Rare Hampton Grease Band - Recent Find!

[Sean]

My friend Tarmon Kelling found this recently in a stash of recordings his Dad HGB guitarist Harold had. It's pretty good quality considering the age and musically it's quite daring. Have a listen!

[Steve F.]

it's amazing. THANK YOU.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Whoaa'h, that's amazing!

Obviously, their Atlanta PF appearance was one of the more well known gigs they performed, and probably their most major concert at large with a huge crowd and - IIRC - Procol Harum as headliners. This event is meticulously mentioned in the liner notes of the Music to Eat CD reissue from '97, but I wouldn't have guessed for my very life that there ever existed an audio recording of it! Thx for posting this, Sean! This shit even deserves a "proper" release, IMO...

BTW, that monster axeman Glenn Phillips used to pop in here from time to time in bygone days - wonder where he went?

[Steve F.]

This shit even deserves a "proper" release, IMO...

Unlikely to happen. I tried to do an archival HGB with Glenn some years ago and it just wasn't going to safely happen (safely meaning 'me not having any risk of getting sued').

BTW, that monster axeman Glenn Phillips used to pop in here from time to time in bygone days - wonder where he went?

Glenn used to be on PE?

[Steve F.]

One of the great, oddball, peculiarly American weirdo ensembles of the hippie era.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Glenn used to be on PE?

Yup! Sounds almost a tad bizarre now, but I remember him from a thread about free improv in which his main "opponent" was Steve Gore, and myself being a participant I postponed a reply to the latter while promising to return the next day - by which time Steve G. had suffered his untimely and wholly tragic accident. I don't think I've seen Glenn P. in here since about 2011, though.

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of the great, oddball, peculiarly American weirdo ensembles of the hippie era.

For sure. Together with Lothar & tHP and Mad River, the HGB were the upmost oddballers at the odd ball second to Van Vliet. I think.

[Baribrotzer]

Wow, that is some fast music.

And not only fast, but also bulbous.

Furthermore: bulbous, also tapered, and also: a tin teardrop.

that's right!

[frippster]

Yowza! Now that's a find. Thanks for posting.

Curious about your getting sued comment, Steve. I thought the Grease Band guys got along pretty well plus I can't imagine anyone outside of those already in the know would have the slightest interest. I guess that would explain why there's never been any reissue of the HGB album (at least that I'm aware).

P.S. I'm sure the handful of folks reading this already know (or in Steve's case sold it), but if you didn't Feeding Tube Records put out a nice vinyl reissue of Glenn's Lost At Sea last year.

[Steve F.]

I'm sure you are curious, but that's as much as I am comfortable saying in public.

Thanks!

P.S you are quite wrong about a HGB reissue; a great 2cd version came out in 1996 on Sony; I'm listening to it now!

[FrippWire]

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.

[Scrotum Scissor]

P.S you are quite wrong about a HGB reissue; a great 2cd version came out in 1996 on Sony; I'm listening to it now!

That's the one I was referring to in my post as well - and it's a hoot 2CD with a smashing tale in the booklet.

A close buddy of mine during our university years actually had the vinyl, indeed his most prized record possession IIRC. He got it at Råkk&Rålls here in very Oslo, a large second hand music store which still exists and recently rewarded me titles like Mouseproof by G. Fitzgerald, I'm the One by Annette Peacock and Hugh's Hoppertunity Box. They certainly still deliver the goods.

[frippster]

The Sony is the version I've got as well. I meant I didn't think it has been reissued since then. What an album.

Also for those interested, HGB did a reunion show in Atlanta some 10-15 years ago that was filmed. Glenn Phillips used to sell the DVD on his web page and may still. It's nothing fancy, but it's still cool to see the band perform the whole Music To Eat album.

[Zeuhlmate]

Great find thanks !

His homepage
http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/glennph...band/home.html

[Jay.Dee]

Terrific! "Music to Eat" is one of my favourite progressive albums from the "classic" period (I also have the 2CD edition) and the live recording only reconfirms the greatness of the band which sadly continues to be grossly overlooked and misunderstood. Enough to check Richie Unterberger's "Unknown Legends of Rock'n'Roll" study where he gives the following verdict on their album re-issue on CD:

One the most uncommercial - and for the last 25 years collectable - acts in all of 1970s rock is now widely available again, complete with witty, fascinating liner notes crammed with stories that are as strange as the music itself.

I do hope that this live recording gets a proper physical formats release one day.

[GuitarGeek]

I've got the double CD reissue too. If I remember correctly, it was issued on a sublabel of Sony called Shotput Records, which was set up by Pearl Jam's producer or somebody like that. But the label went under pretty quickly, after only a couple years. According to Discogs.com, they only released about a half dozen titles (one of which was a Glenn Phillips record).

If Music To Eat is still out of print, it's probably because nobody wants to (or can afford to) deal with the billable hours involved in setting up a licensing deal so it can be again reissued. I was once told the reason a lot of the big labels won't let stuff go that they have no intention of reissuing themselves is because of said lawyer fees. That's why you always hear stories of people like Frank Marino saying that the big label he used to record for (in this case, once again, Frank Marino) wanting a king's ransom for releasing his catalog to his care.

[zutul]

For sure. Together with Lothar & tHP and Mad River, the HGB were the upmost oddballers at the odd ball second to Van Vliet. I think.

The Stench band also

[Scrotum Scissor]

I still keep a wornout copy of Phillips' Lost at Sea, Caroline edition - and I occasionally still even play it. Man, that album was probably the single most important influence on my own development as guitarist during the early 90s next to Guitar Solos by Frith, the first Ash Ra Tempel and the first two QMS'. From these, Lost at Sea remains the one which is most likely to be pulled out over beer on a sloppy Friday night.

Then sloppy no more. Who could resist a tune with a title like "I've Got a Bullet With Your Name On It"?

[Zeuhlmate]

Baldrick has a cunning plan regarding bullets with a name on them.

[Steve F.]

If Music To Eat is still out of print, it's probably because nobody wants to (or can afford to) deal with the billable hours involved in setting up a licensing deal so it can be again reissued.

Wrong.

1. It was available for something like 5 years. Everyone at that time who could have possibly wanted it during that time had ample opportunity to buy it, as all the people here stating they got it would imply.The only people a reissue of a reissue of Music To Eat would reach are people SINCE that time. I would guess that's under 200. Worldwide.

2. SONY has a licensing dept. They aren't hard to deal with. They'd be thrilled if someone wanted to license it and put it out. No one does because it's already been done. See '200'.

[Romerovm]

The Sony is the version I've got as well. I meant I didn't think it has been reissued since then. What an album.

Also for those interested, HGB did a reunion show in Atlanta some 10-15 years ago that was filmed. Glenn Phillips used to sell the DVD on his web page and may still. It's nothing fancy, but it's still cool to see the band perform the whole Music To Eat album.

I went to one of these. Small club. Maybe 50 people there. I had the band to sign the cover of my record. It was quite a night.

[Romerovm]

By the way "Music To Eat" was the 2nd worst selling record for Columbia.

http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/stor...and-music-eat/

[JeffCarney]

Glenn used to be on PE?

I'm quite sure I referred Glenn to PE some years ago and he was a member. Was probably on the old site.

Think this would have been around the time when he was first putting HGB reunion gigs together.

Brilliant, brilliant guitar player. Nice as can be guy.

[spacefreak]

Listening now. Great find! H.G.B. were brilliant.

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

Yeah!!! Thanks! I'll be pulling out Music To Eat soon after checking this out. I bought one of the 200