Mandrake Memorial
Encyclopedia
Mandrake Memorial were an American
psych
/progressive rock
band known for their Baroque
sound and unique song-writing.
/promoter
Larry Schreiber was asked to put together a house band
for Manny Rubin's downtown Philadelphia club, The Trauma. He started with folksinger/guitarist/banjoist/keyboardist Michael Kac , who was already a regular performer at both The Trauma and Rubin's other club, The Second Fret. He'd been in a band called The Candymen, later known as Cat's Cradle, who had recently broken up (Schreiber had been their manager). Guitarist Kim King (of Lothar and the Hand People
, another Trauma Club regular) told Schreiber about a drummer he knew in a similar situation. J. (John) Kevin Lally had been in a band called The Novae Police, a fixture at the Night Owl Club and The Bitter End
in Greenwich Village
, playing with bands like The Flying Machine (with James Taylor
) and The Ragamuffins (from Canada
). Schreiber visited Lally in the basement of New York's Albert Hotel, where Kevin kept his drums in Lothar's practice room. Suitably impressed, he brought Lally back to Philadelphia to meet Michael. The two musicians hit it off immediately. Kac then recruited a young guitarist named Craig Anderton from a University of Pennsylvania
college band called The Flowers of Evil, who he'd seen opening for Todd Rundgren
's first band Woody's Truck Stop. Lally convinced his friend Randy Monaco, the bassist/vocalist from The Novae Police, to relocate to Philly. Although working musicians, everybody jumped at the chance to be a house band, with a guaranteed gig
every weekend and opening for all the big-name bands brought in by Manny.
The Mandrake Memorial quickly gelled and began developing a following. At the beginning they were a standard two-guitar, bass & drums quartet, but very soon a sales rep from R.M.I.
approached the group with a prototype of what was to become their Rock-Si-Chord
(an electronic harpsichord
). The band tried it out and quickly realized it gave them a new sound nobody else had. Since Kac was the only band member who could play keyboards, he switched from guitar to harpsichord and the Mandrake line-up was complete.
The new sound was an immediate success. The band was widely acknowledged as "blowing off the stage" many of the headline acts they were supposed to be supporting. Soon they were performing college circuit clubs such as Boston Tea Party
, Psychedelic Supermarket
, Electric Circus
, New York's Cafe Au Go Go
, the Second Fret
and The Main Point
. Mandrake opened for, among others, The Doors
, Big Brother and the Holding Company
, Frank Zappa
and The Mothers of Invention
, Moby Grape
, Strawberry Alarm Clock
and appeared on TV with Pink Floyd
. Through Manny Rubin they were signed to MGM Records
' new experimental music label Poppy Records. Their first self-titled
LP
, produced by Tony Camillo
and Tony Bongiovi
(cousin of Jon Bon Jovi
), sold over 100,000 copies, mainly in the Philadelphia, New York and Boston areas. A second LP, Medium was completed in early 1969 to similar high acclaim.
Kac (and his Rock-Si-Chord) left the band following Medium, citing musical differences, and in the summer of 1969 the remaining trio traveled to England
to record a live-in-the-studio acoustic album with famed producer Shel Talmy
. They were booked to tour the U.K.
with Todd Rundgren's new band The Nazz, but an English union disagreement prevented any American musicians from performing that summer. To top that off, their completed "Mandrake Unplugged" album was deemed too uncommercial by Poppy label executives and never released—although the idea was to become a huge trend two decades later
.
Returning to Philadelphia, the band began working on a new album, re-working some of the songs from their failed acoustic album. They were teamed up with New York producer Ronald Frangipane with the result that he brought in an orchestra and filled out the songs with full choir, children's choir, orchestral splashes and elaborate production. Puzzle was a progressive rock masterpiece, but did not sell well enough to make back its considerable production costs. The band recorded just one more single, a cover of Thunderclap Newman
's "Something In The Air
" backed with an original tune by Anderton. When the single also flopped, Lally left the band and Anderton and Kac soon called it quits.
