Another Blast From The Past

This week on Another Blast From The Past, we take a look at some outstanding obscure cuts from the past. To the best of my knowledge, only one of these artists ever had a Top 40 hit. But, none of these songs made the cut.

The genre that became known as album rock gained in popularity in the 1970s. Many bands had a hit or two, but the bulk of their success was based on album sales, not singles. This first band was from Wales, (to my knowledge) had no hits in America, and was simply named Budgie. They had a mixed style of hard rock and jazz that could really rock the house with a live performance. One of my favorites by this virtually unknown band was a great little tune, Who Do You Want For Your Love:



Next up is a Scottish group that had a distinct sound all of their own, at that time. To hear them now, the listener may be tempted to believe that the sound is best described as "AC/DC meets jazz". The guy can't sing that well, but the music wasn't too bad. The group is The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and my favorite by them is a tune that I think some of you will like, Give My Compliments To The Chef:



Frank Zappa was quite a unique character that really was a genius, when it came to music. His only entrance into the Top 40 was a song that sparked a pop culture trend, Valley Girl, and featured his daughter Moon Unit. But that didn't mean his album sales suffered any, it was just, most of his songs were not suited for Top 40 radio. Either the lyrics weren't appropriate or the songs were too long.

I didn't care for all of his work, but one tune was the title cut of one his better selling albums, and was a unique mixture of styles that blended in such a way that you could not help but give it a chance. It was a song about a teenage garage rock band that knew only one song and became delusional enough to think they could make it big. If you have never heard it (or even if you have), give this a listen. It's called, Joe's Garage:



Another Zappa tune that does it for me, was a song about a man that wanted to get back to nature and raise an unusual crop, out west. For those of you that were entrenched in the sub-culture, you can be rest assured that it was not cannabis or peyote, but an everyday item that many still use today. The song is called, Montana:



Enjoy.