Category Archives: Capitol

Categories: Capitol, Detroit, Michigan, Orchard Lake

The Shaggs of Orchard Lake, Michigan, “Mean Woman Blues” / “She Makes Me Happy”

May 2, 2024 R.D. Francis Leave a comment

The Shaggs: Bottom Left/Clockwise: Jim Gilliam/bass; Stan Burger (glasses)/drums; Perry Rouse/guitar and lead vocals, bottom center; Roy Rouse, guitar and lead vocals; Doug Preston/lead guitar, right corner

In March 2024—ironically, on the 50th anniversary of the release of the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort—we received an email from drummer Stan Burger, in response to our March 2023 posting regarding his band, the Revolvers, and their connection to that infamous “Jim Morrison solo album” from 1974.

Stan tells us that, prior to their joint tenure in the Revolvers, he and guitarist Don Hales, along with guitarist John McDaniel, formed the 3 Deuces.

“We were just these kids forming our first band. Don lived a few houses down from me, while John lived past Don and was friends with him. Our sets were all covers, featuring stuff from the Byrds and the Hollies. We did ‘Eight Miles High,’ which sounded great because Don played a 12-string and we were great at harmonies. We played at places like the White Oaks Inn. A few school dances, too.

The 3 Deuces, Left to Right: John McDaniel (vocals), Stan Burger, and Don Hales.

“I wasn’t in the Revolvers that long, so I don’t remember much, I’m sorry to say. I knew Ted [Pearson] from Oxford High School. I didn’t know Harold [Beardsley] and met him through Ted and they knew Don through me. Ted was always the tallest guy in the room and was on the school’s baseball team.

“I know that Limberlost flyer for the Revolvers show you posted [November 04, 1967] says the band was releasing a ‘new single,’ but I don’t recall us ever recording or doing original material. We did a lot of covers. Ted particularly loved Cream and we did a lot of Doors tunes. I believe I was in the Shaggs at that point [their earliest documented show was in November 1967]. So maybe they kept going and did something with another drummer.

“The Revolvers played The Limberlost a lot, as it was a popular teen hangout in the day. We went to [the] Mount Christie [ski resort] in Oxford quite a few times and The Roostertail [for their “Upper Deck” and “Saturday Night at” all-ages events]. I had no idea of Ted’s career accomplishments with the [Capitol] album, and after that [Pendragon] until seeing your article on the Revolvers.”

While most Detroit garage bands disappeared without recording a long-forgotten single, Stan Burger was fortunate enough to have his drumming last via overseas-bootleg compact disc compilations dedicated to ’60s U.S teen bands [a fate that plagued Detroit’s the Ascots and the Sincerely Yours with their own, one-off 45-singles]. After leaving the Revolvers, Burger joined Orchard Lake’s the Shaggs, which released their one-off single on Capitol Records—both on U.S shores and select European markets.

“Those were some exciting times playing in the Shaggs,” continues Stan Burger. “Ray Skop, our manager, was enthusiastic, ambitious and had some big plans for us. He was obsessed with Brian Epstein and wanted that type of success, so the Shaggs did a lot of Beatles covers. We idolized the Thyme out of Kalamazoo [Michigan, 1966 to 1968; three singles] and tried to be like, sound like the Thyme. They opened for Jimi Hendrix and Cream and we wanted that for ourselves.

“Since we had a single on a big label, Ray booked us into a lot of clubs, like the Silverbell Ski Lodge [Hideout], the Mount Holly Ski Lodge in Oakland County, the Grande Ballroom, the Crow’s Nest, the Village Cave in Lake Orion, and there were a lot of high school events. The Silverbell was particularly memorable: It was a fixed up old barn out on Bald Mountain Road that had a dance floor on the second level with a stage at the other end. The first floor had a stage and dance floor with a big working fireplace. Most nights bands played on both stages. We saw everyone there: Bob Seger, SRC and Tea, so the Shaggs playing there was exciting.

“You mentioned Pioneer Recording Studios in Detroit [where the Rationals and the Detroit Vibrations, aka Frijid Pink, recorded] as where we [possibly] recorded our Capitol single. It does seem to ring a bell; maybe the Shaggs tried to record there after I left. I do remember, when recording the single, the three of us, me, Roy and Perry, standing in the booth, under the microphone, singing vocals over the backing track. I thought, ‘I’m recording for Capitol Records like Bob Seger. This could be big.’ [Seger released his Capitol debut single, “2 + 2=?” from Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, in 1968].

“As far as the Shaggs from Miami, Florida, you’ve told me about, that Ray Skop brought them to Detroit to record [“Ring Around the Rosie” b/w “The Way I Care,” 1966, on Palmer Records]: I don’t recall that piece of history. We were the Shaggs and Ray didn’t name us. I don’t recall covering those songs in our sets as a ‘continuation’ of that band, either. I never heard of this story until you told me. We did, however, in addition to Beatles covers, do a lot of Roy Orbison and Elvis covers at Ray’s request, which is probably why we recorded ‘Mean Woman Blues’ as our A-Side. Roy [Rouse] of course, was great, sounding like Roy Orbison and Elvis; even Jerry Lee Lewis tunes. Perry [Rouse] was great with the Beatles songs.”

A part of the Detroit Shaggs’ history is their connection to the city’s rock royalty that is embodied by Bob Seger, as well as making a coveted appearance on WKHM disc jockey Robin Seymour’s popular, CKLW-TV Channel 9’s television show.

“During the early, local days of Bob Seger’s career, he needed a backing band for one of his dates at the Silverbell, so the Shaggs did that gig,” tells Stan Burger. We also did our Byrdsy B-Side, ‘She Makes Me Happy,’ on Swingin’ Time.

