Pink Floyd - Ibiza Bar (1969)

As far as Pink Floyd’s discography goes, there may not have been a more diverse effort than their third studio album, More. Released in 1969, More was a soundtrack for the eponymous movie released that same year. The soundtrack, composed entirely by Pink Floyd, ranged from acoustic folk songs to heavy grunge and psychedelia. And because it was meant to be played over the film, more than half of its tracks were instrumentals. More was the first album to be released by the band without their original front-man Syd Barrett. As such, the album is often viewed as the birth of what would later become the iconic Pink Floyd style and sound.

Written by Roger Waters, the song below is primarily known as being the ninth track on the More album. However, before the More album was released in June 1969, the song was first released as the B-Side to a March 1969 single, backing Floyd’s other hard rocker, “The Nile Song,” as its A-Side.



Pink Floyd - Ibiza Bar (1969)

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Lyrics:

I'm so afraid of mistakes that I've made
Shaking every time that I awake
I feel like a cardboard cut-out man
So build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

I've aged and aged since the first page
I've lived every line that you wrote
Take me down, take me down
From the shelf above your head
And build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

I live where I'm left
On the shelf like the rest
And the epilogue reads like a sad song
Please, pick up your camera
And use me again
And build me a time
When the characters rhyme
And the storyline is kind

Yeah!

Andwella's Dream - Shades of Grey (1969)

At the age of sixteen, Dave Lewis joined his first band, known as Method, in his native home of Northern Ireland. After the band relocated to London the following year, 1968, they renamed themselves to what you see above.

By 1969, the group had released their first album, Love and Poetry, with all of its source material having been written and arranged by Lewis before the age of eighteen. The album featured Lewis on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Nigel Smith on bass and vocals, and Gordon Barton on drums. Although the album failed to be commercially successful, it has since garnered more popularity and praise.

By 1970, the group had once again renamed themselves (this time, to just Andwella), and Lewis, remaining a member, simultaneously began a solo career. Andwella went on to release two more albums, and Lewis himself continued as a singer-songwriter, opening for such notable acts as Don McLean and Fairport Convention.

To hear another wonderful track from Love and Poetry, be sure to check out our previous post Andwella's Dream - Man Without a Name (1969).



Andwella's Dream - Shades of Grey (1969)

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Lyrics:

I used to play a game that stayed the same
When grey was grey every day
I used to sleep alone in a place called home
I used to own a car

Then I went away one sunny day
Now I see blue instead of grey
And I think of things in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

And I have many friends
Who are proud to spend their days with me
And we sing life's song under the morning sun
Grey is never grey

And I play the game as best I can
Where every man equals any man
And I think of things in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

I used to play a game that stayed the same
When grey was grey every day
I used to sleep alone in a place called home
Used to own a car

Then I went away one sunny day
Now I see blue instead of grey
And I live my life in a better way
‘cause grey is not grey

Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now (1969)

The song heard below was written by Joni Mitchell in March of 1967 while on an airplane. She had been reading the book Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow, in which the main character was riding in a plane and observing the clouds below him. Mitchell, being on a plane herself at that moment, began to gaze out the window, admiring the clouds, and then began to write this song. As she told Rolling Stone magazine in 1967, “I dreamed down at the clouds, and thought that when I was a kid I had dreamed up at them, and having dreamed at the clouds from both sides as no generation of men has done, one should be able to accept his death very easily.”

A little while after her fruitful plane ride, Mitchell gave the song to Judy Collins to record and release on her October 1967 album Wildflowers. Collins’ version would go on to be released the following year as a single and became an enormous hit, earning the singer a Grammy for Best Folk Performance.

The version heard below is the first version to have been released by Joni Mitchell herself. Mitchell first decided to record and release the song for her second album released in May of 1969, titled Clouds. The singer-songwriter came back to the song again in 2000, when she re-recorded and re-released it for her album Both Sides Now. Both versions of her song received critical acclaim; the song is now regarded as one of her best; and Rolling Stone voted it #171 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.



Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now (1969)

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Lyrics:

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides, now
From up and down, and still, somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy, dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
You leave ‘em laughin’ when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides, now
From give and take, and still, somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say ‘I love you’ right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads; they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost but something’s gained
In living every day

I’ve looked at life from both sides, now
From win and lose, and still, somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

I’ve looked at life from both sides, now
From up and down, and still, somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969)

According to singer/songwriter Judy Collins, she first met Stephen Stills at a party in 1967. She thought Stephen was “possibly the most attractive man” she had ever seen. And although the two became romantically linked for the next two years, it was clear to Stephen that breaking up was imminent when Judy had fallen in love with Stacy Keach, her co-star in a stage musical.

The deteriorating relationship led a devastated Stills to pen multiple songs about Collins, who was known for her piercing blue eyes; and the song heard below is a weaving of four of those pieces of work. The “Suite” in the title was a pun, half indicating that the song was a musical suite or, a collection of songs in the classical sense, and half referencing the meaning of its homophone, implying “sweet” Judy Blue Eyes.

Although the song didn’t convince Collins to remain with Stills, she admits that it did make her feel more regretful about her decision to leave him. And when the song climbed to number twenty-one in the United States, it certainly made it that much more difficult for her to avoid hearing it.



Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969)

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Lyrics:

It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore
(I am sorry)
Sometimes it hurts so badly I must cry out loud
(I am lonely)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Remember what we've said and done and felt about each other
(Oh, babe, have mercy)
Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now
(I am not dreaming)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Tearing yourself away from me now, you are free
And I am crying
This does not mean I don't love you; I do; that's forever
Yes, and for always
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

Something inside is telling me that I've got your secret
(Are you still listening?)
Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart
(And I love you)
I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are
You make it hard

(And you make it) hard
(And you make it) hard
(And you make it) hard

Friday evening
Sunday in the afternoon
What have you got to lose?

Tuesday morning
Please be gone, I'm tired of you
What have you got to lose?

Can I tell it like it is?
(Help me, I'm sufferin')
Listen to me, baby
It's my heart that's a’sufferin'; it's a’dyin'
(Help me I'm dyin')
And that's what I have to lose (lose)

I've got an answer
I'm going to fly away
What have I got to lose?

Will you come see me
Thursdays and Saturdays?
(Hey, hey, hey)
What have you got to lose?

Chestnut-brown canary
Ruby-throated sparrow
Sing a song; don't be long
Thrill me to the marrow

Voices of the angels
Ring around the moonlight
Asking me, said she’s so free
How can you catch the sparrow?

