re: Psych-Out, or Riot On Sunset Strip

The City - "Wasn't Born To Follow" (1969)

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If you had asked me, just a couple of months ago, what was the definitive version of Carole King's song I Wasn't Born to Follow, I would have pointed you in the direction of the Byrds' acid-tinged cosmic rock treatment. Released in 1968, on the album The Notorious Byrd Brothers, it was used to great effect on the soundtrack of Easy Rider the following year. Then, I might have mentioned Dusty Springfield's blue-eyed soul treatment, which turned up on the Dusty in London album of lost recordings in 1999.

Then, listening to Bobby Gillespie guest-host Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Session on BBC Radio 6 a few months ago, I was knocked sideways by King's own version, recorded when she was fronting a short-lived group called the City in 1969. (Other members included two erstwhile members of the Fugs: Charles Larkey (bass), to whom King was married at the time, and Danny Kortchmar (guitar), who later turned up on virtually every Californian singer-songwriter album of the early 70s.)

The song is a revelation, foregoing the cosmic thrust of the Byrds for a gospel-soul plea that is both plaintive and stirring, and reminds you how great a singer – as well as songwriter – Carole King was in her long prime. No matter how well you think you know a song, a great singer can make you rethink its entire meaning. That's exactly what happens here and it is wondrous to behold.

theguardian.com

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The Zoofs...produced by Allan Roussaint...

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I hadn't noticed

The Will-O-Bees - "Shades Of Gray" (1966)

The original version of a Mann-Weil song later recorded by The Monkees. I prefer this folk-rock version to the Monkees' rather pompous art-song cover.



Perhaps Cynthia Weil's greatest lyrics -- in the metaphor of life as a game they anticipate the later brilliance of Gerry Goffin's "Goin' Back"

"Shades Of Gray"

When the world and I were young
Just yesterday
Life was such a simple game
A child could play
It was easy then to tell right from wrong
Easy then to tell weak from strong
When a man should stand and fight
Or just go along

But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

I remember when the answers seemed so clear
We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear
It was easy then to tell truth from lies
Selling out from compromise
Who to love and who to hate
The foolish from the wise

But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray

It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care

But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light
Today there is no black or white
Only shades of gray
Only shades of gray

Barry Mann and Cyntha Weil

The Eyes - "You`re Too Much" (1966)

This bunch of mod wannabes from London never made the charts, but this single -- a remake of The Everly Bros' "Man With Money" as the A side, with this awesome, fuzzed-up psych-punker on the flip -- earned them a spot in my own personal R&R HOF, and that's what matters.

The Creation - "If I Stay Too Long" (1967)

England gives us a nice slice of blue eyed soul

The Monks



The Monks were a group of GIs in Germany who formed a band in the mid '60s. Their sound is sort of a combination of Zappa, The Velvet Underground, and Paul Revere & The Raiders.

The Monks - "Cuckoo" (1966) - Live on the Beat Beat Beat TV show

The Weavils - "We're The Weavils" (1964)

Some American acts went on the defensive against Beatlemania. This obscure Texas teen dance band took matters into their own hands on their only release -- a delightfully demented rocker on the small Lori label out of Houston.

Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army - "Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army" (1969)

Intended as the theme song for a Saturday morning cartoon series that was never made.

Produced by the prolific Kasenetz-Katz team, with lead vocals from session vet Joey Levine. Baby, that's rock and roll.

The International Submarine Band - "Sum Up Broke" (1966)

Before Gram Parsons went country he was a wannabe L.A. rocker, mixing a variety of influences. This B side tries to merge garage band guitar, folk-rock harmonies, and a vaguely psychedelic vibe, with uneven results. Gram would be much more at home amidst the magnolias and mint julips of country music.

J.K. & Co - "Christine" (1969)

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You’d be hard pressed to find many 60s psych enthusiasts that dislike J.K. & Co.’s Suddenly One Summer; incidentally the only album the group ever released. Recorded in 1968, leader Jay Kaye was only 15 at the time, and for someone so inexperienced in the studio, the lyrics, vocals and musicianship are remarkably advanced. Traveling from his home of Las Vegas to Vancouver, Kaye worked with some of the areas top session players (including members of the popular local outfit, Mother Truckers Yellow Duck). Inspired by the Beatles recent psychedelic landmarks, and LSD itself, the album is lush with orchestral flair with a spiritual slant. Robert Buckley, himself a teenager, assisted Kaye with many of the albums arrangements and psychedelic effects.

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