Clear Light
Encyclopedia
Clear Light was a psychedelic rock
band that formed in Los Angeles
in 1966.
hipster Bud Mathis. They recorded one single before changing their name to Clear Light and signing to Elektra Records
; Doors
' on which producer Paul A. Rothchild
took over management of the band.
The core members of Clear Light were Bob Seal, lead guitarist and vocals, Robbie "The Werewolf" Robison, rhythm guitar and vocals, Doug Lubahn
bass and vocals, Dallas Taylor
drums, and Michael Ney on, unusually, another set of drums. The original line-up was featured in the 1967 motion picture The President's Analyst
, with Barry McGuire
cast as their leader and vocalist. They soon added Cliff De Young on lead vocals; the version of the band seen on their only album cover. However, sometime during the recording process, often described "brutal", Paul Rothchild was not happy with Robison's guitar playing skills and pressured the group to remove him - he was replaced by keyboard player Ralph Schuckett
.
In what has been called the band's finest hour, drunken customers in a Park Avenue
club heckled them so brutally that Ralph Schuckett
, the usually gentle organist, hurled a few choice words back at them. They then walked off the stage, retired to the Albert Hotel, and woke up in the morning to find that they had become underground heroes.
The most notable track from the Clear Light
album, was "Mr. Blue," a psychedelic version of a folk song written by Tom Paxton
and a popular request on underground radio at the time. Lasting over six minutes, the rather sinister, psychedelic song is considered a classic of the genre. Its lyrics, which alternate between spoken word and song, include verses opening with such lines as, "Good morning, Mister Blue, we've got our eye on you," "Step softly, Mister Blue, we know what's best for you," and "Be careful, Mister Blue, this phase you're going through ...."
The album also included some of guitarist Bob Seal's psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely "With All in Mind" and "They Who Have Nothing." It had some success in England, but was largely ignored in the U.S, reaching #126 on the Billboard
album chart. Paul Rothchild then pressured the other members of the band to fire Bob Seal. Seal was replaced by ex-Fug Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar; Cliff De Young was soon to follow, and after having started work on a second album the group disbanded in 1968. Two tracks from the sessions for the second album surfaced in 2006, "Darkness of Day" and "What a Difference Love Makes"; the latter showed the group moving into more commercial territory due to Kortchmar's influence.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band that formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1966.
History
In 1966, The Brain Train formed and was managed by Sunset StripSunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
hipster Bud Mathis. They recorded one single before changing their name to Clear Light and signing to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
; Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' on which producer Paul A. Rothchild
Paul A. Rothchild
Paul A. Rothchild was a prominent American record producer of the late 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rothchild grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1953....
took over management of the band.
The core members of Clear Light were Bob Seal, lead guitarist and vocals, Robbie "The Werewolf" Robison, rhythm guitar and vocals, Doug Lubahn
Douglass Lubahn
Douglass Lubahn is a psychedelic-rock/jazz-rock bassist who has played with some internationally famous bands. His work is featured on several albums recorded by The Doors.-Brief History:...
bass and vocals, Dallas Taylor
Dallas Taylor (drummer)
Dallas Woodrow Taylor Jr. was born in Denver, Colorado, 7 April 1948. He is a session drummer who has played on several rock records of the 1960s and 1970s...
drums, and Michael Ney on, unusually, another set of drums. The original line-up was featured in the 1967 motion picture The President's Analyst
The President's Analyst
The President's Analyst is a 1967 satirical comedy film written and directed by Theodore J. Flicker, starring James Coburn. The widescreen cinematography was by William A. Fraker, and Lalo Schifrin provided the film's musical score...
, with Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire is an American singer-songwriter best known for the hit song "Eve of Destruction", and later as a pioneering singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music.-Early life:...
cast as their leader and vocalist. They soon added Cliff De Young on lead vocals; the version of the band seen on their only album cover. However, sometime during the recording process, often described "brutal", Paul Rothchild was not happy with Robison's guitar playing skills and pressured the group to remove him - he was replaced by keyboard player Ralph Schuckett
Ralph Schuckett
Ralph Schuckett is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer and TV/film composer. He played with Clear Light 1966-68, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 1968 to 1970, Jo Mama 1969-72, Carole King 1969-1972, Lou Reed 1972-73, Todd Rundgren and Utopia 1972-75, and, as a studio musician in...
.
