The Pretty Things - "She Says Good Morning" (1967)

Not only does the masculine impulse of rock and roll manifest here clearly and strongly, but never, perhaps, was it so successfully aligned with the genre's metamorphosing predilections toward beauty.

"She Says Good Morning" on Amazon.

Pink Floyd - "The Scarecrow" (1967)

Might be the best of Barrett's early lyrics with its coherence, the cadence of the wordplay in the verses, and the sheer poetry of the single line (non-rhyming) chorus. Arrangement is very pleasant: sparse, but also very rich when the two acoustic guitars enter at the end.

"The Scarecrow" on Lala.

Blossom Toes - "When the Alarm Clock Rings" (1967)

Great arrangement carries the listener through the verses into that beautiful chorus.

"When the Alarm Clock Rings" at Anthology Recordings

Michael Angelo - "Bonjour Mr. VIP" (1977)

There is both strength and ease in the way Michael Angelo moved from style to style, keeping them all within his aesthetic. That he managed to accomplish this even with early Dylan was a great achievement!

"Bonjour Mr. VIP" at Anthology Recordings

The Beatles - "For No One" (1966)

Only six chords in the whole song, but still managing not only to mix a real sense of diatonicism with a bVII chord, but also an unusual modulation: the tonicizing of the ii chord in the chorus (returning so simply and easily to the home key by means of its dominant chord).

Brenton Wood - "I'm the One Who Knows" (1967)

Rhyming resourcefulness, everyday language creatively fitting melodies, melodies perhaps even expanding (without stretching too far) to accommodate the language. Masterful execution.

"I'm the One Who Knows" currently available on this CD.

George Harrison - "Dream Away" (1982)

Something characteristic about the melodic line and the harmonic progression but in a song style seemingly unique in his oeuvre, with real compositional economy and propulsion. If the greatest thing about this song is not the chorus, it is surely the bridge, which twice plots its way cleverly through seven lines of text. The greatest Beatle moment of this period.

"Dream Away" on Amazon.