Just A Taste: A Trip Through The North American Sounds Of 1968

ANDY MORTEN takes a magic carpet ride

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1968 was a defining year for rock music across the globe. Cities burned, the acid wore off and many artists returned to the simplicity of rock ’n’ roll and country in the hope of reconnecting with their musical roots. In the USA – undoubtedly the international focus of musical trends that year – a few survivors from the garage-rock explosion of 1965-66 ventured down new paths, while turned-on players from the fertile LA and SF scenes and a new wave of bookish, experimental aggregations for whom electronics and experimentation were the order of the day, offered wildly inventive new sounds. Nineteen sixty-eight – in terms of what might loosely be termed “underground rock” – is the gift that keeps on giving.

Intended as an affectionate complement to Grapefruit Records’ new 3-CD set Can’t Seem To Come Down: The American Sounds Of 1968  – but not duplicating any of its artists – we humbly offer you our selection of colourful killer cuts from the US and Canada, mostly drawn from singles (except where noted) and arranged chronologically.

Strap in – this trip could be a bumpy one.

JANUARY

1. Ultimate Spinach – Ego Trip (from Ultimate Spinach)
2. The Bonniwell Music Machine – Me, Myself And I
3. The David – I’m Not Alone

MARCH

4. The Grass Roots – Feelings
5. Fever Tree – San Francisco Girls (Return Of The Native)
6. MC5 – Looking At You
7. Neighb’rhood Childr’n – Please Leave Me Alone
8. The Lollipop Shoppe – You Must Be A Witch
9. The Rose Garden – Here’s Today
10. Beacon Street Union – Green Destroys The Gold (from The Eyes Of The Beacon Street Union)

APRIL

11. The Smoke – October Country (from The Smoke)
12. Fargo – Sunny Day Blue
13. Sagittarius – The Truth Is Not Real
14. The Stereo Shoestring – On The Road South
15. The Ceyleib People – Changes (Tygstl)
16. These Vizitors – For Mary’s Sake
17. The Stained Glass – Soap And Turkey
18. Front Page Review – Feels Like Love (unreleased at the time)

MAY

19. The Human Beinz – The Face
20. The Collectors – Lydia Purple
21. Kaleidoscope – Just A Taste
22. Stone Country – Wheels On Fire
23. Genesis – Angeline
24. Orphan Egg – Falling – Orphan Egg
25. Cherry People – Mr Hyde (from Cherry People)
26. Mouse & The Traps – Sometimes You Just Can’t Win
27. Faine Jade – People Games Play (from Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital)
28. Lee Michaels – My Friends
29. Mars Bonfire – In Christina’s Arms (from Mars Bonfire)
30. Harumi – Talk About It
31. The Tokens – Animal
32. Morning Glory – Live For Today (from Two Suns Worth)
33. Five By Five – Fire

JUNE

34. The Wildweeds – I’m Dreaming
35. Chrysalis – April Grove (from Definition)
36. Daughters Of Albion – Well Wired
37. A. Quintet – Smooth As Silk
38. The Family Tree – Miss Butters
39. Frumious Bandersnatch – Hearts To Cry
40. American Blues – All I Saw Was You
41. The Amboy Dukes – I’ll Prove I’m Right (from Journey To The Center Of The Mind)

JULY

42. Ohio Express – First Grade Reader (from Ohio Express)
43. The Avant-Garde – Naturally Stoned
44. Southwest F.O.B. – Smell Of Incense
45. Listening – See You Again (from Listening)
46. The Thyme – Somehow
47. Barbara Keith With Kangaroo – Daydream Stallion
48. Paul Revere & The Raiders – Observation From Flight 285 (In 3/4 Time)
49. K. & Co – Fly (from Suddenly One Summer)

AUGUST

50. Aorta – Strange
51. The Canterbury Fair – Song On A May Morning
52. I.M.E. – Tripping Into Sunshine
53. The Pleasure Fair – Today
54. The Blues Magoos – I Can Hear The Grass Grow

SEPTEMBER

55. The Golden Dawn – My Time (from Power Plant)
56. John Wonderling – Midway Down
57. Jefferson Airplane – Lather (from Crown Of Creation)
58. The Poppy Family – Free From The City
59. The Association – Six Man Band

OCTOBER

60. The Blades Of Grass – I Love You Alice B Toklas!
61. The Asylum Choir – Welcome To Hollywood
62. Jan & Dean – Girl, You’re Blowing My Mind (release cancelled)
63. Nancy Priddy – You’ve Come This Way Before
64. The Litter – Mindbreaker (from $100 Fine)

NOVEMBER

65. The Bubble Puppy – Hot Smoke And Sasafrass
66. Sweet Smoke – Morning Dew
67. The Cryan’ Shames – Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David, Smith & Jones

DECEMBER

68. The Troll – Mourning Of The Day (from Animated Music)
69. Sweetwater – My Crystal Spider
70. The Holy Mackerel – Scorpio Red
71. The Salt – Lucifer
72. The Plastic Cloud – Shadows Of Your Mind (from The Plastic Cloud)
73. Kim Fowley – Animal Man (from Outrageous)
74. Fifty Foot Hose – If Not This Time (from Cauldron)
75. Public Nuisance – Small Faces (unreleased at the time)