The Day After The Sabbath 140: Greetings From Ohio [With added Heaviness!]

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Welcome back to TDATS and a new volume! 

It's been a while, but the blog is back in action. I must thank (in no particular order) Martin, Thomas, Olatz, Mark and Kevin for continuing to moderate the TDATS facebook group while the blog has been quiet, and i'd also like to thank all the followers who have continued to discuss the best music there. It's a great place to see updates regarding all things TDATS, plus tons of top tunes posted on a daily basis!

See the top right of this blog for other social links, including my associated Mixcloud and Youtube channels. One last thing to mention before we get rocking, is the online TDATS Radio show that Kevin is currently presenting live on a weekly basis, where he and co-host Ian Wagner review individual volumes of TDATS. Read all about it >>HERE<<.

On to the music!

In 2015, I was asked to make a compilation of rare Ohio singles, on the proviso that I could post it here as a volume on my blog at a later date. Well that time has come so I figured it would be a great way to revive TDATS, as Volume 140. I have also revised the track line-up with some new and alternative cuts. So, as the cover says, Now With Added Heaviness!!

The 140th volume of TDATS is a collection of singles produced in Ohio. All these tracks are from local and private press 45s from the 1970s. On quite a few of these records the names Peppermint Productions and Starshine Records are involved.

Starshine was a record label started in the late 1960s by Floyd Phillips of Warren, Ohio. He managed and recorded many local bands in the N.E. Ohio area including Freeman Sound, Stars And Stripes, Travis, Biggy Rat and Southwind. Biggy Rat was the first serious band for TDATS personality Jim Gustafson, who many of you will know as the leader of hard rockers Poobah, featured on TDATS Volume 51 (link). Floyd Phillips also discovered the bloggers' favourite, Morly Grey and their album "The Only Truth", who have appeared here on Vol 45 (link).

Many of the Starshine bands, and others in this comp, recorded at Peppermint Productions, a custom studio in Youngstown, Ohio, which was established in the summer of 1971 by Gary Rhamy and Norm Taylor. It is still operating now and Gary Rhamy is still involved. 

Along with investigating Starshine and Peppermint's catalogues, another extremely useful resource was Buckeye Beat (link), with loads of info on old Ohio bands. On a side note, I was interested to read that Ohio is known as the "Buckeye State" because buckeye trees were prevalent when the territory was settled in the 18th century. Buckeye trees are very similar to horse chestnut trees here in the UK, which produced the 'conkers' that we used to have "conker fights" with each other as kids, after using various highly-secret methods of hardening them up to inflict extra damage.

TRACKS

01. Big Blue  - Ridin' High (1974)

02. Zachariah - Out Of The Rut (1976)

03. Myth Band - Cold Wind Blows (1976)

04. Purgatory - Polar Expedition (1970)

05. Stars & Stripes - Your Love No More (1970)

06. Dartanyun - Hot To Trot (1978)

07. Travis - Lovin' You (1970)

08. Swithold - Slow Burner (1975)

09. Salt - Old Comedy (1970)

10. Cincinnati Joe - Get It Together (1970)

11. Sundown - Woman (1970)

12. Erving Forbush - The Train (1972)

13. Tailwind - Shake In The Wind (1977)

14. The Load - She Calls My Name (1974)

Big Blue - Ridin' High (1974)
Recorded at Peppermint Productions, Youngstown, Ohio.
A great way to kick off proceedings, a quick adrenaline boost of chunky riffin' hard rock. According to Buckeye Beat, 'Big Blue' and 'Drift' are incarnations of the same band, with the name change from Drift to Big Blue occurring when front man Dave Coleman was replaced by Randy Strader (the R. Strader shown on the record label).

Zachariah - Out Of The Rut (1976)

Another great short, sharp, shock of fast-riffing rock! This time with extra country flavour thanks to some slide and harmonica. Front-man James 'Mike' Murphy mentioned on the label, appears to have been quite a big local music personality, and is credited for writing a song on Billy Ray Cyrus's first album. The a-side to this single was reportedly a local hit, and I found some video of Mike performing in 1993, here. 

Zachariah

Zachariah appear to have had different members during their existence but the lineup that was touring to promote this single was: Mike Murphy (gtr, lead vox), Bill Hughes (bass) and Jamie Haney (drums), which I discovered from this WKEE radio interview c.1976 (link). Here the band explains how they used to play covers of ZZ Top, Bad Company and Aerosmith, slipping-in a few originals. It seems although this song was popular on many regional radio stations, it never got picked up by a major, which is what the band had hoped when financing their own recording of Appalachian Lady / Out Of The Rut with AMG in Cincinnati.