and Jefferson Cain to form an electronic trio called Anomaly. Their only recorded legacy is the musical backing and production credits on three LPs by Philadelphia acoustic guitarist (and guitar teacher) Linda Cohen (no relation to Charles), "Leda" (1971), "Lake of Light" (1972) and "Angel Alley" (1973). In the early 1980s Charles Cohen and Jeff Cain went on to record and perform as The Ghostwriters. Anderton invented several guitar effects pedals, and a programmable electronic drum machine, projects which he documented in a long series of well-known DIY
books for musicians beginning with "Electronic Projects for Musicians" (1975). He wrote extensively for several music industry publications, and was the editor of Electronic Musician
magazine 1980-1990. His circuits appear in products from such manufacturers as TASCAM
, Peavey Electronics
, PAiA Electronics
, Steinberg
and Kurzweil Music Systems
. He produced and guested on dozens of albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He released a solo album on cassette in 1977 and another (Forward Motion) on CD in 1989. He remains active as a producer, engineer and consultant.
During spring and summer of 1969, Michael Kac worked in a guitar/harpsichord duo with Linda Cohen. As classically-trained musicians, both hoped to forge a new synthesis of popular and classical forms, which is evident in her albums. Already a graduate student in Linguistics
, in 1971 he moved to Los Angeles
to take his Ph.D at UCLA, then joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis. He formally studied the harpsichord 1971-1983 and gives occasional solo and ensemble recitals. In 1998 he reunited with Linda Cohen and Craig Anderton to record "Naked Under the Moon." Unfortunately Linda passed away in January 2009.
Kevin Lally traveled to England in 1970, where his family originated, and ended up apprenticing at Lloyd's of London
in ship insurance. Returning to New York in 1980, he founded Seahawk International, Inc. which became the largest privately-held aviation
and maritime insurance broker in New York. He was also the chairman on the restoration of Wavertree
, the largest iron sailing vessel afloat. He still performs occasionally as a studio drummer, although he prefers to do it anonymously.
In 1974 Randy Monaco headed a short-lived Mandrake Memorial revival in which he was the only original member. Sometime afterward he joined a version of the 1910 Fruitgum Company
before succumbing to cirrhosis in 1983.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psych
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...
/progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band known for their Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
sound and unique song-writing.
History
The Mandrake Memorial were formed in late 1967 when producerRecord 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...
/promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
Larry Schreiber was asked to put together a house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
for Manny Rubin's downtown Philadelphia club, The Trauma. He started with folksinger/guitarist/banjoist/keyboardist Michael Kac , who was already a regular performer at both The Trauma and Rubin's other club, The Second Fret. He'd been in a band called The Candymen, later known as Cat's Cradle, who had recently broken up (Schreiber had been their manager). Guitarist Kim King (of Lothar and the Hand People
Lothar and the Hand People
Lothar and the Hand People was a late-1960s psychedelic rock band known for its spacey music and pioneering use of the theremin and Moog modular synthesizer....
, another Trauma Club regular) told Schreiber about a drummer he knew in a similar situation. J. (John) Kevin Lally had been in a band called The Novae Police, a fixture at the Night Owl Club and The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, playing with bands like The Flying Machine (with James Taylor
James Taylor
James 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....
) and The Ragamuffins (from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
). Schreiber visited Lally in the basement of New York's Albert Hotel, where Kevin kept his drums in Lothar's practice room. Suitably impressed, he brought Lally back to Philadelphia to meet Michael. The two musicians hit it off immediately. Kac then recruited a young guitarist named Craig Anderton from a University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
college band called The Flowers of Evil, who he'd seen opening for Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd 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 first band Woody's Truck Stop. Lally convinced his friend Randy Monaco, the bassist/vocalist from The Novae Police, to relocate to Philly. Although working musicians, everybody jumped at the chance to be a house band, with a guaranteed gig
Gig
Gig or GIG may refer to:* Gig , live performance by a musician or other performer** Temporary work, by extension* Gig , 1993* Gig , 1992...
every weekend and opening for all the big-name bands brought in by Manny.
The Mandrake Memorial quickly gelled and began developing a following. At the beginning they were a standard two-guitar, bass & drums quartet, but very soon a sales rep from R.M.I.
