Ed McMahon - And Me...I'm Ed McMahon (1967)

"Beautiful Girl" by Ed McMahon

After building a comic rapport over five years on the show Who Do You Trust?, it was only natural for Johnny Carson to bring along his friend Ed McMahon to be The Tonight Show's announcer and Johnny's sidekick. McMahon always worked through his big, baritone voice. As a teenager, he started as a carnival barker, bingo caller and pitch man, then switched, after war service and college, to radio and, finally, television where he made for a natural announcer. So, it was probably inevitable that Ed McMahon release an album: And Me...I'm Ed McMahon in 1967 on Cameo Parkway Records.

Although some of the internet lists this album as a 1963 release, the fact that two songs sung by McMahon weren't published until 1966 means 1967 is the actual release date. Rather than the songwriting data, it's the jarring mix of a distorted guitar with big band and dixieland touches on the opening track "Claudia" that really screams late Sixties Pop. The production calms down the genre fusion after this but only to scatter the genres throughout the rest of the record. Whether led by strings, brass or guitar, Ed McMahon still can't find a note. He slides in and out of them, and for having such a rich speaking voice, delivers his lines weakly. At least by the end of the album, McMahon does make some interesting—though not necessarily good—decisions, starting with the storybook epic "Beautiful Girl" and ending with genres he finally shows some affinity for: country ("Loving Heart") and western ("They Call the Wind Maria.") It's not much of a reward for making it to the end of the record, however.

Here is the discography surrounding Ed McMahon's debut album:

And Me...I'm Ed McMahon

Beautiful Girl (1967 single)

"They Call the Wind Maria" by Ed McMahon

"Claudia" by Ed McMahon

Ed McMahon Argues with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show

Ed McMahon Budweiser Commercial

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Bill Oddie - Distinctly Oddie (1967)

"Rhubarb Tart" by Bill Oddie


John Cleese met Bill Oddie at Cambridge where they were both members of the amateur theater group, the Cambridge Footlights.  They performed together on the comedy revue Cambridge Circus and the radio comedy program I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.  They were also writers together on David Frost's That Was the Week That Was.  Bill Oddie was mostly known for his parody songs that got a lot of play on I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.  They were collected on an album for the show, but some found their way onto his debut album Distinctly Oddie released in 1967 on Polydor Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Bill Oddie's debut album:

Cambridge Circus (1963 album with Cambridge Circus)
Nothing Better to Do (1964 single)
The Knitting Song (1965 single)
I Can't Get Through (1966 single)
Persecuting Pigeons (1967 single)
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (1967 album with I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again)
Distinctly Oddie
Jimmy Young (1969 single)
On Ilkla Moor Baht'at (1970 single)
Superspike (1978 single with The Superspike Squad)

"Family Favourites" by Bill Oddie


"Harry Krishna" by Bill Oddie


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The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (1967)

"Brown Shoes Don't Make It" by The Mothers of Invention


So it turns out that two of the strangest and most experimental musical geniuses of rock and roll went to high school together?  Don Van Vliet and Frank Zappa both attended Antelope Valley High School.  Zappa's Mothers of Invention released their second album Absolutely Free in 1967 on Verve Records.

Here is the discography surrounding The Mothers of Invention's second album:

Why Don't You Do Me Right? (1967 single)
Son of Suzy Creamcheese (1967 single)
Absolutely Free

"Son of Suzy Creamcheese" by The Mothers of Invention


"Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" by The Mothers of Invention


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Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Safe as Milk (1967)

"Diddy Wah Diddy" by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band


The other prominent member of Rising Sons was a young Ry Cooder.  While Taj Mahal transitioned easily to a solo career, Ry Cooder set off with Captain Beefheart as a member of Don Van Vliet's Magic Band.  Cooder, apparently, helped give structure to some of the songs on Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's debut album Safe as Milk.  The album released in 1967 on Buddah Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's debut album:

Diddy Wah Diddy (1966 single)
Moonchild (1966 single)
Here I Am, Here I Always Am (1966 promo single)
Yellow Brick Road (1967 single)
Safe as Milk

"Electricity" by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band


"Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band


"Abba Zaba" by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band


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The Cake - The Cake (1967)

"Baby That's Me" by The Cake


The Daily Flash drummer John Keliehor acted as a session musician (one of many) for The Cake's debut album The Cake released in 1967 on Decca Records.

