5 forgotten classic albums from 1965

1965 marked a transformative year in the realm of rock & roll music, as per Steve Earle, a dedicated troubadour and iconic figure in country rock. In this pivotal year, Bob Dylan aspired to emulate the Beatles, while John Lennon sought to mirror Dylan’s style. Dylan switched to electric sounds, and Lennon crafted “Norwegian Wood.” The boundaries between genres were now blurred, as rock music was no longer confined within its limited categories. It could encompass blues or folk, and it could be performed with either an electric or acoustic instrument. Essentially, it could take on any form.

1965 saw an extraordinary array of exceptional albums, much like the legendary 1927 Yankees team. Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited,” as well as the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul,” stood out as powerhits. But the roster was far from limited to these giants – The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, and many others also released phenomenal titles that year. In fact, several bands like The Kinks, The Animals, James Brown, Otis Redding, and more all dropped multiple albums in 1965. All told, it was a remarkable year for rock & roll music.

The quality was exceptional, to the point that many outstanding albums were overshadowed by the wave of popularity. Initially, they might have garnered some attention upon their release, but with so much new content arriving swiftly, they became lost in the flow and are often overlooked today. Many fantastic records have been relegated to obscurity.

Five remarkable albums from 1965

Let’s work on rectifying that, shall we? At least in a modest way. I won’t aim to go through every top-notch album from 1965 that deserves another look (Sir Henry & His Butlers, perhaps?). Instead, I’ll select five to start with. If you appreciate rock & roll, you’ll enjoy the experience of – or maybe reacquainting yourself with – these albums. That’s a guarantee.

Take a Heart by the Sorrows

Musician Pip Whitcher formed The Sorrows with friends from Coventry prior to the Beatles’ rise to fame. Adopting the grittier R&B sound of Liverpool’s lads, a style that later became known as Freakbeat, they made their mark in the music scene. Whitcher was an accomplished guitarist and songwriter who discovered Don Fardon, one of the most talented singers of the early rock era. The band released their sole album in 1965, named after a hit single they had previously released.

The phrase “No, No, No, No” by Whichter and Fardon, if sung by the Beatles, could be a hit. They also wrote “We Should Get Along Fine,” which might be overly sweet, and “I Don’t Want to Be Free,” a solid rock song with no debate. They sometimes showed a playful side – there’s an unusual Donald Duck voice in the single version of “Come With Me.” However, they kept it simple and focused on blues-rock for the album.

Miki Dallon penned their popular song “Take a Heart.” This track showcases The Sorrows’ impressive blues rhythm, as well as Fardon’s exceptional vocals and Whichter’s fiery guitar skills. Additionally, Dallon wrote the mod rocker “She’s Got the Action” and the blues number “Let Me In,” which provides more freedom for Whichter to express his guitar prowess.

Following the release of his debut album, Dallon established his own record label, Young Blood, taking Fardon with him for a solo venture. Later on, he achieved significant success with “Indian Reservation” and “Belfast Boy”, a tribute to George Best. However, The Sorrows didn’t experience the same level of success after Fardon left and Phil Packham took over as bassist. Despite this, they remained popular on the UK music scene. They eventually moved to Italy and continued to perform live.

The Fugs First Album by the Fugs

Emerging from the New York folk revival scene in the early ’60s, The Fugs weren’t particularly enamored with traditional folk music. Instead, they yearned for something fresh and innovative. Despite having poetic talents like Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg at their heart, they opted against rehashing old songs. They sought to create something original. They had a bitingly humorous style that anticipated the humor of Flo & Eddie, yet their musical skills were questionable. However, they managed to carve a niche for themselves as a rock band nonetheless.

The tunes from their debut album, including “Slum Goddess,” “I Couldn’t Get High,” and “Nothing,” mirrored the dialect of the city. “Nothing” in particular resonated with various cultures. They dealt with themes of sex, drugs, and apathy – the foundation for what was to become punk. The tracks were fueled by raw, primitive power, showcasing novelty like “Swinburne Stomp,” or expressing over-the-top country heartbreak in “My Baby Done Left Me.

In a similar vein, tunes such as “Supergirl” embodied the epitome of intelligent, immature desire, while “Boobs-a-Lot” abandoned intelligence for an unapologetic dive into immaturity. The Fugs, however, presented straightforward music with a clever twist and occasionally thought-provoking lyrics.

Essentially, The Fugs were a blast! They continued to produce more albums during the second half of the ’60s, becoming deeply entwined with counterculture activism. However, the band eventually disbanded. Despite this, Sanders and Kupferberg occasionally resurrected it until Kupferberg’s passing in 2010.

The Missing Links by the Missing Links

I’ve spent countless hours pondering over the question of where punk rock originated. This discussion mirrors the debate about who invented television. Just like television wasn’t created by a single person, but rather evolved from global technological advancements, punk music emerged from social influences that impacted many parts of the world around the same time.