Lacy lilting lyric
Losing love, lamenting
Change my life, make it right
Be my lady

¡Que linda! Me acuerdo a CubaHow pretty! She reminds me of Cuba
La reina de la Mar CaribeThe queen of the Caribbean Sea
Quiero sólo visitarle allíI only want to visit her there
¡Y que triste que no puedo vaya!And how sad that I can't go
O Va! O Va!Oh, go! Oh, go!

Thunderclap Newman - Something in the Air (1969)

In 1967, The Who decided to record a song, “Armenia City in the Sky,” which had been written for them by the band’s chauffeur, John “Speedy” Keen. It was the only song The Who ever recorded that was written for the band by somebody outside of the band. Speedy Keen also shared an apartment with The Who’s Pete Townshend, who would later be responsible for giving Keen his big break.

In 1969, Townshend wanted to get Speedy Keen in the limelight to expose his talents as a guitarist, drummer, singer, and songwriter. Keen had been working on a song, so Townshend put a group together around him to get it recorded. Speedy Keen sang the lead vocals, played guitar, and played drums. Pete Townshend was under contract with his current label, so he played bass under the pseudonym Bijou Drains, as well as producing. For the rest of the outfit, Townshend brought in fifteen year old Jimmy McCulloch on guitar (who would later join Wings) and an old friend from his art college, Andy “Thunderclap” Newman, on piano. Townshend, at one point, had agreed to work with each of the aforementioned artists, individually. At the persistence of Kit Lambert (manager of The Who), Townshend brought everyone together to fulfill all of his promises at once, giving him more free time to work on The Who’s latest project, Tommy.

Below is the song written by John “Speedy” Keen and performed by the newly put together band. It was originally titled “Revolution,” but was renamed since The Beatles’ had come out with a song with the same title a year prior. Released in May 1969, the song went to number one in the UK for two weeks, holding off releases by both Elvis Presley and The Beatles. By December 1969, it had sold more than a million copies.



Thunderclap Newman - Something in the Air (1969)

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Lyrics:

Call out the instigators
Because there’s something in the air
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here

And you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Lock up the streets and houses
Because there’s something in the air
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here

And you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Hand out the arms and ammo
We’re going to blast our way through here
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here

And you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together
Now

Arlo Guthrie - Coming into Los Angeles [Live] (1969)

Arlo Davy Guthrie was born July 10, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York to iconic folk legend Woody Guthrie and professional dancer Marjorie Mazia Guthrie. From birth, Arlo was raised around his father’s folk music and friends, including Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Ronnie Gilbert, and numerous others. His first public appearance as a musician was in 1961 at the age of thirteen, and his first solo album, Alice’s Restaurant, came out six years later in September 1967. After his father’s passing in October 1967, Arlo inherited one of his father’s closest friends, Pete Seeger. Arlo and Seeger performed at demonstrations together, toured together, and performed at least a dozen shows per year together over the next forty years. To put it succinctly, Arlo Guthrie is the living link between the earlier generation of folk singers from the 1930s and ‘40s (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, etc.) to the new era of folk singers from the ‘60s (Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, etc.), having been born and raised into one generation and growing into adulthood in the next.

Like all of Arlo Guthrie’s popular songs, the one heard below was never a hit. His famous “Alice’s Restaurant” from 1967 was over eighteen minutes long and therefore dodged radio airplay. The song heard below also missed airtime because of it being banned by countless radio stations for its subject matter. Luckily, the song remained popular by word of mouth between Guthrie’s fans. Written by Arlo himself, the studio version of this song can be heard on Guthrie’s 1969 album Running Down the Road. The live version heard below is from Guthrie’s hour-long appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, where it opened Guthrie’s set at 11:55 p.m., technically closing out the first day of the festival.



Arlo Guthrie - Coming into Los Angeles [Live] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Coming in from London from over the Pole
Flying in a big airliner, oh
Chickens flying everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?

Coming into Los Angeles
Bringing in a couple of ki’s
Don’t touch my bags if you please
Mr. Customs Man

Guy with a ticket to Mexico
No, he couldn’t look much stranger
Walkin’ in a hall with his things and all
Smiled and said he was The Lone Ranger

Coming into Los Angeles
Bringing in a couple of ki’s
Don’t touch my bags if you please
Mr. Customs Man

Yes, a hip woman walking on a moving floor
Tripping on the escalator
There's a man in the line and she's blowing his mind
Thinking that he's already made her

Coming into Los Angeles
Bringing in a couple of ki’s
Don’t touch my bags if you please
Mr. Customs Man

Coming in from London from over the Pole
Flying in a big airliner, oh
Chickens flying everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?

Coming into Los Angeles
Bringing in a couple of ki’s
Don’t touch my bags if you please
Mr. Customs Man

Longbranch Pennywhistle - Run Boy Run (1969)

Glenn Frey was born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. He first had a taste of being a professional musician when he performed background vocals and played an acoustic guitar for Bob Seger’s 1968 Ramblin’ Gamblin’ album. When Frey’s girlfriend, an aspiring singer, wanted to move to Los Angeles, California, Frey went along with her. While there, he met the Texas-born John David Souther and formed this duo in 1969. Calling themselves Longbranch Pennywhistle, the duo often played gigs at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. They were eventually discovered by Amos Records and had enough material to create one, self-titled album. By 1971, Amos Records had gone out of business and the duo decided to dissolve their act. Frey soon continued his career by co-creating the Eagles with Don Henley, whom he had met at the Troubadour the year before. Souther, although would often write and co-write songs for the Eagles, primarily focused on his solo career. He also famously dated Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks.

This song was the second track to the band’s 1969 album, Longbranch Pennywhistle. Although most of the album’s tracks had been penned by Souther, this particular song was written by Frey. The album featured a large number of famous session musicians of the time, including Ry Cooder, Larry Knechtel, James Burton, Jim Gordon, and others. With Glenn Frey’s voice and the country rock melody, you can definitely hear the future sound of the Eagles in this album and song.



Longbranch Pennywhistle - Run Boy Run (1969)

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Lyrics:

Well, it won’t be long until mornin’
And I know I won’t be hard to find
Bloodhound leadin’ all the state police
I gotta make it to the Georgia line

I met a girl in Montgomery
She told me she was twenty-three
(They always do)
Turned out she was in high school
Now her daddy wants to walk me to the hangin’ tree

Run, boy, run
You gotta move
Run, boy, run
You gotta move

Well, an easy goin’ rock ‘n’ roll refugee
Booked trouble on a southbound train
The law books say that I'm a guilty man
And I wouldn’t get time to explain

Dead run, ain’t no stoppin’
‘til I make the borderline
Two more miles on a bottom land run
‘til I find a sanctuary in the Georgia pine

Hey, run, boy, run
You gotta move
Run, boy, run
You gotta move

Hey, run, boy, run
You gotta move
Run, boy, run
You gotta move

On the six oh five
Come on, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah
Oh, get down

Okay

Country Joe McDonald - The 'Fish' Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag [Live] (1969)

Note: This is our first post to feature “obscene” language. Read and listen at your own judgment.