James 'Mike' Murphy of Zachariah in 1993

Myth Band - Cold Wind Blows (1976)
A more layered production and a later-'70s sound is welcomed in this excellent track. There's still plenty of energetic riffing to enjoy, along with atmospheric keys and studio effects. I can find no further information on Myth Band, beyond what's mentioned on Discogs etc. A shame, as this is a highlight of the set and worthy of any famous band's repertoire. The flipside to this has a cool name, "Satan's Sorrows", but is a country affair of less interest here...

Purgatory - Polar Expedition (1970)

Written by Mike Parker and Rick Fannin. Vox: Rick Fannin, Gtr: Robert Davis, Bass: Mike Parker, Drums: Bruce Carper, Organ: Mark Carlton. This is a bluesy belter, with a hint of The Doors' LA Woman. I found some info on credited writer/singer Rick Fannin. He was a working musician his whole life, and become involved with folk music later, but was clearly into some heavy stuff in 1970, and was in other local bands such as Gandalf and Indian Summer.

Stars & Stripes - Your Love No More (1970)
Another hip-shaking garage psych blast, from Steve Domer (gtr), Jim Coulter (keys), Mike Domer (bass), and Kim Van Kleek (dms). Buckeye Beat says: "Stars & Stripes competed in the 1970 Battle of the Bands held at Loews Theatre in Eastwood Mall, where Starshine Productions owner Floyd Phillips invited them to make a 45 at United Audio studio. It was released in Nov. '70 (simultaneous with Freeman Sound, Biggy Ratt, and Travis 45s) and got airplay on stations like WNIO. The 45 is a good representation of the melodic hard rock sound of their label contemporaries like Freeman Sound and Morly Grey."

Dartanyun 45

Dartanyun - Hot To Trot (1978)

Here's another record I discovered by perusing ebay listings, a fine slab of metallic hard rock from Pemberville OH. This track has that country-fried revving 'n rolling momentum of something like the amazing Blackhorse, who featured in TDATS in their own profile (link) and on Vol 57 (link). Dartunyun didn't make an album but it seems they evolved into the band 'Rasberry Jam' in the '80s, named after leader/guitarist Ron Rasberry, with a self-released album called "Spreadin' It On Thick". 

Travis - Lovin' You (1970)
One of those tracks with a spiky, funky riff that drills into your head and makes it bang for the entire song, a trait I always look for with TDATS picks! Travis included Steve Dietrick (bass) , John Lally, Dave Potter, and Gary Helms. One of the bands who competed in the 1970 Battle of the Bands at Loews Theater in the Eastwood Mall. Freeman Sound won the competition, but Travis was invited to record a 45 for Starshine records along with Biggy Ratt, and the Stars and Stripes (also in this comp). The songs that were on the 45 included a cover of the Steve Miller Band classic "Livin' In the USA" (youtube) and the original "Lovin' You". The songs were recorded at United Audio.

Swithold - Slow Burner (1975)

Another later-'70s effort, like Myth Band, also with some studio trickery involved. It's still a simple, short song, based on a funky break with guitar to match, and it works. Always leave them wanting more! said Julius Caesar, or someone. I first downloaded this a few years ago while looking for songs from bands mentioned at Buckeye Beat. Since then, Numero Group have recently comped it, and also spoke to the main Swithold man, Mike Lamb. You can read more here. The strange band name, which I kept reading as 'Swifthold', is actually named after a character from King Lear.

Salt - Old Comedy (1970)

I first discovered this while looking at singles on Ebay. The demo sample sounded great and I eventually managed to find a download of the whole song. It's another track with an infectious bluesy funk break that starts as it means to go on, adding a few tasteful solos and segues, some deep anti-war lyrics actually worth listing to, and a nice mellow ending that drifts away. Excellent stuff! While looking them up I found that Gear Fab had comped the flipside years ago, a nice song, but sadly not in TDATS territory.

Cincinnati Joe & Mad Lydia

Cincinnati Joe - Get It Together (1970)
Yet another ass-shaking funky single. Ohio would seem to have been a funking awesome place in the early '70s! Lots of great guitar and breaks in this one too.

Cincinnati Joe and partner "Mad" Lydia Wood owned a club at one time, called Cincinnati Joe's Hideaway, in the Netherland Hilton Hotel. They also made an LP on their own River Witch label. I listened to the LP, it is unfortunately a much more pedestrian affair than 'Get It Together', made up mostly of Soul ballads. 

