Is Time Running Out for These Rockers? ( Part Two)

Now we move on to those artists who began making their mark after the first British invasion. Some sold tons of records, several were influential, and a few were late bloomers. But I believe they are all deserving of a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As noted in the first  post, credit goes to artist websites, Wikipedia, All-Music, MusicVF, various music websites, and maybe an observation from yours truly who grew up in this era of great music.

So here goes.

Post-British Invasion:

The Association—The Association had seven Top 40 hits and two No. 1s ("Cherish" and "Windy") during the 1960s. The group featured multiple vocalists and great harmonizing,  resulting in variety of records such as "Along Comes Mary," "Requiem for the Masses," "Six-Man Band," and "Time for Livin'"). I thought The Association rivaled Rock Hall inductees The Byrds, The Rascals, CCR, The Doors, and  The Lovin' Spoonful and hopefuls The Turtles, The Grass Roots, and Paul Revere and the Raiders (see below) as great American bands.

Blood, Sweat & Tears—This jazz-rock group was formed by Al Kooper. They're noted for their mix of brass and basic rock instruments. Seven Top 40 and one No. 1 ("Spinning Wheel"),  Blood, Sweat & Tears really hit their stride with vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, whose debut on the second eponymous-titled album garnered five Grammy Awards and sold more than 10 million records.

The Grass Roots— They had 14 Top 40 hits from 1966-72, and selling more than 20 million records worldwide. The Grass Roots featured standout vocals from Rob Grill and Warren Entner. Their biggest hits were No. 5 "Midnight Confessions," No. 8 "Let's Live for Today" and No. 9 "Sooner or Later." P.F. Sloan and Steve Bari were contributors in the early years.

The Guess Who—The Canadian group, featuring keyboardist/vocalist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, hit the Top 40 13 times including No. 1s "American Woman." and "No Sugar Tonight" in 1970. The Guess Who could produce lovely ballads ("These Eyes") psychedelic ("Friends of Mine"), and smooth rockers ("No Time" and "Undun") and simple rockers ("Clap for the Wolfman") and socially-conscious songs ("Hand Me Down World" and "Share the Land"). One of the great rock bands, like the Moody Blues, they should have been inducted years ago.

Tom Jones—The multi-talented knight (in 2006) has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, hitting the UK charts with 36 Top 40 hits and U.S. charts with 19. His baritone belts out rock, jazz, country, dance—whatever in equal measure. If there's room for Bobby Darin, then Tom Jones should be in the club.

Al Kooper—He made his mark as a musician, producer, and founder of Blood, Sweat & Tears. You can hear him play the organ on Bob Dylan's classic "Like a Rolling Stone." Kooper also teamed with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills for the million-selling "Super Session" in 1968. He also rediscovered The Zombies' masterpiece, "Odyssey and Oracle," for the masses.




The Kingsmen—This Oregon garage band recorded the classic and controversial (FBI investigation into lyrics) "Louie, Louie" in 1963, a No. 2 on the charts that is considered one of the great songs in rock history. The group followed up with hits such as "Money," "Little Latin Lupe Lu," "The Jolly Green Giant," and "Annie Fanny." I saw the group in 1964 at Club 68 in Lebanon, Ky. They made rock and roll fun.

Procol Harum—Gary Brooker and his bandmates recorded one of rock's biggest hits in "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in 1967. Procol Harum generally falls under the progressive rock genre, but the group plays soul, blues, and rock. Remember "Conquistador," recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 1972? Procol Harum was previously nominated for the Rock Hall in 2012. Maybe next time!

Paul Revere and The Raiders—Only the Beatles and Rolling Stones sold more records in the 1960s than Paul Revere and the Raiders. The band recorded "Louie, Louie" in 1963 but didn't make a national splash until "Steppin' Out" in 1965. They had 15 Top 40 hits including No. 1 "Indian Reservation" in 1971. They appeared on TV a lot in the '60s ("Where the Action Is," "Happening '68," and "It's Happening"), and wore some silly outfits, but the Raiders were a solid band. I rate Mark Lindsey was one rock's great vocalists.



Johnny Rivers—Rivers is one artist I thought would be a shoo-in for the Rock Hall. He was huge in the 1960s, with 13 Top 40 songs including chart-topper "Poor Side of Town" from 1964-68. His "At the Whiskey a' Go Go" in 1964 is one of rock's best live albums. In all, he has 17 Gold records, charted 29 hits, won two Grammy Awards, and sold more than 30 million records. He still puts on a rockin' show.

Spirit—This underrated band from Los Angeles fused elements of jazz and progressive rock, making it one of the most innovative and original groups of the 1960s and '70s. And they could rock as well, as demonstrated by "I Got a Line on You" in 1968.  Led by guitarist Randy California, Spirit cut some outstanding albums from  1968-72.

Steppenwolf—When I listen to metal music, I give credit for the term to Steppenwolf's "heavy metal thunder" line in their counterculture anthem, "Born to be Wild." The band had eight Gold records and six Top 40 hits. While most folks remember "Born to be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride," it's gritty tunes such as "The Pusher" and "Don't Step on the Grass, Sam" and "Monster" that reveal the band's power. They've been overlooked way too long.

