H.P. Lovecraft
Band members Related acts
|
line up 1 (1967) - Kal David -- lead guitar line up 2 (1967-68) NEW - Tony Cavallari -- lead guitar (replaced Kal David) NEW - George Edwards (aka Charles Ethan Kenning) -- vocals, bass, guitar
(replaced Tom Skidmore)
line up 3 (1968-69) NEW - Jeffrey Boyan (aka Geoff Bryan) -- vocals, bass (replaced Jerry
McGeorge) - George Edwards (aka Charles Ethan Kenning) -- vocals, bass, guitar NEW
- Michael Tegza -- vocals, drums (replaced Fred
Pappalardo) line up 4 (1969-70) as Lovecraft NEW
- Michael Been -- bass (replaced Jeffrey Boyan) - George Edwards (aka Charles Ethan Kenning) -- vocals, bass, guitar line up 5 (1975) as Love Craft NEW
- Frank Capek -- lead guitar
|
- Aorta (Jim Dolinger and Michael Been)
- Michael Been (solo efforts) - The Call (Michael Been) - Jim Dolinger (solo efforts) - George Edwards
(solo efforts) - The Fabulous Rhinestones (Marty Grebb) - High Energy (LaLomie Washburn) - The Kind (Frank Capek and Mark Gardner) - Kevin Lee and the Lonesome City Kings (Frank Capek) - David Miotke
(David Michaels) (solo efforts) Fred
Pappalardo) - The Village Singers (George Edwards) - LaLomie Washburn (solo efforts) |
Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: H.P. Lovecraft Company: Phillips Catalog: PHS 600 252 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Year: 1967 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $60.00 |
An exceptionally talented band, it's hard to
understand how Chicago's H.P. Lovecraft (the name came from their manager's
dog who was in turn named after the famed 1920s' horror/fantasy writer
Howard Phillips Lovecraft), didn't become a major mid-1960s' act.
- 1966's 'Norwegian Wood' b/w 'Never Mind, I'm Freezing (Dunwich catalog number 45-117)
Paying his bills working for Dunwich as a sessions vocalist, Edwards somehow managed to convince company executives to let him form a band and take another stab at recording material. Teaming up with singer/keyboardist Dave Michaels, the duo "borrowed" bassist Frank Bartoli, guitarist Kal David and drummer Fred Pappalardo (all members of The Rovin Kind), to record their debut single 'Anyway That You Want Me' b/w 'It's All Over For You' (Philips catalog number 40464-). While the single failed to chart it generated considerable media interest allowing Edwards and Michaels to recruit a full time band, consisting of guitarist Tony Cavallari, bassist Tom Skidmore (quickly replaced by former Shadows of the Knight alumnus Jerry McGeorge) and drummer Michael Tegza.
left to right: Jerry McGeorge - George Edwards - Michael Tegza - Tony Cavallari and Dave Michaels
- 1967's 'Wayfaring Stranger' b/w 'Time Machine' (Philips catalog number 40491) - 1967's 'White Ship Part 1' b/w 'White Ship part 2' (Philips catalog number 40506)
Inexplicably, in the midst of the summer of love
the album bombed. 1.) Wayfaring Stranger
(George Edwards) - 2:35 (side 2) 1.) White Ship
(Tony Cavallari - George Edwards - Dave Michaels) - 6:37
|
|
Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: H.P. Lovecraft II Company: Philips Catalog: PHS 600 279 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Year: 1968 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $50.00
|
Following a move to Southern California which saw bassist Jerry McGeorge unceremoniously replaced by former Saturday's Child bassist John Boyan, the band found itself under intense pressure to record a follow-up album. 1968's "H.P. Lovecraft II" continued the band's partnership with manager/producer George Bandoski. Given the band's heavy touring schedule they had not been able to come up with much material for the next collection. As a result much of the album was largely written and recorded on the fly during the actual Los Angeles recording sessions. Reportedly recording while tripping on various illicit substances probably didn't help in the productivity department. That probably explains the reliance on outside tunes, including two by band friend Terry Callier. With the band struggling to focus and come up with material, English studio engineer Chris Houston apparently filled in much of the creative vaccum. Compared to the first album songs such as 'High Flying Bird', 'Blue Jack of Diamonds' and 'Mobius Trip' found the band pursuing a decidedly experimental attack. Extended tracks such as 'It's About Time' and 'At the Mountains of Madness' opted for dense, highly orchestrated arrangements, complete with rambling percussion, sleepy, treated vocals and spacey synthesizer tones. While the results occasionally drifted to the dull and ponderous ('Electrallentando') all in all it still made for an interesting listen. Atypically melodic and focused 'At the Mountains of Madness' and 'Spin, Spin, Spin' were among the few tracks to capture the freshness of their debut. Shortly after the album was released keyboardist David Michaels called it quits. Increasingly unhappy with the band's loss of musical and personal focus; their unwillingness to record some of his material and having experienced a religious awakening he returned to Chicago and resumed his college studies at Northwestern University. His departure came at a critical time for the band. Within weeks Philips had all but pulled the plug on support for the album the band essentially collapsing on itself.
