The Mandrake Memorial
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1967-70) - Craig Anderton -- guitar, sitar, synthesizers - Michael Kac -- keyboards, vocals - Randy Monaco (RIP 1983) -- vocals, bass - J. Kevin Lally -- drums, percussion
line up 2 (1970) - Craig Anderton -- guitar, sitar, synthesizers - Randy Monaco (RIP 1983) -- vocals, bass - J. Kevin Lally -- drums, percussion
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- 1910 Fruitgum Company (Randy Monaco) - Craig Anderton (solo efforts) - Craig Anderton and Spencer Brewer - Anamoly (Craig Anderton) - Cat's Cradle (Michael Kac) - The Flowers of Evil (Craig Anderton) - Michael Kac and Linda Cohen - The Novae Police (Kevin Lally and Randy Monaco) - Timestretch Paradise (Craig Anderton)
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: The Mandrake Memorial Company: Poppy Catalog: PYS-40,002 Year: 1968 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small cut out hole bottom right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4579 Price: $50.00 Cost: $66.00
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The Mandrake Memorial are not as well known as The Nazz, Lother and the Hand People or some of Philadelphia's soul bands. Doesn't matter as The Mandrake Memorial are my favorite 1960s Philadelphia band ...
Attending
the University of Pennsylvania, guitarist Craig Anderton found time
Signed to Poppy, the 1968 debut "The Mandrake Memorial" teamed them with producers Anthony Bongiovi and Tony Camillo. Musically the album was interesting given their label allowed the band to record ten group collaborative originals. Tracks like "Bird Journey" and "Rainy May" showcasing their unique instrumental line-up showcasing Anderton's angular guitar sound coupled with Kac's Rock-Si-Chord electronic harpsichord. Propelled by Monaco's likeable voice and melodic bass lines the collection was full of strong melodies, great harmonies and surprisingly catchy lite-psych moves. Certainly some of the lyrics haven't aged particularly well, but so what. Name something from 1968 that has aged well. There really wasn't a bad song on the LP (how often can you say something like that?), though by the end of the album the abundance of mid-tempo numbers started to suffer from a touch of "sounds-similar". One straight ahead guitar rocker would not have hurt. Personal favorites include "Here I Am" (sporting a killer lead guitar from Anderton), the sitar and feedback propelled "Dark Lady" and The Byrds-styled folk-rocker "House of Mirrors". Anyone know who the female singer that provided backing vocals on "Here I Am" and a couple of other performances? Linda Cohen? I have to admit that I've always wondered why the first album gets ignored by everyone in favor of third LP "Puzzle".
"The Mandrake Memorial" track listing: 1.) Bird Journey (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 2:40 rating: **** stars Opening with the sound of footsteps the ballad "Bird Journey" was a great introduction to the band's dreamy sound. Their collective strengths were clearly on display - Monaco's sweet vocals and melodic bass lines, Anderton's lead guitar and above all Kac's electric harpsichord. Very Baroque influenced and a great way to open up the album. 2.) Here I Am (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 3:50 rating: *** stars "Here I Am" featured a lighter, almost sunshine pop flavor. Once again the combination of Kac's harpsichord and Anderton's guitar (he turned in a great solo on this one), gave the band a unique sound. The album also introduced the anonymous female backing singer. Only complaint was the song's abrupt ending. 3.) Rainy May (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 3:45 rating: *** stars Sporting a languid, slightly stoned good-timey melody, "Rainy May" wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Mamas and the Papas album 4.) This Can't Be Real (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 3:45 rating: **** stars Complete with backwards guitar, the rollicking "This Can't Be Real" was one of the album's most psychedelic efforts. Way up front in the mix, Monaco's bass effectively served as a lead instrument through most of the performance. Another track that found Monaco sharing vocals with an anonymous female vocalist. 5.) Dark Lady (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 4:14 rating: *** stars I originally thought the rocker "Dark Lady" featured Anderton guitar tuned to sound like a sitar. After listening to the song repeatedly over the years I'd reached the conclusion he was playing a Coral electric sitar. And then I saw a YouTube clip that showed him playing a regular sitar (see the YouTube link below).
