H. P. Lovecraft II
Encyclopedia
H. P. Lovecraft II is the second album
by the American psychedelic rock
band
H. P. Lovecraft
and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records
. As with their debut LP
, the album again saw the band blending psychedelic
and folk rock
influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than on their previous album release. H. P. Lovecraft II failed to sell in sufficient quantities to reach the Billboard Top LPs
chart or the UK Albums Chart
, despite the band being a popular act on the U.S. psychedelic concert circuit. Legend has it that the album was the first major label
release to have been recorded by musicians who were all under the influence of LSD.
for the album began in June 1968 at I.D. Sound Studios in Los Angeles, with the band's manager
George Badonsky producing
and British-born Chris Huston
serving as audio engineer
. H. P. Lovecraft had toured intensively during the first half of 1968 and consequently, there was a lack of properly arranged new material for the album. As a result, much of H. P. Lovecraft II was improvised in the studio, with Huston playing a pivotal role in enabling the underprepared band to complete the recording sessions. In addition, Huston was also instrumental in creating the psychedelic
sound effect
s that adorned much of the album's contents. The band's singer and guitarist
, George Edwards
, recalled the importance of Huston's contributions during an interview with journalist Nick Warburton: "Chris came up with a lot of very innovative techniques that prior to that record had not really been used. He was way ahead of his time. We had no material, the band was totally fried and Chris helped us make a record. That record would never have happened without Chris."
Among the tracks that were recorded for the album were the Edwards-penned compositions "Electrollentando" and "Mobius Trip", the latter of which featured lyrics that music historian Richie Unterberger
has described as "disoriented hippie euphoria." In addition, the band elected to cover "Spin, Spin, Spin" and "It's About Time", both written by Terry Callier
, an old friend of Edwards' from his days as a folk singer
. Both songs made effective use of the oddly striking vocal interplay and close harmony singing
of Edwards and the band's keyboardist
Dave Michaels
. The band's newest recruit, Jeff Boyan, who had only joined the group in early 1968 as a replacement for bassist
Jerry McGeorge
, was featured as lead vocalist
on his own composition "Blue Jack of Diamonds" and on the band's cover of the folk standard
"High Flying Bird". The track "Nothing's Boy" featured a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine
, and the cover version
of Brewer & Shipley
's "Keeper of the Keys" was issued as a single
in late 1968, following its appearance on the album, but it failed to reach the charts. The self-penned "At the Mountains of Madness" was based on the 1931 novella
At the Mountains of Madness
by horror
writer H. P. Lovecraft
, after whom the band had named themselves. Written by Edwards, Michaels and lead guitar
ist Tony Cavallari, the song featured some chaoticly acrobatic vocal interplay and made ample use of swirling, echoed reverse tape effects
, which served to highlight the song's sinister subject matter.
H. P. Lovecraft II was released in September 1968 and despite being less focused than the band's first album, it nonetheless managed to successfully expand on the musical approach of its predecessor. The album also shared the haunting, eerie ambiance of H. P. Lovecraft's first album. Although it failed to chart at the time and had gone out of print
by the early 1970s, the album's reputation has grown over the years. Richie Unterberger, writing for the Allmusic website, has described it as being "much more progressive than their first effort", although he also noted that it "showed the band losing touch with some of their most obvious strengths, most notably their disciplined arrangements and incisive songwriting." By the late 1980s, a revival of interest in the band's music had begun which resulted in Edsel Records
reissuing H. P. Lovecraft II and the band's debut album together on the At the Mountains of Madness compilation
in 1988. The album is currently available, along with H. P. Lovecraft
, on the Collectors' Choice Music
CD
Two Classic Albums from H. P. Lovecraft: H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II. In addition, the nine songs that make up H. P. Lovecraft II are included on the Rev-Ola Records
compilation Dreams in the Witch House: The Complete Philips Recordings.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the American psychedelic rock
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
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (band)
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1967 and named after horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose...
and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
. As with their debut LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, the album again saw the band blending psychedelic
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...
and folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than on their previous album release. H. P. Lovecraft II failed to sell in sufficient quantities to reach the Billboard Top LPs
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart or the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, despite the band being a popular act on the U.S. psychedelic concert circuit. Legend has it that the album was the first major label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
release to have been recorded by musicians who were all under the influence of LSD.
History
Recording sessionsStudio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for the album began in June 1968 at I.D. Sound Studios in Los Angeles, with the band's manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
George Badonsky producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and British-born Chris Huston
Chris Huston
Christopher J 'Chris' Huston is a British born record engineer and guitarist.Huston arrived in Wallasey, near Liverpool, toward the end of World War II from an orphanage in North Wales...
serving as audio engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
. H. P. Lovecraft had toured intensively during the first half of 1968 and consequently, there was a lack of properly arranged new material for the album. As a result, much of H. P. Lovecraft II was improvised in the studio, with Huston playing a pivotal role in enabling the underprepared band to complete the recording sessions. In addition, Huston was also instrumental in creating the psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s that adorned much of the album's contents. The band's singer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, George Edwards
Ethan Kenning
Charles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
, recalled the importance of Huston's contributions during an interview with journalist Nick Warburton: "Chris came up with a lot of very innovative techniques that prior to that record had not really been used. He was way ahead of his time. We had no material, the band was totally fried and Chris helped us make a record. That record would never have happened without Chris."
