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The Warlocks were formed in Palo Alto at the end of 1964 when the original members of Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions decided to plug in and try rock and roll at the urging of McKernan, as the Beatles and the Stones were doing good with this, instead of continuing with their folk music. They added a rhythm section that included Dana Morgan Jr. on bass and Bill Kreutzmann on drums. Dana owned a music store so the band got to use the instruments and amplifiers that they otherwise couldn’t have afforded. Their camaraderie was strong, because they all lived together in a house in Height Ashbury, San Francisco. Their first performance was in May of 1965 at Magoo’s Pizza in Menlo Park. Dana couldn’t keep up with both the music store and the band, so Phil Lesh who was an old friend of Garcia’s stepped in one night to play bass. Bill Kreutzmann was taking drum lessons at the music store, and at this time they were essentially the Grateful Dead, although they didn’t actually change the name for a couple of months.
In early 1965, the Warlocks were playing a mixture of folk, blues, and rock and roll in San Francisco, which eventually melted into their own unique sound. They began to attend parties thrown by Ken Kesey, and they performed at what was to become known as the first ‘Acid Test’ (ritual gathering to experiment with drugs) in November 1965. Garcia became known as ‘Captain Trips’, as the Acid Test planted the seeds from which the Grateful Dead grew like Jack’s beanstalk. This event proved to be the most profound building block of the band’s early days. Jerry Garcia said, “The whole world just went kablooey”, recalling his first experiences being stoned on acid. The second Acid Test was held on Dec. 4, with the third set for the 11th. In between those dates, the Warlocks had agreed to perform a benefit concert for the San Francisco Mime Troupe.
The benefit was turning into a genuine happening. The bill also included Jefferson Airplane, the Great Society, John Handy Quintet, the Mystery Trend and the Gentlemen’s Band. Because of the attendance of a different benefit show the band had recently played, and the buzz surrounding this one, promoter Bill Graham decided to hold this event in a larger venue, one that would soon become legendary. Graham secured the use of the Fillmore auditorium, and nearly all the pieces were in place.
The Warlocks – The Warlocks (1980)
Label: Creative Music – S-101 Unofficial Released
Side 1:
The Autumn Sessions (The Emergency Crew demos);
November 3, 1965 at Golden Gate Recorders in San Francisco.
01. The Warlocks - Can't Come Down
02. The Warlocks - Confusion Prince
03. The Warlocks - Walking In The Sun
04. The Warlocks - I Know You Rider
05. The Warlocks - Early Morning Rain
Side 2:
Mostly instrumental demos from 1966 recorded for the first LP.
B1 – Live at The Matrix (November 29, 1966).
B2 and B4 – The Scorpio Sessions.
Untitled is a 45 second sample of "Fire In The City", recorded with Jon Hendricks (Verve 7" 1967)
06. The Warlocks - The Same Thing
07. The Warlocks - Stealin'
08. The Warlocks - New Minglewood Blues
09. The Warlocks - Cold Rain & Snow
10. The Warlocks - Sittin' On Top Of The World
11. The Warlocks - Untitled
Great. Long awaited some material from the Warlocks. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteThank You
ReplyDeleteThank You,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dmitrich
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