Playlist 10/1-3/10

Artist: Jefferson Airplane
Song Title: Volunteers
Source: CD: Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back To Yasgur's Farm
Release Year: 1969
The Airplane were always a bit less polished on stage than in the studio. At the same time, they also tended to rock just a bit harder live than on record. This track shows the band at a point where individual members were already moving in separate directions, yet still able to rock out as a group.

Artist: Paul Revere and the Raiders
Song Title: The Great Airplane Strike
Source: LP: Spirit of '67
Release Year: 1966
The Raiders were a much better band than they are usually given credit for. The Great Airplane Strike was not their biggest hit record, but is a solid example of who these guys were as musicians. This album mix has a raw edge that was smoothed over somewhat for the single release of the song.

Artist: John B. Sebastian
Song Title: Rainbow All Over Your Blues
Source: CD: Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back To Yasgur's Farm
Release Year: 1969
Max Yasgur's farm did not have a lot of access routes available. This became a problem when it was time for the festival to start and most of the amplifiers for the electric bands were still stuck in traffic. Luckily, there was a community of acoustic musicians available to pitch in and entertain the crowd until the equipment could be flown in by helicopter. Among them was Lovin' Spoonful founder John Sebastian, who was not actually scheduled to perform at the festival. Among the many songs he did perform at Woodstock this was the one chosen for inclusion on the original soundtrack album.

Artist: Rolling Stones
Song Title: Dear Doctor
Source: CD: Beggar's Banquet
Release Year: 1968
The term Anglophile is usually used to describe Americans with a fascination for all things British. Just what is the term for the opposite situation? Whatever it might be, the Stones have always been an example, from their open idolization of Chuck Berry and other Chess Records artists to songs like this one, which sounds more like Appalachian folk music than anything British.

Artist: Rolling Stones
Song Title: She's A Rainbow
Source: CD: Their Satanic Majesties Request
Release Year: 1967
The Stones had their own brand of psychedelia, which was showcased on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. It didn't really connect with either critics or public, and with the following album, Beggar's Banquet, they would return to their roots.

Artist: Rolling Stones
Song Title: Jigsaw Puzzle
Source: CD: Beggar's Banquet
Release Year: 1968
By 1968 a rift had formed between Brian Jones and the rest of the band. On this track, Jones's only contribution is some soaring mellotron work toward the end of the song.

Artist: Rolling Stones
Song Title: On With the Show
Source: CD: Their Satanic Majesties Request
Release Year: 1967
Considering the longevity of the Stones, this song seems positively prophetic now.

Artist: Garden Club
Song Title: Little Girl Lost-and-Found
Source: CD: Where the Action Is: L.A. Nuggets 1965-68 (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
Garden Club was in reality Ruthann Friedman on vocals with a bunch of studio musicians. Sounding a bit like Grace Slick in one of her more avant-garde moods, this could well be considered a forerunner of 80s and 90s singer-songwriters such as Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin.

Artist: Amboy Dukes
Song Title: Journey To the Center of the Mind
Source: LP: Nuggets Vol. 1-The Hits (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
When compiling a list of top songs it is often hard to choose just one track from some artists. Not so with the Amboy Dukes, as this song pretty much defines the band.

Artist: Blood, Sweat and Tears
Song Title: Sometimes In Winter
Source: CD: Blood, Sweat and Tears
Release Year: 1969
Steve Katz was never a superstar. As the rhythm guitarist in Blues Project he was always overshadowed by lead guitarist Danny Kalb and keyboardist Al Kooper. When Kooper formed Blood, Sweat and Tears, nobody seemed to notice that Katz was the only other member of Blues Project in the band. As this track shows, though, he was a decent singer-songwriter in his own right.

Artist: Animals
Song Title: Gin House Blues
Source: LP: Animalization
Release Year: 1966
The Animals, like the Stones, had a healthy respect for American blues and R&B music. Being from Newcastle rather than London, they were not considered part of the British blues scene like the Yardbirds, Moody Blues or even Manfred Mann. Still, of all the British invasion bands, the Animals probably did the best job of covering blues standards such as Gin House Blues, thanks to Eric Burdon's distinctive vocal style.

Artist: Yardbirds
Song Title: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor
Source: CD: Over, Under, Sideways, Down (Australian import) (song originally released in US on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
By 1967 the Yardbirds had moved far away from the blues roots and were on their fourth lead guitarist, studio whiz Jimmy Page. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor shows signs of Page's innovative guitar style that would help define 70s rock.

Artist: Led Zeppelin
Song Title: Since I've Been Loving You
Source: CD: Led Zeppelin III
Release Year: 1970
And speaking of Jimmy Page...