1.) Spin, Spin, Spin (Terry Callier) - 3:26 rating: **** stars One
of two tracks penned by the late Terry Callier, if you were going to set up
a list of the top-10 trippy songs, it would be hard to exclude 'Spin, Spin,
Spin'. Built on an almost pastoral melody, the song offered up a
wonderful mix of folk, rock and psych influences. The combination of George Edwards
and kyeboardist David Michaels' voices has
always
reminded me of Marty Balin and the Jefferson Airplane at their
best. It
started out with a blues vibe with Edwards and one of the other members shared
vocals. About a
minute in the song went off the rails in a much more psychedelic direction -
imagine Revel's 'Bolero' on an acid trip. Bassist
Boyan's lone contribution to the album, 'Blue Jack of Diamonds'
found the band shifting into a folk vein. Simply a beautiful ballad
with Boyan handling lead vocals. If
you were skeptical the album was recorded under various influences then 'Electrallentando'
should convince you that was the case. The song dripped lysergic
influences along with engineer Houston adding tons of studio effects. Drummer Michael Tegza
seemed to be in his own
little world; particularly in the last section of the song where he his
performance sounded demonic. It was also the album's first
disappointment. Not particularly melodic or memorable ... it
just kind of floated along for the most of the six plus minutes. Extra
star for Tegza's performance. (side 2) 1.) At the Mountains of Madness (Tony Cavallari - George Edwards - Dave Michaels) - 4:48 rating: **** stars Inspired
by band namesake H.P. Lovecraft, if
you want to find a song that sounds better with headphones, look no further
than 'At the Mountains of Madness'.
Another potential top-10 psych addition, this one has the added benefit of a
dark and threatening edge with the dark subject matter, reverse tapes and
plenty of echo effects. Oh, maybe that was just Michael Tegza's
out of control drums? Or maybe it was Tony Cavallari's fuzz and
feedback laced lead guitar, or the scare-the-crap-out-of-you electronic
bleeps and burps? I suggest not listening to it in a dark room. Great
title for this one. Interestingly the tune found the band injecting a
bit of a jazzy vibe into their sound. Easy to understand why this
would be a favorite among the stoner crowd. Once again the Edwards and
Michaels vocal combination was impressive. 'High
Flying Bird' is one of those rights-of-passage songs that dozens of bands
have recorded. The best known version is probably the original cover
by Judy Henske, but I'd argue this version shredded her cover.
There's just something calming in this arrangement and the combination of
Edwards lead and the harmony vocals was gorgeous. 'Nothing's Boy'
was an odd spoken work segment featuring voice-over artist Ken Nordine.
He also wrote the tune. Never quite understood how this one fit in the
mix.
- 1968's 'Keeper of the Keys' b/w 'Blue Jack of Diamonds' (Philips catalog number 40578)
|
|
Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Valley of the Moon Company: Reprise Catalog: 6419 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Year: 1969 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $12.00
|
Following H.P. Lovecraft's collapse the band members scattered. Singer George Edwards stayed in California trying to form a new band, before giving up and returning to Chicago where he did some production work, including recording some material with friend Terry Callier. Drummer Michael Tegza also returned to Chicago where he joined The Bangor Flying Circus. The band signed with ABC's Dunhill subsidiary, recording an album, before calling it quits.
