Sifting Through Rubble: 1960’s Psychedelia from the UK

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A while back, we did an episode celebrating the Nuggets album, that quintessential collection of 1960’s psychedelic garage rock.  But psychedelia was an international phenomenon, and on this episode, we’re travelling across the pond to feature the long-lost psychedelic bands from the UK.  All of these selections are available on the excellent compilation albums in the Rubble series—if you like what you hear here, check those out.

TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome back to the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. I’m Brad Page, your host here on the Pantheon Podcast Network, where each episode we explore some of my favorite songs. About two years ago, I did a special edition of the podcast to celebrate the anniversary of the “Nuggets” album. One of the most important compilation albums ever released, “Nuggets” celebrated the forgotten bands from the 60’s psychedelic garage rock era. It inspired many other collections of long lost sounds from that era, when it seemed there was a teenage band on every street and all things seemed possible. There was so much music being made that “Nuggets” couldn’t possibly cover it all, even over the course of multiple volumes.

One of the things about “Nuggets” is that it was very US-centric. But of course, there was psychedelic music being made in garages, basements and living rooms around the world, especially in the UK. And one of the companion series to “Nuggets” were the “Rubble” albums, collecting tons of obscure 60’s bands from the UK and Europe. Starting in 1984, there would ultimately be 20 “Rubble” albums issued. On this episode, we’ll be sampling a whole bunch of songs from the first ten volumes of “Rubble” So strap yourself in, because we’re setting the wayback machine to 1960s England.

Whether you call it psychedelic rock, garage rock, or one of the more esoteric names like pop, Psych or Freakbeat, we’re talking about bands that formed in the wake of the Big Bang that was The Beatles, when millions of teenagers and young adults went out and bought guitars and drums and formed bands of their own. Some of these bands were more professional than others, but the one thing they all have in common is that none of them had any long-term success. Although, as we’ll see, occasionally a band member would go on to find success with another group. On this episode, we’re looking at songs recorded from 1965 to around 1968, primarily from bands from the U. K. although there may be a couple from Europe in here. All of these bands are included on the “Rubble” series of compilation albums.

Let’s kick things off with a band called Fire. Fire were a three-piece band from Hounslow, West London. They were originally called Friday’s Child and recorded a couple of demos which got them some attention from Apple, The Beatles’ record label. Someone suggested they change their name to Fire, and they recorded their first single for Decca Records in March 1968. When it came time to record their second single, the record label forced them to record a song by an outside songwriter and the band didn’t even play on the single. They were not happy about any of that. And that pretty much ended their relationship with Apple and Decca. They would record one album for Pye Records in 1970, but that was it for Fire. We’re going to go back to their first single from 1968– this song they wrote and played themselves. It’s called “My Father’s Name Is Dad”, and despite the wacky title, this song actually has a great Beatle-ish guitar riff and a pretty catchy chorus.

That was Fire with “My Father’s Name Is Dad”.

Here’s a song by The Clique or The Clique depending on where you’re from. I guess The Clique were from north London. I don’t know much about this band, but this was their second single from September 1965, produced by the legendary British producer Larry Page, who produced The Kinks and The Troggs classic “Wild Thing”. This is another song with an awkward title– This one’s called “We Didn’t Kiss, Didn’t Love, But Now We Do”. Great guitar sound, though.

The Clique – “We ​Didn’t ​Kiss, ​Didn’t ​Love, ​But ​Now ​We ​Do”.

