A Bit Like You And Me / 60s Music Blog

Goodbye from 'A Bit Like You And Me'

2021-05-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

After nearly 10 years, A Bit Like You And Me is officially coming to an end. Many of the songs that were being hosted on Google's servers disappeared when Google updated their Sites platform in the fall of 2020. The time required to rectify the resulting issues has become too great for what this site always was: a hobby. The interviews and song information should remain up for the foreseeable future, but unfortunately the songs themselves- the primary reason for your being here- are gone.

I hope you enjoyed the music while it lasted.

---

Please don't wake me up too late
Tomorrow comes and I will not be late
Late today when it becomes tomorrow
I will leave and go away

Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
My love, goodbye

Songs that linger on my lips
Excite me now and linger on my mind
Leave your flowers at my door
I leave them for the one who waits behind

Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
My love, goodbye

Far away my lover sings
A lonely song and calls me to his side
Where the sound of lonely drums invited me on
I must be by his side

Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
Goodbye, Goodbye
My love, goodbye

Goodbye
Goodbye

The Beach Boys - Never Learn Not to Love (1968)

2020-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

In late spring 1968, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys was driving through Malibu when he noticed two female hitchhikers. He picked them up and dropped them off at their destination. Later, Wilson noticed the same two girls hitchhiking again. This time he took them to his home on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. He told the girls about The Beach Boys recent involvement with the Maharishi and they, in turn, told him about their own guru, a guy named Charlie. Dennis then went to a recording session; when he returned later that night, he was met in his driveway by “Charlie,” who happened to actually be Charles Manson. Wilson then walked into his home and found about a dozen people occupying the premises, most of whom were young women, but all of whom were members of Manson’s cult, the Manson Family.

Unaware of what evil Manson was capable of, Dennis was initially fascinated by Manson and his followers, referring to Manson as "the Wizard" in a Rave magazine article. Wilson and Manson briefly became friends and, over the next few months, members of the Manson Family (mostly women who were treated as servants) were housed at Wilson's household, costing Wilson a small fortune to maintain.

In late 1968, Wilson told Record Mirror magazine that when he met Manson, he found that he had great musical ideas and that they were now writing together. Dennis also introduced Manson to a few friends in the music business, including The Byrds' producer Terry Melcher, whose home at 10050 Cielo Drive would later be rented by director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate, where less than a year later, Manson family members would murder Tate and several others.

In September 1968, Dennis Wilson reworked (and The Beach Boys recorded) a Manson song, heard below, which was originally titled "Cease to Exist" that you can read more about and listen to here. The song was credited solely to Dennis Wilson. Angered by this, Manson threatened Wilson to murder him and his children. According to one of The Beach Boys collaborators, Van Dyke Parks, Wilson supposedly responded by grabbing Manson by the head, throwing him to the ground, and pummeling him. Wilson then attempted to cut ties with Manson by moving out of his own home, but allowing Manson and his followers to remain.

In August 1969, Manson Family members committed the Tate-LaBianca murders. That November, Manson was apprehended and later convicted for numerous counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Some attribute Dennis Wilson's subsequent spiral of self-destructive behavior to the guilt he felt for ever having introduced Manson to the Hollywood music scene.

The Beach Boys - Never Learn Not to Love (1968)

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Lyrics:

Cease to resist
Come and say you love me
Give up your world
Come on and be with me
I'm your kind, I'm your kind and I see

Come on, come on
I love you, pretty girl
My life is yours
And you can have my world
I'm your kind, I'm your kind and I see

Never had a lesson I ever learned
I know I could never learn not to love you
Come in, now closer
Come in closer, closer, closer

Submission is a gift, give it to your lover
Love and understandin’ is for one another
I'm your kind, I'm your kind and I see

Never had a lesson I ever learned
I know I could never learn not to love you
Come in now closer
Come in closer
Come in closer

Charles Manson - Cease to Exist (1967)

2020-02-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Charles Manson (November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an infamous American cult leader, murderer, and the mastermind of the Tate-LaBianca murders, which notably resulted in the death of actress Sharon Tate who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.

Prior to his national infamy, Manson was an unemployed ex-convict who had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions. In 1967, he began gathering a cult following (named the Manson Family) in Los Angeles while attempting to break into the music scene as a singer-songwriter.

Through a chance association with Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys, one of Manson’s songs, “Cease to Exist,” was tweaked, recorded, and released by The Beach Boys in 1968 under its new title, “Never Learn Not to Love.” Manson was never given credit. You can read more about that and hear The Beach Boys’ song here.

After the Tate-LaBianca murders in August 1969, Manson was to be put on trial. An associate Manson had met in prison, Phil Kaufman, hoped to capitalize on Manson’s national attention and worked with Manson to release a record of his recordings, titled Lie: The Love and Terror Cult, which was eventually released on March 6, 1970.

Although the album has always primarily been sought after by serial killer enthusiasts more than music aficionados, the album is most notable for the song heard below, “Cease to Exist,” which was the inspiration for The Beach Boys’ “Never Learn Not to Love.”

Charles Manson - Cease to Exist (1967)

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Lyrics:

Pretty girl
Pretty, pretty girl
Cease to exist
Just come and say you love me
Give up your world
Come on, you can be
I'm your kind- oh- your kind and I can see

You walk on, walk on
I love you, pretty girl
My life is yours
And you can have my world
Never had a lesson I ever learned
But I know we all get our turn
And I love you
Never learn not to love you

Submission is a gift
Go on, give it to your brother
Love and understanding
Is for one another
I'm your kind, I'm your kind
I'm your brother

I never had a lesson I ever learned
But I know we all get our turn
And I love you
Never learn not to love you
Never learn not to love you
Never learn not to love you

The Stampeders - Sweet City Woman (1971)

2020-01-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

In 1964, Rich Dodson, Kim Berly, and three others created a band known as The Rebounds in Calgary, Alberta. The group shuffled members a bit in 1965 (notably picking up Ronnie King) and renamed themselves The Stampeders. The following year, in 1966, they finally downsized to a trio, solidifying their most famous lineup, and relocated to Toronto, Ontario. All three members of the group provided vocals, but Rich Dodson played guitar, Ronnie King played bass, and Kim Berly played the drums.