Rocky Mount Instruments
Rocky Mount Instruments or RMI was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, established in about 1966. It was based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina...
approached the group with a prototype of what was to become their Rock-Si-Chord
Rocksichord
The Rock-Si-Chord is an electronic keyboard invented in 1967 to approximate the sound of the harpsichord...
(an electronic harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
). The band tried it out and quickly realized it gave them a new sound nobody else had. Since Kac was the only band member who could play keyboards, he switched from guitar to harpsichord and the Mandrake line-up was complete.
The new sound was an immediate success. The band was widely acknowledged as "blowing off the stage" many of the headline acts they were supposed to be supporting. Soon they were performing college circuit clubs such as Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party (concert venue)
The Boston Tea Party was a concert venue located on 53 Berkeley Street in Boston, Massachusetts...
, Psychedelic Supermarket
Metcalf Center for Science and Engineering
Metcalf Center for Science and Engineering is a building owned by Boston University and named for Arthur G.B. Metcalf. Metcalf founded what would later become the university's engineering college and served as its chair. He also donated millions of dollars toward the construction of the building...
, Electric Circus
Electric Circus (nightclub)
The Electric Circus was a nightclub and discotheque located at 19-25 St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, from 1967 to September 1971. The club was created by Jerry Brandt, Stanton J. Freeman and their partners and designed...
, New York's Cafe Au Go Go
Cafe Au Go Go
The Cafe au Go Go was a Greenwich Village night club located in the basement of 152 Bleecker Street. The club featured many well known musical groups, folksingers and comedy acts between the opening in February 1964 until closing in October 1969. Originally owned by Howard Solomon who sold the club...
, the Second Fret
Jack Elliott at the Second Fret
Jack Elliott at the Second Fret is a live album by American folk musician Ramblin' Jack Elliott, released in 1962.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, music critic Richie Unterberger wrote the album "It's perhaps a little more fun to hear than the average early 1960s Jack Elliott album, because the...
and The Main Point
The Main Point
The Main Point was a small coffeehouse venue on Lancaster Ave. in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The club was famous for its small intimate atmosphere and inexpensive ticket prices...
. Mandrake opened for, among others, The 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...
, Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention
The Mothers of Invention were an American band active from 1964 to 1969, and again from 1970 to 1975.They mainly performed works by, and were the original recording group of, US composer and guitarist Frank Zappa , although other members have had the occasional writing credit...
, Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
, Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
and appeared on TV with Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. Through Manny Rubin they were signed to MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
' new experimental music label Poppy Records. Their first self-titled
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
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...
, produced by Tony Camillo
Tony Camillo
Tony Camillo is an American record producer, orchestrator and arranger. He worked on many soul and disco recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, including recordings by Dionne Warwick, Eric Carmen, The Stylistics, Dazz Band, Millie Jackson, Chambers Brothers, Peaches & Herb, Sha Na Na, Grand Funk...
and Tony Bongiovi
Tony Bongiovi
Tony Bongiovi is a record producer and recording engineer with expertise in Electrical & Acoustical Engineering. He helped to remodel an old building in Manhattan—once a power plant for Edison, and later a television studio—into the Power Station recording studio in 1977.Bongiovi was born in the...
(cousin of Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
), sold over 100,000 copies, mainly in the Philadelphia, New York and Boston areas. A second LP, Medium was completed in early 1969 to similar high acclaim.
Kac (and his Rock-Si-Chord) left the band following Medium, citing musical differences, and in the summer of 1969 the remaining trio traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to record a live-in-the-studio acoustic album with famed producer Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
. They were booked to tour the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with Todd Rundgren's new band The Nazz, but an English union disagreement prevented any American musicians from performing that summer. To top that off, their completed "Mandrake Unplugged" album was deemed too uncommercial by Poppy label executives and never released—although the idea was to become a huge trend two decades later
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
.
Returning to Philadelphia, the band began working on a new album, re-working some of the songs from their failed acoustic album. They were teamed up with New York producer Ronald Frangipane with the result that he brought in an orchestra and filled out the songs with full choir, children's choir, orchestral splashes and elaborate production. Puzzle was a progressive rock masterpiece, but did not sell well enough to make back its considerable production costs. The band recorded just one more single, a cover of Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman were a British one-hit wonder band that Pete Townshend of The Who and Kit Lambert had formed circa December 1968 - January 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and Jimmy McCulloch....
