Two singles by Ann Arbor's Spikedrivers: "Baby Won't You Let Me Tell You How I Lost My Mind": ...and "Strange Mysterious Sounds": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAnx9Ah7ZLI There are alternate versions of both of these songs on the CD of dubious legality that came out a few years ago. Both are longer versions with slower arrangements, and both are worthy. But I heard the singles first and like them a little better. (And by the way, the YouTubers who posted some of these got everything screwed up. The CD album cover is shown for the single version I posted above, while elsewhere someone shows the label of the Reprise single, but the longer, album version plays!)
The Stratfords - "Never Leave Me", from 1964 Actually, last week was the first time I ever heard it, but it is obscure, and I'd love to share it with all of you. Heard it on The Sunday Oldies Jukebox 88.9 Streetsboro OH http://www.sundayoldiesjukebox.com/
Little Peppy with The Bare Existence - "Since You've Gone Away". I can picture Mazzy Star covering this. Someday I'll actually find the record
The Knickerbockers - "Lies." I thought it was a lost Beatles song when I first heard it on the radio, and others I've played it for have made the same mistake.
Billy Nocholls - Girl From New York Billy was good friends with some of the guys in The Who. The Who should have helped promote Billy stateside.
Los Bravos - People Talking Around http://tu.tv/videos/los-bravos-people-talking-around This was from the period when Jon Anderson's brother Tony was their lead singer. I think it sounds like a cross between '68 - '70 period Monkees and early Yes. A nice little pop song.
Good choice! A great song and one of my "one hit wonder" favorites, but it's not from the 60s. From Wikipedia: Curb organized his own musical group, The Mike Curb Congregation in the 1960s; they had a Top 40 pop hit in early 1971 with the title cut from their album Burning Bridges (written and composed by Lalo Schifrin and Mike Curb) which was used as the theme of Clint Eastwood's film Kelly's Heroes
Let It All Hang Out -- The Hombres The interesting thing is even songs that were huge hits can be totally unknown to later generations. I remember seeing kids in a record store asking "who is that playing" when Journey's greatest hits was on. I know I'm stating the obvious bit it always creates As bit of a cognitive disconnect when it happens.
Tomorrow's Women by Dalton & Montgomery. One of the catchiest songs I've ever heard. I love the bouncy, immediate feel and the way it contrasts with the cynicism of the lyric. The banjo works surprisingly well. I heard this on a compilation of obscure stuff on White Whale that was playing in a record store in Sweden, and I wrote it down so i could get it when I got home. It is a shame the original single is so rare on vinyl.
"Blue And Green Gown" by the North Atlantic Invasion Force. This was very popular when I lived in New Haven in the late 60s.
"What A Girl Can't Do" by The Hangmen (actually The Reekers). This was very popular in Washington (DC) in the summer of 1966. A great song!
Alrighty then!! That is very nice...but the Stratfords' masterpiece is "Throw Stones"--by that time (a year and some change later) the personnel was somewhat different...and they uncorked an almost unknown track that sounds something like a long lost Paul Revere & the Raiders classic. Great melody, great lyric, great arrangement. Just wish I could point you to a better source than this scratch-fest--hasn't reached CD so far as I know--but it will shine through. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXym8dl3gY8
I like to call songs like that Trojan horse songs. You're enjoying the catchy melody, maybe singing along and then you suddenly realize how dark the lyrics are.
