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Kaleidoscope
Jimmy Page of Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin fame called the Kaleidoscope
his "favorite band of all time – my ideal band". They were
indeed an outstanding ensemble with an incredibly eclectic yet easily
accessible sound arguably unmatched in the realm of 60s psychedelia.
Original members included David Lindley (banjo, fiddle, mandolin,
guitar, harp-guitar, 7-string banjo), Chris Darrow (bass, banjo,
mandolin, fiddle, autoharp, harmonica, clarinet), Solomon Feldthouse (saz
bouzoukee, dobro, vina, doumbeg, dulcimer, fiddle, 12-string guitar),
Chester Crill aka Fenrus Epp (violin, viola, bass, piano, organ,
harmonica) and John Vidican (percussion).
Origins of the group can be traced back to early 1964 and Lindley's
first band, the Mad Mountain Ramblers, that performed around the Los
Angeles area folk clubs. There he met Darrow, who was a member of a
rival group called the Re-Organized Dry City Players. Soon afterwards,
the pair joined forces and formed a new group they named the Dry City
Scat Band, but Darrow soon left to set up a new rock group called the
Floggs. Lindley also began forming his own electric group and in the
course of doing so met Feldthouse, who had been raised in Turkey and, on
returning to the U.S., had performed flamenco music and as an
accompanist to belly dancing groups. Lindley and Feldthouse then began
performing as the duo, David & Solomon, when they met Crill. They
invited him to join their band, and towards the end of 1966 added Darrow
and drummer John Vidican to form the Kaleidoscope.
The band began gigging in clubs and it wasn't long before they scored a
contract with Epic Records. They issued their debut single ('Please' b/w
'Elevator Man') in December 1966, which was produced by Barry Friedman
(later known as Frazier Mohawk). Their first LP titled 'Side Trips'
followed in June, 1967 and showcases the group's musical diversity and
studio experimentation. It includes Feldthouse's Middle-Eastern
influenced 'Egyptian Gardens', Darrow’s somber Vietnam War protest
song 'Keep Your Mind Open', and Lindley’s excellent 'Why Try'. For
reasons that have never been made clear, Crill was credited as "Fenrus
Epp" in the album liner notes and would continue to adopt various
other pseudonyms on later recordings. Later in 1967, the band
collaborated with veteran rock and blues greats Larry Williams and
Johnny "Guitar" Watson and issued the outstanding single
'Nobody'.
When the group played live, songs were many times interspersed with
lengthy, exotic stringed instrument solos from Feldthouse or Lindley,
and occasionally Feldthouse would bring belly dancers or flamenco
dancers on stage to accent the music. They were such adept musicians
that they were extremely proficient in playing many different styles of
music, including rock, blues, folk, jazz, Middle-Eastern and were also
not afraid to feature music by Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington in their
repertoire. The Kaleidoscope were one of the progenitors of World Music.
In early 1968, the band issued their second LP titled 'Beacon From
Mars', which continues to flaunt their diverse mix of music styles.
Highlights on the album include the outstanding 'I Found Out', Darrow's
laid back 'Life Will Pass You By' and a hard-driving cover of Willie
Cobbs' 'You Don't Love Me'. Towards the end of 1968, the Kaleidoscope
supported Cream during their U.S. farewell tour.
By the release of the group’s third LP 'Incredible!' in mid 1969,
Darrow and Vidican had left the fold and were replaced by Stuart Brotman
(bass, vocals), who had previously been an early member of Canned Heat,
and Paul Lagos (percussion). Highlights on this album include the
outstanding original 'Lie To Me' and a great heavy cover of the
traditional song 'Cuckoo'. Later that year, Kaleidoscope contributed two
songs ('Brother Mary' and 'Mickey's Tune') on the motion picture
soundtrack of Michaelangelo Antonioni's 'Zabriskie Point'.
For their fourth and final LP 'Bernice', issued in the spring of 1970,
Brotman and Lagos were no longer members and had been replaced by Ron
Johnson (bass) and Jeff Kaplan (percussion). Highlights on this album
include the trippy 'To Know Is Not To Be' and a strung out remake of
their 1967 B-side 'Little Orphan Nannie', appropriately titled 'Lulu
Arfin Nanny'. Unfortunately, the album was bashed by critics and sold
very poorly, prompting the band to split up soon after its release.
Lindley became a highly respected session and live musician with Linda
Ronstadt and Jackson Browne among others, before forming his own band,
El Rayo-X, in the early 1980s. Darrow joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
and then formed the Corvettes before becoming a leading session musician
and solo performer in his own right.
Artist information sources include: The book, 'Fuzz, Acid and Flowers
Revisited' by Vernon Joynson and an article by Richie Unterberger at All
Music Guide.
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS
Side
Trips Original LP/EP Label: Epic 26304 Released: June 1967 / A Beacon
From Mars Original LP/EP Label: Epic 26333 Released: January 1968 /
Incredible! Original LP/EP Label: Epic 26467 Released: June 1969 /
Bernice Original LP/EP Label: Epic 26508 Released: March 1970
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