Now that the show has actually run we have our year end compilation of the most played artists and songs on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era. As with last year, the emphasis is on the artists, with all of the top 20 getting a chance to strut their stuff. There are a few top songs mixed in as well, as we take a look at what was heard the most in 2013.
Artist: Traffic
Title: Feelin' Alright
Source: LP: Progressive Heavies (originally released on LP: Traffic)
Writer(s): Dave Mason
Label: United Artists
Year: 1968
Our 20th most played artist is Traffic, down from # 17 last year. Although the band is generally associated with Steve Winwood, I'm instead featuring a track written and sung by co-founder Dave Mason, who kept leaving the band and coming back before eventually departing for good for a fairly successful solo career.
Artist: Seeds
Title: Pushin' Too Hard
Source: CD: The Best Of 60s Psychedelic Rock (originally released as 45 RPM single and included on LP: The Seeds)
Writer(s): Sky Saxon
Label: Priority (original label: GNP Crescendo)
Year: 1965
The Seeds dropped from 15 to 19 this year, with their most popular tune, Pushin' Too Hard, dropping from #4 to #5. We'll probably hear more from them next year.
Artist: Standells
Title: Dirty Water
Source: Mono CD: Nuggets-Classics From The Psychedelic 60s (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Ed Cobb
Label: Rhino (original label: Tower)
Year: 1966
Although the Standells were not in the top 20 artists (they finished 29th), they did have the 16th most played song of the year, Dirty Water. Last year it was # 5.
Artist: Blues Magoos
Title: (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet
Source: CD: More Nuggets (originally released on LP: Psychedelic Lollipop)
Writer(s): Esposito/Gilbert/Scala
Label: Rhino (original label: Mercury)
Year: 1966
The Blues Magoos moved up from # 27 to # 18 this year, although their most popular song, (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet, dropped out of the top 20. Still, it was their most played song in 2013.
Artist: Country Joe And The Fish
Title: Section 43 (EP version)
Source: Mono CD: Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-70 (originally released as an extended play flexi-disc in a self-published newspaper)
Writer(s): Joe McDonald
Label: Rhino (original "label": Rag Baby)
Year: 1966
At # 17 we have Country Joe And The Fish, down from # 14. On the other hand, Section 43 was the most-played instrumental on the show this year (not counting the theme music), finishing at # 11 overall.
Artist: Simon And Garfunkel
Title: Mrs. Robinson
Source: CD: Collected Works (originally released on LP: Bookends)
Writer(s): Paul Simon
Label: Columbia
Year: 1968
Simon And Garfunkel dropped down a bit this year, from 12 to 16. Still in the top 20 though.
Artist: Buffalo Springfield
Title: For What It's Worth
Source: LP: Homer (soundtrack) (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Stephen Stills
Label: Cotillion (original label: Atco)
Year: 1967
Last year Buffalo Springfield wasn't even on the top artists list. This year they are # 15. Much of that is due to the fact that For What It's Worth, a great song that I've been overlooking in the past, finally got a decent amount of airplay this year. In fact, it was the third most played song of the year.
Artist: Electric Prunes
Title: I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
Source: Psychedelic Pop (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Tucker/Mantz
Label: BMG/RCA/Buddah (original label: Reprise)
Year: 1967
Last year's most played song, I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night), dropped down to # 4 this year. The Electric Prunes themselves held fairly steady, however, dropping only one spot, from 13 to 14.
Artist: Pink Floyd
Title: Lucifer Sam
Source: CD: The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Writer(s): Syd Barrett
Label: Capitol
Year: 1967
Although Pink Floyd did not make the most-played artists list this year, Lucifer Sam, from their first album, was the # 14 song.
Artist: Penny Peeps
Title: Model Village
Source: Mono CD: Insane Times (originally released as 45 RPM single B side)
Writer(s): Alexander
Label: Zonophone (original label: Parlophone)
Year: 1967
A hot "new" song this year was Model Village from the obscure British band Penny Peeps, which took the # 13 spot.
Artist: Donovan
Title: The Observation
Source: Mono CD: Mellow Yellow
Writer(s): Donovan Leitch
Label: EMI (original label: Epic)
Year: 1967
Donovan actually moved up a few slots from last year, going from 16 to 13.
Artist: Blues Project
Title: Two Trains Running
Source: CD: Anthology (originally released on LP: Projections)
Writer(s): McKinley Morganfield
Label: Polydor (original label: Verve Forecast)
Year: 1966
Although the Blues Project dropped off the top 20 artists list this year (they were # 18) last year, they did make the top 10 songs list with their eleven and a half minute version of Muddy Waters's Two Trains Running from the Projections album.
Artist: Monkees
Title: Porpoise Song
Source: LP: Nuggets Vol. 9-Acid Rock (originally released on LP: Head soundtrack)
Writer(s): Goffin/King
Label: Rhino (original label: Colgems)
Year: 1968
The Monkees' Porpoise Song is usually among the 20 most played songs on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era in any given year. Not so this time around, although the group itself ended up at # 12.
Artist: Music Machine
Title: Talk Talk
Source: CD: More Nuggets (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Sean Bonniwell
Label: Rhino (original label: Original Sound)
Year: 1966
Although they didn't get as much airplay as in 2012 (thanks to a special Sean Bonniwell memorial show early that year), the Music Machine still made both top 20 artists (# 11) and song (Talk Talk at # 15) lists this year. Last year the group was # 4 and the song # 3.
Artist: Who
Title: Rael 1
Source: CD: The Who Sell Out
Writer(s): Pete Townshend
Label: MCA (original label: Decca)
Year: 1967
The Who have the distinction of being the only band to place exactly the same as last year, at # 10.