Artist: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Song Title: Gypsy Eyes
Source: CD: The Ultimate Experience (originally released on LP: Electric Ladyland)
Release Year: 1968
To start off the second hour we have this Hendrix classic.

Artist: Byrds
Song Title: Eight Miles High
Source: LP: Nuggets Vol. 9-Acid Rock (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl and on LP: 5D)
Release Year: 1966
By all rights, this song should have been a huge hit. Unfortunately, Bill Drake, the most influential man in the history of Top 40 radio, got it into his head that this was a drug song, despite the band's insistence that it was about a transatlantic plane trip. The band's version actually makes sense, as Gene Clark had just quit the group due to his fear of flying, and the subject was probably a hot topic of discussion among the remaining members.

Artist: Del-Vetts
Song Title: Last Time Around
Source: LP: Nuggets Vol. 2-Punk
Release Year: 1966
Dunhill Records was a small indepent label in Chicago that got national distribution through a deal with Atlantic Records. Their biggest act was the Shadows of Knight, who topped the charts with "Gloria" in 1966. One of the most successful other bands on the label was the Del-Vetts, from Chicago's affluent North Side (band members had matching white Corvettes, hence the name.) Last Time Around, sounding a lot like the Yardbirds, was their only nationally charted song, although they did get airplay in the midwest with other songs as well.

Artist: Standells
Song Title: Dirty Water
Source: CD: Nuggets-Original Artyfacts from the Psychedelic Era (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1966
The Standells were not from Boston. Their manager/producer Ed Cobb, who wrote Dirty Water, was. The rest is history.

Artist: Love
Song Title: 7&7 Is
Source: CD: Comes In Colours (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl and included on LP: De Capo.
Release Year: 1966
In 1966, L.A.'s hottest club band was Love, who had their biggest national hit with 7&7 Is, one of the hardest-rocking top 40 singles ever.

Artist: Impressions
Song Title: Keep On Pushin'
Source: The Anthology 1961-1977
Release Year: 1964
Just for something different, a vintage Curtis Mayfield tune.

Artist: Grateful Dead
Song Title: That's It For the Other Side
Source: CD: Anthem of the Sun
Release Year: 1968
After completing their first album in three days, the Dead decided to take their time with the 1968 follow-up release. Anthem of the Sun was an attempt at mixing studio and live material into a coherent whole. These two tracks comprise one side of that album.

Artist: Grateful Dead
Song Title: New Potato Caboose
Source: CD: Anthem of the Sun
Release Year: 1968
The other half of side one.

Artist: Kinks
Song Title: Dandy
Source: CD: Face To Face
Release Year: 1966
Ray Davies was well into his satirical phase when he wrote this tune, which became a hit for Herman's Hermits.

Artist: Leaves
Song Title: Dr. Stone
Source: CD: Where the Action Is: L.A. Nuggets 1965-68 (originally released on LP: Hey Joe)
Release Year: 1966
The Leaves were a solid, if not particularly spectacular, example of a late 60s L.A. club band. They had one big hit (Hey Joe), signed a contract with a major label (Capitol), and even appeared in a Hollywood movie (the Cool Ones). This tune, from their first album for Mira Records, is a folk rock set to a Bo Diddly beat kind of song.

Artist: Harbinger Complex
Song Title: I Think I'm Down
Source: Nuggets-Original Artyfacts from the Psychedelic Era
Release Year: 1966
Most garage/club bands never made it beyond a single or two for a relatively small independent label. L.A.'s Harbinger Complex is a good example, recording for Brent Records.

Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Song Title: Mr. Limousine Driver
Source: CD: Heavy Hitters! (originally released on LP: Grand Funk, aka the Red Album)
Release Year: 1969
When Grand Funk Railroad first appeared on the scene they were universally panned by the rock press (much as Kiss would be a few years later). Despite this, they managed to set attendance records across the nation and were instrumental to establishing sports arenas as the venue of choice for 70s rock bands.

Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Song Title: Sin's a Good Man's Brother (edit)
Source: single
Release Year: 1970
A rare promo pressing of the opening track from GFR's third album, Closer To Home. This edited version cuts the original running time of 4:35 down to 2:59.

Artist: Grand Funk Railroad
Song Title: Feelin' Alright
Source: Heavy Hitters! (originally released on LP: Survival)
Release Year: 1971
The first three GFR albums had a total of one cover song between them (the Animals' Inside Looking Out on Grand Funk). Survival, their fourth studio effort, had two, including this cover of the Dave Mason Traffic song.