West Coast Pop Art & California Spectrum enigma
Now Playing: Glimpses Vol 4 comp
Topic: Minor change or comment

A lot has been written about the great West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band over the past 10 years, yet there are still chunks of their story that are shrouded in mystery. This applies in no small part to the off-shoot California Spectrum, and a few obscure 45s connected to this franchise.

Reading the established storylines so far, it would appear that California Spectrum was a 1968 side-project led by Shaun Harris while his brother Dan was recuperating from a nervous breakdown, and the WCPAEB were on a hiatus. However, the California Spectrum project seems to have been both lengthier and different than what this implies.

Exhibit #1: as early as August 1967, before even the 2nd WCPAEB Reprise album had come out, Dan Harris, Shaun Harris, and "Jim" (possibly Jimmy Greenspoon) were playing live gigs in Illinois under the name California Spectrum. This is known for a fact, since they gave a lengthy interview to Chicago underground paper "The Seed" at the time. 'Dan' and 'Jim' talk about the band, their light show, and hint at their heavy music scene connections in San Francisco and LA. They claim that Grateful Dead stole one of their songs, and that Blues Magoos were always just a bit of hype! There are zero references to the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band; what is presented is the impression of a hip westcoast band called California Spectrum touring the Midwest. 'Shaun' (Harris) is not present for the interview,but is mentioned.

In other words, there was a lot more to the California Spectrum project than just some one-off thing from late '68 -- the band name was being promoted and supported by live gigs as early as August '67. A reasonable guess is that this was the Harris brothers' attempt to escape the strange golden cage that Bob Markley had built for them, and get something going for themselves. With their Midwestern roots, they knew their way around locally, and apparently didn't mind laying on a bit of westcoast showbiz hype in the process. There is good reason to believe that Michael Lloyd was involved with the California Spectrum trip too, although he may have remained stationed in LA.

Exhibit #2: the California Spectrum discography is restricted to two 45s, both with 'Harris' and 'Lloyd' all over the credits:

CALIFORNIA SPECTRUM (Los Angeles, CA)
1. Sassafras / Obviously Bad (Rasberry Sawfly 9735)
2. She May Call You Up Tonight / Rainbo (Shana 7915)
-- The release dates for these 45s have elsewhere been given as 1967 and 1969, but this is inaccurate. In actual fact, they were released in short succession in early 1968; the matrix numbers show that they were pressed in early January and mid February, respectively. This is also borne out by...

Exhibit #3: The Rasberry Sawfly 45 charted, briefly yet most gloriously, on WKY in Oklahoma City, reaching #19 in February '68. No chart data has been found for the Left Banke cover on California Spectrum's second 45.

Note: "Sassafras" is the exact same recording that appears on the awe-inspiringly rare WCPAEB debut LP on Fifo, and it was also released as a Fifo 45 at the time (1966). "Obviously Bad" is a lightweight instro unique to the 45. The short studio experiment "Rainbo" on the Shana 45 appears to be one of the few songs in music history named after a pressing plant; at least Rainbo Records in LA is where all these obscure 45s were pressed! The intriguing background behind this atypical track, somewhat related to WCPAEB's famous "Leiyla", is detailed on the WCPAEB 'Companion' release on Sunbeam. 

Exhibit #4: as late as 1969, Shaun Harris was still touting the California Spectrum band via his Midwestern media connections; the group is promoted with a photo and phony member names in Tiger Beat, and according to the recent 'Companion' set, Harris had an office in Denver from which he handled his Midwestern music matters... far away from Markleyan intervention.

The point being? Well, the California Spectrum story is by no means the brief one-off trip that WCPAEB lore would have you believe. The band, or the idea of the band, was an active entity from at least mid-1967 to early 1969. They played live gigs in the Midwest, had their own light show, made a certain impression in Chicago, and released two records. There is little doubt that the Harris brothers were the main engine behind this outfit, but the view that it was just a studio concept is clearly incorrect. California Spectrum was a real '60s band and should be treated as such. Their activities, calendar-wise, can probably be mapped against corresponding inactivity within the WCPAEB domains.