(side
2) With Anderton playing what sounded like a twelve string Rickenbacker, "House of Mirrors" recalled a slice of Byrds-styled folk-rock. Have to admit this one was pretty cool. 2.) To a Lonely (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 3:50 3.) Strange (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 3:55 The ballad "Strange" was the album's most psychedelic performance. YouTube has a fascinating clip of the band performing an early version of the song at Philadelphia's The Trauma. You can read about the film's history and see the performance at: Mandrake Memorial live footage at The Trauma/Philadelphia (1967) 4.) Next Number (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 4:11 rating: **** stars In spite of an extended backwards guitar solo, "Next Number" served as the album's bounciest, most pop oriented track. Cool track. 5.) Sunday Noon (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) - 7:08 rating: **** stars Another
track showcasing Anderton on twelve-string Rickenbacker, "Sunday
Noon" closed the
album
© Scott R. Blackerby December 2025
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Genre: psych Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Medium Company: Poppy Catalog: PYS-40,003 Year: 1969 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small cut out hole bottom right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 12628 Price: $80.00
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Produced by Tony Camillo and Tony Bongiovi, 1969's "Medium" had a distinctively different vibe than the debut. Whereas the debut exhibited a certain degree of raw, on-the-spur-of-the-moment garage edge and the accompanying band cohesiveness (a reflection of the fact the debut LP essentially captured what was then their stage act), the sophomore LP was a far more serious - almost dour endeavor. Supported by a far bigger recording budget, the four principals were clearly interested in expanding their musical palate and making some sort of statement (I think the term of art was 'stretching'). Echoing some of the Airplane's recent moves, tracks like the lysergic 'After Pascal' also made it clear these guys had been listening to some of their West Coast competition. Featuring all original, group penned material, tracks like the droning 'Witness The End' (with some truly killer bass work from Monaco), the ballad 'Celebration' and the psychedelic blow-out 'Smokescreen' featured far more complex and innovative arrangements than found on the debut. Songs like 'Other Side' also marked the introduction of Kac's use of an electric harpsichord. Momentarily kind of intriguing, it was also an effect that quickly wore out it's welcome. On about half the album the new, more 'relevant' approached worked fairly well. In contrast, on compositions like the lead off 'Snake Charmer' the results came off as kitchy, pompous and occasionally simply dull. Maybe a stretch, but while still recognizable as a Mandrake Memorial album, the results occasionally sounded like four separate folks taking solo spots with backing from the others - hum there's kind of a "White Album" comparison in there. Perhaps best called a transitional album, I will tell you the the set's darker and disturbed tone grows on you with multiple spins.
inner sleeve photo by Elbert Budin
"Medium" track listing: 1.) Snake Charmer (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 2.) Witness The End (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 3.) Celebration (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 4.) Other Side (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 5.) Last Number (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac)
(side
2) 2.) Smokescreen (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 3.) Barnaby Plum (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac) 4.) Cassandra (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally - Michael Kac)
Kac subsequently parted ways with the band, pursuing a career with classical guitarist Linda Cohen.
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Puzzle Company: Poppy Catalog: PYS-40,006 Year: 1969 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; original inner sleeve; no circular insert Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4578 Price: $100.00 Cost: $66.00
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Philadelphia meets Pink Floyd ... Sound weird? It is, but it's also one of the handful of albums I own that deserves a four star rating.
For a band that started out with a serious Beatles fixation, 1969's "Puzzle" is a major change in musical direction. As the band's third and final album, the project actually had an interesting, if troubled history. Following keyboardist Michael Kac's departure to pursue a career with classical guitarist Linda Cohen (RIP), the remaining trio consisting of guitarist Craig Anderton, bassist Randy Monaco and drummer J. Kevin Lally packed up for the UK where they recorded an acoustic album with producer Shel Talmy. Poppy Records executives hated the results and the tapes were promptly shelved, leaving the trio to rework the material in New York with producer Ron Frangipane.
Clad in a striking M.C. Escher design (wonder how much it cost to get rights to the images), the album seems to have been conceived as a concept piece, though I've got to admit I don't have a clue what that concept is. (If you read German, the inner sleeve verbiage may provide a clue.) Whatever the intent, tracks such as the opener 'Earthfriend' and 'Kyrie' had a distinctive lysergic-tinged flavor. The addition of Gregorian chants on 'Children's Prayer' and a couple of tracks also added a pseudo-religious feel. Completed with elaborate orchestration, instrumental preludes, extended musical segue ways and lots of electronic noddling, this was about as far removed from the band's earlier top-40 orientation as you could get. Geez, 'Children's Prayer' even included a children's chorus. In its place material such as 'Earthfriend', 'Hiding' and 'Tadpole' flowed along in a thick and trippy stupor. That may sound like a stupid analogy, but propelled by Monaco's slewed vocals (he literally sounded stoned throughout), weird time signatures and production effects, oddball synthesizer blips and some truly weird lyrics (check out Ocean's Daughter' and 'Whisper Play'), it's an apt description. The entire second side, complete with sound effects, backward tapes and other effects made for a great headphones experience. The band didn't entirely abandon their knack for commercial material, with 'Just a Blur' (presented in three separate versions) and the title track standing as catchy as anything on their first or second releases. One final comment - clocking it at almost 50 minutes, this was one long album.
