Interactive Poll #6060: We love the Sixities

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 04:23

OK, let's start the hostilities! Some of the songs that I preferred didn't make it to the final nominations, so this actually makes voting a bit easier for me. Two immediately stood out for me, they escaped the bunch to finish in a sprint by two. The winner, with two bike lenghts is

- Gábor Szabó - Galatea's Guitar

and thus second:

- Carlos Paredes - Variações em ré maior

The bunch finished at some respectful distance; the photo-finish had to decide who won the bunch sprint and Russell Palmer just lost by a tire against:

Young Flowers - Oppe i træet (also in honor of the wah-wah!)

*Now turning around the record to listen to side B of It's a Beautiful Day*

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 08:17

1. Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar

2. Love: A House Is Not A Motel

3. Sweeney's Men: Dreams For Me

Runners up are H.P. Lovecraft (which just barely missed the top three), Gino Paoli, The Stooges, Bliss.

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 08:32

This one was a little easier for me, not for lack of love for the material, but familiarity. What a wonderful 10 years for music, so wide-ranging from start to finish.

Clear winners for me were:

1. Gino Paoli “Sassi” So beautiful and sad, the melody is just gorgeous. Lush and lovely production. First one out of the box is setting the bar very high! Such depth in this piece. It’s going to be hard to beat this one. I did go on and on about this one, twice, in the comments. Wonderful.

2. Russell Morris “The Real Thing” Never heard of him, probably because Australian? Music was so much more regionally exposed in those days. Nice voice, interesting choral backup in a pop/psych style. I would imagine this could have been a bigger hit, had he been from US or Europe. Kind of almost reminiscent of The Monkees with a little more edge, maybe a Tommy James type. Just amazed I never heard this, due no doubt to the regional factor.

3. Carlos Paredes “Variacoes em re maior” Here he is playing a Portuguese guitar, which has resonating strings, hence the unusual sound. Really excellent, I am not so sure I like the piece, it’s “happier” than most music I like, but I have been made curious to check out others of his work to see if he’s got a minor key one on that very cool instrument. And look I did and found what I was looking for, in Cancao Verdes Anos.

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 08:40

nice list, it's gonna be tough choice, but...

Love: A House Is Not A Motel (1967)

Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar (1968)

Young Flowers: Oppe i træet (1968)

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 09:19

My choices:

1) Love: A House Is Not A Motel - A superb synthesis of 1967 musical ideas, with echoes of Moody Blues acoustic guitars, Cali psychedelic electrics, and Morrison-esque allusions. A veritable vignette of the Summer of Love.

2) Fairport Convention: Fotheringay - One of Sandy Denny's most haunting vocals, and one of my favorite Fairport tunes.

3) H.P. Lovecraft: The White Ship - Lovecraft was a criminally underrated psych band that unfortunately never rose beyond its regional base to national prominence. But songs like "The White Ship", "Electrallentando" and "Mobius Trip" have garnered renewed favor in the resurgence of interest in the psych genre.

Edited by The Dark Elf - September 20 2020 at 17:57

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 09:40

First bunch of songs [work in progress]:

Gino Paoli: Sassi (1960)

The mood is quite romantic (as in romanticism). I like the composition, and it's a possible contender for my part. However, big orchestral arrangements in a non-classical context can be a little too much.

H.P. Lovecraft: The White Ship (1967)

H.P. Lovecraft I knew only by name. But it sounds like a really interesting song. I especially like the vocal harmonies and the organ.

Love: A House is Not a Motel (1967)

This one I knew in advance, and because of the lack of surprise, I'm not sure I will be voting for it. It's a great song nevertheless, like most of the material on the Forever Changes album, it's pretty dark. As such, I guess it counterweights most of the flower power music that was in at the time.

Fairport Convention: Fotheringay (1969)

I knew the band sporadically, so I kind of knew what to expect musically. Fine folky track. The low-pitched ooh's are an interesting addition to the sound.

Tom Dissevelt: Intersection (1961)

For this edition I considered entering with a piece by the Danish electronica legend Else Marie Pade. This track is in a similar genre, except here the musique concrete is paired with jazz sections. It's an interesting combination, and overall the track sounds like an obvious contender for my votes.

Bliss: Cry For Love (1969)

The riff in the beginning of the song reminds me a bit of Jethro Tull's "Aqualung". Overall I am unsure of what to think of the song. It's absolutely not bad, but the style has been done a lot better by multiple other bands.

The Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much to Dream (1967)

Wonder how many drugs it took to come up with the band name The Electric Prunes? The song title is a funny one too. Nice psychedelic pop, but I think I have to avoid looking at the singer with the zither.

Edited by The Anders - September 20 2020 at 10:57

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 10:21

Due to time constraints, I decided to only glimpse through the tracks for my first listen. But when I got to "Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar (1968)", I was compelled to listen to the whole track. So, I can already say that my first vote goes to:

1. Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar (1968)

It is such a gorgeous track that seems quite timeless.