But that's not all. In 2009, an online auction website called "eBay" listed an intriguing disc credited to California Spectrum, a 10" studio test pressing or acetate (by the look of it) featuring the two tracks "Transparent Day" and "High Coin". These two numbers appear, as you know, on the band's first Reprise LP, and a tentative interpretation of this test disc is that the Harris & Lloyd trifecta were considering with-holding the two numbers from Markley, and possibly try to sneak them out on their own, credited to California Spectrum. The tracks remain unheard so far, and may or may not be identical recordings to the Reprise LP. Assuming they do date from this early era, it would push the birth of the 'California Spectrum' concept back yet another 6 months, to early '67. The test disc ended up selling for $750+, unsurprisingly.

But even that's not all. Curiously missing from the 'Companion' sampler, and almost all things you read about the WCPAEB, is the best thing they ever recorded under pseudonym; the Fabulous Apostles 45. The familiar pattern is there, with two 'Lloyd-Harris' credits on the label and released via the Shana imprint (almost certainly Shaun Harris' own creation).

FABULOUS APOSTLES (KS / Los Angeles, CA)
Dark Horse Blues / You Don't Know Like I Know (Shana 097)
-- the release date can be pinpointed to May 1968, which would make this the third effort in the flurry of non-WCPAEB releases from Harris & Lloyd in early '68

If the story behind the California Spectrum 45s is odd, then this one is outright bizarre. To begin with, there really was a Fabulous Apostles band; a regional Midwestern outfit in the Kansas show-band tradition. Some might assume this to be a coincidence, but not so! The connection between the WCPAEB guys and the Kansas show-band appears to have been the latter band's manager, who arranged for a 45 to be recorded (in LA) and pressed up in the Fabulous Apostles' name, even though they didn't appear on it. Who did appear on it is not known, but an educated guess suggests the usual crew of Harris, Lloyd, Greenspoon, maybe Ron Morgan. The B-side soul cover is the one suited for the Kansas band's needs, and upon receiving the 45 they let it be understood among their fans that they had gone to Los Angeles to record this disc, althought they had never left Kansas. The Lloyd-Harris axis, for their part, probably saw this as a chance to throw a cash-in exploitation 45 on the wall and see if it would stick; the "Dark Horse Blues" bears all the classic hallmarks of '68 psych-fuzz exploitation. It's pretty damn good too, and can be heard on Glimpses Vol 4 if you find the original 45 elusive.

Exhibit #5: the Fabulous Apostles band -- the real one in Kansas -- have a website where they include one side from the Shana 45, along with a vague reference to recording it in LA. However, a band member I talked with admitted right away that it wasn't them on the rekkid, but a studio recording with their name attached. He also told me of being familiar with Lloyd and Harris, and it seems that he relocated to LA in the late '60s for a pro musician career, and that this 1968 single played a part in making his business connections. In any event, the Fabulous Apostles never released any 'real' records on their own, but have only this WCPAEB curio in their back catalog.

Note: as far as I know, "Dark Horse Blues" has only ever been reissued on the Glimpses vol 4 comp, while the flipside "You Don't Know Like I Know" (an uptempo, organ-led teen version of this popular tune) has never been reissued. Most would probably agree that this clandestine Lloyd-Harris effort surpasses both California Spectrum 45s.

Finally: there is at least one more known 45 on Shaun Harris' Shana label, released by Kansas pop group the Jerms, whose earliest sides have a certain cachet with garage fans. This outing from 1968 appears to be less scintillating, but the producer credit and use of his label imprint offers further proof of Harris' Midwestern activities at the time.

THE JERMS (KS)
Not At All / Who's (Shana 7195) 1968

---

Surely not THE END, but for now this will have to suffice. Thanks to Erik Bluhm for the release details and Moptop Mike for the matrix number analysis.