Country Joe McDonald, born Joseph Allen McDonald on January 1st, 1942, had been named “Joseph” by his parents after the Soviet Union’s then-leader, Joseph Stalin. McDonalds parents had been devout communists in their youth, but renounced their beliefs later in life. In 1965, McDonald and his friend Barry Melton began writing and performing songs that protested the Vietnam War. They began to call themselves “Country Joe and the Fish.” “Country Joe” was a reference to Joseph Stalin’s colloquial nickname, whereas “the fish” was taken from a statement made by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, who stated that a true revolutionary “moves through the peasantry as the fish does through water.” Although their group would see the addition and subtraction of different members over the years, McDonald and Melton were always at its core.

Country Joe and the Fish were at Woodstock during the festival of 1969, but were not scheduled to play until the festival’s third day. As you may remember from our previous post, on the very first day of the festival, the very first act was Ritchie Havens. Havens had gone out on stage because Sweetwater, who had been scheduled first, were bickering amongst themselves and couldn’t make it to the stage on time. When Havens had finished his set, Sweetwater still wasn’t ready to hit the stage. Looking for someone to fill up the time between acts, the organizers of Woodstock located Country Joe wandering around near the stage. Even though he wasn’t with his band, they asked him to perform solo to entertain the audience. Country Joe, terrified of the enormous crowd, made up an excuse that he couldn’t play because he didn’t have a guitar with him. They found a Yamaha acoustic guitar lying around and gave it to him. He persisted that he couldn’t play because he didn’t have a strap for the guitar. They tied a rope to it and pushed him on stage. Joe was left without a choice and performed nine songs, all by himself, on a guitar that wasn’t his.

(It should be noted that accounts of what day Country Joe played solo vary. Country Joe himself claims the above to be true, but other historians claim he played solo on Day 2 of Woodstock and not Day 1. Without any official documentation regarding scheduling as it actually happened, we may never know the unopposed truth.)

The ninth and final song of Country Joe’s solo set is heard below. It’s opened, as it usually was, with a variation of “The ‘Fish’ Cheer.” Written by Country Joe, the original version of this song appeared on Country Joe and the Fish’s second album, I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die from 1967. Although the sarcastic and critical anti-Vietnam lyrics prevented the song from being heard on the radio, the song was very popular amongst the masses of anti-Vietnam youths. In this live Woodstock version of the song, it’s opened with “The ‘Fuck’ Cheer,” a call-and-response interaction with the audience, which had evolved from “The ‘Fish’ Cheer.” Asking the audience to call out letters and then what they spelled, “The ‘Fish’ Cheer” evolved to “The ‘Fuck’ Cheer” after a student demonstration at the University of California, Berkeley (in 1964/1965) successfully fought for the students’ right to use free speech. Country Joe and the Fish often used this cheer to highlight their right to free speech, but were also often fined by venues and cities for its use.



Country Joe McDonald - The 'Fish' Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag [Live] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Give me an “F”!
(“F”!)
Give me a “U”!
(“U”!)
Give me a “C”!
(“C”!)
Give me a “K”!
(“K”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)
What’s that spell?
(“Fuck”!)

Well, come on all of you big, strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
He got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
Put down your books and pick up a gun
We're gonna have a whole lot of fun

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The next stop is Vietnam
And it’s five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die

Now, come on Wall Street, don't be slow
Why, man, this is War A-Go-Go
There’s plenty good money to be made
Supplyin' the army with the tools of the trade
Just hope and pray that when they drop the bomb
They drop it on the Viet Cong

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The next stop is Vietnam
And it’s five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die

Now, come on generals, let’s move fast
Your big chance is here at last
Night you go out and get those reds
‘cause the only good Commie is one that’s dead
You know that peace can only be won
When you blow ‘em all to Kingdom come

Sing it!

One, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
Louder!
(The next stop is) Vietnam
And it’s five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die

Listen, people. I don’t know how you expect to ever stop the war if you can’t sing any better than that. There’s about 300,000 of you fuckers out there. I want you to start singing! Come on!

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The next stop is Vietnam
And it’s five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die

Now, come on mothers throughout the land
Pack your boys off to Vietnam
Come on fathers, don't hesitate
Send your sons off before it’s too late
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box

Alright!

And it’s one, two, three
What are we fightin’ for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
The next stop is Vietnam
And it’s five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! We're all gonna die

Alright!

The Who - Sparks (1969)

Primarily written by band member Pete Townshend, The Who’s double-sided Tommy album was one of the first rock albums in history to be considered a “rock opera.” The album’s songs systematically tell the story of Tommy, a kid who is psychosomatically deaf, dumb, and blind due to something he witnessed at a young age. The album’s time-frame spans multiple years, from Tommy as a child to his adult life. The album was banned by the BBC and many US radio stations for its subject matter, specifically revolving around a handicapped child who is abused by family members and goes on to become a spiritual leader. Just a few months after its release in 1969, the entire album was played by The Who for the crowd at Woodstock. Almost as if it were on cue, the sun began to rise at Woodstock over the horizon just as Roger Daltrey began to sing, “See Me, Feel Me.” The album has sold more than twenty million copies, been turned into a Broadway musical, an orchestral production, and a feature film. It was the band’s first major album success, to be followed by Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, The Who by Numbers, and Who Are You.

Written by Pete Townshend, this instrumental track was one of the numerous highlights on the Tommy album. The song has a notable appearance in the film Almost Famous from 2000, when the main character first becomes exposed to rock music when listening to this particular track.



The Who - Sparks (1969)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

Hardin and York - Drinking My Wine (1969)

Having been in The Spencer Davis Group together, Eddie Hardin and Pete York split from Spencer’s band to create a two-person band in 1969. Hardin, an organist and pianist, mixed with York’s drumming to create one of the most unique duo/instrument combinations of the era. Although Hardin’s left hand usually created the bass sound, the band’s three albums were often accompanied by more than just the pair’s instruments of choice. You would often hear guitars, brass, female backup vocals, or wind instruments on any of their three albums: 1969’s Tomorrow Today, 1970’s The World’s Smallest Big Band, and 1971’s For the World. The duo wasn’t able to find much of an audience in the US or UK, but were quite popular in the rest of Europe, especially in Germany. In 1971, York started the Pete York Percussion Band and Hardin co-created Hardin/Fenwick/Newman. Although they kept up their dual enrollment for a while, they eventually disbanded in 1973 when the Spencer Davis Group came beckoning for a reunion.