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 10:44

The Dark Elf wrote:

My choices:

2) Fairport Convention: Fotheringay - One of Sand Denny's most haunting vocals, and one of my favorite Fairport tunes.

Hear, hear, once again! Beer

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 14:05

Second bunch:

Sweeney's Men: Dreams For Me (1969)

Acoustic folk sounds there. Can't find anything bad to say about it, but it doesn't entirely grab me.

The Stooges: 1969 (1969)

Nice to see that prog fans can appreciate the Godfather of Punk too. I'm not too familiar myself with the old Stooges things, but on the other hand Iggy Pop's 1977 solo debut The Idiot is one of my all time favourite albums. As for this song, it's another one with wah-wah, and then there is a Bo Diddley beat in the background. Nice enough, but The Idiot and Lust For Life are much more me.

The Hollywood Persuaders: Grunion Run (1963)

Is this eligible? It's Frank Zappa. Instrumental track built on a standard 12 bar blues form. He has produced more interesting things. But I guess it must be one of the earliest recordings with fuzz-tone guitar (or is it just the amp that distorts?).

Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar (1968)

Very enjoyable track, and interesting jazzy guitar work. Not so much more to add.

Czerwone Gitary: Barwy Jesieni (1966)

This one grabs my attention too. Quite melancholic, and I like the guitar work a lot.

Russell Morris: The Real Thing (1969)

Pop with psychedelic elements. Very interesting track that builds in a hypnotic way. It kind of reminds me of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. I also hear an echo of some 90's bands. Perhaps it drags on for a bit too long.

The Marvelletes: Don't Mess With Bill (1965)

It sounds a bit atypical for a Motown song with its bluesy feel and mellow vocals. But some of the well-known sound elements are still there of course. I have always had mixed feelings about Motown - it is after all a sort of assembly line music with the exact same musicians playing on almost every song, and with the same drumfills, brass riffs, and so on - but at the same time they were damn good at it, and the best songs from the classic Motown years are simply amazing (f.e. Stevie Wonder's "Uptight"). "Don't Mess With Bill" doesn't sound like a big classic to me, but it is competently produced of course, like all the others.

Carlos Paredes: Variações em Ré maior (1967)

And now for something completely different. I don't know what the instrument is called, but I really like the sound of it. At the same time it's a very interesting composition, sometimes with some very unexpected chord changes, and in my book that is almost always a quality in itself.

Edited by The Anders - September 20 2020 at 15:44

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 14:58

mathman0806 wrote:

Playlist for the nominees.

Wonderful!

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 15:18

My votes:

H.P. Lovecraft: The White Ship (1967)

Tom Dissevelt: Intersection (1961)

Carlos Paredes: Variações em Ré maior (1967)

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 15:26

Here's to you:

1) The White Ship. Long, slow ballad, probably sung under the influence of LSD, interesting for the use of keyboards and exotic instruments. The singing, on the other hand, is affected by the beat, that is to say the previous musical season, while the rhythm of the drums at a march pace is completely distracting. A rudimentary psychedelic song that combines innovation (there is also some interlude to proto-prog keyboards) with conservative elements. Overall very pleasant, a little pachyderm. Podium?

2) A House is not a Motel. Classic rockblues song (in fact a mini jam session) with some psychedelic elements. Great performance on the electric guitar and on the drums. Podium?

3) Fotheringay. The singer's voice is always a delight. The song is a tender acoustic ballad that rests entirely on vocal modulations.

4) Intersection. This is the typical song where you ask yourself: masterpiece or pretentious academic experiment? Generally, the distinction lies in seeing if in addition to electronic noises there is music, there is composition aimed at a precise representation and not only aimed at surprising that is an end in itself. Here it seems to me that the noises are not by random, and that the composition is there even if it tends to take refuge too much in some typical genres of music. Had it been original, daring, unprecedented, it would have been a masterpiece. However it seems to me a remarkable composition for 1963. It will climb to the podium.

5) Oppe i træet. Great work on the guitar. Great psychedelic, with a very lysergic, Hendrix-style guitar wah wah sound. It might look American but it's Danish! Great composition and performance, very amazing sound. Contender to the podium.

6) Cry for Love. Another psychedelic song guided by the guitar, which could recall the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Ten Years After, given the virtuosity of the guitar and the drums. Excellent performance the solo on the guitar. But what's going on? Are all candidates for the podium?

7) I Had Too Much To Dream. Once again a psychedelic song, and let me say: what an enjoyment this sixties poll !!! Also in this case, great work on the electric guitar, but the song is less accurate from the point of view of the arrangement and still has a lot of the beat phase. I knew the Electric Prunes for their beautiful evocative song in the original Easy Rider soundtrack, and here they confirm themselves as a psychedelic group, but given the high quality of the other songs this one won't make it to the podium.

to be continued

Edited by jamesbaldwin - September 21 2020 at 04:07

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 16:27

From the ones that made the cut...no special order...

