The Free Design - Felt So Good from One by One - Project 3 (1971) & Light In the Attic (2005)

Song: Felt So Good

Writer: Chris Dedrick

Producer: Enoch Light

Engineers: Don Hahn & Dixon Van Winkle

Recorded: 1971

One by One is available here.

The Free Design are brilliant, and this is my favorite FD song, written by Chris Dedrick from the band. The music is clearly recorded by brilliant session players, weaving in and out of the arrangement with smooth, seamless, innovative runs and grooves. Chris and Sandy Dedrick credit Bob Mann for his fantastic melodic guitar lead on Felt So Good. The music is trippy with a touch of supercharged propellant. Felt So Good is a unique blast of genius from what was, sadly, the final album from the group.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

The Free Design - Felt So Good from One by One - Project 3 (1971) & Light In the Attic (2005)

The Free Design -  One by One - Project 3 & Light In the Attic (1972)

The Four Tops - Wonderful Baby from Reach Out & b-side - Motown (1968)

Song: Wonderful Baby

Writer: Smokey Robinson

Producer: Smokey Robinson

Recorded: 1968

Purchase The Four Tops - Reach here.

I tend to prefer late 60s / 70s Motown, because the music began to break out of the cookie-cutter production line sound. I had never heard Wonderful Baby until I purchased Phil Spectre - Wall of Soundalikes Volume 2. The entire Reach Out album by the Four Tops is fantastic. It is fun to hear a track that is unjustly obscure from a familiar group.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

The Four Tops - Wonderful Baby from Reach Out & b-side - Motown (1968)

The Four Tops - Reach Out - Motown (1968)

Part Two: Swinging Blue Jeans - You're Welcome To My Heart - EMI (unreleased until 1992)

Song: You're Welcome To My Heart

Writers: Bateman-Moseley-Wicker

Producer: unknown

Engineer: unknown

Recorded: unknown - unreleased until 1992

Purchase Swinging Blue Jeans - Good Golly, Miss Molly (EMI Years 1963-1969) here.

This was the first version of You're Welcome To My Heart that I heard. British Invasion bands were notorious for nicking rare soul songs from the USA and topping the chart placings of the originals. This version seems to have everything going for it, with great singing, majestic Abbey Road production and a killer mix. Unfortunately, this version of You're Welcome To My Heart was not released during the band's lifetime, dooming the song to unfair obscurity. The Swinging Blue Jeans version was first released in 1992. Hear the original version by the Chantels here.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

Swinging Blue Jeans - You're Welcome To My Heart - EMI (unreleased until 1992)

Swinging Blue Jeans - Good Golly, Miss Molly! The EMI Years 1963-1969

Part One: The Chantels - You're Welcome To My Heart - Verve (1966)

Song: You're Welcome To My Heart

Writers: Bateman-Moseley-Wicker

Producers: Bateman & Moseley

Recorded: 1966

Under different circumstances, You're Welcome To My Heart by the Chantels would have been a hit. It should have been a hit. It is a great song. It isn't perfect, though. The mix seems claustrophobic for 1966. The reverb-less, dry vocals choke some of the majesty from the piece, although the singers nail their parts. If Tony Hatch had gotten his hands on this tune and the group, the fate of You're Welcome To My Heart may have been very different. It probably didn't help that Verve was such a small label with limited power.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

The Chantels - You're Welcome To My Heart - Verve (1966)

The Chantels - You're Welcome To My Heart - Verve (1966)

The Overlanders - My Life - Pye (1966)

Song: My Life

Writers: Tony Hatch

Producer: not listed

Recorded: 1966

Purchase The Overlanders - Michelle - The Pye Anthology here.

The Overlanders were one of the most interesting artists on Pye. Unlike many of their labelmates, with exceptional exceptions like the Kinks, the Overlanders had a truly original sound. Perhaps this is due to the Overlanders beginnings as a folk act before turning to the (eventually) more profitable beat sound. It took several years for the group to have a big hit with a cover of the Beatles Michelle. However, the Overlanders recorded plenty of noteworthy sides that never graced the charts. My Life is an excellent example of moody beat at it's finest.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

The Overlanders - My Life - Pye (1966)

The Overlanders - My Life - Pye (1966)

The Tropics - For A Long Time - Thames (1966)

Song: For A Long Time

Writers: Travis - Fairchild

Producers: Jim Sessody and Vince Palmer

Recorded: 1966

What I find curious about regional pop music from the 1960s, especially with garage bands, is the ratio of pop vs. R&B acts seemed to vary massively from city to city. Florida was a hotbed of musical activity and variety. Tampa seemed to have an unusually high number of great pop bands, including The Tropics, The Outsiders, The Royal Guardsmen and the Roemans. The Tropics were the biggest group in Tampa for a time, winning a national battle of the bands, followed by two highly collectible singles on Columbia. For A Long Time is my favorite Tropics tune, released on the local Thames label. Thames reflects the fixation the USA had at the time with all things British, thanks to the flood of English mop-headed wailers. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this back in the 1990s. At that point, local sixties pop singles were extremely hard to find.

No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

The Tropics - For A Long Time - Thames (1966)

Danielle Denin - Va Dire A Ton Pére - Philips (1966)

Song: Va Dire A Ton Pére 

Writers: Valerie Sarn & Paul Piot
Producer: No specific producer credit given, but the disc says accompanied by Paul Piot et son orchestre

Recorded: 1966

Ah, French Pop. For the uninitiated, France produced some fantastic music in the 1960s. Studios and the session musicians in France were easily as good and as innovative as their US & UK counterparts. I tend to favor original music written by or for French artists, vs. cover versions of familiar US & UK hits. I picked this particular 45 in a dollar bin on a trip to Japan. The 45 and picture sleeve are fairly common. I am not sure if this was a hit in the Land of the Rising Sun or if Philips simply pressed a bunch of copies in anticipation. The A side seems to be an attempt to cash in on France Gall's Serge Gainsbourg composed Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son. I prefer the b-side. The production is stunning. Va Dire A Ton Pére is packed with reverb, epic orchestration, drama and backing vocals reminiscent of My Year Is A Day by Les Irresistibles.

Whenever possible, please purchase music and support the artists / labels. No copyright infringement intended. I will remove this immediately at the request of the owners. This channel and blog are not monetized. The purpose is to promote the music. If you like what you hear and it is available on cd, vinyl or as a digital download, please purchase and support the artists & labels.

Danielle Denin - Va Dire A Ton Pére - Philips (1966)

 Danielle Denin - Va Dire A Ton Pére - Philips (1966)