Unless you were in Canada in the early 1970s (when and where the group had multiple top-ten hits), there’s a fair chance you’re only familiar with this band from their signature song, heard below. Written by Dodson and released on their debut album, Against the Grain, in 1971, the song reached number eight on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it shuffled around for sixteen weeks. The song was such a hit that the group’s American distributers renamed their album to Sweet City Woman for its stateside release. The group sustained success (in Canada, at least) through the mid-1970s.

The Stampeders - Sweet City Woman (1971)

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Lyrics:

Well, I'm on my way
To the city lights
To a pretty face that shines her light on the city nights
And I gotta catch a noon train
I gotta be there on time
Oh, it feels so good to know she waits at the end of the line

Sweet, sweet city woman
I can see your face
I can hear your voice
I can almost touch you

Sweet, sweet city woman
Oh, the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing

Yeah, yeah

Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, c'est bon, bon
Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon
Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, c'est bon, bon
Bon, c'est bon, bon, bon, bon, bon

So long, ma
So long, pa
So long, neighbors and friends

Like a country mornin’
All smothered in dew
Ah, she's got a way to make a man feel shiny and new
And she sing in the evening
Old, familiar tunes
And she feeds me love and tenderness and macarons

Sweet, sweet city woman
I can see your face
I can hear your voice
I can almost touch you

Sweet, sweet city woman
Oh, the banjo and me, we got a feel for singing

Sweet, sweet city woman
Oh, she's my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman

Sweet, sweet city woman
Oh, my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman

Everybody
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet city woman
Sweet, sweet, sweet…

Randy & the Rainbows - Denise (1963)

2019-09-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Formed in Maspeth, Queens, New York in 1962, this doo-wop ensemble consisted of brothers Dominick and Frank Safuto, brothers Mike and Sal Zero, and Ken Arcipowski. When they initially came together, they first operated under the name Junior & the Counts, later The Encores, and finally Randy & the Rainbows, which was bestowed upon them by the owners of Laurie Records, the group’s label. There wasn’t actually a “Randy” in the group, but the record label thought it had a nice ring to it, so Dominick, the lead singer, had to adopt it as his nickname.

The song heard below was written by Neil Levenson; its title was inspired by Levenson’s childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. When the song was recorded and released by Randy & the Rainbows in 1963, it spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at number ten. It was the group’s only notable song, as their follow-up single, “Why Do Kids Grow Up,” only reached number ninety-seven. The group failed to chart again.

Blondie covered the song in 1978, changing the subject of the song from Denise to Denis.

Randy & the Rainbows - Denise (1963)

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Lyrics:

(Oh, oh)
(Oh, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you)

Denise, Denise
Oh, with your eyes so blue
Denise, Denise
I've got a crush on you
Denise, Denise
I'm so in love with (you)

Oh, when we walk, it seems like paradise
And when we talk, it always feels so nice
Denise, Denise, I'm so in love with you

(You’re my dream)
(And I'm in heaven every time I look at you)
(When you smile it’s like a dream)
And I'm so lucky ‘cause I found a girl like you

(Oh, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you)

Denise, Denise
Oh, won't you hold me tight?
Denise, Denise
Oh, can we kiss goodnight?
Denise, Denise
I'm so in love with you

(Oh, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you, Denise)
(I'm in love with you…)

Emy Jackson - Crying In A Storm (1965)

2019-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Born Emy Eaton, today’s featured artist was born on July 2, 1945 to Japanese parents living in Essex England. As a teenager, Emy moved back to Japan, in Yokohama, where she found work as a DJ. Her career began after being asked by the director of a radio program if she could sing.

In April 1965, Emy released her debut single (the song heard below) which had been written by Yasutoshi Nakajima and Reiko Yukawa. She was backed by an ever-changing collection of session musicians who were ambiguously labeled “The Smashmen” by Columbia Records, as well as backup vocalists from the Philippines known as the MGM boys. Emy herself was given the stagename “Emy Jackson” and promoted as a foreign artist, despite her records actually being made in Japan. The song heard below reached number four in Japan (despite being sung entirely in English) and was the first English-sung hit in Japan to sell over one million copies.

Emy Jackson - Crying In A Storm (1965)

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Lyrics:

Take me, take me
Take my heart and all
I was born (I was born) to be yours

Love me, love me
Get me, hold me tight
Now I’m crying in a storm

I know that you’ve got this crazy sports car
Kitty, Chris, and Ronnie, Julie, Nancy, and Patsy
Why? (Why?) Why (why) not me?

Take me, take me
Take my heart and all
I was born (I was born) to be yours

Take me, take me
Take my heart and all
I was born (I was born) to be yours

Love me, love me
Get me, hold me tight
Now I’m crying in a storm

I know that you’ve got this crazy sports car
Kitty, Chris, and Ronnie, Julie, Nancy, and Patsy
Why? (Why?) Why (why) not me?

Take me, take me
Take my heart and all
I was born (I was born) to be yours

The Honeycombs - Have I the Right? (1964)

2019-09-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Originally but briefly known as The Sheratons, this English beat group was founded by a hairdresser, Martin Murray (rhythm guitar) and his salon assistant, Honey Lantree (drums). On the drums, Honey Lantree was one of the few female drummers to be in a band. It was her name (Honey) and profession (salon assistant) which led to the inspiration for the group’s name, as in, “Honey combs hair for a living."

