Orpheus (band)
Encyclopedia
Orpheus is a rock band from Worcester, Massachusetts
that enjoyed popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s.
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the avant garde band. Original members included guitarist/vocalists Bruce Arnold and Jack McKennes, bass guitarist Eric "The Snake" Gulliksen, and drummer Harry Sandler but many others have since been a part of the group. Orpheus recorded three albums and four singles for MGM Records
produced by musical legend Alan Lorber
, including their best known hit, Can’t Find The Time, though it was later work that came to actually define the band.
coffee house called the Villager). While the pair at first performed cover songs, they began developing Arnold's original material in the fall of 1964 and Winter of 1965, and soon began playing regularly at the Carousel in Hyannis.
, was not the band's first choice but joined as the fourth member when the best drummer was unavailable to do some live New York auditions. In the Summer of 1967 the still unnamed quartet settled on the name "Orpheus" and recorded a demo tape with nine songs, including "Can't Find The Time To Tell You", "I'll Fly", "As They All Fall" and "The Dream". After shopping the demo tape and receiving nine recording offers, the group eventually signed with Alan Lorber and recorded their first album, Orpheus, in the fall of 1967.
The album and a single "Can’t Find The Time" were subsequently released in January 1968, and the group played a few small clubs in Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia, before making their official debut in late February of that year at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village. Shortly after, the group opened for Cream
at a concert at Brandeis University. The group followed the success of their first album with the release of Ascending in 1968 and Joyful in the early spring of 1969. While together, Orpheus played on the same bill with a number of major acts of the era, including Cream
, Janis Joplin
, Led Zeppelin
, The Who
, and many others. Around this time they also provided the title song (Little Sister) for the film Marlowe starring James Garner
.
Orpheus' first album was released almost simultaneously with MGM's release of the first albums of Beacon Street Union
& Ultimate Spinach
. These were grouped together by the label as a part of its somewhat ill-fated "Boston Sound" promotion.
The first album peaked at #119 on the Billboard Albums chart in May 1968. The single "Can't Find The Time" ultimately peaked at #80 on the "Hot 100" in 1969. It is important to note that neither Gulliksen nor Sandler play on the band's debut album. Bassist Joe Mack (a.k.a. Joe Macho Jr.) and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
were employed by producer Alan Lorber
and would go on to play on all of the band's subsequent singles for MGM. Written by Arnold, at least seven cover versions of the song exist. These include one by Rose Colored Glass, which peaked at #54 in 1971, and a version by Hootie & the Blowfish
which was featured in the 2000 Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself and Irene
.
Ascending peaked at #159, and also was a winner (#10) of Playboy magazine's 1969 Jazz & Pop Poll, Vocal Album of the Year category.
Joyful peaked at #198 on the Billboard chart. A single from this album, "Brown Arms in Houston", peaked at #97.
Many ask why "Can't Find the Time" went to #1 in their market but did not chart higher nationally. It is because those instances did not occur at the same time. MGM, already in a fiscal panic, could not deliver product to all the record stores at the same time. DJs wouldn't promote records that were not sold locally. Recognizing their blunder, MGM re-released the song three times over the first three years.
The group disbanded in December 1969 when McKennes and Sandler were fired. Gulliksen left in February 1970 to pursue other interests. Arnold formed a newly constituted Orpheus with songwriter Steve Martin
, childhood friend Elliot Sherman, Howard Hersh, K.P. Burke and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Determined to control future publishing rights, Arnold did not allow his latest material to be included on the final Lorber-produced record. The songs are mostly Arnold's arrangements of Steve Martin tunes with BMI noting the exceptions of "Sweet Life", "By the Way" and "Tomorrow Man", all written with Arnold. This Orpheus recorded one album and one single on Bell Records in 1971. Arnold disbanded that group in 1972, when he relocated to California, though he continually wrote and recorded Orpheus songs with Hersh and Purdie, making the new material available to the Orpheus fan base through his website and Facebook page: Bruce Arnold-Orpheus. In 1976 he established a charitable foundation to oversee funding for ecumenical low-income housing, education and the arts. In 1988 Arnold performed live at the Boston Music Awards with a further incarnation of Orpheus which re-enlisted Purdie, Sherman and Hersh and included the late Boston (band)
member Brad Delp
. Throughout 2000 Arnold performed "Can't Find the Time" with Hootie and the Blowfish in venues like the Fillmore
and Golden Gate Park
in San Francisco and the House of Blues
in L.A. In 2001 he was the featured performer at the San Francisco BMI Christmas Party. But it was Arnold's further collaborations with Bernard Purdie and second Orpheus incarnation bassist Howie Hersh that has produced some of the all-time best Orpheus recordings at Skywalker Ranch and other San Francisco studios throughout the 1990s. The latest Orpheus material was recorded at the studio of Jefferson Airplane
and Quicksilver Messenger Service
star David Freiberg
.
