# Musical artists that were weird, extreme, or ahead-of-their-time in the 1960s/early 1970s. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895 "2015-09-29T00:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/1 "2015-09-29T00:03:04Z")
I love me some rock music from the 1960s and early 1970s. Beatles, Stones, The Who, Doors, Beach Boys. It’s all good. But it was still “formula,” more-or-less. Were there any rock musical artists that were way ahead of their time during this era? Way… “out there,” so to speak? Very different/original? **Zappa/MoI** comes to mind, I suppose. And **Beefheart**. I think **Author Brown’s** [Fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOErZuzZpS8) was pretty groundbreaking. And perhaps **Blue Cheer’s** version of [Summertime Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5uDozoSSM). And some of the stuff made by **The Velvet Underground** was pretty hardcore. The [first album by The Residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_The_Residents) (1974) was _ **really** _ different, though it would have been even more eye-opening had it been released in the 1960s. Anything else? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/2 "2015-09-29T00:17:52Z")
You mean like Moondog and eden ahbez? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/3 "2015-09-29T00:26:21Z")
I recommend you try and find copies of 2 serial garage band compilations: Nuggets (which is pretty well-known) and Pebbles (which is damned hard to find, but I happen to own them all). Also, a comp out of Italy called _Turds On A Bum Ride_. Those are prolly my 3 favorite garage band comps; I’d have to make videos for any songs on them tho, I’d bet. Lots of weirdness, a lot it sounding far ahead of it’s time. But aside from that, I’ll offer up Sky Saxon’s band, The Seeds: [Pushin’ Too Hard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNZwCNSSWlI) and [Up In Her Room](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=texKJUVB7KY), both from 1966. The Sonics were ground- and eardrum-breaking back in 1965-66. I just saw them earlier this year in support of their new album and they still totally fucking rocked; here’s their first big hit, [The Witch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVWAE6n_G4Q) (1965). I can post more (lots more; '60s garage rock is one of my main things) but I’ll let others chime in. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/4 "2015-09-29T00:37:15Z")
I love the Sonics - Have Love, Will Travel!!! How about **The Monks** - [Black Monk Time - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monk_Time) Their album Black Monk Time is considered great proto-punk And you can’t forget **Death** - the proto-punk African American band from Detroit. I wrong a column on them in the SDMB newsletter, Teemings, a few years ago. Early 70’s and way ahead of their time. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/5 "2015-09-29T01:24:23Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I love the Sonics - Have Love, Will Travel!!! > > How about **The Monks** - [Black Monk Time - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monk_Time) > > Their album Black Monk Time is considered great proto-punk > > And you can’t forget **Death** - the proto-punk African American band from Detroit. I wrong a column on them in the SDMB newsletter, Teemings, a few years ago. Early 70’s and way ahead of their time. Monks rock! Hard to count Death tho, since their album was recorded in 1975 but not actually released until 2009. For sure, it’s totally fucking rocks, but still, hard to count it for the purposes of the OP. Your column was fantastic, too, btw. As penance for raining on the Death parade, I’ll submit another one of my favorites, a band little known outside their native Sweden unless you’re a garage rock freak like me, but hugely influential and waaaaaay ahead of their time: [Lea Riders Group - Dom Kallar Oss Mods](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4sdlKfLkKQ) from 1968 (the title translates as “They Call Us Misfits”, btw). ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/6 "2015-09-29T02:02:39Z")
Do a google search for MSR, Song poems, or Rodd Keith It’s the songs people used to send their lyrics in for. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/7 "2015-09-29T02:29:36Z")
Can I mention Orlando Julius? This guy was recording groundbreaking Afro-jazz-rock fusion back in the mid '60s in his home country of Nigeria. [Orlando Julius & the Afro Sounders - Yio Si Da Milike Beat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwSRdvo3pq0) is from 1972, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/8 "2015-09-29T03:00:12Z")
