Autosalvage
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1966-67) as The Northern Lights - Skip Boone
(RIP 2015) -- bass, guitar, piano drums,
guitar,
bass
line up 2 (1967-68) as Autosalvage - Skip Boone
(RIP 2015) -- bass, guitar, piano drums,
guitar,
bass
line
up 3 (2013-) drums, guitar, bass NEW - Mark Davenport -- woodwind, synthesizer NEW - Lowell Levinger (aka Banana) -- guitar, keyboards NEW
- Sam Page -- bass (replaced Skip
Boone)
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- Bear (Davius Davenport and Skip Boone) |
Genre: psych Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Autosalvage Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-3940 Year: 1968 Country/State: US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: mono pressing Available: 1 Catalog number: Price: $80.00 |
Here's one that's seen increasing demand over the last few years culminating in a 2013 reunion of the surviving members.
Released in early 1968,
the Bob Cullen produced "Autosalvage"
offered up one of the year's odder musical hybrids. One of the first albums
to be recorded on eight track technology, the LP featured nine group-penned
compositions, showcasing an interesting, if occasionally ragged mixture of
the band's musical influences. Among other things, my ears detected
elements of jug
band, contemporary rock moves and perhaps a result of their recent work with
the Mothers of Invention, a willingness to experiment in the studio -
backward tapes, music box interludes, fuzz, feedback. The band-penned
compositions showcased an odd mixture
of country ('A Hundred Years'), Byrds-styled country-rock ('Rampart Generalities'), blues-rock
('Good Morning Blues'), garage ('The Great Train Robbery') and psych ('Auto Salvage'),
with dollops of studio experimentation thrown in. It was common for
multiple genres to co-mingle in a single performance - checkout the mix of
jug band, country-rock and Celtic influences on 'Ancestral
Wants'. The band's willingness
to try new things made the album oddly endearing, if not particularly
commercial. The whole album was worth a spin, but true highlights
scattered throughout the set including the title track, 'Burglar Song' and 'Parahighway'.
Apparently under the impression anything even remotely psychedelic would
sell, RCA Victor did little to support the album. Big surprise when
the album flopped and the band called it
quits. (side
1) Not
sure who the woman doing the spoken word introduction was (I've read it was
producer Cullen's then-girlfriend), but she certainly had a seductive voice
... One of the album highlights. 'Auto Salvage' underscored the band's
jug band roots, but coupled it with a full tilt jangle rock attack. Besides,
how could you not love a song used old Fords as an analogy to life
itself? I always wondered why the band name and the song weren't
the same. 'Burglar
Song' opened up with a bit of backward tape noise, followed by an odd
mixture of snarling fuzz guitar and what sounded like oboe. The song
sported a bouncy, yet threatening vibe that's always reminded me of a really
pissed off Lovin' Spoonful. By the way, the lyrics were a hoot. The music box opening was unexpected ... 'Rampant Generalities' was a good example of the band offering up an interesting amalgamation of their different influences. My ears hear country/jug band influences in the vocals, coupled with rounds of Rick Turner's exploding psych guitar. Another awesome track which might explain why RCA tapped the song as a promotional single. Could have been a hit ...
- 1968's 'Rampart Generalities' b/w 'Parahighway' (RCA Victor catalog number 47-9506)
Opening
with some backwards tape, 'Out Life As We Lived It' offered up a jug
band-meets-the-blues instrumental. Surprisingly melodic. 'Good Morning Blues' added vocals to the mix and continued the blues motif, but with less impressive results.
1.) Ancestral Wants (Skip Boone - Thomas Donaher - Darius Davenport - Rick Turner) - 3:50 rating: *** stars Jug
band with Celtic influences added to the mix? Strange, but oddly
beguiling ballad. Always loved the vocal arrangement on this one. 'A
Hundred Dreams' was the album's most country-tinged performance. Not
sure who handled lead vocals on this one, but the performance was a little
unsteady. From
country to their most sonically experimental offering ... Another
track opening up with a backward tape snippet, 'Land of Their Dreams'
introduced lysergic orchestration and other production touches to the
arrangement. 'Parahighway'
was the album's most commercial rock tune ... country-twang vocals
with some awesome Turner lead guitar. Opening
up with an interesting martial beat, 'The Great Train Robbery' showcased
some awesome Turner guitar moves - moving from a fuzz drenched hoedown sound
to something that was almost progressive. When the vocals kicked in
the song took a turn into fullout garage mode. Another personal
favorite. Hard
to tell exactly where the second section of the medley started, but I think
'Glimpses of the Next World's World"
started around the 3:30
mark where the vocals ended and Turner's guitar reclaimed the spotlight.
The set has seen several reissues. In the late '80s the English Edsel label issued it in CD format (Edsel catalog number ED 286). There's a late-'90s bootleg that sounded like it was recorded in a subway tunnel and managed to get the track listing hosed up. In 2001 the English Acadia label reissued the set in CD format (Acadia catalog number ACA 8011).
Danaher went back to school getting a doctorate in psychology.
Boone became a Long Island-based contractor, passing-on in June 2015.
Davenport went on to work in rehabilitation
Turner moved to California, did some studio work and today is know for building custom guitars: http://www.renaissanceguitars.com/rick-turner-interview.php
With Sam Page replacing Boone, the band reunited in 2013, playing South By Southwest and several other dates.
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Originally
known as The Northern Lights, bluegrass fanatic Thomas
Donaher and multi-instrumentalist Darius Davenport started their musical
collaboration in 1966. Relocating to New York City, by 1967 the
line-up included ex-Ian and Sylvia guitarist Rick Turner and bassist
Skip Boone (brother of The Lovin' Spoonful's Steve Boone). As The
Northern Lights they rehearsed in the same spaces as The Lovin' Spoonful,
garnering some attention when they opened for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of
Invention at New York's The Balloon Farm and later, a concert at The Cafe
A-Go-Go. Zappa took an interest in the group and is credited with
suggesting a name change - "Autosalvage" coming from one of the
song's in their live show. Boone's brother Steve and fellow Lovin'
Spoonful band member Zal Yanovski championed the band, helping them score a
recording contract with RCA Victor.
