1967 Orig CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND NO WAY OUT Psych Garage

$

407

WANTED: 1967 STEREO ORIGINAL                                                         

FUZZ GARAGE PUNK & PSYCH LEGEND                                                            

TOWER RECORDS FIRST PRESSING!  >>> PLAYS EXCELLENT <<<<                                                     

       The Chocolate Watchband

                       No Way Out

                USA - TOWER RECORDS - ST 5096 - STEREO

Rare and highly sought sfter 1967 first pressing...yes thee original on TOWER RECORDS...

This San Jose band formed in the summer of 1965 at Foothill college in Los Altos California, just north of San Jose, and were discovered late the following year by Ed Cobb. Their original line-up included Pete Curry on drums, who went on to become guitarist / songwriter with The Halibuts. His time in the band was severely limited however, and after their first gig was replaced by Gary Andrijasevich. Although nothing was released by the first couple of line-ups (*), they were reputedly on par with the "classic" The Chocolate Watchband, with Dan Phay being a particularly charismatic front-man.
The band were also friends with another act called The Topsiders who for a short while included Skip Spence, prior to his joining Jefferson Airplane. In 1965, both bands underwent a number of changes, with Phay, Torney and Kemling all leaving to join The Topsiders (who then became The Other Side), whilst Sean Tolby, moved from The Topsiders to The Chocolate Watchband. Indeed Mark Loomis (ex-Shandels) also had a brief spell with The Other Side after Rich Young was drafted, before he decided to reform the 'Watchband with Gary Andrijasevich and Jo Kemling. The latter opted to stay with The Other Side however, and bassist, Bill Flores (ex-Shandels) and, a vocalist, biology student Dave Aguilar, were drafted in to complete The Chocolate Watch Band's new line-up. Heavily influenced by British R & B outfits like The Stones and The Yardbirds, the band gigged regularly around the Bay Area supporting bands like The Doors, Big Brother and The Holding Co. and The Mothers of Invention. They were signed to Tower and recorded a debut single in 1966. The 'A' side, written by Cobb, was a fine Stones' infIuenced number, but with an uniquely Californian interpretation. Inexplicably, Tower issued the single on its black R & B subsidiary label, Uptown, which did not, as a white group on this label, attract the airplay it deserved.
On Cobbs insistence, The Chocolate Watch Band returned to the studio to record a cover version of Blue Theme, originally performed by Dave Allen and the Arrows, on the soundtrack to The Wild Angels. However, Tower were not convinced of its commerciality, and Cobb leased the finished master to Hanna Barbers records. It was released, under the pseudonym, The Hogs, as HBR 511, with Loose Lip Sync Ship, which culminates into a strange psychedelic piece of dementia, on the flip side. It was quite successful locally and Dave Allen's version of Blue Theme became a Top 40 hit.
The 'A' side of their next single Misty Lane was more commercial and not as powerful as Sweet Young Thing. The flip was an uncharacteristically reflective, quieter number with a stringed and woodwind section.
1967 saw the band record two tracks Don't Need Your Lovin' and Sitting Here Standing, on the soundtrack to Riot On Sunset Strip. September 1967 saw the release of this, their debut album No Way Out. Essentially a collection of psychedelic garage punk, containing the impressive Let's Talk About Girls (featured on the Nuggets compilation), punk versions of Come On and In The Midnight Hour as well as drug-influenced songs like Expo 2000, The Dark Side Of The Mushroom, Gosamer Wings and the title track 'No Way Out'. Many of the songs have an Eastern influence. It is now known that arranger Don Bennett and not Dave Aguilar sang the vocals on Let's Talk About Girls. However, the full band did play on Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love In) /No Way Out their next single lifted from the album. Aguilar's explanation for the mixed-up nature of the studio recordings is that the band considered themselves primarily live performers who "loved to challenge big-namegroups and blow 'em off the stage. That's where we got our excitement and our kicks". The studio stuff was considered a mere sidelight which they left mainly in Cobb's hands.
The Eastern influence is developed further on their excellent second album, The Inner Mystique, which appeared in February 1968 and actually comprised of outtakes from this first album plus new recordings. Aguilar, Loomis and Andrijasevich had all quit before the release of the first album leaving Flores and Tolby to fill their spaces with other musicians from the San Francisco Bay Blues Band.

Dave Aguilar was reported, in the early eighties, to be Professor of Astronomy at Colorado University and he then moved into doing research for the aerospace industry. Rich Young now gigs in the bay area with Jerry Miller of Moby Grape fame. Sean Tolby is now dead.
The Chocolate Watchband remain one of the most interesting West Coast bands and they made some fine music. None better than their timeless album "NO WAY OUT"

1. Let's Talk About Girls 2:43
2. In the Midnight Hour 4:26
3. Come On 1:48
4. Dark Side of the Mushroom 2:37
5. Hot Dusty Roads 2:23
6. Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In) 2:23
7. Gone a Passes By 3:12
8. No Way Out 2:21
9. Expo 2000 2:39
10. Gossamer Wings 3:29

CONDITION: The cover is solid with no split seams, no bends and no writing and does have light shelf wear, not too bad, just light partial ring starting; strog VG+ with VG++ back cover

The vinyl still retains original glossy luster with light and soft hairline scuffs, visual VG+ and the deep groove pressing plays EXcellent, enjoyable without any distraction

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record