With their jazz-influenced blend of the blues and hard rock, it was hard not to compare the duo to Traffic. Steve Winwood, co-creator of Traffic, had been in the Spencer Davis Group with Hardin and York, so it’s certainly conceivable to see where Hardin & York were inspired to find their sound. The song heard below, written by Eddie Hardin and featured on their debut 1969 album, Tomorrow Today, was featured as the album’s fourth track. That album’s cover, which lacked Hardin and York’s name, was an award-winner in New York for artistic originality.



Hardin and York - Drinking My Wine (1969)

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Lyrics:

Sitting here drinking my wine
Wastes so much of my time
Pass another empty day
Sitting on my new friend’s way

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting alone in the park
Feeling afraid of the dark
Everyone’s eyes set firmly on me
Why can’t they set me free?

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting here drinking my wine
Wastes so much of my time
Pass another empty day
Sitting on my new friend’s way

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting alone in the park
Feeling afraid of the dark
Everyone’s eyes set firmly on me
Why can’t they set me free?

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Lothar and the Hand People - What Grows on Your Head (1969)

First assembled in Denver, Colorado in 1965, this psychedelic and experimental band found their calling when they moved to New York together in 1966. Known for their strange space-like sound effects, the band created songs that transcended from folk and rock to psychedelic and experimental. They were known for their heavy use of a theremin, a synthesizer which seemed “futuristic” at the time and can be heard in The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." They were so in love with the noises that the theremin created, they decided to name it and chose the name “Lothar.” Lead by their synthesizer, Lothar, the band referred to themselves as “the Hand People,” or the ones who had to use their hands to create music. In the band’s short existence, they were able to open for The Byrds, the Grateful Dead, The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Canned Heat. They even had a jam session with Jimi Hendrix.

The band released a total of two albums, 1968’s Presenting…Lothar & the Hand People and 1969’s follow-up, Space Hymn. The song below comes from the band’s second and last album, commenting on society’s outlook on hippies and people with long hair. It’s possible that they were inspired by the recently released “Hair” by The Cowsills, but with little information on the group available, one can’t be too sure what drove them to write this catchy song.



Lothar and the Hand People - What Grows on Your Head (1969)

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Lyrics:

It doesn’t matter

Don’t wanna cut my hair
It’s gonna grow down to my knees
My teacher at school’s not there
My mom and my dad don’t care
Don’t know what it means to be free
With your long hair blowing in the breeze
Free

Well, me and the guys
We’re running away
To live in a cave
Alone with our hair

It gets in my mouth when I eat
I don’t like to walk the street
You know I can’t stand the heat
The people who laugh at me
They’re jealous because I’m free
With my long hair waiving to the trees
Free

Oh, one of these days
You’ll wake up and see
An army of guys
An army of hair

I don’t wanna cut my hair
It’s gonna grow down to my knees
My teacher at school’s not there
My mom and my dad don’t care
Don’t know what it means to be free
With your long hair blowing in the breeze
Free

Me and the guys
We’re running away
To live in a cave
Alone with our hair

Hair

Fairport Convention - Reynardine (1969)

Guitarist Simon Nicol and bassist Ashley Hutchings (male) first met in 1966 while playing in the Ethnic Shuffle Orchestra in North London. They practiced together in Nicol’s father’s house, named “Fairport,” in the same part of town that The Kinks’ brothers, Ray Davies and Dave Davies, had grown up in. Soon uniting with Richard Thompson and Shaun Frater, the musicians borrowed the name of the home in which they practiced and called themselves the Fairport Convention. At their very first live performance, their drummer Frater was challenged by an audience member claiming to be able to do a better job. Martin Lamble, the accuser, permanently took Frater’s spot. With the addition of female vocalist Judy Dyble, the first solid incarnation of the band was formed. As mentioned in our previous post featuring this group, it would be unwise to try and list all the personnel changes over the coming years, as over twenty-five members’ names would need to be explained.

This song, which was released on the band’s 1969 Liege & Lief album, is a traditional English ballad. The song, dating back to before the 1800s, deals with a main character, Reynardine, who attracts beautiful women back to his castle. In 1904, a new version of the song was arranged that included a new aspect to Reynardine, the ability to transform himself into a fox. The 1904 version, now the most widely known, is commonly overlooked as a “new” version, as people generally believe, incorrectly, that the werefox aspect of Reynardine was a part of the original song. The album which this particular version of the song appears on, Liege & Lief, is disputed as one of the first in the English folk rock genre (not to be confused with the American folk rock genre started by bands such as The Byrds years prior).



Fairport Convention - Reynardine (1969)

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Lyrics:

One evening as I rambled among the leaves so green
I overheard a young woman converse with Reynardine

Her hair was black, her eyes were blue, her lips as red as wine
And he smiled to gaze upon her, did that sly, old Reynardine

She said, “Kind sir, be civil, my company forsake”
“For in my own opinion, I fear you are some rake”

“Oh, no,” he said, “no rake am I; brought up in Venus train”
“But I'm seeking for concealment all along the lonesome plain”

“Your beauty so enticed me, I could not pass it by”
“So it's with my gun I'll guard you along the mountains high”

“And if, by chance, you should look for me, perhaps you'll not me find”
“For I'll be in my castle; inquire for Reynardine”

Sun went dark, she followed him, his teeth did brightly shine
And he led her over the mountains, did that sly old Reynardine

Kaleidoscope - (Love Song) For Annie (1969)

Kaleidoscope is no stranger to this website, as they’ve been recognized for their great music here more than once before. Be sure to read up on the previous posts if you’re unfamiliar with this band and their phenomenal body of work.

After the hype died down from the release of the band’s debut album, Tangerine Dream, in 1967, the band followed up with the 1968 release of their single “Jenny Artichoke”/“Just How Much You Are.” In the same year, they took to touring heavily around Europe in an effort to boost their record sales, which unfortunately hadn’t met expectations. While in the Netherlands, they opened for Country Joe and the Fish. In August of 1968, the band began recording the tracks for their second album, Faintly Blowing, which featured a much harder approach to their usually dreamy psychedelic style. Unfortunately, despite this new, harder image, the album failed to chart. Having frustrated Fontana Records, the band was next forced to record two songs written by Fontana’s staff writers, taking the writing privilege away from band member Peter Daltrey. Distraught with being forced in a direction they didn’t like, the band called it quits. Their last appearance under the Kaleidoscope name was August 21st, 1968. Luckily, the band continued on under the name Fairfield Parlour.