's "Something In The Air
Something in the Air
Something in the Air was an Australian television soap opera transmitted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2002. It was one of the first programs in Australia that was filmed in widescreen.-Cast:...
" backed with an original tune by Anderton. When the single also flopped, Lally left the band and Anderton and Kac soon called it quits.
Post breakup activities
After disbanding Mandrake, Craig Anderton teamed up with Charles CohenCharles Cohen
Charles Cohen is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area-based free jazz musician and composer. Creating music since 1971, his music is entirely improvisational and produced solely on a vintage Buchla Music Easel synthesizer, an extremely rare integrated analog performance instrument made by synthesizer...
and Jefferson Cain to form an electronic trio called Anomaly. Their only recorded legacy is the musical backing and production credits on three LPs by Philadelphia acoustic guitarist (and guitar teacher) Linda Cohen (no relation to Charles), "Leda" (1971), "Lake of Light" (1972) and "Angel Alley" (1973). In the early 1980s Charles Cohen and Jeff Cain went on to record and perform as The Ghostwriters. Anderton invented several guitar effects pedals, and a programmable electronic drum machine, projects which he documented in a long series of well-known DIY
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
books for musicians beginning with "Electronic Projects for Musicians" (1975). He wrote extensively for several music industry publications, and was the editor of Electronic Musician
Electronic Musician
Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
magazine 1980-1990. His circuits appear in products from such manufacturers as TASCAM
TASCAM
TASCAM is the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation, headquartered in Montebello, California. Tascam is credited as the inventor of the Portastudio, the first cassette-based multi-track home studio recorders. Tascam also introduced the first low-cost mass produced multitrack recorders...
, Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
, PAiA Electronics
PAiA Electronics
PAiA Electronics, Inc. is an American synthesizer kit company that was started by John Simonton in 1967. It sells various musical electronics kits including analog synthesizers, theremins, mixers and various music production units designed by founder John Simonton, Craig Anderton, Marvin Jones,...
, Steinberg
Steinberg
Steinberg GmbH is a German musical software and equipment company based in Hamburg. It mainly produces music recording, arranging and editing software as used in digital audio workstations and VSTi software synthesizers.- History :...
and Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
. He produced and guested on dozens of albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He released a solo album on cassette in 1977 and another (Forward Motion) on CD in 1989. He remains active as a producer, engineer and consultant.
During spring and summer of 1969, Michael Kac worked in a guitar/harpsichord duo with Linda Cohen. As classically-trained musicians, both hoped to forge a new synthesis of popular and classical forms, which is evident in her albums. Already a graduate student in Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, in 1971 he moved to 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...
to take his Ph.D at UCLA, then joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in Minneapolis. He formally studied the harpsichord 1971-1983 and gives occasional solo and ensemble recitals. In 1998 he reunited with Linda Cohen and Craig Anderton to record "Naked Under the Moon." Unfortunately Linda passed away in January 2009.
Kevin Lally traveled to England in 1970, where his family originated, and ended up apprenticing at Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
in ship insurance. Returning to New York in 1980, he founded Seahawk International, Inc. which became the largest privately-held aviation
Aviation insurance
Aviation insurance is insurance coverage geared specifically to the operation of aircraft and the risks involved in aviation. Aviation insurance policies are distinctly different from those for other areas of transportation and tend to incorporate aviation terminology, as well as terminology,...
and maritime insurance broker in New York. He was also the chairman on the restoration of Wavertree
Wavertree (ship)
Wavertree is a historic iron-hulled sailing ship located at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Wavertree is currently the largest large iron sailing vessel afloat.- History :...
, the largest iron sailing vessel afloat. He still performs occasionally as a studio drummer, although he prefers to do it anonymously.
In 1974 Randy Monaco headed a short-lived Mandrake Memorial revival in which he was the only original member. Sometime afterward he joined a version of the 1910 Fruitgum Company
1910 Fruitgum Company
The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's biggest hits included "Simon Says," "1, 2, 3, Red Light," "May I Take A Giant Step," "Special Delivery," "Goody Goody Gumdrops," and "Indian Giver." Guitarist Frank Jeckell claimed to have adopted the name from a...
before succumbing to cirrhosis in 1983.
