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