Honk


Band members               Related acts

- Will Brady --  bass (replaced Don Whaley) (1974-75)

- Craig Buhler -- sax, flutes (1972-75)

- Beth Fichet - vocals, guitar (1972-75)

- Tris Imboden -- drums, percussion (1970-75)

- Richard Stekol -- vocals, lead guitar (1972-75)

- Don Whaley -- vocals, bass (1970-72)

- Steve Wood -- vocals, keyboards (1970-75)

 

 

 

- Will Brady (solo efforts)

- Craig Buhler (solo efforts)

- Chicago (Tris Imboden)

- Beth Fichet Wood (solo efforts)

- Firefall (Tris Imboden)

- The Funky Kings (Richard Stekol)

- La Seine (Tris Imboden and Don Whaley)

- The Second Time (Richard Stekol)

- Richard Stekol (solo efforts)

- Thunder (Tris Imboden)

 

 

 


 

Genre: rock

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories

Company: Granite

Catalog: GR 7720
Year: 1972

Country/State: Laguna Beach, California

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: minor ring wear

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5666

Price: $25.00

 

I've never seen it, but Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray's Five Summer Stories is supposedly the ultimate surfer flick.  The accompanying soundtrack briefly turned the Laguna Beach-based Honk into pseudo-stars.

 

 

Honk originally came together in 1970 featuring the talents of drummer Tris Imboden, bass player Don Whaley, and keyboardist Steve Wood.   Undergoing a steady stream of personnel changes the band became popular on the Southern California dance, college (and high school), and club circuit.  By 1972 the line-up had expanded to a sextet with the addition of sax player Craig Buhler, singer/guitarist Beth Fichet, and  lead guitarist Richard Stekol.  The same year MacGillivray hired the band to provide incidental music for a surf film he'd produced with partner Freeman. 

 

left to right:  Steve Wood - Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - 

Craig Buhler - Richard Stekol - Tris Imboden

 

Released by the small Hollywood-based Granite label, 1972's "The Original Sound Track from Five Summer Stories" was a major surprise to my ears.  Based on the the brief descriptions I'd read and knowing it was related to a surfer flick, I was expecting to hear a throwaway set of surfer instrumental - kind of a lowtech Ventures-styled offering.  Not quite !  With all of the members contributing material, this may have been billed as a soundtrack, but for all intents and purposes it was a regular rock album.  True, it wasn't the most coherent album you've ever heard and stylistically it was all over the map.  In spite of those flaws it somehow managed to latch onto that early-1970s Southern California vibe that people longingly dream about.   Wish I could explain it better, but even the throwaway cover art captured the vibe.

 

- Opening up with a throbbing mechanical noise that would have sounded at home on a Kraftwerk album Wood's 'Creation' opened up into a beautiful ballad sporting some wonderful CSN&Y-styled harmony vocals.

- The instrumental 'Blue of Your Backdrop' featured some fantastic Stekol lead guitar (he wrote the track) and a surprisingly funky B-3 organ - imagine Booker T. and the M.G.s hanging out on a Southern California beach.  Wonderful atmospheric and the only criticism is that it faded out too soon.

- Another Stekol instrumental, 'Brad and David's Theme' had a distinctive country flavor to it, complete with pedal steel.  Wonder how they fit that into a surf flick ...  The track seamlessly faded into the country 'High In the Middle'.  Too country for my tastes.

- So why not give the drummer a solo?  At least 'Hum Drums' was brief.

- 'Bear's Country' was one of the few tracks that actually sounded like it was penned for a surf film.  Wonder it it was meant to be a tribute to their days playing Huntington Beach's Gold Bear. 

- Wood's 'Made My Statement (Love You Baby)' was a surprisingly tough R&B-flavored rocker.  Wouldn't have expected to hear it on this set !

- Stekol turned in a beautiful country-rocker with 'Don't Let Your Goodbye Stand'.  He may have had the best voice of the four lead singers ...

- The instrumental 'Lopez' sounded like it was written for a quickie porno flick, but actually sounded right at home here.

