Love Those Forgotten Songs

The 5th Dimension are known for a few blockbuster hits, such as "Up, Up and Away" (1967) and Aquarius (1969). But what about Carpet Man from 1968? I just heard it today, and I don't think I can even remember it!

It's a Jimmy Webb composition, like Up, Up and Away, so it has a good pedigree, but just didn't spark the popular imagination.

What about Tomorrow by the Strawberry Alarm Clock--known for their Incense and Peppermints smash? That's a favorite of mine that you hardly ever hear. After wading through the Stones' Satisfaction you can hear "Dandelion" once in a while, with the Beatles singing backup.

That's the main incentive for lingering on SiriusXM Channel 6--the Sixties oldies channel.

It's Wonderful ('67)

Funny how a certain song can stop you in your tracks. I sometimes (perhaps too often) find myself lingering on the 60's channel on Sirius XM Radio. They love to play the big hits of the day, like "Satisfaction" by the Stones or "Stop in the Name of Love" by the Supremes--great songs, but suffering from overexposure.

Then, up comes "It's Wonderful" by the Rascals (note: you have to wait for it on the YouTube video). The psychedelic musings, four/four keyboard rhythms and odd marching outro are so much a part of that surprisingly short period from 1966 to early 1968 in which acid-themed odd (and long) songs suddenly appeared (and quickly disappeared). They play the Rascals' "Groovin'" all the time, but you rarely hear "It's Wonderful." It's a favorite--along with Tomorrow by the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Yeah, they play that band's "Incense and Peppermints" all the time, but not "Tomorrow."

It's for those little chestnuts that I wait through yet another Four Seasons or Gary Puckett and the Union Gap tune.