Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: St. Cecilia - The California Album
Company: not listed
Catalog: none
Year: 1998
Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+
Comments: minor click 1st 20 seconds on side one and two; German boot
Available: 1
Price: $85.00
Ah, one of our favorite Long Island, New York bands !!!
While students at Long Island's Stoney Brook University, Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer took a break from classes in order to visit California. Their timing proved exceptional, since after checking out Haight Ashbury the pair found time to attend 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. By the time they'd returned to school, the two had decided to start their own band. Recruiting several friends and local musicians, including drummer Albert Bouchard, guitarist Donald Roeser
(both who'd previously been members of The
Disciples), bass player Andy Winter and keyboardist John Wiesenthal (later replaced by Allen Lanier), the band began playing the local club scene as The Cows. The band's initial sound reflected an odd hybrid of California psychedlic and New York rock; heavy on instrumentals since they lacked a capable lead singer. To remedy the shortfall singer Les Bronstein was added to the lineup.
With Bronstein handling vocals, they opted on a new name - The Soft White Underbelly. They promptly attracted the attention of Elektra Records president Jac Holzman. Impressed with Bronstein's voice and looks, Holzman signed them to a contract. Naturally things rapidly turned nasty. Having completed material for a projected album, much to the label's horror, the band promptly fired Bronstein. Elektra shelved the album. Over the next couple of months the band looked for a replacement vocalist, even approaching poet Patti Smith (she declined). They ultimately settled on band road manager Eric Bloom. At the suggestion of manager Meltzer the group also opted for a name change. Oaxaco proved unpopular and was quickly abandoned for The Stalk-Forrest Group.
Still under contract to Elektra, early 1970 saw the band return to the studio. An attempt to team the band with Don Gallucci (of Don & the Goodtimes fame) as producer proved stillborne. Nevertheless, an album's worth of material was recorded and subsequently shelved. Curiously, Elektra chose to print up a reported 200 copies of the single "What's In the Quicksand?" b/w "Arthur Comics" (Elektra catalog number EKM-45639). As you'd expect, today the 45 commands a premium price from collectors. As for the LP, apparently frustrated with ongoing personnel turmoil, Holzman promptly shelved the project. Within a matter of months Eleltra dropped them from it's rooster. Winters was subsequently replaced by Joe Bouchard and the band mutated into Blue Oyster Cult (see separate entry).
Over the next three decades the missing LP reached pseudo-legendary status. As such it should come as no surprise that it's been booted. Overlooking the somewhat raw sound of our 1989 German bootleg,
"St. Cecilia - The California Album" is surprisingly impressive. While it's easy to hear similarities with the band's forthcoming Blue Oyster Cult catalog, anyone expecting a set of mind numbing satanic rockers is likely to be surprised. Far more diverse than their BOC catalog, material such as "Gil Blanco County", "Ragamuffin' Dumplin'" and
"Donovan's Monkey" is quite tuneful and commercial. Musically the set's hard to describe, offering up a mix genres including lite-psych (the extended title track), Dead-styled country ("What Is Quicksand"), straight forward pop
("Curse of the Hidden Mirrors") and conventional rock. Great guitar, strong vocals and memorable melodies make songs such as "Bonomo's Turkish Taffy" a real treat, leaving you to wonder why Elektra shelved the set ... Elsewhere the LP includes both sides of the Elektra single ("What Is Quicksand" and "Arthur Comics").
"St. Cecilia - The California Album" track listing:
(side
1)
1.) Gil Blanco County (Allen Lanier) - 3:46
2.) Ragamuffin' Dumplin' (Albert Bouchard - Richard Meltzer) - 5:22
3.) Bonomo's Turkish Taffy - 2:14
4.) Arthur Comics (Albert Bouchard - Richard Meltzer) - 3:14
5.) Curse of the Hidden Mirrors (Albert Bouchard - Richard Meltzer) - 3:22
(side 2)
1.) What Is Quicksand (Allen Lanier - Richard Meltzer) -3:25
2.) St. Cecila (Allen Bouchard - Andy Winters) - 6:55
3.) Donovan's Monkey (Albert Bouchard - Richard Meltzer) - 3:41
4.) I'm On the Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep - 2:50
5.) A Fact About Sneakers (Albert Bouchard - Richard Meltzer) - 7:45
In 2001 Rhino Handmade released a limited 5,000 unit pressing entitled
"St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings". Technically speaking it wasn't a true Stalk Forrest Group release, since the 18 track compliation pulled together a mix of tracks from the Oaxcao sessions, and Stalk Forrest material. Needless to say, it gets kind of confusing since producer Pearlman apparently incorporated some of the original Oaxcao songs into the final Stalk Forrest project. Oh well, the 20 page bio should set you straight ... You also get the both sides of Elektra's original mono single.