You know him as one half of hippie duo Brewer and Shipley, i.e. as the "One Toke Over the Line" guy...
...hey, I bet he absolutely loved the Welk version!!!
But, more to the point of this blog's mission statement, to me, he will always be the ultra-cool pop/garage punk/psych dude who co-wrote (t's credited to his partner, but both he and Shipley were actually responsible) one of the truly great lost singles of the Sixities.
So please enjoy LA hepsters The Poor and their Brewer-and-Shipley penned 1967 regional hit "She's Got the Time (She's Got the Changes)."
The Poor -- whose bass player was Randy Meisner. who later found fame and fortune in both Poco and The Eagles -- had seemingly everything going for them, including being managed by the same Greene/Stone team who handled the Buffalo Springfield, but alas it was not to be. I can, however, verify that the above received significant airplay; in fact, I actually bought the 45 version at Sam Goody's (at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus New Jersey) after hearing it several times on Top 40 powerhouse WMCA-AM in New York City.
Speaking of which, along with the news of Brewer's passing, I also learned last week that the next to last Sam Goody store in the nation is about to close. Talk about the end of an era.
I should also add that the above Poor single featured prominently on a fabulous mix-tape playlist I compiled back in the 'aughts, appropriately entitled Great Lost Singles of the '60s. Which I have burned to CD and gifted to various friends over the years.
Hmm...I should probably post more of those songs. Maybe next week.
In the meantime, farewell Mike Brewer; here's hoping you're now residing happily in the great train station in the sky. With a heaping bag of free cannabis gummies from the smoke shop nearby.
5 comments:
Steve - Brewer & Shipley's own version of "She's Got The Time (She's Got The Changes)" is available on their DOWN IN L.A. album, which they recorded for the A&M label a few years before they hit paydirt with the "One Toke..." single. The album was reissued on CD in the 2000s by very hip U.K. reissue label Now Sounds and is definitely worth checking out.
Sad news about the Sam Goody chain but vinyl still lives on in many independent stores across the U.S.A. and Canada.
I have a sentimental fondness for Sam Goody, having wiled away many pleasant hours there in my long-ago youth.
And thanks for the tip on the Brewer and Shipley version of the song. Gonna go check it out right now....
I recall Casey Kasem tying himself into knots explaining what the song meant. In his estimation a "toke" was short for "token," and why not, they're sitting in the railway station after all.
I always liked "Tarkio Road" as well, both produced by the recently passed and (nearly forgotten) Nick Gravenites.
The career of The Poor was overseen by the notorious Charles Greene and Brian Stone. Look them up sometime for some true record biz shenanigans.
Bob in IL
I saw B&S in St. Louis around the time the Tarkio Road LP came out. They opened, just the two of them, for Sha Na Na believe it or not, and held their own. And yes, Green and Stone weren't the best managers for anybody, including the Buffalos.
It's been five, maybe ten, years since I've shopped there, but I used to go to that very store (and its predecessor, The Listening Post) all the time in my youth.
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