- Complete with cheesy synthesizer, the instrumental 'Blue of Your Backdrop' was another track that actually sounded like something you'd expect on a surfer soundtrack.

- Powered by Stokel's fantastic guitar (check out the freak out solo that closes the song), some nice drumming from Imboden, and an unexpected Wood harpsichord solo the instrumental 'Tunnel of Love' was one of the album's most memorable melodies.

- And best of all was the closing instrumental 'Pipeline Sequence'.  Bouncing between Stekol's lead guitar and Wood's B-3 this was a near perfect track.  I don't surf, but this one's always struck me as being the perfect song for a surfer film.

 

Bottom line is that this is another one of those albums that's far better than any description I could give it.  

 

"The Original Sound Track From Five Summer Stories" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Creation   (Steve Wood) - 0:40

2.) Blue of Your Backdrop (instrumental)   (Richard Stekol) - 2:01

3.) Brad and David's Theme (instrumental)   (Richard Stekol) - 2:38

4.) High In the Middle   (Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Steve Wood - Tris Imboden - Richard Stekol) - 4:51

5.) Hum Drums (instrumental)   (Tris Imboden) - 1:19

6.) Bear's Country (instrumental)   (Don Whaley) - 2:41

7.) Made My Statement (Love You Baby)   (Steve Wood) - 2:38

 

(side 2)
1.) 
Don't Let Your Goodbye Stand   (Richard Stekol) - 

2.) Lopez (instrumental)   (Steve Wood) - 

3.) Blue of Your Backdrop Instrumental   (Richard Stekol) - 

4.) Tunnel of Love   (Richard Stekol) - 

5.) Pipeline Sequence (instrumental)   (Beth Fitchet - Don Whaley - Steve Wood - Tris Imboden - Richard Stekol) -

 

 

The band struggled on recording a pair of studio albums before finally calling it quits in 1975.  

 

- 1973's "Honk" 20th Century Fox catalog number T-406

 

"Honk" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) I Wanna Do For You 

2.) So Much Easier 

3.) Don't Let Your Good Bye Stand 

4.) Circles In Sand 

5.) Caught On A Greyhound 

 

(side 2)

1.) Another Light 

2.) We're On Wheels 

3.) Hidin' Out

4.)  I Wanna Stay 

5.) Money Slips Through My Fingers 

6.) Buckeyed Jim 

7.) Pipeline Sequence

 

- 1974's "Honk" Epic catalog number KE-33094

 

"Honk" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Move Me

2.) Home

3.) All My Time Is Free

4.) Hesitation

5.) You Better Do Something,

 

(side 2)

1.) Gimme That Wine

2.) Dog At Your Door

3.) Where Is Love

4.) Oh Daddy Blues

5.) Mademoiselle 

6.)There Is A River

 

 

There's also a posthumous live release:

 

- 1991's "Coach House Live" (Restless catalog number 72393)

 

"Coach House Live" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave
2.) Hesitation
3.) Made My Statement (Love You Baby)
4.) Coloured Water
5.) Every Part of Love

(side 2)

1.) Move Me
2.) Summer
3.) Try to Remember
4.) Don't Let Your Goodbye Stand
5.) Pipeline Sequence

 

 

They had a reunion in 1983 and have occasionally regrouped for charity occasions.

 

Replacement bassist Brady's gone on to a solo career and has a website at:

http://www.willbrady.com/

 

Buhler has a website at:

http://craigbuhler.com/

 

Fichet also enjoyed a solo career and has a website at:

http://www.bethfitchetwood.com

 

Imboden joined Chicago (whom Honk had once opened for).  He has a website at:

http://www.trisimboden.com/home.htm

 

Stekol became an in-demand sessions player, was a member of The Funky Kings and even taught golf.  Of course he has a website !!!

http://www.2521records.com/

 

Wood opened up a recording studio and has worked on a number of IMAX soundtracks.  Did you doubt that he would have a website as well?

http://www.stevewoodmusic.com/

 

So that leaves Don Whaley ...  After Honk called it quits together with Imboden he released an album as a member of La Seine.  Then what?

 

 

 

 

 

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