Mid-to-late 1960s garage rock & psychedelic band from Highland Springs, Virginia (suburb of Richmond). They released just one album & two singles in 1967 & 1968, the last single being a heavily psychedelic influenced song called "Days of a Quiet Sun."
RECOMMENDED SONG: Days of a Quiet Sun (song video below)
Banchee was a heavy psychedelic rock band from New York. From the late 1960's to early 1970's they released two albums & three singles, but earned little notoriety.
The Avant-Garde was an American pop duo who used studio musicians to record their 3 singles for Columbia records in 1967 & 1968. The catchy song, "Naturally Stoned," actually cracked the USA Top-40. NOTE: Chuck Woolery (pictured in top photo on the left) was part of the duo. For those older, he was a very popular game show host, primarily from the 1970's through the 1990's).
Apple were a British psychedelic rock band founded in Cardiff in 1968. They released a lone LP in 1969, titled "An Apple a Day." The album was a commercial failure & the band ceased to exist shortly after its release. Their most memorable song, "Let's Take a Trip Down the Rhine," was a B-side to the bands 3rd single in 1968.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Let's Take a Trip Down the Rhine (song video below + lyrics)
LYRICS: Let's Take a Trip Down the Rhine
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Boop boop, boop boop
Boop boop, boop boop
A friend of mine some stories told
Said, "sonny boy, before we get old
Let's get some kicks, we'll take a ride
Down the Rhine Valley and you will find..."
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Boop boop, boop boop
Boop boop, boop boop
My friends all say the wine from the Rhine
Is all too rare, as it's so fine
The types, the branches, the pleasure boats too
The big iron castles, the cool morning dew
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Look at the castles that tower in the sky
The Rhine Express goes thundering by
La la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la
Boop boop, boop boop
What we all say, this is to you
Come on, come on, jump in the queue
Don't you delay, leave house today
My friends and I are going that way
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Boop boop, boop boop
Boop boop, boop boop
Boop boop, boop boop
Boop boop, boop boop
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
Let's take a trip down the Rhine (come on, come on)
The Amboy Dukes were formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois & were later based out of Detroit, Michigan. They were known as the American Amboy Dukes in the UK as not to conflict with a British band of the same name. Their only big hit was their first single, "Journey to the Center of your Mind," which reached the top-20 on both sides of the Atlantic. The Dukes went through many lineup changes through the 1960's with the only constant being lead guitarist & composer Ted Nugent.
FAVORITE SONG: Journey to the Center of Your Mind
LYRICS: Journey to the Center of Your Mind
Leave your cares behind
Come with us and find
The pleasures of a journey to the center of the mind
Come along if you care
Come along if you dare
Take a ride to the land inside of your mind
Beyond the seas of thought
Beyond the realm of what
Across the streams of hopes and dreams where things are really not
Come along if you care
Come along if you dare
Take a ride to the land inside of your mind
But please realize
You'll probably be surprised
For it's the land unknown to man
Where fantasy is fact
So if you can, please understand
You might not come back
Come along if you care
Come along if you dare
Take a ride to the land inside and you'll see
How happy life could be
If all of mankind
Would take the time to journey to the center of the mind
Would take the time to journey to the center of the mind
Originally from Yorkshire (England) and called the Blue Blood Group, the band re-located to London in 1966 & changed their name to The Accent. Their psychedelic gem "Red Sky at Night" was released as an A-side single in 1967 on Decca records in the UK. Despite positive reviews, the song failed to chart. It was maybe "too far out" for the public at the time.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Red Sky At Night (song video below + lyrics)
Agincourt were a late sixties English psychedelic folk band. They released one privately pressed album, Fly Away. They broke up in the early 1970's. Today the record commands high prices amongst collectors especially after a mid-nineties CD release renewed enthusiasm for the band's music.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Though I May Be Dreaming (song video below + lyrics)
The Abstracts were a short-lived psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, California. They released their one-and-only self titled album in 1968, including the single "Smell of incense." Both failed to chart.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Smell of Incense (song video below + lyrics)
LYRICS: Smell of Incense
She stood as still as the shadows of stone
She stood on the edge of my mind
I tried to push her away
I shut and locked the door
Her eyes grew large and asking
And the smell of incense filled her room
She stood in the ever present fullness
Of expectation
What happened to her childhood dreams?
The sidewalk smothers us tomorrow
And the smell of incense filled her room
She stood as still as the shadows of stone
She stood on the edge of my mind
I tried to push her away
I shut and locked the door
Her eyes grew large and asking
And the smell of incense filled her room
And the smell of incense filled her room
And the smell of incense filled her room
(And the smell of incense filled her room)
And the smell of incense filled her room
(And the smell of incense filled her room)
And the smell of incense (And the smell of incense)
And the smell of incense (And the smell of incense)
And the smell of incense (And the smell of incense)
And the smell of incense (And the smell of incense)
The 31st of February was a Jacksonville, Florida (USA) band. Primarily a state nightclub act for their first few years, they did manage to record & release their one-and-only album in early 1968, but to little notice. They also released two singles. Following tour dates in southeastern USA the band broke up soon thereafter.
RECOMMENDED SONG: A Different Kind of Head (song video below)
The 23rd Turnoff was a one-off band from Liverpool, England. Their name referred to the exit off the M-6 that led to their hometown. Their only single "Michael Angelo" b/w "Leave Me Here" was released in 1967. The band broke up one year later.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Leave Me Here (song video below)
