- Steve Drake (aka Steve Kaczorowski) (RIP 2009) -- vocals

- Steve Kaczorowski (solo efforts)

- No Dice (Steve Kaczorowski)

- Nutz

- The Oxpetals

Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Nature Intended

Company: Tiger Lily

Catalog: TL 14054
Year: 1976

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: small cut out hole top right corner

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5907

Price: $500.00

Ah, here's a movie script just waiting to be made.  I'm not going to spend a great deal of time on Steve Drake's (aka Steve Kaczorowski) biographical background. Patrick 'the Lama' Lundborg has written a fascinating piece on the man that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about his bizarre personal life and recording career.  http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/Kacz/lamaKacz.htm 

Released by Morris Levy's Roulette Records-affiliated tax scam Tiger Lily label, 1976's "Nature Intended"  was Drake/Kaczorowski's third release following 1970's "What Time Are You?" (released under his given name) and "Cold Sweat" (credited to Steve Drake).  

By any stretch of the imagination this one added a weird twist to what was already a strange recording career.  On the first album Drake/Kaczorowski at least went to the effort of re-recording vocals over original performances by obscure English bands. For the second and third projects he didn't even bother with that, instead simply creating what amounted to his own mix tape, but going the extra step of taking credit for writing and singing all of the material. I always wondered how he planned to explain the fact a female singer was clearly handling the vocals on 'Rap On'.   I happen to like both Babe Ruth and Stackridge (which is where he copped the majority of the songs on this set - see additional information below), but knowing this material was written and performed by others certainly gave the set s strange feel.  And yes, there was clearly something ironic having a tax scam label like Tiger Lily release an album of 'stolen' songs. Kind of the perfect art and business match made in hell ... 

Lundborg and tax scam expert Aaron Mileski spent considerable time tracking down the original sources of the album's nine tracks. They've figured out seven of the nine. So here's their side-by-side research: 

"Nature Intended" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Nature Intended    rating: *** stars

The song title was actually 'Nature Intended', but credit should go to the British band Nutz.  There's actually a parallel story associated with the British band Nutz.  If interested you can see the 'No Dice' link above.  The song started the album off with an interesting slice of British hard rock.  The opening Gregorian chant sound effects were apparently intended to be ominous, but simply came off as being goofy.  Hardly the band's most inventive composition, the track seemed designed to give lead guitarist Mick Davenport a change to showcase his hyper speed guitar licks.  Okay, the lyrics were actually kind of funny.   

2.) Rap On    rating: *** stars

The actual song title was 'Lady' recorded by the British band Babe Ruth.  I've always liked Babe Ruth lead singer Jennie Haan's voice, but it was certainly kind of strange to hear it plopped down in the midst of this mix-tape LP.  The switch from the hard rock opener to this smooth slice of jazzy-funk was a bit jarring.  You also had to wonder how Drake planned on explaining the prescience of a female lead singer.

3.) Slark    rating: *** stars

The song title was 'Slark', though it was written by the British band Stackridge.  I've always wondered why Stackridge didn't achieve bigger successes in the States.  Admittedly this wasn't there finest moment, but the instrumental segment sounded pretty good with the volume cranked up.   

4.) Adam And I     rating: *** stars

Another Babe Ruth effort, originally entitled 'A Fistful of Dollars'.  Decent enough instrumental with plenty of '70s-styled lead guitar and the nod to 'Rawhide' was cute. 

(side 2)

1.) Somebody      rating: ** stars

Back to Babe Ruth for this one which was originally entitled 'Somebody's Nobody'.  As displayed by this rocker, Babe Ruth and Jennie Haan could be shrill

2.) Dave Ross & Me  .   rating: ** stars

This remains one of the two unknown performances.  The vocal was a bit strained, but musically it was a decent slice of county-flavored folk with a lyric that was actually funny.  

3.) Eastern Wind     rating: **** stars

Perhaps my favorite performance and the other mystery song - 'Eastern Wind'.  Nice mix of pop sensibilities, tasty slide guitar, and light psych moves.  Someone out there knows where this one came from.

4.) Perfect Love .   rating: ** stars

'Perfect Love' found Drake diving back into the Babe Ruth catalog.  This one was originally entitled 'The Duchess Of Orleans'.  Haan's prominently featured on this slow, overwrought ballad.  Unfortunately this was another one where she mistook shrieking for power.  Nice lead guitar from Alan Shalock ...  

5.) Jennie's Extravaganza  .   rating: * star

And for the finale Drake went back to Stackridge. Listed as 'Jennie's Extravaganza' the instrumental's titled was actually 'Let There Be Lids'.  Way too country for my tastes.   