Rounding out the original lineup of the group were Honey’s brother, John Lantree (bass), and two of the trio’s friends: Denis D’Ell (lead singer) and Alan Ward (lead guitar).

Although the group charted multiple times in the UK (and twice in the US), it’s primarily the song below for which they are remembered. Written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley at the beginning of their eventually prolific careers, the song was released in June 1964, steadily climbed the charts, and ultimately peaked at number one in the UK, Australia, and Canada by August that same year. Eventually, sales reached over one million.

The Honeycombs - Have I the Right? (1964)

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Lyrics:

Have I the right to hold you?
You know I've always told you
That we must never, ever part

Have I the right to kiss you?
You know I'll always miss you
I've loved you from the very start

Come right back, I just can't bear it
I've got some love and I long to share it
Come right back, I'll show my love is strong
Oh yeah

Have I the right to touch you?
If I could, you'd see how much you
Send those shivers runnin’ down my spine

Have I the right to thrill you?
You know I'll wait until you
Give me the right to make you mine

Well, come right back I just can't bear it
I've got some love and I long to share it
Come right back, I'll show my love is strong
Oh yeah
Alright

Have I the right to hold you?
You know I've always told you
That we must never, ever part
No, no, no, no, no

Have I the right to kiss you?
You know I'll always miss you
I've loved you from the very start

Come right back, I just can't bear it
I've got some love and I long to share it
Come right back, I'll show my love is strong
Oh yeah
Yeah

Come right back, I just can't bear it
I've got some love and I long to share it
Come right back, right back where you belong
Oh yeah
You belong
Oh yeah
You belong

Country Joe and the Fish - Cetacean (1968)

2019-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Together, recorded in 1967 and released in 1968, was the third album released by today’s featured band. Before recording started, Country Joe McDonald had departed from the group, forcing them to use the name “The Fish” for a brief period of time. But by the time recording had begun, Country Joe had reunited with his bandmates and contributed to the recordings.

The song heard below is the tenth track on Together. The title refers to cetaceans, which are marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, or porpoises. The song was written by the band’s original bassist, Bruce Barthol, who made his exit from the band one month after this album’s release. The album itself didn’t sell all that well, with the most common belief attributing the lack of sales to Country Joe’s absent songwriting due to his hiatus.

Country Joe and the Fish - Cetacean (1968)

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Lyrics:

Open the door and love walks in
Close the door and you’re alone again

Humpy Bong - Don't You Be Too Long (1970)

2018-03-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Colin Petersen was born March 24, 1946 in Queensland, Australia. He attended Humpybong State School with the three future members of the Bee Gees, Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. After a successful stint as a child actor, it was his friendship with Maurice Gibb that allowed him to showcase his musical talents by becoming the Bee Gee’s first drummer. In 1969, after having appeared on multiple tracks, Petersen was fired from the group for raising “conflict of interest” questions in regard to the Bee Gee’s manager, Robert Stigwood, who also happened to own the group’s recordings and publishing, making him in effect their employer.

After his release from the band, still 1969, Petersen walked into a London restaurant and witnessed a performance being done by Jonathan Kelly, born July 8, 1947 in Drogheda, Ireland. Immediately recognizing Kelly’s talent, Petersen offered to become his record producer, while Petersen’s wife, Joanne Petersen, later became Kelly’s personal manager. Under Petersen’s producing, Kelly released three singles in the coming months, the last of which (“Don’t You Believe It”) featured Eric Clapton on slide guitar.

Then, in the summer of 1970, Petersen and Kelly decided to form a band, which is the one featured here today. Needing a vocalist, the duo enlisted the talents of Tim Staffell (born February 24, 1948 in London, England) who had previously been the bassist and frontman for a band named Smile (that would eventually evolve into Freddie Mercury’s Queen). But, unfortunately, the trio had problems while looking for another guitarist and pianist. According to an interview with Petersen from the time, “People are assuming the new group will be a carbon copy of the Bee Gees.” “We can record with the three of us by double-tracking, but we can't appear on stage.”

Although they were able to record a couple songs, including the one heard below (written by Jonathan Kelly), the band ran into problems when they went to perform on Top of the Pops. Not having enough songs, the band decided to try and perform “Don’t You Believe It” from Kelly’s solo catalog. Unfortunately, Eric Clapton wasn’t able to make the pre-recording session and so Staffell had to try and fill his shoes. It didn’t go well. Ultimately, the band could never really solidify a solid lineup of members nor a signature sound. After only a few months together, and after only recording two songs in the studio, the band split up.

Colin and Joanne Petersen resumed their managerial roles in Kelly’s solo career until Kelly retired from the music industry in 1974. Shortly after, the Petersens moved back to Australia and Colin became a painter. Staffell was in and out of various bands until 1973, eventually becoming an animator and model builder.

Humpy Bong - Don't You Be Too Long (1970)

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Lyrics:

Like the man who rode his camel down to Aqaba from Tobruk
My heart is a weary traveler and it’s looking for a friend
My thirsty eyes are aching just to find a pretty face to look upon
So come out all you ladies, who you hiding from?