In 1969 Edwards and Tegza decided to resurrect the band. As the lone carryovers from the original lineup, they started recruiting musicians, eventually rounded out their lineup with former Aorta bass player Michael Been and lead guitarist Jim Donlinger. The foursome returned to California, settled into a big communal home, subsequently recruiting ex-Buckinghams keyboard player Marty Grebb and started rehearsing. Having shortened their name to 'Lovecraft', the band were signed by Reprise. Naturally another personnel disaster struck; founding member Edwards dropping out of the project. In spite of his departure the group continued on, recording 1969's self-produced, "Valley of the Moon" as a quartet. Musically the set proved a major disappointment on the heels of earlier efforts. With Donlinger and Been contributing the majority of material (Grebb kicking in three tracks), material such as 'Never Gonna Go Back', 'Two Step Tussle', 'Hopefully We'll All Remain Together' and 'Dear' found what was essentially a totally new band somehow managing to replicate some of H.P. Lovecraft's trademarked vocals harmonies, but losing much of the band's unique sound in favor of a commercial mixture of guitar rock. Certainly not as distinctive as earlier efforts, the collection was still worth a listen though it did little commercially. Reprise lifted one instantly obscure single from the LP.
- 1971's "We
Can Have It Altogether' b/w 'Will I Know When My Time Comes' (Reprise
catalog number 0996) 1.) We Can All Have It Together
(Jim Donlinger - Michael Been) - 3:55 (side 12 1.) Take Me By the Hand
(Jim Donlinger - Michael Been) - 3:10
The band hit the road opening for various name acts and within a couple of months the comeback project was over.
- Been formed The Call and also recorded a 1994 solo LP "On the Verge of a Nervous Breakthough" (Qwest catalog number 45557-2).
- Dolinger went on to a solo career and wrote a book about his rock experiences Space Traveller - a Musician’s Odyssey.
- Grebb reappeared as a member of The Fabulous Rhinestones and then became a member of Bonnie Raitt's touring band.
- Tegza briefly resumed his collaboration with Edwards in the Chicago band Elixir, opening for various national groups playing Chicago,
|
|
Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: We Love You, Whoever You Are Company: Mercury Catalog: SRM-1-1031 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Year: 1976 Grade (cover/record): NM/NM Comments: still in shrink wrap; cut corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2308 Price: $10.00
|
In 1975 drummer Michael Tegza decided to reactivate the Lovecraft nameplate (now shown as 'Love Craft') without participation from any other original members. Ironically Tegza was himself a second generation participant having replaced original drummer Fred Pappalardo. Recruiting a new lineup consisting of percussionist George Agosto, guitarists Frank Capek and Jorge Juan Rodriguez, bassist Craig Gigstad, keyboardist Mark Justin, and singer LaLomie Washburn, the group was signed by Mercury. Co-produced by Tegza and Washburn, anyone expecting something similar to the band's original psych leanings, or their latter day country-rock orientation was bound to have been surprised by "We Love You, Whoever You Are". With Washburn responsible for virtually all of the material, tracks like 'Ain't Gettin' None' and 'Flight' offered up a mainstream set of AOR that recalled something along the lines of Santana-meets-Chaka Kahn. Washburn certainly had a nice voice, but she all but drown out the rest of the band, leaving them in the role of backing band. To be honest, the set was never less than professional, but on the heels of their earlier releases this one was a major artistic and commercial disappointment ...
"We Love You, Whoever You Are" track listing:
1.) We Love You, Whoever You Are (LaLomie Washburn - Love craft) - 3:11 rating: ** stars Again,
no disrepect meant to lead singer LaLomie
Washburn, but anyone who loved the band for their psychedelic roots was
probably going to be shocked by their apparent devotion to Rufus and Chaka
Kagn. Yeah, 'I Feel Better' offered up another slice of Rufus, with a slightly jazzier edge, but in spite of myself, I actually liked Washburn's performance. Her lyrics were hysterical on this one. Mercury tapped it as a single:
- 1975's 'I Feel
Better' b/w 'Fight' (Mercury catalog number 73698)
4.) Your Smile (LaLomie Washburn) - 5:25 If you were going to do a funk song then it might as well have been something like 'Ain't Gettin' None'. The song certainly had energy, but the problem was that Washburn so dominated the performance, Love Craft became her de facto backing band. Kudos to Frank Capek for turning in some nice lead guitar. Easily the album's highlight, Mercury tapped it as a promotional single:
- 1975's 'Ain't
Gettin' None' b/w 'We Love You' (Mercury catalog number 73707)
(side 1) 1.) Monumental Movement (LaLomie Washburn - Love Craft) - 8:12 rating: ** stars The
extended ballad 'Monumental Movement' underscored what a great voice
Washburn had. Unfortunately, complete with extended, percussion heavy
jamming, the song was plodding, bloated, and seriously dull, apparently
intended to showcase the band's serious side.
