William Tyler tells us about his favorite “Covert Psychedelic Voyages” (Chubby Checker, David Allen Coe, more)

“I have definitely lapsed in my passion and discipline for crate digging, but I haven’t ever lost my OCD fandom for psychedelic music of all varieties—the weirder and more awkward the better,” says William Tyler whose new album Time Indefinite is its own beautiful trip. He’s talking about a list he made for us of his favorite “covert psychedelic voyages.” He continues: “Sure, we’ve got our private press and outsider heroes that have been rescued from the chasm of time by scholars such as Paul Major and (my old LA roommate) Douglas McGowan. But what about the already established artists who decided to ‘go groovy’ even if just for a record or a single? Thankfully for us, the consumer, some of these arty-facts are a little easier to excavate.”

William’s list includes songs from Chubby Checker, David Allen Coe, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bo Diddley, The Rolling Stones and more. Check out his list and commentary — and listen to Time Indefinite — below.

Time Indefinite by William Tyler

William Tyler’s Favorite Covert Psychedelic Voyages

Chubby Checker – “My Mind”
This is off the incredible psych one-off album Chequered by the man who only a few years before had begged us to do the Twist. The album sounds like Chubby trying his best to channel Jimi Hendrix vibes and, TBH, it works damn well—it just didn’t really find an audience at the time.

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Joe South – “A Million Miles Away”
The Deep South’s version of Phil Spector, South had numerous hits both as a vocalist and as a producer—including “Games People Play,” “Hush,” “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home,” and “Down in the Boondocks.” This strange psych instrumental appears about halfway through South’s album Don’t It Make You Wanna Go Home. It shuffles along with a sloppy southern funk groove while the ‘vocal’ consists of South drunkenly attempting to directly call the White House and speak to Nixon. Southern musique concrète at its finest.

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David Allen Coe – Requiem for a Harlequin
A few years and beers before Coe became one of the most infamous of country outlaw singers and songwriters, he unleashed this incredibly desolate slice of downer psych with beat-style spoken word. Pretty impossible to find an original of this one, even in Nashville (trust me, I’ve tried).

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Del Shannon – “Gemini”
In the late sixties, everyone was trying to get in on the Curt Boettcher / Brian Wilson school of orchestral psych pop, and the man who made “Runaway” a standard was one of them. This is from his (lone?) foray into the acid playground, the crucial album The Further Adventures of Charles Westover.

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Bo Diddley – “Funky Fly”
The man who invented one of the most imitated rhythms in rock history—and who was no stranger to whimsy and the bizarre—did his own foray into heavy(ish) psych with the album The Black Gladiator. Kind of in the same universe as Muddy Waters’ Electric Mud, but Bo seems to walk this weirdo line a little more comfortably.

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Buffy Sainte-Marie – “Poppies”
Buffy’s album Illuminations is one of the true holy grails of an artist pushing themselves into the outer reaches. While well-established as a folk icon, this record finds her indulging in wild musique concrète-esque experiments and avant-garde vocal meanderings, such as this final track “Poppies.”

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The Rolling Stones – “Sing This All Together (See What Happens)”
Ya can’t say these dudes didn’t at least TRY to get lost in the acid wonderland of Sgt. Pepper and Pink Floyd. Sure, it only lasted one perfect album—Their Satanic Majesties Request—but the end result is often more like some strange Euro-tribal psych relic that would be found on the Nurse With Wound list. This track is an 8-minute exercise in joyous, indulgent bedlam.

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Friendsound – “Joy Ride”
What happens when you get a handful of ex-band members from Paul Revere and the Raiders together in a studio with major label backing and they do a one-off take on the Mothers of Invention? THIS amazing record, which actually did end up on the Nurse With Wound List. Don’t think too hard—because obviously these dudes weren’t when they recorded this album.

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Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Rude Awakening #2”
Sure, you might not give too much credit to Fogerty and the boys for being able to psych out with the best of ‘em, but on this closing instrumental from the Pendulum album, they sure do give it a go. Kinda some Anthem of the Sun vibes meets Court of the Crimson King, but with just enough of that ‘authentic’ Cajun-by-way-of-Nor-Cal swagger to keep it a lil sloppy.

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William Tyler is on tour in May including shows at Tubby’s Kingston on May 7 and Brooklyn’s National Sawdust on May 13.

William Tyler – 2025 Tour Dates
Wed. May, 7 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
Thu. May 8 – Keene, NH @ Nova Arts
Fri. May 9 – Arundel, ME @ Vinegar Hill Music Theatre
Sat. May 10 – Somerville , MA @ Warehouse XI
Sun. May 11 – Fairfield, CT @ Stage One
Tue. May 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust
Wed. May 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Thu. May 15 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Fri. May 16 – Roanoke, VA @ The Spot on Kirk
Sat. May 17 – Chattanooga, TN @ Cherry Street Tavern
Sun. May 18 – Atlanta, GA @ The Garden Club
Wed. June 4 – London UK @ ICA