Obscure pop gems from the 60s

A random selection of songs to acquire:

The Pretty Things - "Talkin' About The Good Times"
The "Pretties" recorded S. F. Sorrow, the first rock opera of all time, in spring 1967 at Abbey Road Studios, just down the hall from The Beatles and Pink Floyd, who were working, respectively, on Sgt. Pepper and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. "Talkin' About The Good Times" was not actually on the album, but it is a bonus track on the S. F. Sorrow reissue. The Pretty Things did not consistently put together good melodies, and their musicianship is a bit suspect. Nevertheless, the ambitious psychedelic rockers regularly tried harmonies and unusual instrumentation. Also check out "Balloon Burning" from the same CD.

The Beach Boys - "Friends"
After the SMiLE failure, The Beach Boys released two underproduced albums before making a serious comeback with Friends. By then, however, the band was totally off the radar and musically irrelevant, having been pushed aside by acts like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. Production-wise, Friends is almost in the same league as Pet Sounds. The title track is a flashback to the pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys: lots of harmonies, catchy melody, simple lyrics. The song has apparently been used by a music school to demonstrate songwriting in waltz time.

The Kinks - "Do You Remember Walter?"
This is off The Village Green Preservation Society, which is making a comeback among the hipper crowd. "Do You Remember Walter" has a great melody, a driving rhythm, and an uncomplicated arrangement. The best part is the weird vocal fade-in to the second verse, after the first chorus... a candidate for one of the greatest moments in rock and roll.

Pink Floyd - "See Emily Play"
If you are reading this, you probably need no introduction to Syd Barrett, the original frontman for the legendary rock band. This pop song from 1967 contains some of the best delayed piano you'll hear anywhere. Also check out "Candy And A Currant Bun," a rare b-side on the "Arnold Layne" single. That one has great lyrics like: "Ooh, don't talk to me. Please, just fuck with me. Please, you know I'm feeling frail."

The Zombies - "A Rose For Emily"
Off Odessey & Oracle, "A Rose For Emily" is a piano-based song years ahead of its time, with a very weird chord progression. The Zombies were probably the most talented all-around British pop group after The Beatles. They are known mostly for "Time Of The Season," the one that goes "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he as rich as me?" They should really be known for Odessey, easily one of the greatest albums of all time, right up there with Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Pet Sounds. [This post formerly stated that The Zombies were American, when they were actually British. We regret the error.]

The Velvet Underground - "Candy Says"
"Candy Says" is from The Velvet's self-titled album, has a very depressing chord progression to match lyrics like: "Candy says I've come to hate my body and all that it requires in this world." Wouldn't it be a great song for The Tonics to cover, with Mark on lead vocals?

The Association - "Like Always"
They're well-known for the all-time classics "Never My Love," "Along Comes Mary," "Cherish," and "Windy." But "Like Always" contains an amazing, mind-boggling chorus with harmonies going every which way. Get it off their greatest hits album.

The Who - "A Quick One, While He's Away"
A Tonics favorite, this classic song about fornication is available in way too many versions. The best one is the 9 min 11 sec studio recording off the A Quick One album (it's the one with a second, faster verse for Ivor the engine driver). The last movement is used in the film Rushmore, another Tonics favorite.