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the day I uncovered the secret of the universe (and then forgot it)

I CAN TRULY SAY that I knew it all—The Secret of the Universe. Once. Briefly. I can also say that this essay has little to do with record collecting, but it does touch on psychedelic music of the ’60s, so here it is (instead of on my other, eponymous blog). [Continue reading]

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why aren’t the moody blues in the bloody rock & roll hall of fame?

IN A RECENT EDITION OF QUORA, someone asked why the Moody Blues haven’t been inducted into the bloody Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It would certainly seem that the Moody Blues are far more qualified than many inductees, so I began preparing a lengthy answer, thinking I might provide some insight. [Continue reading]

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surfing guitars and instrumental surf bands of the early ’60s

ARGUING THE ‘BEST’ ROCK GUITAR PLAYERS of the ’60 is probably a pretty dumb way to waste time—and “Surfing Guitars” will not be doing that! Considerably more constructive and interesting would be an argument as to who were—and that’s intentionally plural—the most ‘creative’ players. Of course, to reach any kind of consensus there would require that we first agree on a definition of ‘creative’ in that context! [Continue reading]

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a few facts on the first buffalo springfield album

BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD is the name of Buffalo Springfield’s first album from 1966. This article addresses certain misconceptions on the first Buffalo Springfield album. And one of the problems has been Wikipedia: this site has grown immeasurably since its launching in 2001. And its growth is way beyond the expectations of its initial detractors—of which I was one. [Continue reading]

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rock music videos of the sixties – 1964: the moody blues’ “go now” as the first modern rock video

THERE ARE LOADS OF STUFF on the Internet about the Moody Blues, the super-successful, much beloved group fabgear pop-rock that critics just can’t seem to stop hating! Yet there is almost nothing on the origins of the group’s first music video for their Go Now single of 1964. A piece [Continue reading]

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of cabbages and kings, of arks and attics – the pseudo-psychedelic sound of chad & jeremy 1967-1968 (part 4)

THIS IS THE FOURTH of five articles devoted to the trio of albums and their related singles that Chad & Jeremy released in 1967-1968. OF CABBAGES AND KINGS and THE ARK and the soundtrack to 3 IN THE ATTIC reflect the more ‘pop’-oriented psychedelicism of the English musicians at the time and have long been held in a bit of contempt by older aficionados and collectors of Sixties psych. [Continue reading]

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are we forgetting the pseudo-psychedelic sixties?

I INITIATED A NEW TOPIC on the Record Collectors Guild website in September 2004 titled “The Pseudo Psychedelic ’60s.” I had hoped for a lengthy and engagingly argumentative and informative thread that went on forever. Below is what I got instead: it was fun, but I did not really leave it with more knowledge that when I launched the conversation. [Continue reading]