I decided to drag these dudes out since I mentioned them yesterday, and really haven't listened to them that much in the past year or two...The West Coast Pop ARt Expermental Band was a sort of anything-goes psych band from Los Angeles ca. late 60's, compirsed of, more or less, vocalist Bob Markely, bassist/vocalist Shaun Harris, guitarist vocalist Danny Harris, guitarist/vovalist Michaeal Lloyd, guitarist Ron Morgan, and drummers John Ware and Hal Blaine.....this will be a tiny bit confusing, but in 1966 they released an LP entitled "Volume 1".....I thought I had a copy of this, actually I guess I don't, but it really isn't an essential work IMO.....covers of a lot of stuff like "Louie Louie", "You Really Got Me", and "Baby Blue" are interesting enough, but hardly as daring as the band's name would imply (however, if anyone has a copy, I'd like to own one just for the hall of it)/
The REAL meat of theier career are the next three albums...the first (1967) of which is entitled "Volume 1" (as opposed to "Part 1").....the cover material is FAR more esoteric (Zappa's "Help I'm a Rock", a Van DyKe Parks tune), and the originals begin to show the imagination and the fascination with psychedelic pop as demonstrated on "Shifting Sands", "1906" and in particular "Morning Dew".
The second LP, also from 1967, was entitled "Volume 2 (Breaking Through)" and is far better than the previous.....again, while not as "experimental" as the bands name would lead us to believe, this is some enjoyable pop-psych....it's a solid album, featuring "Suppose They Give a War and Noone Comes", "In the Arena", and the excellent "Smell of Incense", perhaps their best number....the album shows marked improvement over Volume 1, much more psychedelic, much more of a "statement".....hilariously dated today (songs like "Buddah"), it's a wonderful period piece, as well as a listenable slaba of psychedelic pop.
I think markely has used the bands name to release a fw pieces since this, but who really cares? These three pieces make up just about you will every need to hear from this crew, unless there is some great lost rarities album out there.....a more pure trio of period pieces of a specific place and time you will not find, people my age will certainly crack a smile if they have not heard these for 30 years, new listeners will shake thier heads and roll thier eyes.......be honest, how many of you have forgotten all about these? Let me know your views on these albums, I really did enjoy giving them a replay today!
VOLUME 1-01 Shifting Sands/02 I Won't Hurt You/03 1906/04 Help I'm a Rock/05 Will You Walk With Me/06 Transparent Day/07 Leiyla/08 Here's Where You Belong/09 If You Want This Love/10 'Scuse Me Miss Rose/11 High Coin
VOLUME 2 (BREAKING THROUGH)-01 In the Arena/02 Suppose They Give a War and Nobody Comes/03 Buddah/04 Smell of Incense/05 Overture/06 Queen Nymphet/07 Unfree Child/08 Carte Blanche/20 Delicate Fawn/21 Tracy Had a Hard Day Saturday
VOLUME 3 (A CHILD'S GUIDE TO GOOD AND EVIL)-01 Eighteen Is Over the Hill/02 In the Country/03 Ritual I/04 Our drummer Always Plays In the Nude/05 As the World Rises and Falls/06 Until the Poorest People Have Money To Spend/07 Watch Yourself/08 A Childs Guid to Good and Evil/09 Ritual II/10 The Child of a Few Hours Is Burning to Death/11 As Kind as Summer/12 An Anniversary of World War III
So, talk to me, always want to know what you folks think......and any thing you may wish to request, or submit, without concern of any scrutiny, THIS IS THE PLACE!