“As far as this story you’ve told me about Ray Skop being the first manager of the Amboy Dukes and his co-writing ‘Journey to the Center of the Mind’ with Ted Nugent and Steve Farmer, at the same time he managed the Shaggs, that’s wild . . . if it’s true. It’s the first time I am hearing it. I never met Ted and we never did any shows with the Amboy Dukes. I’d think I’d remember an Amboy Dukes show! If Ray did work for Hideout Records [Ed “Punch” Andrews’s label], as you’ve said, that must have been after the Shaggs, too.

“The Shaggs met Ray Skop through Bob Burwell who produced the record and was the bassist in the Wilson Mower Pursuit [with Rick Stahl of the Sincerely Yours]. He was the bassist on the single and wrote ‘She Makes Me Happy.’ Our original bassist was Jim Gilliam; I don’t recall why he wasn’t on the record. Doug Preston was on lead guitar, I was on drums and backing vocals, and then the brothers Ray and Perry Rouse. Again, Ray sings lead on our Roy Orbison cover, ‘Mean Woman Blues’ [the A-Side], and Perry sings ‘She Makes Me Happy.’ I went to Oxford High School with Ray and Perry; we were in the school choir, together. The Rouse family was a large one with seven brothers, as I recall.

“Sadly, Perry passed some years ago. I reconnected with Doug Preston from the Shaggs in our next band, Circus. He’s a longtime friend of Bob Sexton, who was also in Circus, as well as with Don Hales from the Revolvers. Don knew everyone since he worked at [Frank Merwin’s] Pontiac Music [and Sound] in Sylvan Lake. That opened around 1973, when Circus got started. Those were the days of the Firebird Lounge where I remember [Johnny Heaton’s] White Heat being a very good band.”

Circus, 1972/73: Left to Right: Stan Burger, bottom; Doug Preston, middle; Bob Sexton, right.

As is the case with most teen bands on the Detroit scene, such as Waterford’s the Coronados, the Shaggs’ career momentum—that chance “to make it big,” as Stan Burger reflected during the recording of their single—was lost as result of the Vietnam War.

“I was drafted into the Army in 1969. I served from September 1969 to September 1971. So, I was out of the scene for two years and lost touch with everyone. That’s why there was never another single for the Shaggs. I understand Ray Rouse got together with Robert Burwell again in the Roustabouts [most likely inspired by Elvis’s 1964 movie of the same name, with the other “Rouse” about-brothers, Perry and Randy].

“The Rouse brothers formed a country-rock band, Summit, which was Roy and Perry on lead vocals, and their brother Randy. They released a nice album; Life’s a Dream [1981; rounded out by Marty McCarrick on drums and Ed Kubilus on piano, saxophone, and trumpet. As of 2021, the album is available on You Tube via CD Baby].

“When I returned from the war, I got back into music with Circus, which was, again, Doug Preston, Bob Sexton, and, for the life of me, I can’t recall his name, but he was a relative of Doug’s. That was the earliest version of the band. As with my previous bands, Circus covered popular songs. We were around for a while and played Lake Orion’s Royal Oak Inn, Waterford’s 300 Bowl, and the Mount Holly Ski Lodge, with its Swiss Chalet-styled building and big wood trusses. It was there I’d seen early shows by Bob Seger and Terry Knight and the Pack.

“As you wrote on the Revolvers post, yes, Don Hales did end up in Jacob’s Folly, but I think the band’s name was Jacob’s Kelly and they were from Flint. I haven’t spoken to him in ages, but I believe he is still alive in Clarkston, Michigan. I am sorry to hear that Harold Beardsley passed and sad about how Ted Pearson died. Don had a duo with someone named Jim Davis, and then did a rock ‘n’ roll oldies revival show with the Fast Eddie Band for many years. Roy Rouse is still around, I believe; he was a popular Elvis tribute artist in the area [You Tube] for many years.”

Jacob’s Kelly, Left to Right: Bill Douglas, bass guitar; Don Hales, guitars; Bob Frakes, drums; Randall Curtis, lead vocals.

Ex-Revolver Don Hales joined the Ted Nugent-cum-Grand Funk Railroad-inspired, AOR-driven Jacob’s Kelly in 1972, which started in 1967. The band dissolved in1984 after twelve years of regional Midwest touring, during which they released three independent singles and one vanity-press, ten-song album. Hales and the band issued their debut single, “Confusion” b/w “Same,” in 1977.

As the “house band” at Pat’s Northview Lounge on Portage Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Jacob’s Kelly memorably entertained officers at Kinchloe AFB, in addition to’80s head bangers at Flint’s beloved “metal bar,” Contos, Mr. G’s Lounge on Bristol Road, Good Times on Clio Road, and The 300 Bowl in Waterford. They consolidate their local success opening for Bob Seger at the IMA Auditorium (Industrial Mutual Association) in Flint.

The Shaggs: Detriot Club Dates

* Images Provided with Source Credit 
Top Row: Left to Right:

* July 22, 1967: Grande Ballroom (Detroit): Opening for Tim Buckley on the second date of two dates held July 21-22. Birmingham, Michigan’s Ourselves opened first night. Credit: Rock Posters.com, San Francisco. (Newspaper Print Advert for the same show, above.)

* August 19, 1967: Grande Ballroom: Headlining/Saturday Night local show w/Mothers Little Helper and the Troyes, opening. Credits: (2) Poster & Newsprint Advertisement/Mike Delbusso’s Splatt Gallery.

* August 24, 1968: Silverbell (Ski Lodge) Hideout (Auburn Hills): Opening for SRC. Credit: Artist James Render’s Archives Facebook.

Bottom Row: Left to Right:

* November 02, 1968: Silverbell Hideout (Auburn Hills): Opening for the Bob Seger System, with Asian Flu. Credit: Artist James Render’s Archives Facebook.