Among the tracks that were recorded for the album were the Edwards-penned compositions "Electrollentando" and "Mobius Trip", the latter of which featured lyrics that music historian Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
has described as "disoriented hippie euphoria." In addition, the band elected to cover "Spin, Spin, Spin" and "It's About Time", both written by Terry Callier
Terry Callier
Terrence O. Callier, known as Terry Callier is an American jazz, soul and folk guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Life and career:...
, an old friend of Edwards' from his days as a folk singer
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. Both songs made effective use of the oddly striking vocal interplay and close harmony singing
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
of Edwards and the band's keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Dave Michaels
Dave Michaels
David Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
. The band's newest recruit, Jeff Boyan, who had only joined the group in early 1968 as a replacement for bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Jerry McGeorge
Jerry McGeorge
Jerry McGeorge came to prominence in late 1965 as a guitarist with the Chicago rock band The Shadows of Knight. He later joined acid rock band H.P. Lovecraft on bass in the summer of 1967, appearing on their debut album, H. P. Lovecraft.-Early life:McGeorge began playing guitar in 1961...
, was featured as lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
on his own composition "Blue Jack of Diamonds" and on the band's cover of the folk standard
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
"High Flying Bird". The track "Nothing's Boy" featured a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine
Ken Nordine
Ken Nordine is an American voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of Word Jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost...
, and the cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies and socially conscious lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the...
's "Keeper of the Keys" was issued as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in late 1968, following its appearance on the album, but it failed to reach the charts. The self-penned "At the Mountains of Madness" was based on the 1931 novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
At the Mountains of Madness
At the Mountains of Madness
At the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and rejected that year by Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright on the grounds of its length. It was originally serialized in the February, March and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories...
by horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, after whom the band had named themselves. Written by Edwards, Michaels and lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Tony Cavallari, the song featured some chaoticly acrobatic vocal interplay and made ample use of swirling, echoed reverse tape effects
Reverse tape effects
Reverse tape effects are special effects created by recording sound onto magnetic tape and then physically reversing the tape so that when the tape is played back, the sounds recorded on it are literally heard in reverse...
, which served to highlight the song's sinister subject matter.
H. P. Lovecraft II was released in September 1968 and despite being less focused than the band's first album, it nonetheless managed to successfully expand on the musical approach of its predecessor. The album also shared the haunting, eerie ambiance of H. P. Lovecraft's first album. Although it failed to chart at the time and had gone out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
by the early 1970s, the album's reputation has grown over the years. Richie Unterberger, writing for the Allmusic website, has described it as being "much more progressive than their first effort", although he also noted that it "showed the band losing touch with some of their most obvious strengths, most notably their disciplined arrangements and incisive songwriting." By the late 1980s, a revival of interest in the band's music had begun which resulted in Edsel Records
Demon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
reissuing H. P. Lovecraft II and the band's debut album together on the At the Mountains of Madness compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
in 1988. The album is currently available, along with H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (album)
H. P. Lovecraft is the debut album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in October 1967 by Philips Records. It blended psychedelic and folk rock influences and was marked by the haunting, eerie ambiance of the band's music, which itself was often inspired by the...
, on the Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
Two Classic Albums from H. P. Lovecraft: H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II. In addition, the nine songs that make up H. P. Lovecraft II are included on the Rev-Ola Records
Rev-Ola Records
Rev-Ola Records is a UK record label formed in 1988 that specializes in reissues, as well as select new releases. The label is headed by Joe Foster, a former child actor and musician/producer...
compilation Dreams in the Witch House: The Complete Philips Recordings.
Side 1
- "Spin, Spin, Spin" (Terry CallierTerry CallierTerrence O. Callier, known as Terry Callier is an American jazz, soul and folk guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Life and career:...
) – 3:21 - "It's About Time" (Terry Callier) – 5:17
- "Blue Jack of Diamonds" (Jeff Boyan) – 3:08
- "Electrollentando" (George EdwardsEthan KenningCharles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
) – 6:34
Side 2
- "At the Mountains of Madness" (George Edwards, Dave MichaelsDave MichaelsDavid Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
, Tony Cavallari) – 4:57 - "Mobius Trip" (George Edwards) – 2:44
- "High Flying Bird" (Billy Ed WheelerBilly Edd WheelerBilly Edward "Edd" Wheeler is an American songwriter, performer, writer and visual artist. He has written songs performed by over 90 different artists including Judy Collins, Jefferson Airplane, Bobby Darin, The Kingston Trio, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Kenny Rogers, Hazel Dickens, and Elvis Presley...
) – 3:21 - "Nothing's Boy" (Ken NordineKen NordineKen Nordine is an American voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of Word Jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost...
) – 0:39 - "Keeper of the Keys" (Mike Brewer, Tom ShipleyBrewer & ShipleyBrewer & Shipley were an American folk rock music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies and socially conscious lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the...
) – 3:05
Personnel
- George EdwardsEthan KenningCharles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dave MichaelsDave MichaelsDavid Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
– vocals, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Tony Cavallari – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Jeff Boyan – bass, vocals
- Michael Tegza – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals