Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Great moments in (extremely) obscure rock 'n' roll: Creepy John Thomas, "Gut Runs Great Stone," 1969

Following up last week's discovery, I've been listening to his first album, which has many good tunes. This is the lead number:

 

Great moments in (extremely) obscure rock 'n' roll: Creepy John Thomas, "Down in the Bottom," 1970

Reader Dave Wasser kindly flagged the long-forgotten Mr. Thomas for me; born in Australia, he recorded this number in London for his second album and it's not bad!  He later played with the Edgar Broughton Band and with his own band in Berlin.

 

Great moments in (not so obscure) rock 'n' roll: David Crosby memorial edition

David Crosby, who enjoyed great success with The Byrds in the mid-1960s and then with Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young) from the late 1960s onwards--and occasional success on his own and with Graham Nash--was a fine singer, capable especially of brilliant harmonies, but never as good a song composer as those he worked with.  Here's a few notable songs he either authored or co-authored during his long career that are among my favorites:

He co-wrote one of The Byrds's biggest hits and most memorable songs, "Eight Miles High," from 1966:

My favorite Crosby composition is "Long Time Gone," from the CSN debut in 1969:

Great moments in (not so obscure) rock 'n' roll: Jeff Beck memorial edition

Beck was one of the three great British blues-inspired guitarists who passed through the Yardbirds in the 1960s--the others being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.  He died this week, age 78.  What follows are some selections of some better- and lesser-known highlights from his long career.

The Yardbird, "Over Under Sideways Down," 1966 (Beck on lead guitar):

Jeff Beck (with Rod Stewart on vocals), "Let Me Love You," 1968, from his very best album Truth:

 

Great moments in (somewhat) obscure rock 'n' roll: Foghat, "She's Gone," 1973

As I noted at the end of last year, it's gotten harder to find genuinely obscure fare worth sharing, so I'm going to loosen up the criteria a bit, and share some songs (in some cases, like this week, by well-known bands) that are still lesser known but are among my personal favorites.  This number comes from Foghat's second album (generally called "Rock and Roll" because of the cover), and is still my favorite number by the band, which later hit super-stardom in 1975 with the album Fool for the City, both the title song of that album and "Slow Ride."

 

 

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: the five best finds of 2022

As readers who follow this series know, it's gotten harder to find "obscure" fare worth sharing, so more recently, I've taken to re-upping older features from several years ago.  But there were some good finds (at least by my light!) earlier this year.  Here's my five favorites for 2022; feel free to add yours in the comments:

Blonde on Blonde, "All Day All Night," 1968

Duffy, "Running Away," 1973

The Gods, "Farthing Man," 1968

Silverhead, "Rolling with My Baby," 1972

Steamhammer, "When All Your Friends are Gone," 1969

And one runner-up:  Sensational Alex Harvey Band, "Midnight Moses," 1972

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: the playlist!

Someone has compiled the full playlist of the songs featured on this blog over the years on YouTube!

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Frost, "Stand in the Shadows," 1969

ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 5, 2018

Part of the late 1960s Michigan rock 'n' roll scene (that also gave us Grand Funk, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, the Stooges, the MC5, and the Bob Seger System), The Frost never found as much national success as the others with their mix of "garage rock" and psychedelic themes, as on this great early number:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Sam "Lightin'" Hopkins, "Baby Please Don't Go," some time in the early 1960s

ORIGINALLY POSTED OCTOBER 14, 2017

Following up on last week's Elmore James post, here's another one of the handful of African-American blues musicians responsible for the best of classic rock 'n' roll (he taught an awful lot of them how to play by example); the precise year is uncertain (if anyone knows, e-mail me), but I'm guessing early 1960s:

 

UPDATE:  This link says this video is from 1964.  (Thanks to Alan White for the pointer.)

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Uriah Heep, "What Should Be Done," 1971

Not quite as obscure as some other featured bands (although it is probably unknown to many younger readers), the British hard rock/progressive rock band Uriah Heep enjoyed considerable success in the UK, Northern Europe, Australia, Japan, and to some extent in the U.S. from roughly 1972-1976.   This relatively "mellow" number that I've always liked comes from an album that did not fare as well, Look at Yourself (we featured several years ago a live version of a much more raucous number from that same album):

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Universe, "Rolling," 1971

ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 21, 2016

It doesn't get much more obscure than the one-and-only album by Universe, recorded on the spur of the moment in Norway after their van broke down.  The whole album, with echoes of Cream, Traffic, and Ten Years after, is classic British rock-blues, with a countrified edge.  Here's one standout tune:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Marmalade, "I See the Rain," 1967

ORIGINALLY POSTED JUNE 4, 2016

Reportedly Jimi Hendrix's favorite single of 1967, it flopped in the UK, though this Scottish band went on to have a number of hits (mostly in the UK) that were decidedly more sugary pop than this terrific psychedelic number:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Masters Apprentices, "It's Because I Love You," 1971

ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 1, 2017

Another one from the great Australian band that is, sadly, little known elsewhere:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Budgie, "Breaking All the House Rules," 1975

