Category Archives: tunes

Tunes For Tuesday – Ultimate Spinach “Mind Flowers”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Ultimate Spinach "Mind Flowers" 1971

Let's delve deep into hippiedom, circa 1968. (it won't be the last time ...)

A Boston band marketed as an alternative to the "San Francisco Sound".
"marketed" pretty describes the end of the short-lived hippie era.

"One day, in 1967, I was in my room, tripping on some really pure LSD. I started looking at myself in the mirror and my face was doing funny things. I had a bunch of colored markers I used to draw with. I grabbed a green one and started drawing all these psychedelic designs on my face. When I was done, I looked at myself and said 'Whoa! I am ultimate spinach. Ultimate spinach is me!'"

The band did tour with bands such as "Big Brother & The Holding Co" (Janis Joplin) and the "Youngbloods" and released three albums, each fading away a bit more - the third did not make the charts; but the first is still listed as a "psychedelic classic".

"The Spinach's self-titled debut album is now considered a psychedelic classic, but it's the group's second record, Behold and See, that is perhaps their finest achievement."

This cut is off the second LP, "Behold and See", which was re-released on a heavily edited CD in 1995 but is now available in the original format on vinyl for $25.

"Obviously the hit from this album is “Mind Flowers” by the wasted Ultimate Spinach, a drug bathed band from Boston who came into being in 1967, at the apex of the psychedelic musical experience." Dec 2020

Turn on your lava light and drop a hit.

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Tunes For Tuesday – B52s “Private Idaho”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: B-52s - "Private Idaho" 1980

"Idaho is pretty mysterious to all of us. I know it's a beautiful state, but then I know there's also a lot of crazy right-wingers and all that stuff."

Home.

The band never played in Idaho until 2011.

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Tunes For Tuesday – Bob Seger “Noah”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Bob Seger "Noah" 1969 from "The Bob Seger System"

A not-favorite song of a not-favorite album of the same name. Seger almost quit the business after the release of this, his second LP.

"Death Row" and "Lennie Johnson" were also on this album.

Bob Seger - 1968
before fame
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Two Tunes For Tuesday – On “Jane”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selections: Jon Astley "Jane's Getting Serious" 1987 and Superfine Dandelion - "Janie's Tomb" 1967
They just seem to go together ...

Jon Astley is a British record producer and recording engineer. The list of groups he worked with is extensive: The Who, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, etc. He recorded two albums as songwriter/singer in the late '80s. "Jane's Getting Serious" is the most prominent of these.

Superfine Dandelion was a 1967 garage rock band out of Phoenix. They recorded one no-hit album and broke up in 1968. One of their members - Rick Anderson - became the founding bassist for the Tubes.

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Tunes For Tuesday – Beatles “Taxman”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Beatles - "Taxman" 1966

A classic tune for Tax Day - from the album "Revolver"

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet

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Tunes For Tuesday – Boys Don’t Cry “I Wanna Be A Cowboy”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Boys Don't Cry - "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" 1985

Inspired by Clint Eastwood westerns. The band wrote the entire song in about an hour on a Sunday, recorded it, and spent three hours mixing it.

The band's only "hit"; #1 in New Zealand, #4 in Australia, #11 in South Africa, and #12 on the US. Only #77 in native Great Britain.

"The song was meant to be a joke and to make people laugh, but also we thought it would make a great dance track. That turned out to be true"

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Tunes For Tuesday – Deep Purple “April”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Deep Purple - April

A lesser known tune off Deep Purple's lesser known third album "Deep Purple" released in 1969. "Hush" off their first album ("Shades Of ...") gave the band a presence in the US but their second album (Book of Taliesyn) did not do well (#54) with a cover of "Kentucky Woman" being the most successful cut. "Deep Purple" was even less successful (peaking at #162). It wasn't until their 4th studio album - "In Rock" - released in 1970 that the band could be considered successful with "Black Night", "Child In Time", "Speed King" as significant cuts.

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Tunes For Tuesday – Vangelis “Glorianna”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Vangelis - "Glorianna" 1988

Off the album "Direct" - another of my favorite albums ... (as opposed to single cuts).

SK got talking about opera ... which led to the soundtrack of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in a Rolex commercial (my fault) ... which then reminded me of this cut.

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Tunes For Tuesday – Ozric Tentacles “Space Out”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Ozric Tentacles - Space Out

I'd say Pink Floyd on acid, but that's a bit redundant - at least regards Pink Floyd's early days.

How about Pink Floyd with a bit of Porcupine Tree, both on acid?

The vast majority of their songs are instrumentals because, "I've never really liked vocals. Words always get in the way, make everything too specific. Our music is more about creating moods and giving the listener the chance to get whatever they want out of it. Music is better than singing."

English psychedelica.

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Tunes For Tuesday – Waterboys “Red Army Blues”

The New American Digest Posted on by

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Waterboys - Red Army Blues

I changed my mind about this week's tune. I kept the Russia theme - inspired by a comment by John Fleming about Stalin in last week's tune post:
"That evil demon Stalin used Russian patriotism to keep himself in power. May he reside in the nethermost circle of Hell where Satan chews his bones with that of Judas Iscariot for all eternity."

A 17yo Russian joins the army in 1943 as a patriot, is part of the conquest of Berlin - and after the war, is sent to a gulag by Stalin because he might have become Westernized for having mingled with Americans.

When I left my home and my family
My mother said to me
"Son, it's not how many Germans you kill that counts
It's how many people you set free!"

*******************

"Dressed in stripes and tatters
In a gulag left to die
All because Comrade Stalin was scared that
We'd become too westernized!"

"Used to love my country
Used to be so young
Used to believe that life was
The best song ever sung
I would have died for my country
In 1945"

Two books, "The Forgotten Soldier" written of the German view, and "The Day of Viktenty Angarov", the account of a Russian soldier, inspired Scotland's The Waterboys' Mike Scott to write the song.

We didn't win the European war, the Russians did - but our help shortened the effort.

I hope Trump and Putin can finally put an end to this century-long mess. It's not the Soviet Union anymore.
Hell, if we can be "friends" with Japan and Germany (maybe). And China and Saudi Arabia ...

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