THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,191) The Astral Projection — “Today I Saw the Sunrise” “[O]ne of those weirdly compelling pop albums that could have only emanated from the Age of Aquarius. . . . with moments of pure delight that bring the ’60s experience back in full technicolor.” (Stanton Swihart, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-astral-scene-mw0000069459)”[T]his LP is one to set the lights down low on and turn on the Lava Lamps!!!” (Bomp!, https://www.bompstore.com/astral-projection-the-astral-scene-1968-pop-psych-get-out-the-lava-lamps-cd/) Yeah, baby! Scott ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,190) Robin Gibb — “Down Came the Sun” From Robin’s (see #497) solo album Robin’s Reign, released amidst the fleeting breakup of the Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962, 1,065, 1,101, 1,125), comes “vintage Robin Gibb[,] a classic beautifully sung tune that recalls the first Bee Gees album” (Dave Furgess, https://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/229/), “includ[ing] some typically intriguing Robin lyrics ‘You like to think that you are Admiral Nelson with a gun, a wife and son’.” (David ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,189) David Bixby — “Morning Sun” From Dave Bixby’s (see #531, 668) “definitive loner acid folk album” comes a song that has resonated with a lot of people, judging from the hundreds of comments on YouTube (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ch5lOo5cL1U&pp=ygUXZGF2aWQgYml4YnkgbW9ybmluZyBzdW4%3D) Here are some heartfelt ones: “[o]ne of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard” (claramae), “holy f*ck i nearly cry every time i listen to this song” (bilbobagpipe23842”), a “hauntingly touching song” (lulululululululuul), and “if I die, I ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,188) Jan & Lorraine — “Snow Roses”  “Hauntingly pretty” (PsyVen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_dxXj4agzI) psych folk from a female dynamic duo (see #1,116). “When one considers that these ladies wrote, arranged, sang and played these tracks and then faded into obscurity, it boggles my mind”. (heyday2day, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/jan-and-lorraine/gypsy-people/) Indeed. Aaron Milenski talks about their lone album: This is about as good a 1960s femme psych album as you’ll find. It’s wholly original and ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,187) Hardin & York — “Candlelight” This ’69 A-side and track from the keyboard/drum prog duo’s first album is “an organ driven psychedelic number, regal sounding with thundering bass”. (Kevin Rathert, https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2021/09/hardin-york-cant-keep-a-good-man-down-the-hardin-york-anthology-2021.html) Stuart Robinson tells us: [It is] cracker of a song . . . with Eddie Hardin sounding uncannily like Steve Winwood with that excellent organ swirling, and lets not forget that wwhhheeessshhhh sound of the flanging/p ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,185) Robert Charlebois — “Ordinaire”/”Ordinary” WARNING — If you are a Québécois or from France, read no further! Ne lis pas plus loin! This song is a francophone legend! “‘Ordinaire,’ the heart-breaking cry of a fading show business star . . . ha[s] become [one] of [Robert Charlebois’ (see #44)] most popular songs”. (François Couture, https://www.allmusic.com/album/un-gars-ben-ordinaire-mw0000699064), with a “[m]elody that begins gently, and crescendoes in a plea of ​​desperate words: ‘sublime’ is the only word that fits! UNFORGETT ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,184) The New Mix — “Even Brighter” This absolutely gorgeous ’68 pop psych/sunshine pop confection (out of North Carolina!) is “a hidden gem” that “still reminds me of glimmering golden orange autumn sunsets”. (MoonChild-zg3gx, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X_XhvZcyBU) Bad Cat Records says that “[i]n spite of the falsetto lead vocals, ‘Ever Brighter’ had a glistening melody that put it in the running for standout performance; at least until the MOR horn arrangement tacked on the end of the tune sank it.” (http://badcatrecords.com ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,182) John Hartford — “The Six O’Clock Train and a Girl with Green Eyes” Country? Folk? Either way, this ’68 B-side by the legendary John Hartford is gentle on my mind, “bounc[ing] along like the happy ’60s pop song it is”; from The Love Album, which “finds [Hartford] using slightly bigger arrangements, gaining confidence, and more or less coming into his own.” (Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-album-housing-project-mw0000462545) Hartford’s website tells us: John Hartford won Grammy awards in three differ ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,162) Illés — “Történet M.-Ről/”The Story of M.” Here is a slice of “magnificent” (attilamarfi9018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WUfRo1ef64 (courtesy of Google Translate)) classic rock from Hungary’s Beatles. Zikkurat Stage Agency gives us a Hungarian rhapsody (courtesy of Google Translate): Illés was the Hungarian Beatles, “the” band, the generational band, the new idol that embodied and realized the dreams of a new generation, in which we could imagine all the desires that, in the end, were left out of the lives of many of us ..read more

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,181) Val McKenna — “You’ve Gotta Tell Me” Sweet pop-soul from the UK’s Val McKenna (see #988), whose songs “many of which she wrote herself, are . . . hard-driving, straight R&B pieces that the mod population allegedly found appealing.” (Paul Pearson, http://paul-pearson.blogspot.com/2015/05/song-20150507-val-mckenna.html) Man, “Tell Me” coulda been a hit. But it wasn’t even released! You ask, tell us about “Tell Me”. Well, it was written by The Ministry of Sound’s Micky Keen and Robin Shaw. As John Carter explained: The Minist ..read more