Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: Miss Butters
Company: RCA Victor
Catalog: LSP-3955
Year: 1968
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: minor ring wear
Available: 1
Price: $50.00
Long time fans of singer/guitarist Bob Segarini, we only stumbled across this portion of his early career by accident. This is also one of the few LPs we've heard that is truly deserving of the description Beatlesque.
The early-1960s found Segarini living in San Francisco. Along with bassist Bill Whittington, Segarini had been a member of The Brogues who managed to record a couple of obscure 45s before calling it quits in 1965. Having recruited
drummer Newman Davis and keyboard player Mike Olsen (aka Lee Michaels), the quartet attracted the attention of Mira Records (best known for The Leaves). Signed to a contract, the band debuted with 1967's "Prince Of Dreams" b/w "Live Your Own Life" (Mira catalog number 228). The single attracted considerable local attention, leading Mira to finance further recording sessions for a planned LP. Unfortunately, Mira lost interest in the LP, subsequently shelving all of the recorded material.
Over the next year the band underwent a series of personnel changes that left Segarini as the only original member. Expanded to a five piece, by the time the group signed with RCA Victor, the line up consisted of Segarini, keyboardist Jim DeCocq, guitarist Michael Dure, drummer Vann Slatter and bassist Bill Troachim. Following the release of the 1967 single "Do You Have The Time?" b/w "Keepin' A Secret" (RCA Victor catalog number 9184), the band returned to RCA's Hollywood Music Center to record an LP. Built on a series of Sigarini-penned songs written and recorded during the earlier Mira sessions, 1968's Rick Jarrard produced "Miss Butters" was an interesting concept piece. While the plotline's not particularly obvious to us, tracks such as "Mrs. McPheeny", "Simple Life" and "" are full of wonderful melodies, gorgeous vocal harmonies and Beatles-inspired production tricks - check out the "Penny Lane" styled horns on "Butter's Lament". Sure, it may not be the year's most original offering, but most band's would have killed to release something half as good. RCA pulled "Slippin' Thru My Fingers" b/w "Miss Butters" (RCA Victor catalog number 9565) as a single, but it failed to attract much attention. Similarly, the parent LP did little commercially.
"Miss Butters" track listing:
(side 1)
The Early Years
1.) Birthday/Dirgeday (Bob Segarini) - 1:20
2.) Melancholy Vaudeville Man (Bob Segarini) - 1:55
3.) An Other Baby (Bob Segarini) - 3:26
4.) Sideshow (Bob Segarini) - 3:14
5.) Mrs. McPheeny (Bob Segarini) - 3:31
It Is Better To Have Loved
1.) Butter's Lament (Bob Segarini) - 2:16
2.) Simple Life (Bob Segarini) - 3:33
(side 2)
1.) Slippin' Thru My Finers (Bob Segarini) - 2:48
The Effect of It All
1.) Nine To Three (Bob Segarini) - 2:50
2.) Lesson Book Life (Bob Segarini) - 1:56
3.) Nickelodeon Music (Bob Segarini) - 2:00
4.) Miss Butters (Bob Segarini) - 4:16
The Underture
RCA financed one non-LP follow-up single "He Spins Around" b/w "She Had To Fly" (RCA Victor catalog number 9671), before dropping the band from it's recording roster. The band also managed to record a one shot 1970 45 for the small Paula label "Terry Tommy" b/w "Electric Kangaroo" (Paula catalog number 329.)
DeCocq and Segarini subsequently reappeared as members of Roxy. Segarini and Troachim also reunited in The Wackers. Segarini also recorded a number of solo LPs. Credited to Lee Michaels, original keyboardist Olsen also recorded a string of solo albums.