This next song is one of the most interesting stories of the British psychedelic scene in the 1960s. Follow me on this one, because it’s a bit of a long story, but worth the payoff. Zoot Money and The Big Roll Band were formed in the early 60’s featuring vocalist and keyboard player Zoot Money. They primarily played soul and R&B tunes. But when the scene began to change and the psychedelic sound was all the rage, Zoot changed the name of the band to Dantalian’s Chariot in 1967 and essentially rebranded them as an acid-tinged psychedelic rock band. They played shows with Pink Floyd and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, performing in white robes with one of the best psychedelic light shows around. In September 1967, they released their one and only single, a psychedelic pop masterpiece called “Madman Running Through The Fields”. They went into the studio to record an album, but most of it was rejected by the record label. And when it was eventually retooled and released, it came out as a Zoot money and the Big Roll Band album– Dantalian’s Chariot was no more, having lasted only a year. For decades, it was thought that those original Dantalian’s Chariot recordings were lost. But they were eventually rediscovered and released on an album called “Chariot’s Rising” in 1996, almost 30 years after they were originally recorded. Now, if the name Zoot Money sounds at all vaguely familiar to you, it may be because you’ve heard of their guitar player. Andy Summers played guitar in Zoot Money’s band, and he followed him into Dantalian’s Chariot, co- writing many of their songs. Andy Summers would go on to play in a little band called The Police. But for now, let’s go back to 1967, when Andy Summers was wearing white robes and writing psychedelic songs like this one. This is the legendary track “Madman Running Through The Fields”

Dantalian’s Chariot “Madman Running Through The Fields”.

Next up is a band called Jason Crest. There’s nobody named Jason Crest in Jason Crest, just five guys from Kent who were originally called the Good Time Brigade and then the Good Time Losers. Before settling on Jason Crest as their name, they released five singles between 1967 and 1969. Supposedly they put on a killer live show, but it didn’t translate into record sales. Their final single was a song called “Black Mass”. Though it’s more goofy than it is scary, the record company held this one back out of concern, though it was still released before Black Sabbath recorded their first album. Here’s “Black Mass” by Jason Crest.

“Black Mass” by Jason Crest.

Everybody knows “Magic Bus” by The Who, but did you know that they were not the first ones to release it? Pete Townsend wrote the song, but gave it to a band called The Pudding, who released it in April 1967. The Who didn’t release it until July 1968. Here’s the version by The Pudding.

“Magic Bus” by The Pudding.

Here’s a song by a band called Turquoise. They were from Muswell Hill, a, suburb of London. Muswell Hill was also home to The Kinks. And you can definitely hear, uh, a Kinks influence on this song: “Tales Of Flossy Fillet”, one of only two singles released by Turquoise.

“Tales Of Flossy Fillet” by Turquoise.

If I say the name Dream Police to you, you’re going to think of the song or the album by Cheap Trick, right? But ten years before Cheap Trick released that song, there was a band from Scotland called the Dream Police. Formed in 1967, they released three singles before disbanding. Guitarist and singer Hamish Stewart would go on to form the Average White Band and spend a chunk of the 90’s in Paul McCartney’s band. Here’s a song by the Dream Police called “Living Is Easy”.

Dream Police with “Living Is Easy”.

One thing you don’t see too often with these psychedelic bands, neither here or on the “Nuggets” albums unfortunately, are groups fronted by women. Not too many female voices to be heard. But here’s one. Sharon Tandy was originally from South Africa, moving to the UK in 1964. She actually recorded some tracks at Stax Studios in Memphis and was the opening act on the legendary Stax Volt tour of Europe in 1967. She cut two singles with the band Floor de Lis. Here’s one of those tracks a nice riffy rocker called “Hold On”.

Sharon Tandy and Fleur de Lis with “Hold On”.

This next group was originally called the Silvertone Set. Playing mostly soul and R & B influenced songs, they changed their name to “The Elastic Band” and released one album and a couple of singles, none of which were hits. Their guitar player, Andy Scott, would later become a member of the quintessential glam band, Sweet. Here’s a song he co wrote for The Elastic Band called “Eight And A Half Hours Of Paradise”.

“Eight And ​A Half ​Hours ​Of ​Paradise” by The Elastic Band

The Dakotas were from Manchester, England. They first came to fame as the backing band for Billy J. Kramer in 1964. Mick Green joined them as their guitarist. He’d made a name for himself with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. The Dakotas released a few singles on their own. This is a particularly tasty b-side featuring a great guitar riff from Mick Green. It’s called “The Spider & The Fly”.

“The Spider & The Fly” by The Dakotas.

For the next couple of tracks, we’re going to cheat a little bit and go outside of the UK. We’re going to take a side trip to the Netherlands and listen to a song by a band called Group 1850. This track is one of the loopiest psychedelic tracks I’ve ever heard. Manic drumming, spoken word chanting, trippy guitar work and a flute. Folks, this one’s got it all. It’s called “Mother No Head”.

