Them - Mystic Eyes (1965)

Formed in Northern Ireland in April 1964, this short-lived band is primarily remembered as the group that launched the career of Van Morrison. Their classic garage song “Gloria,” which was covered by countless bands after them, was their first taste of success, released in November 1964 (initially as a B-Side). After scoring a few more hits in the UK in 1965, the band was marketed in the United States and thus became a part of the first British Invasion. While touring America, the group had residency at famous Whisky a Go Go club in Los Angeles from the end of May until the middle of June 1966. In their final week at The Whisky, they were being opened by a group which they had been heavily influencing, The Doors. After finishing up in L.A., the band played The Fillmore in San Francisco before leaving to tour Hawaii. While in the Aloha state, the band argued over money and broke up on the spot. Morrison went on to great solo success, while the rest of the band regrouped through 1972 until finally calling it quits after a lack of the public’s interest in their new material.

This song, which featured session guitarist Jimmy Page, came about when members of the band were just messing around in the studio. While jamming, their producer Tommy Scott thought what they were doing was going to make for a great instrumental track. But seven minutes into the jam, Morrison started singing impromptu lyrics to a song he had recently been inspired to write from a trip past a cemetery where some children were playing. The ten-minute track, with its long instrumental intro, was reduced to a little less than three minutes and the song was complete. It became the opening track to the band’s first album, The Angry Young Them, released in November 1965; and, in the same month, it was released as a single in the US and UK, only charting in the US, reaching number thirty-three.



Them - Mystic Eyes (1965)

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Lyrics:

One Sunday mornin'
We went walkin'
Down by the old graveyard
The mornin' fog
I looked into, yeah
Those mystic eyes

Her mystic eyes
Mystic eyes
Mystic eyes
Mystic eyes
Mystic eyes
Mystic eyes
Oh, the mystic eyes
Oh!

The E-Types - Put the Clock Back on the Wall (1967)

In Salinas, California 1964, brothers Bob and Jody Wence were using their connections in England to get up-and-coming albums from the UK sent to them in the US before their official US debuts. Learning to play what they heard, they picked up their lead guitarist, Don Shephard, and began practicing their three-part harmonies. From there, the group picked up Danny Monigold and Reggie Shaffer and began practicing seven days a week. On April 10th, 1965, the still relatively new band needed a name so that they could participate in a local battle of the bands competition at Hartnell College. Looking toward their British Invastion influences, they decided on “The English Types” and changed it to “The E-Types” for short. According to Bob Wence, they didn’t find out that there was a car by Jaguar of the same name until at least a year later. All in all, they won first place at the battle of the bands. From there, the band was a hot commodity and soon found itself touring with names like Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Yardbirds (Jimmy Page-era), The Lovin’ Spoonful, and Jefferson Airplane. The group eventually called it quits when a member of their band became ill with hepatitis and, simultaneously, their British Invasion-influenced style of music began to give way to the local uprising of psychedelia.

Although the group released four successful regional singles, they are perhaps best remembered for this particular song, written by Alan Gordon and Gary Bonner, released in 1967. Gordon and Bonner, who frequently worked together, had also written The Turtles' "Happy Together" and Three Dog Night's "Celebrate."



The E-Types - Put the Clock Back on the Wall (1967)

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Lyrics:

Hey!

When the local population starts to worry about your mood
Starts to wonder why the clouds are in your eyes
You can tell them it's the flowers or the cinder in the air
But don't let on what's under your disguise

Hey!

I can't reveal what's inside or behind me and
Thoughts that are real, I can't feel
They won't find me and

Hey!
Put the clock back on the wall

I've been away where the night meets the morning and
Flashes of gray bring the day and it's warning me

Hey!
Put the clock black on the wall

When the local population starts to act a little strange
Starts to make you giggle to yourself inside
And he'll ask you why you're laughing as he laughs along with you
You don't know but you both laughed so hard you cried

Hey!

I can't reveal what's inside or behind me and
Thoughts that are real, I can't feel
They won't find me and

Hey!
Put the clock back on the wall

Hey!
Put the clock back on the wall

Hey!
Put the clock back on the wall

Hey!
Put the clock back on the wall…

Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts - Angel of the Morning (1968)

Born in 1944 and raised in Seattle, Washington, this American vocalist met her first husband, Neil Rush, when auditioning to be the singer of a local band, the Amazing Aztecs, in 1960. Neil was the band’s leader and saxophonist and the couple would soon branch off to create Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts in 1965, touring the Pacific Northwest as a teen/pop act in dancehalls. In 1967, a member of the road crew for their band connected them with Paul Revere and the Raiders, another band he frequently worked for. This led to Merrilee and her band getting invited to be the opening act for Paul Revere and The Raiders during their 1967 tour of the southern United States. While touring through Tennessee, the Raiders had stopped in Memphis to record their upcoming album, Going to Memphis, and Rush was introduced to music producers Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill. Cogbill had been looking for months for an artist to record a song by Chip Taylor he had been keeping in his pocket and was thrilled to hear Merrilee Rush’s voice.

Written by Chip Taylor (writer of The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” and uncle to actress Angelia Jolie), this song was originally intended to be recorded by Connie Francis, who turned it down because of its risqué lyrics, referring to a torrid love affair gone wrong. Although it was recorded by Evie Sands, Danny Michaels, and Billie Davis in 1967, it wasn’t until music producer Tommy Cogbill discovered Merrilee Rush and had her record it that the song really took off. Although the song was credited to Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts, Rush was actually backed by a house band, American Sound, who had been known for backing up Elvis Presley during his famous Memphis recordings. Released in February 1968, this song reached number seven in the US; number four in the Netherlands; and number one in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It has since been recorded numerous times by artists such as Juice Newton, P.P. Arnold, Olivia Newton-John, and many others. It was also successfully sampled by Shaggy, featuring Rayvon, for the 2001 hit-song “Angel.”



Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts - Angel of the Morning (1968)

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Lyrics:

There’ll be no strings to bind your hands
Not if my love can’t bind your heart
And there’s no need to take a stand
For it was I who chose to start

I see no reason to take me home
I’m old enough to face the dawn

Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Then slowly turn away from me

Maybe the sun’s light will be dim
And it won’t matter anyhow
If morning’s echo says we’ve sinned
Well, it was what I wanted now

And if we’re victims of the night
I won’t be blinded by light

Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Then slowly turn away
I won’t beg you to stay with me
Through the tears
Of the day
Of the years
Baby, baby

Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me “Angel of the Morning-” “Angel”
Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby…