Game


Band members                              Related acts

  line up 1 (1969-70)

- Eddie Keating - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Scott Kirkpatrick - drums (1969-70)

- Les Lurhing - keyboards (1969-78)

- George Terry - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-72)

 

  line up 2 (1970-72)

- Eddie Keating - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Les Lurhing - keyboards (1969-78)

- David Robinson - drums (replaced Scott Kirkpatrick)

  (1970-72 and 1976)

- George Terry - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-72)

 

  line up 3 (1972-74)

- Denny Freidkin - drums (replaced David Robinson) 

  (1972-74)

- Eddie Keating - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

-- Les Lurhing - keyboards (1969-78)

 

  line up 4 (1974-76)

- Phil Jones - drums (replaced Denny Freidkin) (1974-76)

- Eddie Keating - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Les Lurhing - keyboards (1969-78)

- David Robinson - drums (replaced Scott Kirkpatrick)

  (1970-72 and 1976)

 

  line up 5 (1976-78)

- Eddie Keating - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Chuck Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar, bass (1969-78)

- Les Lurhing - keyboards (1969-78)

 


 

 

Crabby Appleton (Phil Jones)

- Crane (Chuck Kirkpatrick)

- Firefall (Scott Kirkpatrick)

- People (Denny Freidkin)

- Proctor Amusement Company (Chuck Kirkpatrick and 

  George Terry)

 

 

 


 

Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Game

Company: Faithful Virtue

Catalog: FVS 2003

Year: 1969

Country/State: Florida

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 4580

Price: $35.00

Cost: $66.00

 

When I bought this album, about the only thing I knew about the group was that singer/guitarist George Terry (of Eric Clapton fame) was one of the members.  At least that was the case until I stumbled across singer/guitarist Chuck Kirkpatrick's exhaustive on-line band history (which I've kind of condensed for purposes of brevity).

 

Singers/guitarists Eddie Keating and Chuck Kirkpatrick, drummer Scott Kirkpatrick, keyboard player Les Luhring and singer/bassist George Terry had all been members of the Southern Florida based Proctor Amusement Company.  The band had become quite popular throughout the region, even recording a couple of singles and an unreleased LP for the New York based Faithful Virtue label before calling it quits. While Proctor Amusement Company had come to an end, by 1969 the five were playing Southern Florida clubs as Game.  

 

Released by Faithful-Virtue, 1969's "Game" is an interesting debut.  Co-produced by manager/mentor Steve Goldberg and Chuck Kirkpatrick, musically the set's all over the place, including stabs at conventional pop, progressive ('Entrance'), rock ('Fat Mama') and even showing off some jazzy interludes (check out side two's 'Disturbance/We Turn To You').  Normally such a diverse album wouldn't make all that much of an impression with me, but this is one of those exceptions.  While most bands have a hard time finding one good singer, Game wasn't hurt by having three in the form of Keating, Chuck Kirkpatrick and Terry.  The fact that Keating and Luhring wrote some nifty melodies and were capable of turning in ear candy harmony vocals didn't hurt the end results either (check out Luhring's 'Discovering You'). To be honest, material such as 'Make Some Music' and 'Stop, Look & Listen' sounds a couple of years ahead of it's time ...  had it been released in say 1976 it probably would have blown an AOR outfit like Kansas off the radio.  Unfortunately the set went nowhere.

 

"Game" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Entrance   (Eddie Keating - Tom Quick) - 0:48

2.) What's Going Through My Head   (Eddie Keating) - 3:19

3.) Discovering You   (Les Luhring) - 4:11

4.) Fat Mama   (Eddie Keating) - 2:44

5.) Make Some Music   (Eddie Keating) - 7:48

 

(side 2)
1.) Stop, Look & Listen   (Les Luhring) - 3:28

2.) Disturbance/We Turn To You      (Les Luhring - Eddie Keating) - 6:20

3.) Sermon   (Eddie Keating) - 2:19

4.) Girl Next Door   (Eddie Keating) - 3:19

5.) Exit   (Chuck Kirkpatrick) - 4:06

 

In 1970 the band relocated to Southern California.  Original drummer Scott Kirkpatrick dropped out before the move, replaced by Dave Robinson.  Over the next two years the band recorded a considerable amount of material, but found no takers.  Forced to start playing local clubs when their long time financial benefactor threatened to cut off support, Robinson and Terry called it quits, returning to Florida.  Terry subsequently hit the big time as a member of Eric Clapton's band.  Enduring a series of personnel changes, the band continued to play through 1978.  Chuck Kirkpatrick recorded an instantly obscure solo album for Capitol before returning to Miami where he spent some time recording and touring with Firefall, eventually starting his own business.