Artist: Byrds
Title: Why
Source: CD: Younger Than Yesterday
Writer(s): McGuinn/Crosby
Label: Columbia
Year: 1967
Last year's # 11 group, the Byrds, managed to move up a couple notches to # 9 this year.
Artist: Love
Title: 7&7 Is
Source: LP: Nuggets Vol. 9-Acid Rock (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Arthur Lee
Label: Rhino (original label: Elektra)
Year: 1966
Last year's # 2 song, Love's 7&7 Is, somehow dropped entirely off this list this time around. Still, with the emphasis shifting to a variety of the band's excellent album tracks, Love itself stayed in the top 10, dropping from 6th to 8th most played artist on the show this year.
Artist: Vanilla Fudge
Title: You Keep Me Hangin' On
Source: Mono CD: Psychedelic Pop (originally released on LP: Vanilla Fudge and as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Holland/Dozier/Holland
Label: BMG/RCA/Buddah (original label: Atco)
Year: 1967
Vanilla Fudge was not one of the most played artists this year. Their best-known recording, however, did. You Keep Me Hangin' On finished at # 9 this year, up a couple notches from 2012.
Artist: Balloon Farm
Title: A Question Of Temperature
Source: Mono CD: Ah Feel Like Ahcid (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Appel/Schnug/Henny
Label: Zonophone (original label: Laurie)
Year: 1967
I'm not sure just why the Balloon Farm's A Question Of Temperature got played as much as it did this year, but it did, finishing in the # 8 spot.
Artist: Kinks
Title: All Day And All Of The Night
Source: Mono CD: 25 Years-The Ultimate Collection (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Ray Davies
Label: PolyTel (original label: Reprise)
Year: 1964
The Kinks got played even more this year than last, moving up from 9 to 7.
Artist: Spencer Davis Group
Title: Gimme Some Lovin'
Source: Mono LP: Progressive Heavies (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Winwood/Winwood/Davis
Label: United Artists
Year: 1966
The Spencer Davis Group has the distinction of being the only artist to have two songs on the top 20 list this year, I'm A Man (17) and Gimme Some Lovin', which was the seventh most played song of the year.
Artist: Doors
Title: Unhappy Girl
Source: LP: Strange Days
Writer(s): The Doors
Label: Elektra
Year: 1967
The Doors were heard a bit more in 2013 than the previous year, moving up from # 8 to # 6.
Artist: Chambers Brothers
Title: Time Has Come Today
Source: CD: The Best Of 60s Psychedelic Rock (originally released on LP: The Time Has Come)
Writer(s): Joe and Willie Chambers
Label: Priority (original label: Columbia)
Year: 1967
Time Has Come Today, by the Chambers Brothers, always makes the top 10 list on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era. This year it's at # 6, up a notch from 2012.
Artist: Cream
Title: Sweet Wine
Source: CD: Fresh Cream
Writer(s): Baker/Godfrey
Label: Polydor (original label: Atco)
Year: 1966
Although Cream actually dropped a couple slots this year, from # 3 to # 5, they did manage to get the # 20 song with Sweet Wine from the Fresh Cream album.
Artist: Beatles
Title: I Am The Walrus
Source: Stereo British EP: Magical Mystery Tour
Writer(s): Lennon/McCartney
Label: Parlophone
Year: 1967
Thanks to the Beatles catalog finally being released on high-quality 180 gram vinyl in late 2012 (and me snagging copies of every album from Revolver to Abbey Road), the fab four got increased exposure on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era in 2013, resulting in a move up from # 7 to # 4. I Am The Walrus, perhaps their ultimate psychedelic track, was # 19 on the song list as well.
Artist: Rolling Stones
Title: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?
Source: Mono CD: Singles Collection-The London Years (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Jagger/Richards
Label: Abkco (original label: London)
Year: 1966
We heard a lot of Rolling Stones on the show this year, resulting in their moving up from # 5 to # 3 on the artists list. One of the contributing factors was the repeated airing of the single Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?, which was the 18th most played song of the year.
Artist: Count Five
Title: Psychotic Reaction
Source: Mono CD: Nuggets-Classics From The Psychedelic 60s (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Ellner/Chaney/Atkinson/Byrne/Michaelski
Label: Rhino (original label: Double Shot)
Year: 1966
Last year, Count Five's Psychotic Reaction was the 14th most played song of the year on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era. This year, it was the 2nd most played song. Not bad for a one-hit wonder.
Artist: Jefferson Airplane
Title: White Rabbit
Source: CD: Psychedelic Pop (originally released on LP: Surrealistic Pillow)
Writer(s): Grace Slick
Label: BMG/RCA/Buddah
Year: 1967
Up through 2012, the band getting the most airplay on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era was, year after year, Jefferson Airplane. They finally got knocked out of the top spot in 2013, though, dropping to # 2. White Rabbit, incidentally, finished 12th.
Artist: Strawberry Alarm Clock
Title: Incense And Peppermints
Source: Mono CD: Even More Nuggets (originally released as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Carter/Gilbert/Weitz/King
Label: Rhino (original label: Uni)
Year: 1967
Topping the list of most played songs this year we have a tune that is almost universally cited as an example of a typical "psychedelic" song: the Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense And Peppermints. As is often the case with huge hit records, the band itself hated the track and was never able to duplicate its success.
Artist: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Title: Fire
Source: CD: Are You Experienced?
Writer(s): Jimi Hendrix
Label: MCA (original label: Reprise)
Year: 1967
A couple years ago I made a resolution to play more Hendrix. For once I managed to keep a resolution, as this year's most played artist is: Jimi Hendrix. Now let's see if I can do it again next year.
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