But oh oh
Now don’t you be too long
Whoa, ho, ho
Woman, listen to my song
Oh
One day you’re gonna come along
But oh ho
Now don’t you be too long

Now here I sit in this old room, four walls that close me in
The bread man, he don’t call no more, and no one clears my bin
Oh, I need a soul to comfort me, somebody just for talking to
To help me pay my rent, you see, I’m four weeks overdue

But oh, oh
Now don’t you be too long
Whoa, ho, ho
Woman, listen to my song
Oh
One day you’re gonna come along
But oh ho
Now don’t you be too long

Don’t you be too long

But oh ho
Now don’t you be too long
Oh ho ho
Woman, listen to my song
Oh
One day you’re gonna come along
But oh ho
Now don’t you be too long

Don’t you be too long
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)
Don’t you be too long
(Don’t, don’t)

Paul Mauriat - Love Is Blue (1967)

2017-05-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Paul Mauriat (1925-2006) was born in Marseille, France. He began playing music at the age of four and, by his twenties, began a dance band that toured throughout Europe during World War II. In the 1950s, Mauriat was the musical director for Charles Aznavour and Maruice Chevalier, whom he toured with, separately. He released his first album in 1957 and would release well over one hundred more in his lifetime. Interestingly, depending on the motif of his most-current album, he would choose a pseudonym to release the album under which he felt most matched the music. Examples of pseudonyms he used include Richard Audrey, Nico Papadopoulos, Eduardo Ruo, and Willy Twist. Using the pseudonym “Del Roma,” Mauriat co-composed the song “Chariot” which would later be adapted to English and taken to number one spot on the charts in 1963 as “I Will Follow Him” by Little Peggy March.

Seeing another artist take one of his songs to the top of the charts wasn’t the only time Mauriat would find himself in the number one spot. In 1967, Mauriat recorded and released a cover of André Popp’s “L'amour est bleu,” heard below. The song spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, the first instrumental to achieve the number one spot since The Tornados' “Telstar” in 1962. The only instrumental to hold the top spot of the Hot 100 longer was Percy Faith’s “Theme from a Summer Place.”

Paul Mauriat - Love Is Blue (1967)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1965)

2017-05-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

In George Harrison’s autobiography, I Me Mine, Harrison mentions that although he played the sitar on “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),” adding the sitar to the song was more of an after-thought and the song hadn’t really been written with the sitar in mind. Regardless, the inclusion of the sitar (and The Beatles’ immense, global popularity at the time) resulted in widely introducing Indian instruments to all of Western society. After “Norwegian Wood” had been released on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul in 1965, Indian and other Eastern instruments soon started appearing in music by other mainstream acts such as The Byrds, The Rolling Stones, and Donovan. By the following year, “raga rock” was common and the inclusion of Eastern instruments remained popular until it eventually faded out of popularity in the very late 1960s.

The song below was credited to Lennon-McCartney, but the majority of the song is believed to have been written by John Lennon. The lyrics tell an autobiographical story of Lennon having an extra-marital affair behind the back of his then-wife Cynthia Lennon née Powell. When Paul McCartney was asked for his interpretation of the lyrics, he said that the Norwegian wood mentioned in the song was the wood paneling found on the walls of homes, which was popular at the time, and that the last line, “So, I lit a fire // Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?” indicated that the singer set the house on fire as an act of revenge.

The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1965)

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Lyrics:

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me?
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on a rug, biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
“It’s time for bed”

She told me she worked in the morning
And started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

2017-05-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

In our previous post to feature this artist, it was mentioned how Patrick Sky’s political point of view had become more radical toward the end of the 1960s as the American involvement in Vietnam escalated. Naturally, the more radical Sky’s views became, the more radical his lyrics became. When Sky finished recording tracks in March 1971 for his forthcoming album, Songs That Made America Famous, the radical lyrics within lead to rejection from several record labels who refused to pick up the album for distribution. Eventually, in 1973, Sky decided to release the album on his own record label, Rainbow Collection, and eventually got it picked up by Adelphi Records. With its radical lyrics and limited promotion, the album didn’t sell as well as it could have in a more lenient market, such as today’s.

Written by Dave Van Ronk (and eventually recorded/released by him in 1994), the first recording and release of the song was the version recorded by Patrick Sky in 1971 and heard below. Initially, Vank Ronk was intended to appear with Sky on the song, but for reasons not mentioned, it never happened. There’s a live version of the song which features both Van Ronk and Sky from a tour they did together in 1973, but the version heard below is the original featuring only Patrick Sky and released on his 1973 album, Songs That Made America Famous.

Patrick Sky - Luang Prabang (1971)

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Lyrics:

When I came back from Luang Prabang
I didn’t have a thing where my balls used to hang
But I got a wooden medal and a fine harangue
And now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

And now the boys all envy me
I fought for Christian Democracy
With nothing but air where my balls used to be
But now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

One and twenty cannon thunder
Into the bloody, wild, blue yonder
For a patriotic ball-less wonder
Now I’m a fucking hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

In Luang Prabang there is a spot
Where the corpses of your brothers rot
And every corpse is a patriot
And every corpse is a hero

Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me
Mourn your dead, land of the free
If you want to be a hero, follow me

Pink Floyd - Ibiza Bar (1969)

2017-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

As far as Pink Floyd’s discography goes, there may not have been a more diverse effort than their third studio album, More. Released in 1969, More was a soundtrack for the eponymous movie released that same year. The soundtrack, composed entirely by Pink Floyd, ranged from acoustic folk songs to heavy grunge and psychedelia. And because it was meant to be played over the film, more than half of its tracks were instrumentals. More was the first album to be released by the band without their original front-man Syd Barrett. As such, the album is often viewed as the birth of what would later become the iconic Pink Floyd style and sound.

Written by Roger Waters, the song below is primarily known as being the ninth track on the More album. However, before the More album was released in June 1969, the song was first released as the B-Side to a March 1969 single, backing Floyd’s other hard rocker, “The Nile Song,” as its A-Side.

Pink Floyd - Ibiza Bar (1969)

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Lyrics:

I'm so afraid of mistakes that I've made
Shaking every time that I awake
I feel like a cardboard cut-out man
So build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

I've aged and aged since the first page
I've lived every line that you wrote
Take me down, take me down
From the shelf above your head
And build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

I live where I'm left
On the shelf like the rest
And the epilogue reads like a sad song
Please, pick up your camera
And use me again
And build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

Yeah!

