Euphonious Voyage Six... A Psychedelic Bagatelle

“Psychedelic music will cover the face of the world and colour the whole popular music scene. Anybody happening is psychedelic.” Brian Wilson 1966

 

EUPHONIOUS VOYAGE 6

1    Six • JAZZY SPIES
Many of my memories of later 60’s television have turned into a melange of kaleidoscopic, soft psych video flashes. Between the Banana Splits, Monkees, Groovie Goolies, Bugaloos and Lidsville, it’s a surprise I don’t get debilitating flashbacks. Even Sesame Street did not escape the embrace of the psych counter culture.

When the show was created, the producers specifically looked to Laugh-In as a template, so it’s no surprise the children’s educational show displayed flashes of psychedelia.  One of the recurring series of clips featured in the early years was called Jazzy Spies - a fast paced, psych jazz trip through one of ten numbers. Jerry Slick, first husband of Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick (who performed vocals for the series) produced numerous segments for the new TV show, including this one. They also snared Chicago native Danny Zeitlan, a critically acclaimed jazz composer, to create the hypnotic music. Zeitlan, by the way, did the soundtrack to the enormously effective Invasion of The Body Snatchers remake in 1978.

 Enjoy some trippy Jazzy Spies here!
 

2    Next To Nowhere • MG & THE ESCORTS
The Pebbles garage/psych/power-pop compilation series unearthed a huge number of amazing singles including “Someday Fool” by Montreal’s M.G. & The Escorts. From the hyperbolic lead vocals to the catchy chorus, that song was a winner on many fronts. The group was reportedly popular on the local circuit, which earned them opening spots for the Beach Boys, Paul Revere & The Raiders and others. 

The group's final record was, in my opinion, the best: the slightly psych pop gem “Next To Nowhere”. Lead Guitarist Glen Grecco had reported at the time of the release that the band was pleased with the single, and expectations were high. “Nowhere” was also the band's first single to get an American release (Mala Records). Regrettably, the band went their separate ways soon after the release. A great article is located at the Garage Hangover site: https://garagehangover.com/mgescorts/

Next To Nowhere

3    Los Marcianos • MANOLO DIAZ
Olviedo-born musician Manolo Diaz first entered the world of song in 1961 with his band Los Magicos. Still, his primary focus was composition and his creations were usually covered by other artists until 1967 (ex: Los Bravos, Los Pasos). At that point, Spain was experiencing a scf-fi boon, into which Manolo tossed his pop psych double-sided gem: La Canción Ficción de Manolo Díaz. “Laboratorio” was featured in the previous comp: Pop Psychotica. Here we feature the flip side “Los Marcianos” which describes the performer’s encounter with an ivory flying saucer inhabited by hungry, six-fingered, four-legged aliens. His natural reaction… offer them a plate of meat. Delicioso!

Los Marcianos

4    Monterey International Pop Festival (radio promo)
For me, I can’t overstate how much more enjoyable this musical festival is to the self-indulgent nightmare that was Woodstock. That ends my pontificating… for now. Anyway, the great D.A. Pennebaker's film Monterey Pop pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the planning and performances. All the participating bands were at the top of their form. Though I vaguely recall from Michelle Phillips autobiography, the young femme fatale felt the Mamas & Papas performance was lacking.

Monterey International Pop Festival (radio promo)

 Watch The Buffalo Springfield perform "For What It's Worth" at Monterey Pop
 

5    No No No No No • SCOTT MCKENZIE
Neither "Scott" nor "McKenzie" was his real name, instead he was born Philip Wallach Blondheim III and changed his moniker after entering the music business. In 1961, he joined with John Phillips (later of Mama's & Papas) and formed the doo wop band The Abstracts, then continued on with Phillips into The Journeymen. Though declining Phillips' invitation to join the Mamas & Papas, McKenzie remained in close contact with his friend. In the Summer of Love, Phillips both produced and contributed to McKenzie’s debut album, composing perhaps its strongest track: “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)”.  “No No No No No” was included on that LP and released as a single in Australia, Germany and a few other locations.

No No No No No

  
6    People Had No Faces • BLOOS MAGOOS
No, that is not a typo on the group name. Hailing from Greenwich Village, The Blues Magoos actually first recorded their freshman single "So I'm Wrong and You Are Right" b/w "The People Had No Faces" as “Bloos Magoos”. Before that, they were The Trenchcoats. Verve/Folkways handled the releasing of the vinyl, and due to unimpressive sales, were happy to make the hand-off to Mercury later that year. Big Mistake! Before 1966 came to a close, they had a top 5 hit with “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet”. 

