Obscured By...

The main feature this week was a live phone chat (from New Zealand) with Peter Williams, known for his 50-year musical career including such acts as Max Merritt & The Meteors, The Groove and The Mixtures!  Naturally, there was plenty to talk about - including factoids such as the synth intro to Captain Zero being played by Brian Eno - and plenty to play, including Peter's own rare solo single and an unreleased track by Eureka Stockade, the name The Groove took when they moved to the UK.  A fair number of other NZ acts were played throughout the show such as The Underdogs and Shane, along with the usual obscurities and genre-defying bands such as Gangstagrass combining bluegrass with hip hop.  NB: the Peter Williams interview, with Michael Hunter, Cat and Brat but sans music, will be available for download for approx 30 days from http://tinyurl.com/9rtlcvg

The Groove -  Coke ad c.1968
The Groove -  I See A New Day   (7”single 1968 Australia)
The Underdogs - Looking Back   (7”single 1967 NZ, B of See Saw)
The Avengers - Just One More Chance    (7”single 1969 Aust, B of Listen Listen)
The New Zealand Avengers - Days Of Pearly Spencer   (7”single 1969 NZ, B of Daniel The Postman)


Espers - Mansfield & Cyclops  (‘II’ 2006 US)
Cranium Pie - There It Is (Part 2) (provenance unclear)
Miles Davis - Rated X (‘Get Up With It’ 1972 US)
Psychonauts - Circles  (‘Songs For Creatures’ 2003 Germany)
Pentangle - Light Flight   (‘Basket Of Light’ 1969 UK)

All taken from 'A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind: Volume 1' (compiled by Amorphous Androgynous) (2008)

Shado - Evil City (7”single 1974 UK)

Heatwave - 9-9-9  (7”single c early 1970s UK, B of One Eyed Man)
The Association - Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies   (7”single 1966 US)
The World Column - Lantern Gospel   (7”single 1968 US)
Tom Northcott - Who Planted The Thorns In Miss Alice's Garden  (7”single 1967 US, B of Sunny Goodge Street)

Max Merritt & The Meteors - So Long Baby   (7”single 1965 NZ)
The Groove - The Wind  (7”single 1969 Australia)

Eureka Stockade - Sing No Love Songs   (7”single 1970 UK)
Peter Williams - Gimme A Sign   (7”single 1971 UK)
The Mixtures - Captain Zero   (7”single 1971 Australia)

Eureka Stockade - The Long Face  (unreleased, 1970 UK)

Flake - Breadalbane  (7”single 1974 Aust, B of Scotch On The Rocks)
Shane - Town Of Tuxley Toymaker  (7”single 1967 NZ)
Gangstagrass - Red Sky Morning  (feat. Nitty Scott MC)  (‘Rappalachia’ 2012 US)

Obscured By...

It probably says something about an Obscured By... audience that the best reaction we got this show was to a 42 year old flexi disc promoting a Readers Digest LP box set!   But then it probably says even more that we actually played it, along with another flexi designed for service station owners to promote a new, exciting kind of fuel.  That one is so obscure, we have no idea who is on it or when it came out.  But then, we also uncovered an early 60s track by The Big Three, with pre-Mamas & Papas Cass Elliott, which was not only a heavy influence on a current Neil Young version of the same song, but a rather well known and apparently unrelated hit in the meantime.  Very rare Australian tracks (Snakes Alive) were also included as usual, along with the other delights listed below.  All three "dots", at your service...

Billy Thorpe – You Don’t Live Twice     (7”single b-side 1967 Australia)

the Castaways (feat. Frankie Stevens) – Baby, What I Mean     (7”single b-side 1968 Aust.)

the Groove – You are the One I Love     (7”single 1968 Melbourne, Aust.)

the Valentines – Getting Better     (7”single b-side 1969 Perth, Aust.)

Snakes Alive – Aberrations      (‘Snakes Alive’ LP 1974 Aust.)

the Big Three – The Banjo Song     (7”single 1963 USA)

Shocking Blue – Venus [rare stereo mix]     (7”single 1969 Holland)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Oh Susannah     (‘Americana’ 2012 USA)

Sapphire Thinkers – Doin’ Alright     (‘From Within’ LP 1968 USA) 

the Palace of Light – Books     (7”single b-side 1991 UK)

Davy Jones – Girl     (7”single 1971 USA – taken from ‘The Bell Recordings 1971-72’ anthology) 

Scott Walker – Seventh Seal     (‘Scott 4’ LP 1969 UK)

Procol Harum – [Outside the Gates of] Cerdes     (‘Procol Harum’ LP 1967 UK)

Barclay James Harvest – Pools of Ice     (out-take 1968 UK – taken from ‘Barclay James Harvest’ 2002 CD-remaster)

the Seventh Seal – Spiritual Springs     (‘the Seventh Seal’  1997 Japan/UK)

Allan Toohey – Magical Melodies     (‘Readers Digest’ promo flexi-disc 1970 Aust.)

Arthur Ferrante & Louis Teicher – Tico-Tico     (‘Sound-proof: Sounds of Tomorrow Today’ 1956 USA)

We All Want To – You Used to be Funny     (flexidisc 2012 Australia)

the Avengers – We Are The One      (7”single 1977 California, USA)

FEAR – Living In The City     (7”single 1978 California, USA)

“???” – “H-Power”     (Ampol Petrol Co. commercial 1970[?] Australia)

Flipper – Brainwash      (7”single b-side 1981 USA)

T.Rex – There was a Time/ Raw Ramp     (7”single b-side 1971 UK)