Finally, after 35 years a new Bruce Arnold cd, "Orpheus Again", was released in February 2010 on Arnold's BAM! label. It included 10 new songs plus a contemporary re-make of "Can't Find the Time". Two more bonus songs were also available by directly contacting Bruce Arnold Music. Requests for the cd overwhelmed the small company and in April they began seeking an international production and distribution deal. The new cd is now available worldwide at www.cdbaby.com/cd/brucea. "Can't Find the Time" has logged nearly a half million radio airplays in the US alone and is being enjoyed by millions more in the Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself and Irene. Over the years Orpheus has counted many notables among their fans, including musicians Laura Nyro
, The B52s, The Cars
, Boston
, David Freiberg
, Ali Akbar Khan
, Steely Dan
, Al Kooper
and actors Chuck Norris
, Chevy Chase
and Pernell Roberts
.
When confronted, Lorber denied it. But Chevy Chase explained that as he sang Arnold's part, people yelled "You're not Orpheus". Another fake Orpheus reportedly played San Francisco.
Jeff Herdman was the first Orpheus road manager. Others who served in this capacity included Burton Swan and his brother Bob Swan; Van Leister and Jack Petersen of Harry Sandler's previous band, The Mods; Russ Levine, former drummer for Ultimate Spinach
; Ralph Wyman; and Lester Arnold (Bruce’s brother). Burton Swan was the "longest tenured" of these. Burton and Lester were considered by Arnold to have been the band’s best sound men.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
that enjoyed popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s.
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the avant garde band. Original members included guitarist/vocalists Bruce Arnold and Jack McKennes, bass guitarist Eric "The Snake" Gulliksen, and drummer Harry Sandler but many others have since been a part of the group. Orpheus recorded three albums and four singles for 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...
produced by musical legend Alan Lorber
Alan Lorber
Alan Lorber was the leading arranger in the USA in the early 60s having created hits for many of the top artists of the day which amounted to 60 million dollars in sales. He is also a prolific music producer and composer. He was especially active in the 1960s and produced a wide variety of music....
, including their best known hit, Can’t Find The Time, though it was later work that came to actually define the band.
Beginnings
The band’s origins were in the summer of 1964 when Arnold and McKennes formed a folk duo called The Villagers (based on their origins as a house band of a Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
coffee house called the Villager). While the pair at first performed cover songs, they began developing Arnold's original material in the fall of 1964 and Winter of 1965, and soon began playing regularly at the Carousel in Hyannis.
Formation of Orpheus
By early 1967, the Villagers had gained wider popularity, performing at venues such as the Loft, the Odyssey, the Unicorn, and the Pesky Sarpint. That summer bass guitarist Gulliksen was added and the group rehearsed as a trio, while auditioning drummers. Sandler, who had been playing with a surf band called The ModsThe Mods
The Mods is an American rock and roll band from Boston, Massachusetts, who became known as 'Boston's British Beat'. The band featured Paul Narotski on bass and vocals, Jack Peterson on keyboards, rhythm guitar and vocals, the percusion stylings of Harry Sandler, Chuckie Norton on lead guitar, Bobby...
, was not the band's first choice but joined as the fourth member when the best drummer was unavailable to do some live New York auditions. In the Summer of 1967 the still unnamed quartet settled on the name "Orpheus" and recorded a demo tape with nine songs, including "Can't Find The Time To Tell You", "I'll Fly", "As They All Fall" and "The Dream". After shopping the demo tape and receiving nine recording offers, the group eventually signed with Alan Lorber and recorded their first album, Orpheus, in the fall of 1967.