“Mother No Head” by Group 1850.

Here’s another Dutch band, Dragonfly. These guys never had a hit outside of their home country, but they did manage to release two singles. Dragonfly was wearing face makeup years before Kiss came up with it. You can find some clips on YouTube if you look for them. Here’s a song by Dragonfly.

“Celestial Empire” by Dragonfly

Back in the British Isles, The Flies were making a stir in London. Apparently, they dumped 800 bags of flour on their audience at one show. Here are the flies covering The Monkees. They slow “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” down and bring out the nasty edge in this classic song.

The Flies with their version of “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”

Birmingham was the birthplace of a bunch of great British bands, enough that they coined their own term for the Birmingham sound: Brumbeat. The Knight Riders were purveyors of the Brumbeat sound before changing their name to The Idle Race. They’re mostly remembered for launching the career of first Roy Wood, then Jeff Lynne. Both would get together in The Move and eventually form the Electric Light Orchestra. Here’s an Idle Race song called “Knocking Nails Into My House” that shows that Jeff Lynne had something going on right from the start.

The Idle Race “Knocking Nails Into My House”

All the bands we’ve been talking about here slipped into obscurity pretty quickly, never to be heard again. But let’s hear from one band that did make an impact. Though they never had big hits in the US, they were very influential in the UK. The Pretty Things formed in 1963. Initially they played bluesy R & B influenced stuff like the Yardbirds or the Rolling Stones, but by the time they signed with EMI in 1967, they were a full-on on psychedelic band. They released a couple of singles, including “Talking About The Good Times”, one of the all-time time greatest psychedelic tracks, and then released the album “SF Sorrow”, which is acknowledged as being the very first rock opera, beating The Who’s “Tommy” by over a year. They released a dozen albums over their career and are still referenced today as an influence. So let’s go back to February 1968 and listen to “Talking About The Good Times”.

“Talking About The Good Times” by The Pretty Things

Let’s hear one more. The Onyx came from Cornwall, originally named Dick and The Hayseeds, but changed their name to The Onyx around 1966 and signed to Pye Records. They were known for doing great cover versions, but released a handful of self-penned penned singles, including “You Got To Be With Me” their first single in 1968, which is super catchy and features a very ​McCartney-esque ​bass ​part.

The Onyx “You Gotta Be With Me”

Well, I hope you enjoyed this trip through the sounds of psychedelia from 1960’s UK. As I said, all of these tracks can be found on the first ten volumes in the “Rubble” series. There is a box set that contains all 10 CDs. If you really dug this episode, it might be worth seeking out that collection. I recommend it.

New episodes of this podcast come out on the 1st and the 15th of every month, so I’ll be back in your ears soon. You can catch up on all the episodes you missed on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com, or just look for us in your favorite podcast app. And while you’re there, leave a review of the show. I always hear that reviews are the number one thing that the algorithms use to determine how shows get ranked, and who gets exposed to the podcast. So if you can leave even a short review, that’d be great.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to this episode. I’m going to leave you with one more clip. You may remember the band Golden Earring for their hits “Radar Love” and “Twilight Zone”, but these guys have been together since 1961. They’re another Dutch band, and in 1966, they recorded a commercial for Coca Cola. It was released on a single that was apparently only available at one Dutch grocery store. The band didn’t particularly like doing it, but they needed the money to buy a new van. Such are the artistic compromises you make in the music business. So I’ll leave you with “Things Go Better With Coke” from 1966 by Golden Earring.

Searching for Gold, Finding “Nuggets”

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Originally released Oct 2, 1972

Perhaps the most influential compilation album of all time, the original Nuggets album was lovingly assembled by guitarist/author Lenny Kaye in 1972. Collecting some of the greatest psychedelic garage rock onto one collection was no small feat, but the album went on to inspire tons of musicians in the US and the UK. On this episode, we honor the 50th anniversary of this landmark collection with a look back at some of the best tracks by these long-gone, and mostly forgotten, bands.