ORIGINALLY POSTED AUGUST 6, 2016

This Welsh heavy metal trio never made it big in the U.S. (though Metallica's 1998 cover of their 1973 "Breadfan" song gave them more visibility), though continued to have a steady following in Europe into the 21st-century (with vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley being the only continuing member [he died earlier this year, 2022]).   1975's Bandolier was their best album, but 1997's Best of Budgie (not to be confused with two earlier "best of" collections!) gives you all the most memorable tunes from that album plus a few others (also from early-to-mid 70s albums).  Like the early Judas Priest, they often have a strong sense of melody--especially during the interludes that often follow the main riff--and I find them quite listenable in a way that I can not abide the "heavy metal" of the 1980s and after.

 

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Dizzy Man's Band, "Truck Driver," 1970

Dutch rock band of the 1970s, this decent number comes from their debut album:

(Thanks to Dean Rowan for the pointer.)

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Stepson, 'Lil' Bit,' 1974

MOVING TO FRONT FROM OCTOBER 6, 2018--DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING NEW WORTH POSTING, SO THOUGHT I'D START REVISITING SOME GREAT NUMBERS FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THIS FEATURE.

This Portland-based hard rock/blues band recorded but one album, from which this great rocking number comes (the whole album is worth a listen):

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Buffalo, "United Nations," 1974

We haven't featured this Australian hard rock band (who never really made it outside the homeland) in quite some time.  Here they are doing the live version of what became the concluding number of their third album:

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Incredible Hog, "Going Down," 1973

Another number from the British hard rock trio, this is their distinctive cover of the Freddie King classic:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Gong, "I Never Glid Before," 1973

Eclectic progressive rock band, that continues to this day, this came from their period of relative (albeit modest) success:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Sensational Alex Harvey Band, "Midnight Moses," 1972

Scottish hard rock band that emerged out of the ashes of "Tear Gas" (a band we have featured before), they were fairly successful by the mid-1970s in the UK, but never got much notice in the U.S.  This strong number comes from their very first album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Curved Air, "It Happened Today," 1970

British progressive band, that enjoyed some modest success in the U.K. in the early 1970s, this single came from their debut album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Duffy, "Changing My Ways," 1973

Another tune from the debut album of this British band, not as good as the opening number, but would have been great at about 3 1/2 minutes!

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Gods, "Farthing Man," 1968

We've featured this British band (that included Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake in their pre-Uriah Heep days) before, but this tune, from their first album, may be my favorite:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll, The Third Power, "Like Me Love Me," 1970

Another heavy number from the Detroit trio we featured a few weeks ago:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Hollywood Brats, "Then He Kissed Me," 1973

Another British "glam rock" and proto-punk band of the early 1970s that had little success, although remains well-known among afficionados of the genre; this is from their one and only album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Incredible Hog, "To the Sea," 1973

British hard rock trio of the early 1970s, this is a pretty good tune from their one and only album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Rumplestiltskin, "Squandron Leader Johnson," 1970

A group of British studio musicians teamed up to record two rock blues albums (in 1970 and 1972); we last featured them (with their best song) in 2016.  This is the concluding number of the first album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Silverhead, "Rolling with My Baby," 1972

Short-lived British "glam" rock band of the early 1970s, this is one of their best numbers, and it's quite a catchy one:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Duffy, "Running Away," 1973

British rock band, that enjoyed some success on the Continent, before fading into oblivion; this is a great tune from their debut album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Third Power, "Persecution," 1970

Detroit-based hard blues rock trio of the late 1960s, this great version of the Drew Abbott song comes from their one and only album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Humble Pie, "Down Home Again," 1969

Humble Pie, featuring Steve Marriott (from the Small Faces) and Peter Frampton, made it big in the early 1970s, but some of my favorite songs come from their early albums, that didn't even chart in the U.S.  This great number is from their second album, Town and Country, and reflects the somewhat harder blues rock sound that brought them success a couple of years later:

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Status Quo, "Down Down," 1974

Here's another great number by Status Quo; this song was a worldwide hit, but not in the U.S.:

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Family, "Winter," 1968

This British psychedelic/progressive/generally eclectic band scored several top ten albums in the U.K. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but was mostly unknown in the U.S.  (One member of the band, bassist Ric Grech, enjoyed greater fame and fortune with Blind Faith and then Traffic.)  This is one of my favorite songs from their first album:

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Taste, "What's Going On," 1968

The great Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher led this blues rock trio from 1966-1970, which enjoyed it's greatest success in the U.K..  This is the lead number from their final studio album, an album which made the top 20 in the U.K. (as did the later live recording of their performance at the Isle of Wight festival):

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: The Move, "I Can Hear the Grass Grow," 1967

The Move was a pop/psychedelic band led by Roy Wood (of later Electric Light Orchestra fame in the 1970s) that had a string of hits on the UK charts in the late 1960s, before recasting themselves (with new guitarist Jeff Lynne, who formed ELO with Wood subsequently) as a blues rock band around 1970 (e.g.).   This is my favorite of their pop/psychedelic UK hits that never charted int he U.S.:

