“The Singer Not The Song” / “Something Happened To Me Yesterday”
by Sky Saxon and The Seeds / The Lairds
2004 7-inch single
Label: Norton [9655]
In 2004, as part of his re-emergence into the garage-psych spotlight, Sky Saxon released a version of The Rolling Stones’ "The Singer Not The Song" on a split 7-inch single on Norton Records; the flip side was “Something Happened To Me Yesterday” by The Lairds.
The Stones’ original recording of "The Singer Not The Song" came out in 1965 on their album December’s Children (And Everybody’s) and was the UK B-side of their hit “Get Off Of My Cloud”. Here, as Sky Saxon and The Seeds (though apparently, only Sky Saxon from the original 1960s Seeds is here), Sky took part in a series of vinyl singles from Norton that paired several artists doing Rolling Stones covers.
It was a good idea, and the release is really well done: in a custom paper sleeve with Norton logos and a cut-out hole to make the label visible, the record itself has a bright blue label that mimics that of London Records, the Stones’ North American label, of the mid-1960s. (In fact, "The Singer Not The Song" wasn’t released on such a label – the B-side of the US version of “Get Off Of My Cloud” was “I’m Free”.)
This Sky Saxon song is only available on this record, and to date has never been released in any other format. Copies are generally available online for anyone interested in hearing this addled, laid-back fuzz-noise take by Sky’s 2004-era Seeds of a lost Stones classic (plus The Lairds’ own stab at the Stones on the other side!).
