| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 21/04/2012 : 02:12:45
Linn County (Blues Band)
Fever Shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HP-gwER0YQ&feature=related
In the 1960s, several regional music scenes developed in cities across the United States and caught the ear of a national audience. The music revolution that took place in San Francisco was for real. The times they were a-changin. The 60s counterculture revolution that was taking place in the Bay Area made it ripe ground for a musical phenomenon to develop.
The birth of the hippie scene, the advent of underground FM radio which gave non-Top 40 music a chance to be heard, and several venues (Fillmore, Avalon, Matrix etc.) willing to booking up-and-coming local talent all made the Bay Area a fertile place for groups to grow and develop. The Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin and The Jefferson Airplane are a few of the best-known bands that emerged from this creative environment.
Although they never enjoyed the same national fame, Linn County was one of the most musically sound, in-demand and highly admired outfits in the Bay area, especially by other Bay area musicians. To trace the roots of Linn County's genealogy, one must venture back to their early days to the home state of Iowa when they were known as the Prophets.
An unusual late-'60s band that combined horn-embellished soul-rock with more interesting material utilizing jazz-colored arrangements and somewhat spacy songwriting. There were few parallels for this kind of thing at the time, other than perhaps the only slightly less obscure Insect Trust.
In 1968, the band signed with Mercury Records, moved to San Francisco, California, and changed its name to Linn County. They released their first album Proud Flesh Soothseer in 1968 and toured, performing with bands and people such as: Albert King, Led Zeppelin, Sly & the Family Stone, Eric Burdon & the Animals and Ten Years After. They never became too well known.
Futher albums followed in 1969 and 1970. The band broke up after Clark Pierson left with Janis Joplin. The solo album released by band member Stephen Miller in 1970 includes 4 tracks recorded by the final Linn County line-up.
-rockasteria
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LINN COUNTY
Proud Flesh Soothseer
Catalogue no. KISCD4019
• Classic San Francisco psych
• Finally back on CD
• Liner notes included
‘A mixture of blues, rock and jazz, with psych influences’ – Fuzz, Acid & Flowers
‘Soul and rock conventions get slightly twisted with avant-garde-tinged jazz arrangements, weird lyrics, and novel (for rock) touches of flute and brass’ – www.allmusic.com
Originally known as The Linn County Blues Band, this quintet formed in Iowa and moved to San Francisco in 1967. Having adopted a more psychedelic sound, they soon found themselves gigging alongside Led Zeppelin, Sly & The Family Stone, Ten Years After and other icons in the city’s leading venues. Packed with lengthy acid rock jams, their classic debut was originally released in September 1968, and makes its long-awaited return to CD here.
Track Listing
1. Think
2. Lower Lemons
3. Moon Food
4. Cave Song
5. Protect & Serve / Bad Things
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Lower Lemons...this was a bit of an underground hit in California
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oTvTOV1UiE&feature=relmfu
SUSPENDED...my favorite....an eight minute masterpiece--it just moves me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8LFwa0_I00
Cave Song...with really rare film footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HqWJ7fKWsk
Moon Food
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi_xVSDCWNs&feature=related
Too Far Gone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugf36Gkrhpc&feature=related
By the way, I grew up not far from these guys' stomping ground...they were in Cedar Rapids (in Linn COunty) and I was in Iowa City...30 minutes away. Then they headed for Chicago, then SF.
Bad Things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKe114OYqPE&feature=related
There are more at youtube, but you gotta get this music for your own!!
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HIGH ALL THE TIME.
-Mad River |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 08/01/2014 : 17:14:52
PROUD FLESH SOOTHSEER-full album...must listen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC68-OFsP0M
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Old hippies never die, they just ramble on.