January 10, 1969: Something Different (Southfield): Undercard for Ted Pearson’s post-Revolvers concern, Madrigal, with Popcorn Blizzard (Meatloaf’s band), Train, and the Underground Wall.

January 17, 1969: Hideout #3 (Clawson): Opening for Toronto, Ontario’s Mandala.

* February 7, 1969: Something Different: Opening for Wilson Mower Pursuit. Credit: Mike Delbusso’s Splatt Gallery.

* February 9, 1969: Village Pub (Birmingham): WABX-FM Benefit Concert for the Birmingham Youth Assistance Program (with nine other Detroit bands). Credit: Vernon Fitch of Pink Floyd Archives: Birmingham Michigan Poster.com.

February 14, 1969: Crow’s Nest West (Westland): Opening for Plain Brown Wrapper.

* March 28, 1969: Village Pub: Headlining, with Poor Richard’s Almanac. Credit: Vernon Fitch of Pink Floyd Archives: Birmingham Michigan Poster.com.

June 27, 1969: Village Cave (Lake Orion): Headlining, with Licorice Philosophy.

Article by R.D Francis

Credits:
All band images/Stan Burger
Tim Buckley 1/4 newsprint /Mike Delbusso’s Splatt Gallery
Rouse Brothers’ Summit Newsprint/Ron Course
Shaggs poster graphic/R.D Francis
Dates/The Concert Database.com
Jacob’s Kelly images/Bob Frakes

Categories: Brent, California, Capitol, Cleveland, Dimension, Highland, Houston, Los Angeles, Mainstream, Ohio, Rosco, Texas

The Bushmen, War Babies and Euphoria

November 16, 2015 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Much has been written about Euphoria’s legendary album A Gift from Euphoria. This article focuses instead on the various releases the band members did prior to the LP and the connections to other bands I’ve covered on this site.

Euphoria had its start as a Cleveland band with David Potter and Wesley Watt called the Bushmen. Although it was thought that the Bushmen was a separate group from Wesley Watt’s projects prior to Euphoria, David Potter’s bio states:

After playing drums at the club [the Clinton Bar in Cleveland, OH] for three months, Wesley Watt, a guitar player came in looking for a drummer for a group he wanted to put together, The Bushman [sic]. When he heard David he knew he was the one. David turned sixteen in January and in May, David, Wesley, Paul Armstrong, and Carl Johnson left for Los Angeles to make their mark. On arriving in L.A. they immediately became the house band for the club, Guys and Dolls.
After only eight weeks they signed a contract with Colpix records, also signing with Buck Ram, the manager of the Platters. Their first single was “Baby” with “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on the flip side.

The Bushmen had one release “Baby” / “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on Dimension 1049 in June of ’65. Dimension Records was part of the Columbia Pictures / Colpix company at this time.

Bill Lincoln had relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles. He must have been in the group at this point as he is the composer of “What I Have I’ll Give to You”.

Bill Lincoln and Mike Dood are credited with writing “Walk on the Surf Side” by the Nova-Tones, released on Rosco 417 circa 1963, and backed with “Lost Love”. I’m not positive it’s the same Bill Lincoln, but it seems likely as the time and place are right. I haven’t heard either song, so if you have the 45 or sound files, please contact me.

Potter’s bio continues:

The Bushman [sic] were getting a lot of notoriety and attention from all over, including film producer David L. Wolper. He was looking for bands for a documentary about to start filming, Teenage Revolution. They approached Buck Ram about The Bushman being the premiere band for the documentary. Wolper wanted to show what bands went through while traveling around the country from gig to gig. (Along with The Bushman being were about four other bands, one being The Lovin’ Spoonful.) About a month later Buck set up a live gig in Lancaster CA where they filmed their part of Teenage Revolution.

A portion of Mondo Teeno aka The Teenage Revolution is online. I hear music that may be the Bushmen, but haven’t seen any footage of the band.

In addition to the Bushmen single, Watt and Lincoln recorded their original songs as the War-Babies “Jeanie’s Pub” / “Love Is Love” (Highland 4000, August 1965).

The War-Babies recorded another two songs, “Now It’s Over” / “So Little Time” but these came out under the name The Word on Brent 704.

Although I’ve read that the Bushmen came after the War-Babies and Word singles, release dates suggest the Bushmen single came first.

Potter’s bio continues:

After filming the documentary, David, Wesley, and Bill Lincoln wanted to do their own thing. Now seasoned professionals and highly respected musicians they wanted to play and record their own music. With the chance so did their name, to Euphoria. The newly named group spent all their time playing, touring, and recording material that would lead to two of the groups albums. During a successful tour in Texas, their single. “Baby”, released when they were The Bushman [sic], went to #7 on the charts, staying there for seven weeks.

The newly-named Euphoria added Pat Connolly of the Surfaris on bass by the time they toured Texas in 1966. Bill Lincoln left the group when he married and moved to England, though he would rejoin Wesley Watt within a year or two for Euphoria’s 1969 album on Capitol. Connolly also left so Watts brought in James Harrell on guitar and Peter Black on bass, both of the legendary Houston group the Misfits. I believe David Potter was still playing drums with the group at this point, but it may have been Steve Webb of the Misfits.

This group recorded some tracks at Andrus Productions in Houston, including “Pick It Up”, “In Time”, “Walking The Dog” and “Oh Dear, You Look Like a Dog”, none of which surfaced until Texas Archive Recordings released the LP Houston Hallucinations in 1982. The band had other unreleased Texas recordings which await reissue, including “People You and Me” which has some similarity to Da Capo era Love.

Back in L.A., Bob Shad of Brent & Mainstream Records brought the group into United Studios in Hollywood to record four songs in one session. Shad issued two of these (with vocals re-recorded at additional sessions), “Hungry Women” and “No Me Tomorrow” on Mainstream 655, but two originals by James Harrell, “I Realize” and “It Could Do Us No Wrong” were left unreleased and eventually lost. The single would reappear on the Mainstream compilation LP With Love – A Pot of Flowers in 1967.

