Ignored Obscured Restored
Today’s SotW features two psychedelic classics.
“Pictures of Matchstick Men” was a hit by the British band Status Quo in 1968.
It reached #12 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also included in the compilation album Nuggets, Vol. 2: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire & Beyond.
Next is “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Vanilla Fudge. (That’s a great ‘60s psych band name, isn’t it!)
The song was originally released by The Supremes and was a big Motown hit. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vanilla Fudge’s slowed-down, plaintive version — produced by “Shadow” Morton — unexpectedly made it to #6 in 1967.
Now is it just me, or do these two tracks sound eerily alike?
Enjoy… until next week.
This time, I’m afraid it’s just you. “Matchstick” is precise and concise, and still a delight to hear. I had the distinct displeasure of enduring Vanilla Fudge live at the time of their first album; they were pompous, overbearing, and beyond self-indulgent. To my ears, so are their records.