Three Dog Night—Three Dog Night was a powerhouse group from 1969-74, with 21 Top 40 hits including three No. 1s. They sold more records (40 million) than anyone during that time. The group, featuring the voices of Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton, and Corey Wells, brought attention to songwriters such as Laura Nyro ("Eli's Comin'"), Harry Nilsson ("One"), Hoyt Axton ("Joy to the World") and Randy Newman ("Mama Told Me Not to Come"). The group is still touring, with several of the original members including Hutton and standout guitarist Michael Allsup. Wells and keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon passed away in 2015. I saw the group several years ago at the now demolished-Executive Inn in Owensboro, Ky., and they put on an outstanding show. I recommend their DVD, "Live with the Tennessee Symphony" to get a feel for their musicianship. It seems like they're being punished for being so successful.

The Turtles—The Turtles had nine Top 40 hits including the timeless No. 1 "Happy Together" in 1967. The California group, led by vocalist Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (Flo and Eddie), could have been even bigger but refused to give in to record-company demands. Check out their "Battle of the Bands" CD to see how versatile they were.  Flo and Eddie still tour as headliners on the popular "Happy Together Tour." 

Any groups or artists you think have been overlooked? 

Next: The '70s Rockers

Until the next time. . . . 

Timely Music As We Turn Back the Hands of Time

Those of us in the U.S. will be turning back our clocks one hour on Nov. 1, officially at 2 a.m., as we switch from Daylight Savings Time to standard time. 

Since time is on our minds, here are a few tunes from that I like from years past that deal with passage of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks....

One of my favorites is "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers. The song was written by Joe and Willie Chambers and released in 1968, reaching No. 11 on the charts. 

I love the lines:

"I've been loved, pushed (put) aside I've been crushed

By tumbling tide and my soul has been psychedelicized"

The "cuckoo" is kinda cool, too.

Another "timely" song from the '60s is "Time of the Season" by The Zombies, from the great "Odyssey & Oracle" album in 1968. The Rod Argent-penned tune topped out at No. 3 on the Billboard chart.

Another great '60s song of time is The Rolling Stones' "Time Is On My Side," a No. 6 charter for the super group in 1964. It was written by Jerry Ragovoy.

The Outsiders, a band from Cleveland, reached No. 5 on the charts with the horn-driven,  "Time Won't Let Me," written by Tom King and Chet Kelley. 

One of the great time songs was written by Pete Seeger (and the Book of Ecclesiastes) and made famous by The Byrds -- "Turn! Turn! Turn!" It was a No. 1 song in 1965.

A few others that come to mind are "No Time" by The Guess Who, "Crying Time" by the legendary Ray Charles, and "Time Is" by It's a Beautiful Day. (Videos below)

And finally, when we get up on Nov. 1, "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?" That's what supergroup Chicago asked in 1969, a No. 7 song written by vocalist Robert Lamm.

Until the next TIME.....

Spotlight on The Guess Who

The Guess Who put Canadian rock music firmly on the map from the late 1960s to the mid '70s with a few ballads, some psychedelia, and a mix of light and heavy rockers.

The Guess Who in 1970 

With keyboardist/vocalist Burton Cummings, guitarist supreme Randy Bachman as well as bassist Jim Kale and drummer Gary Peterson, and later guitarists Kurt Winter and Gary Leskiw (among others), The Guess Who placed 11 songs in the U.S. Top 40.

They first cracked the Top 10 at No. 6 in 1969 with the ballad, "These Eyes." That was followed by No. 10 "Laughing," and No. 5 "No Time," also in '69, before hitting No. 1 with double-sided recording"American Woman/No Sugar Tonight," in '70.

Other Top 20 hits for the Canadian rockers were No. 10 "Share the Land," No. 19 "Rain Dance," and No. 6 "Clap for the Wolfman."

A few of my favorites include "Undun," "Bus Rider," "Hang On to Your Life," "Star Baby," and "Friends of Mine."

I like The Guess Who because they could rock with the best groups and they could be socially conscious on songs such as "American Woman" "Hand Me Down World," and "Share the Land." And I believe their music still holds up very well after more than 40 years.

As in my previous "Spotlight on ..." posts, I'm curious as to why The Guess Who aren't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite being eligible since 1990. Furthermore, they've never been nominated for rock's highest honor.

They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1987.

A variation of The Guess Who (with Kale and Peterson) still tours. I saw them about 15 years ago with Carl Dixon, formerly of April Wine, handling the lead vocals. They put on a good, solid show.

I also recommend the DVD, "The Guess Who: Roaming Back Thru Canada," to get a sense about great the original group was in concert.

Cummings had a good solo career ("Stand Tall") while Bachman formed the power group Bachman-Turner Overdrive ("You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," "Takin' Care of Business," "Let It Ride" and more).

Now listen to a few of the great tunes by The Guess Who:

Until the next time...