In what has been called the band's finest hour, drunken customers in a Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
club heckled them so brutally that Ralph Schuckett
Ralph Schuckett
Ralph Schuckett is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer and TV/film composer. He played with Clear Light 1966-68, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy 1968 to 1970, Jo Mama 1969-72, Carole King 1969-1972, Lou Reed 1972-73, Todd Rundgren and Utopia 1972-75, and, as a studio musician in...
, the usually gentle organist, hurled a few choice words back at them. They then walked off the stage, retired to the Albert Hotel, and woke up in the morning to find that they had become underground heroes.
The most notable track from the Clear Light
Clear Light (album)
Clear Light was the only album released by the 1960s American psychedelic rock band Clear Light. It was released in September 1967 and peaked at number 126 on the Billboard pop albums chart. It combined elements of folk, rock, psychedelic, and classical music...
album, was "Mr. Blue," a psychedelic version of a folk song written by Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
and a popular request on underground radio at the time. Lasting over six minutes, the rather sinister, psychedelic song is considered a classic of the genre. Its lyrics, which alternate between spoken word and song, include verses opening with such lines as, "Good morning, Mister Blue, we've got our eye on you," "Step softly, Mister Blue, we know what's best for you," and "Be careful, Mister Blue, this phase you're going through ...."
The album also included some of guitarist Bob Seal's psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely "With All in Mind" and "They Who Have Nothing." It had some success in England, but was largely ignored in the U.S, reaching #126 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
album chart. Paul Rothchild then pressured the other members of the band to fire Bob Seal. Seal was replaced by ex-Fug Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar; Cliff De Young was soon to follow, and after having started work on a second album the group disbanded in 1968. Two tracks from the sessions for the second album surfaced in 2006, "Darkness of Day" and "What a Difference Love Makes"; the latter showed the group moving into more commercial territory due to Kortchmar's influence.
Aftermath
Most of the members went on to further success.- Cliff De Young went on to become an actor and remains active today.
- Dallas TaylorDallas Taylor (drummer)Dallas Woodrow Taylor Jr. was born in Denver, Colorado, 7 April 1948. He is a session drummer who has played on several rock records of the 1960s and 1970s...
, who had played previously with John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
and alongside Lowell GeorgeLowell GeorgeLowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...
in the pre-Little FeatLittle FeatLittle Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
group The FactoryThe FactoryThe Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
, later became a member of Crosby, Stills and NashCrosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
, Manassas and the Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
Band. - Ralph Schukett went on to play on The Monkees single "Porpoise Song", The Peanut Butter ConspiracyThe Peanut Butter ConspiracyThe Peanut Butter Conspiracy was an American psychedelic pop/rock group in the 1960s.They formed in Los Angeles in August 1966 out of the folk-rock group "The Ashes", who included John Merrill , Barbara "Sandi" Robison , Alan Brackett , Spencer Dryden , and Jim Cherniss...
album For Children of All Ages, then on to Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
's Utopia and also became a popular session player on TV soundtracks. - Doug LubahnDouglass LubahnDouglass Lubahn is a psychedelic-rock/jazz-rock bassist who has played with some internationally famous bands. His work is featured on several albums recorded by The Doors.-Brief History:...
played bass on several of The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' albums and went on to play with Billy SquierBilly SquierWilliam Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
among others. - Robbie Robison ended up in Oregon. He died in 2000.
- Bob Seal later played with Gale Garnet and the Gentle Reign.
- Michael Ney also played on "Porpoise Song", then The Peanut Butter ConspiracyThe Peanut Butter ConspiracyThe Peanut Butter Conspiracy was an American psychedelic pop/rock group in the 1960s.They formed in Los Angeles in August 1966 out of the folk-rock group "The Ashes", who included John Merrill , Barbara "Sandi" Robison , Alan Brackett , Spencer Dryden , and Jim Cherniss...
album For Children of All Ages, Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and other session work. - Danny KortchmarDanny KortchmarDanny "Kootch" Kortchmar is a guitarist, session musician, and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as David Crosby, Carole King, Graham Nash, Carly Simon and James Taylor helped define the signature sound of the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s...
worked with Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
for a while, and then with James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
for many years.
Singles
- "Black Roses"/"She’s Ready To Be Free," Elektra EK45622, 1967
- "Black Roses"/"She's Ready To Be Free," Elektra EKSN45019, 1967(UK)
- "They Who Have Nothing"/"Ballad Of Freddie and Larry," Elektra 45626, 1967
- "Night Sounds Loud"/"How Many Days Have Passed," Elektra EKSN45027, 1968 (UK only)