Still, the March 1966 release date for “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds seemed to me to be a little late; surely there are older psychedelic rock songs than this? I hunted around and found plenty of earlier garage rock songs, but not many psychedelic rock songs. There are older songs that have a spooky feel or unusual textures, such as one of my all-time favorites, “Funnel of Love” by Wanda Jackson (1961) that I have written about previously, “Sally Go ’Round the Roses” by the Jaynetts (1963), and the surf rock instrumental “Pipeline” by the Chantays (1963).
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Wanda Jackson mentioned at her concert in Bay St. Louis in 2013 that “Funnel of Love” has attracted a lot of attention recently. From Wikipedia: “In an interview with Philadelphia Weekly, Jackson recounted that it was difficult identifying ‘Funnel of Love’ with a specific musical genre, stating that its style was not like that of a typical country or rock recording: ‘It wasn’t country, it wasn’t rock, but we knew it was a good song. So we made a good record on it.’”
British soul singer Adele is one of the modern fans of Wanda Jackson and “Funnel of Love” in particular; from Wikipedia: “According to Jackson, Adele mentioned to her that if she had not heard ‘Funnel of Love’, then her 2010 single ‘Rolling in the Deep’ may have never existed. In 2010, Adele explained how Jackson’s music affected her: ‘I got addicted to this Wanda Jackson hits album’, says the singer. ‘She’s so cheeky and so raunchy. She’s kind of like the female Elvis: really sexual, not afraid to embarrass herself.’ Adele’s interest in her music led to a stint as Jackson serving as her opening act in Britain between 2011 and 2012.”
Wanda Jackson’s album Heart Trouble (2003) includes a new rendition of “Funnel of Love” and features as guest artists the Cramps, the alt-rockabilly punk rock band that often played the song in concert.
(July 2015)
