LEE MICHAELS - "Barrel" (1970)

 

1970 was a great year for Rock and Roll music. 

Some of the best rock albums came from this year like "Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes, Led Zep III,  "After The Goldrush" by Neil Young, "Just For Love" by Quicksilver Messenger Service, and "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. The list goes on and on, and another great album that came out that year was "Barrel" by organist Lee Michaels, and his partner Frosty on the drums.

"Barrel" only made it to number 51 on the charts, and no charting singles, but it's a solid record full of good stuff.

Speaking of good stuff,

After Lee Michaels got out of music he opened a family run restaurant in Marina Del Rey, Ca. called "Killer Shrimp." 

The menu looks pretty good, I'd like to try it some day! 

Here's just one of the very cool songs on this LP. The awesome guitar work is by Paul Revere and the Raiders' guitarist Drake Levin.

LEE MICHAELS - "Didn't Know What I Had" 

ALBERT COLLINS - "The Cool Sound Of Albert Collins" (1965)

 

"The Cool Sound Of Albert Collins" came out in 1965! 

It was re-issued in 1969 as "Truckin' With Albert Collins," and again in 1982 as "Frosty."

Check out just some of the 'cool' titles on this concept album. 

"Frost Bite," "Thaw-Out," "Kool Aide," "Icy Blue," "Snow Cone II," and of course the infamous lead off tune............ 

ALBERT COLLINS - "Frosty" 

ATOMIC FOREST - "Obession '77" (1981)

 

Atomic Forest was a Psych band from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India that was active in the 1970's, but this album titled "Obsession '77" didn't come out until 1981.

If you'd like to know a whole lot more about this unique Indian band, there's an awesome interview with  Madhukar Dhas from 14 years ago on the Psychedelic Baby website.

They were mostly a cover band but they did have some cool original songs like this! 

There are two versions, this is the 'slow' one! 

ATOMIC FOREST - "Obession '77" 

JOHNNY FORTUNE - "Soul Surfer" (1963)

 

It's pretty hard to find out anything about John Sudetta, aka Johnny Fortune, who recorded "Soul Surfer" in 1963, except that he was 16 years old when he recorded it. 

Jim O’Keefe played the sax, and Johnny's ten year old brother Joey Sudetta played the drums, and Johnny overdubbed the bass part.

But something ain't right here. Discogs claims that Johnny was born in 1943 which would have made him twenty in 1963, so I don't know what part of this you can really believe.

He's one of the few musicians I've researched who doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.

Supposedly this song never made the top 100, but Johnny told people that it was "number one on the radio in Bakersfield for 16 weeks." 

Maybe that's true, because I sure remember it playing on the radio a lot. 

Whatever the truth is, the song is definitely a classic! 

JOHNNY FORTUNE - "Soul surfer" 

PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC - "Are You Ready?" (1970)

 

Pacific gas & Electric was a very interesting and talented band. "Are You Ready?" was their third studio album. It was released in 1970 and the title song made it to number 14 on the charts.

Dynamic lead singer Charlie Allen was originally the drummer, but they decided he should be the singer, and so they hired Frank Cook to be the drummer. 

Just like how Chicago Transit Authority was forced to change their name to Chicago in 1969, in 1971, Pacific Gas & Electric were pressured by the utility company to change their name too, so they became PG&E.

The band broke up in 1973, and Charlie Allen later died in 1990 at the age of 48.

Pacific Gas & Electric - "Are You Ready?" 

WE THE PEOPLE - "Lovin' Son Of A Gun" (1967)

 

We The People was a band from Orlando, Florida that had some marginal success in their local market, getting some airplay, but they were never able to break out nationally.

 

 

 I don't know why, this song is as good as many that came out in 1967.

I guess that's what happens when you get your band name from the preamble of the United States Constitution.

WE THE PEOPLE - "Lovin' Son Of A Gun"

NERDS WHO DEFY EXPECTATIONS

 

Rich here. I've always secretly harbored the hopes that as geeky as I might seem, when people get to know me, they'll discover that I am far cooler and hipper than appearances suggest.

 

Sigh. Another hope dashed!

 

Which leads me to one of my favorite artists of the '90s and early 2000's, the seemingly nerdy and quirky alt-pop singer/songwriter Jill Sobule, whose little girl voice a few may remember from her 1995 underground cult-hit, "I Kissed A Girl" (which is not the Katy Perry song of the same name) or her ironic song "Supermodel" which was featured in the movie "Clueless." 

 

Before her untimely death last year, Jill wrote and sang bright, catchy songs that belied their subject matter -- the unexpected people and events that were "Underdog Victorious," as one of her songs was titled.  

 

In one of my favorite of her songs, "Karen By Night," Jill describes her conservative boss at the shoe store, who isn't all that she's perceived to be.

JILL SOBULE - "Karen By Night"