Displaying their usual impeccable timing, The Bloos Magoos look skyward as a flock of pigeons navigates past

People Had No Faces

7    Face of Time • PLAGUE
According to vocalist/composer Thomas Horricks, the band recorded this with famed multi-million dollar producer Gary Paxton for Gaiety Productions. In 1966, the Ontario group got a deal with Canadian label Reo (home of MG & The Escorts) for this killer debut and US record company Crusader picked it up for US distribution. Gaiety Records released it down under. Reportedly Chicago’s WLS enthusiastically began playing the single. Regrettably, Reo tanked a little less than a year later and the band's fate was sealed.

There’s a whole bunch to like about this brooding pop psych chunk… from the dramatic vocals to the haunted keyboards to the eerie woodwind solo midway through. The Plague had one more release on Reo the following year “Love & Obey”. It too failed to make an impact at the time. 

Face of Time

8    Greeting Card • CHAD ALLAN
It’s Canuck-a-palooza! That’s certainly no insult, as Canada has some amazing bands it can call its own! Chad Allan was one of the original members of The Guess Who, a band that released it’s first single all the way back in 1965. Interestingly, the band name was not a choice of the members, but the result of a promo stunt by Quality Records. The label released “Shakin All Over” and instead of naming the artist, they invited listeners to “Guess Who?”. 

By 1966, Allan was ready to leave. He continued performing, but did not release anything till this single appeared in 1968 on Quality. It’s a great pop/folk/psych track that strikes me as potentially influenced by Cat Stevens. Took me over 5 years to find a copy to purchase, and I paid dearly. Allan’s follow up singles were nothing to write home about.

The always dapper Allan dresses up for a day on the jungle gym.

Greeting Card

9    Super God • SOM IMAGINARIO
Oh the festive treats of Brazil’s Tropicalia movement! This group was formed as a backing band for Milton Nascimento. The tripsters shortly thereafter recorded a self-titled debut album which contained this crazy track. Apparently many members of the band went on to enjoy successful musical careers in their homeland including Frederico Mendonça de Oliveira, who is considered one of the greatest Brazilian guitarists of all time. Som Imaginario recorded four albums, and oddly the first two were both self titled.

Super God

10    Don’t Listen • KATCH 22
Back to London for this one. Katch 22 hatched in 1966 and gained prominence through the assistance of Tokenam Aw, whose family was owner of Tiger Balm (a heat rub). Aw-struck with the band after witnessing a performance, Tokenam approached the lads and offered several samples of balm along with his managerial abilities. Benefiting Katch 22 was Aw’s innate musical talent, and while he could not play a musical instrument, he was able to compose and provided them with two compositions for their first single. 

While their sound was pleasant enough, as witnessed here, they never seemed to be able to chart a single. Over the course of the next 6 years, they would play pop, pop psych, and sunshine pop with members coming and going. Five singles and a long player later, they called it quits. There is a UK hip-hop group by the same name... no, it's not this band.

Clearly in need of professional hair-dressers, the band tries to make up for it with their dashing pearly whites

Don’t Listen

11    Faiola Bros • RECURRING LOVE HABIT
According to a 1968 Billboard article, Hy Mizrahi (co-founder of Kama Sutra Records) signed the quintet Recurring Love Habit to record on a new record label he was creating.  My guess is that fell through as RLH only released one single and that was on Buddha the prior year. “A Day In The Life” b/w “Faiola Bros” was Buddah’s fourth release and came out just weeks before the hugely successful string of bubblegum hits by label mates The Lemon Pipers, Ohio Express, and 1910 Fruitgum Company.

Some sources suggest RLH is a western California outfit, as they played at The Matrix in San Francisco in October of 1967. Who knows. What strikes me is the way they seem influenced by LA’s Mothers of Invention. This song could have easily appeared on Freak Out! They regrettably never released an LP, though there exists a test pressing for one (link below). Intriguing!

Listen to the song "Open Eyes" from their never-released LP!
 

Faiola Bros

12    Race With The Wind • ROBBS
Unlike the Ramones, the Robbs were actual brothers, though they were not Robbs, they were Donaldsons. Not really important, just kind of funny. The band of bros was from Oconomowoc, WI which is either a bad Scrabble hand or the name of a southeastern city in America’s Dairy State. They were a talented group and gained a spot as Dick Clark’s house band on the musical program Where The Action Is. 

