Angel Pavement - Desperate Dan (1969)

Coming from York, England, this group was named after a 1930 novel by the English novelist J.B. Priestley, who was also from York. Together, the group only put together one album, recorded in 1969, which failed to be released until 2003. Their 1960s peak was the release of a single in 1969 that never sold well. It’s clear from the group’s library that they were influenced by The Zombies, The Hollies, and other sunshine psychedelic pop bands of the era. The group’s plans to record an album in London were delayed when a quick show in Mexico City turned into a five month Mexican retreat. When the band finally returned to London, their guitarist, Dave Smith, parted ways with the group. Things weren’t looking good.

In an effort to please their local fans, they released a single with the A-side featuring “Baby, You’ve Got to Stay” and the pop-heavy B-side “Tell Me What I’ve Got To Do”. The single, as mentioned above, didn’t do well. To make matters worse, their new album's release was being delayed due to conflict between the group’s songwriter and the studio’s publisher. Unfortunately, the publisher won the tug-of-war and the group crumbled in 1970 without their album being released. This song was featured on the release of that never-before-heard album recorded in ’69 and released in 2003.

Lastly, the portion of the song that sounds warped is because of unrepairable damage done to the master record.



Angel Pavement - Desperate Dan (1969)

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Lyrics:

My name is Dan
I’m a desperate man
And I’m on the run again

I don’t sound lost
I’ll sing my song
My time to clear my name

My record is the longest you can find
But I can’t help myself
Won’t someone just be kind?
I’ve had my life of sin
But all the police could say is
“Book him in”
I can’t win

I get my car and drive it into town
Climb out, forgot my belt
I’m caught with trousers down
Then I’m in court again
And hear that jury sayin’

“Desperate Dan, dirty man
Don’t let your kids go near him
If you can”

Desperate Dan, dirty man
Nobody loves him
Desperate Dan, lonely man
Nobody wants Desperate Dan

Desperate Dan, dirty man
Nobody loves him
Desperate Dan, lonely man
Nobody wants Desperate Dan

My neighbor’s party
And everyone was kind
And so by accident
I touched his wife’s behind
And as I hit the floor
I heard the women shouting

“Desperate Dan, dirty man
Don’t let your kids go near him
If you can”

Desperate Dan, dirty man
Nobody loves him
Desperate Dan, lonely man
Nobody wants him
Desperate Dan, dirty man
Nobody loves desperate Dan

Please beteem me a broken-hearted man

Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)

Named for a steamroller parked across the street from a friend’s house, this group debuted April 11, 1966 at a popular nightclub in West Hollywood, California, called The Troubadour. Within days, the group was on a California-based tour opening for The Dillards and The Byrds. When the tour ended, Byrds-member Chris Hillman persuaded another popular nightclub, Whiskey a Go Go, to make this group their house band. Naturally, their exposure and popularity increased, landing the group a record deal with Atlantic Records. It would be only a short few months before Stephen Stills would write the group’s signature song, heard below.

In November 1966, laws were rushed into effect by the older Sunset Strip-area residents in Los Angeles, California, in an attempt to discourage young nightclub-goers. Between newly created loitering laws and a 10:00pm curfew, the young people in the area handed out fliers on November 12th, 1966 urging people to protest their perceived infringement of civil rights. Among those to show up that night in support of the protest were young actors Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda. All in all, over one thousand protestors showed up and police reportedly became violent. Stephen Stills, witnessing the event, wrote this song about the event and the group recorded it December 5th, 1966.



Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (1967)

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Lyrics:

There's somethin' happenin' here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Tellin' me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speakin' their minds
Gettin' so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, “Hooray! for our side”

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop, hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop, now, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's goin’ down

We better stop…

Thomas Wayne - Tragedy (1959)

Born in 1940 under the name Thomas Wayne Perkins, this singer is most famously remembered as a one-hit wonder for his ‘certified gold’ song heard below. Raised in Batesville, Mississippi, he was the brother of Johnny Cash’s guitarist, Luther Perkins. After the success of his release began to fade, he worked as a sound engineer up until his death, from a car accident, in 1971.

This song, Wayne’s most well-remembered work, was originally written and released by Gerald H. Nelson and Fred B. Burch. Wayne’s version of the song rose to number five on the Billboard Top 100. The background vocals, provided by the DeLons, were contributed by a trio of girls found at the local high school in Memphis, Tennessee, where the song was recorded.