The song heard below the story, released on the Faintly Blowing album, was released in April 1969 and never charted. As with all of the band’s songs, the lyrics were written by lead vocalist Peter Daltrey, and the music was arranged by lead guitarist Eddy Pumer.

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A Special Edition post with Peter Daltrey of Kaleidoscope & Fairfield Parlour!
When you think of Kaleidoscope, the first thing that comes to mind is the amazing imagery in the lyrics. Those lyrics were Peter Daltrey's. Peter was the lead vocalist and lyrics for both Kaleidoscope and its reincarnated Fairfield Parlour. If you'd like a colorful window into Peter's early years, check out the story he was kind enough to share with us. When you're done, check out "(Love Song) For Annie" below.

A Bit Like You And Me and readers,

I was asked just the other day what my earliest formative musical influences were.

Let’s go back to 1962; I think that’s early enough!

My mate Les and I used to go to see the rock shows that toured Britain, appearing at the cinema chains. You’d see five or six acts on the same bill. Each would do their hit and a couple of other songs and then scuttle off stage to make way for the next, latest sensation. Again, my memory fails me. I would love to recall the acts I saw, but they’ve vanished into some dingy corner of my soggy cerebellum. I know we did see people like Chuck Berry, Del Shannon, Dion, and I can never forget two acts in particular: Gene Vincent and Billy Fury.

An electric, palpable hum of expectation preceded Vincent’s appearance. He was announced to a blacked-out theatre; we all cheered and then we heard this scraping sound. Then the spots came on and there was Gene with his trademark, crooked-man pose, hanging onto the mike stand. “Beebop a lula, she’s ah my baby..." What a cool guy. Greasy quiff; chiselled, craggy, white face; baby blue, satin shirt; tight black pants -- and a shimmering metal brace holding his leg together. Vincent had been in the car the night Eddie Cochran got mashed. Old Gene, he busted his leg good ‘n’ proper. So now he had to drag it around like some death trophy, a constant reminder of the night the Grim Reaper took the great Cochran up the three steps to heaven.

A few years later, I was walking down a West End street when a black taxi pulled up beside me. The door opened and out stepped an oldish guy in a long, coffee-coloured raincoat. But it was the metal leg I saw first. I looked up and there was sweet Gene – older but no less handsome. Tired eyes just glimpsed behind prerequisite shades, that firm jaw, that liquorice slick hair. He hobbled into an office doorway, his coat tails flashing, and was gone – leaving me gaping and speechless in his rock-legend wake. I wanted to shake his hand, thank him for, well, everything I guess: the music, the excitement, the day dreams of emulating the broken rock ‘n’ roll iconography that he created. But the door swung closed and I never saw him again.

The night we saw Billy Fury is engraved in gold lame on my brain. Again, a rumbling hush of anticipation, the announcement, the plush red curtains pull back, the band kicks in -- and there is this glimmering, dazzling, blindingly handsome creature: Billy Fury. He’s wearing a bronze, silk Italian suit that ripples like holy water. He’s better looking than Jesus. He sneers like an angel. The girls are dying. The boys are open-mouthed not believing what they’re seeing. His perfectly unkempt golden quiff. The devil glint of his eyes. His genuine rock voice: cool, broken, aching. And his very tight trousers! My God! What’s that!? The management pulled the curtain on him. After what must have been a heated discussion in the wings, the show started again with Fury slightly less furious in the pants department. What a night.

Turns out, Billy was a quiet, shy, reticent guy who would rather spend his days petting his horses than being mauled by packs of panting schoolgirls. And then along came guitar bands and wrecked the careers of so many handsome crooners with dodgy, made-up names. And then Billy died.

Like a million teenage boys, I’d dreamt of being in a band- no, that’s not true. I’d dreamt of being center stage, blinded by the spotlight, writhing against the silver mast of a microphone stand with a thousand girls screaming, mine for the taking. Nancy boy dreamer.

In many ways, I have achieved that dream that engulfed me when I was eighteen: I’m a singer, albeit mostly unheard by the masses. That’s okay. I still have ambitions. I want to write just one song that is half as good as anything that Buddy Holly recorded. He is my musical hero. A brilliant artist cut down literally in his prime. You can listen to any Holly track today and it still sounds as fresh as on the day poor Buddy stood up in the studio and sang his heart out. (Listen to “Dreaming of Holly” on the album I recorded with sweet Damien Youth, Tattoo www.rocketgirl.co.uk )

And then just last month, I find myself one late afternoon standing in a deserted street in Lubbock, Texas, the falling sun at my back, dust on my boots, and the stars in my eyes. I’m banging on the door of The Buddy Holly Center. But Buddy ain’t home; no-one’s home. Closed.

I stand outside faintly amused by the giant, black spectacles- the fading mural of The Crickets on the grubby wall of a roadside cafe. But this is Buddy’s hometown. He would have ridden his motorbike down this street- taken a girl to that cinema. But was probably too young to have sunk a beer in that bar.

His oversized statue towers over me. I feel small and humbled in his shadow. But as I walk away, “Raining In My Heart” is echoing through my brain, electrifying as always. The music is timeless.

“You could have lived for a thousand years in your own clear light,” I sang on “Dreaming of Holly.” Now I truly believe it.

Peter Daltrey

A huge 'thank you' to Peter Daltrey for taking the time to share this story with us. It's always nice to hear about the people who inspired our favorite artists. Peter's vivid accounts of his youth painted quite the picture!

To see Peter's site, click here.
To see the site for Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour, click here.
To like Kaleidoscope on Facebook and be kept up with the latest news, click here.

And now that you've enjoyed this exclusive story, why not check out what other exclusive stories we've received?