Here is the discography surrounding The Cake's debut album:

Baby That's Me (1967 single)
I Know (1967 single)
The Cake
Fire Fly (1968 single)

"You Can Have Him" by The Cake


"Fire Fly" by The Cake


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Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)

"Bluebird" by Buffalo Springfield

Probably Jack Nitzsche's most notable collaborations were with The Rolling Stones (visited two stops ago) and Neil Young.  The two first collaborated while Young was still with Buffalo Springfield on the songs "Expecting to Fly" and "Broken Arrow".  Nitzsche co-produced the songs and arranged the orchestration for the latter.  Buffalo Springfield released their second (!) album Buffalo Springfield Again in 1967 on Atco Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Buffalo Springfield's second album:

Bluebird (1967 single)
Buffalo Springfield
Rock & Roll Woman (1967 single)
Expecting to Fly (1967 single)

"Expecting to Fly" by Buffalo Springfield


"A Child's Claim to Fame" by Buffalo Springfield


"For What It's Worth" & "Mr. Soul" by Buffalo Springfield


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Big Brother & The Holding Company - Big Brother & The Holding Company (1967)

"Bye, Bye Baby" by Big Brother & The Holding Company


Kris Kristofferson, on the wings of his newfound success, became one of the leading figures of the new country music singer-songwriter movement of the late sixties and early seventies.  His songs were in high demand to be covered by high profile country music stars and, in particular, one rock and roller who would become his girlfriend, Janis Joplin.

Joplin started her recording career as the lead singer of the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother & The Holding Company.  Together, the band released their debut album Big Brother & The Holding Company in 1967.

Here is the discography surrounding Big Brother & The Holding Company's debut album:

Big Brother & The Holding Company: Live in San Francisco 1966 (1966 live album)
Blindman (1967 single)
Big Brother & the Holding Company
Bye, Bye Baby (1967 single)
Live USA (1967 live bootleg)
Down on Me (1968 single)
Coo Coo (1968 single)
Women Is Losers (1968 single)

Big Brother & The Holding Company Live on KQED


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The Hour Glass - Hour Glass (1967)

"Nothing but Tears" by The Hour Glass

Casting Crowns originated as a band in Daytona Beach, Florida, a home they'd shared with legendary blues-rock brothers Duane and Gregg Allman.  Growing up, the younger Gregg took to the guitar whereas Duane was more interested in motorbikes.  The music bug took Duane, too, eventually and the two would fight over Gregg's guitar until the family bought a second.  Despite picking up the instrument later, Duane took to it faster than Gregg or any normal person would.  His skill grew exponentially, and he'd eventually drop out of high school just to spend more time practicing.  Gregg, knowing he'd fallen well behind his brother on the guitar, opted to switch instruments to the piano, and his young voice would develop a soulful but gritty tenor beyond his years.

The boys formed a band in and out of high school dubbed The Escorts, whose named would change to The Allman Joys.  They were locally successful with one single in 1966 but would soon break up.  The brothers formed a new band with the remnants of another, The Men-its, and quickly garnered attention from record labels.  Having the fortune of meeting manager Bill McEuen and seen as a band with potential, they signed to Liberty Records and moved out to California where they'd open for acts like The Doors and Buffalo Springfield under the new moniker of The Hour Glass.  Besides being give one, they also made a name for themselves as one of the best live blues-rock acts in the Los Angeles area.  Unlike their live sound, The Hour Glass were pushed by the record label into recording pop soul (with a light blues-rock tint) for their 1967 debut album Hour Glass.  The album did not meet the expectations led by the band's live shows perhaps due to the incongruity of genre between the two.