Personnel
- Craig Anderton - 6- and 12-string guitars, sitar, Coral sitarElectric sitarAn electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar...
, modulatorModulationIn electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted... - Randy Monaco - vocals, bass
- J. Kevin Lally - drums, timpani
- Michael Kac - guitar, Rock-Si-ChordRocksichordThe Rock-Si-Chord is an electronic keyboard invented in 1967 to approximate the sound of the harpsichord...
, piano, vocals
The Mandrake Memorial
- LP = Poppy Records PYS-40,002 Stereo, Fall 1968
- CD = Collectables RecordsCollectables RecordsCollectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
COL-0691, 1996 (dubbed from vinyl) - Produced by Tony CamilloTony CamilloTony Camillo is an American record producer, orchestrator and arranger. He worked on many soul and disco recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, including recordings by Dionne Warwick, Eric Carmen, The Stylistics, Dazz Band, Millie Jackson, Chambers Brothers, Peaches & Herb, Sha Na Na, Grand Funk...
and Anthony BongioviTony BongioviTony Bongiovi is a record producer and recording engineer with expertise in Electrical & Acoustical Engineering. He helped to remodel an old building in Manhattan—once a power plant for Edison, and later a television studio—into the Power Station recording studio in 1977.Bongiovi was born in the...
for Poppy Records - Director of Engineering: Val ValentinVal ValentinVal Valentin is an internationally renowned recording engineer whose large discography includes such legendary albums as Freak Out!, the first The Velvet Underground record, Ella and Louis, Night Train , Getz/Gilberto, Absolutely Free and the film The Color Purple ...
- Album design: Milton GlaserMilton GlaserMilton Glaser is a graphic designer, best known for the I Love New York logo, his "Bob Dylan" poster, the "DC bullet" logo used by DC Comics from 1977 to 2005, and the "Brooklyn Brewery" logo. He also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968.-Biography:Glaser was born into a Hungarian...
Medium
- LP = Poppy Records PYS-40,003 Stereo, Spring 1969
- CD = Collectables RecordsCollectables RecordsCollectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
COL-0692, 1996 (dubbed from vinyl) - Produced by Tony CamilloTony CamilloTony Camillo is an American record producer, orchestrator and arranger. He worked on many soul and disco recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, including recordings by Dionne Warwick, Eric Carmen, The Stylistics, Dazz Band, Millie Jackson, Chambers Brothers, Peaches & Herb, Sha Na Na, Grand Funk...
and Anthony BongioviTony BongioviTony Bongiovi is a record producer and recording engineer with expertise in Electrical & Acoustical Engineering. He helped to remodel an old building in Manhattan—once a power plant for Edison, and later a television studio—into the Power Station recording studio in 1977.Bongiovi was born in the...
for Poppy Records - Engineering: Anthony Bongiovi for Poppy Records
- Production Supervisor: Kevin Eggers
- Designed by Milton Glaser
Puzzle
- LP = Poppy Records PYS-40,006 Stereo, Fall 1969
- CD = Collectables RecordsCollectables RecordsCollectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
COL-0693, 1996 (dubbed from vinyl) - Produced by Ronald Frangipane
- Recorded at Century Sound Recording Studios, New York NY
- Engineered by Brooks Arthur
- Cover: M.C. Escher House of StairsHouse of StairsHouse of Stairs is a lithograph print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher which was first printed in November 1951. This print measures 18⅝" × 9⅜". It depicts the interior of a tall structure crisscrossed with stairs and doorways at paradoxical angles...
and Curl-upCurl-upCurl-up or Wentelteefje is a lithograph print by M. C. Escher, first printed in November 1951.This is the only work by Escher which consists largely of text. The text, which is written in Dutch, describes an imaginary species called Pedalternorotandomovens centroculatus articulosus, also known as...
Single
- Single = Poppy Records 69,103, Winter 1969
- Re-released as bonus tracks on Puzzle CD