The album and a single "Can’t Find The Time" were subsequently released in January 1968, and the group played a few small clubs in Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia, before making their official debut in late February of that year at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village. Shortly after, the group opened for Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
at a concert at Brandeis University. The group followed the success of their first album with the release of Ascending in 1968 and Joyful in the early spring of 1969. While together, Orpheus played on the same bill with a number of major acts of the era, including Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and many others. Around this time they also provided the title song (Little Sister) for the film Marlowe starring James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
.
Orpheus' first album was released almost simultaneously with MGM's release of the first albums of Beacon Street Union
Beacon Street Union
The Beacon Street Union was a 1960s psychedelic era rock band, named for a street in their native Boston, whose original members John Lincoln Wright , Paul Tartachny , Wayne Ulaky , Robert Rhodes , and Richard Weisberg all went to Boston University...
& Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach was a psychedelic/hard rock/blues band originally from Boston. In their '60's heyday they specialized in lengthy songs such as "Ballad of the Hip Death Goddess", from Ultimate Spinach and "Genesis of Beauty", from Behold And See...
. These were grouped together by the label as a part of its somewhat ill-fated "Boston Sound" promotion.
The first album peaked at #119 on the Billboard Albums chart in May 1968. The single "Can't Find The Time" ultimately peaked at #80 on the "Hot 100" in 1969. It is important to note that neither Gulliksen nor Sandler play on the band's debut album. Bassist Joe Mack (a.k.a. Joe Macho Jr.) and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
Bernard Purdie
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American session drummer, and is considered an influential and innovative exponent of funk...
were employed by producer Alan Lorber
Alan Lorber
Alan Lorber was the leading arranger in the USA in the early 60s having created hits for many of the top artists of the day which amounted to 60 million dollars in sales. He is also a prolific music producer and composer. He was especially active in the 1960s and produced a wide variety of music....
and would go on to play on all of the band's subsequent singles for MGM. Written by Arnold, at least seven cover versions of the song exist. These include one by Rose Colored Glass, which peaked at #54 in 1971, and a version by Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
which was featured in the 2000 Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself and Irene
Me, Myself and Irene
Me, Myself & Irene is a 2000 American comedy film directed by the Farrelly Brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon, and Mongo Brownlee co-star...
.
Ascending peaked at #159, and also was a winner (#10) of Playboy magazine's 1969 Jazz & Pop Poll, Vocal Album of the Year category.
Joyful peaked at #198 on the Billboard chart. A single from this album, "Brown Arms in Houston", peaked at #97.
Many ask why "Can't Find the Time" went to #1 in their market but did not chart higher nationally. It is because those instances did not occur at the same time. MGM, already in a fiscal panic, could not deliver product to all the record stores at the same time. DJs wouldn't promote records that were not sold locally. Recognizing their blunder, MGM re-released the song three times over the first three years.
Breakup and reformation of Orpheus
By then, Arnold had already sought out other musicians with whom to collaborate and perform. He has said that the real Orpheus is the group that actually did the recordings, not the foursome assembled to play the songs live later. One member was not even in the studio when much of the recording was done. Furthermore, the members of the live band seemed to be "mismatched" from the start.The group disbanded in December 1969 when McKennes and Sandler were fired. Gulliksen left in February 1970 to pursue other interests. Arnold formed a newly constituted Orpheus with songwriter Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, childhood friend Elliot Sherman, Howard Hersh, K.P. Burke and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. Determined to control future publishing rights, Arnold did not allow his latest material to be included on the final Lorber-produced record. The songs are mostly Arnold's arrangements of Steve Martin tunes with BMI noting the exceptions of "Sweet Life", "By the Way" and "Tomorrow Man", all written with Arnold. This Orpheus recorded one album and one single on Bell Records in 1971. Arnold disbanded that group in 1972, when he relocated to California, though he continually wrote and recorded Orpheus songs with Hersh and Purdie, making the new material available to the Orpheus fan base through his website and Facebook page: Bruce Arnold-Orpheus. In 1976 he established a charitable foundation to oversee funding for ecumenical low-income housing, education and the arts. In 1988 Arnold performed live at the Boston Music Awards with a further incarnation of Orpheus which re-enlisted Purdie, Sherman and Hersh and included the late Boston (band)
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
member Brad Delp
Brad Delp
Bradley E. Delp was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Boston. Delp was known for his vocal histrionics, and especially his high range.-Early life:...
