Once upon a time (in the summer of ’65) there was a strange
trio
haunting the basket houses of the West Village’s MacDougal
St.,
consisting of
John Townley (later of The Magicians,
Apostolic Studios, scads
of
sea
music) on electric guitar, ”Fiddler Jay” Ungar
(later of “Ashokan
Farewell” PBS Civil
War fame) on
electric fiddle, and the mysterious Gypsy Wayne on
electric
paint can (an abbreviated, amplified washtub bass). Calling themselves
"The
Psychedelic Rangers" (unbeknownst to, and mutually unaware of, the LA
group of the
same name that summer),
they played everything from
electric
old-timey to Middle Eastern rock, before splitting up as swiftly as
they
coalesced.
John and Jay, along with Jay's wife Lyn Hardy, went on to record
together on
Vanguard-Apostolic’s The Family of Apostolic
double album,
and subsequently formed a band called Ocean,
featuring Jay's searing fiddle and Lyn's soaring vocals,
that recorded
a studio
album in 1969. Alas, the 11-cut effort never saw
the light of day.
The band broke up shortly after Woodstock, and Jay and Lyn continued on
as a duo. Ocean's
master
tape was lost during the subsequent demise of Apostolic Studios,
but one 7½ ips demo
copy was salvaged, from which this historical set has been taken. It
contains three
traditional offerings, plus a host of early originals penned by both
Jay and Lyn.
The whole album in first-ever release here from Lollipoppe Shoppe Records (see below)
Every Day (Ungar)
-- ...wind the
clock and all is well...
In The
Beginning (Ungar) -- ...we had a place to wander...
Rampe (traditional Turkish) -- ...masha'Allah...
The
World Is Big (Ungar) -- ...and that's the small of it...
Reuben’s
Train (trad.
Amer.) -- ...starting me a graveyard of my own...
Can’t
Stay Inside (Ungar) -- ...madness, seen through a
half-closed eye...
Shellneck,
Slim, and Grim (Panchatantra story
#20;
music: variations of Rev. Gary Davis's "Slow Drag" ) --
...this lake has gone dry...
The Left
Behind (Ungar) -- ...look over your shoulder, you're
growing older...
The
River Rats (Ungar) -- ...down by the sandy riverside...
That’s
The Way It Is (Ungar) -- ...it is that way...
There
Is A Time (Hardy)
-- ...where there is no one who is without love...
Personnel:
Jay Ungar --
Fiddle, mandolin,
electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Lyndon Hardy --
acoustic
guitar, vocals
John Townley --
acoustic and
electric guitars, recorder, piano, vocals
Peter Smith --
electric bass,
electric guitar, oud, vocals
Jim Willis --
drums, percussion
Billy Culhane --
vocal, manager
Produced by John Townley
Recorded at
Apostolic Studios, Randy Rand, engineer
Lots
more of Jay
Lots
more of Lyn
Lots
more of John
Lots
more of John and Jay
NEW!
This album is being issued later in 2020 as a full vinyl (clear blue
vinyl!) LP and digital CD by Lillipoppe Shoppe Records in Berlin, Germany.
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