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Children Of Sunshine / Dandelions correction
Now Playing: Pearl Jam "Jeremy"
Topic: Entry data revision

Thanks to Juan in Spain for alerting me to the rather vital fact that the currently popular girl-pop album the 'Dandelions' is incorrectly listed pretty much everywhere. The band name was Children Of Sunshine, and Dandelions was the album title. However, the group name Children Of Sunshine appears nowhere on the record label, while 'Dandelions' does, so the confusion isn't surprising. Some might prefer to credit the band as Tres & Kitsy for clarity, but according to Tres, they were the Children Of Sunshine. The girls were both 10 when the LP was recorded in 1970. See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F07o5_AP6zw

CHILDREN OF SUNSHINE (MN)
Dandelions 1971 (KBK MK 27-41)


DANDELIONS see Children Of Sunshine


TRES & KITSY see Children Of Sunshine 

Deep "Psychedelic Moods" press size
Topic: Minor change or comment

Although Rusty Evans has been interviewed many times in the past, I don't think anyone has had the foresight to ask him about the press size for Psychedelic Moods until Klemen at the It's Psychedelic Baby blog did so recently.

Rusty says 'about 5000 copies' were pressed of the Deep LP, which seems reasonable. Mono seems to be slightly more common and may have had a larger share of the 5000 made. A lot of copies ended up in cut-out bins and may even have been melted down to recycle the vinyl.

Rusty still insists on having no psychedelic drug influence at the time of doing this LP and the Freak Scene, which is amusing when you listen to them and hear two of the most acid-drenched rekkids of all time.

 

Mu press size
Topic: Minor change or comment

Merrell in a recent interview sez 3500 copies pressed of the first MU album, which certainly sounds a lot more likely than the '300' copies stated by bullshitting record dealers in the past. Mu was a real band with a manager and a record contract, not some private press experiment. At the same time, the first (RTV) pressing is pretty rare, so factoring in the 2nd press on CAS which reportedly had 1000 copies made, I'm going with a total press run of 2500 RTV + 1000 CAS for the Mu debut for now.

 This does not include the vintage foreign pressings in England and Brazil.

Seiche & Dose After Dose update
Now Playing: Kyuss "Demon Cleaner"
Topic: Minor change or comment

The "It's Psychedelic Baby" blog clears up some vital data regarding Chicago hardrock band Seiche, whose retrospective album on Hexamon is one of the best archival releases from anywhere in the past 15 years; dynamite progressive hardrock way ahead of its time.

Most of the info in the Acid Archives 2nd Ed entry checks out, with band leader Steve Zahradnik confirming a demo press release of 150 copies (the AA book says 100) of the original Seiche album; recorded ca 1978-79 but not pressed up until 1981.

SEICHE (Chicago, IL)
Demo Press 1981 (no label) [150p; 50 with color cover, 100 in plain white cover]
Dose After Dose 1999 (Hexamon 001) [partial reissue; 500#d; 2 inserts]
Seiche 2006 (CD Warp Drive) [full reissue of the 1981 LP]

The rest of the material on the Hexamon release is not 'Seiche' but a later band called 'Dose After Dose' (this became the title for the Hexamon album). These tracks are more recent than has been stated in the past; Zahradnik places them in the 1990s, which is interesting considering how well they fit with the late '70s recordings. The Hexamon liner notes clearly indicate which tracks are from the Seiche and Dose After Dose eras, respectively.

Yahowa 13 addition
Now Playing: Led Zep "Kashmir" live
Topic: Addition

There recently appeared a retrospective Yahowa 13/Father Yod LP which went so deep below the radar that most people may not even know it exists. This is a shame since it is, in fact, possibly, the best archival YHWH release so far! I wrote a review of it in Ugly Things magazine, which is excerpted here:

YAHOWA 13 (Los Angeles, CA)
Spirit Of ’76  2010 (Sagittarius no #)  [200p]
"After several high-profile releases, this retrospective Yahowa LP slipped out in a way that seems almost deliberately mysterious. Housed in a dull cover with a drawing of Father Yod, it comes with basically zero information except that it’s a very limited pressing. It looks like an old school bootleg for hardcore collectors, but the label is a subsidiary of noted indie imprint Qbico. So what gives?

Before I answer that, and I will, some words about the music. From the opening minute it’s obvious that we are in the presence of Father Yod, so this is clearly a vintage recording. The band is credited as ‘Spirit Of 76’, which was the earliest of a few different Source Family rock bands, featuring keyboard and female backing vocals. What comes streaming out of the speakers confirms the credit, with a rich, at times jazz-funky sound reminiscent of side 1 of the Expansion album. The mood is a bit lighter than the awesome dark intensity of Contraction and Expansion, but an outré time is still guaranteed for all, thanks to Yod’s inspired presence and the quality and commitment of the musicians. The playing is remarkably adept, with some wicked guitar leads emerging out of the jammy keyboard groove. Any devotee of the Source Family’s music will find what he needs on this LP, which also boosts better sound than the ‘70s pressings.