Here is the discography surrounding The Hour Glass's debut album:

Batman and Robin (1966 single by The Spotlights)

Dick Tracy (1966 single by The Spotlights)

The Green Hornet (1966 single by The Super Dupers)

March of Tarzan (1966 single by The Super Dupers)

The Super Duper Record of Super Heroes (1966 album by The Super Dupers)
Early Allman (Featuring Duane and Gregg Allman) (1966 compilation material as The Allman Joys)
Spoonful (1966 single as The Allman Joys)

Hour Glass
Nothing But Tears (1967 single)

It's All Right (You're Just in Love) (1967 single as the Bleus)

I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself (1968 single as the Bleus)

Milk and Honey (1968 single as The Bleus)
Good Morning, Love (1969 single as The Bleus)

Julianna's Gone (1969 single as The Bleus)

"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" by The Hour Glass

"Crossroads" by The Allman Joys

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David Bowie - David Bowie (1967)

"We Are Hungry Men" by David Bowie


"The Laughing Gnome" by David Bowie


40 years between their recording debuts, it is strange to consider the beautiful harmonies and the knowing jokes between David Bowie and Bing Crosby on the latter's last Christmas Special shortly before he died.

David Jones's early career is a series of false starts.  As early as 1963, he aimed for rock stardom through skiffle, Mersey Beat, blues rock, and art rock but got only non-charting singles and no traction.  To change his luck, Jones changed his last name to Bowie (sharing a name with the lead singer of The Monkees did him no favors), studied acting, and went off the beaten path musically.  His solo music mixed very English music styles and stories, all very strange.  His 1967 debut album David Bowie reveals early Bowie's aesthetic scattering and lack of identity, but much of the material contain nuggets of songwriting, thematic and melodic potential for the creativity to come.  The album failed, to go with nine failed career singles, and left Bowie trying to find other work outside of music to support himself.

Here is the discography surrounding David Bowie's debut album:

The Konrads's Rehearsals (1963 rehearsals with The Konrads)
Liza Jane (1964 single as Davie Jones and The King Bees)
I Pity the Fool (1965 single as The Manish Boys)

You've Got a Habit of Leaving (1965 single as Davy Jones and The Lower Third)
Can't Stop Thinking About Me (1965 single with The Lower Third)

Baby It's Too Late Now (1965 single by The Konrads)

I Didn't Know How Much (1966 single by The Konrads)
Do Anything You Say (1966 single)
I Dig Everything (1966 single)
Early On 1964-1966 (compilation of 1964-1966 material)
Rubber Band (1966 single)
The Laughing Gnome (1967 single)
David Bowie
Love You Till Tuesday (1967 single)

Everything Is You (1967 single)

"Love You Till Tuesday" by David Bowie (opening of David Bowie short film)


Davie Jones, founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Towards Long-Haired Men


"Come and Buy My Toys" by David Bowie


"Please Mr. Gravedigger" by David Bowie


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Hearts and Flowers - Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers (1967)

"Road to Nowhere" by Hearts and Flowers


After the disbanding of The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, dobro player Larry Murray moved from band to band before forming Hearts and Flowers with Dave Dawson and Rick Cunha.  Hearts and Flowers joined the folk-rock movement of the late sixties but tended more towards the folk spectrum of it all.  They infused their songs with tints of psychedelia though the country and bluegrass influence proved much stronger.  Their debut album Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers came out and 1967 and collected half originals and half covers of contemporary songs by country artists and singer-songwriters.

Here is the discography surrounding Hearts and Flowers's debut album:

Road to Nowhere (1967 single)
Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers

"Try for the Sun" by Hearts and Flowers


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The Nice - The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967)

"The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" by The Nice


P.P. Arnold's backing band was thrown together piecemeal by her manager Andrew Loog Oldham just in time for her to tour the UK. The backing band would take on a life of its own as the group members ended up forming their own band and naming themselves (presumably) after a Small Faces song. The Nice would go from a backing band to a band capable of making waves in the progression of rock and roll.

As The Nice were thrown together by Oldham, they already had the benefit of Immediate Records ready to release their work. The Nice originally consisted of wandering musicians Keith Emerson (keyboards), Lee Jackson (bass and vocals), and David O'List (guitar). The original drummer from Arnold's backing group, Ian Hague, was replaced by Brian Davison to round out the quartet. The names of the members would provide the title of the group's first single and album in 1967: The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack.

