More obscure favorite songs by artists

[Pete70s]

h2izcool said:

The Hollies - Another Night. Is included in their 1969 album "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", but snuck onto the singles charts (#71) in 1975. One of those mournful ballads that I just love.

Three Dog Night - Brickyard Blues (Play Something Sweet). An obscure single from 1974 that made it up to #33. The next to last time they'd make the charts at all. Great funky beat.

The Grass Roots - Mamacita. I know Pete has mentioned this song also. It marks a sad end to the Grass Roots list of hits, peaking in 1975 at #71. I have read that this song was going to be a much bigger hit, but there's a line in this song that goes "She's so sweet you could eat her." Several radio stations banned the song because of those supposedly risque lyrics (ironic, because the song is about a girl who is ultra-pure). Meanwhile, the song did fairly well on stations that did not ban the song. The Grass Roots then released a "cleaned-up" version of the song. This version did fairly well on the stations that had banned the original. But the damage was already done. Not enough popularity for the song in a short enough time.

Wow! It charted 6 years after it's release? It's not on the 3 CD Hollies collection I have. I'll have to look for it.

I love "Brickyard Blues", but you could tell their time was about to be up.

"Mamacita" isn't my favorite Grass Roots tune, but I like it. And yes, they did it when I saw them back in July.

[Dawn]

pete70s said:

admin said:

The Association - Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies
This did make Top 40, but just barely, and was left off their Greatest Hits collection. I've never heard it on any oldies station.

From what I've been told, it didn't get much airplay even when it was on the charts. Kind of an unusual single to release between "Cherish" and "Windy".

It's hard to imagine it being played alongside most of the other hits of the day like You Can't Hurry Love or Bus Stop, I agree. But that dark, somber quality of it is one of the reasons I love it so much. Here's a clip of it, for those who haven't heard it:

www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B00006JOF8001004/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_004/002-3254502-2807269 .

[Dawn]

pete70s said:

Here's a couple more:

"Dimension 5ive"- The 5th Dimension
A jazzy, vocalese track with no actual lyrics, interesting chord structure, and a KILLER vocal arrangement!
www.amazon.com/gp/music/clipserve/B000002VSW002005/0/102-0016293-0872906

"Taking It In"- James Taylor
From his lone album for Apple Records. He doesn't talk highly of it. Maybe it brings back too many bad heroin memories or something. I think the album is a small masterpiece. Here's a little 60's sunshine pop from him.
www.amazon.com/gp/music/clipserve/B00000CKZH001005/0/102-0016293-0872906

(I'd LOVE to see this thread become a "hot topic"!)

I agree, that 5th Dimension song is outstanding. The Portrait album is among their best; I need to get that out and give it another spin soon.

[Dawn]

Thought of another to add to the list:

Bonnie Raitt - Got You On My Mind
This is a track from Bonnie's album Streetlights, which was released in 1974, over a decade before she would achieve mainstream success with Nick of Time. I discovered this cut when I checked out the LP from a library about 15 years ago. Here's a sample:
www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B00005Q46C001009/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_009/002-3254502-2807269

[Laura--I wuv u all :)]

admin said:

Lovin' Spoonful - Didn't Want to Have to Do It
I don't think this was ever released as a single, but I'm not positive. I discovered it on a Greatest Hits compilation I checked out of the library years ago, and it is now my favorite Spoonful song.

I love that one! I've heard it on the radio a few times, so I think it was a single. John Sebastian later did a solo version which was also good. I have the original version on the "Daydream" CD. My favorite song on that CD, though, is "Jug Band Music", which is another one that belongs on this list.

OK, I'll give you some more songs for the list now. Got a few hours?

Hootie & the Blowfish-"Hannah Jane" and "I'm Going Home". Those are both from their first CD "Cracked Rear View". Some of the songs on that CD got sooooooooooo overplayed that I didn't really get into the CD until a few years later! Naturally I wound up liking the lesser-known songs best!

Alan Parsons Project-LOTS of them! As I've said here before, my favorite APP song is "Psychobabble" (which was a single, but wasn't that big of a hit), and I also really love "La Sagrada Familia" which is probably even more obscure.

Heart-"Lighter Touch" and "Nada One". When I got the "Dog & Butterfly" CD a few years ago, these were the only songs on it I hadn't heard before, so I was like, "WHY have I never heard these before?!?!?!"