[Gil Scott-Heron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Scott-Heron) – [proto-hip hop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaoXAwl9kw) The Soft Machine was doing some incredible jazz-rock numbers in the late 60s and early 70s. Their album _[Third](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_(Soft_Machine_album))_ is a landmark. Robert Wyatt of the Softs was also very good in his solo career, with his _[Rock Bottom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Bottom_(album))_ adventuresome and highly regarded. Speaking of very different, there’s [Wild Man Fischer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHqR1Rql5r8). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/9 "2015-09-29T03:15:09Z")
Bruce Haack was a true prodigy and an electrical wizard, too. He designed and built many unique electronic instruments and recorded _The Electric Lucifer_ in 1970. When it was released, it was really unlike anything else that had ever been heard. Oh sure, Esquivel and Jean-Jacques Perrey had used wacky electronic sounds, but Haack went further and created a whole album of frightening futuristic bad acid trip songs. I’ll just brag a little here and mention that I own this album on vinyl; bought it new and it’s been played just once. When they finally released it on CD, I bought a copy which now sits next to the one I made from the LP. [Bruce Haack - Electric To Me Turn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7BCyF3xiY0) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/10 "2015-09-29T03:32:32Z")
Hell yes, the Sonics and the Monks are rock gods. My go-to answer for this kind of question is Can. I’ll offer [Turtles Have Short Legs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxGaC4wzt50) and [You Doo Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMFm9touZ8) (warning, 20 minutes long, but worth every minute). I honestly thought they were from the present (90’s) the first few times I heard them. They still sound pretty fresh to me. Another one who was pretty ahead of their time was The Red Crayola/Krayola. Their album _The Parable of Arable_ land is a proto noise-rock extravaganza. The Familiar Ugly (a herd of folks armed with industrial tools, motorcycles, etc.) get to have a “Free-Form Freak Out” between songs. It sounds a lot more of its time than Can does, but it’s following it’s own formula. [Hurricane Fighter Plane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suKt2puIecY) is probably their closest thing to a hit, but I love every bit of that record. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/11 "2015-09-29T03:45:20Z")
The Residents. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/12 "2015-09-29T03:57:09Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > The Residents. The OP. They were mentioned in the OP, **Gato**. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/13 "2015-09-29T09:41:30Z")
I’ll second **Can** , and recommend my other favourite kosmische musik band, [NEU!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neu!) [Hallogallo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXYMOgHQI4) (1972) by NEU!, simply one of the greatest pieces of rock music ever created. Though its genius may take a bit of exposure to become apparent. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/14 "2015-09-29T10:34:27Z")
Excellent contributions. 🙂 Will be tied up listening to youtube over the next hour… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/15 "2015-09-29T10:37:39Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I’ll second **Can** , and recommend my other favourite kosmische musik band, [NEU!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neu!) > > [Hallogallo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXYMOgHQI4) (1972) by NEU!, simply one of the greatest pieces of rock music ever created. Though its genius may take a bit of exposure to become apparent. I’ll back both Can and NEU! as awesome and ahead of their time; Motorik for the win! I know **RealityChuck** mentioned Soft Machine, can I mention Gong? Daevid Allen left Soft Machine, apparently for two reasons: 1) because they weren’t weird enough and 2) because he was denied a re-entry visa to the UK (Allen was born in Australia). After some travels and tribulations, he ended up in Majorca where he recorded the first Gong record. I can’t even count how many hours I’ve spent on Planet Gong listening to the Radio Gnomes and Pot-head Pixies and the stories of Zero the Hero, the Flying Teapot, the Octave Doctors, etc. I saw him once, in Denver; the show was brilliant. He’s also part of the reason that I own a Steinberger guitar and bass. [Gong - I Never Glid Before](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiy5K81qvbg) (1973) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/16 "2015-09-29T12:03:03Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Another one who was pretty ahead of their time was The Red Crayola/Krayola.[…] [Hurricane Fighter Plane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suKt2puIecY) is probably their closest thing to a hit, but I love every bit of that record. Huh. Near 30 years of listening to Alien Sex Fiend and I had no idea that was a cover. > [@Shakester](#): > > I’ll second **Can** , and recommend my other favourite kosmische musik band, [NEU!