The Nice had big Jimi Hendrix inspired, psychedelic guitar riffs and bigger, progressive musical ideas. They were able to play any which style of music so they made good use of their skills by throwing them together to see what coalesced. They could play short, power pop songs or variations on classical or jazz. On their debut, they tackled covers of Dave Brubeck and musical quotations of composer Leoš Janáček. Their second single "America" released in 1968, The Nice covered Leonard Bernstein while adding quotations from Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony. The song's historical context, ad posters for the album that featured John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., its original title "America (Second Amendment)", and its spoken word conclusion: "America is pregnant with promise and anticipation, but is murdered by the hand of the inevitable" helps it fall into an odd place as an "instrumental protest song" as described by Keith Emerson. With O'List's guitars, they had a tinge of psychedlia laced through every song, but their grandiose musical ideas separated them from the pack as their debut album is often considered the first progressive rock album.

Here is the discography surrounding The Nice's debut album:

Blow My Blues Away (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Portland Town (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Follow Me (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Forbidden Fruit (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Elbow Baby (1966 single by The Habits)
Hi-Ho Silver Lining (1966 single by The Attack)
Created by Clive (1967 single by The Attack)
Try It (1967 single by The Attack)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967 single)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
America (1968 single)
Neville Thumbcatch (1968 single by The Attack)
Autumn '67-Spring '68 (1972 live album)
Magic in the Air (1990 compilation album by The Attack)
Memorial Album (1991 compilation album by The Mark Leeman Five)
The Complete Recordings from 1967-68 (1999 compilation album by The Attack)
Final Daze (2001 compilation album by The Attack)
About Time! (2006 compilation album by The Attack)

"America" by The Nice


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P.P. Arnold - The First Lady of Immediate (1967)

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" by P.P. Arnold


Although "The First Cut Is the Deepest" is one of Cat Stevens's best and widely recognized songs, he didn't record it first. Two others got the chance to record it before him. The Koobas performed a mediocre psychedelic version of the song and P. P. Arnold performed a soul version, both earlier in 1967. Interestingly, Stevens never released his version as a single because he believed that P.P. Arnold's take on his song was its definitive performance.

P.P. (Patricia) Arnold began her career in music around 1964 when she and her friends Maxine Smith and Gloria Scott tried out for and won the job of the Ikettes, a backup singing group, for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. By 1966, the popularity of Ike and Tina faltered in the United States, though it boomed in England. It was during a fateful tour of the UK that she impressed prominent concert-goers Mick Jagger and Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham with her dynamic and powerful voice. With both convinced that she had the potential to be a hit maker, they signed her to Oldham's newly christened recording label, Immediate Records. Arnold quit the Ikettes and remained in London.

Arnold's first big hit came with her second single, her cover and original recording of "The First Cut Is the Deepest". It reached the Top 20 and overshadowed another version (by The Koobas) that also came out about that time. She followed this success with another: single "The Time Has Come, a song written for her by Paul Korda. In an attempt to keep Arnold in the spotlight, Oldham had Arnold perform with other popular Immediate artists like The Small Faces and Rod Stewart. Her singles and a few other filler songs were recorded and packaged into her first album The First Lady of Immediate (a reference to her status as the first signed female artist to the Immediate label). The album didn't share the same success as her hit singles.

Here is the discography surrounding P.P. Arnold's debut album:

Everything's Gonna Be Alright (1967 single)
The First Cut Is the Deepest (1967 single)
The Time Has Come (1967 single)
(If You Think You're) Groovy (1967 single)
The First Lady of Immediate

"(If You Think You're) Groovy" by P.P. Arnold


"Though It Hurts Me Badly" by P.P. Arnold


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

John Cale produced Patti Smith's debut album. The Patti Smith Group chose Cale based on his body of work with artists such as Nico and Iggy Pop. Although the group thought they were getting a technically savvy producer, they ended up with a more conceptual producer. From the beginning, Cale conflicted with Patti Smith as he challenged her to rewrite music, lyrics, etc. Not to be pushed around, Patti and the band pushed back and became surer of what they really wanted for the album. Cale did not care that many of his ideas were cast aside as long as what was recorded was truly believed by the artists. It is no stretch to consider that he had a similar impact on his first band.