Sundown - Woman (1970)

We take a breather for this one. This is another 45 I happened upon while looking on Ebay, recorded at Peppermint Productions. This b-side is heavy in a brooding way like House Of The Rising Sun. Wisely it maintains this moody feel for the whole song with tasteful guitar, keeping it just within the bounds of TDATS territory. The a-side is a funky affair with very good playing and pretty lush production plus horns, but in a decidedly disco, non-TDATS way. Incidentally, I think the Discogs entry for this single is attached to the wrong "Sundown". The personnel pictures do not match up at all.

Erving Forbush - The Train (1972)

This is a heavy single that a lot of you may already know. It's been knocking around on youtube etc for years and has since been comped by Ultimate Bonehead and Brown Acid among others, and I'm glad to find a good reason to use it here, as it's damn good. This is another Peppermint recording, that hurtles along like the titular train, ignoring all bum notes and accelerating toward oblivion, by the end it's thrashing faster than a locomotive's steam pump. 

I've been looking for info on this band/single ever since the blog started and while looking, yet again, for this particular volume, I was extremely glad to finally get somewhere by running into a new-ish website. The site, run by Dakota Brown, is called Primitive Man Soundz (link) and has a page of exclusive information regarding the band, supplied by Ed Koran, original band member. I don't want to steal Primitive Man Soundz' thunder, so you can read it all here at Dakota's site, suffice to say that Erving Forbush were a high school band (hence the youthful exuberance of the song) that lasted less than a year. I guess you could say they achieved more in those few months than some TDATS bands achieved in a lot longer, they got a single out that heavy-heads still adore to this day, me included! 

Guy Corl (son of band member Mike Corl) uploaded the b-side to The Train to youtube in 2012: "Sally Funky Monday" shows that Erving Forbush were equally excellent at the old Ohio funk.

Erving Forbush - "Sally Funky Monday"

Tailwind - Shake In The Wind (1977)
Here's a great track, that reminds me a little of Rory Gallagher.
Eric Loy is the guitarist, and has a website here. The track rocks in a tight melodic way, displaying excellent musicianship from this Dayton Ohio band. Buckeye Beat says: "Tailwind was a progressive rock quartet active during 1977-1978.  Drummer Tim Shoemaker (from the stentorian power trio Underband) and bassist Carl Couch (of Indiana group, Crossfire) invited guitarist Eric Loy to form the group.
 

Shortly thereafter, vocalist Dave Marsh of Richmond, Indiana appeared as lead vocalist. Tailwind’s repertoire was comprised of material by Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc. as well as lots of original material composed by guitarist Loy and bassist Couch and vocalist Marsh. Tailwind played the Dayton, Ohio area and recorded two self-produced 45s of original material."

The Load - She Calls My Name (1974)

We end the set in the finest of TDATS traditions, with some heavy hammond. The Load were a progressive rock act. They played mainly in a symphonic style, there's no doubt they were excellent musicians (more on that coming up) and their first recorded output was a single in 1974, the b-side of which has some great stabbing hammond, which most definitely is TDATS-approved!

The Load

They were foremost a keyboard-led band, but guitarist Dave Hessler was very talented and played the guitar and bass parts with a double-necked axe of his own construction. By all reports they were popular & excellent live performers, with potential to break into the big time. During two LP recordings, 1976 "Praise The Load" (released on local Ohio label 'Owl') and 1977 "Load Have Mercy" (unreleased until 1995), they re-located to Los Angles. Here they attracted the attention of Meatloaf, who proposed using them as backing band for his forthcoming Bat Out Of Hell shows. That album had just been recorded and Meatloaf liked The Load's try-outs with him so much he even suggested re-recording some of the album tracks with them. The corporate side of this deal took so long to arrange that by the time Meatloaf was ready, The Load had other commitments, so it never happened.

Dave Hessler - The Load

They recorded with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson on his 'Bambu' album, and Sterling Smith (Load keyboards) toured with The Beach Boys, Dave Hessler (gtr, bass) also toured with Dennis Wilson. Dave and Tom Smith (drums) were also busy sessioning in Los Angeles. Sterling Smith stayed in LA in a long career playing with names like Bob Dylan, Bonnie Tyler, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Kris Kristofferson, while also directing stage show, movie and TV music. A bit of Googling revealed that Stirling is currently in a for-hire party band called The Hodads (link) which appears to be great fun, i'd hire them for my gran's birthday!

That about wraps things up for volume 140. I hope you enjoyed it, So long from Ohio!
Rich

Related listening:

The Day After The Sabbath 128: Sweet Home Birmingham, Alabama

The Day After The Sabbath 139: Busted In Georgia [Southern Rock #2]
The Day After The Sabbath 126: Into The Pit [US Metal 1976 - 79]

References 

Buckeye Beat | Primitive Man Soundz | EricLoy.com | Hodads | 45rpmrecords

TDATS social links

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