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TRANSCRIPT:

We’re back with another edition of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast on the Pantheon Podcast network. I’m your host, Brad Page, and if you’re a music lover like me, I’m sure you’ve had this experience before: You hear about a record, maybe someone tells you that you should check it out, or you just keep seeing it referenced in articles or interviews. So you take a chance on it, and it opens up a whole new world of music for you. Well, today on the show, we’re going to take a look at an album that did that for me in a big way. This episode we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the compilation album known as ““Nuggets””, and we’ll be listening to some of the great psychedelic proto-punk garage rock songs from the late ‘60’s.

[Music]

Lenny Kaye is probably most known for playing guitar in the Patti Smith Group – he played on her first four critically acclaimed albums. He was also a record producer, but before all that, he was a writer and a music journalist. Lenny loved the psychedelic garage rock of the 1960’s, and in 1972, he compiled 27 of the best garage rock singles onto a double album called ““Nuggets””.

The original ““Nuggets”” album was released by Electra Records 50 years ago this month, in October 1972. ““Nuggets”” would go on to become hugely influential, inspiring generations of bands. In the 1980’s, Rhino Records revived the “Nuggets” brand and not only reissued the original “Nuggets” album, they created a whole series of “Nuggets” albums, eventually releasing about 15 albums worth of this stuff. And that’s when I first discovered these records.

In 1998, Rhino collected the best of those songs into a CD box set of over 100 tracks. And we’re going to be listening to a selection of tracks from that box set. Some of these songs are on the original “Nuggets” album, but all of them can be found on that “Nuggets” box set, which I highly recommend.

All of these songs represent a time when kids all across the country, inspired by the Beatles and the Stones and dozens of other bands, went out and bought their own guitars and drums, taught themselves how to play and started bands in their basements or garages, hence the term “garage rock”.

The sound of these records is rough. The performance is even rougher. Any particular skill at your instrument, including vocals, was, uh, a plus, but not required. This was music created in the passion of the moment. It’s about inspiration, not technical skill. As Bill Inglett put it in his liner notes to the box set, “Attitude ruled over aptitude”. Or to paraphrase Lenny Kaye, this is the sound of teenagers yearning to play in a band.

And even though this music was a product of the social norms breaking down at the time free love, psychedelic drugs and all of that, there’s also a certain innocence or naivete to this music that I find charming, as odds that sounds.

So, here’s a baker’s dozen of great tracks from “Nuggets”, starting with Count Five – “Psychotic Reaction”. Originally a surf rock band from San Jose, CA, they were captured by the British Invasion and changed their name to Count Five. They wore vampire-inspired capes on stage. After being rejected by the major record companies, they signed to a small Los Angeles label called Double Shot Records and released “Psychotic Reaction” in June 1966. Singer and guitarist Sean Byrne came up with the song one day in health education class. It became a big part of their live shows with the “rave up” section in the middle, no doubt inspired by The Yardbirds, giving their lead guitarist named Mouse a chance to let loose on his fuzz-tone guitar. The song actually made it to number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

[Music]

That’s “Psychotic Reaction” by Count Five.

Next up, Michael and the Messengers, “Romeo and Juliet”. The Messengers were originally a high school band from Winona, Minnesota. The bass player reformed the band in college and they released a version of “In the Midnight Hour” on Chicago’s USA Records label. That was enough of a regional hit that the Messengers got picked up by Motown Records, which left the tiny USA label without their hit band. So USA put together their own version of the Messengers. It was actually a band from Leminster, Massachusetts– not far from where I went to high school– called the Del Mars, that USA renamed Michael and The Messengers and recorded this version of “Romeo and Juliet”. Despite the fact that there was nobody named Michael in the band, that didn’t stop them from having a minor hit with this single in 1967.

[Music]

Michael and the Messengers with “Romeo and Juliet”

Tthis next track is by The Sparkles. It’s called “No Friend of Mine”. The Sparkles were a band from Texas, and their single “No Friend Of Mine” is a perfect specimen of garage rock. Nasty fuzz guitar? Check. That buzzing organ sound? Check. A lead vocal that’s somewhere between spoken word and screaming frustration? Check. it’s a textbook example.

