The Palace Guard - The Palace Guard

 

The Palace Guard didn't make much of a splash anywhere but Southern California. The band didn't chart nationally, but one of its songs, the folk-rock "Falling Sugar," was well-received regionally. The group debuted on Orange Empire Records, a Los Angeles-based label, with the single "All Night Long." Later, Verve Records picked up distribution rights to "Falling Sugar." The band moved over to Cameo/Parkway Records in 1966 and put out "Greed" and "Saturday's Child."

The Palace Guard consisted of John Beaudoin and his brothers, Dave Beaudoin and Don Beaudoin, and bassist Rick Moser, lead guitarist Chuck McLung, vocalist Mike Conley, and drummer Emitt Rhodes. For a short time just after the band's formation, Don Grady, aka Don Agrati, was also a member. Grady, who would later go on to fame as Robbie Douglas on television's My Three Sons, contributed vocals and played keyboards and drums. He soon became part of a band known as Yellow Balloon. Despite his brief involvement, the band originally was called Don Grady & the Palace Guard.

At one point, the band was named the Emeralds. Members dressed like Buckingham Palace's guards, complete with large furry headgear and military-like uniforms. Their music blended folk-rock songs with a sound derived from the British Invasion. They also covered Beatles tunes, including "It's Only Love." Rhodes, too, contributed some original songs. The Palace Guard found work and a certain level of local fame by performing at Hullabaloo as the Los Angeles night spot's resident band


 https://www.discogs.com/artist/252462-The-Palace-Guard?noanv=1

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-palace-guard-mn0000481766

 

While the Palace Guard never found any real fame beyond their hit "Falling Sugar and a residency at the 1960s Los Angeles hot spot Hullabaloo, this collection does include the rest of their high points, if only for posterity. The Palace Guard dressed in matching uniforms of indiscriminate military origin, and were known to don furry headgear similar to the British Beefeaters. While these gags were obviously not keys to success, they make for some wonderfully kitschy photos. One of these graces the cover of retro indie Gear-Fab's straight reissue of the Palace Guard's only full-length album, a self-titled 1966 release that originally appeared on Cameo/Parkway. "Falling Sugar" is here, as well as lesser-hits like "Greed." The collection might be worth purchasing for their cover of the David Gates written Monkees' tune "Saturday's Child" alone, a surprisingly gritty garage number with cool high-low harmony vocals, and a slight touch of the psychedelia that would have been creeping into the scene at that time. The Palace Guard is worth looking into by any fan of 1960s rock, or collectors eager for an underground find.

Cor said : ****