THE FOUR SEASONS OF THE WITCH (1966 - 1968)

 

Even though Donovan wrote "Season Of The Witch," he wasn't the first one to record it, that was done by a much more obscure band called Pandamonium.

"Sunshine Superman" came out in the Fall of 1966. This was Donovan's third album, and it marked his swerve from folk music to rock music, and it was quite a successful change for him.

"Season Of The Witch" peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Charts.

DONOVAN - "Season Of The Witch" 

 

In 1967, Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger And The Trinity recorded a version of "Season Of The Witch" that was included on this awesome album called "Jools."

That was the year I fell in love with Julie Driscoll.

JULIE DRISCOLL & BRIAN AUGER - "Season Of The Witch"

In 1968, "Season Of The Witch" resurfaced on this classic "Super Session" LP by Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Steve Stills.

When people talk about supergroups, usually the first name that comes up is Cream, but I think this group had better creds than Cream did, at least in the U.S. 

I'm pretty sure that Buffalo Springfield, and Blood, Sweat & Tears were better known than The Graham Bond Organization which was virtually unknown in the states.

SUPER SESSION - "Season Of The Witch" 

 

Released at almost the same time in 1968 was this version by Vanilla Fudge

Wow, that's a crazy witch on the cover of this Japanese single.

"Season Of The Witch" has been recorded by many more artists over the years, but these four versions are where it all started. Vanilla Fudge's version made it to number 65 on the charts.

VANILLA FUDGE - "Season Of The Witch"

IGGY POP - "Avenue 8" (1999)

 

Even though this LP titled "Avenue 8" by Iggy Pop came out 27 years ago, the lyrics still ring true today.

That's all I really need to say! 

Or as Prince might have said if he were still around, two thousand twenty-six, oops, out of time, so let's party like it's 1999! 

IGGY POP - "Corruption" 

BILLY GIBBONS & THE BFG'S - "Sal Y Pimiento" (2015)

 

I was never the biggest ZZ Top fan in the world, but when I heard this solo album by Billy Gibbons and The BFG'S I was totally blown away, and I still am today every time I hear it.

This album titled "Perfectomundo" came out in 2015, and is pretty much just that. 

Each song is damn near perfect. 

Billy is from Texas, so if you've never heard it, sometimes you'll think you're listening to an album by Carlos Santana, not Billy Gibbons with lots of Hispanic influences. 

BILLY GIBBONS & THE BFG'S - "Sal Y Pimiento" 

A TRIBUTE TO LES PAUL - "Mr. Day/Tell Me What's The Reason" (2012)

 

Lou Pallo was an original member of the Les Paul Trio, and in 2012, a bunch of very talented musicians got together and did a tribute to the man, Les Paul.

I can't start writing about Les Paul, or I'd be doing this one post the rest of my life.

Every day I read about some musical icon who had passed away only to find out it was somebody I never even heard of.

Les Paul was a true musical icon!

Lou Pallo passed away in 2020 at the age of 86, but at least he left us this, and we should all be thankful!

With Steve Miller sounding as good as he ever has, this is just one excellent tune! 

LOU PALLO -  "Mr. Day/Tell Me What's The Reason"

S-S-Stuttering S-S-Songs - My Generation (The Who, 1965)

 

Rich here confessing that I've always had a yen for songs that featured stuttering. I mean, stuttering seems to have been a thing in rock music for a few years. Admit it: as soon as I write the words "You ain't seen nothin' yet, b-b-b-baby" and "Ch-ch-ch-changes!," you immediately hear the big hits by David Bowie and Bachman-Turner Overdrive in your head, respectively, due to the stuttering as much as the catchiness of the songs.

 

What's your favorite stuttering song? Mine is the one that arguably started the trend-- The Who's stuttering lyrics in "My Generation" (1965) that perfectly captured teenage self-consciousness and awkward boasting

 

 And the song was catchy as hell.

THE WHO - "My Generation" 

EVEN MORE FIREBALLS (1979 - 2008)

 

In between Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs and The Atomic Fireballs, there have been other assorted hot groups over the years, like this Zambian group called Fire Balls and their 1975 album called "On The Mountain."

This is a pretty rare single from Fire balls. It was the flip side of a song called "She Devil."

FIRE BALLS - "Umwana Wakusanga Mung'anda" 

 

Then there's this Australian psychobilly band called simply Fireballs.

They released this album titled "Terminal Haircut" in 1992.

 

These guys definitely had balls of fire with these terminal haircuts!

 FIREBALLS - "Fireball Baby"

 

 

And to think it all started with The Fireballs coming up with the name when they got a standing ovation after their performance of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls Of Fire" at a PTA talent show in 1957.

Here's one more, a pretty wild cover tune of a classic 1979 song done up right by a German band called Swingin' Fireballs that came out in 2008.

SWINGIN' FIREBALLS - "Highway To Hell" 

THE ATOMIC FIREBALLS - "Birth Of The Swerve" (1998)

 

While I'm on the subject of  Fireballs, 35 years after "Sugar Shack," out came The Atomic Fireballs, and this very cool release titled "Birth Of The Swerve."

Even though they were atomic, and the lyrics for this song were derived from the classic 1947 film, "The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer,"and then re-interpretated in the movie "Labyrinth," and then used in other movies and TV shows, this group of swingin' Fireballs from Detroit, never achieved the success they deserved in my humble opinion, and broke up in 1999.

THE ATOMIC FIREBALLS - "Man With The Hex"