Sky Saxon died yesterday, and amidst all the other tragedies I was worried his passing might go unnoticed. But as I walked around Austin today, news of his death seemed to have affected a lot of people. My downstairs neighbor was a close friend of his near the end, and was evening trying to produce an interview between Sky and the Austin Chronicle for a three part feature (of which only a third had been finished at the time of Sky’s death). The local record store owner down the street from me (End of An Ear) opted to put Sky Saxon’s records at the front of the Psychedelic section as a small tribute to a legend. Here is the AP story:

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sky Saxon, lead singer and founder of the 1960s band the “Seeds,” who had a Top 40 hit in 1967 with “Pushin’ Too Hard,” has died after a brief illness.

Publicist Jen Marchand said Saxon died Thursday but did not have other details. He was in his 60s.

The Seeds sprang up in California, and their garage-band sound with Saxon’s distinctive vocals became a favorite of the flower power generation. Another hit single of 1967 was “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” and their song “Mr. Farmer” was included in the soundtrack for the movie “Almost Famous.”

The Mick Jagger-influenced vocals by Saxon (born Richard Marsh) dominated the sound and in turn influenced later punk rockers.

“All the bikers around San Diego thought the Seeds were apocalypse, then,” famed rock critic Lester Bangs wrote in “The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll.” “I recall one hog-ridin’ couple … who didn’t take the Seeds’ first album off their turntable for three solid months.”

Saxon had recently moved to Austin, where he played with his new band, Shapes Have Fangs.

He had been planning to perform this summer with the California ’66 Revue, a tour featuring a lineup of California bands from the 1960s.

If you have never heard The Seeds, I found one of their live albums (Raw & Alive / Rare Seeds) online, free to download. This is one of the most amazing live albums ever recorded. Please enjoy:

The Seeds - Raw & Alive / Rare Seeds (click to download)

1. Introduction by ‘Humble’ Harv (0:21)
2. Mr. Farmer (3:47)
3. No Escape (2:30)
4. Satisfy You (2:07)
5. Night Time Girl (2:32)
6. Up In Her Room (9:54)
7. Gypsy Plays His Drums (4:31)
8. Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (2:38)
9. Mumble Bumble (2:30)
10. Forest Outside Your Door (2:43)
11. 900 Million People Daily (All Making Love) (4:57)
12. Pushin’ Too Hard (3:00)
13. Daisy Mae (1:58)
14. The Other Place (2:25)
15. Lose Your Mind (2:19)
16. She’s Wrong (2:16)
17. Chocolate River (3:13)
18. Sad And Alone (2:51)
19. The Wind Blows Your Hair (2:33)
20. Satisfy You (2:05)
21. 900 Million People Daily (All Making Love) (Full Length Version) (9:43)
22. Wildblood (2:26)
23. Fallin’ Off The Edge (Of My Mind) (2:55)