Genre: rock
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: Pugsley Munion
Company: J&S
Catalog: SLP-0001
Year: 1970
Country/State: Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: promotional photo missing
Available: 1
GEMM Catalog ID: 5680
MusicStack Catalog ID: 5680
Price: $80.00
Back in the late 1990s when I 'rediscovered' the joys of obscure 1960s bands, Pugsley Munion was one of the first groups I stumbled across. I can recall buying a copy of the album off of a hardcopy catalog listing for the princely sum of $20.00 and being wracked by Catholic guilt thinking I shouldn't have spent such a crazy amount of money on a used album. Wow, times change ...
Fitchburg, Massachusetts' contribution to the late-1960s blues craze ... Pugsley Munion sported the talents of guitarist Tom Belliveau and drummer Ed Kelly (for some reason the album didn't actually list his last name), and vocalist/bassist John Schuller. The three apparently cut their musical teeth playing in a number of local cover bands, coming together under the name Mask. Interested in recording their own material, in 1970 they somehow connected with the small New York City-based J&S label. Discovering another band had staked out legal rights to the Mask nameplate, they opted for the unusual Pugsley Munion. Pugsley was reportedly inspired by a New York street sign, while Munion was a tribute to a local policeman who 'd had a run in with the trio.
promo photo left to right: Tom Belliveau - Ed Kelly - John Schuller
Produced by Zell Sanders, "Just Like You" probably won't have a major influence on anyone's life. It also isn't the psych masterpiece some dealers would have you believe. Those qualifiers aside, the overall results were surprisingly good. The album was even more impressive when you consider J&S rush-released the set without the band's approval. Not only was the original artwork lost, but the collection was given a new title (the planned album title was "Three In One"), and at least some of the final tracks reflected little more than raw studio demos the band had planned to flesh out at a later date. Writing separately and in collaboration, Belliveau and Schuller and were responsible for penning all nine tracks. The pair were certainly decent writers with tracks like 'What's Right for Me', 'Take My Soul' and 'Slumberland Blues' displaying their ear for churning blues-rock. They'd clearly been listening to loads of Cream and Mountain. Sure, the vocals were occasionally a bit strained, the sound was somewhat raw, and there wasn't a great deal of originality in these grooves. On the other hand, 'Second Time for Me' would have sounded great on FM radio. 'I Don't Know Who To Blame' showcased some first-rate screeching guitar from Belliveau. The organ-propelled 'What's Right For Me would have made Deep Purple proud, while the atypical acoustic ballad 'Just Like You' boasted their prettiest melody. Besides, on songs like 'Trouble' these guys offered up more enthusiasm than many of their name brand competitors and remember the old adage imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. All told, one of the better undiscovered era offerings and well worth seeking out, especially since you can score a copy at a reasonable rate. As a sidebar, at one point in time the album was quite a rarity commanding rather high prices, however there was either a large warehouse find, or someone's gone to considerable effort to repress the LP. Coupled with a CD release. the album now seems to be readily available ...
The album was also tapped for a single:
- 1970's 'Just Like You' b/w 'Slumberland Blues' (J&S catalog number JS 0002)
(Many copies of the album included a bonus 8 x 10 promotional black and white group photo.)
"Just Like You" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) What's Right for Me (John Schuller) - 6:53
2.) Second Time for Me (John Schuller) - 3:35
3.) Take My Soul (John Schuller - Tom Belliveau) - 5:42
4.) Just Like You (John Schuller) - 2:57
5.) Slumberland Blues (John Schuller - Tom Belliveau) - 2:11
(side 2)
1.) No Time Tomorrow
(John Schuller - Tom Belliveau) - 6:06
2.) Trouble (John Schuller) - 5:11
3.) Collage Thought (John Schuller) - 4:19
4.) I Don't Know Who To Blame (John Schuller - Tom Belliveau) - 5:19
Shortly after the album was released Schuller was drafted in the Navy. Belliveau and Kelly continued out without him, adding new vocalist Stan Harris and bass player Gary Ianuzzi. Discharged for a medical condition, Schuller rejoined the group. They continued to play clubs throughout the Northeast, but by the mid-1970s called it quits.
Belliveau reappeared as a member of Brother Fox and the Tar Baby and became an in-demand pedal steel guitar sessions player.
Schuller's career included a stint with the Boston spinoff Orion the Hunter. He's also become an in-demand sessions player.
As for Kelly, I stumbled across this testimonial on the web: "Back in late 1972/early 1973 I was working at a factory in Sterling Massachusetts and the new guy at work was Ed Kelly. I asked him one day what he did for fun and he told me that he was a musician. He told me that he and his brother and another guy. I believe that's the way it went, were in a group called Pugsley Munion but it had broken up because he had to eat.... I mentioned that I saw the LP at a local music store and he said that he had a whole box load in his basement. He said that he and the other guys went to New York, paid "some woman" $1,500 for the session and had the LPs pressed. That was it.. No promotion for the album, nothing! They really weren't satisfied with the album, but that was what they had, and they didn't have enough money for a follow-up. I left the factory and he did as well. In late 1975/early 1976 I bumped into him in a parking lot and he told me that he was working for New England Telephone ... a desk job. "
The set's also been reissued in an expanded format by the Gear Fab label in CD format (catalog number GF143). The reissue included a pair of previously unreleased demo tracks and a live cut:
- 'What's Right For Me' (demo) (John Schuller) -
- 'Second Time for Me' (demo) (John Schuller) -
- 'What's Right for Me' (live) (John Schuller) -