Despite a good push from Bob Shad, the single didn’t make much of an impact and the group broke up. James Harrell and Pete Black went back to Texas and rejoined the Misfits, changing the name to the Lost and Found.

Potter and Watt joined Lee Michaels band where they played on Michaels’ album Carnival of Life with Gary Davis and John Keski.

Potter joined the East Side Kids in time to play on their album The Tiger and the Lamb, which featured one of his original songs as well as two by Wesley Watt, “Heavy Love” and “Can’t Feel Love”.

Bill Lincoln had returned by this time. He and Watt worked for almost two years on what would become their album A Gift from Euphoria on Capitol in 1969, produced by Nick Venet. According to his bio, Potter also played on the album. Guitarist Doug Delain is also listed in credits for the LP.

After recording the East Side Kids The Tiger and the Lamb album, Potter moved to Houston and joined with Endle St. Cloud (Alan Mellinger) for his album on International Artists, which also included Pete Black and James Harrell of the Lost & Found. They moved back to LA to for the Potter St. Cloud LP on Mediarts in 1971.

David Potter passed away in 2011, but there was a detailed biography about him at his website, davidpottermusician.com (now defunct but viewable on the Internet Archive).

Watt and Lincoln co-produced and played on Bernie Schwartz’s solo album The Wheel, released on MGM in late 1969, which features a version of their song “Sunshine Woman” that had been on Euphoria’s Capitol LP.

Potter, Watt and Lincoln all continued in music into the early ’70s. For example, Potter and Watt played on Daniel Moore’s 1971 ABC album, and Watt played guitar on Dory Previn’s 1971 Mediarts album Mythical Kings and Iguanas.

Hamilton Wesley Watt, Jr. passed away on February 20, 2015 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Bill Lincoln recorded an album with his wife Lynda and friends as Addie Pray. Late for the Dance went unreleased for years but is now available on www.cdbaby.com/cd/addiepray.

Sources include Alec Palao’s liner notes to the Big Beat CD release of With Love – A Pot of Flowers.

Categories: Bakersfield, California, Capitol, Dot, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Penthouse, Peoria, Reprise

The Regents on Capitol, Reprise, Peoria, Penthouse and Dot Records

January 11, 2011 Chris Bishop 25 Comments

The Regents, 1966, Jerry Rosa, John Harris, Craig Boyd, Johnny Mann, Mike McDonald — The Regents, 1966, from left: Jerry Rosa, John Harris (sitting, holding his knee), Craig Boyd (sitting in front looking down), Johnny Mann and Mike McDonald (far right)
Scan courtesy of Joni Bartley

The Regents were house band at Jack Martin’s A.M-P.M. on La Cienega Blvd., one of the many discos that opened up to compete with the Whisky a Go Go.

In 1964 Capitol recorded the band at the club for an LP of standard songs of the day. I really dig their cover of James Booker’s instrumental, “Gonzo”.

Despite having a gatefold cover to fill with photos and notes, Live at the A.M./P.M. Discotheque doesn’t bother to list a single member of the band. I’ve read some members were originally from Bakersfield. Craig Boyd and Tom Baker had started in a group called the Raiders, then Tom joined the Midnight Flyers. Jerry Rosa had been in a band called the Defiant Ones.

Band members were:

Jerry Rosa – vocals and tambourine
Mike McDonald – vocals and lead guitar
Tom Baker – 12-string and rhythm guitar, replaced by Johnny Mann, then Marilyn Read
John Harris – bass
Craig Boyd – drums

David Axelrod produced the album. Domenic Priore’s book Riot on the Sunset Strip quotes Axelrod saying “Jack Martin’s AM-PM was the kind of place where you could order steak sandwiches, and a fistfight would break out every ten minutes. A lot of tough guys went there, so it didn’t last long.” Two songs from the album, “Sugaree” / “Mojo Workout” were released in Germany.

After the A.M./P.M. club closed, the band became the house band at It’s Boss. Following the LP they cut four singles for four different labels. First up was “She’s Got Her Own Way of Lovin'”, a good original by Mike McDonald backed with “When I Die, Don’t You Cry”, released on Reprise 0430 in November, 1965 and produced by Jack Nitzsche.

Tom Baker left in 1965 and the band hired Johnny Mann to replace him.

Next came “Summer Time Blues” / “You Don’t Love Me” on Peoria 008 in March of 1966, produced by John Harris.

The Regents on stage 1965, from left: Jerry Rosa, Tom Baker, Mike McDonald and John Baker. Not pictured: Craig Boyd on drums.

Their third single has the original version of the very catchy Boyce/Hart song “Words”, later done by the Leaves, the Boston Tea Party and the Monkees, usually with a slower opening tempo than the Regents arrangement. I have a promotional copy that has “Words” on both sides of the record, but stock copies have the excellent b-side, “Worryin’ Kind” another fine original by McDonald.

This disk was produced by Norm Ratner and engineered by John Haeny and released in July 1966 on Penthouse 502, distributed by Mira. It was also released in the UK on CBS.

Their last 45 was “Russian Spy and I” written by Jackie Javellin (aka Casper Koelman) and originally done by the Dutch group the Hunters. The Regents version is probably the most well-known, at least here in the U.S. Though the Regents lift the opening riff directly from Hunters guitarist Jan Akkerman, the solo is much more intense, the tempo of the song quicker and the harmonies much more effective than the Hunters version. I bet they could have done a killer version of this live. Produced by Norm Ratner for Dot 16970 in November, 1966, the flip was a cover of “Bald Headed Woman”.

Marilyn Read joined on guitar at some point in 1966 and stayed about a year. She was also in the Ladybirds.

