Thursday, January 15, 2015

Brain Police - San Diegos only Psychedelic Cops (1968-70)





Εύχομαι μία πραγματικά καλή χρονιά σε όλους μας, με την υγεία να μας περισσεύει όσο ποτέ.  

Το πετσόκομμα από τα λινκς που ανεβάζουν οι διάφοροι μπλόγκερς συνεχίζεται και δυστυχώς λιγοστεύουμε. Ανεβάζω τους  Brain Police διότι παρατήρησα ότι λιγόστεψαν από τα ελεύθερα μπλογκ. 

Στεναχωρήθηκα όταν τις προάλλες πάτησα το http://hippy-djkit.blogspot.gr/ και το έβγαλε ότι καταργήθηκε. Όποιος έχει νέα του εξαίρετου αυτού μπλόγκερ ή αν ξέρει τα ίχνη του ας κάνει ένα σχόλιο.


Brain Police - Adler



The Brain Police
Personnel:
TONY JOHNSON                           drms                       A
FRANK MANNIX                            bs                           A
DAVID RANDLE                            gtr                          A B
RICK RANDLE                               vcls, gtr, keyb'ds, hrmnca       A        B
NORMAN LOMBARDO                   vcls, bs                      B  C
SID SMITH                                   drms                          B  C
LARRY GRANT                              gtr                                 C
(BENNY BENNETT                         perc                           B)

ALBUM: 
1(B)   THE BRAIN POLICE                        (K.B. Artists WR 4767)      1968 R6
NB: (1) issued as a demo disc in a plain sleeve. Some copies included a letter of introduction from their manager dated 15th October 1968. (1) has been reissued on Rockadelic (RRLP 26) 1997. There are two different versions of the reissue. Fifty copies came on coloured vinyl with a special folder containing inserts (R2) and 600 copies were pressed on black vinyl with several inserts. (R1). (1) later reissued on CD, with ten extra tracks (Shadocks Music 008).   

45:
1(C)   World Of Wax/Smoking At Windsor Hill (Head X 2002/3)   1969

The Brain Police were one of San Diego's most popular late-sixties groups. Rick Randle had been in The Other Four/The Man-Dells and Tony Johnson and Frank Mannix came from Sandi and The Accents, two bands that had been local phenomenons. In 1967, Norman Lombardo (The Other Four) and Sid Smith, a local drummer who had led a group called The Roosters who issued a 45 on A&M Records of Shake A Tail Feather / Rooster Walk (A&M 746) 1964, (Sid plays drums and sings lead vocals on this!) replaced Johnson and Mannix. This was the magical line-up that recorded the demo album in 1968. Recorded on a primitive 4-track machine, the record displays a degree of talent seldom seen in a teenage band. 


Through a unique combination of pop songs and heavy rock (all original material, written by Rick and Norman) The Brain Police created a remarkable document of American rock's transitionary period between flower-power and the guitar-led heavy rock that dominated the scene in 1969. The original demo album was pressed for promo use and the copies were sent to club owners and record labels - it is impossibly rare - the Rockadelic reissue is highly recommended, providing, of course, that you can find it! The reissue included a reprint of the letter included in the original, and a fistful of psychedelic posters from the groups 1967 - 1968 tenure as San Diego's top draw. 


Norman and Sid left San Diego in 1969, relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area and along with Norman's old friend Larry Grant (The Other Four/The Man-Dells) recorded the 45, using session musicians from the 'Frisco area who remain unknown. World Of Wax is radically different from the version on the 1968 demo album, and, as well, the 'B' side reveals that this band had little in common with the San Diego Brain Police. Within the next few months, Sid accepted an offer to record and tour with Roy "Treat Her Right" Head. Rick Randle hooked up with the legendary Framework just as they were disintegrating, and then he and their drummer Carl Spiron played together in a two-man band (ala Lee Michaels / Frosty) that never recorded but played a few well - received live shows as The Rick Randle Band. 


Sometime in 1969, Rick journeyed up to the Bay Area to join Norman and the two formed a short-lived group called The Dry Creek Road Band who recorded an album for Grunt records (produced by Paul Kantner of The Jefferson Airplane!) that remains unreleased, and played live in the area, including a gig at the Fillmore West. At about this time, the pair were asked to play in The Dudes, a top-notch band being assembled to back the up and coming singer Rita Coolidge. This band also included Spooner Oldham, Chris Ethridge and Randy Bishop - three musicians whose list of credits would fill this entire page. Rick then joined two hard-rock outfits, Bighorn and Child, recording and touring with each, and then formed the Seattle-based Randle-Rosburg Band, which became Striker, who released a highly-rated heavy rock album (Arista 4165) in 1978. 


The Brain Police had a most remarkable lineage for an "unknown" group - talent most exemplified by Rick Randle who is well remembered by all who came in contact with him as one of the true "naturals", a born singer / musician / performer who is ranked by many as one of the greatest the West Coast has ever produced.
You can also find I'll Be On The Inside, If I Can on Love, Peace And Poetry: American Psychedelic Music (LP & CD); and the album version of My World Of Wax on The Shadoks Music Sampler (CD).
(Clark Faville / Max Waller)  


6 comments:

angi said...

Του το εκλεισε η μαμα google του Φανη το μπλογκ.Δεν εχω νεα του ..αν μαθω κατι θα σου πω.angi

Anonymous said...

Αν χρειαστει στεγη για οσο καιρο θελει ειμαι προθυμoς και ανοιχτος
PS

Unknown said...

Δυστυχώς πολλά blogs έχουν κλείσει τελευταία, μολονότι τα περισσότερα φιλοξενούσαν δίσκους που δεν κυκλοφορούν πλέον επίσημα. Όσο για τον hippy-djkit είναι Ναυπλιώτης, μπορώ να επικοινωνήσω μαζί του αν θέλεις.

Rochacrimson said...

Hi Spaniolos!
Any news about hippy-djkit new blog?
Blogger deleted his blog :(

innocent76 said...

ευγε εξαιρετικον !

Psych-Spaniolos said...

Καλησπερα Πητ. Προφανως και να μαθεις νεα του. Ειναι κριμα να χαθει απο τα μπλογκς. Το μπλογκ στην διάθεση του το οτιδηποτε