The Seeds
(Read all about The Seeds after the video)
The Seeds were an iconic and highly influential American rock band. The group, whose repertoire spread between garage rock and acid rock, are considered an influential proto-punk band.[3]
History
Pioneers
of mid-sixties garage rock and acid rock, the Seeds are widely
recognized for coining the phrase, "Flower Power", and developed a sound
and aesthetic later acknowledged as paving the way for seventies punk
rock.[4] Before the band's formation, lead singer Sky Saxon had a professional musical career that predated The Beatles, when he recorded a string of 45s under the name Richie Marsh. Born in Salt Lake City,
he'd relocated to Los Angeles and was making records in the early
1960s. The Seeds were formed in 1965 with Saxon joining as a response to
an advertisement. The band secured regular gigs at the LA club Bido
Lito's and quickly gained a local reputation for high energy live
performances.[5] Keyboardist Daryl Hooper was a major factor in the Seeds' sound; the band was one of the first to utilize keyboard bass.
Guitarists Jan Savage and Jeremy Levine along with drummer Rick
Andridge completed the original quintet, but Levine left shortly after
the first recording sessions for personal reasons. Although Sky Saxon
was usually credited as bass player, he did not play bass on any of the
Seeds' recordings. This was handled by session musicians, usually one
Harvey Sharpe. On stage, keyboardist Daryl Hooper would perform the bass
parts via a separate bass keyboard, in the same manner as Ray Manzarek later did with The Doors.
The Seeds' first single "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" was a regional hit in Southern California
in 1965. The song was also played regularly on AM rock stations in
northern California (and probably elsewhere), where it was well received
by listeners, and eventually went on to become, and is considered
today, a 60s cult classic song. The band had a national Top 40 hit, "Pushin' Too Hard", in 1966 and performed the song on national television. Three subsequent singles, "Mr. Farmer" (also 1966), a re-release of "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" (1967), and "A Thousand Shadows"
(1967) achieved more modest success, although all were most popular in
southern California. Musically uncomplicated with a flair for simple
melodic hooks and dominated by Saxon's unorthodox vocal delivery, their
first two albums, The Seeds and A Web of Sound, are today considered classics of '60s garage music.
A major turning point for the Seeds came in 1967. The band's self-produced third album Future
presented a grander psychedelic artistic statement and thrust the group
forward as torchbearers during perhaps the most creative and
experimental time in American pop culture and music history. The more
expansive musical style with accompanying orchestration - presented with
a gatefold
sleeve featuring ornate flower-themed artwork by painter Sassin - was a
departure from the rawer tone of the band's previous hits, but
nevertheless received acclaim from fans and critics as a notable work of
flower power psychedelia. It remains a genre curiosity piece today and is regarded as a pioneering effort in full-blown psychedelic rock. Iggy Pop, Smashing Pumpkins and members of the Beach Boys have all sourced the band, mentioning this album and previous ones as genre classics. The release of Future
in mid-1967 generally marked the commercial peak of the Seeds’ career,
coinciding with a major national hit, raucous concerts, numerous live TV
performances, as well as prominent guest appearances on the NBC sitcom The Mothers-in-Law and in the hippie/counterculture-themed cult film Psych-Out. The Seeds also recorded another album devoted specifically to the blues (with liner notes by Muddy Waters). A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues, bearing the artist moniker Sky Saxon Blues Band, was released in November 1967.
In May 1968 the band released their final LP for GNP Crescendo Records, Raw & Alive: The Seeds in Concert at Merlin's Music Box,
which musically revisited their more aggressive garage rock roots.
However, the album and it's accompanying single "Satisfy You" both
failed to chart nationally. The band was renamed "Sky Saxon and the
Seeds" in 1968, by which point Bob Norsoph (guitar) and Don Boomer
(drums) had replaced Savage and Andridge respectively. Saxon continued
to use the name "The Seeds", utilizing various backup musicians, at
least through 1972. The last major-label records of new material by The
Seeds —two non-charting singles on MGM records — were released in 1970.
After the dissolution of the Seeds, Sky Saxon joined the Yahowha religious group, inspired by their leader Father Yod.
Although a member of the Source Family for several years, Saxon did not
participate in any of the albums released by Yahowha 13 in the mid
1970s. He does appear on the "Golden Sunrise" album by Fire Water Air,
which was a Yahowha 13 offshoot, and later recorded the "Yod Ship Suite"
album in memory of the deceased Father Yod. In the 1970s, Saxon also
released the solo LPs "Lovers Cosmic Voyage" (credited to Sunlight) and
"Live At The Orpheum" credited to Sunlight Rainbow. In the 1980s, Saxon
collaborated with several bands—including Redd Kross and The Chesterfield Kings—before reforming the original Seeds in 1989 to headline "The Summer of Love Tour", along with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Arthur Lee and Love, The Music Machine, and The Strawberry Alarm Clock.
The Seeds remained dormant again until 2003, when Saxon reformed them
with original guitarist Jan Savage and newcomers Rik Collins on bass,
Mark Bellgraph on guitar, and Dave Klein on keyboards. This new version
of the Seeds went through several incarnations, with Savage departing
midway through their 2003 European tour due to his health. Saxon
remained the only original member of the Seeds, which continued to tour Europe and the United States. Saxon died on June 25, 2009 of heart and renal failure.[6] The Seeds' original drummer Rick Andridge died in 2011.[7]
Legacy and influence
The Seeds have been among the most frequently cited pre-punk influences by American punk musicians since the 1970s. Cover versions of various Seeds songs have been recorded by The Dwarves, Alex Chilton,[8] Johnny Thunders,[9] The Ramones,[10] Yo La Tengo,[11] Garbage,[12] Murder City Devils,[13] Spirits in the Sky,[14] Paul Parker,[15] Pere Ubu,[16] The Makers,[17] The Embarrassment,[18] The Bangles,[19] The Rubinoos,[20] Strawberry Alarm Clock,[21] and other artists. Some lyrics in Frank Zappa's album Joe's Garage satirically refer to "Pushin' Too Hard": "You're plooking too hard, Plooking too hard on ME".[22]
On July 24, 2009, members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Love, and The Electric Prunes performed a tribute concert at the Echoplex in Los Angeles in memory of Sky Saxon.[23]
A feature-length documentary film about the Seeds has been prepared by GNP Crescendo Records President Neil Norman, the son of the label's founder Gene Norman. Filming began in 2007, and draws on first-hand knowledge of the band, interviews and concert footage. The film titled Pushin' Too Hard - directed by Norman, produced by Alec Palao, and narrated by Pamela Des Barres
- premiered August 16, 2014 at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. The
film continues to appear sporadically in various cities for cinematic
screenings. A DVD release is expected to follow, though no official
release date has been announced.[24][25]
Reformation
Reuniting
for the first time in over 30 years at the premiere of the documentary
movie, Daryl Hooper, Jan Savage and Don Boomer decided to reform the
band to give new audiences a chance to witness the excitement of those
60's years. The new line up of The Seeds, featuring original founding
member Daryl Hooper on keyboards and Jan Savage on guitar(as health
permits) with Don Boomer (who replace original drummer Rick Andridge in
1968) on drums. Rounding out the band are seasoned session guitarist
Jeff Prentice with dynamic lead man Paul Kopf delivering the vocals. And
while the band primarily performed on stage as a quartet in the 60’s,
their studio recordings always included a bassist so they have brought
in 5 time Grammy nominated producer and rock archivist Alec Palao on
bass to complete the stage show.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments Are Moderated And Saved