ONCE UPON A TIMEPEARLS BEFORE SWINE
&
TOM RAPP
(1965-2003)
With high school friends Wayne Harley (banjo, mandolin), Lane Lederer (bass, guitar) and Roger Crissinger (piano, organ), Tom Rapp wrote and recorded some songs which were inspired by the Fugs. They were quickly signed up, and recorded One Nation Underground (1967), featuring songs of mysticism, protest, melancholia, and some controversy in the case of “Miss Morse”, which spelled out an obscenity in code.
The more mysterious-sounding and strongly anti-war Balaklava (1968) followed, inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade. Rapp has said "The first two albums are probably considered the druggiest, and I had never done any drugs at that point. I smoked Winston cigarettes at that time, so these are all Winston-induced hallucinations." The album covers featured paintings by Bosch and Brueghel. The records themselves included interpretations of the writings of Tolkien and Herodotus as well as archive recordings from the 1890s, with innovatively arranged songs using an eclectic variety of instruments.
The band signed for Reprise Records in 1969, although by this time the other original members had left and the band name referred to Rapp. The five albums on Reprise were generally more conventional in sound, but contained a unique blend of humanistic and mystical songs, with some whimsical touches.
Two albums followed, released under Rapp's own name until a final appearance in 1976 supporting Patti Smith.
he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock, a music festival in Providence, Rhode Island, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year.
(source : Wikipedia)The more mysterious-sounding and strongly anti-war Balaklava (1968) followed, inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade. Rapp has said "The first two albums are probably considered the druggiest, and I had never done any drugs at that point. I smoked Winston cigarettes at that time, so these are all Winston-induced hallucinations." The album covers featured paintings by Bosch and Brueghel. The records themselves included interpretations of the writings of Tolkien and Herodotus as well as archive recordings from the 1890s, with innovatively arranged songs using an eclectic variety of instruments.
The band signed for Reprise Records in 1969, although by this time the other original members had left and the band name referred to Rapp. The five albums on Reprise were generally more conventional in sound, but contained a unique blend of humanistic and mystical songs, with some whimsical touches.
Two albums followed, released under Rapp's own name until a final appearance in 1976 supporting Patti Smith.
he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock, a music festival in Providence, Rhode Island, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year.
thanks to one-time contributor Stevesstuff for having selected the songs for that baistophe
5 comments:
me likey. thx a bunch.
Good music. Thanx!
These are great collections. I've looked at a couple of groups that I know well and you did a fine job with the choices.
Something in some of the posts made me think you're a French speaker. If so, merci beaucoup. (If not, thank you very much :) ).
Your deduction was good ;-)
And thank you for yhe kind words !
Very nice selection, a good chronologically-ordered career overview. - Joe (WildCat Records USA)
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