C.A. Quintet
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1966-67) - Jimmy Erwin -- vocals, bass - Larry Honart
-- lead guitar
line up 2 (1967-68) - Jimmy Erwin - - vocals, bass - Larry Honart
-- lead guitar
line up 3 (1968) - Jimmy Erwin - - vocals, bass
line up 4 (1968) - Jimmy Erwin - - vocals, bass
line up 5 (1968-69) NEW - Donnie Chapin - (RIP 1984) -- drums, percussion (replaced Rick Johnson) - Jimmy Erwin - vocals, bass
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- Comfort Station (Doug Reynolds)
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Trip Thru Hell Company: Psycho Catalog: 12 Country/State: Minneapolis, Minnesota Year: 1983 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: unauthorized UK repressing with one of the tracks missing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 20288 Price: $60.00
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Here's one of the holy grails of the psych collecting community.
It has a special place in my heart since Ervin was kind enough to let me
interview him for a lengthy article that showed up in Goldmine.
I've seen people willing to sell body parts for an original copy of this obscurity.
While the album's good, save those medical costs and consider buying our unauthorized 1983 Psycho reissue
(which is missing one channel of sound) for a fraction of the cost of an original pressing ...
- 1967's 'Mickey's Monkey' b/w 'I Want You To Love Me Girl' (Falcon catalog number 70-A/B) - 1967's 'Blow To My Soul' b/w 'She's Got To Be True' Falcon catalog number 71-A/B).
While neither single sold substantial
quantities, they attracted the attention of the equally obscure Minnesota-based Candy Floss label which promptly signed the
band to a recording contract. 1.) Trip Thru Hell, Pt. 1 (instrumental) (Ken Erwin - Doug Reynolds) - 9:00 rating: *** stars Powered
by a haunting Jimmy Erwin bass line, the
title track featured a moody instrumental that ranged from the kind of thing
you don't want to play for your kids in the dark to the kind of beauty found
in a Gregorian chant (check out the female backing vocals. Less
impressive was the fact a large section of the tune was devoted to an
extended Rick Patron drum solo.
Yeah, if you were a drummer, that might have provided the song's highlight
... It
sounded like they'd recorded it at the bottom of a well, but 'Colorado
Mourning' underscored the band's knack for incorporating commercial, radio
friendly moves in their catalog. Would not have sounded out of place
on late-'60s FM radio. Always liked Ken's backing trumpet. 'Cold
Spider' is one of the tunes that underscores the band's psychedelic
credentials. And once again, Erwin managed to find a way to blend the
bizarre with a surprisingly commercial edge. The song also served as a
nice platform for Tom Pohling's wigged
out, fuzz drenched lead guitar. (side 2) 1.) Underground Music (Ken Erwin) - 4:39 rating: **** stars If
you ever doubted a psychedelic tune could include a horn arrangement, then
'Underground Music' might be a good place to dissuade you of that notion.
Slapped on top of a mesmerizing Doug Reynold organ pattern, Pholing's
wah-wah guitar and what sounded like electric sitar made this one criminally
addictive. I'd
argue keyboardist Doug Reynolds was the band's secret sauce. While not
a spotlight hog like so many of his contemporaries, as exemplified on
'Sleepy Hollow Lane', Reynold's playing was always tasteful and understated.
'Smooth as Silk' was a near perfect blend of blue-eyed soul, rock, and psychedelic influences. Another track that has one of those melodies that bores into your head and won't leave you alone. Shame the single was ignored by everyone. By the way, the non-alum "B" side 'Dr. of Philosophy' was equally enjoyable.
-
1969's 'Smooth As Silk'
b/w 'Dr. of Philosophy' (Candy Floss catalog number C.F. 102)
4.) Trip Thru Hell, Pt. 2 (Ken Erwin) - 3:30 rating: *** stars Opening the title
track reprise, Rick Patron's martial drumming took you a moment to get
acclimated to. Once again Jimmy Erwin's bass line took center state
and while nowhere near as trippy as "Part 1", it made for a
tuneful way to end the album.
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Genre: psych Rating: **(2 stars) Title: C.A. Quintet Live 1971 Company: private press Catalog: none Country/State: Minneapolis, Minnesota Year: 1984 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: signed by keyboardist Doug Reynolds on front cover Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4742 Price: $100.00
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This live set was apparently released in the wake of the unexpected success enjoyed by an earlier bootleg release of the group's 1969 studio album. Supposedly only 500 copies were pressed.
First the good news. Given the primitive conditions under which this album was recorded, the sound is surprisingly good. According to Ken Ervin's liner notes, 'This recording was made simply by laying down two microphones on the floor in front of the group. They just happened to be in the best location for the circumstances.' Now the bad news. Capturing the band at what was to be their final performance at Lake Pepin High School, "C.A. Quintet Live 1971" sounds like a band drawing its last creative gasps which was pretty much the situation. Original singer/bassist Jim Ervin had quit the band leaving brother Jim to switch over to bass. Drummer Rick Patton was also gone, leaving Donnie Chapin to step in.