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Kaleidoscope - (Love Song) For Annie (1969)

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Lyrics:

Come, all ye non-believers, feel the creases in her brow
Look once and then you'll know she was not very loud
Touch her eyes and feel the shadows growing on her face
Take seconds to catch your breath before you slow the pace

Come, all ye non-believers, but leave your books behind
Your knowledge is wasted here, for love there's always time
Reach out for emptiness as she crowds you from the room
Let falling tears paint your face but don't do it too soon

Take time for Annie
She would love to see your face
Be kind for Annie
Spread out a little place

Come, all ye non-believers, break the bread and drink the wine
Give her your baited breath, for love there's always time
Fall down around her feet, let her walk upon your hands
Let your tears be like a sea, do everything you can

Take time for Annie
She would love to see your face
Be kind for Annie
Spread out a little place
Listen
But forever is a time you'll never know

Come, all ye non-believers, break the bread and drink the wine
Give her your baited breath, for love there's always time
Fall down around her feet, let her walk upon your hands
Let your tears be like a sea, do everything you can

The Monkees - Mommy and Daddy [Original Lyrics] (1969)

In early 1969, Peter Tork left The Monkees. He claimed his reason was exhaustion, but with rising tensions amongst the group members and his absence from the band lasting until 1986, it was probably much more than that. Continuing on without Tork, the remaining group members, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith, created their seventh album, Instant Replay. In October 1969, their eighth studio album, The Monkees Present, was released. This eighth album would prove to be Nesmith’s last, as he had been working on creating a country-rock band called the First National Band. With The Monkees down to just Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, they headed to New York in 1970 to create their ninth, and last, studio album. Titled Changes, the album was released in June 1970 to public indifference. Shortly after, the two remaining members lost the rights to the band’s name and their last single was credited to a (misspelled) “Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones.” Although the band would reunite and record new albums in the years to come, this was the end of the initial incarnation of the band.

This song, written by Micky Dolenz, was considered far too edgy for 1969, let alone for the band’s innocuous appearance and reputation. The final version of the song, upon its initial release on the The Monkees Present album in 1969, had been stripped of numerous controversial verses which Dolenz had written. When the song was again released as the B-Side to the “Good Clean Fun” single, it was again only presented in its watered-down form. The particular version heard below is the demo recorded by Dolenz, Jones, and Nesmith, featuring all of the lyrics the author had initially written. Differences heard in this version that were missing on the album and single include references to the war in Vietnam, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, drug use, and sexual reproduction.



The Monkees - Mommy and Daddy [Original Lyrics] (1969)

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Lyrics:

Ask your mommy and daddy
“What happened to the Indian?”
Ask your mommy and daddy
To tell you where you really came from
Then mommy and daddy
Will probably quickly turn and walk away
Then ask your mommy and daddy
“Who really killed J.F.K.?”

Ask your mommy
If she really gets off on all her pills
Ask your daddy
“Why doesn't that soldier care who he kills?”
After they've put you to sleep
And tucked you safely down in your bed
Whisper, “Mommy and daddy”
“Would it matter if the bullet went through my head?”

“If it was my blood spilling on the kitchen floor?”
“If it was my blood, mommy, would you care a little more?”
Don't be surprised when they turn and start to cry

And tell your mommy and daddy
(Tell your mommy and daddy)
Scream it to your mommy and daddy
They're living in a lie, lie, lie
It's all a lie, it’s all a lie
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all- it’s all- it’s all
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all a lie
Lie, lie, lie
It’s all a lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie…

The Steve Miller Band - My Dark Hour (1969)

Although most of their hits came in the ‘70s and ‘80s (“The Joker,” 1973; “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” 1976; and “Abracadabra,” 1982), this band has actually been around since 1967. Originally known as The Steve Miller Blues Band when they were put together in San Francisco, the band was initially a blues outfit that dabbled with psychedelic rock and hard rock. As The Steve Miller Blues Band, they had opened for Chuck Berry at the Fillmore West and performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. For the band’s first seven albums, they used a hard rock and blues style that didn’t garner them much success. It wasn’t until their 1973 album, The Joker (now having its 40th anniversary) that the band decided to create the mainstream sound which they’re now remembered for. With nearly forty people having been members of this band, it’s easy to imagine how often the band’s lineup has altered over the years. Only Steve Miller himself has been constant throughout their long history and he continues to perform to this day.

On Friday May 9, 1969, Steve Miller walked into a studio at Olympic Sound Studios in London, which he assumed was empty. When he noticed Paul McCartney sitting inside, he asked if the room was free. McCartney, who had just had a big fight with all of the other members of The Beatles over whether or not they would hire Allen Klein as their manager, replied, “Well, it looks like it is now, mate.” Wanting to get some of his frustrations out, McCartney asked Miller if he could accompany him by playing the drums. Naturally, Miller obliged and he (Miller) began to play the song heard below. What resulted was a collaboration composed entirely of Steve Miller and Paul McCartney. McCartney played bass, drums, and sang backup, whereas Miller performed the lead vocals and played all of the other instruments. The heavy drumming emphasis is attributed to McCartney releasing his stress. When it came time for crediting him, he chose to use the pseudonym "Paul Ramon," a name which had had previously used while touring Scotland with The Beatles in 1960, when they were still going by the name The Silver Beetles.

The song was released as a single, but failed to chart. It also appeared on the June 1969 album, Brave New World. Seven years after this song was released, Miller would revive its primary guitar riff for his monumental 1976 hit, “Fly Like an Eagle.” Considering McCartney went uncredited for the song it was originally used in, I wonder what the chances are that he contributed to this now-famous riff.



The Steve Miller Band - My Dark Hour (1969)

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Lyrics:

My dark hour
My dark hour
You know it's drivin' me wild

Well, well, I went to see the doctor
And I had my fortune read
And you know the doctor told me
“Son, you better stay in bed”

Who's that comin’ down that road?
Looks like he's carryin’ a heavy load
What is that word that he’s startin’ to say?
“Want to come with me on my way?”

My dark hour
A Mother Nature's child
My dark hour
Oh, it's drivin’ me wild

Well, I went to see the doctor
Just to have my fortune read
Well, well, well, well, well, the doctor told me
“Son, you better stay in bed”

So, do you think these sinners will fall?
Or do you think they'll survive us all?
Well, well, well, well, now, down this road
Won’t you help me carry my load?

My dark hour
A Mother Nature's child
My dark hour
Oh, it's drivin’ me wild

Mother Nature’s child
Yeah!

Yeah!

Skip Spence - Little Hands (1969)

Born Alexander Lee Spence in Ontario, Canada 1946, this multi-talented singer, songwriter, and musician lived a life overwhelmed by drugs, alcohol, and mental insanity. In the late 1950s, while still a young child, “Skip” and his family moved to San Jose, California because of a job his father landed. Around the age of eighteen or nineteen, Skip joined up with a brand new local music act, Quicksilver Messenger Service. Just as quickly as he had joined them, Skip was plucked from Quicksilver before they had even played their first gig. He had been persuaded by Marty Balin to not only join his in-the-works band, but also convinced him to switch from guitar to drums. Balin’s budding group, which eventually was named Jefferson Airplane, featured Skip on their debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. In March 1966, Skip was asked to leave Jefferson Airplane along with their manager, Matthew Katz. Katz, who was called a greedy entrepreneur seeking fortune by his former act, convinced Skip to start his own band in a Jefferson Airplane-styled fashion and Moby Grape was born.