Per Wikipedia, they have the dubious distinction of holding the record for the largest number of Billboard’s “bubbling under” hits (songs just shy of scoring in the Top 100). Chicago label Mercury handled their distribution, and they did enjoy regional success, but never scored nationally. Interesting note, PF Sloan and Steve Barri had offered the Robbs the opportunity to become The Grass Roots... at that time an essentially faceless studio band (pre Rob Grill - yes, another Rob!). The rest is history.

Desperate, The Robbs repeatedly call the KRLA phone lines to request their latest single be played

Watch Dick Clark interview The Robbs!

Race With The Wind

13    Cobwebs • SWEET THURSDAY
Every time I hear this song I think of the wonderful 1971 movie Let’s Scare Jessica To Death. That film is sort of an art-house horror pic with a unique take on vampirism… thickly atmospheric with an American Gothic flair. This song would fit in the soundtrack perfectly. It’s a pretty, haunting pop psych jewel with raw, almost strained vocals that add to the alluring quality.

Sweet Thursday was a very short lived affair, lasting for one single and one album in 1969. Though its members were all remarkably talented, it just wasn’t in the cards. This is the second example from this playlist of a record label closing shop right after a release, an event which essentially doomed this outfit. Sourced from the Japanese remaster.

Cobwebs

14    Walk One Way • LOST TRIBE
Lost Tribe is a more common band name than I would have guessed. The one here hails from Baltimore and recorded one 45 in Fall of 1968 for United Artists and then that was that. Steven Roudebush is the credited composer. Per the Technicolor Web Of Sound, the other members included Tom Roudebush (bass, backing vocals), Reed Martin (vocals), Walt Strycharz (lead guitar), Steve Momii (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Darryl Mataroza (organ, backing vocals). It’s a blazing pop psych piece with a spectacular chorus.

Walk One Way

15    Another Vincent Van Gogh • JIMMY CAMPBELL
Jimmy Campbell has to his credit a string of incredible records including the Kirby’s infectious 1966 beat stomper “It’s A Crime” and the enchanting 1967 pop psych beauty “Michaelangelo” (23rd Turnoff). 23rd Turnoff proposed a follow up to “Michaelangelo”, but their label Deram passed. It was the wonderful “Another Vincent Van Gogh”. "I wish we had done something on Van Gogh," reflected Campbell. “I was sick when Don McLean wrote his ‘starry, starry night’ rubbish. Van Gogh was a hard man and a hard drinker and I put myself in his shoes.”

Ultimately, a version of Van Gogh would spring up in 1969 when it was released on Campbell’s solo effort Son Of Anastasia. The opening always throws me for a loop as it sounds similar to  the 30 second mark on my personal fave: US 69’s “2069: A Spaced Oddity”. Most likely Campbell envisioned a more orchestrated production, but this folk psych approach is quite appealing as well.

Another Vincent Van Gogh

16    Play With Me • DAVE CLARK FIVE
So, unless you are completely new to sixties musical groups, you most likely know of the Dave Clark Five, and any number of million selling singles and albums they released. Unlike a lot of bands in 1966 who followed the Beatles into psychedelic territories, the Dave Clark Five mostly abstained, preferring to do what they were known for: beat rock. There were a few notable exceptions like “Maze of Love”. “Concentration Baby” and “Play With Me”. To me, “Play” sounds an awful lot like the sort of thing Manfred Mann was putting out at this time (“Suburban Mr. James”, “Ha Ha Said The Clown”).

From jogging wear to ascots, JC Pennys can service all your clothing needs!

Play With Me

17    Anyway I Can • CHOIR
Cleveland’s Choir will go down in history for their classic garage single “It’s Cold Outside”, a record that stayed on the local charts for a long time and eventually spread through the Midwest, US and  Canada. Some mistakenly believe Eric Carmen (Mr. "All By Myself") to have been in the band, and though he auditioned, he was not a member. He would join with former Choir members to form The Raspberries.

A constantly changing roster most likely doomed the Choir’s chances to make it big. They never matched the success of their first song and failed to release an album, though one was in the works in February of 1968. The band intended to do something more in keeping with the times and recorded numerous tracks they described as “psychedelic”. That album, which included “Anyway I Can” was not released until 2018.

A young Faye Dunaway (seated) joins the lads for a publicity shot

Anyway I Can

18    I’m A Groupie • MOVIE PROMO
Originally titled Groupie Girl, this 1970 British softcore snore was directed by Derek Ford, who also shared co-writing credit with Suzanne Mercer. Mercer reportedly was writing from personal experience and documented her life experience in other classics like Bread (1971) and Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976). This particular turkey chronicles a promiscuous teen named Sally who stows away on a bus transporting a fifth rate band called Opal Butterfly. Predictably, things are not as fun as you would guess… both for Sally and the audience. Released in the US through Trans American (who else?).