And that was all she wrote for the band.
Washburn recorded some solo material and died from liver cancer in 2004.
|
|
Genre: psych Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: H.P. Lovecraft - Live May 11, 1968 Company: Sundazed Catalog: LP 5004 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Year: 1996 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened) Available: 1 Price: $30.00
|
Released by the Sundazed label,
1991's
"H.P. Lovecraft - Live
May 11, 1968" came off as a surprisingly impressive concert
documentary. While I have no idea how much post-production effort went
into the set, these guys could clearly kick some audio butt !!! Recorded shortly after the release of their
1967 debut album, the track listing understandably focused heavily on material drawn from
"H.P. Lovecraft".
The only real exceptions were a pair of new songs intended for what
was to be their sophomore album - 'It's About Time' and 'At the Mountains of
Madness'. While it may have been attributable to post-production work,
the album sported crystal clear sound; not to take anything away
from the band's muscular performances. Material such as the extended
leadoff 'Wayfaring Stranger' 'The Drifter' and 'White
Ship' captured the band at their creative zenith; retaining the original
studio version's sophisticated arrangements with an unexpected hard rock
punch. Lead singers George Edwards and David Michaels were first-rate,
though they occasionally sounded as if they were trying to out-singing each
other (''). Their
harmony vocals were stellar and must have driven the competition insane - Grace
Slick and Marty Balin should have sounded half as good. Special kudos to
David Michaels' keyboards and lead guitarist Tony Cavallari (hard to believe
the band actually briefly fired him). As to be expected from Sundazed, the set included an informative set
of liner notes. 1.) Wayfaring Stranger (George Edwards) - 10:23 rating: **** stars 'Wayfaring
Strange' was the standout performance on the debut album and the live
version was equally impressive. True, it lacked the studio version's
polish, but the live version made up for it in the form of Michael Tegza
savage drumming (though the extended solo wasn't necessary), and the
performance's sheer energy. The
sound quality on 'The Drifter' was so good you had to wonder whether the
tune was really recorded live. Probably the album's most conventional
rock tune, though it was still floating on a sea of LSD. David Michaels
chaotic keyboards were stunning. Nice to see the band giving a shout-out to another Chicago-based artist ... Their cover of Terry Callier's 'It's About Time' was one of two tracks from their then-forthcoming second album. After the acapella introduction Edwards and Michaels cut loose with everything they had. One of the album highlights.
(side
2) Geez,
if you were going to find a song that captured that unique mid-'60s West
Coast psych vibe, 'White Ship' would be a good candidate. Yeah, I know
they were from Chicago, but the combination of Tegza's's
martial drumming and Edwards and
Michael's trippy vocals
was pretty awesome. Not sure when, or where it was filmed, but YouTube
has a brief, black and white television lip-synching performance of the
song. Neither the video, or sound quality are very good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_YPxOoD8rc 'At the Mountains of Madness'
was the second
track from the band's sophomore studio collection. Complete madness
and thoroughly intriguing. Again, Edwards and Michaels
came off a bit shrill, but you had to wonder how they managed to come so
close to replicating the original studio version. Apparently
every album recorded in the mid-'60s included a clause the required you
include at least one Dylan, or Fred Neil cover. Call this their
contractual obligation track ... Maybe because Edwards and Michaels
sounded like they were trying to out-sing one another, this one came off as
shrill and brittle. Admittedly Tony Cavallari turned in a nice guitar
solo. I'm
guessing Bill Graham did the intro ... Randy Newman like you've never
heard him before !!! In this case as a lysergic dripping
jam. Another tune off the debut album, the live version was again surprisingly impressive. The introductory instrumental segment went on a bit longer and Michael Tegza's drums were mixed way up front, but otherwise they turned in a version that should appeal to folks who loved the studio version.
|