When the band ended, Craig Boyd joined The Hook after Dale Loyola and Dennis Provisor had left the band. Recording as a trio with Bobby Arlin and Buddy Sklar, Craig plays drums on The Hook’s second album Will Grab You. The Hook appeared on the Ironside episode “Trip to Hashbury” miming to both sides of their single “Son of Fantasy” / “Plug Your Head In”.

Michael McDonald, Craig Boyd and John Harris formed McDonald’s Farm, releasing “Excited” / “Deep Feeling” on Vital Records 2369, produced by Ron Shannon.

I’ve also read that they were the band for The Dating Game in the early seasons of that show. Tom Baker wrote to me last summer, but I haven’t had a response to the last two emails I sent. A friend of the band confirmed that they were on The Dating Game, and added that they were UCLA students who played often at Chuck Druet’s club Barnacle Bills on E. Huntington in Duarte.

There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not these are the same Regents who recorded the original version of “Barbara Ann”, but that was an entirely different band, whose members were Sal Cuomo, Chuck Fassert, Tony Gravagna, Don Jacobucci, and Guy Villari.

Nor is the Michael McDonald of this Regents the same guy who was in the Doobie Brothers (but see the Implicits entry on this site for Tom Johnston’s early band).

There are other records by groups called Regents that aren’t related to this group, including: “Cape Fear” (T. Foley) / “Summertime” (produced by J. Choate for the Ohio label Prix); and “No Hard Feelilngs” / “That’s What I Call a Good Time” on the Kayo label. The Regents with “Me and You” / “Playmates” on Blue Cat was a Canadian group who also recorded the LP Going Places with the Regents on Quality.

Some info from a phone interview with Craig Boyd.

Regents Capitol LP Live at the A.M.-P.M. Discotheque gatefold

The Regents opening for the Lovin' Spoonful at It's Boss, 1965 — The Regents opening for the Lovin’ Spoonful at It’s Boss, 1965
Photo from the collection of Nancy Kuehl

McDonald's Farm: John Harris, Mike McDonald and Craig Boyd — McDonald’s Farm: John Harris, Mike McDonald and Craig Boyd
Scan courtesy of Joni Bartley

Categories: Alabama, Birmingham, Capitol, Casino, Dover, Ed Boutwell Studios, Malcolm Z. Dirge, Sea, Smash

The Distortions

September 9, 2007 Chris Bishop 54 Comments

From the Ensley Highlands section of Birmingham, Robert Alexander (bass), Ned Bibb (vocals and guitar), and Bobby Marlin (drums) started playing in high school in 1962, rehearsing in Robert Alexander’s basement.

In 1965-66 they backed Travis Wammack, then took the name The Distortions from his record “Distortion pt. 1”. They added Zack Zackery on keyboards, and recorded their first three 45s on Sea Records. These included an interesting Ned Bibb original, “Can You Tell”, which was backed by a slow, loopy take on “Hound Dog”; and a raging version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”.

The band added Eddie Rice on guitar in 1966 and switched to the Malcolm Z. Dirge label for their next release, “Thank You John”, which reached the charts on WSGN in town. On the flip they recorded a fine version of the Rascals’ oft-covered “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore”.

When their next 45, “Behind My Wall” was picked up for national distribution by Smash, they had their biggest hit, selling 10-15,000 copies according to their producer Ed Boutwell. Their penultimate 45 was a good Bill Haney original, “I Found a Girl”, with a version of “I Don’t Really Like You”, originally done by Baton-Rouge’s Canebreak Singers on Montel and written by Mike Crespo. It was produced by Haney and Richie Becker and released on Casino, a subsidiary of the Dover Records company of New Orleans.

In ’67 the Distortions added Roy Alexander on saxophone.

Distortions, Capitol promo shot, 1968: Roy Alexander, Roy Zachary, Bobby Marlin, Steve Salord, Dale Aston and George Landman — Capitol promo shot, 1968, from left: Roy Alexander, Roy Zachary, Bobby Marlin, Steve Salord, Dale Aston and George Landman

Dale Aston of the Torquays sent in the photo above and writes about his time with the band:

I played guitar with the band. Steve Salord and I had just left The Torquays and joined with The Distortions for a brief period. We recorded “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” at Boutwell Studios in Mountain Brook, AL.
As I recall Ed Boutwell had a hand in getting Capital Records to pick up “Let’s Spend Some Time Together”. The other labels were homegrown and produced by the band for local distribution only.

Their last release was a cleaned-up version of the Stone’s “Let’s Spend the Night Together”, retitled “Let’s Spend Some Time Together”. This was picked up by Capitol but didn’t sell particularly well.

Henry Lavoy took over on drums during the late 1960’s.

The band split up in 1969, but Zack Zachery and Roy Alexander played college and club shows as the Distortions into the ’70s, with Clif Payne on drums and Ed Finn.

Clif Payne sent in the photo of the group from the 1970’s as well as four unreleased songs from 1975 in a polished, commercial sound the band developed later on, something akin to the Average White Band. See Clif’s comment below for more information about that band at this time.

Roy Alexander and Bobby Marlin are now deceased.

45 releases:

Hound Dog / Can You Tell – Sea 100
Take This Ring / You Know I’m On My Way – Sea 101
Smokestack Lightning / Hot Cha – Sea 102
I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore / Thank You John – Malcolm Z. Dirge 45000
Smokestack Lightning / Behind My Wall – Malcolm Z. Dirge 45002
A Love That Loves You / Behind My Wall – Smash S-2068
I Don’t Really Like You / I Found A Girl – Casino 501
Let’s Spend Some Time Together / Gimme Some Lovin’ – Malcolm Z. Dirge 45008 and Capitol 2223

Sources: Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of the Sixties program, May 8th, 1987; Birmingham News. April 30, 1987, Birmingham Weekly, vol. 10.