I’m A Groupie

19    Two Little Ladies (Azalea and Rhododendron) • CROCHETED DOUGHNUT RING
Per Vernon Joynson’s irreplaceable Tapestry of Delights encyclopedia, the band came to be after the dissolution of Force Five: an outfit that released a handful of singles on United Artists. The Doughnuts appeared in 1967, and were christened with their unique name by producer Peter Eden. When the single was submitted to Polydor, the label was so excited by the track they pushed for immediate release. The band however had no b/w for the track and were unfortunately out of town. The enterprising Eden rushed into the studio and added a fascinating array of sound effects to various parts of “Two Little Ladies” and titled it “Nice” (coming soon on Sweet Tarts 2).

Producer Peter Eden (left) 

Two Little Ladies (Azalea and Rhododendron)

20    Encuentro En El Harlem Español • LOS SPEAKERS
We now move on to Bogota, Columbia for a listen to The Speakers, one of that country’s most popular 60’s combos. The group’s origins begin sometime in 1963, and as the group progressed, they adopted the pop-rock sounds of The Beatles, Byrds and other popular international bands. When the magic of the Summer of Love embraced their young minds, they experimented with more psychedelic elements.

The band enjoyed both critical and consumer success locally; to this day appearing on top 25 lists for various contributions. Their final LP En El Maravilloso Mundo De Ingeson is considered one of the most important pieces of Columbia's rock history.  The song here is from their third LP Tuercas, Tornillos Y Alicates (Nuts, Screws & Pliers for you American hardware fans), which was released in 1966 on Discos Bambuco. Fabuloso!

Encuentro En El Harlem Español

21    Back Street Mirror • DAVID HEMMINGS
First of all… a shout out to one of my favorite films Eye of the Devil - the supernatural picture in which Hemmings plays Christian de Caray, brother of Odile de Caray (performed exquisitely by Sharon Tate). Well before his debut LP Happens hit the record shelves, Hemmings had both an established musical and acting career. He had been a performer in the English Opera Group as a tyke and appeared in a slew of films before Eye.

Happens was released on MGM in 1967 and featured musical support by two Byrds and a Thigpen (McGuinn and Hillman as well as Ed Thigpen of the Oscar Peterson Trio). In a Hitchcockian twist, “Back Street Mirror” was written by yet another Byrd - Gene Clark. Besides "Backstreet", the record has other great folk-psych gems, most notably “Anathea”. Unfortunately, even with all the musical powerhouses in the wings and well-produced tracks, it never scored in the Billboard Top 200.

Back Street Mirror

22    In A Plaster Sky • WILD SILK
Every time I hear this, I have visions of the Groovie Goolies performing one of their tunes at the conclusion of the animated show. Wild Silk’s three singles were produced by studio whiz Shel Talmy (Who, Kinks, Creation). In the US, GRT records released this freshman single under the pseudonym Basil. Like many groups at the time (Mamas & Papas, Byrds, Beach Boys, Monkees), the band provided vocals, but for efficiency reasons, session players laid down the instrumental backing.

Just one day after attending a symposium titled "Let A Smile Be Your Calling Card"

In A Plaster Sky

23    53 Summer Street • Turquoise
Hailing from Muswell Hill, Turquoise had some very heavy hitters supporting them including Ray Davies (Kinks), Keith Moon and John Entwistle (Who) as well as Tom Kaylock (Rolling Stones tour manager). However, even with help from high places, literally and figuratively, nothing seemed to click for them. 1968 saw the release of their debut single on Decca (“53 Summer Street”) and then one more follow up later that year (“Woodstock” b/w “Saynia”).  After releasing a "fan club only" disc titled “A Very Turquoise Christmas” the following year, it was over.

Ok guys, I know it's icky, but I need you to stop looking at the silverfish and face the camera.

53 Summer Street

24    Variation On a Theme of Me My Friend • Family
I might have mentioned before that Family gets a “prog” label from journalists, though they released a lot of great pop-psych. The Leicester group evolved from elements of The Farina’s after hooking up with Kim Fowley in 1967. The infamous Fowley convinced them to change their name to Family and reached out to Liberty Records to get the band a contract. That deal resulted in the memorable track “Scene Thru The Eye Of A Lens”. Their debut LP released the following year Music In A Doll’s House included the track we have here.