John Cale had recently moved to New York to study classical music. Meanwhile, Lou Reed, already living there, worked as a songwriter for Pickwick Records and fell in and out of various garage bands. The two inevitably met through New York's underground music scene of the mid-sixties and found they both shared the same experimental tendencies especially towards drone music that would drive the partnership's early sonic direction. Reed acted as the group's primary songwriter, vocalist and guitarist while Cale provided his multi-instrumental skills on the viola, celesta, and piano among others. They rounded out the group with a friend of Reed's, Sterling Morrison on rhythm guitar, and a collaborator of Cale's, Angus MacLise on percussion. About this time, they had finally settled on an appropriate band name, The Velvet Underground.

The band sold out eventually and took a paying gig. The commercialism became too much for MacLise, who was "in it for art" according to Morrison, and he left the band to be replace by Maureen "Mo" Tucker, a friend's sister. Tucker brought her own unique style to the band. She dressed androgynously and utilized an abbreviated drum set (an upturned bass drum and tom toms). As she perceived her role in the band as timekeeper, she rarely used cymbals in her playing.

The Velvet Underground did not take off until Andy Warhol took over as their manager in 1965. He made them a part of his multimedia roadshow, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, and teamed them up with Nico, a model turned chanteuse. The band did not necessarily welcome the collaboration, but consented for personal, business, and musical reasons. With Warhol's connections, the band quickly signed a recording contract with Verve Records. On all recordings, Warhol would act as nominal "producer" while simply letting the band direct their own sound. The Velvet Underground & Nico entered Scepter Studios in April 1966 to record their debut album (to be supplemented with another session later in the year under the supervision of veteran producer Tom Wilson). They released two singles from those sessions: "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Sunday Morning" later in 1966 with neither charting. The band also released "Loop", a recording of audio feedback that descended into a locked groove, through the multimedia magazine Aspen (with that particular issue (#3) designed by Warhol).

Verve Records released The Velvet Underground & Nico in March of 1967 where it barely hung on in the Top 200. The album's controversial content led it to be banned from certain record stores and deemed it unplayable by radio stations. These factors and Verve's half-interested advertisement for the album led to its lack of commercial success. Critics also took little interest in the album. The album had an obvious experimental bend to it thanks in part to John Cale's droning viola and Reed's "drone strum". Morrison's guitar-work gave several of the songs a blues-rock feel. The album only featured Nico on four songs (the four songs found on the band's early singles) that held quieter more introspective tones and lyrics. The rest of the album had more of an underground and dirty edge to it with stories about attaining and experiencing heroin ('Run Run Run', 'I'm Waiting for the Man', 'Heroin') or sexual fetishes ('Venus in Furs'). The band's wildest experiments can be heard on those sans-Nico tracks.

The Velvet Underground & Nico eventually found widespread acclaim amongst rock critics: highly touted for its experimental content, poetic lyrics, and the strong influence it held on subsequent generations of rock musicians.

Here's the discography surrounding The Velvet Underground & Nico's debut album:

All Tomorrow's Parties (1966 single)
Sunday Morning (1966 single)
Loop (1966 flexi disc)
The Velvet Underground & Nico





If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

While Simon Dupree & the Big Sound were exploring Abbey Road Studios and recording their debut album by the cover of night, three other bands were busy recording important moments in rock history at the same time. The Beatles recorded Sgt. Pepper's, The Pretty Things recorded S.F. Sorrow, and Pink Floyd recorded their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Pink Floyd began in 1963 with the friendship of Roger Waters and Nick Mason. They would head a constantly changing lineup of various band names until 1965 when The Pink Floyd Sound was solidified with Richard Wright on keyboards, Bob Klose on guitar, and Syd Barrett on vocals and as lead vocalist. Waters also sang and played bass (among other instruments) and Mason was on percussion. Bob Klose and "The...Sound" soon dropped. Pink Floyd stepped beyond their R&B roots and entrenched itself in the burgeoning underground psychedelic scene under the guidance of their managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King. Syd Barrett's performances as the frontman and lead guitarist imbued the group with a frenetic energy and extended the range of their musical experimentation.