As to the odd nature of the release I can report, exclusively for UT from Yahowa guitar hero Djin Aquarian that, yes, it is a legit product from a legit label, despite its bootleg appearance, and yes, this is Father & the early Spirit Of ’76 band. In fact, it seems to be nothing less than the very earliest recording from the entire Yahowa scene, preceding Expansion & co. Why Sagittarius decided to treat this vital, arresting recording from a major cult band as some gray area shit they wanted to bury is anyone’s guess, but I gathered that delays in liner notes and documentation from Djin and friends may have frustrated the label. It’s ironic that an outfit that was once known only among esoteric record collectors sees it’s most attractive archival release come out as a faceless 200-copy press, which may already be sold out when you read this."

- Patrick Lundborg, Ugly Things magazine #31

Dana Westover kover konfusion
Topic: Minor change or comment

Juan C in Spain alerted me to the fact that Dana Westover's Memorial To Fear only gives the title as 'Memorial' on the sleeve and label, the 'To Fear' part nowhere to be found. Looking around I find that all three copies recently sold are listed by the sellers with the title as 'Memorial To Fear', which is either a curious coincidence, or a case of them relying on an inaccurate Acid Archives entry...

But maybe the AA entry isn't entirely inaccurate. The '...To Fear' phrase must have originated somewhere, and when looking at an old sleeve scan it looks like these two words have been added to the printed 'Memorial' word on the front cover. What also emerges is the fact that there are at least two, probably three sleeve variants on the Dana Westover LP. One shows images of clouds and the artist and title credit; a variant adds a small image of an old airplane at the centre of the cover; and a third variant has no airplane but adds (presumably) the words 'To Fear' in small print below the 'Memorial' title.

Input from Mr Westover may be needed to sort this out; until then it may be wise to assume that several original sleeve variants exist, which isn't uncommon for private pressings like this.

March 2012 update: a few people have confirmed that their copies have '...To Fear' added to the title of the album, so it seems that Westover decided to change the title after the sleeves had been printed.

Fran's Band
Now Playing: Arthur LP on LHI
Topic: Addition

Here's an old 'secret want' that I finally located after hearing a couple of tracks on a mix tape 4-5 years back. In addition to its general obscurity, it connects to a well-known underground music nexus...