Thank you to Mike Pair for loaning me the Birmingham News article, “Hair” Rally notice and Reunion program.

Categories: Capitol, Japan, Yokohama

The Golden Cups

April 23, 2007 Chris Bishop 13 Comments

from left: Mamoru Manu, Kenneth Ito, Dave Hirao, Louis Kabe, and Eddie Ban

Original members:

Tokimune ‘Dave’ Hirao – vocals
Eddie Ban – lead guitar, vocals
Kenneth Ito – guitar, vocals
Masayoshi ‘Louis Louis’ Kabe – bass
Mamoru Manu – drums, vocals

Golden Cups’ singer and founder Dave Hirao had played in an earlier combo called the Sphinx in Yokohama, an important city for music in Japan because of the influence of american military bases in the vicinity. He met lead guitarist Eddie Ban who, like Dave, had travelled to the U.S. to hear rock in person. Eddie had brought back a fuzz box with him from his travels, a sound which would be lavished on much of their early work.

Joining Dave and Eddie were Kennith Ito on guitar and vocals, Masayoshi Kabe on bass and Mamoru Manu on drums. Kenneth Ito had grown up in Hawaii and his English vocals on the tougher rock songs gave them an edge over most other Japanese acts of the time. Initially calling themselves the Group and I, they renamed themselves after the Golden Cup nightclub near the Honmoku army base when they became the house band there in 1966. An appearance on the NHK-TV Young 720 show gave them national exposure and led to a contract with Capitol.

Their recordings vary greatly, with lesser tracks ranging from sacharrine ballads written by industry hacks to unspectacular versions of popular soul songs, and later on to sludgy blues covers. Still, almost every 45 and lp release has something to recommend it and a few are really superb. Like most Japanese productions of the period these are all in stereo, and the band makes good use of it.

Julian Cope writes in japrocksampler.com:

Playing at jazz kissas such as Tokyo’s La Seine, the boys would go for total burn up, but compromise totally at concert halls, playing the dull overly arranged ballads, even accompanied by an orchestra.

“Hiwa Mata Noboru” is the b-side to their first 45, “Itoshi No Jezebel” from June of 1967, and has many of the hallmarks of their sound – prominent bass playing, cymbals crashing, fuzz guitar, and Dave Hirao’s surly lead vocals.

Their second 45 “Love Is My Life” has it all – fuzz, screams, and incredible bass runs by Kabe. I recommend the flip, “Do You Know I Love You” (written by Ito and Ban) to real fans of the Japanese pop sound, but others may want to pass on it. Released on November 15, 1967.

The Golden Cups issued their first album in March of 1968, including their take on “Hey Joe”, surely one of the best versions of this song ever cut. The band takes it at an incredibly fast speed, with more amazing bass playing from Kabe, piercing fuzz leads, Kenneth Ito’s lead vocals and a full three minutes of feedback laden freak-out during the middle of the song!

The rest of the LP is a disappointment. Besides the singles tracks it’s chock full of cover songs whose very titles are enough to make a true rock fan cringe: “Whiter Shade of Pale”, “Unchained Melody”, “I’m Your Puppet” and “My Girl”. The promisingly-titled “LSD Blues” is just a slow, harmonica-wailing blues of no special distinction, and a couple r&b tunes “I Got My Mojo Workin’” and “I Feel Good” are good without being remarkable.

No other Group Sounds recording comes close to matching “This Bad Girl” for pure garage sound.

Again, it’s Kenneth Ito’s lead vocals that help put the song across. It’s probably their very best. It was the flip of their biggest hit from April of 1968, “Nagaikami No Shojo (Girl With Long Hair)”, a dismal song promoted by an idiotic Girl With Long Hair contest.

In the summer of 1968 the band lost Kenneth Ito when he returned to Hawaii to renew his visa (he was half-American) and was denied reentry to Japan because of his draft eligiblity. His replacement was a sixteen-year-old keyboardist, Mickey Yoshino. Ito would rejoin from time to time and sang “Take Three” on their third LP, Blues Message.

They did a good film clip promoting their next 45, “My Love Only for You”, but it’s currently unavailable on youtube.

A good example of what the band sounded like in late 1968, covering Cream’s “I’m So Glad”.

Pop, yes, but I love this song

The pop singles continued (“My Love Only for You”, “Goodbye My Love”) and a second LP released in September of 1968. Although it lacks any stellar songs like “Hey Joe”, I’d say this one isn’t as bad as the first. The cover songs tend to be soul standards like “Shotgun”, “Hold On I’m Comin'”, “In the Midnight Hour” and even “Spooky”, but Eddie Ban’s generous helpings of fuzztone keep them from being terminally boring.

The LP contained only one new song of note, “Happening at 3 O’Clock A.M”, where a speeded-up excerpt from the Electric Prunes’ Vox Wah Wah ad segues into a psychedelic spaghetti-western style trip. It features Louis Kabe’s only lead vocal, if you can call it that, with the Cups. This song was also put on the flip-side of their fifth 45 in December of 1968. Jean-Pierre sent it in and insisted I post it!

Eddie Ban left in April of 1969, followed by more personnel changes and a shift to a blues and standard rock repertoire.

Julian Cope writes:

Each release sounded more and more like a cruise ship entertainment than a heavyweight outfit, and it was something of a mercy killing when, on New Year’s Eve 1972, the Okinawa discotheque in which they were playing burned to the ground, taking all of The Cups’ possessions and equipment with it.

Kenneth Ito died in the 1980’s. Dave Hirao later ran a club called “Bold” in Roppongi, he passed away on November 10, 2008. Eddie Ban opened a famous Chinese restaurant in Yokohama but is again playing music. Before Dave passed away, there was a documentary on the group One More Time that led to a reunion, and Mamoru Manu also led a reunion in 2007.

