Six O'Clock by The Rondelles (1998)

How about some late 90's indie/garage music for your Friday? Well, here are the Rondelles...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMiwc7GqNs4

Apocalypse by Barnabus (1971)

Earlier this month, a song by Fusion Farm was featured in this space. That song was recently released on an epic new set called I’m A Freak Baby: A Journey Through The British Heavy Psych & Hard Rock Underground Scene 1968-72. Here is another heavy psych tune from the same release from Barnabus. 

Barnabus was together for only a couple of years in the early 70's, but left us some great material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqA8RC-Y9H0

Katja by The Lions of Judah (1969)

I don't know much about this Israeli garage/psych band except that they released an EP and a few singles in the late 60's/early 70's. Check out this B side from 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDkEMi0pZdU

Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers (1997)

In the post Kurt Cobain days of the mid-90's, I kept searching for the next big musical thing that would sweep me up and start taking all of my time. For a while, I thought that may be electronica. With acts such as the Chemical Brothers and Fat Boy Slim, I thought there were going to be a whole bunch of similar fast-paced, heavy hitting electronica hits. While there were a few, there weren't that many that stoked my interest. I soon turned my interests towards live local bands. But looking back, the Chemical Brothers still sound just about right to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saUKLr0E4i0

Ooh Poo Pah Do by The Cake (1967)

The Cake, not to be confused with 90's pop rock legends, Cake, were a blue-eyed soul group from New York in the late 60's. This band is popular with hipsters of a certain age. But don't let that dissuade you. This is a cool take on a classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn8hH7S3KwE

China by Electric Sandwich (1972)

The word "electric" appears to have been a bit overused in the 60's. Just in this blog space, this is the fifth such installment of an "electric" band. Below are the others:

The Electric Banana
Pacific Gas and Electric
The Electric Flag
The Electric Prunes

Today's "electric" installation is Electric Sandwich, a German heavy psych/prog band. Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhxwyfb4Qi0

Flyin' the Flannel by Firehose (1991)

Alt rock godfather, Mike Watt, first started out as a member of the Minuteman, a punk band closely tied with Black Flag. After that band ended, due to singer/guitarist D. Boon's death in a car accident in 1985, Watt formed an alt rock band that would also lay some groundwork for the next decade's grunge movement. Here they are with the title song from their first major label release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE5V-nCNswE

Stretchy by Ozric Tentacles (1993)

In addition to making ambient flavored spacy prog rock, Ozric Tentacles have another distinction. They are true DIY'ers in the sense that they have been releasing their own music for over thirty years without major label support. Check out this number from their 1993 release, Jurassic Shift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGVT8poFuOA

Hush by Joe South (1969)

One learns some interesting things when writing a daily musical blog. For example, I've had this Joe South version of "Hush" in my iPod playlist for a few years now, thinking that it was a cover of the Deep Purple classic. Come to find out that Joe actually wrote this song for Billy Joe Royal to record in 1967. Deep Purple must have been inspired by that version, because they then recorded their own version for their 1968 debut album, Shades of Deep Purple. Joe then decided to record it himself in 1969 for his LP, Games People Play. Now, I love the Deep Purple version for how they stretched it out into some interesting musical territory. But, this version is just a great little soulful song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M9se64HoTg

Deer by The Pack A.D. (2010)

The Pack A.D. are a British Columbian duo that started out sounding very much inspired by the White Stripes. Since their formation, they have broadened their sound. Here they are from their third LP, We Kill Computers. You can certainly hear the White Stripes influence in this track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR3U5INTUb8

Rock and Roll Time by Roger McGuinn (1976)

This is not your father's Byrds' music. The former Byrds' frontman with the angelic voice and distinct 12-string guitar sound is almost unrecognizable in his 1976 LP, Cardiff Rose. This is mostly due to the album's producer, Mick Ronson, who happened to have toured with Roger the previous years on Bob Dylan's Rolling Thurnder Revue tour. Here Ronson seems to be pushing some of the new punk sensibility onto Roger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96H-6cwKTaU

Bullfrog by 20th Century Zoo (1969)

Twentieth Century Zoo was blues/psych/rock band from Arizona that managed some regional success during their three year initial incarnation. They managed to release and album and a few singles. Here is the B Side to their first single.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eapmj5lnjCg

Halo of Flies by Alice Cooper (1971)

By 1971, Alice Cooper was an established act. Their fourth album, Killer, was one of the best. In addition to hits like Under My Wheels and Be My Lover, there were some deeper cuts on that album. With today's song, the band stretches out to cover a lot of musical territory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHbCoC4Tc_8

Baby, It's You by Smith (1969)

Now here is a song that was uncovered(for me) by Quentin Tarantino in his 2007 movie, Death Proof. I remember hearing this song on the soundtrack and being blown away by the vocal. The Beatles had previously covered this Burt Bacharach number, but this version stands out more to my ears due to the outstanding vocal performance.

