Remember those fabulous sixties?

Here's another personal burn. I used it as road music last week, and have been playing it at work today. The music is all from the psychedelic era, although not all of it is pure psychedelia (whatever that is). It's a great set to sing along with, and evokes plenty of memories, some of them actually true.

Here's the annotated set, with my notes in an appropriate shade of purple haze:

1. One Toke Over the Line (Brewer and Shipley) - no, not Seals & Crofts. People got them confused back then. Still do, I'll bet.
2. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Dylan) - the pump still don't work. Dylan's non-stop spiel lies somewhere between talking blues and rap. You wouldn't think someone else would try and sing this one, but Tim O'Brien does a nice version on his first-rate set of bluegrass/country-style Dylan covers, Red on Blonde. This track is the original, though.
3. Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) - Close your eyes girl, look inside girl, let the sound take you away. And just what's powering that carpet, hmmm?
4. Only You Know and I Know (Delaney & Bonnie) - I saw them at the Fillmore East when they were touring with Eric Clapton. After every number, at least 100 people yelled "Play Crossroads!". Great show overall - and the opening act was Seals & Crofts (no, not Brewer & Shipley).
5. Ride Captain Ride (The Blues Image) - On your way to a world that others might have missed.
6. Incense Peppermints (Strawberry Alarm Clock) - poppy psychedelia that holds up pretty well. One of the funny things about this track is that it was their top-charting release and the lead singer wasn't even a member of the band - just a singer who happened to be in the studio when they cut it. Who cares what songs we choose - little to win, and nothing to lose.
7. Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf) - I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder. The real theme track of Easyrider and a genuine anthem of the times. Love that galloping drum riff.
8. Season of the Witch (Donovan) - yes, wimpy old Donovan recorded two great tracks around this time: this one and "The Fat Angel". Al Kooper and Steve Sills did a great cover version on Supersession.
9. Crossroads (Cream) - "Play Crossroads!" A thousand lighters wave in the air. Bet you never knew three people could make so much music. Sometimes I can't help but wonder what Robert Johnson would think - maybe he'd decide that Clapton had sold his soul to the Devil.
10. Whipping Post (Allman Brothers) - "Sometimes I feel like I've been tied to the whippin' post". I know just where you're coming from.
11. Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix) - Could he be a lyric bard? He could be anything, even a merman. A great loss to music.
12. Black Dog (Led Zeppelin) - Zep takes the blues apart and puts it back together again as something of their own. Plant goes orgasmic, Page uses a stiletto as a pick, Bonham and Jones provide a bottom you could build a skyscraper on.
13. Green Tambourine (The Lemon Pipers) - and then there's this pretty piece of phony poppy shlock, definitely of its time. Note particularly the lame use of echo and reverb coupled with a cheap synth pretending to be a sitar. Groovy.
14. Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys) - it's another perfect day in LA -time to drop some acid and hit the beach. She's givin' me excitations. Is there such a thing as a pop masterpiece? Yup.
15. Ruby Tuesday (Rotary Connection) - Pope Gregory, I've set up your meeting with the Glimmer Twins. Make sure you bring along the chanting monks and your theremin. A group that should have been better known. The eponymous album is a study in the conventions of psychedelic music. It's also a hoot and a half.
16. A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procul Harem) - for that slow dance moment at the Love-In when you want to skip the light fandango with the one you love. Or ones. Hey, it was the sixties, man.
17. Time of the Seasons (The Zombies) - another underrated group. What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?
18. Timothy Leary (Moody Blues) - This track is best heard through headphones. BTW, in case you're wondering, Timothy Leary's still dead, even if he's outside looking in.
19. Time Has Come Today (Chambers Brothers) - Definitely the best use of a metronome in a rock song, as well as being the source of this burn's title ("...and my soul has been psychedelicized!").

This set should be played with the amp set to 11 because 10 just won't do. And while you're listening/dancing/singing along/playing air guitar/tie-dying the cat, this would be a good chance to use up any patchouli incense you may have lying around.