. Throughout 2000 Arnold performed "Can't Find the Time" with Hootie and the Blowfish in venues like the Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
and Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
in San Francisco and the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in L.A. In 2001 he was the featured performer at the San Francisco BMI Christmas Party. But it was Arnold's further collaborations with Bernard Purdie and second Orpheus incarnation bassist Howie Hersh that has produced some of the all-time best Orpheus recordings at Skywalker Ranch and other San Francisco studios throughout the 1990s. The latest Orpheus material was recorded at the studio of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
and Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
star David Freiberg
David Freiberg
David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
.
Finally, after 35 years a new Bruce Arnold cd, "Orpheus Again", was released in February 2010 on Arnold's BAM! label. It included 10 new songs plus a contemporary re-make of "Can't Find the Time". Two more bonus songs were also available by directly contacting Bruce Arnold Music. Requests for the cd overwhelmed the small company and in April they began seeking an international production and distribution deal. The new cd is now available worldwide at www.cdbaby.com/cd/brucea. "Can't Find the Time" has logged nearly a half million radio airplays in the US alone and is being enjoyed by millions more in the Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself and Irene. Over the years Orpheus has counted many notables among their fans, including musicians Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
, The B52s, The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, David Freiberg
David Freiberg
David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
, Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, Al Kooper
Al Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
and actors Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
, Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
and Pernell Roberts
Pernell Roberts
Pernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. was an American stage, movie and television actor, as well as a singer. In addition to guest starring in over 60 television series, he was widely known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza, a role he played from...
.
Discography
- Orpheus (1968)
- Ascending (1968)
- Joyful (1969)
- Orpheus 4 (1971)
- The Best Of Orpheus (Ace Big Beat Release, 1995)
- The Very Best Of Orpheus (2001)
- The Complete Orpheus (2001)
- The Best Of Orpheus (IMG Release, 2009)
- Orpheus Again (BAM! Release, 2010)
Trivia
Comedian/actor Chevy Chase confirmed that his group Chameleon Church toured the South pretending to be Orpheus and that producer Alan Lorber was behind the deception.When confronted, Lorber denied it. But Chevy Chase explained that as he sang Arnold's part, people yelled "You're not Orpheus". Another fake Orpheus reportedly played San Francisco.
Jeff Herdman was the first Orpheus road manager. Others who served in this capacity included Burton Swan and his brother Bob Swan; Van Leister and Jack Petersen of Harry Sandler's previous band, The Mods; Russ Levine, former drummer for Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach
Ultimate Spinach was a psychedelic/hard rock/blues band originally from Boston. In their '60's heyday they specialized in lengthy songs such as "Ballad of the Hip Death Goddess", from Ultimate Spinach and "Genesis of Beauty", from Behold And See...
; Ralph Wyman; and Lester Arnold (Bruce’s brother). Burton Swan was the "longest tenured" of these. Burton and Lester were considered by Arnold to have been the band’s best sound men.
Orpheus Reborn
In 2004 original members Gulliksen, McKennes, Sandler, and Martin, along with well-known Boston area musicians Bob Dunlap and Kathi Taylor, formed a new group called Orpheus Reborn. The new band, though content to profit from the name, made a point of being necessarily very different from the original, and strived to avoid imitating or "paying tribute" to Arnold's Orpheus since he had asked to have his name disassociated from their effort. Orpheus Reborn concentrated on new material, and performed only a few radically changed arrangements of Orpheus' songs. Although no longer performing as an entity, the group continues to add audio clips, photos and other content to its already extensive web site.Stephen & the Snake
Late in 2007 Martin and Gulliksen began a "side project" called Stephen & the Snake, which since has become the pair's primary thrust. Their efforts comprise an experimental musical form, blending elements of poetry, folk, jazz, blues and ambient sound. Stephen & the Snake have been signed to Alan Lorber's Iris Music Group, which released their first single in December 2008. The pair maintains a deep web site, including a lot of previously unavailable content, much of which is Orpheus-related.Sources
- Eric Gulliksen's 2003 article for Boston Rock & Roll Museum posted on www.dirtywater.com (archived page)
- Numerous interviews with band members and record company executives of the time.