Exploring unheralded rock songs from many genres including classic rock, hard rock, psych, garage, metal, proto-punk, punk, post-punk, and the occasional blues tune...
Since New York's Tuff Darts were one of the staples of the early CBGB days, they're often referred to as a punk band. To me, they sound more like a rock band with a hint of glam. In any case, they released one album before calling it quits. Here is the opening track.
In the 1970's, guitarist Dick Wagner built up an impressive resume playing with the likes of Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and Kiss. Before all of that, he was in a Michigan heavy psych band called The Frost. They released three albums between 1969 and 1970. Here they are off of the second album, Frost Music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jcMxH4i_hw
Little Free Rock was another of a series of one album psychedelic rock wonders. And what an album it was. Definitely worth checking out. Here is a sample of what you'd hear.
Dion, along with Fabian and Frankie Avalon, were among a small group of American musicians that ruled the charts between the time that Elvis went into the army and the arrival of the Beatles. Unfortunately, the latter event swept those musicians out of the spotlight once they arrived in America. Still Dion would go on to record some quality music for years to come, most of it relatively unnoticed.
Today's song was Dion's way of complaining about the high cost of air travel. The "two ton feather" referred to an expensive plane ticket. As a complete aside, did Dion invent the phrase "check yourself, don't wreck yourself"? My guess is that he borrowed it from a blues tune, but I can't find it. Any thoughts?
Von Lmo, originally known as Frankie Cavallo, was/is a unique character which is not at all surprising if you listen to his 1981 album, Foreign Language. This is, of course, what gives avant-garde, no-wave music its appeal. Here he is with the title track off of that album.
For a garage rock/fuzz band that managed to release four albums and about twenty singles over a five-year period, they were relatively unknown. At least they were unknown in the Northeast. The Uniques were a band that was very popular in their hometown of New Orleans. Listening to some of their music, this was a quality band. Check out this A side from 1969.
John Stewart's lead vocals for Chicago-based Slauter Xstroyes kind of encapsulate what non-heavy metal fans dislike about the music. In other words, there is a lot of high-pitched wailing. For heavy metal fans, though, they either enjoy it or put up with it because they like the music.
The band itself got started in the early 80's and released their debut album, Winter Kill, in 1985. It then took the band 13 years to record and release the follow-up, Free the Beast. Here is a track off of that album.
If you're just getting into the blues, perhaps you haven't heard a lot of Howlin' Wolf''s music. Let me direct you to his work because I'm not sure the blues gets any purer than this. His voice is inimitable. Here, when he sings "I have had my fun, if I never get well no more", he owns that "no regrets" attitude.
[Original YouTube link taken down. Above is live version. Link below is studio version]
I just discovered this nouveau garage/psych band's work and am pretty impressed. Meatbodies sounds like a cross between Ty Segall and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. There is little that could go wrong in that pairing, and sure enough it sound's great. Check out this track from their 2014 self-titled LP.
Plastic Bertrand, the Belgian punk rocker, had a big hit in 1977 with Ca Plane Por Moi, which was only the second single in French to ever crack the Billboard 100. The funny thing was, on the day that the vocals were recorded for this big hit, Bertrand was late and the producer stepped in to record the vocals. So, most people who heard that track never really heard Plastic Bertrand. Well, today's song definitely has the punk star on vocals(I think!)
Here's a real rocker from a band from (you guessed it) Texas. The band managed to record one album, Creation A Child, before calling it quits. Good stuff.
Mount Rushmore was a poorly named, but aurally pleasing heavy psych band out of late 60's San Francisco. They managed to release a couple of albums before calling it quits. Here they are with the final track off of their second album.
Now here's a British punk band from the early 80's that I'd not heard of until last week. Love discovering old stuff. Here is Anti-Pasti with a (pseudo) Stooges cover off of their 1980 debut EP.
Plod was another one of those bands that released no material during their existence. This glam rock band was around from about 1972 to 1975, but it wouldn't be until 2010 before some tracks recorded in early 1975 were ever released. Here is one such track.
The Electric Eels were a Cleveland proto punk band that were active for a tumultuous three years between 1972 and 1975. They performed only a smattering of shows during their existence and they often ended in violence in the audience or on the stage between band members. The only studio recordings that have surfaced were recorded in early 1975. That includes today's song, which was eventually released in 1978 as one side of a single. It would take years before more material surfaced. This band was definitely ahead of their time with the punk sound.
I don't know much about this Belgian psych rock band, but I like what I hear. Here is the B-side of their 1970 single, Choo-choo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrTlpCRrt18
Nevermind the misspelled song title(they did seem to mean "Cold Beer"), this r&b/funk instrumental from the late Willie Tee's early New Orleans band is worth the listen.
As you are probably aware, the psychedelic rock scene originally emerged out of garage rock and freakbeat in late 1966 and 1967. It exploded for a couple of years and was on the wane by 1970. You also may be aware that since the early 2000's, there has been a neo-psych movement by dozens of bands making quality music. There is also a smaller group of psychedelic bands that came out of the 80's. Today's featured band is one such example. Tuscon's Black Sun Ensemble released their first album in 1985 and managed to put out 12 albums over the next 28 years before bandleader Jesus Acedo's untimely death in 2013. Here they are from their 2006 release, Bolt of Apollo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAxRKSlqon0&feature=youtu.be
Okay, I admit it. Today's post was for one of those bands that I never really cared for. However, I went on a mission to find a song I like under the premise that they might have been a halfway decent band at some point. I found a couple of songs actually. Here is the title track from the band's debut LP, David Coverdale's ode to filing cabinets...
Recently, I had the good fortune of picking up Elmer's Gantry's Velvet Opera's debut self-titled album at a yard sale. Not only that, but it was sealed. In addition to being worth more than a hundred bucks, this album sounds pretty good. Here they are with the first single off of the album.
Selda Bağcan was/is a Turkish singer/songwriter to started out in the folk music tradition. Aside from being in Turkish, her early music did not really distinguish herself apart from others in the genre. It was only in the mid 70's when she started to incorporated a psychedelic sound into her albums, that the music stood out as unique. Here is one such example.
In the 80's, the Psychedelic Furs were known to many(including me) for one song, Pretty in Pink. That song, itself, wasn't a bad tune, but was terribly overplayed. To the point that I grew to loathe the song, and by extension, the band. Years later, however, I was able to discover that there was more to the band than their big hit. They have some really good material. This is especially evident on their first album. Here is an example.