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, "Man of the World," 1969

Fleetwood Mac began as part of the British blues explosion of the late 1960s, led by guitarist Peter Green.  While "Oh Well" is known in the U.S. (thanks to many covers), Green's version of the band had other hits in 1968 and 1969, that made no appearances on the U.S. charts.   This number hit #2 on the UK charts:

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Small Faces, "Tin Soldier," 1967

Between 1965 and 1968, the Small Faces had multiple top ten hits in the UK, but cracked the U.S. top twenty only once, with "Itchycoo Park."  Steve Marriott, the brilliant and distinctive lead vocalist (and guitarist), left the group in 1969 to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton and moved in a more hard blues rock direction, which led to great success in the U.S. in the early 1970s; the remaining Small Faces joined forces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to form the hugely successful Faces, which also had a good run in the early 1970s.  But here the Small Faces are at the peak of their U.K. success, with a great single (lip synced here) that never made it in the U.S.:

 

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Slade, "Goodbye T'Jane," 1972

Slade remains a mystery to me:  they repeatedly topped the British charts in the 1970s as part of the "glam rock" phenomenon (think early 1970s David Bowie) with songs I find mostly unlistenable, and which most Americans did too:  a few cracked the top 100, but Slade never scored a (barely) top 20 hit in the U.S. until the 1980s.   Here's what seems to me the best of the 1970s singles that were big hits in the UK (and much of Europe):

 

Great moments in British rock 'n' roll that remain obscure in the U.S.: Status Quo, "Paper Plane," 1972

For the next few weeks, we'll take a break from our usual utterly obscure features in favor of the curious phenomenon of bands that were hugely successful in the UK, but never really made it in the U.S.  We start with Status Quo, which was one of the most successful rock bands in Britain from the early 1970s onwards, yet after their brief psychedelic period in the 1960s, they never again cracked the U.S. charts.   Here's one of their many well-known hits from the 1970s:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Ancient Grease, "Freedom Train," 1970

We haven't featured this Welsh hard (or "heavy" as is sometimes said) blues rock band since 2020, but here's another number from their one and only album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Frost, "Baby Once You Got It," 1969

We haven't featured in quite awhile this Michigan psychedelic band that never made it as big as its contemporaries (like Grand Funk and Bob Seger); this comes from their debut album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: The Gods, "You're My Life," 1968

Another tune from the debut album of the British band The Gods (featuring a pre-Uriah Heep Ken Hensley), one that borrows, perhaps a bit too much, from a 1966 Cream song:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Status Quo, "Spinning Wheel Blues," 1970

This British rock band may be the most aptly named band in history, since they have always adjusted their style to the current fashions, from psychedelic, to 70s/80s stadium rock, to, in this obscure case, the British blues explosion (but I actually like this number the best):

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Emitt Rhodes," Fresh as a Daisy," 1970

Via Nathan Salmon on FB, I learned about Emitt Rhodes, a Californian singer-songwriter, who on his self-titled debut, recorded in his home, he played all the instruments and sang all the vocal parts.  At the time he was dubbed "the one-man Beatles," and listeners will note the similarity to Paul McCartney, in particular.  This was the single from that album, which made the Billboard top 100, but not the top 40.

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Steamhammer, "When All Your Friends are Gone," 1969

Part of the British blues explosion (and one of our "top five" finds in 2021), here they are live on the German show Beat Club performing a great number from their debut album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Epitaph, "Changing World," 1971

German progressive rock band, this is the concluding track on their debut album:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Blonde on Blonde, "All Day All Night," 1968

Another great tune from the Welsh band we featured last fall; very 1968, complete with sitar!

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: the five best finds of 2021...

...in my opinion, anyway. Glad to hear yours in the comments (click on the category, "Great Moments in Obscure Rock 'n' Roll" [in which this post appears] to see this year's selections from which to choose).

Here's my top five:

Bang, "Mother," 1972

Blodwyn Pig, "Same Old Story," 1970

The Damnation of Adam Blessing, "The Last Train to Clarksville," 1969

Steamhammer, "Contemporary Chick Con Song," 1969

Tucky Buzzard, "She's Meat," 1971

And a few runners-up that could just as well have been the top five:

Bang, "Feels Nice," 1973

Blonde on Blonde, "Conversationally Making the Grade," 1969

Tucky Buzzard, "Time Will Be Your Doctor," 1971

Zior, "I Really Do," 1971

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Zior, "Rolling Thunder," 1971

British hard rock/blues band,whose best song we featured earlier this year, but the concluding number of their debut album isn't bad either:

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Black Cat Bones, "Sylvester's Blues," 1969

British blues rock band of the late 1960s, an earlier incarnation included Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke, who later found great success with the band Free; the lineup that recorded this number from the band's one-and-only album included only one musician who went on to later fame and fortune: Rod Price, the slide guitarist for Foghat in the 1970s.