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Eighteen Is Over the Hill (1968)

2017-04-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

It’s often been written that this band’s “leader,” Bob Markley, was only a member of the band because he was chasing the money, girls, and the celebrity status that came along with being in a popular band. According to rock historians and his bandmates, Markley wasn’t much of a musician and could hardly play a note. But luckily for him, he could at times be quite poetic and thus contributed his fair share to what would amount to very appealing music.

The song heard below was released on the band’s fourth album, Volume 3: A Child’s Guide to Good and Evil. If you’re bewildered about their albums’ naming conventions, you can find some insight on one of our previous posts. The album is widely considered one of the best to be put out by the band, but the song heard below doesn’t quite reinforce Markley’s ability to sometimes be poetic. Where the song really shines is in its melody and complex studio techniques.

The cover art for the album was created by renowned artist John Van Hamersveld, who most notably designed covers of albums for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, among others. Although the album is now considered an accomplished psychedelic record, it sold poorly upon its initial release and failed to chart nationally.

The song heard below is what I consider to be the highlight of the album. The lyrics were written by Markley and the music was written by his bandmate Ron Morgan.

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Eighteen Is Over the Hill (1968)

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Lyrics:

Antique white lace
A plastic face
A tinfoil place
An empty space
You are so hung up on yourself
And nothing else

I like too much the rain
The power of my brain
The sunshine
And the open road
Ahead of me

Laughing because
It’s right to laugh
Dress up at night
In the right dress
You can’t change me
Into something
That I’m not

I like too much the rain
The power of my brain
The sunshine
And the open road
Ahead of me

I’ll hear your line
Some other time
When miming
Performance rhyme
The way you feel
It is so phony
And unreal

I like too much the rain
The power of my brain
The sunshine
And the open road
Ahead of me

I like too much the rain
The power of my brain
The sunshine
And the open road
Ahead of me

The Pattens - Jump (1966)

2017-03-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

This Wheaton, Illinois band only ever released two singles. Their first single featured the A-Side “Shame Shame Shame” backed with a cover of Gene Vincent’s 1958 song “Say Mama.” Its release date is unknown, although it was most likely released sometime in 1965 or early 1966.

The band’s second single was definitely released in 1966. It featured the A-Side “You Should Know” and was backed with the B-Side “Jump.” Although “You Should Know” was credited by The Pattens as having been written by a “R. Kahler” (perhaps a member of the band?), the very same song was recorded and released a year prior in 1965 by another local Wheaton band, The Escavels. The Escavels claim the song was actually written by their band’s Stan Sherbino with some help from his bandmates Ken Utterback and Tony Pavilonis.

Before a case of “he said, she said” is brought about regarding the true authorship of the song, it should be noted that The Pattens don’t exactly have a reputation for giving original authors their due. The Pattens credited their second single’s B-Side, heard below, to a “Ren Shawel.” It can hardly be considered a mistake when you find out that that song, too, had been previously recorded and released by another band. In 1964, The Toggery Five (all the way over in Manchester, England) released “I’m Gonna Jump,” which is the same exact song, and was written by member Frank Renshaw.

Although it cannot be determined if this lack of credit was the ill-intentions of the band, somebody at Stature Records, or some unknown third party, it certainly appears that The Pattens' “Jump” was avoiding giving credit to The Toggery Five by slightly changing the name of the song and crediting its authorship to “Ren Shawel” rather than The Toggery Five’s true author, Frank Renshaw.

The Pattens - Jump (1966)

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Lyrics:

I saw you yesterday and I died
I saw you yesterday and I knew that you’d lied
I saw you walking with a guy holding his hand
I saw you kissing him and giving in to all his command

Don't you know I'm gonna jump, girl?
Yes, jump
Jump in that river, yes, I’m gonna die

You said you loved me; all the time you were faking
You didn't tell me about the guys that you were making with
And now I know all about your game called “tantalize”
And now I'm broken up- and it’s your fault- and I hope you’re satisfied

Don't you know I'm gonna jump, girl?
Yes, jump
Jump in that river, yes, I’m gonna die

Don't you know I'm gonna jump, girl?
Yes, jump
Jump in that river, yes, I’m gonna die

Don't you know I'm gonna jump?
Don't you know I'm gonna jump?

The Mojo Men - Lost Love (1965)

2017-03-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the late 1950s, cousins Jim Alaimo (1934-1992) and Steve Alaimo (b. 1939) were in an instrumental band in Miami, Florida known as The Redcoats. When the band broke up around 1960, Steve Alaimo went on to have a respectable career as a solo recording artist and quite successful career in the television industry. (Perhaps most notably, Steve Alaimo became the host and co-producer of Where the Action Is with Dick Clark.) Jim Alaimo, on the other hand, got together with Paul Curcio, Dennis DeCarr, and Don Metchick to form The Valiants, a band which would sometimes back Steve Alaimo on his solo recordings.

In 1964, The Valiants wanted to be where the music scene was blooming and therefore decided to move to San Francisco and change their band’s name; they became The Mojo Men. Out in San Francisco, the band signed with Autumn Records where they joined up with record-producer Sylvester Stewart (later known as Sly Stone) and recorded a bunch of early material that never got released. Finally, in 1965, the group released “Dance with Me” and made their first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100.

Unfortunately for the band, Autumn Records closed shop and Dennis DeCarr left the band. They then signed up with Reprise Records, replaced DeCarr with The Vejtables’ Jan Errico, and changed their sound to a more pop and folk rock style. In 1967, they released what would become their most popular song, a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “Sit Down, I Think I Love You.” It was the group’s only Top 40 hit. Metchick left the band in 1968, “The Mojo Men” became “The Mojo,” “The Mojo” became “Mojo,” and after failing to chart again, they eventually called it quits in 1969.