[Music]

“No Friend Of Mine” by The Sparkles

Let’s check out another track. This one is by the Gollywogs. It’s called “Fight Fire”. Now, a band called the Blue Velvets came out of El Cerrito, CA as far back as 1959. But when they signed to Fantasy Records in 1964, the label changed their name to The Gollywogs. They hated that name. They released a handful of singles, including “Fight Fire” in 1966. A year later, the band would change their name again– this time to Credence Clearwater Revival. That’s right. This is CCR before they were CCR. Let’s have a listen to “Fight Fire”.

[Music]

The Gollywogs with “Fight Fire”.

Next up is The Rationals with “I Need You”. The Rationals formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan around 1963, signed to a local label and released a bunch of singles that did well in Michigan, but not so much elsewhere. Their version of the Kinks song, “I Need You” released in 1968, one-ups Dave Davies with an even gnarlier guitar sound.

[Music]

The Rationals and their version of “I Need You”.

Now let’s hear a song by the Sonics called “Psycho”. This is the earliest song of this bunch, released way back in January 1965. But it’s as intense and wild as anything on this list. The Sonics started in Tacoma, WA, and in November ‘64 had a regional hit with a song called “The Witch”, which became the biggest selling local single in the Northwest’s history. They released their first album in 1965 called “Here Are the Sonics”. And it is a seminal piece of garage rock history. Recorded on a two-track recorder with only one microphone for the drums, this album features all their best songs, including this track, “Psycho”. By 1968, the band had split up, but they managed to influence Nirvana, the White Stripes, and are often referred to as the first punk band.

[Music]

“Psycho” by the Sonics.

Things start to get psychedelic on our next song. It’s The Balloon Farm with “A Question Of Temperature”. Before The Balloon Farm formed, two of the members played in a band called Adam, where every member changed their first name to Adam. Their first and only single was a song called “Eve”. Of course.

When that band split, those two guys formed a new band, and named it The Balloon Farm after a club in New York with the same name. “A Question of Temperature” was their only hit, released in October 1967. Reached 37 on the Billboard chart. But it has everything you want in a psychedelic pop song: A pulsating beat, breathy vocals, fuzz-tone guitar and trippy sound effects. It’s a classic in my book.

[Music]

“A Question of Temperature” by The Balloon Farm.  One of the members of The Balloon Farm was a guy named Mike Appel, who would later go on to manage Bruce Springsteen. But that’s a story for another podcast.

Next is the DelVettes with “Last Time Around”. The DelVettes were a Chicago band that recorded a handful of singles for the Dunwich label. They released “Last Time Around” in May 1966. It features a killer riff on bass and fuzzed out guitar, with a nice chorus. And it’s another tune that shows the influence of The Yardbirds, with its rave -p style solo right in the middle.

[Music]

“Last Time Around” by The DelVettes.

Now here’s a song by The Elastic Band called “Spaz”. Straight out of Belmont, CA, came the Elastic Band. Get it? Elastic Band. I can’t tell you anything about this group, except that they released two singles. And this one, “Spaz”, managed to get released by ATCO Records, a legit major label, in 1967. And I don’t know what to say about this song. Just listen to this:

[Music]

“Spaz” by The Elastic Band.

Now, if there’s any song in this episode that you recognize, it’ll be this one: The Strawberry Alarm Clock with “Incense and Peppermints”. This song actually hit number one on the Billboard charts in 1967, and it’s a lot poppier than most of the tracks we’ve been listening to, but no less psychedelic, with its fuzz-tone guitar and vintage 60’s organ sound.

The band was from Glendale, CA, and originally known as The Sixpence, but changed their name after the song was first released. There’s actually a pretty convoluted history to this song. It started out as an instrumental by band members Mark Weitz and Ed King and initially released as a B-side to a single by The Sixpence. Apparently, most of the band members didn’t like the lyrics, so the lead vocal ended up being sung by a guy who wasn’t even in the band. He was a friend who was just hanging out at the recording session. Weitz and King never got songwriting credits. The credits went to John Carter, who wrote the lyrics, and his partner Tim Gilbert, who actually had nothing to do with the song. Guitarist Ed King would later join the original lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd– About as far away as you could get from the sound of the Strawberry Alarm Clock.

