Strange – Aorta-Ultra obscure Rockford, IL based psych-pop band. Another example of late period psych blending into what would become early progressive, if you’re into labeling things as such.
Sugar On Sunday – The Clique-This sounds just like Tommy James and as it would turn out he wrote the tune. The B-side “Superman” would be recorded in the ‘80’s by REM
Sugar Sugar – The Archies-Don Kirshner wanted this for The Monkees, but they politely declined. Kirshner would go on to direct the careers of these cartoon characters, as they were less likely to have opinions on which songs to record.
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley-Kicks ass in every way. The only track I know of where that false fade out and fade back in again actually works. Chills I tell ya, absolute chills.
Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond-I’m sick of it too, but I tried real hard to listen to it objectively. One of the things I noticed especially on headphones is how all the different parts are so widely panned across the stereo spectrum. Makes for a real good record.
Sweet Cherry Wine – Tommy James & The Shondells- OK so it sounds a little like “Crystal Blue Persuasion” , but when you have a sound as original as this guy had, it makes perfect sense to try to milk it for a while. Totally love the bass drum when it comes thumping in and the vocals are pristine.
Take A Letter Maria – R.B. Greaves-So this guy finds out his wife is cheating on him and to retaliate, he takes up with his secretary. All the while this annoying maharachi band is playing in the background. I’m surprised he didn’t go insane and kill her instead.
Tell All The People – The Doors-“Soft Parade” is my favorite Doors album mainly because they were brave enough to fuck with the formula, and intelligent enough to know that they should. Heavy on the brass and strings, the purists back in the day cried “sell out” but there’s no denying that the record more than holds up after all these years.
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) – Sly & The Family Stone-How ahead of the curve were these dudes? Holy Funk. That plucked bass part is unbelievable. I’m getting blisters on my thumb just listening to it.
That’s The Way Love Is – Marvin Gaye-The notes this guy would hit seemingly without even trying. At the risk of stating the obvious, just incredible.
That’s Where I Went Wrong – The Poppy Family-Terry Jacks is the brains behind this outfit, and he would go on to have a hit in the ‘70’s with “Seasons In The Sun”. Canadian soft-pop with a little psych on the side. Great sounding stuff.
The Ballad Of John And Yoko – The Beatles-John rang Paul on a whim to record this song immediately, and the other two Beatles were unavailable. The lyrics caused quite a stir back then and many US radio stations (particularly the ones across the bible belt) refused to play it.