Below is a song from The Mojo Men’s early years, circa 1965, from the Autumn Records collection of material Sly Stone felt wasn’t good enough for release. The collection became available in 1995 on the release Whys Ain’t Supposed to Be by Sundazed Records, a label who specializes in releasing obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. This song was written by Paul Curcio, Don Metchick, and Jim’s cousin Steve Alaimo.

The Mojo Men - Lost Love (1965)

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Lyrics:

Where is the love
I used to know?
Where is my lost love?
Where did she go?

I’ve been so lonely
Since she went away
I love her, only
She left me one day

What does it take
To make a love last?
We don’t know the future
Could it be the past?

I’ll keep on searching
Wherever I go
But will I find her?
Does anyone know?

All I can pray is
Someone above
Will help me search for
My long, lost love

What did I do?
How did I fail?
Why is my love such
A sorrowful tale?

Ellen Margulies - The White Pony (1968)

2017-03-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Ellen Margulies is an American singer who was briefly in the duo “Tom & Ellen” (with Tom Everett) which released the single “Too Many Things” b/w “My Up Is My Down” in 1966. It appears to be the only single released by the duo.

It also appears that Margulies recorded one more single, as a solo artist in 1968, before exiting the music industry for good. In ’68, Margulies recorded “The White Pony” b/w “Meditation.” “The White Pony” was written by Roger Joyce, Steve Steinberg, and Danny Secunda, while “Meditation” appears to only have been written by Joyce, who also served as producer, arranger, and conductor.

It’s rumored that Margulies was unaware of her songs being released until sometime after the year 2000, leading one to assume that she never saw any royalty money from her recordings.

Ellen Margulies - The White Pony (1968)

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Lyrics:

~~Prague lee wing~~ raindrops come down from the skies
Like crystalline tear drops, they roll from my eyes
I reach for the sunlight, the bright rainbow door
And chase the white pony through doomed skies once more

I’ll ride so high, where cotton clouds fly
And cellophane nightingales always sing
There I’ll seek worlds that could be
And I’ll know that I can do anything

Cross-legged, I sit in this cold, cloistered room
Trying to see if the flower will bloom
I’ll taste the sweet pollen and open my eyes
And ride the white pony through crumbling skies

I’ll ride so high, where cotton clouds fly
And cellophane nightingales always sing
There I’ll seek worlds that could be
And I’ll know that I can do anything

I’ll ride so high, where cotton clouds fly
And cellophane nightingales always sing
There I’ll seek worlds that could be
And I’ll know that I can do anything

Rosie and the Originals - Angel Baby (1960)

2017-03-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Born in Oregon in 1945 to a Mexican mother and American father, Rosalie “Rosie” Hamlin spent her youth living in Alaska and California before finally settling with her family in National City, California.

In 1958, at the age of thirteen, Rosie lied about her age and joined her first band as its lead singer. At the age of fourteen, she wrote her first song, based on her first boyfriend, heard below; and at the age of fifteen, Rosie and a group of her friends drove one hundred miles to the closest recording studio so that they could record her song.

After shopping their record around for a while, the group received an offer for a contract from Highland Records under the stipulation that David Ponci, the oldest member of the group, would receive the writing credits. By the time the song was receiving airplay, the members of the group still had not received their copies of the contract. Unfortunately for Hamlin, when she finally did receive the contract, she quickly learned that she would be unable to collect royalties from the song since she wasn’t listed as the songwriter. This, quite immediately, lead to the break-up of the group. And although Hamlin won the copyright to her music in 1961, decades of legal battles followed.

Despite credit originally being given to David Ponci, the song below was written entirely by Rosie Hamlin. It was released in November 1960 and featured the vocal talents of Rosie Hamlin when she was only fifteen years old. By January 1961, the song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later covered by John Lennon in 1973 (though not released until 1986), where Lennon referred to it as one of his "all-time favorite songs." In the song's intro, he also adds, "Send my love to Rosie, wherever she may be..."

Rosie and the Originals - Angel Baby (1960)

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Lyrics:

It's just like heaven being here with you
You're like an angel, too good to be true
But after all, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

I love you, I do
No one could love you like I do

Please, never leave me blue and alone
If you ever go, I'm sure you'll come back home
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby

I love you, I do
No one could love you like I do

We Five - You Were on My Mind (1965)

2017-03-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Michael Stewart (younger brother of The Kingston Trio’s John Stewart) is largely responsible for putting together this band from the ashes of its forerunner, The Ridgerunners. Assembled in 1964, the group was signed to Herb Alpert’s A&M Records and released their first album, You Were on My Mind, in 1965. The album’s title track, heard below, sold over one million copies and was nominated for a Grammy.

After the release of their second album Make Someone Happy in 1967, the group’s Beverly Bivens decided to leave the group. Having sang lead on the group’s biggest hits, Bivens departure from the group severely hurt the band. Although they would release two more albums in ‘69 and ’70 with Debbie Graf Burgan replacing Bivens, the group was unable to reach their prior levels of success. They disbanded in 1970.

