Κυριακή, άγνωστος μεταξύ
αγνώστων στη πόλη που ζω, όχι και με την καλύτερη διάθεση χαζεύω αυτή τη
μουνταμάρα με την αιθαλομίχλη που μας πνίγει, ότι σκάει το πρώτο φως. Έρχεται η
ιδέα να βάλω στο search τη
λέξη fog να
δω τι έχω από αρχεία διότι η μνήμη μου δεν τα χωράει πια όλα.
Προκύπτουν οι ξεχασμένοι Lemon Fog. Ένα γκρουπ από το Τέξας, με τόσα λίγα
τραγούδια, που είπαν όμως τόσα πολλά σε
σχέση με άλλους που βγάζουν δίσκους κάθε χρόνο και δεν είπαν απολύτως τίποτα. Για
την ιστορία τους, έβαλα το κείμενο παρακάτω που δεν είδα να υπάρχει στο νετ.
Από την ώρα που έβαλα να
παίζει το (δεν έχω λόγια να το περιγράψω) Day Βy Day, το
ακούω αδιάκοπα. Ίσως να είμαστε και τυχεροί που ζούμε τώρα και μουσικά έχουμε
την δυνατότητα να ακούμε τα πάντα από εκείνη την εποχή. Αυτοί δεν την είχαν
αυτή την δυνατότητα. Είχαν όμως άλλες που δεν θέλω να σκέφτομαι.
Στο αρχείο έβαλα μαζί ότι
τυχών υλικό υπάρχει στο νετ να το έχετε μαζεμένο, από αυτό το καταπληκτικό και
πανέμορφο για την ψυχή μας γκρουπ.
Να είστε όλοι καλά.
Lemon Fog – Day by Day (1967
Personnel:
TED EUBANKS keyb'ds
TERRY HORDE ld
gtr
CHRIS LYONS drms
DANNY OGG bs
BILL SIMMONS vcls
KΕΙΤΗ MANLOVE gtr (left the band
before the recordings)
45s:
1 Lemon
Fog/Echoes In Time (Orbit
1117) 1967
2 Summer/Girl
From The Wrong Side-Of Town (Orbit 1123) 1968
3 Day
By Day/The Prisoner (Orbit
1127) 1968
In
the Spring of 1963, The Bar Eights were formed, with Fillmore High School
classmates Danny Ogg and Terry Horde on lead guitar and drums, respectively,
Timmy Thorpe on bass, and Dale VanDeloo on saxophone and vocals. Essentially,
The Bar Eights were a Rip Chords cover band, with a few Lou Christie covers
mixed in for variety. Aside from a few coffee bar gigs and a sock hop, The Bar
Eights failed to establish themselves even semi-professionally over the next
two years. When VanDeloo reportedly attacked Ogg with a mic stand during an
argument over who would get the taller riser, The Bar Eights were no more.
Then,
one sweltering afternoon in the Summer of 1965 at Clem's Music in downtown Houston, it happened.
Chris Lyons was hanging around the store recruiting talent for a new band he
was forming. He had already earmarked drummer Eddie Sura and keyboardist Jimmy
Spicher, and was looking for a guitarist and bassist. Danny Ogg entered the
store with hopes of trying out the new Danelectro that Clem had in. When Chris
asked him to join, he agreed, but only under the condition that his friend
Timmy Thorpe, who had just gotten laid off from his job at the glass factory
and was bored out of his mind, play bass for them. Lyons agreed, taking on Thorpe sight-unseen.
After a few rehearsals, it became painfully obvious that Sura was not working
out. According to Ogg, "Eddie kept yelling at everybody, particularly
Timmy, 'cause he couldn't keep good time." When Ogg ran into former Bar
Eight bandmate Terry Horde at Clem's the following week, Ogg offered him the
drummer spot in the band. Horde agreed. By that weekend, The Pla-Boys were
playing their first gig, at St.
Regis College
for the Arts. In the audience that night was a man who would change their
lives...
Ted
Eubanks, an avant garde composer and fixture of Houston's mod scene, caught The Pla-Boys'
act. Their set consisted mostly of covers of such garage greats as Sam the Sham
and the Pharaohs and ? and the Mysterians. As Eubanks puts it, "They were
playing this garage crap! It was horrible. But something about them struck
me... I think it was their chemistry". Eubanks immediately approached the
band after the show and offered to take them over. They agreed. But Eubanks
decided that before anything was to become of them, a few changes would need to
be made. First, the music. Eubanks immediately began injecting original numbers
into the group's repertoire, and dissuaded them from the typical garage fare
they had been playing. Second, the image. The Pla-Boys basically looked like
something right out of a Frankie and Annette movie, with matching grey sport
suits. But Eubanks got them good and "psychedelicised", dressing them
in beads, mod suits, and the like. Finally, the name. From this moment
forth,The Pla-Boys would be known as The Lemon Fog.
