Few decades have produced as much good music as the 1960s. And far too many bands got a bit of attention, only to more or less fade from the public eye by the time the 1970s rolled around. Such is the music industry. I think the following five lost bands of the 1960s should be lost no more, considering how incredible their music was. Let’s take a look!
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Classics IV
If you’re a diehard soft rock fan, you probably already know about songs like “Traces” and “Stormy” by Classics IV. However, I’d be bold enough to say that most modern-day fans of rock music don’t know about this band at all. And luckily, following their breakup in 1975, they got back together in 2001 and are still rockin’ today.
However, some might consider them “lost” considering that their music isn’t in rotation as often as other big names from their era. I think that’s a little unfair. This group was really something to behold.
Pentangle
Like Classics IV, this folk rock band got back together in 1981, following their breakup in 1973, and they are still together today. I would consider this group’s earliest iteration in the mid-to-late 1960s to be a “lost” band because their songs are not as well-remembered as they should be, at least in the States. “Once I Had A Sweetheart” and “Light Flight” are just a couple of amazing songs from this baroque rock outfit.
The Strawbs
Ah, The Strawbs. Consider this yet another example of an English band that came to be during the British Invasion that fell through the cracks in modern-day memory. The Strawbs, who are still together today, formed back in 1964 and had quite an early career. They began as a bluegrass outfit before moving toward prog and folk rock. They’ve released an insane amount of work throughout their career, but during the 1960s, they released just one self-titled album in 1969.
I personally think that album is one of the best prog-folk records of its time, and songs like “Oh, How She Changed” and “The Man Who Called Himself Jesus” are essential listening.
The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were one of the most underrated psych-rock outfits of the 1960s. Formed in 1964 and later disbanded in 1975, this group only scored one hit song: “Journey To The Center Of The Mind” from 1968. That song is killer, but quite a few other works from this outfit deserve more love. “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire” are just a few great hits that should have charted higher. Fun fact: Ted Nugent formed this little outfit.
Band Of Joy
Another prog outfit makes our list of lost bands from the 1960s. Band Of Joy launched back in 1966 before initially disbanding in 1968. They got back together off and on through the years before calling it quits for good in 2011. Oh, this might be worth mentioning: Band Of Joy was one of Robert Plant and John Bonham’s first bands. They went on to form a little outfit called Led Zeppelin, but you’ve probably never heard of them.
Band Of Joy was super underrated. And funnily enough, they didn’t even release a studio album in the 1960s. Rather, they were quite memorable for a series of demo recordings from that time, as well as their live performances. Out of all the entries on this list, this one is a truly lost band.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
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