So what's this thing sound like? Well 'Bayou Jam' is a needless side long mixture of popular rock hits including snippets of CCR's 'Down On the Bayou' and The Stones' 'Satisfaction'. It's listenable, but nothing you couldn't hear on any Friday evening at your local brewpub. Best thing I can say about it is that the 14 minutes go by quickly (okay the drum solo slows everything down for a couple of minutes). The Ken Ervin original 'Country Boy' is actually pretty good, though the country-rock sound is a little bit unexpected. Judging by this track these guys weren't bad in a live setting. The extended cover of Spirit's 'Fresh Garbage' also has it's moments - notably for giving guitarist Tom Pohling a chance to stretch out. Certainly not essential, but I've heard far worse.
"C.A. Quintet Live 1971" track listing:
1.) Bayou Jam - 14:40 (side 2) 1.) Country Boy (Ken Erwin) - 4:40 2.) Fresh Garbage Jam - 10:10
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Genre: psych Rating: **(2 stars) Title: Last Trip At Lake Pepin Company: Swordfish Catalog: SFCQLP1 Country/State: Minneapolis, Minnesota Year: 2006 Grade (cover/record): NM/NM Comments: includes insert Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $100.00
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I guess you can't blame a record label for trying to grab every last dollar of disposable income they can from fans and collectors. As a buyer you always have the right to just say no.
This 2006 set is billed as "recorded live at the financial performance of the C.A. Quintet in January 1972 at Lake Pepin High School, Wisconsin U.S.A.". At that's exactly what you get. On display is a band that's clearly competent and surprisingly energetic and enthusiastic as they plow through an eight song mixture of popular hits (Beatles, Cream, Doors) along with a pair of never released band originals - Kevin Erwin's '4am In New York City' and 'China Chopper'.
Given these eight selections were recorded on a two track tape machine, the sound quality was acceptable. With former band front man remixing the tapes, I've certainly heard worse.
"Last Trip At Lake Pepin" track listing: 1.) And Your Bird Can Sing (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 2.) Badge (Eric Clapton - George Harrison) - 5:36 I'm not going to tell you this is a mind blowing cover. The sound quality was marginal, but the band certainly knew the song well and while he was a bit raw and scatchy, Doug Reynolds sounded suitably enthusiasitc. Kudos to Jimmy Erwin for his bass work. Here's what the Kevin Erwin had to say about the performance: "We recorded it live the last night we played together in 1971 as a band. It is just one of many song and well will be putting here as lone as we are still around. The singer Doug Reynol was a brother to all of us and my singer." 3.) Born To Be Wild (Mars Bonfire) 4.)
I'm a Man *(Steve Winwood - Miller) (side 2) 1.) 4am In New York City (K. Erwin) 2.) Light My Fire (Jim Morrison - Robbie Krieger) 3.) Wild Child (Jim Morrison) 4.) China Chopper (K. Erwin)
he ongoing interest in ever more obscure '60s recordings has thrown up some good stuff along the way. In the past they'd be released in dire quality bootleg pressings but these days things have gone up a notch. Good pressings and -gasp!- at affordable prices. So here's one more LP to add to your, ummm, iPlod. Back in 1969 Minneapolis quartet CA Quintet got together to form, what past for in those days, a psychedelic sound fused with garage. They stuck at it for 2 years during which time they put out one album, the now much loved 'A Trip Through Hell' in an edition of 1000. A cruddy bootleg version of it came out in the early '80s. Avoid it like the proverbial wotnot. A far, far superior re-release has just been put out by the reliable Sundazed label both in cd and double-LP format, with 12 previously unheard recordings and an info-jammed booklet. S'good. So where does this Live album, the only live recording the band made, fit in? In response to the bootleg LP that came out, in 1984 the band put out three live tracks (not sure what format) from their final show. Then in 2006 the master tapes of the show were found. The album itself is a rollocking good listen and slightly bizarre. The band give it a bit of welly, as every garage band ought to, so there's an urgency in their rough and ready playing. They were certainly heavier than all the West Coast bands and would give many of the New York bands a run for their money, but if you're expecting something on the lines of Jimi Hendrix at his wah-wah best when you see the word 'psychedelia', forget it. There's no such thing. Clearly live CA Quintet couldn't replicate their far more colourful and adventurous studio work, so instead they went for the full-on garage sound. Doug Reynolds keyboards give it that all important Hammond swirl. He'd been draughted by the army just before their studio album came out and had only just rejoined the band. Ah well. The audience are.... well, dead silent. Either the band went down like Jonathan King at a jamboree or the microphones didn't pick up the sound. The sound quality is much better than expected. They run through a few crowd pleasing (?!) covers like 'And Your Bird Can Sing", 'Born to be Wild', 'Light My Fire', 'Badge' and a version of 'I'm a Man' which is only outdone in inappropriateness by the version done by The Chancellors in 1965. Vocalist and songwriter Ken Erwin, who also doubled up on the bass playing duties for the absent Jim Erwin who had left the band by the, has written some fine liner notes for this edition, filling in a few of the many holes in their history. Pressed up in 180g vinyl and a limited edition, although no-one's saying as to how limited. Another well-presented release by the Swordfish label. HM Contact: www.swordfishrecords.com
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