[Music]

“Incense And Peppermints” by the Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Next: Love – “7 and 7 Is”.  If the Strawberry Alarm Clock was the most commercially successful of this bunch of songs, the band Love was the most influential. An interracial band at a time when that was rare in rock, fronted by Arthur Lee, singer songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player. Lee had a distinct vision, not like anybody else. Love came from LA, but had a sound miles away from the sunny “California Dreaming” sound. Love was the first rock band signed to Electra Records, and released their first album in early 1966. By the summer, they released a brand new single, “7 and 7 Is”. The song explodes with a pent-up teenage frustration, never lets up on the intensity until a bomb literally goes off at the end. This song has been covered countless times, by everyone from Alice Cooper to Billy Bragg to Rush. Here’s the original:

[Music]

“7 And 7 Is” by Love.

And here’s The Blues Magoos with “We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet”. The Blues Magoos arose from the Bronx in New York, playing around Greenwich Village under various names, before they changed their name to the Blues Magoos in 1966. They released their first album, “Psychedelic Lollipop” in November ‘66, which featured their single, “We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet”, one of the most infectious bits of garage rock you’re ever going to find. It actually reached number five on the Billboard charts, featuring a driving bass line, a pseudo sitar-sounding guitar riff, and the sound of the vox continental organ, such a key element to so many garage rock tunes.

[Music]

“We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet” by the Blues Magoos.

And one last tune: The Remains with “Don’t Look Back”.  The Remains were a Boston band formed in 1964 at Boston University by Barry Tashian, who would eventually end up in Emmy Lou Harris’s band. But at this time, he was freshly back from a trip to Europe, where he was inspired by bands like The Kinks to start his own group back home. They built a following in and around Boston and signed with Epic Records. They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and even scored the opening slot on the Beatles final US tour in 1966. But they never broke into the big time. Too bad, too, because they had the chops and the talent to do it, but it just never came together for them. “Don’t Look Back” was their final single, released in August 1966. Should have been a hit.

[Music]

“Don’t Look Back” by The Remains.

It’s funny… when the original “Nuggets” album came out in 1972, most of these songs were five, six years old at the most, but they were already considered artifacts of another time. Here we are, 50 years later– a lifetime ago. But if you look out there somewhere, you’ll still find bands being inspired by these songs from the first psychedelic era.

These days, that DIY spirit, “I want to do that too”, has moved out of the garage and into the bedroom, with digital technology. Things have shifted to software; towards beats and samples, and away from guitars and amplifiers, which I admit, bums me out. But that’s okay. It’s not like anyone’s confiscating all the guitars.  And the spirit of “Nuggets” is still there. That idea that passion is more important than technical chops, that anyone can make music if they put enough heart and soul into it. And there’s nothing more rock and roll than that.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the “I’m In Love With That Song” podcast. You can find all of our previous shows on our website, lovethatsongpodcast.com, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon… we are everywhere podcasts can be found.

Leave comments or reviews on Podchaser or wherever you listen to the show. And don’t forget to check out the other great shows on the Pantheon network.

We’ll see you again in two weeks with another new episode. Until then, here’s one more nugget– The Knickerbockers with “Lies”.

[Music]

The Electric Prunes – “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)”

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"I Had Too Much To Dream" (Annette Tucker & Nancie Mantz) Copyright 1966 4-Star Music; copyright 2004 Acuff Rose Music Limited

Music was expanding in all directions in the 1960’s; one of my favorite genres is the psychedelic/garage rock from that era.  Few songs capture the sound & the spirit of that style as “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)” by The Electric Prunes.  Take a trip with me back to those halcyon days with one of the flagship songs from the psychedelic period.  

“I Had Too Much To Dream” (Annette Tucker & Nancie Mantz) Copyright 1966 4-Star Music; copyright 2004 Acuff Rose Music Limited

— This show is one of many great music-related podcasts on the Pantheon network. Give ’em a listen! And remember to follow this show, so you never miss an episode.