Around 1968, Skip began taking LSD and his behavior quickly became more erratic and unpredictable. According to bandmates, Skip began to hang with a bad crowd that was into “harder drugs and a harder lifestyle.” It’s unknown what all the drugs were that Spence was taking at that time, but what is known is that he showed up at a hotel in New York where his bandmates were staying, wielding a fire axe. After holding the axe to the doorman’s head, Skip went up to his bandmate Jerry Miller’s room and tried to chop through the room’s door. He was apparently attempting to kill bandmates Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson to “save them from themselves.” Naturally, after charges were pressed, Spence found himself involuntarily locked in Bellevue, an insane asylum located in New York, New York.

During his six month stint at the insane asylum, Spence was diagnosed with schizophrenia, possibly triggered by his years of heavily abusing mind-altering psychedelic drugs. While locked up, Skip spent most of his time writing an album, which he would later go on to record in Nashville, Tennessee after his release. The song heard below was written by Spence while instituted at the Bellevue insane asylum. It was recorded by Spence, who played all of the instruments on the album, in December 1968 under the impression that he was recording a demo to be fleshed out with full production later on. Instead, the album, titled Oar, was released exactly as it was recorded on May 19, 1969.



Skip Spence - Little Hands (1969)

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Lyrics:

Little hands clappin’
Children are laughin’
Little hands clappin’
All over the world

Piper is pipin’
Drummers are drummin’
Little hands clappin’
All over the world

Little hands clappin’
Children are sharin’
Little loves lovin’
All little boys and girls

Children are singin’
Truths that they're bringin’
Freedom is ringin’
All around the world

Come, let’s meet them
Yes, we will greet them

Little hands clappin’
Children are carin’
Piper is callin’
All over the world

Out in the street
The sick that you meet
How many friends do
You call your own?

Come, let us meet them
Yes, we will greet them

Children are clappin’
Children are carin’
Children are shatterin’
Records and rules

Little hands carin’
Little hands sharin’
The old ones and the gold one
And the family jewels

Come, let us meet them
Yes, we will greet them

Little hands clappin’
Children are happy
Little hands lovin’
All 'round the world

Little hands claspin’
Truth they are graspin’
A world with no pain
For one and all

And they are learnin’
Their souls, they are yearnin’
A nice place to play
And no place to fall

Come, let us meet them
Yes, we will greet them

Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys - Charlie's Waltz (1969)

Formed in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York in the fall of 1967, this band was held together over the years by its core members: Roy Michaels, Bob Smith, and Michael Equine. Through a connection with Jimi Hendrix’s manager, Michael Jeffrey, the band was able to get a record deal with Polydor Records in 1969, while simultaneously hiring Jeffrey as their own manager. After developing a friendship with Hendrix himself, Hendrix decided that he would be willing to produce the band’s first album, The Street Giveth…and the Street Taketh Away in 1969. From that album came the band’s only Top 40 hit, “Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a medley of rock and roll songs from the 1950s. In an effort to help propel the group forward, it was also arranged that the band would open a series of shows for Hendrix on tour. Although the touring went well, the connection to Hendrix was severed in 1970 when the band relocated to California, wanting to cut ties with their mutual manager, Jeffrey. (It's worth noting here that Jeffrey would soon be shrouded in controversy from his possible involvement in Hendrix's death.) While out in California, the band released their second album, Albion Doo-Wah, before shortening their name to just “Cat Mother” and moving back to New York in 1971. In the years that followed, the band released two final albums, the eponymous Cat Mother in 1972 and Last Chance Dance in 1973. They failed to reach any more commercial successes, but continued to play live until 1977 before retiring the band.

This song was written by William David “Charlie” Chin, an original member of the band while they were still in the Lower East Side. Chin, who would later be awarded by the Smithsonian in 1989 for his work regarding Asian American Studies, decided to quit the band after the release of their first album, not wanting to relocate to California. The song appeared on the band’s first album, The Street Giveth…and the Street Taketh Away, which reached number fifty-five on the charts. Of the band and the album, Hendrix said, “They are presentable enough, but not as good as I wanted them to be. … It could have been so much better, but we were working all the time and couldn’t spend the time we needed in the studio.”



Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys - Charlie's Waltz (1969)

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Lyrics:

She stood in the street
Holding her hat in her hand
I think I understand
Why she’s smiling at me
The whole world can see
From the sandals she wears
To the flower in her hair
How she’s leading me on
With a smile just like dawn
With an eye like a diamond
A walk like a whisper
She’s gone

Woah, how I cry
Woah, how I cry

Hands by your side
Like two small birds
At night
When I spied
The way that they tried
To capture my dreams
In a basket of fingers
The thought still lingers
Of the schemes that you tried
Moonstones that cry, girl
Love that won’t die
Cannot compare
To the color of her hair
In the morning

Woah, how I cry
Woah, how I cry

Woah, how I cry
Woah, how I cry

Love of a lifetime
Crushed into my mind
How can I find time
To refuse or decline
Your offer to me?
How could it be
Honest or groovy
If you won’t be true to me?
You know, promises made
Too many times
They seem to fade
In some peoples’ minds
Like silver

Woah, how I cry
Woah, how I cry

The Flying Machine - Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

This band was originally formed in Ruby, Warwickshire, England as The Liberators in the early 1960s. In 1965, the band renamed themselves Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours and released a total of twelve songs on six singles through 1968. They reached the charts twice: number nine with “Mirror Mirror” b/w “She Don’t Care” and number fifty with “Don’t Stop Loving Me Baby” b/w “Will Ya.” This minimal success labeled them as a UK “one hit wonder,” so they decided to change their name to the one seen above in 1969. This transition saw the parting of six members and the addition of three new ones (with four remaining unchanged). Under this “new” persona, the band released five singles and two full-length albums, charting (again) only once with the song heard below. After its success, the band released two more singles which failed to achieve any commercial success and the band split up in 1970. The group’s bassist, Stuart Colman, went on to be a successful session musician as well as a record producer and BBC radio DJ.

Written by the songwriting team of Tony Macaulay and Geoff Stephens, this song was the band’s one and only major success. Released in 1969 in the UK, it virtually went nowhere on the charts. However, when released in the US, the song went to number five and sold over one million copies, certifying it gold. Unfortunately, their follow-up song in the US, a cover of Marmalade’s “Baby Make It Soon” charted relatively low and the group grew tired of doing pop songs.