Variation On a Theme of Me My Friend

25    Wade In The Shade • Daddy Lindberg
Daddy Lindberg is allegedly none other than The Fingers. You may remember them from Euphonious Voyage 5 with their performance of “Circus With A Female Clown”.  A quick look at the writing credits on "Wade In the Shade" confirms the two bands share Rick Mills (lead vocals) and John Tobin (bass guitar)… as well as producer Peter Eden.  Why the alternate name? Apparently, The Fingers had utilized their allotted recording time at Abbey Road studios. Desperate to complete a new single called “Shirl”, Peter Eden booked time for a “different” band called Daddy Lindberg. Newly christened, they entered the studio and completed “Shirl” as well as a quick B-side called "Wade In The Shade. DJ's opted for the b-side.

Wade In The Shade

26    I’m Not Satisfied • MOTHERS OF INVENTION
"I'm Not Satisfied appeared on side two of the double album Freak Out. Per Wikipedia: "The album's back cover included a 'letter' from Zappa-created fictional character Suzy Creamcheese (who also appears on the album itself), which read:

These Mothers is crazy. You can tell by their clothes. One guy wears beads and they all smell bad. We were gonna get them for a dance after the basketball game but my best pal warned me you can never tell how many will show up ... sometimes the guy in the fur coat doesn't show up and sometimes he does show up only he brings a big bunch of crazy people with him and they dance all over the place. None of the kids at my school like these Mothers ... specially since my teacher told us what the words to their songs meant.

Sincerely forever,

Suzy Creamcheese, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Susy soon took on a life of her own, many fans believing her to be real, and Zappa claims he eventually brought a life size replica of Ms. Creamcheese on stage as they performed.

Per Susy Creamcheese, this band smells bad. A picture says a 1000 words.

I’m Not Satisfied

27    Timothy Leary Interview
On the surface, Leary’s vision of “future” civilization seems like space-headed meandering, and yet it isn’t all that far from the current truth.  The expanding disaffiliation which has pulled the country apart recently, may not be translating into 20 person communities, as Leary surmised, but philosophically, the hyper-splintering of society can be easily identified.

Ok Tim, first of all, it's beginning to smell like Chili Cheese Fritos in here, so if you could put your shoes back on..."

Timothy Leary Interview

28    Up In The Air • KASENETZ KATZ SUPER CIRCUS
A short clip in the masterful film HEAD (starring the Monkees, Victor Mature, Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston) shows then California Governor Ronald Reagan looking into a news camera and commenting “Our ship better be sailing out of that harbor in 24 hours or we're coming in after it”.  The statement was in reference to the Vietnam War and interesting, considering his executive command reached no further than California. Exactly who “we” referenced… a coast guard flotilla or the governor on a horse, is not clear.

It was comments like that which made Reagan a punchline, as well as the featured character in this musical put-on by bubblegum’s Kasenetz Katz Super Circus.

Well... he claims it's bubble gum

The Lyrics:
I don’t read poems by Poe
,
Look at Palooka Joe

Watch the Ed Sullivan Show

I love Governor Reagan

Don’t dig Joe Pepitone

Or talk on the telephone
One thing stands all alone

That’s my governor Reagan

Hail, Hail, hail our leader!
 Hail Reagan, Hail to the Chief

Some may say he’s the Gip

Some say he’s lost his grip

I say that he’s a pip

He’s my Governor Reagan

A man who has so much hair

A man that is not all there

A man who just loves the chair

That’s my governor Reagan

Hail, hail, hail the leader! (etc.)

Up In The Air

29    Revolution • KUBLA KHAN
Only one 45 single was released by this Corpus Christi band in 1970. Leader Chris Gerniottis had previously performed in the Zakary Thaks in the mid 60's and briefly with the Liberty Bell. By the end of the decade he recorded an LP worth of material for his Kubla Khan project. 

A brief reflection about the band from Gerniottis appeared in It's Psychedelic Baby magazine:
"Kubla Khan was the group I put together following the breakup of the Thaks version 3. I knew the other four members of the band before we formed and I felt we could all gel together nicely (which we did). With free access to an 8 track studio that had just been built and my songwriting mode in full speed, we practiced and recorded an album’s worth of material in a little less than one year. One has to listen to only a few tracks to figure out where our heads were at – The Band. We dug everything about them and I guess unconsciously wound up not finding our own unique brand or sound. At the same time though, Kubla Khan explored a lot of material that other bands at the time were not. I can also say with confidence that this is the one band I’ve been in where there was no drama or disagreements. We were friends first, bandmates second. To this day, I still have the highest respect for each of them."

Unaware that the rest of the band has stepped 5 paces to the right, Gerniottis proudly poses in the world's most uncomfortable slacks.

Revolution

SOUND CLIPS ARE LOCATED HERE