Southwest F.O.B.
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1967-68) - John Colley (aka John Ford Coley) -- organ, keyboards - Tony "Zeke" Durrell -- drums, percussion - Dan Seals (RIP 2009) -- vocals, sax - Larry "Ovid" Stevens -- lead guitar - Mike "Doc" Woolbright -- bass
line up 1 (1968)-69 NEW - Randy Bates -- trumpet - John Colley (aka John Ford Coley) -- organ, keyboards - Tony "Zeke" Durrell -- drums, percussion - Dan Seals (RIP 2009) -- vocals, sax - Larry "Ovid" Stevens -- lead guitar - Mike "Doc" Woolbright -- bass
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- England Dan and John Ford Coley - Dan Seals (solo efforts) - Theze Few (John Coley, Dan Seals, Larry "Ovid" Stevens and Mike Woolbright)
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Genre: pop-psych Rating: **** 4 stars Title: Smell of Incense Company: HIP Catalog: HIS
7001 Country/State: Dallas, Texas Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small punch hole lower left corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $50.00
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This is another album I bought early in my collecting career; found it disappointing and moved on without much thought. Forty years later I found a copy at a flea market and decided to give it another shot. My conclusion: yes, my initial callus dismissal was wrong.
Formed in Dallas,Texas today Southwest F.O.B. (aka Southwest Freight On Board) is best known for launching the careers of the late Dan Seals and John Colley; collectively known as England Dan and John Ford Coley.
Formed in 1967, the group featured a series of high school friends. Keyboardist John Colley and singer Dan Seals had been members of The Playboys Five who recorded an obscure 1966 single as Theze Few. When that outfit ran its course they joined lead guitarist Larry "Ovid" Stevens' band Southwest F.O.B. The line-up was completed with the addition of drummer Tony "Zeke" Durrell and bassist Mike "Doc" Woolbright. Like any good high school band, Southwest F.O.B. started out playing parties, school dances and local clubs. Their initial break cane in 1968 when a Dallas teen dance club hired them to open for the nationally known West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (WCPAEB). Band members were so taken by one of the WCPAEB compositions they decided to cover it. Released by the small Dallas based GCP Records, they made their recording debut with an abbreviated version of the song:
- 1968's "Smell Of Incense" b/w "Green Skies" (GPC catalog number 1945-1)
The single sold well locally, capturing the attention of Stax's newly formed rock-oriented HIP label, which promptly bought out the band's contract, reissuing the single nationally:
- 1968's "Smell Of Incense" b/w "Green Skies" (HIP catalog number HIA 8002) # 56 US Billboard Hot 100
Based
on the single's success HIP rushed them into the studio to record a
supporting album - the eponymous titled "Smell of Incense".
Amazingly the album was recorded over a two day period at Brian Newsome's
Tyler, Texas Brians Production Studio. With production credited to the
anonymous GPC Enterprises, in addition to the earlier single, the collection
featured a mixture o
Today it's comical, but featuring four naked ladies sitting in a clear plastic cube, the Christopher Whorf designed album cover proved controversial with some retailers refusing to stock the album.
"Smell of
Incense" track listing: 1.) Smell Of Incense (Bob Markley - Ron Morgan) - 2:40 rating: **** stars Complete with some Asian instrumental touches, the WCPAEB original was far more acid tinged and about twice the running length. The Southwest F.O.B.. version was more pop oriented and cut the track down to about half its running time. The other big difference is their version substituted Colley's Farfisa organ for Ron Morgan's Coral electric sitar. Guitarist Stevens didn't know how to play sitar. YouTube has a clip of the band lip-synching the song on the Larry Kane Show. Kane's introduction is almost as long as the song. Love the stage outfits and Durrell's drumstick twirls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0KtN6afJrc 2.) Tomorrow (John Colley - Dan Seals) - 3:11 rating: *** stars A pretty country-rock ballad showcasing Colley and Seal's sweet blended vocals, "Tomorrow" served as a clear indication of the sound the pair would pursue as John Ford Colley and England Dan. The bright MOR sound won't appeal to everyone, but remember these guys went on to dominate mid-'70s radio for a couple of years. 3.) Rock 'N' Roll Woman (Stephen Stills) - 2:47 rating: ** stars Judging by "Rock 'N' Roll Woman" they certainly had good taste in outside music and were more than capable of churning out credible covers. Of course that raises the question why would you want to hear a cover when the Buffalo Springfield original is so much more dynamic? 4.) Downtown Woman/Nadine (John Colley - Dan Seals / Chuck. Berry) - 6:54 rating: **** stars Powered by Durrell's drumming "Downtown Woman" was a charming slice of sunshine-pop. The vocal arrangement was awesome, as was the mid-section instrumental freak out. On paper segueing into a cover of Chuck Berry's "Nadine" seemed strange, but when you heard Steven's fuzz guitar and Durrell's wild-as*ed drumming it made much more sense and you could hear why HIP released it as a single.
