Geranium Pond, 1968
This is going to be my last post for a while. During next few months, I will be far too busy to regularly update this blog. I can't really tell how long this hiatus is going to be, but hopefully I will be back before the end of this year.
Before I go, I want to share some great 1960's British Psych tunes I have been enjoying lately..
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera - 'Dream Starts' - 1968
Standout track from Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera's sole album released in 1968. Nice melody, and those distorted vocals sound really good..
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, 1968
Hat And Tie - 'Finding It Rough' - 1967
Hat and Tie were a duo consisting of Christopher Thomas and Patrick Campbell-Lyons (also a one-time member of July and Nirvana). 'Finding It Rough' was their second single, released in April 1967. Despite being incredibly catchy,this sitar-led piece of psych-pop did not chart, and Hat And Tie disbanded soon after.
Geranium Pond - 'Dogs In Baskets' - 1968
'Dogs In Baskets' is a mellotron and harpsichord-led ,whimsical lullaby in a style of Syd Barrett. Listen to it here.
Tintern Abbey - Vaccum Cleaner - 1967
Unquestionable cult classic, 'Vaccum Cleaner' was a B-side to Tintern Abbey's single 'Beeside' from 1967. This highly collectible seven inch will today set you back nearly a grand. The lyrics of 'Vaccum Cleaner' were pretty risque at the time...
Break it up, break it up, let's have it now girl
Don't you know I need it all the time
Fix me up with your sweet dose, now I'm feeling like a ghost
Whoah whoah whoah whoah all the time
Now my head is really spinnin
maybe now I'll show some willin
To help you with house work, if you want to...
Yep, no prize for guessing what this song is about... Surprisingly, there is no mention of this song ever being banned by the BBC. But then again, it was only a B-side.
Now I finally have an excuse to post this great photo of Tintern Abbey. Psychedelic/Peacock style at its finest. I absolutely love that jacket on the left.
The Quik - 'I Can't Sleep' - 1967
Not much is known about The Quik. They released three singles on Deram in 1967. 'I Can't Sleep' was the final one - It is a fantastic piece of dark, Hammond-led psychedelia..
The Fox - 'Hey! Mr. Carpenter' - 1968
The Fox, 1968
Another cult classic. Great dance number, and obligatory play at any decent Psych night (I always get the those Hey's wrong when I try to sing along to it)
The Fox were a short-lived band from Brighton. They released an album For Fox Sake (see what they did there?) on Fontana in 1968, which disappeared without a trace, and the band split up soon after. 'Hey! Mr. Carpenter' has been popping up on various psych compilations (including Bam Caruso's Rubble) since 1980's, and since then it's been universally acclaimed by Psych fans as one of the British Psychedelia's finest moments.
The Kinks - Big Black Smoke - 1966
I'll end with this lesser known track by The Kinks from their 1966 album Face To Face. It is a grim, cautionary tale about a young girl from provincial town and her misadventures in London. Healthy dose of reality after all this psychedelic stuff..
So, That's about it for now. See you again in about 2 or 3 months!!!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Terry Rawlings, Then, Now an Rare: British Beat 1960-1969, Omnibus Press, 2002
8 comments:
some great songs here. Ill have to see if some are available on buy. I hope whatever is keeping you away from your blog is something fun. We'll see you back here soon
This is my second visit to your site! I really enjoy your article and I believe Ill become a frequent visitor to your site! I enjoy your in depth posts about this subject and I enjoy the fact you are so knowledgeable about this subject. Thanks for your time.
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It's a pity that you are taking a break on this blog 'cause the quantity and quality of the information you share here is amazing.
Cheers from Spain
Alejandro
Only discovered this blog in the past few months, you have quite a few fans from what I can see and i hope you won't stay away too long!
Groovy post! Hopefully you hiatus is short lived because I certainly enjoy what you're doing here. Awhile back I found out that The Fox who did "Mr. Carpenter" were a different band from the one's of "For Fox Sake" fame. The "Mr. Carpenter" lot were a spin off of a band centered around an enigmatic character named Winston G. (responsible for many fine sides in '66-'67). The Everly Brother's actually covered "Finding it Rough", I'd love to know how that came their way!
Just found this site and how delightful! When one remembers the fashion of the sixties they often think it is mainly women. But the men were such peacocks then! Men now often don't seem to be as sure as themselves and might be a bit afraid to don the colorful apparel that men wore then. I would love to see men dressing liking that again. What a lovely time it was!
Hello, just come across your blog, really fantastic- was wondering are you coming back to it ? it's so well done- another thing do you design clothes yourself? Thanks for the blog, it's appreciated.
When are you coming back?
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