Psychedelic Jukebox: [1966] Blues Magoos - Gotta Get Away

The song “Gotta Get Away” was released in 1966 as the B-side of the successful single “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” by the New York band Blues Magoos. While the A-side reached No. 5 on the US charts, “Gotta Get Away” remained an insider tip – but one with real substance.

Originally released by Mercury Records, the track was written by songwriters Ritchie Adams and Alan Gordon, who also penned hits for The Turtles, among others. The song also appears on the debut album “Psychedelic Lollipop”, released in November 1966 – one of the very first albums to feature the word “psychedelic” in its title.

Musically, “Gotta Get Away” comes across as much harder and rawer than the organ-driven psychedelic hit on the A-side. Driving guitar riffs, stripped-down vocals, and an uncompromising beat make it a textbook example of mid-’60s garage rock – with proto-punk elements that were ahead of their time. Mastered in mono, the track also sounds distinctly different from the stereo album version: more direct, drier, and more compact.