Psychedelic songs by "square" groups

go Cat Woman go!!!!

 

The Lettermen drop a few tabs and sing "Light My Fire"
It don't get much squarer than this:

 

Who also enjoyed giving rainbows

 

I'm sure you could add the lyrics to Stray Cat Blues (especially the live version) if you really think the Nuge was doing anything but making a provocative joke. In fact, in a case of life imitating art, I'd say that Ted has become a provocative joke.

But, since this is a thread about psychedelia, I suggest you check out the lyrics to Mellow Yellow.

"Mellow Yellow"

I'm just mad about saffron
A-saffron's mad about me
I'm-a just mad about saffron
She's just mad about me

They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

I'm just mad about fourteen
Fourteen's mad about me
I'm-a just mad about a-fourteen
A-she's just mad about me

They call me mellow yellow
They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

Born-a high forever to fly
A-wind-a velocity nil
Born-a high forever to fly
If you want, your cup I will fill

They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

So mellow yellow

Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to be the very next phase

They call it mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

Yes, saffron, yeah
I'm just-a mad about her
I'm-a just-a mad about-a saffron
She's just mad about me

They call it mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow

Oh, so yellow
Oh, so mellow

 

Here's ten of my favourites.


01 Kenny Everett - Nice Time

 

02 Roger Whittaker - Festival

 

03 The Osmonds - My Drum

 

04 Cliff Richard - In The Past

 

05 Trini Lopez – Sunshine Superman / Cry Like A Baby

 

06 Jimmy Tarbuck - Wastin' Time

 

07 James Last - Silver Machine

 

08 Bruce Forsyth - Lucretia MacEvil

 

09 Sandie Shaw - Your Time Is Gonna Come

 

10 Pat Boone - Song To The Siren (released before Tim Buckley's original)

 

Yes, THIS is one of things that I miss about the 60s and 70s.....Square groups singing hip songs. Is this done anymore? Who's considered square nowadays? I guess it depends who you ask.

 

I kind of think that "Into the Mystic" is a psychedelic song, but that's just my opinion. And Van Morrison seems somewhat square to me.

http://rollingstones500albummarathon.blogspot.com

 

Cream is not psychedelic? Yes, Dylan is more surreal than psychedelic. Neither were considered square.

 

The Beach Boys for the most part were not contrived or bandwagon jumpers into the the psyche mold at least not as far as the Wilson bros. Smiley Smile had some of ther most out there music for example the almost spooky version of Wind Chimes or how about the Sail Plane Song which was recorded a year or so later. Brian just naturally fell into those sounds and in fact they were one of the few groups not to employ a sitar 1966-69 just to sound trippy or hip.

In terms of bandwagon jumping "Student Demonstration Time" may be the one clear example and maybe the use of Country Joe's name on California Saga. ( I always wondered what CJ thought about that) and also maybe a few other beaks of eagles moments c/o Love/Jardine.

Jack Riley had some input into lyrics and direction in the early 70's but tracks such as Feel Flows, Long Promised Road and quite a few others do not sound forced and fit right into the sound of hip FM radio during the time.

and oh had Smile been released what sounded contrived about Mrs O'Leary's Cow ?

 

If you have heard of an artist, he is a sellout. Period.

I suspect you are not old enough to remember rock music and particularly the psychedelic period. Your post seems to have come from anecdotal historical opinions rather than first hand observation.
Tommy James was one of the more innovative of the rock era artists. Kenny Rogers first hit song was about sniffing glue. The First Edition was quite psychedelic.

Those groups did get FM underground radio play, mostly because DJs back then were quite open minded and didn't attempt to shove artists into compartments.
Hendrix, CJ and the F, and Cream all had songs that charted on the top 40.
Top 40 radio was very much part of the rock era and the psychedelic part of it. If anything top 40 radio and billboard charts was the biggest advertiser of psychedelic music, because if you was a music fan back when rock was happening, chances are you heard it on a.m. radio first, or you heard it at someones house who was inspired to buy an album because of something they heard on top 40 radio.

 

Yikes. That's just plain bizarre. Wonder what the backstory on that one is.

 

Some are still keeping that tradition alive.

 

Come on! Simon & Garfunkel? Square?

 

was he jumping on the short-lived Pat Boone "In A Metal Mood" bandwagon?