1.) Earthfriend Prelude (instrumental) (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 2:49 rating: ** stars The heavily orchestrated instrumental opener 'Earthfriend Prelude' was certainly pleasant, but ultimately came off as little more than atmospheric background music for a fantasy film. 2.) Earthfriend (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 6:17 rating: **** stars While it was hard to tell where the prelude ended and the main theme started, the ballad 'Earthfriend' sounded like it had been bathed in a heavy dose of lysergic acid. Randy Monaco's bass line was amazing and the orchestral arrangement got crazier and crazier as it went along. 3.) Just a Blur (Version 1) (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 0:53 rating: *** stars 'Just a Blur (Version 1)' was a pretty acoustic song fragment. Shame it was so short. 4.) In Hiding (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:15 rating: **** stars Another pretty, acid tinged performance. Perhaps a touch too fey for the band's own good. This time out J. Kevin Lally's drums provided the song's secret ingredient. 5.) Just a Blur (Version 2) (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 0:51 rating: *** stars Pretty acoustic guitar powered segment that really wasn't much different than the previous segment. 6.) Tadpole (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 2:25 rating: **** stars I'd die happy mastering Monaco's opening bass pattern. 'Tadpole' was another sweet ballad that was actually a bit more commercial than the rest of side one. 7.) Kyrie (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:24 rating: *** stars Geez, for a moment I thought I'd slapped on The Electric Prunes "Mass In F Minor". So at this point why not dump in some Gregorian chants ? Very pretty, though I have no idea what it's doing here. 8.) Ocean's Daughter (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:24 rating: **** stars I'm not sure why I find this ballad so interesting. On the surface it seems pretty bland and the lyrics are pretty MOR-ish. Might be Monaco's acoustic bass, or the sound effects buried in the orchestration ...
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2) Side two opened up with the same tricks - brief instrumental prelude; main theme and then a more conventional track. Just like 'Earthriend', 'Volcano' came off as forgettable film instrumentation - maybe something from an Exorcist-styled horror film ? 2.) Volcano (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 5:59 rating: **** stars I'm not sure why I find this ballad so interesting. On the surface it seems pretty bland and the lyrics 'Volcano' opened up with some irritating guitar feedback effects, but quickly shifted into a more conventional melody. 3.) Whisper Play (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:00 rating: *** stars Well, the title was certain apt, with 'Whisper Play' offering up another segment of Gregorian chants, couple with lots of whispering and bizarre lyrical interlude. 4.) Bucket of Air (instrumental) (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 9:37 rating: **** stars With one of the album's strong melodies, 'Bucket of Air' offered up a tantalizing mixture of Anderton's jangle rock guitar, Lally's wild drums, and Monaco's melodic bass work. The mid-section of the song recalled something Roger McGuinn and the Byrds might have recorded if they'd truly discovered psycedelia. 5.) Children's Prayer (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:25 rating: ** stars More Gregorian chanting ... Think I've reached my limit at this point. 6.) Puzzle (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 3:08 rating: **** stars After the last couple of tunes, it was nice to return to a more conventional tune. Yeah, another acid-drenched ballad, but at least it had a decent melody and Monaco's bass was dazzling. 7.) Just a Blur (Version 3) (Craig Anderton - Randy Monaco - J. Kevin Lally) - 0:51 rating: *** stars And back to the opening melody ...
One last non-LP single; an odd decision to cover a Thunderclap Newman hit and the band was history.
-1970's 'Something In the Air' b/w 'Musical Man' (Poppy catalog number 90103)
Monaco was briefly a member of The 1910 Fruitgum Company, before turning his attention to the production side of the business where he worked with the likes of Rufus, Three Dog Night, etc. He died of a heart attack in the late 1990s.
Anderton formed the band Anomaly, recorded at least one new age influenced solo set (which I've never heard) and went on to make a name for himself writing about electronic music. He also has an interesting website located at: http://www.craiganderton.com/about.htm
Kac moved to California before becoming a linguistics and philosophy instructor at the University of Minnesota. In 2002 he recorded "Naked Under the Moon" with long time friend/guitarist Linda Cohen (it was produced by Anderton). He also has an interesting website at: http://www.kac-cohen.com
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BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
to play
in an outfit called The Flowers of Evil. Keyboardist Michael Kac
started out as a folkie playing Philadelphia coffee houses, before hooking
up with the band Cat's Cradle. Drummer J. Kevin Lally and singer/bassist Randy
Monaco cut their professional teeth in the New York City based The Novae
Police. The four came together through Philadelphia promoter Larry
Schriver, who was looking for a group to serve as the house band for Manny
Rubin's Philadelphia-based The Trauma Club. With
help from Rubin, the quartet became an in-demand local act, opening up for
various nationally known touring bands including Big Brother and the
Trucking Company, The Doors and a date opening for The
Strawberry Alarm Clock. Severely upstaged the Alarm
Clock, the resulting buzz saw them start to attract attention beyond Philly
including touring throughout the Northeast,
eventually catching the attention of the MGM affiliated Poppy Records. 
with a dark jazzy vibe. Who knows what the song was about?
Guy waiting for his dealer to show up? The extended instrumental
mid-section was one of the album highlights. It also provided Kac an
opportunity to showcase his Rocky Mount Instruments Rock-Si-Chord electronic
harpsichord. Plus you got to hear a set of footsteps closing out the
album.
