This post is dedicated to the memory of Max Waller, my fellow music researcher who helped me with many articles over the years, for which I am grateful.
Tamara’s New Generation is an obscure Chicago-area group with just one single to their name, released on IRC 6943. The A-side “Just Flowers” is a Gabor Szabo style number with flute, a two-note keyboard line, and some fine raga guitar work.
I prefer the flip, “Traffic” with it’s pulsating bass line, beatnik vibe, and crashing end. Interestingly, the dead wax codes reverse the A & B sides, which makes more sense to me.
Members included:
Tamara – lead vocals
Pete Ianni – ?
Tom Miller – bass
Ollie – ?
Denny – ?
Brian – ?
Paul – ?
Although this may be the only International Recording Company credit for Perry Johnson, he did writing and arrangement for related labels like Royal Blue (the Paniks “Look Twice”, the Wild “Monkees”, Lou Capri “Love and Kisses”) and Redd Robb (Edges of Wisdom “Past”, Holocaust “Savage Affection”).
This is the first time I’ve covered a band from the IRC (International Recording Co.) label, which released a number of great 45s by the Little Boy Blues, Danny’s Reasons and others; and was the studio for the Crees 4 acetate “Misunderstanding” / “Looking at Your Picture”, released in 2021 by Mojo-Bone.
This 45 was a particular favourite with Max, he turned me on to it years ago and it took me forever to track a copy down to add to my own collection. Hard to find in any condition; a cool whacked-out two-sider that deserves to be in every collection.
This was a record my mom did, Tamara (Mara Cibis). She passed away 4 years ago. It’s a very interesting life story. Her band almost cut an album with Columbia Records, but she left it all after falling in love with an artist and moving to a small rural area in central Illinois. This was done when she was living in Detroit.