60's Pop/Folk/Psychedelia

Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
I'm a huge nerd for obscure 60's bands, in genres spanning garage rock to pop to psychedelia to folk to country to bubblegum and so on. The time I didn't spend with friends or socializing I used to research countless websites and forums looking for any unheralded sonic nugget I could find. Granted, my tastes might differ from yours, but hopefully among the handful of people who view this thread maybe one of you will enjoy some of these.
 
Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
The first song in this thread isn't all that obscure, but I doubt too many people my age or younger are that aware of it. It's called "Pretty Ballerina" by the baroque pop band The Left Banke. It's a poppy, lilting, piano-driven song about a boy with a deep crush on a girl. I love the strings, including the oboe in the middle section. Steve Martin's voice (not THAT Steve Martin) perfectly matches the innocent amorousness of Michael Brown's lyrics.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rzeGqqethE
 
Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
The next installment to this thread is from Tim Buckley. Again, he's not really that obscure, but for those who don't know him I figure this is a good chance for an introduction. As the last song was more psychedelic pop, this selection called "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain" is psychedelic folk. It's a fast-driven acoustic number with bongos throughout while a twangy slide occasionally punctuates the breaks in between Tim's wail. His lyrics can border on the misogynist at times, and given his history (he's Jeff Buckley's father, but only in a biologic sense) it ain't always easy to like his music. But this song is undeniably great. For a good six minutes I let the music take me away to anyplace but where I am. Maybe it will for you, too.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLtx1SJWMOQ
 
Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
I think it's time for some garage rock now. This next song is from a British band called The Eyes. Like thousands of other bands during the 60's, they released only a handful of really great singles that didn't much catch on before disbanding. Listening to this song, called "You're Too Much", one could mistake it for a 90's grunge cut. It's got a raw attitude with a bouncy rhythm, and I particularly love the organ in the background. The flipside of this single was a cover version of The Everly Brothers' song "Man with Money" that, in my opinion, far exceeds the original. If you dig this, check that one out, too.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1uhRIC2PSI
 
Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
Okay, let's slow things back down a bit and show women some love, love, love. This next band is an all-girl group called The Feminine Complex (how 60's and how great is that name, btw!) that formed around '68 or '69, cutting one album and never doing much after. This song, called "Love, Love, Love", has a bit of a doo-wop feel to it but the tremelo guitar throughout gives it an edgy, late 60's kind of style. I absolutely adore the harmonies in this. When I first heard it years ago I must've listened to it nonstop for about a month. And I still come back to it regularly. Never gets old for me.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdPRbM7-u2I
 
S_Spartan

S_Spartan

Well-known member
Wow Xervello these are some great songs! I really started to get into Tim Buckley earlier this year. I got the box set on Amazon of all of his early albums and I love it.

I'll add a rare one here. I found this record at a local thrift store last year and bought it. My turntable is still in storage so luckily someone had put it up on youtube.

It's a fairly strange psych song with odd lyrics...lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwXuR2Yybhc
 
lucifersam

lucifersam

1
I'm actually really deep into this kind of stuff too. I started collecting Beatles LPs in the late 90s when I was 9 years old, and it just took off from there. I actually have been putting together a huge playlist of this sorta of stuff, it's almost 6 hours long currently... if you're interested in it, send me a PM and I'll see if I can get it uploaded somewhere.

Here's some selections from it:

This one's well-known, for good reason... required reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J74ttSR8lEg

Short, poppy, very poetic words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gizi54HVde8

Nice harpsichord & wind instruments on this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkwBJYZ8n4o

Interesting guitar technique here with the bow, be sure to pay attention to the video. (Audio is from the studio, video is live, so they don't sync perfectly)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmxMqV00cUE

This one is long and epic... first part is very psych, second part is very classical-sounding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHAzNU4Vsus

This literally brought tears to my eyes when I first heard it, superb harmonies, and more of the organ and harpsichord which I am a sucker for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH5Ks4KrzYo

Wanted to just link to the first track of this, but the upload is the full album. Very nice baroque instrumentation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeN5eyf7VTI


I think that's enough for now...
 
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Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
Seeing as how my first four selections were baroque pop, psychedelic folk, garage rock and an all-girl pop ballad, let's try some bubblegum! This next song, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" is from the successful songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart who wrote several hits for The Monkees, including Last Train to Clarksville and the Monkees' theme song. This song, an uptempo acoustic number with a little brass flair, was their biggest hit off their first album of their own. Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4YPkJUx7DA
 
Xervello

Xervello

Well-known member
Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera was a vastly underrated band. They released two albums in the late 60's, their self-titled first record was a masterpiece of psychedelic pop-rock. Think The Beatles white album. This song, "Flames", should've been a huge song, and it puzzles me why it wasn't. With a thumping bass line and a hard-drivin' rockabilly lick, let's see you not tap your foot to this one.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DdMgbCQVvQ
 
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