Certainly not a 'must own' by any stretch of the imagination, but it made for one weird-ass story.  Wonder whether the Babe Ruth and Stackridge members had any knowledge of this one ...

Drake/Kaczorowski died in March, 2009 and I happened to stumble across a brief obituary by Erin Schultz written for the Suffolk Times which did a nice job of trying to make some sense of the man's odd life.  http://www2.timesreview.com/ST/stories/T032609_Superstar_ES

"If it hadn't been for the broad talents of Greenport musician Stephen Edward Kaczorowski, Southold High School never would have had "Jesus Christ Superstar" grace its stage months before Broadway had even heard of the musical back in the summer of 1971. "Without him being there, we would have never done 'Superstar' in a million years," said former classmate Mark Volinski, who played Judas Iscariot in the production. "I certainly value my experience with Steve. It was neat being around someone so involved and creative." After a lifelong battle with hemophilia, Mr. Kaczorowski died in the presence of family members at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park on Tuesday, March 17. He was 57. Though his disease prevented him from working most of his life, he was an avid guitarist, piano player, songwriter, and rampant music fan. He loved obscure British bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the same era during which he made a splash playing the role of Jesus in the Southold High School musical. That production is widely known as the first American stage adaptation of material written by legendary British musical team, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Before it was a play, "Jesus Christ Superstar" existed only as a double LP released in 1970, popular among kids and on the radio waves. Mr. Kaczorowski, born and raised in Hempstead, moved to Cutchogue with his family in the middle of his senior year. He needed only one more class to graduate, so he enrolled in a humanities course taught by innovative social studies teacher Henry Cheney. Without a musical score, stage directions or permission from the record company, the senior class, pushed by Mr. Kaczorowski, decided to bring "Jesus Christ Superstar" to life. Mr. Volinski, a 55-year-old Mattituck resident who sings in the local band, Jazz Alive, recalled those two weekends when they beat Mr. Webber and Mr. Rice to the punch. "The first weekend, we didn't know if it'd be a bust or a hit," he said. "It was a hit. The place was packed." The play stirred up the local religious community with its notions that Jesus could be sexual and that Judas could be a friend instead of a traitor. That is until Maureen Burns, wife of the Rev. Ben Burns, then of Southold's Methodist Church, got involved in the production. The former opera singer helped the small community accept a play that not even New York City had seen yet. "With me being a minister's wife, I thought maybe it would soften the blow of any kind of controversy," she said. "It certainly attracted people." Mr. Kaczorowski had claimed it also attracted Paul McCartney and even Andrew Lloyd Webber to Southold High School. Mr. Volinski said his friend had everyone convinced that he had persuaded the famous playwright not to shut the production down -- and to come to the show. "So the story goes," said Mr. Volinski. By all accounts, Mr. Kaczorowski was a practical joker through and through, and this carried over into his music career as an adult. Self-taught on guitar and piano, he would play from time to time with The Steve Drake Band, a group named for one of his many stage names. His first release, 1970's trippy "What Time Are You?" is still known amongst local DJs and collectors of obscure vinyl albums world-wide. It's been described as "totally bizarre ... psychy rock with introspective moments." His daughter, Teresa Kaczorowski, 22, described her father's music simply as "interesting." "He had a very good sense of humor," she said. "And that translated into his music." But to his nephew Andrew Matalone, Mr. Kaczorowski was never the "rock star" he tried to show to the rest of the world. "He used to say he sold a lot of his stuff overseas," he said. "But music was a hobby to him." Mr. Matalone said he'll always remember cruising around the North Fork with his cool uncle, listening to The Beatles, Queen and Electric Light Orchestra. Mr. Volinski said he'll never forget the incredible performances from his soft-spoken, almost bashful classmate. And though many will remember Mr. Kaczorowski for a stage production that scooped the real thing on Broadway, to his sister Jane Matalone, 64, her younger brother will always be a superstar for enduring a painful life. "He was ill and in an extreme amount of pain most of the time," she said. "I can't get out of bed if I have a headache ... but he chose to get out of bed and live. He was my hero." Mr. Kaczorowski is survived by his wife of 25 years, Patsy (Taylor), daughters Christine Chenal and Teresa Kaczorowski, grandchildren Catherine and Estuardo Chenal, and sister Jane Matalone. The family received friends last Thursday at Cecere-Pensa Funeral Home in Baldwin. Funeral Mass took place last Friday morning at St. Christopher's R.C. Church in Baldwin."

Credit Erin Schultz written for the Suffolk Times