FRAN'S BAND (New York City, NY)
Tomorrow Never Comes 1977 (Tribute 1005)
One of the least commonly seen titles on this tax-scam label with Frankie Carr involvement. This is almost certainly recordings from earlier parts of Carr's career, much like what can be found on the All Natural Band album. About 2/3rds of Fran's Band features blue-eyed soul-pop with a Young Rascals-Critters sound. The lead vocals are remarkably good, the playing tight, and the overall sound pretty professional. There are no horns, and this stuff could probably go over well with collectors of '60s Eastcoast teenbeat. I would guesstimate a 1969 recording year for this material. Carr was apparently a member of the later-day Critters, so maybe that is the source. On side 2 are a couple of faceless tracks in inferior sound and a more '70s style, reminiscent of the weaker aspects of the Spare Change Band. Again, there are no credits at all, but to me it sounds like it could well be a Carr-led outfit. The album then turns up the heat considerably for the two closing tracks, which are crude, grungy basement rock with fuzz guitars and stoner vocals, sounding a bit like Boa or Negative Space. This may not be Carr; at least it's rawer than anything I've heard from him, but it wraps up the album very nicely into an above-average trip for tax-scams. Housed in a generic, ill-fitting cover, four copies are known to exist of the LP at this point. [PL]
~~~
see => Spare Change Band; Frankie Carr; Tea Company

Misty Hush Revival update
Topic: Minor change or comment

The aforementioned It's Psychedelic Baby blog keeps digging up unexpected scoops, most lately a Q & A relating the story of Misty Hush Revival, one of the most obscure albums in the Acid Archives book. The notion of the album as a 'farewell' artifact from a long-running NJ club band is basically confirmed. They were however from Staten Island rather than New Jersey, to be precise. 100 copies were pressed of the LP in 1972, mainly on initiative of the band's lead singer. The contents are a mix of live and studio recordings.

MISTY HUSH REVIVAL (Staten Island, NY)
Your Heart Is Broken 1972 (Dynamite 1001S)  [100p] 

see: http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2011/12/misty-hush-revival-interview-with-ron.html

Aaron Fleming
Topic: Addition

AARON FLEMING ( )
Project Class 197  (R.P.C  Z-442551)  [blank back]
The field of custom label folk has a very poor hit ratio in terms of records that people truly like and listen to when tripping or if out on a date, but persistence pays off among those who keep digging around. Aaron Fleming's project is a crude DIY affair, so crude that it could be called 'folk-punk' at times, not least the opening track with its crazed, Heitkotter-like drumming. Fleming sings in a nasal street poet style somewhat like Mark Winokur, and writes the most rudimentary songs imaginable. Despite the drumming throughout and Fleming's off-key protest songs this is still '70s loner folk, but I can't think of many comparable releases that sound like this, or pack as much personality. Not for everyone, but a recognizable find. Only a couple of known copies at this point. [PL]
...
thanks to Alexandre in France for suggesting this obscurity

Bohemian Vendetta
Now Playing: Solar Fields "Monogram"
Topic: Minor change or comment
The universally admired Bohemian Vendetta LP came in both stereo and mono versions, and most of the comments you see are based on the more common stereo mix, which is also what has been reissued. However, after getting a mono copy recently I would wager that the mono mix is superior to the stereo, with a presence and punch that serves the music extremely well. If this is a favorite LP of yours, make sure you get to hear the mono mix.

Corpus (TX) facts & fun
Now Playing: Milan-Palermo, currently 3-0
Topic: Entry data revision

The hip and most energetic blog "It's Psychedelic Baby" keeps churning out interviews with bands you never thought be tracked down. Recently two members from Corpus of Creation A Child told the band's story, including the rather mindblowing detail that "Joy" -- probably the best track on the LP -- was about the teenage Farrah Fawcett who went to a Corpus high school back then!

Also, a press size of 1000 copies was reported by both members.

CORPUS (Corpus Christi, TX)
Creation A Child 1972 (Acorn 1001)  [red label; banded tracks; 1000p]

Allen Ginsberg addendum

see => The Organic Experience

As detailed in the post below, a previously undocumented recording of Allen Ginsberg reading poetry before a c1969 live audience can be found on an obscure college project LP, The Organic Experience. The standard Ginsberg bibliography (The Works Of Allen Ginsberg by Bill Morgan) includes many dozens of vinyl LPs, but not this one. In view of its content and vintage nature, the album should be of substantial interest to Ginsberg collectors.

The Organic Experience
Now Playing: great Sonaura track on psyradio.org
Topic: Addition

An interesting college project thing with a major surprise hidden inside that I ran across a few months back: 

THE ORGANIC EXPERIENCE (Portland, ME)
The Organic Experience 1970 (Omni)