In
short order, The Lemon Fog established themselves as one of the area's
two premier bands, along with the well-established Nomads. The "all
thumbs" Jimmy Spicher was substituted for fellow Fillmore High classmate
Bill Simmons. At this point, Eubanks decided to also drop Timmy Thorpe, whom
Ted felt was "an incompetent", and switch Danny Ogg to bass, while
Chris Lyons assumed guitar duties. This line-up gained local celebrity status,
and soon, The Lemon Fog were invited into the studio to cut a single.
Under
Eubanks' guidance, The Lemon Fog entered the studio to create some of
the most experimental recordings of the 1960's. Eubanks' ongoing
experimentation with new electronic sounds became a hallmark of The Lemon
Fog recorded legacy. From July of 1966 to February 1968, they recorded
several albums worth of material. Little of this material was ever released,
however, most of it having been stolen when Liquid Stereo Studios' vaults were
raided in 1968. But two singles were released, Echoes Of Time/The Prisoner,
and the compelling Living Eye Theme/Summer, and a self-titled EP
containing these and three other songs, Girl From The Wrong Side Of Town,
Day By Day and So Sophisticated, was released. The Living Eye
Theme, also known as The Lemon Fog, was their biggest success,
reaching the Top 8 regionally. The song's composer, Ted Eubanks explains,
"The Living Eye was a huge club in Houston
where we were the house band. I vaguely remember one night staring at the huge
pulsating eye which sits in front of the door. As I sat there, suddenly the
words and images of the song just started dancing around in my head. It's not
the kind of thing one forgets". Aside from their studio work, The Lemon
Fog enjoyed being one of the top club draws in the area. Besides the music,
the Fog benefited from a spectacular stage presence. This was attributed
largely to Chris Lyons' charisma and good looks. Also adding to the spectacle
was Ted Eubanks, dancing on stage wearing a long, flowing, sequined cape, and
occasionally chiming in a harmony or two, described by Ogg as "Chinese
sounding." Off-kilter harmonies aside, Ted assumed the role of group leader,
despite the fact that he himself played no instruments. Ted felt his presence
was enough. In addition to live performances, The Lemon Fog also made
television appearances on Sump 'n' Else and The Larry Kane Show, where they
performed Echoes Of Time and The Living Eye Theme.
At
the height of the Fog's heyday, problems began to arise. Eubanks was becoming
increasingly demanding of the others, insisting that they practice every day
they are not performing. In particular, the slothful Horde took exception to
this. Furthermore, Eubanks' compositions began to become more and more
self-indulgent and less accessible. The others tried to turn down his latest
inclusions, and attempted to inject some covers back into their repertoire to
give their show more appeal. But Ted would have none of it. He insisted that
his new material be considered. A power clash began to develop. At one point,
Eubanks threatened to walk out on the group and leave them holding the bag for
four gigs they had lined up that month. When the group proceeded with those
engagements without him, Eubanks reluctantly grovelled back. Adding to this,
acid casualty Bill Simmons began making himself scarce, sometimes for as long
as a month, causing further tension in the group. Eubanks refused to substitute
for Simmons, insisting that his on-stage role was too important to compromise.
As a result, Chris Lyons was left to take up a "lyon's"
share (pun intended) of the keyboard duties, in addition to guitar and vocals.
By
1970, the group was in disarray. A break-up seemed inevitable at this point.
When Eubanks met with the others for rehearsal, planning to propose his latest
composition, Internal Combustion (later titled Bedroom War and
released by Eubanks as a solo single), he found the equipment packed away, and
grim faces on his bandmates. They told him it was over. The four left the
practice space that day, and each went their separate ways.
Tracks
1. Summer (Previously Unreleased Complete Version) - 3:48
2. Lemon Fog (Original Single Master) - 2:52
3. Echoes Of Time (Original Single Master) - 2:33
4. The Prisoner (Previously Unreleased Complete Version) - 4:04
5. Day By Day (Previously Unreleased Complete Version) - 3:31
6. Yes I Cry (Previously Unreleased Mix) - 2:49
7. Girl From The Wrong Side Of Town (Previously Unreleased Version) - 3:08
8. Summer (Original Single Master) - 2:42
9. Echoes Of Time (Previously Unreleased Outtake) - 1:26
10.Echoes Of Time (Previously Unreleased Outtake) - 3:38
11.Echoes Of Time (Previously Unreleased Complete Version) - 2:46
12.Lemon Fog (Previously Unreleased Complete Version) - 3:15
13.Day By Day - 3:25
14.The Prisoner - 3:30
15.Girl From The Wrong Side Of Town (Original Single Masters) - 2:52
16.Girl From The Wrong Side Of Town (Previously Unreleased, Discarded Outro) -
0:22
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