Bliss- Cry For Love.....never heard of it before and I love those old psych rock things from the past...cool song.

HP Lovecraft- White Ship....know this one well..but I have always liked their first 2 albums from the old days so.....gotta vote for it. Jerry Mc George-bass- was from my neck of the woods and played in high school bands in my area.

Love- A House Is Not A Motel....another favorite band from the past that never really received enough attention...a must for anyone who likes the old Frisco psych pop/rock days and clever music.

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 17:55

The Anders wrote:

The Hollywood Persuaders: Grunion Run (1963)

Yes it is eligible. Frank Zappa was pretty much unknown. This was a band (out of many) that he was with before he created the Mothers. The band itself is not in the Archives.

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Posted: September 20 2020 at 22:02

Of those listed, not including my nominee, I only knew Love and the Electric Prunes before. "Forever Changes" ranks among my all-time favorite albums, so decided to vote for the ones new to me this time.

My three in no order:

Tom Dissevelt: Intersection (1961)

Gabor Szabo: Galatea's Guitar (1968)

Russell Morris: The Real Thing (1969)

Runner ups:

Sweeney's Men: Dreams For Me (1969)

Carlos Paredes: Variações em Ré maior (1967)

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Posted: September 21 2020 at 03:56

Again:

Dreams for Me is a very nice folk melodic ballad, perhaps a little monotone, but the fierce competition excludes it from the podium.

Listening to 1969 after all these psychedelic ballads is a stab in the stomach, here it's hard and raw rock, with the aggression of the acid guitar, the intrusive beat of the drums and the singing that eventually becomes hysterical. But it is above all the guitar that enhances this song, with a sound and a solo that anticipate the whole era of punk, and that Jesus and Mary Chain will also resume. Podium

Grunion Run is an instrumental piece written by Frank Zappa, very powerful and with an excellent production. Another candidate to the podium. But the places on the podium are just only three!!!

Who is Gabor Szabo? He's a jazz guitarist. I read on wikipedia that he is a guitarist who has fused jazz music with classical music and also with Hungarian ethnic music. Here, in fact, we have left rock and we move into the field of committed, cultured music, and as always I have some hesitation in voting for a piece of music of the highest class. Anyway, I thank those who posted it, making me discover this artist, who certainly writes very refined pieces.

The same goes for the virtuoso Portuguese guitarist Carlos Paredes, who here performs a more lively piece than Szabo's. Also in this case we are very far from pop music that is from pop and rock, here we are talking about educated musicians, who play music of superior class, closer to classical music than composers like De Falla. The piece is clearly masterful, very virtuoso, and I have nothing to complain but it is difficult for me to compare it with rock songs.

PS: I am more inclined to consider cultured music as experimental, which interfaces with light music, like Tom Dissevelt than cultured music which re-proposes classical schemes, which in form is more similar to classical.

Czerwone Gitary: Barwy Jesieni (1966) good etnic music but... the competition is cruel.

The Marvelletes? They are simply delicious, they are another universe, deriving from the vocal groups of the fifties, here it is pure fun but damn why not put them on the podium?

The Real Thing: Strange psychedelic ballad, catchy but that becomes dissonant, with the final coda halfway through the song, which becomes cacophonic. Thanks again for introducing me to this artist. Podium!

Edited by jamesbaldwin - September 21 2020 at 04:09

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Posted: September 21 2020 at 04:02

It is very difficult to decide, these songs are wonderful, maybe they are my favourite group of songs ever seen in an interactive poll until now

My podium:

1) Tom Dissevelt: Intersection

2) The Stooges: 1969

3) Russle Morris: The Real Thing

----

Honorable mentions:

4) Marvelletes

5) Cry for Love

6) Oppe i træet.

7) Grunion Run

8) A House is not a Motel

9) The White Ship

10) Galatea's guitar

Edited by jamesbaldwin - September 21 2020 at 04:03

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Posted: September 21 2020 at 05:59

All songs were new to me and it's a great selection which made it very difficult to choose. After a couple of listens the tracks from Tom Dissevel and Gabor Szabo stood out more so they got the first two votes.Many songs could have my third vote but decided to give a first vote for The Marvelletes.

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Posted: September 22 2020 at 04:45

Guys, I need to apologize for not having voted yet. Unfortunately, for some odd reason I found it hard to connect with the songs - which are all excellent in their own different ways. It's just that my interest in music seems to have waned considerably in the past few months. I also find it hard to write about music, which is the main reason why I haven't commented on the songs. I hope to start participating again soon. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for their efforts Clap

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