As one of the leading bands of the underground music scene at the time, Pink Floyd soon perked the ears of the music industry and signed with EMI. Their first single "Arnold Layne", released early in 1967, reached number 20 on the UK Charts despite being banned by various radio stations for its references to cross-dressing. Their second single of that same year "See Emily Play" reached number six on the charts. Both songs were written by Syd Barrett whose life was now being affected by his regular use of LSD and bouts of depression. His influence was still enough to propel the band through their debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, considered one of the cornerstone recordings of the psychedelic sound. Although the album was able to capture the surreal elements of Pink Floyd's music, most fans at the time felt the recording didn't capture the band's energetic live performances.

Pink Floyd went on to record one more Syd Barrett penned single "Apples and Oranges" before realizing that they could no longer rely on him as they used to. Enter new member, guitarist David Gilmour (an old friend of Barrett's), who would make his first appearance on the 1968 single "It Would Be So Nice".

Here is the discography surrounding Pink Floyd's debut album:

Arnold Layne (1967 single)
See Emily Play (1967 single)
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Apples and Oranges (1967 single)
It Would Be So Nice (1968 single)
London '66-'67 (1995 EP of 1967 recordings)





If you like what you hear or have a good idea for where the musical history tour should stop next, feel free to holler. I'm open to any suggestions and any kind of music. Remember it has to be connected to this era Pink Floyd.

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Simon Dupree & The Big Sound - Without Reservations (1967)

Reg Dwight actually had the opportunity to join a couple of other bands before starting off on his solo career. He tried out for and failed to get a spot on the lineup of Robert Fripp's King Crimson, and he apparently asked to stay as a permanent member of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound after filling in for the role of keyboards during their 1967 tour of Scotland. The manager declined the partnership and the soon-to-be Elton John was sent back to writing songs with Bernie Taupin.

Simon Dupree & the Big Sound began in Portsmouth, England in the mid-sixties and was headed by three brothers: Derek, Phil, and Ray Shulman. The three would all take on the vocals with Derek acting as the lead. Phil took the lead guitarist role and occasionally supplied his playing on the violin or trumpet. Ray played the trumpet, as well as the saxophone. The band rounded off with Tony Ransley on percussion, Peter O'Flaherty on bass guitar, and Eric Hine on keyboards and the mellotron. If you haven't yet noticed, Simon Dupree is not a member of the band nor does he exist at all. The flashy name was given to them by a previous manager. When it came to their music, the Shulman brothers saw themselves as blue-eyed soul brothers and aimed the band's artistic output in that soulful direction.

Through connections with their manager John King, the band signed a five year recording contract with Parlophone in 1966. Their first single "I See the Light" just barely made the top forty charts. In 1967, their debut and only album Without Reservations also failed to make much commercial headway, but is still a good sonic reflection of what the band intended to sound like. Due to the lack of success of Simon Dupree's singles thus far, John King and Parlophone pushed the band away from soul towards the surefire success of psychedelia. "Kites" (which sounded more like exotica than psychedelia) scored the band's only top ten hit. But the group was uncomfortable with the imposed sound, and they moved (or were pushed) to a more conventional pop-rock sound. Still, Simon Dupree failed to chart.

The band's music, as a body of work, is eclectic. As mentioned before, they run the sonic gamut from exuberant soul to exotic psychedelia to fun pop-rock. Their singles boast a different kind of the same old sound, however, as the multi-instrumentalist Shulman brothers try to spice up each rock single with unconventional instruments whether it's a mellotron, flute, or violin.

Simon Dupree & the Big Sound would go on recording for two more years before breaking up after several years of little success and a lack of artistic freedom. The Shulman brothers presence on the rock scene did not end here, however, as they would soon found one of the most musically experimental and complex bands of the 1970s.

Here is the complete discography for Simon Dupree & the Big Sound:

I See the Light (1966 single)
Reservations (1967 single)
Day Time, Night Time (1967 single)
Without Reservations
Kites (1967 single)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1968 single)
Part of My Past (1968 single)
Thinking About My Life (1968 single)
We Are the Moles (1968 single as The Moles)
Broken Hearted Pirates (1969 single)
The Eagle Flies Tonight (1969 single)
Kites (1978 compilation EP)
Amen (1982 compilation album)
Kites (1993 compilation album)
Part of Their Past (2004 complete anthology)

Don't forget to throw around any recommendations for where the Musical History Tour should stop next.

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