 

Kirkpatrick has an interesting website at: http://members.aol.com/JINGLEBOY2/FRONT6.HTML

 

It was a nice to surprise to hear band member Chuck Kirkpatrick"

What a surprise!  I didn't think anybody would have - much less remember - that first album.

GAME was an evolutionary band, both in personnel and musical style.  Basically, we were the marriage of the better halves of two very well-known local bands; Proctor A. C. and a group called BRIDGE.  Bridge was very progressive and did alot of English and blues-based material, while PAC was very much a pop vocal group.  PAC had a little more of an advantage in that we were doing a local TV show weekly and were somewhat more 'visible'.  When our drummer got drafted from PAC, we 'stole' the drummer from Bridge (my brother).  Next was the lead singer, Eddie, and finally the keyboard player, Les Luhring.  Bridge dissolved, and PAC for a time remained a pop cover band, doing alot of Association, Beach Boys, Fifth Dimension material and getting a lot of high-paying gigs because of our fashionable appearanace and classy stage show.

The turning point came one night after playing a prom.  The audience of high school kids were not only ignoring us, but were drunk and throwing up all over the dance floor.  In our hotel room afterwards, we vowed to get out from under the stigma of being just another local cover band and start writing and performing our own material.

We had recorded an album prior to this 'transformation' that was all original material, but it was somewhat 'lightweight' and did not impress anyone in New York where our manager tried to shop it.  That was my Brian WIlson/Pet Sounds moment, where after laboring for nearly a year to producing that album, I was completely devastated by its rejection. 

We managed to pick up the pieces and start writing in another direction that would eventually lead to that first GAME album.  I consider it a masterpiece in that it was entirely self-produced and recorded on only 8 tracks.  My experience as an engineer helped alot.  The energy and cohesiveness of the band at this period was at its peak, and our live shows became legendary.

Unfortunately, things began to change and by the time we got to "Long Hot Summer", we were already beginning to fracture as a band.  Everyone in the group decided to become a producer of his own songs, and the direction became clouded.  It was still a good album, but one that was much more difficult to make for many reasons.

Thanks for writing and feel free to ask anything else.

Chuck
CKirkp1021

 



Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Long Hot Summer

Company: Evolution

Catalog: 3008

Year: 1971

Country/State: Florida

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 2

Catalog ID: 1352

Price: $35.00

 

here.

 

"Long Hot Summer" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) The Rock and Roll Medley (We’re On The Road This Weekend/Rock + Roll Me Baby) - 6:53

2.) Main In Black - 2:04

3.) Sunshine 79 - 4:50

4.) Two Songs for the Seniorita - 6:35

 

(side 2)
1.) I'll be Back Someday - 2:52

2.) Laying Back - 3:50

3.) Animal Friends - 4:20

4.) Feeling God - 3:19

5.) Changes - 3:50

6.) Same Mountain - 3:55

 

On hand here is some fairly polished A.O.R. with a strong commercial orientation, following in the footsteps of their previous release. It's a decent mix of somewhat loud boogie blues and softer ballads with nice vocal harmonies. It won't knock your socks off, but it won't curl them either. Grades - 2 B's, 3 B-'s, 2 C+'s, 2 C's, and a C-.

Label: Evolution

In 1970 the band relocated to Southern California. Original drummer Scott Kirkpatrick dropped out before the move, replaced by Dave Robinson. Over the next two years the band recorded a considerable amount of material including 1971’s “Long Hot Summer” which was a departure from the progressive style rock of their first lp. Forced to start playing local clubs when their long time financial benefactor threatened to cut off support, Robinson and Terry called it quits, returning to Florida.

Terry subsequently hit the big time as a member of Eric Clapton’s band. Enduring a series of personnel changes, the band continued to play through 1978. Chuck Kirkpatrick recorded an instantly obscure solo album for Capitol before returning to Miami where he spent some time recording and touring with Firefall, eventually starting his own business. (Max Collodie)

Track Listing

  1. The Rock + Roll Medley: We’re On The Road This Weekend/Rock + Roll Me Baby

 

 

single Two Songs For The Senorita

 

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