Written by Sylvia Fricker (later Sylvia Tyson) in 1962, the song below was first recorded and released by the duo Ian & Sylvia on their 1964 album, Northern Journey. The version heard below was altered slightly both musically and lyrically by Michael Stewart. Released in 1965, the song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

We Five - You Were on My Mind (1965)

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Lyrics:

When I woke up this morning
You were on my mind
And you were on my mind
I got troubles
I got worries
I got wounds to bind

So I went to the corner
Just to ease my pains
Just to ease my pain
I got troubled
I got worried
I came home again

When I woke up this morning
You were on my mind
And you were on my mind
Yeah, I got troubles
I got worries
I got wounds to bind

And I got a feeling
Down in my shoes
Said, way down in my shoes
Yeah, I got to ramble
I got to move on
I got to walk away my blues

When I woke up this morning
You were on my mind
And you were on my mind
Yeah, I got troubles
I got worries
I got wounds to bind

The Hollies - Maker (1967)

2017-03-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Butterfly album by The Hollies was the last album to feature Graham Nash as a member of the group. For some time, there was a growing divide between Nash and the other members of the band regarding the musical direction of the group. Nash, as he recounts in his autobiography Wild Tales, wanted to take the band in a more political and “enlightened” direction by writing lyrics that alluded to drug use, sex, and the issues he saw in the world around him. Conversely, his fellow bandmates (lead by Nash’s best friend growing up, Allan Clarke) wanted to keep the formula they had been successfully using: happy-go-lucky pop music. The straw that broke the camel’s back came when Nash learned that the group wanted their next album to be entirely made up of covers of Bob Dylan songs. (This would later be released, without Nash, as Hollies Sing Dylan and was disliked by fans and critics alike.)

The song heard below was written and composed entirely by Graham Nash. It was featured as the third track on the Butterfly album, released in November 1967, which coincidentally featured more tracks written and sang by Nash than any Hollies album had yet. In the United States, Butterfly was released under the title Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse. On that version of the album, the track below was found on the flip side as the tenth overall song.

The Hollies - Maker (1967)

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Lyrics:

Days of yellow saffron.
Nights with purple skies
Melting in the sunbeams
From my maker's eyes

Mountain-colored lilac
In the distant haze
I would like to lie here
Timing all my days

Move past my window
Sunshine is shimmering
Jack-o-lanterns glimmering
Giant moths are flickering around

See, the moon is hiding
Underneath the sea
Pretty soon he'll venture
To take a look at me

So I humbly stand here
Beneath his golden glow
Doesn't he remind me
Of somebody I know?

I must be leaving
Back to reality
Don't you just pity me?
I could so easily stay here

Bobby Darin - If I Were a Carpenter (1966)

2017-03-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in our first post regarding today’s featured artist, Bobby Darin was a teen idol who had had pop music hits such as “Splish Splash,” “Beyond the Sea,” and “Dream Lover” in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. But by the mid-1960s with that style of music falling out of popularity with the general public, Darin was forced to reinvent himself. In June 1966, Darin released an album consisting of then-current Broadway musical numbers. Just six short months later in December 1966 he did an about-face and released If I Were a Carpenter, which was an album of folk and folk rock songs.

If I Were a Carpenter featured Darin singing five songs written by Tim Hardin, two songs written by John Sebastian, a song by Buffy Sainte-Marie, and a few others. But far and away without question, the biggest hit was the title track.

Written by Tim Hardin, the song heard below hadn’t even yet been released by Hardin himself when Darin took the song to number eight in the USA (and number nine in the UK). In fact, Hardin wouldn’t release his version of the song until his album Tim Hardin 2, which hit shelves in April 1967. Ultimately, Hardin wasn’t happy with Darin’s release, believing the Darin too closely copied his vocal style of the song (heard on his demos) and the musical arrangements.

Bobby Darin - If I Were a Carpenter (1966)

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Lyrics:

If I were a carpenter
And you were a lady
Would you marry me anyway?
Would you have my baby?

If a tinker were my trade
Would you still find me?
Carrying the pots I made
Following behind me

Save my love through loneliness
Save my love for sorrow
I've given you my only-ness
Come give your tomorrow

If I worked my hands in wood
Would you still love me?
Answer me babe, "Yes, I would
I'll put you above me"

If I were a miller
At a mill-wheel, grinding
Would you miss your color-box?
Your soft shoes shining?

If I were a carpenter
And you were a lady
Would you marry me anyway?
Would you have my baby?

Would you marry anyway?
Would you have my baby?

Andwella's Dream - Shades of Grey (1969)

2016-11-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

At the age of sixteen, Dave Lewis joined his first band, known as Method, in his native home of Northern Ireland. After the band relocated to London the following year, 1968, they renamed themselves to what you see above.

By 1969, the group had released their first album, Love and Poetry, with all of its source material having been written and arranged by Lewis before the age of eighteen. The album featured Lewis on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Nigel Smith on bass and vocals, and Gordon Barton on drums. Although the album failed to be commercially successful, it has since garnered more popularity and praise.

By 1970, the group had once again renamed themselves (this time, to just Andwella), and Lewis, remaining a member, simultaneously began a solo career. Andwella went on to release two more albums, and Lewis himself continued as a singer-songwriter, opening for such notable acts as Don McLean and Fairport Convention.

To hear another wonderful track from Love and Poetry, be sure to check out our previous post Andwella's Dream - Man Without a Name (1969).

Andwella's Dream - Shades of Grey (1969)

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Lyrics:

I used to play a game that stayed the same
When grey was grey every day
I used to sleep alone in a place called home
I used to own a car

Then I went away one sunny day
Now I see blue instead of grey
And I think of things in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

And I have many friends
Who are proud to spend their days with me
And we sing life's song under the morning sun
Grey is never grey

And I play the game as best I can
Where every man equals any man
And I think of things in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

I used to play a game that stayed the same
When grey was grey every day
I used to sleep alone in a place called home
Used to own a car

Then I went away one sunny day
Now I see blue instead of grey
And I live my life in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

Country Joe and the Fish - Who Am I (1967)

2016-11-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

In mid-1965, the publisher of the magazine Et Tu Brute, Country Joe McDonald, wanted to make a “talking issue” of his political, underground magazine. He recruited the talents of four other musicians, including Barry “The Fish” Melton, who had previously been in The Instant Jug Band with McDonald. Together, the outfit self-produced one-hundred copies of Talking Issue #1. It became popular enough that the duo of McDonald and Melton was able to pick up gigs performing it live at the ubiquitous coffee houses found throughout Berkeley, California.