Much more info is at japrocksampler.com, and thanks again to Buis for his informative comments on the original article – I’ve incorporated some of that info into this revised piece (10/2009).

Categories: Capitol, Cleveland, Ohio

The Outsiders

January 31, 2007 Chris Bishop 1 Comment

The Outsiders from Cleveland, Ohio were famous for the nationwide hit, “Time Won’t Let Me”.

Here I’m featuring their fifth single, the classic “I’m Not Trying to Hurt You” (which my band the Trip 9’s used to cover) with the uptempo flip “I’ll Give You Time (to Think It Over)”. Both songs were written by guitarist and leader Tom King with Chet Kelley and Bob Turek.

Tom King’s brother, Don produced another Ohio band on Capitol, the Turfits.

Categories: Capitol, Cleveland Recording, Findlay, Ohio, Xenia

The Turfits

December 28, 2006 Chris Bishop 10 Comments

Robert “Whitey” Gwinup was guitarist in a group from Fremont, Ohio called the Vandaliers whose members included Wayne Van Doren on drums and Harry Kerr. The Vandaliers had been playing together since 1962, and recorded a demo, If “It’s Love You Want” on September 2, 1965 at Cleveland Recording.

Meanwhile in Findlay, Ohio was the American Way, with members Roger Hilty drums, Gary Reddick organ, Kenny Turner bass and Bob Peeler lead guitar. Whitey Gwinup left the Vandaliers on July 9, 1966 and took Bob Peeler’s place on lead guitar. This new lineup changed their name to the Other Ones, and later changed it again to the Turfits.

They based themselves in Xenia, at a nightclub the band half-owned called The Castaways. They also played often at a club called the Capitol in nearby Dayton.

Gwinup brought “If It’s Love You Want” with him when he joined the Turfits, who recorded their own version at Cleveland Recording in 1967. Although the original version was written by Gwinup and Harry Kerr of the Vandaliers, writing credits on the label list all the members of the Turfits.

Gwinup also wrote “Losin’ One”, but as with “If It’s Love You Want”, all the Turfits’ names were listed on the songwriting credits (with Gwinup’s name misspelled as Gwinep).

Capitol Records had done very well with the Cleveland band the Outsiders and Youngstown’s the Human Beinz, so Capitol were willing to take a chance on other local Ohio acts. The Turfits didn’t reach the charts like those other groups, but “Losin’ One” has a classic garage sound – mumbled self-pitying lyrics and a high-pitched organ behind a restrained garage solo.

Production was by Don King – not, as I originally thought, the future boxing promoter (though that Don King was producing soul and gospel records in Cleveland at the same time as an investor in Way Out Records), but the brother of Tom King, singer for the Ohio group the Outsiders, who hit big with “Time Won’t Let Me” and cut the garage classic “I’m Not Trying to Hurt You”.

Thanks to BuckeyeBeat for some of the background information about the Turfits. Be sure to check out BuckeyeBeat’s site dedicated to Ohio garage. Additions and corrections were made from contact with Jaremy Hilty, son of Turfits drummer Roger Hilty, and by Wayne Van Doren and Whitey Gwinup.

Categories: California, Capitol, Donna, Los Angeles, Revis

Love

August 18, 2006 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Love montage of photos from Crawdaddy Here’s an overview of early recordings by members of Love, including Arthur Lee, Bryan MacLean and Ken Forssi who have passed away, and Johnny Echols who is thankfully still with us.

Before Love, Arthur Lee and Johnny Echols fronted bands or wrote songs for a series of 45s in a variety of styles, from surf to soul to pop, including a single as Arthur Lee & the LAG’s “The Ninth Wave” / “Rumble-Still-Skins” for Capitol.

Lee wrote the great soul song “My Diary” for Rosa Lee Brooks, recorded in early 1965. The flip is “Utee” an excellent upbeat dance number. This is also an early session for Jimi Hendrix (not his first, which was probably either with the Isley Brothers in early ’64, or with Don Covay in May of ’64).

Lee also wrote “I’ve Been Trying” for Little Ray.

Arthur wrote songs for Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals including “Everybody Do the Jerk” and “Slow Jerk”. He may be singing backup vocals as well. I used to think Arthur was singing lead on these songs, but that was probably mistaken, as lead vocalist Charles Lett was a very talented singer and other people have said he was singing on these tracks. I’ve come to believe Arthur partially modeled his vocal style on Charlie Lett, or at least on Curtis Mayfield.

The American Four just preceded Love’s first incarnation, which was known as the Grass Roots. With typical acerbity, Arthur wrote a dance song named “Luci Baines” after Lyndon Johnson’s homely daughter and called the label Selma. “Soul Food” is Arthur’s take on Booker T. and the MGs; he was born and raised in Memphis, Tennesee, home to Stax.

Following is was a selection of rare tracks by Love, most taken from the great bootleg Last Wall of the Castle. “Gazing” is one of my favorite tracks from the first lp. “It’s the Marlin, Baby” seems to have been recorded around the time of the American Four and was release on a Texas label under the Love name. Release date is uncertain, but it could have been after Love scored a hit with” My Little Red Book”

“7 And 7 Is” required over 80 tracks just to get the backing right! Vocals were recorded later. On these takes you hear the bluesy coda taking form as the band idly jams to relax after frantically tearing through the song. Arthur probably played drums (though some sources say Michael Stuart) on these takes, leaving the guitar to Johnny Echols and Bryan, with Ken Forssi on bass.

An instrumental take of “Your Mind and We Belong Together” showcases Johnny Echol’s lead. Arthur wrote “Feathered Fish” for fellow LA band the Sons of Adam. He recorded his own version in 1994, but it sounds like vintage Love.

Bryan MacLean’s contribution to Love is more important than most know, both in songwriting and in the distinctive sensitivity he brought to the band. There are several fine demos are from 1966, including “Orange Skies” and “Old Man” and strong originals like “Strong Commitment”. There’s also a great version of “Alone Again Or” from 1982. Bryan died in 1998.