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neu!) Faust for the trifecta… ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/17 "2015-09-29T12:33:52Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > …Another one who was pretty ahead of their time was The Red Crayola/Krayola. Their album _The Parable of Arable_ land is a proto noise-rock extravaganza. The Familiar Ugly (a herd of folks armed with industrial tools, motorcycles, etc.) get to have a “Free-Form Freak Out” between songs. It sounds a lot more of its time than Can does, but it’s following it’s own formula. [Hurricane Fighter Plane](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suKt2puIecY) is probably their closest thing to a hit, but I love every bit of that record. The Red Krayola were a Houston group & first recorded on International Artists. They continued in various guises; [I must quote Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Krayola): > [@](#): > > Reviewing the band has produced conflicted results - in an extremely positive review from Pitchfork Media, critic Alex Lindhardt wrote “It’s a band that has no idea how to play its instruments. In fact, they don’t even know what instruments are, or if the guitarist has the ability to remain conscious long enough to play whatever it is a ‘note’ might be.” He added, “This is a band that was paid ten dollars to stop a performance in Berkeley. If Berkeley’s not having it, you know you’re in for rough sledding.” IA label mates 13th Floor Elevators’ hard rocking “You’re Gonna Miss Me” appeared on the \*Nuggets \*collection–but Rocky had that song from a previous band. Later, the psychedelia of Tommy Hall got pretty deep. (Alas–along with his insufferable electric jug.) Fort Worth’s T-Bone Burnett played drums on["Paralyzed" by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EEZAivzl1Q). Which actually got some local airplay. Then he was part of [Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit & Greenhill,](http://therisingstorm.net/whistler-chaucer-detroit-and-greenhill-the-unwritten-works-of-geoffrey-etc/) whose _Unwritten Works of Geoffrey, etc_. wasn’t all that weird–pretty good eclectic counry/folk rock. But damn obscure & rare. Houston folkie John Carrick (co-owner with his mother of Sand Mountain Coffee House) lent his distinctive voice–but he quit & the cover lacks his picture. Photographer Guy Clark _is_ on the cover but he didn’t play on the album–he hadn’t yet met up with Townes… Beyond Texas, LA’s [Kaleidoscope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaleidoscope_(U.S._band)) were an eclectic group playing multiethnic music; David Lindley went on to fame as a sideman, solo artist, etc. [The United States of America](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0tgPs6S_pE) were smart & arty & bright. [Pearls Before Swine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wPIsXO9utw) were haunting & unique… (Yes, I _do_ have a pretty good record collection.) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/18 "2015-09-29T16:16:13Z")
I found Roky Ericksons LP “Gremlins have pictures” to be really great. I can’t vouch for the rest of the catalogue, but he is the definition of this OP. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/19 "2015-09-29T17:06:44Z")
[The Shaggs?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPsXPCR5MU) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895/20 "2015-09-29T18:25:20Z")
There were certainly a lot of musical artists who were doing some pretty strange stuff around 1969-1970. Examples are Van der Graaf Generator, the Edgar Broughton Band, Amon Duul/Amon Duul II, the Bonzo Dog Band, and of course King Crimson (even if you consider their first two albums “formula”, 1971’s _Lizard_ was quirky in the extreme). Henry Cow were around at the time as well, but didn’t put out an LP until '73. Going back a few years, some of the odder artists include the Fugs (sleaze-folk-jazz-poetry-garage), the Holy Modal Rounders (shambolic psych-folk), and the 13th Floor Elevators (Texas garage psych). And of course, a lot of artists who may be more well known for more accessible music put out some very strange albums in the late 60s… like Jefferson Airplane’s _After Bathing at Baxter’s,_ John & Yoko’s _Wedding Album_ and _Life with the Lions_, and the weird music-hall-like stuff Bowie was doing in 1966-67. And Pink Floyd’s “arty” period included some odd ones such as _Ummagumma_ and _Atom Heart Mother._ The Incredible String Band’s early LPs include some ahead-of-their-time, quite idiosyncratic stuff, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, which eventually became T. Rex, started out as an Incredible String Band-inspired psych-folk-pop duo also. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-artists-that-were-weird-extreme-or-ahead-of-their-time-in-the-1960s-early-1970s/732895.md?page=2)