This previously undocumented college project LP from University of Maine, Portland (a college branch no longer extant) is not only earlier than most college yearbook albums, but of substantial interest on a couple of counts. There's some rock and folkrock music which seems to be live-recorded, but no artists are credited; tracks include "Born To Be Wild" and "Green Rocky Road" among others, in good, ballsy versions. Even more remarkable is a track credited only as "Ginsburg's Thing", which turns out to be nothing less than a previously unknown recording of Allen Ginsberg reciting poetry, presumably at a campus gathering. The date references and the contents of the recording confirm that this is a circa 1969 recording of Ginsberg live before an audience. Not included in the standard Ginsberg bibliography by Morgan, this is a substantial find. The reading is lengthy, at least 10 minutes, and includes the poem "Northwest Passage", which Ginsberg elsewhere has assigned a composition date of April 1969, which is in line with the overall chronology. Presumably the students had no authorization to release this record, which is why Ginsberg's presence is so buried. The remainder of the record is a typical period collage that captures the 'now' of being a hippie student in 1970, with radio broadcast speeches mixed with 'found' music and effects, etc. The front cover looks to be blank at first, until you discover the small mushroom drawn in the lower left corner. The back cover has an elaborate abstract drawing and some minor credits. That no one has discovered the nature of this album in 40 years is puzzling, and Ginsberg collectors will undoubtedly be interested. [PL]

Filet Of Soul / Freedom correction
Now Playing: the kids @ Fifa 11
Topic: Entry data revision

Contrary to popular record collector belief over the past decades, the rarely discussed Filet Of Soul album was cut by a band named Freedom, with "Filet Of Soul" being the title. The two are usually reversed, as they are in the Acid Archives book. So the entry should look like this.

FREEDOM (Thorp, WI)
Filet Of Soul 1970 (Moniquid 4857)

In addition, there is now a reissue of this album from Gear Fab. The band were formerly known as Attila & The Huns and had some 45s.

FOR ALL OF YOU addition
Now Playing: Lazy Farmer LP
Topic: Addition
FOR ALL OF YOU (NJ)
For All Of You 1974 (R.P.C. Z 78491)  [paste-on photo cover; 100p]
Essentially the work of one John Roll with support from various friends, this is one of the more interesting albums in the loner/downer '70s zone to surface of late -- primarily because it isn't really loner/downer at all! A slighty quirky and warm feel dominates as typical s-sw songs bring in mellow jazz moves mixed with a melodic sensibility. Communication 1, Philip Lewin's debut, or even Virgin Insanity spring to mind during the better tracks; best not to set the expectations too high, but this one's certainly worth checking out for the average private press aficionado. On RPC (aren't they all?), but with an unusual grey label design I haven't seen before. [PL]

...

thanks to Alexandre in France for suggesting this obscurity

T C Atlantic reissue
Now Playing: T C Atlantic
Topic: Minor change or comment

The self-titled Eva 'reissue' is in fact not really a reissue of the band's old live LP, as it adds several studio tracks (3 on each side) to the running order, making for a generous running time of 50+ minutes.

Almost all of the band's early non-LP 45 tracks have been added, but the tracks that were both on studio 45 and on the live LP appear only in their live versions. Most curious is that the band's unparalleled masterpiece, the mid-'66 proto-psych head swirler "Faces" is not included, while most other 45 tracks are. In all, the Eva collection presents a comprehensive picture of the band's early days as an above-average frat/blue-eyed soul band, in the typical unprocessed sound of the label. Completists still need to get some of the 45s to have all T C Atlantic recordings. Incidentally, the live recording may be authentic, at least it sounds like it. The Eva repro adds a small photo to the crude title sleeve design. The band's later 45s are not held in high regard, but I find both "Love Is Just" and the 2nd version of "Faces" to be worth hearing.

The Sound Of The Reign
Now Playing: Garage Punk Unknowns vol 8
Topic: Minor change or comment

A little more data has surfaced on this very rare, two-copies-known Fredlo custom press from the Midwest. First of all, the band seems to have been mainly Eastcoast kids enrolled at a Midwestern college, much like the Immigrants. Judging from a few soundclips, they have a late frat-rock sound with a typical club feel including organ, and they do mostly standards of the era. The risqué angle mentioned in the Acid Archives book would fit well for a band playing the Greek fraternities. Finally, although it would be tempting to refer to the band as simly the Reign, it appears clear that the band name is The Sound Of The Reign and nothing else -- and Reigned Out is the album title. The label gives a Duluth, MN address (Dylan's hometown) so we're going with a Minnesota locale for now.

Simpson & Heck
Now Playing: Ukraine-Sweden friendly, dull goalless draw
Topic: Addition

SIMPSON & HECK ( )

Simpson & Heck 1972  (no label)   [blank cover]

Rare christian folkrock title, highly rated by some. More info is appreciated.

Headstone (OH)
Now Playing: Madrigal
Topic: Minor change or comment
The classic Still Looking album by Headstone was pressed up in 2000 copies, according to a recent interview with a relation to the band. The three Flynn brothers who made up 3/4 of the band are all now deceased. In line with the blue collar underground vibe of Headstone, and many OH '70s classics, it seems they kept working factory shifts at GM throughout the band's career. There exists some unreleased recordings from 1976, following the album and the 1975 singles.