Spencer Davis Group-"Back Into My Life Again". I was just listening to their "best of" CD a little while ago. (Since it's a "best of" CD, you'd think more of the songs would be well-known, right? Uh-uh.) Another one I really love on this CD is "Trampoline", which is an instrumental.

REM-"Cuyahoga" and "Near Wild Heaven"

Sugar Ray-"Even Though"

Beatles-"For You Blue". Somehow I missed this one until I got the "Let it Be" CD a few years ago--this was another "Why have I never heard this before?!?!?!?!"

Van Morrison-"Full Force Gale"

Gloria Estefan-"Say"

Supertramp-the whole "Crisis? What Crisis?" album

10,000 Maniacs-"Don't Talk" and "Few and Far Between"

Carpenters-"Crystal Lullaby". Used to have this on vinyl. This was one of those rare tracks where Karen and Richard BOTH sang; they traded off lead vocals.

Lulu-"Boy". According to the info on her "best of" CD, this "bubbled under" the hot 100. Actually, my favorite of hers is "The Man with the Golden Gun", but that's the title song from a James Bond movie, so it's not really "obscure".

Bob Seger-"Till it Shines"

John Mellencamp-"Minutes to Memories" (he may have been Cougar Mellencamp at that time, not sure--I don't have this one yet, but have heard it a few times; enough to know I love it)

Fleetwood Mac-the whole "Behind the Mask" album (yes, I know this was their first album after Lindsey left, but the 2 new guys still did a great job with them)

REO-"Out of Season". When I lived in a co-ed dorm in college, a guy in our dorm played this album ALL THE TIME and this was one of the few songs I didn't get tired of hearing.

Des'ree-most of her "I Ain't Movin'" CD. I do like the single "You Gotta Be", but I like all the other songs better-"Feel So High", "Living in the City", "In My Dreams", etc. etc. etc.

Lionel Richie-"Night Train (Smooth Alligator)". Fun song--I'm surprised this wasn't a hit (or even a single AFAIK)!

Seal-most of his first album, including "Killer", which according to gramble.com, peaked at #100 on the hot 100. And yet I like it MUCH better than his #1 "Kiss from a Rose" (which I loved at first, but it got massively overplayed IMHO).



That's a SMALL list. I'm sure I'll think of about 1,000,000,000 more before the day is over

[Laura--I wuv u all :)]

I've got another one already. The pharmacy put me on hold and I'm listening to Richard Marx, so I thought of one of his songs-"Calling You", which has one of the best bass guitar lines ever IMHO.

(The song playing on the phone right now is "Hold On to the Night" which doesn't qualify for this list because it was a big hit. Rather ironic listening to a song that says "hold on" when I'm on hold, no? )

[Ken]

pete70s said:

kenfrank said:

The Beach Boys - Marcella (Live Version)
- From the album The Beach Boys in Concert - of course. you already knew that What studio album was it from?

Ken, it's from "Carl & The Passions-So Tough"

Thanks Pete

[Railyn]

I don't know if it counts, but "Had A Dream (Sleeping With The Enemy)" by Roger Hodgson. He was the lead singer of Supertramp. It was his only solo hit that I know of. It's another one of those iffy ones, like "Getting Away With It" on my previous list.......

[Laura--I wuv u all :)]

railyn said:

I don't know if it counts, but "Had A Dream (Sleeping With The Enemy)" by Roger Hodgson.

I know that one! Excellent choice, Railyn!

[daniel]

I always liked the track "I've Got Mine" by Glenn Frey. It's another tune I discovered through my aircheck hobby but the lyrics really grabbed me.

You see them in their limousines
You see the way they stare
They don't see us looking back
Because they don't really care,
They say,
"I've got mine, I've got mine
The world is as it's meant to be
'Cause I've got mine"

As I entered the workforce, I found that this song could've been written about the guy that owned the first TV station I worked at...

[Laura--I wuv u all :)]

Hi Daniel! I love that song too! He did a really nice version on his live album also.

[Dawn]

Thought of another for my list...

When Am I Going to Make A Living - Sade
I like most everything of Sade's I've heard (although her last album, Lovers Rock, was not as good as her previous ones), but this cut is my favorite. It's from her debut album, Diamond Life, and has more of a rock edge than her typical sound.