The performance in the clip above is from a short-lived ABC popular music show called The Music Scene, hosted by David Steinberg and Lily Tomlin. Smith' s lead singer, Gayle McCormick died earlier this year at the young age of 67. RIP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuWsRkF5SIo

Blind Concert by Goblin (1977)

Italian prog rockers, Goblin, are known for their 1970's soundtrack work for Dario Argento's horror movies. Today's song, while spooky, also has a fusion sound and was featured in one of Argento's best movies, Suspiria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTEnz0z-Ss

Overture by Sensitiva Immagine (1976)

It's been a while since we dipped our collective toe into some prog rock. Here is an Italian prog band that only released one album in the 70's, and that was only available on tape. The album got a proper CD release in 1991, a decade after the band broke up. The vocals here are a bit weak, but the rest of the music is proggy heaven for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlvNESlhjQo

Hollis Brown by Fusion Farm (1971)

A wonderful new 3 CD compilation of British freakbeat has been released, titled "I’m A Freak Baby: A Journey Through The British Heavy Psych & Hard Rock Underground Scene 1968-72. I'm sure that several of the tunes from this new collection of old lost classics will make their way into this blog space in the coming months. If you would like to purchase this collection, here is the link.

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/im-a-freak-baby-a-journey-through-the-british-heavy-psych-hard-rock-underground-scene-1968-72/

It is also available on Amazon.

Today's selection is Fusion Farm's cover of a Bob Dylan classic that was originally released on their one and only 1971 LP, Rush Job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB5HJeSDMkE

Splitting in Two by Alternative TV (1978)

I just heard some Alternative TV for the first time last week. This is a band that sounds post-punk that was happening in the UK during the heights of punk. They were ahead of their time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR9x-qVQ2IY

Kundalini Express by Love and Rockets (1986)

Out of the ashes of Bauhaus, Love and Rockets were formed in the mid 80's. They were fairly more "pop" sounding than their antecedent band, but they made some good music if you're in the right mood. Here they are off of their second album, Express.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mnx8jnsYfc

Keep On Running by The Spencer Davis Group (1965)

Every time I hear music from the Spencer Davis Group, I don't think about how they were a cool garage band or the instrumentation of its band members. I am just always amazed at seventeen year old Stevie Winwood's vocals. That is clearly what sticks out for me. Here is the band from 1965. Nevermind the poor lip synch here, the vocals are just great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrxHcSZBU38

Baudelaire by Uta (1969)

It hardly gets any rarer that the B-side of the one and only single released by a German actress singing in French over a pre-recorded freakbeat rhythm track that borrows a bit from the Velvet Underground's first album. Well, that's 1969 for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVVMBjKkuyA

Tension by Sounds Synonymous (1969)

I don't know much about today's featured artist, Sounds Synonymous, except that the recorded a very heavily fuzzed psych single back in 1969. Thankfully, in 1998, a compilation CD titled A Fistful of Fuzz was released that unearthed many lost psych/garage tunes. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KIh3wrSwhc

Birth Right by Neighborhood Brats (2013)

Despite their Facebook page claiming that they play a combination of punk and smooth jazz, there is no smooth jazz. This snarky band from East Oakland has been around since about 2010. They aren't famous and won't ever be because their music isn't compromising. They are a nice throwback to a better time, though, and should be enjoyed by those with discerning tastes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laEQpPcmqAA

戦場 by Auto-Mod (1983)

Japanese deathrock pioneers, Auto-Mod, weren't always so heavy. At first, their music was more post-punk/new wave in nature. Here they are from their first LP, which was at least partially recorded live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CY4rkd9u-8

You're Gonna Die by Destroy All Monsters (1978)

Today on Deep Rock Mining, an underrated Detroit proto-punk is being featured. At different times, this group included members of the Stooges and the MC5. They originally lasted from 1973 to 1985, but have reformed sporadically since 1995. Here they are with the B Side of their first single. Fans of the Stooges should appreciate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNws7a6ffC0

Yellow Girl by Zabu (1972)

French prog rock/jazz fusion Magma really took their music to the extreme. They had a lot of interesting work. For me, they were a bit out there with all of their vocals layered onto their music, so I still haven't gotten through the lion's share of their music. But, I was interested when one of their members broke off to make a solo record that sounds distinctly different. Zabu's 1972 effort, My Coffin's Ready, is much more rock oriented than Magma. Check out the single from Zabu's one and only solo album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fcsaqs3c-k

Into the Future by The Vibrators (1977)

It's time to jump back to one of punk rock's pioneers, the Vibrators. Here they are from the heydey of punk, 1977.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wll-P1ylAoQ

Crazy Nature by Ex Ovo (1971)

This German psych rock band only managed to release one single, but it is certainly an interesting one. See if you agree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsMVLKTjSog

Best Thing by Styx (1972)

Styx often gets a bad rap among rock critics, and it's kind of understandable. As I scroll through some of their hits, I see many tunes that turn my stomach(Lady, Renegade, The Best of Times). And Mr. Roboto was a caricature of their most despised work.  There were a couple of hits that I didn't mind, though. Come Sail Away and Suite: Madame Blue come to mind. Still, beneath the hits, there were some other good tunes. Here is an original off of their first self-titled album. It sounds like Styx with a bit more lead guitar. Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy1dSUiarR4

Love or Die by The Leaving Trains (1989)

Los Angeles band, the Leaving Trains were alternative rock before alt rock meant grunge. Their music's got a punk sensibility with a bit more of a nuanced feel to their music. Here they are off of their fourth LP, Transportational D. Vices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YGIZAhdIHE