- 1968's "Nadine" b/w "All One Big Game" (HIP catalog number HIA 8009)
(side
2) Powered by some lovely Colley harpsichord "All One Big Game" was a surprisingly impressive slice of sunshine-pop. Sweet melody and even sweeter vocal harmonies, but the secret sauce was Mike Woolbright's melodic bass lines ... it would have made a nice "A" side, but was relegated to the "B" side on their "Nadine" 45. 2.) On My Mind (John Colley - Dan Seals) - 2:26 rating: **** stars Giving trumpet player Randy Bates a moment in the spotlight, "On My Mind" offered up a nice slice of folk-rock. Showcasing Colley's Continental organ (?) Durrell's surprisingly accomplished drumming and a brief Woolbright bass solo, the fade out was even better. On of the album's most commercial offerings, the track should have been a single. 3,) Bells Of Baytown (John Colley - Dan Seals) - 3:30 rating: *** stars Opening up with Durell and Woolbright laying down a spare, haunting rhythm, "Bells Of Baytown" suddenly morphed into a pretty, folk-tinged ballad. The vocals on this one were incredibly polished. 4.) And Another Thing (John Colley - Dan Seals) - 11:55 rating: **** stars Clocking in at almost twelve minutes, "And Another Thing" was easily the album's most rock oriented and most impressive performance. All of the members got a shot to showcase their technical chops with Seals contributing a surprising jazzy sax solo. Anchored by a rock solid Woolbright bass line, Durrell contributed an extended drum "battle" that was actually entertaining as it bounced from right to left channels. About halfway through the song Steven's finally got a chance to showcase his guitar chops. The Seals-Colley vocals were awesome, but also ensured the song retained a commercial edge.
For hardcore fans and the curious, there are a couple of non-LP singles:
- 1969's "As I Look At You" b/w "Independent Me" (HIP catalog number HIA-8015) - 1969's "Feelin' Groovy" b/w "Beggar Man" (HIP catalog number HIA-8022) #115 US Billboard Hot 100
And that was essentially it for Southwest F.O.B. Colley and Seals went off as a duet and then as solo acts. The remaining band members struggled on for a couple of months before calling it quits.
Coley has a website at: https://johnfordcoley.com/home
Only 61, suffering from lymphoma, Seals passed on in March 2019.
© Scott R. Blackerby June 2025
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f
Colley and Seals originals rounded out by a couple of cover tunes. And
here's where the album deviated from so many debut collections. Still
in their teens, these guys were quite talented offering up
a highly commercial blend of sunshine pop ("All
One Big Game"), folk-rock ("Bells
Of Baytown") with an
occasional psych flavor thrown in ("And
Another Thing"). And while I
don't have "golden ears" I have
to say the collection sounded great on a quality stereo, or with a good pair
of headphones. If you love old fashioned channel switching this is a
great LP - check out Durrell's extended drum battle on "And Another
Thing". Given the limited time they had in the studio it wasn't a
surprise to see four cover tunes. While the covers weren't as good as the
original tunes, the band reflected good taste in their choices of outside
material. Their Buffalo Springfield cover "Rock
'N' Roll Woman" stayed pretty true to the original, adding some
trumpet from new member Randy Bates and Colley's Farfisa organ. Best of the
covers was a Stevens; fuzz guitar powered cover of Chuck Berry's
"Nadine". Elsewhere the sweet country-rock ballad "Tomorrow'
was interesting as a precursor to the mid-'70s sound Colley and Seals
would ride to chart successes as
John Ford Colley and
England Dan. 
