The Holy Mackerel was an American psychedelic pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968. Created mainly as a studio venture to capitalize on Paul Williams' early success as a songwriter, the group recorded one self-titled studio album in the same year. Development for the album included several bandmates and top session musicians, but audiences were mostly unreceptive to it until The Holy Mackerel was reissued years later.
Before the Holy Mackerel, Paul Williams was a struggling singer, songwriter, and actor, who appeared in some low box office films and was one of many people turned down for a role in the Monkees. After an uneventful three months with White Whale Records, Williams began working with Richard Perry. Perry offered Williams an attempt to record a studio album and signed a deal with Reprise Records, compelling Williams to form a band before entering the studio.
Williams recruited his brother, Mentor (rhythm guitar, vocals), ex-Jefferson Airplane member Bob Harvey (bass guitar, vocals), George Hiller (lead guitar, vocals), Cynthia Fitzpatrick (flute, vocals), and former Turtle Don Murray (drums), branding the group as the Holy Mackerel.
On November 22, 1967, Biff Rose, who wrote "Fill Your Heart With Love" with additional lyrics by Williams, introduced Williams to Chuck Kaye of A&M Records, who suggested that he join with Roger Nichols to form a song-writing partnership. In March 1968, the Holy Mackerel began work on their self-titled album at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, cutting the first two tracks "The Golden Ghost of Love" and an early version of the Nichols-Williams song "To Put Up with You". Williams subsequently re-recorded the latter track on his 1970 solo album Someday Man. Later that same month, the group moved operations to United Studios and added session musicians such as Steve LeFevre.
Recording continued throughout mid-1968, and an album jacket with the Holy Mackerel's original line-up was designed; however, shifts in personnel necessitated a new cover image. Harvey, who wrote the psychedelic, sitar-laden "Wildflowers", left during development and was replaced by future Elvis Presley bassist Jerry Scheff. Soon after, Murray departed to perform in nightclubs; the group called upon Michael Cannon and Dewey Martin of Buffalo Springfield to fill-in at his position. Because of the band's various backgrounds, the album itself promoted a wide-variety of musical tastes including country rock, blues, and psychedelia. In November 1968, The Holy Mackerel was released, but, whether a result of being distributed around the same time as Electric Ladyland or lack of a following for the band, the album failed to chart nationally. Three singles taken from the album also were commercially unsuccessful.
By the time the album was released, the Holy Mackerel had already disbanded a few months beforehand. Williams broke out with a solo and ultimately more successful writing career, penning hit songs for musical acts like Three Dog Night and the Carpenters. The Holy Mackerel was reissued on CD format in 2005 on Collector's Choice Music.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Mackerel
The Holy Mackerel Review by Richie Unterberger.
The Holy Mackerel's sole album garnered little notice upon its initial release in 1968, and is mostly known today for including Paul Williams, who wrote most of the material (sometimes with Roger Nichols), taking the majority of the lead vocals. There were other noted figures involved in the LP as well, although the group's lineup fluctuated during its recording: Richard Perry produced, brother Mentor Williams played rhythm guitar and took some lead vocals, original Jefferson Airplane bassist Bob Harvey (who left before the record was finished) wrote one song, and future Elvis Presley sideman Jerry Scheff plays bass on one track. The record might have some appeal beyond the circle of serious Williams fans, as both the material and production are more influenced by folk-rock and mild psychedelia than the '70s singer/songwriter fare for which he's most famous for. It's a largely likable album, if mild-mannered, erratic, and lacking the heavyweight hooks of Williams' famous hits. The best tunes are those that play up the most haunting melodies and the Mamas and the Papas-ish folk-rock harmonies, such as "The Secret of Pleasure," "Scorpio Red," "The Golden Ghost of Love," and "1984." The most psychedelic song, "Wildflowers" -- complete with raga-rock riffs, spaced-out lyrics, and distorted fishbowl vocals -- is an unequivocal highlight, though somewhat atypical, as it's the sole cut written by Harvey. There are less memorable stabs at country-rock (including a cover of "The Wild Side of Life"), and the cutesy theatrical "Prinderella," co-penned by Perry and Michael Rubini, is one to skip over. [The 2010 U.K. deluxe expanded reissue on Now Sounds goes all-out with the packaging, adding ten bonus tracks and historical liner notes including comments by Paul Williams himself. Those bonus tracks include the non-LP single "Love for Everyone"/"To Put Up with You," which are similar in quality and tone to much of the album, if perhaps a bit more pop-oriented; Williams would redo "To Put Up with You" for his 1970 solo debut LP. There are also mono 45 versions of three of tracks; the nice Simon & Garfunkel-like outtake "Listen to the Voice," co-written by Harvey and lead guitarist George Hiller; a Williams-penned outtake, "On the Way," and a demo of one of the LP's songs, "Bitter Honey." Capping the bonus material are largely instrumental work-in-progress session tapes for "Love for Everyone" and "And Now I Am Alone" that are mostly of scholarly interest.]
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