Centralia, Illinois, about 70 miles east of St. Louis was the base for KB Records. The label usually released country and show-band records. I’m not sure if the Livin’ End was also from that town, but the back of the sleeve has a blurb written by Larry Watts at AM station WILY, also in Centralia, and lists the band members as:
Dave Timmerman (organ)
Mark Warnecke (lead guitar)
Marv Markus (rhythm guitar)
Joe Vander Pluym (bass)
Les Loux (drums)
The A-side has a slow, sludgy cover of the Animals “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. Luckily the flip is a great original song, “But I’ll Live”.
The sound is sparse at first with drums in the background and a chugging bass line, while the organ carries the melody. I don’t hear any rhythm guitar on the track, but the lead guitar is fantastic, breaking in after verses with bluesy licks in a wailing, sustained sound. “But I’ll Live” is credited on the label to Dave Timmermann (sic), but the sleeve notes also say Joe Vander Pluym had a hand in it.
I have a copy of the record which is scarce enough, but the picture sleeve seems to be almost non-existent. Release date came after May, 1968.
Is this the same The Livin’ End that did “Flight of the End”?
Hi. My name is Mark. I played Guitar in the “livin end”. As far as I can rember we didn’t do Flight of the end.
Hi, Mark! Just wondering if you are still here in southwest Illinois.
— Jimmy
Thanks, Mark. Senior moment: that was The Swingin’ End, not The Livin’ End. Late at night, the apostrophe threw me.
Hi Mark, i’m here cause i discovered the song “Society” on YouTube.
Just want to say it’s fuckin great
Hello! I just picked up a copy of this 45 in it’s picture sleeve and was wondering if any of the band members are still local to the area? I love the b side “But I’ll Live”! Did this single get only local distribution?
Thanks! —- Jimmy