My Merrily Mirthful Melodic Melange -- Myriad Musical Miscellania

I saw cetera and I thought it was a Peter Cetera appreciation thread (seriously I do like Pete both eras of his career).

This is some good stuff Kafka. He's got a Gordon Lightfoot/early Neil Diamond sound vocally.

I've heard Montana Song before.

It's interesting people have mentioned Harry Chapin and Neil Diamond, as those are the two Ackles' singing immediately reminded me of. Unfortunately, I'm not that crazy about either of them.

But the strength of Ackles' songwriting often makes up for his occasionally pompous voice

Elvis Costello and Elton John - "Down River"

Super obscure "sunshine psych" (I think I just invented that term) from 1969, the only album from a duo made up of, as you might guess, two guys named Richard. Baroque folk-pop sorta reminiscent of our beloved Hackamore Brick, but with harmony vocals (including double-tracked lead) and much more elaborate arrangements.


Richard Twice - "If I Knew You Were the One"

Richard Twice - "The Finest Poet"

Mavis Staples - "Hard Times Come Again No More"

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"Hard Times Come Again No More," (sometimes, "Hard Times") is a parlor song by Stephen Foster. It was published in New York by Firth, Pond & Co. in 1854 as Foster's Melodies No. 28.

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Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh hard times come again no more.

Chorus:
Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard Times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;
Oh hard times come again no more.

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Great find on the Staples cover of the Foster song. It has the bonus of some Buddy Miller guitar work. In my opinion, Miller has put out some of the best music to come out of Nashville recently.
I always enjoy a Kafka music thread on the Music Board. It is one of the things I look for when I check in and never disappoints.

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Really liked this one. Need to check out more of their stuff.

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The Jamme LP is one to look out. It's usually fairly cheap as well since not too many people driving prices up for these Beatles-esque groups from the 69-72 seem turned onto it.

I can't get enough of these type records.

It was one 2 British LPs produced by John Philips for Dunhill in 1969 (that I'm aware of). The other is Grapefruit's 1st LP (which, to me, is even better than Jamme).


Also, Thanks for posting that "It's You" demo. Nice with the more jangly guitar. Had never heard those demos.

Millenium released a follow up to "Begin" called the "The Blue Marble" on Together.

I think of all the great stuff Boettcher did my favorite is still the Tommy Roe "It's Now Winter's Day" LP. It's near the apex of moody sunshine pop psych for me. That Oracle 45 on Verve from 1967 is a close second.

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I presume you've heard of The New Colony Six?

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Yeah, I've been religiously buying sunshine pop stuff since I was a teenager in the 90s when the "garage guys" at record shows used to have those LPs on the floor for a dollar each and 25 cent obscure 45s and make fun of you for buying them.

Still, of the many "rarities" that people pay $100+ after Fading Yellow, I think some of the more successful ones are still the best like the post garage New Colony Six, Tommy Roe's Boettcher period, Harper's Bizarre, Harmony Grass, Love Generation, anything Billy Carl or Billy Meschel did and, of course, ALL the Micheal Lloyd stuff.

Had never heard that Steve Gillette original or even seen the LP though.

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Michael Lloyd

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I'm a Michael Lloyd fanatic.
He was a member of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band but also began teaming up with Mike Curb writing/producing soundtracks (Catanooga Cats, Hot Wheels and simply tons of pop-psych and bubblegum stuff for 60s b movies) and Kim Fowley on more psychedelic stuff.

He was behind a host of one off 45s but for sunshine pop and pop psych, the best 60s LPs from Lloyd aside from WCPAEB were The Smoke (on Tower/Sidewalk) and October Country then some quirky ones Bloomsbury People, American Revolution, Earth Island.

He became a head honcho at MGM in the 70s. He's behind a million huge hits good (Osmonds "Crazy Horses", teenybopper 70s bubblegum like Shaun Cassidy) and bad (Barry Manilow, Pink Lady) and what most consider the best glam song ever Jimmy Jukebox "Motorboat"

Jimmy Jukebox "Motorboat"

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Is The Smoke the "My Friend Jack" band?

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Nah, that's the UK Smoke (pretty great in their own right even in their rebirth as 70s glam hitmakers).

There's also 2 American bands named The Smoke, both from California. One had 2 LPS on UNI in more SF bluesy psych mode.

Michael Lloyd's The Smoke was a studio band and released one LP that came out (identically aside from label) on both Sidewalk and Tower in 1968. It actually has a different (and better) version of October Country on it.

Only the Left Banke rival it as as far as symphonic/Baroque pop psych to my ear.



I have that Shaun Harris solo LP from '73 (on WB I believe). Good songs although WB in the early 70s isn't my favorite as far as production. Too bad as well considering the amount of quality artists they had.


WCPAEB is a long, weird story but they really have as many Great songs as almost lesser known band from the 60s through all 5 of their LPs.