Psychedelic Jukebox: [1967] Superfine Dandelion - The Other Sidewalk

 

When one first encounters “The Other Sidewalk” on The Superfine Dandelion’s sole eponymous LP, released by Mainstream Records in late 1967 (recorded in Phoenix, Arizona by vocalist‑guitarist Mike McFadden, lead guitarist and pianist Ed Black, bassist Rick Anderson, and drummer Mike Collins), there is an immediate emotional weight that sets this track apart from the album’s more jocular jug‑band or country‑rock moments. While songs such as “It’s Raining” feature stereo kazoos and whimsical countrified touches, “The Other Sidewalk” emerges in stark contrast: it opens with minor‑key chords, held in contemplative resonance, and the performance carries a voice that feels observant and reserved, as though the singer stands at society’s periphery, speaking softly but insistently.

Lyrically, the song creates a world of emotional detachment. Lines like “why must I look on the ground, always scared of looking ’round,” and “not much need for society—they don’t seem to care for me,” articulate a self‑imposed isolation, a speaker uneasy within communal life. The refrain “who stops to think about the one on the other sidewalk?” becomes a quiet invocation of empathy and awareness. The emotional architecture is minimalist. There is no flamboyant sitar, no phasing effects, no harmonic layering à la Jefferson Airplane; instead each chord change, each pause between words, carries meaning. The voice conveys gentle urgency without pleading—a recognition rather than a proclamation.

This emotional stance becomes clearer when reading about the band’s origins. McFadden and Black had previously played in The Mile Ends, a Phoenix garage band active around 1966 that shared bills with The Doors and adopted a British R&B‑inspired repertoire. Their transformation into The Superfine Dandelion led to a major shift by 1967: they recorded for Mainstream, blending folk‑psych, pop, and occasional country‑swing. In retrospectives, music historian Richie Unterberger described the band as blending “sub‑Jefferson Airplane folk‑psych‑rock with plentiful minor chords, harmonies, and wistful lyrics,” contrasting sharply with the more carefree Lovin’ Spoonful and Buffalo Springfield‑tinged tracks on the LP.

The band’s chart impact was negligible—The Superfine Dandelion failed to break regionally beyond Arizona and was considered by many critics as “second‑ to third‑division West Coast” psych-pop overly influenced by tropes—but “The Other Sidewalk” quietly earned a measure of esteem among connoisseurs of subtle songcraft. “The Other Sidewalk” appeared later on curated compilations such as The Lost Generation, Vol. 2 and Psychedelic Moods – Part Two alongside “Ferris Wheel".

In early December 2023, Sundazed Music issued a reissue of the album, remastered in stereo by Kevin Gray from the original Mainstream masters and pressed on a limited blue with yellow splatter vinyl edition (limited to 100 copies). This version, included both the standard album and a bonus extended 6:39 version of “The Other Sidewalk”, offering listeners a deeper immersion into the track’s mellow yet insistent tones.

Despite the band’s dissolution by 1968, the tracks they left behind have aged with a particular resonance. Rick Anderson went on to co‑found The Tubes; Ed Black and Mike McFadden collaborated later with Linda Ronstadt and played in Goose Creek Symphony. Their post‑band careers suggest that in less than two years of activity, the Superfine Dandelion had laid groundwork for more significant contributions within the American roots‑rock scenes.

You might also like the song [1967] Fapardokly - Gone To Pot No Retreat.

Sources:

1. https://music.apple.com/us/artist/superfine-dandelion/27463643
2. https://letras.top/t/the-superfine-dandelion/letra-de-the-other-sidewalk-the-superfine-dandelion/
3. https://sonichits.com/artist/The_Superfine_Dandelion
4. https://sundazedmusic.bandcamp.com/track/the-other-sidewalk
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Superfine_Dandelion
6. https://propermusic.com/products/thesuperfinedandelion-thesuperfinedandelion
7. https://www.hhv.de/shop/de/records/artikel/the-superfine-dandelion-the-superfine-dandelion-blue-vinyl-edition-1079596
8. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/the-superfine-dandelion-6416021