Based on where you hail from, it might have been The Monks or Link Wray who made an impact. It could have been the Kinks or the New York Dolls for others. It’s all a matter of perspective. I wasn’t in Australia in 1965, but I firmly believe that The Missing Links could convincingly be considered as the pioneers of modern punk music.

This group, known as The Missing Links, wasn’t unique because they hadn’t done similar things before. However, what set them apart was their complete package – their attitude, their choice of themes, and their musical skills. Essentially, this second iteration of the band embodied punk music perfectly. They aimed to challenge and disrupt the existing order.

That’s the reason behind their decision to keep their hair long and don costumes from various unknown sources. They also expressed themes of madness in their music. In contrast to other early rock bands like the Beatles and Stones who played softly, The Missing Links stood out for their loud music!

From Sydney’s most exhilarating live band, their debut and sole album boasts twelve tracks. Six of these are original compositions, the remaining six are covers. The chart-topping track is a frenzied love song titled “You’re Driving Me Crazy.” The rhythm is powered by Ian Thomas’ pounding bass and Andy James’ drums. Chris Grey’s keyboards create a persistent hum, much like an annoyingly persistent fly. Doug Ford then unleashes a chaotic, distorted guitar solo, accompanied by generous amounts of feedback.

The music you heard was characteristic of The Missing Links. There was a lot of feedback involved, and they delivered a high-energy, raw cover of Bob Dylan’s “On the Road Again,” as well as a brooding, intense version of Bo Diddley’s “Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut.” They ended the album with an astonishingly innovative track titled “H’tuom Tuhs,” which is actually a backward loop of tape – quite revolutionary for 1965.

The Missing Links disbanded after a year, and it seemed like their time together was fleeting, yet the impact they made lingers on.

Here are the Sonics by the Sonics

Instead of being identical to Missing Links, the group in Sydney bore a striking resemblance to the Sonics based in Tacoma, Washington. They took early garage rock and amplified it significantly, focusing on preserving the gritty essence of their instruments by using fuzz, reverb, and any effect that might distort the polished sound popularized by mainstream rock & roll bands.

Similarly to how The Missing Links expressed madness rather than expressing a desire to hold your hand, The Sonics vocalized about “The Witch,” “Psycho,” and “Strychnine” (with the latter referring to their liking the taste of pure strychnine), they also covered numerous R&B classics such as “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Do You Love Me,” and delivered a wild interpretation of the Motown hit “Money.

In the heat of the game, my team, the Sonics, might not have been as musically adventurous as The Missing Links, but we had an exceptional frontman in Gary Roslie. He was a screamer extraordinary, capable of delivering songs with the same passion and power as the top R&B singers of that era.

Roslie penned down the three wild originals previously cited, together with “Boss Hoss,” which has an old-blues feel to it. These covers are impressive, but it’s their original compositions that give the Sonics their unique charm and eventual significance. Despite not seeing much success beyond the Northwest region and essentially disbanding by the end of the 60s, they sowed the seeds for what would later grow into Seattle punk and grunge music in 1965.

Introducing the Beau Brummels by the Beau Brummels

1965 wasn’t just about garage punk. In the Bay Area, the Beau Brummels were refining a sound that drew some influence from The Beatles and another part from The Byrds. This unique blend of sophisticated folk-rock had a British rhythm but carried an American feel.

From their groundbreaking 1965 debut, the standout tunes “Laugh Laugh” and “Just a Little” were flawlessly crafted pop gems. Sal Valentino’s velvety tenor had an uncanny ability to be tender without veering into sentimental, while Declan Mulligan’s harmonica infused the tracks with a folk-inspired twist, preventing them from delving too deeply into psychedelic realms.

They are capable of adapting a classic country ballad like “Oh Lonesome Me” by Don Gibson into a contemporary rock melody, with guitarist Ron Elliott delivering a tasteful Bakersfield-inspired solo. Elliott is primarily responsible for penning the original compositions, and they all exude a sophisticated garage sound that subtly emphasizes harmony over what you might expect from standard garage rock. “Still in Love With Baby” could have been mistaken as a Beatles song from 1965 – until they opted for a more Bob Dylan-esque style.

In 1965, the Brummels released another powerful album, but their record label eventually collapsed, which significantly impacted their success and they never quite recaptured that initial momentum. They put out a few more intriguing, albeit inconsistent, albums before disbanding. The band members went their separate ways, reuniting occasionally.

However, one musician from those two 1965 albums was only beginning his rise to fame. Both “Introducing The Beau Brummels” and “The Beau Brummels, Volume 2,” were overseen by Sylvester Stewart. Interestingly, this same figure would launch a new band called Sly and the Family Stone a few years later, and it was with them that he released his debut album.

But that was 1967 – a entirely different story.

2025-02-06 14:01