Psychedelic Rock: Featuring The Blue Magoos [VIDEO]

Going to take you back to 1966, the early years of psychedelic rock and one of the main ingredients to the recipe is a band named, 'Blues Magoos.'

The Blue Magoos were the first band to use 'psychedelic' in it's title, 'Psychedelic Lollipop' (debut album), when you think about it some of their song titles might convince you, i.e., "President's Council on Psychedelic Fitness", I Can Hear the Grass Grow" and "Subliminal Sonic Laxative."

The originalmembers of the band who reign from the Bronx, New York were 'Peppy Castro' (vocalist/guitar/songwriter), Ralph Scala (vocals/keyboards), Dennis LePore (guitar), Ron Gilbert (bass) and Don Finnegan (drums).

The members LePore and Finnegan were replaced before their debut album was even released with Mike Esposito and Geoff Daking, now the band was in place and would make their names into the music record books all the way through their many glory years.

The band started to decrease in size, in fact; 'Peppy' Castro would remain the only solid figure in the band until their official split in 1970.

Every band starts with a beginning, some with a different name as in this case once known as 'The Trenchcoats' which pretty much fit the blues rock genre. Their record label at the time Mercury Records transformed the band into the first psychedelic rock band outside the San Francisco area, which was psychedelic dominant.

Sadly enough they were a one and done, their second album bombed, so what would any band do but go back to your roots which was blues rock but that didn't help much in their case as their popularity declined rapidly.

Their debut album, 'Psychedelic Lollipop' actually did very well charting at #21 on the Billboard album charts. They had two singles that charted, "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"  hit #5 and "One By One" hitting at #71. "Tobacco Road" never charted.

Original LP Track List:

1. "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"
2. "Love Seems Doomed"
3. "Tobacco Road"
4. "Queen of My Night"
5. "I'll Go Crazy"

Side 2

1. "Gotta Get Away"
2. "Sometimes I Think About"
3. "One by One"
4. "Worried Life Blues"
5. "She's Coming Home"

Blues Magoos with a rare TV performance, "(We Ain't Got ) Nothin' Yet":