-lk |
| lemonade kid |
Posted - 21/04/2012 : 02:30:50
Iowa Rock'n Roll Music Association
2004 Hall of Fame Inductee...
The Prophets/Linn County
Stephen Miller, Dino Long, Fred Walk, Larry Easter, Al Hendricks, Ron DeWitte, Perry Welsh, Tommy(T-Bone)Giblin, Ed Adkins, Tom Krejci, John Cabalka, Bob Miskimen, Joe Eberline,Clark Pierson and Jerry(Snake) McAndrew
Linn County had its roots in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with Danceland and Armar Ballrooms providing a meeting place for musicians.
Linn County emerged out of groups such as the Bopcats with Floyd (Al) Hendricks, Kenny Thompson and Bob Schloss. Kenny formed the Prophets with Stephen Miller (keyboards) of Cedar Rapids, Ron Lustic (reeds) also of Cedar Rapids and Jerry (Snake) McAndrew (drums) from Chicago in the early mid-sixties. Eventually, Kenny became the manager, Ron left and Fred Walk (guitar), of Webster, Ia., who had also played in a group with Floyd Hendricks, and Bob Miskimen (Bass) were added. Soon, Larry Easter (reeds) of Davenport, Ia. joined the group.
The Prophets played primarily R&B and Rock in clubs around the Midwest, working out of the Twilight Room and the Cougar Lounge in Cedar Rapids, Jimmy’s Lounge in Waterloo, as well as many ballroom, College and University dates. During this time, Bob Miskimen left and was replaced by Dino Long of Spencer, Ia.
The group then moved to Chicago, changed its name to the Linn County Blues Band, since all of the members had played in Cedar Rapids at some time. They soon became the house band at the famous Mother Blues club on Wells Street, following the path of Spanky and Our Gang and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band while sharing the stage with Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Howling Wolf, James Cotton, and many others.
John Cabalka, a friend and artist from Cedar Rapids, who was working in Chicago for Mercury Records, assumed the role of manager with Ed Adkins of Cedar Rapids as road manager. The band signed with Dunwich Records of Chicago and were working on an LP at Chess Studios when Mercury discovered them, bought their contract, and signed them. Mercury asked them to shorten the name to Linn County to avoid the stigma, at that time, of being type-casted as a blues band.
Mercury then moved the band from Chicago to San Francisco to live and record.
Jerry McAndrew left the group and Clark Pierson was added. Linn County was the only band with Iowa roots to play such venues as The Avalon Ballroom, Fillmore West, The Matrix, (San Francisco) The Bank (Los Angeles) Thee Experience (Hollywood) Fillmore East & The Scene, (New York City) The Grande Ballroom (Detroit) as well as clubs and concert venues in Montreal, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh etc. Linn County, to this date, also signed the highest paying recording contract of any group from Iowa: the group was paid approximately $50,000.00 to sign with Mercury Records – an enormous sum in the mid ‘60’s when most groups had to pay the record company in order to record!
After three albums recorded in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, a solo album by Stephen, and extensive touring in the early 70’s Stephen left the band to record and tour with Elvin Bishop. Clark recorded and toured with Janis Joplin and the remainder of the Linn County tried different combinations of personnel and played around the California area until the band briefly dissolved in the early 70’s.
Stephen Miller moved to the Lisbon, Ia. in 1974 and reformed Linn County with Ron Dewitte (guitar) Perry Welsh (mouth harp) Johnny (Ace) Acerno (bass) Joe Eberline (later replaced by Walter Salwitz) on drums. Tom Krejci, a Cedar Rapids entrepreneur, assumed manager duties. Later, Stephen left to tour and record with Grinderswitch on Capricorn Records and Tommy Giblin, another Cedar Rapidian (organ) was added. This group played extensively in the Cedar Rapids- Iowa City area as well as major cities in the Midwest with great success and popularity. Linn County finally disbanded in 1977.
Many of the members of Linn County have continued to play, write and record with other groups. All the members were part of a very unique band that had an impact on many musicians and fans from the middle sixties until the mid- seventies across the USA and Canada.
Black Nights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtRGQ4abDpc
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HIGH ALL THE TIME.
-Mad River |
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