.  It's simply brilliant.  Absent is the prominent harpsichord and key work of Michael Brown, but nonetheless the album is packed to the brim with wonderful harmonies, tighter playing and heavier 'baroque' production than their debut.  There are so many fantastic moments on this record, from the dramatic and gloomy 'Dark Is the Bark' to the perfectly orchestrated pop psych of 'Nice To See You' and most everything in between.  Band member Tom Finn who had no writing credits and limited contributions on the first Left Banke record seemed to really come through in this outing and provided some excellent songwriting and playing.  His McCartneyesque bass work is prominent throughout the majority of the record along with bits of tasteful 12-string guitar as highlighted in the delicate ballad 'Sing Little Bird Sing'.  This album was not rushed by any means which probably helps it in the long run, but was hurtful to it's immediate success as the sound it projects was fading out of the spotlight by the time of its release in late '68.

Original copies of this record are not very economical these days, but thankfully we have Sundazed who continues to please...