In 1973, Paul McCartney & Wings recorded a version of this song intended to be released on their then-double album Red Rose Speedway. As it turned out, Red Rose Speedway was reduced to one record rather than two and this song was omitted from the track listing. The Wings version has never officially been released.



Thomas Wayne - Tragedy (1959)

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Lyrics:

Wind and storm
Gone's the Sun (the Sun)
From the stars
My dark has come
You've gone from me

Oh, oh tragedy

Oh, come back
Have me here
Hold me, love
Be sincere
You've gone from me

Oh, oh tragedy

Like smoke from a fire of love
Our dreams have all gone above

Blown by wind
Kissed by snow
All that's left
Is the dark below
You've gone from me

Oh, oh, tragedy

(Oh, oh, oh)
Tragedy

A Passing Fancy - I'm Losing Tonight (1967)

Having released less than a dozen songs in their short span, this Toronto based band was originally known as The Dimensions. At the heart of the group were musical leader Jay Telfer and spiritual/business leader Brian Price. When Price left the band to concentrate on his studies, the remaining members of the group struggled to carry on. Later, management would ask Telfer to step down from the band, and the band folded. Telfer continued in music with a solo career, while Price practiced dentistry and eventually opened over one hundred dental offices. The group reunited once in 1988.

This song was the A-side of the group’s first single, released in February 1967. Locally, it reached number twenty-two. In November 1968, the song was again released on a self-titled album featuring both original songs and songs by new members of the group put together by management after the original members had all parted ways.



A Passing Fancy - I'm Losing Tonight (1967)

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Lyrics:

Don’t ever bring me down
Or slap my face
Don’t ever cause me pain
You’ll be replaced

I let you go so far
But now it’s gotta stop
I know just where you are
So you should cut it out
I’m really mad about your lies
But then I’m mad about your eyes

I’m losin tonight
I’m losin the fight
It seems, with you, I’m never right
Alright

You tease me constantly
You know my mind
You never leave me be
That’s so unkind

You’re takin’ full advantage of my weakest point
You’ve got me doin’ everything that you avoid
You know I hate to see you cry
But then I hate to hear you lie

I’m losin’ tonight
I’m losin’ the fight
It seems, with you, I’m never right
Sock it to me, now

(Alright)

C’mon

Don’t ever bring me down
Or slap my face
Don’t ever cause me pain
Don’t be replaced

I let you go so far
But now it’s gotta stop
I know just where you are
So you should cut it out
I’m really mad about your lies
But then I’m mad about your eyes

I’m losin’ tonight
I’m losin’ the fight
It seems, with you, I’m never right
Alright

Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again (1961)

Born as Ernest Evans in South Carolina, this artist received his stage name from Dick Clark’s wife, whom he had just done an impression of Fats Domino for. When she asked him his name, he replied that his friends called him ‘Chubby’. She replied, “As in ‘Checker’?,” joking about the “fat” first name and board-game last name. He gained monumental stardom with the release of his 1960 hit cover-song, “The Twist,” starting a national dance craze with his version of the Hank Ballard original. The song would slowly gain the acceptance of adults around the nation, and thus helped propel rock and roll music to something for more than just teenagers.

Following the enormous success of “The Twist” in 1960, Parkway Records used writer Kal Mann and producer Dave Appell to hopefully create another hit for Checker the following year. The resulting song, heard below, was a large success, reaching number eight in the United States and number one in the United Kingdom. It also went on the receive the 1962 Grammy Award for “Best Rock & Roll Recording”.



Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again (1961)

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Lyrics:

Come on, everybody!
Clap your hands
Aw, you're lookin’ good
I'm gonna sing my song
It won't take long
We’re gonna do The Twist
And it goes like this:

Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last summer
Yeah, let's twist again
Like we did last year
Do you remember when
Things were really hummin'?
Yeah, let's twist again
Twistin' time is here

Around ‘n’ ‘round and up ‘n’ down we go again
Oh baby, make me know
You love me so

And twist again
Like we did last summer
Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last year

(Twist!)

Who’s that flyin up there?
Is it a bird? (No!)
Is it a plane? (No!)
Is it The Twister? (Yeah!)

Yeah, twist again
Like we did last summer
Come on, let's twist again
Like we did last year
Do you remember when
Things were really hummin'?
Come on, let's twist again
Twistin' time is here

Yeah, ‘round ‘n’ ‘round ‘n’ up ‘n’ down we go again
Oh baby, make me know
You love me so

Come on, twist again
Like we did last summer
Girl, let's twist again
Like we did last year

Come on, let’s twist again
Twistin’ time is here