By 1966, the duo expanded to a six-piece ensemble, relocated to San Francisco, and self-produced their second EP, the psychedelic Country Joe and the Fish, to great local acclaim. By December 1966, the group’s popularity had grown so vast, that they were signed to Vanguard Records, who they wound up releasing five albums for through 1970 (and one more album, Reunion, with Fantasy Records in 1977).

Alongside some of their San Francisco contemporaries, Country Joe and the Fish were at the forefront of the 1960s “hippie” ideologies: encouraging free-love, promoting the responsible use of LSD, and connecting your mind and spirit to nature.

The song heard below was first seen on I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die, the band’s second album for Vanguard, released in 1967. It was also re-released as the A-Side of a single in 1968, backed with “Thursday.” Written by Country Joe McDonald, the song is a poignant, existential outpouring of McDonald’s thoughts at the time it was written, presumably sometime in early 1967.

Country Joe and the Fish - Who Am I (1967)

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Lyrics:

Who am I
To stand and wonder- to wait
While the wheels of fate
Slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

There were some things that I loved one time
But the dreams are gone I thought were mine
And the hidden tears that once could fall
Now burn inside at the thought of all
The years of waste, the years of crime
Passions of a heart so blind
To think that, but even still
As I stand exposed, the feelings are felt
And I cry into the echo of my loneliness

Who am I
To stand and wonder- to wait
While the wheels of fate
Slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

What a nothing I've made of life
The empty words, the coward's plight
To be pushed and passed from hand to hand
Never daring to speak, never daring to stand
And the emptiness of my family's eyes
Reminds me over and over of lies
And promises and deeds undone
And now, again, I want to run
But now there is nowhere to run to

Who am I
To stand and wonder- to wait
While the wheels of fate
Slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

And now, my friend, we meet again
And we shall see which one will bend
Under the strain of Death's golden eyes
Which one of us shall win the prize
To live and which one will die
'tis I, my friend, yes 'tis I
Shall kill to live again and again
To clutch the throat of sweet revenge
For life is here only for the taking

Who am I
To stand and wonder- to wait
While the wheels of fate
Slowly grind my life away?
Who am I?

Who am I?

The Syn - 14 Hour Technicolour Dream (1967)

2016-11-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

This English band was formed in 1965 by Steve Nardelli and John Painter from a band called High Court, as well as Chris Squire, Andrew Jackman, and Martyn Adelman from a band called The Selfs. The band primarily performed R&B covers but, like nearly everyone, transitioned into playing psychedelic-sounding songs in late 1966.

Notably, the group opened for Jimi Hendrix in 1967 when Hendrix performed at the Marquee Club in London that year. If you recall, that was the same performance that featured the members of The Beatles in attendance and introduced Hendrix to the world. Needless to say, The Syn were nervous about performing before such musical icons; and, after Hendrix’s legendary set, they must have been glad that they went on before him rather than after.

The group disbanded later in 1967. Both Chris Squire and Peter Banks (who replaced John Painter) went on to form Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, which was eventually renamed Yes.

The song below was recorded and released during the band’s psychedelic period in 1967. Written by Steve Nardelli and Andrew Jackman, the song was the B-Side of their second single that year and featured the A-Side “Flowerman.”

The Syn - 14 Hour Technicolour Dream (1967)

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Lyrics:

(Dream, dream)
Dreaming
(Dream, dream)
Dreaming

Reality is getting you down
Just can't seem to get your feet off the ground
Could it be that you're caught up in a gravitational pull?
Is it society making you out to be a fool?

Forget it, child, you can become a freak
The prettiest girl that the world has ever seen
At the fourteen hour Technicolor
Fourteen hour Technicolor dream

Shades of orange and shades of green
Shades of purple, yellow, and tangerine
Shades of blue, black, and even cream
It's a fourteen hour Technicolor dream

You got your freedom, do what you like
Shoot yourself, root yourself
That'll be alright
At the fourteen hour Technicolor
Fourteen hour Technicolor dream

(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
Dream
(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
Dream
(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
Dream
(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
(Fourteen hour Technicolor)
Dream

Fourteen hour Technicolor dream, yeah
And it's groovy
‘cause they're showin' movies
Yes, they are
And everybody's gonna be there, yeah
Suzy Creamcheese gonna be there, yeah
Yes, and I said a’have a Havana
And smoke a banana if you want to
I said, I said do what you want to

(Dream, dream)
Dreaming
(Dream, dream)
Dreaming

The Denvermen - Surf City Stomp (1963)

2016-10-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

This surf was stitched together in Sydney, Australia from the ex-members of two recently broken up groups: Digger Revell and the Lonely Ones and Paul Dever and the Denvermen. The Denvermen featured guitarist Les Green, who provided his old band’s name when the two groups merged together.

They began working on their first major single, “Surfside,” in December 1962, which went to number one in Sydney after its release in January 1963. The song also went to number six on the Melbourne charts, eventually charted in each state around the country, and thus because the first hit Australian surf song. The success of the song resulted in the group recording and releasing more material throughout 1963, as well as touring the neighboring New Zealand. To provide some perspective of their popularity, the band was paid a whopping £8,000 to tour New Zealand, which was exceptionally more than the £2,500 recently paid to The Beatles for their tour of the country.

The song below was released on the band’s 1963 album Let’s Go Surfside on the Australian branch of RCA Records. It was also re-released in 1964 on the four-track Stomp Fever. It’s assumed that the song was written by the ‘50s rock star Johnny Devlin, as most of their surf instrumentals during that period were.

The Denvermen - Surf City Stomp (1963)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)