Stand By Me... Lennon style

In 1975 John Lennon scored a top twenty hit with a remake of a classic Ben E. King song, "Stand By Me".  John's version was much closer to rock than R & B, but nonetheless was recognized as an instant classic.  It turned out to be John's last hit for five years.  I'm not sure what the reason is for this song becoming a forgotten oldie, another rock mystery.
A great video of the song is here.

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

One of my favorite Animals' songs, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was originally written for Nina Simone and was a minor jazz hit in 1964.  But in 1965, the Animals reworked it and scored a smash hit around the world, #3 UK, #4 Canada and #15 USA.  Rolling Stone magazine ranks it at #322 of the 500 greatest rock songs of all time, yet today we rarely hear the song.

Buckinghams

The Buckinghams were a U.S. band that scored many hits in 1966 and 1967, but faltered due to poor management and never recovered.  They were the originators of what they called "Brass Rock", combining horns with traditional Rock and Roll instruments.  Their producer later used the Brass Rock formula successfully with Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago.   Today I listened to an oldie in the studio, 1968's "Back In Love Again", the last Buckinghams last hit on the Hot 100.  It definitely qualifies as a forgotten oldie.
Watch a recent performance here

Darlin' Be Home Soon

In 1967 The Lovin' Spoonful scored a #15 hit with "Darlin' Be Home Soon" from the soundtrack of the movie "You're A Big Boy Now".  A song written by John Sebastian about a musician on the road wishing he was home, the song has been covered by many artists, notably Joe Cocker and The Association.  It was also one of the five songs Sebastian performed at Woodstock.  A very good song, today it is very much a forgotten oldie.
watch here

Season of the Witxh

The song "Season of the Witch" was released in 1967 on Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" album.  It was never released as a single, although it was so popular with fans that Donovan played it in concert more than he played his hits.  The song was so popular with DJ's that they played it on the radio as much as Donovan's hits.  And the song has been covered by dozens of other artists.  With tasty lead guitar licks from Jimmy Page, there's no doubt the song deserves forgotten oldie status... and airplay.
listen here

Little Latin Lupe Lu

The song "Little Latin Lupe Lu" was written by Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers and the first hit for the duo in 1963.  Even though it only hit #49 on the hot 100, it's one of those songs that everybody knows.  It's been a hit for other bands like The Chancellors in 1965, the Kingsmen in 1964 and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels in 1966, plus Bruce Springsteen performed it in concert for many years.  Plus most local bands performed the song throughout the 60's.  Today, it's a forgotten oldie, but everyone hears it and goes "oh yeah".
listen here

R.I.P. George Martin

As a tribute to George Martin, the amazing Beatle producer who passed away yesterday at the age of 90, today's forgotten oldie is "Yesterday".  Frankly, there are dozens of Beatle songs that George Martin guided but what song stands out more than Yesterday.  When the Beatles wanted to record the song with just Paul accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, George Martin suggested backup by a string quartet.  The rest is history, the most recorded song ever with over 2200 covers, grammy hall of fame, and #1 in the world.  Many other songs deserve praise for George Martin, but Yesterday is very fitting... RIP George Martin.

(I Know) I'm Losing You

The song "(I Know) I'm Losing You" was a big hit for the Temptations in 1966, #8 on the hot 100.  It was also a big hit for Rod Stewart and The Faces in 1971, climbing to #24 on the Hot 100.  BUT, the third version of the song done by Rare Earth in 1970 was the biggest, climbing to #7 on the chart.  For some reason, the version that sold the most copies is also the most forgotten version today...
listen here

48 Years Ago

March 2, 1968... to some folks the date doesn't mean much to the lovers of rock and roll.  But to the folks that love their metal, the date stands tall because that's the day Blue Cheer released their smash hit "Summertime Blues".  The song is credited by many as the first heavy metal song, a pioneer.  The song peaked at #14 on the hot 100, but today it's a forgotten oldie.