Interestingly, Tony Macaulay, who co-wrote this song, also co-wrote the song “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes),” as made famous by one-hit wonders Edison Lighthouse. In the song heard below, the lyrics reference a “Rosemarie,” just like in the Edison Lighthouse song. Having co-written both of these tracks, one is led to assume that the lady in both songs must have been based on somebody real in Macaulay’s life.



The Flying Machine - Smile A Little Smile For Me (1969)

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Lyrics:

You really should accept
This time he's gone for good
He'll never come back now
Even though he said he would
So darling, dry your eyes
So many other guys
Would give the world, I'm sure
To wear the shoes he wore

Oh, c'mon
Smile a little smile for me
Rosemarie
What's the use in cryin'?
In a little while you'll see
Rosemarie
You must keep on tryin'

I know that he hurt you bad
I know, darling, don't be sad and
Smile a little smile for me
Rosemarie
Rosemarie

I guess you're lonely now
Love's comin' to an end
But, darling, only now
Are you free to start again
Lift up your pretty chin
Don't let those tears begin
You're a big girl now
And you'll pull through somehow

Oh, c'mon
Smile a little smile for me
Rosemarie
What's the use in cryin'?
In a little while you'll see
Rosemarie
You must keep on tryin'

I know that he hurt you bad
I know, darling, don't be sad and
Smile a little smile for me
Rosemarie
Rosemarie

Smile a little smile for me
Rosemarie
Rosemarie

Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)

As you may remember from our post a while back, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce of Cream did not get along ever since their days playing together in The Graham Bond Organisation. While in Cream, the bickering between the two was usually mediated by their bandmate Eric Clapton; but, it eventually took its toll on the band, causing them to split up in1968. In the subsequent months, Clapton found himself frequently playing with Steve Winwood, who had just recently, in January 1969, parted ways with Traffic due to differences in opinion about the band’s musical direction. While jamming on one particular day in early 1969, Ginger Baker sat in to play the drums. Impressed with the chemistry the three of them had together, Winwood presented Clapton with the idea of asking Baker to form a new band with them. At first, Clapton had whole-heartedly decided against it, as he had promised Jack Bruce that if any new projects had been started he’d invite him. But given that Ginger Baker was a part of this new project, Clapton felt it would basically be restarting Cream nine weeks after breaking it up. Winwood eventually persuaded Clapton to ask Baker to join without approaching Jack Bruce at all. In May 1969, the newly formed trio then persuaded bass player Ric Grech to leave his current band, Family, mid-tour and join them in their collaboration. Word of mouth quickly spread to the public about a new “Super Cream” that was being formed. Before the band had even released any material, although they had been recording their first album, they were touring and playing to crowds of up to 20,000 people. Not having penned enough material of their own yet, they found themselves playing a lot of Cream’s and Traffic’s songs. This is exactly what Clapton wanted to avoid. After the release of their one and only album in 1969, the band finished their tour and returned to the UK, where they soon decided it best to split up. Ginger Baker went on to form Ginger Baker’s Air Force; Steve Winwood reformed Traffic with Ric Grech; and Eric Clapton passionately escaped the limelight by playing as a guest of the Plastic Ono Band and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.

Written by Steve Winwood, this song appeared as the second track on the band’s one and only album, Blind Faith, released in 1969. The album was met with a stark criticism, as it artistically featured an underage nude female model. Although the girl and her parents both consented to her appearance on the album art, rumors circulated that it was Ginger Baker’s daughter or a groupie held hostage by the band. In the United States, an alternate album cover, seen below, was released.



Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home (1969)

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Lyrics:

Come down off your throne
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I’ve been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key

But I’m near the end and
I just ain’t got the time
And I’m wasted and I
Can’t find my way home

Come down on your own
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I’ve been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key

But I’m near the end
I just ain’t got the time
Oh, I’m wasted and I
Can’t find my way home

But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
But I can’t find my way home
And I ain’t done nothing wrong
But I can’t find my way home

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Mona (1969)

Formed in San Francisco, California in 1965, this band was pivotal to the emerging psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco during the 1960s. Although the idea of the group starting was because of Dino Valenti (a.k.a. Chet Powers), Valenti originally backed out and didn’t want anything to do with the group, as he wanted to focus on a solo career. As his solo career slowly developed into something less than he had hoped for, Valenti eventually came around and joined the band in 1969. Frequently referred to only as Quicksilver, the band never managed to reach the same heights of popularity as their Bay Area contemporaries, Jefferson Airplane or the Grateful Dead. But they did manage to release eight full-length albums and three singles that reached the Top 100. Their best known song, “Fresh Air,” was released in 1970 at the peak of their popularity and reached number thirty-nine on the charts. Although the band has had numerous members in their various lineups over the years, their most core members were/are Dino Valenti (a.k.a. Chet Powers), Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore, and John Cipollina. Other notable members from various incarnations included Nicky Hopkins and David Freiberg.

Written by Bo Diddley in 1957, this song has been covered numerous times, including famous renditions by Bo Didley himself in 1957, Buddy Holly in an unreleased demo from 1957, and The Rolling Stones for their debut album in 1964. This band’s version of the song was released on their second album, Happy Trails, released in 1969. Both John Cipollina and Gary Duncan perform guitar solos on the track, which led Rolling Stone magazine to rank it number eighty-eight on the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.”

The art for the cover of the album was painted by George Hunter, referencing actor Roy Rogers and the album’s last track, “Happy Trails,” which was Roy Rogers’ radio and television theme song.



Quicksilver Messenger Service - Mona (1969)

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Lyrics:

Hey, Mona
Hey, hey, hey, Mona
Ooh, Mona

I'm gonna tell you, Mona honey, what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna build my house next door to you
Can I make love to you once in a while?
Maybe we could do a little kissing and tellin' lies
When I come out on the front
You'll listen to my heart goin' bumpity-bump
I need you baby and it ain't no lie
Without your lovin’ I'd surely die

Hey, Mona
Ooh, Mona
Hey! Hey, hey Mona
Ooh, Mona

I'm gonna tell you, Mona, what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna build a house next door to you
Can I make love to you once in a while?
Maybe kiss and do a little lyin’
And when I come out on over the front
Girl, you'll listen to my heart go bumpity-bumpity-bump
I need you baby and it ain't no lie
Without your lovin’ I'd surely die

Hey, Mona
Ooh, Mona
Hey! Hey, hey Mona
Ooh, Mona