Anyone not familiar with the band’s studio lps should definitely check out the first four: Love, Da Capo, Forever Changes, and Four Sail. Out Here and False Start also have good individual tracks, as does Arthur Lee’s solo lp Vindicator. For a different kind of tribute, see my next post on cover versions of Love songs.

Categories: California, Capitol, Los Angeles, Surrey

Chris Ducey, Chris and Craig

October 31, 2005 Chris Bishop 2 Comments

Updated to include information on the Chris Ducey album and the Penny Arkade

In 1965, Chris Ducey recorded the album Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest for the Surrey label (Mira’s budget subsidiary). Surrey had printed the sleeves when they realized they had a problem. Ducey was either under contract to another label or publisher, or he just refused to sign what was probably a one-sided contract favoring the label.

Supposedly Mira/Surrey label owner Randy Wood had already sold the album’s European rights based solely on the cover, a photo of Brian Jones at the Action Club in West Hollywood.

Randy Wood hired Bobby Jameson (who had not been part of the original album sessions) to write new songs to match the titles on the album! Jameson recorded these songs with Marshall Leib producing. Jameson claims he never signed a contract either, and that releases from then to now have all been illegal. All he was paid was $20 or $25 a song for writing and recording them.

The Leaves recorded Jameson’s version of “Girl from the East” as the b-side to their second release of “Hey Joe” in March of 1966, though when the song started breaking nationally, they dropped it in favor of a band original.

Some of the sleeves changed Ducey’s name on the front to “Chris Lucey”, but some still read Chris Ducey so there must have been a couple printings of the covers.

The album saw release again in 1966 on the Joy label, this time in Bobby Jameson’s own name and the title changed to Too Many Mornings with a photograph of smokestacks. For some reason this release changes the title of”With Pity, But It’s Too Late” to “Just One of Those Days”.

Read the full story on Bobby Jameson’s blog, bobbyjameson.blogspot.com

In 2012 Chris Ducey’s original version of the album showed up as an mp3 download on Amazon released by something called Essential Media Group, LLC. Though sharing the titles, the songs are completely different from Jameson’s, with different lyrics, tempos, and simpler arrangements. Overall it’s more of a folk session, dominated by acoustic guitar and Ducey’s voice. Neither the compositions nor the production are as adventurous as Jameson’s version.

Jameson wrote on his blog “I purposely didn’t listen to Ducey’s songs in 1965 for fear of being influenced by his work.”

After this debacle, Chris Ducey met Craig Smith while auditioning and landing starring roles along with Suzannah Jordan in a series pilot called The Happeners about a Greenwich Village folk trio. They performed their own original songs, and there was an appearance by the Dave Clark Five. ABC never picked up the series, and the pilot itself seems to have aired only once and is currently lost.

Craig Smith had been in the Good Time Singers for their two albums on Capitol in 1964.

Chris and Craig Capitol 45 Isha
Together Chris and Craig made the pop-psych gem “Isha”, released by Capitol in July of 1966, with “I Need You” on the flip.

Around the same time as this 45 came a single on Downey 140, which credits the artists as Craig & Michael. Both songs, “Drifty” and “That Kind of Girl” were written by Brian Carman and Steve Crawford, and I see it mentioned, accurately or not, that Craig was Brian Carman of the Chantays, so I’m doubtful this is Chris Ducey and Craig Smith.

They spent nearly a year rehearsing their originals with musicians including Don Glut on bass and Mort Marker on lead guitar. They cut a demo, now seemingly lost, “Rhyme or Reason” (written by Chris) and “(She Brought Me) Something Beautiful” (written by Craig) with John London of the Louis and Clark Expedition.

In 1967, they formed the Penny Arkade with Don “Marvel” Glut on bass and Bobby Donaho on drums. Michael Nesmith backed them with equipment and rehearsal space and they started playing live shows. Nesmith brought them into TTJ studios in Hollywood and Wally Heider’s studio. Late in 1967 they went into RCA studios to record songs for what they anticipated would be their first album, including the twelve-minute “Not the Freeze”.

Also at the end of 1967 the Monkees used a Craig Smith composition, “Salesman” as the opening song for their album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.. Smith placed other songs, such as “Country Girl” with Glen Campbell, and “Holly” with Andy Williams. He co-produced with Bob Thiele a single for Heather MacRae, his girlfriend at the time, writing both songs “Hands of the Clock” / “Lazy Summer Day”, and with the Penny Arkade providing the music.

Enriched by his songwriting royalties, Craig Smith decided to leave the Penny Arkade to travel in South America and Asia. He returned around 1970 a changed man. Monkees producer Chip Douglas ran into Craig in 1971. “He was spaced out and had come back from Peru and had an album he was selling hand to hand. He had a spider tattooed in the middle of his forehead. He was just a nice kid, a nice American boy. To see him years later it was pretty bizarre. He said ‘Remember me. I used to be Craig Smith'”.

Without Craig, the Penny Arkade recorded four more songs, “Woodstock Fireplace,” “Sparkle and Shine,” “Face in the Crowd” and “Year of the Monkey”, and then added a new lead guitarist, Dave Turner. Turner left and they added David Price on rhythm, John Andrews on lead guitar and Bob Arthur, and rechristened the band Armadillo for another year or so of live shows.

Craig utilized half a dozen Penny Arkade songs on his early ’70s solo albums, Apache and Inca under his new name, Maitreya Kali. The rest of the Penny Arkade tracks were not released until Sundazed collected what could be found on Not the Freeze, though many other recordings including their masters seem to have been lost.

Craig Smith passed away on March 16, 2012.

Sources include: Don Glut’s detailed history of the Penny Arkade (a good read, I recommend it).

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