Pearls Before Swine (band)
Encyclopedia
Pearls Before Swine was an American
psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp
in 1965 in Eau Gallie
, now part of Melbourne, Florida
. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.
wrote and recorded some songs which, inspired by the Fugs
, they sent to the avant-garde ESP-Disk
label in New York. The group took its name from a Bible passage: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine..." (Mat. 7:6, KJV), meaning: do not give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it. They were quickly signed up, and recorded One Nation Underground
(1967), featuring songs of mysticism, protest, melancholia, and some controversy in the case of “Miss Morse”, which spelled out an obscenity in code
. The album eventually sold some 200,000 copies, although management and contractual problems meant that the band received little reward for its success.
The strongly anti-war themed Balaklava
(1968) followed, inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade
. Rapp has said "The first two albums are probably considered the druggiest, and I had never done any drugs at that point. I smoked Winston cigarettes at that time, so these are all Winston-induced hallucinations." The album covers featured paintings by Bosch and Brueghel
, while the records themselves included interpretations of the writings of Tolkien and Herodotus
as well as archive recordings from the 1890s, with innovatively arranged songs using an eclectic variety of instruments.
in 1969, although by this time the other original members had left and the band name now referred to Rapp and whichever musicians he was recording or touring with, one of whom, Jim Fairs, was previously a member of The Cryan' Shames
. The five albums on Reprise were generally more conventional in sound, but contained a unique blend of humanistic and mystical songs, with some whimsical touches. Some were recorded in New York and others – particularly The Use of Ashes
and City of Gold
- in Nashville
with top session musicians including Charlie McCoy
, Kenny Buttrey
, and other members of Area Code 615. Several also featured Rapp's then-wife Elisabeth on vocals. The oddly-upbeat "The Man", from City of Gold, was sung by David Noyes and recorded at A&R Studios in New York City during the summer of 1970. Noyes' friend, Jon Tooker, took his position when the band toured Europe that fall.
In his teens, Rapp lived close to Cape Canaveral
and watched the rockets take off. The song "Rocket Man", on the album The Use of Ashes - written the day Neil Armstrong
landed on the moon - was credited by Bernie Taupin
with inspiring his hit song with Elton John
of the same title. Quote : "We didn't steal that one from Bowie, we stole it from another guy, called Tom Rapp...". Many of the other songs of this period reflected Rapp's interests in mysticism, his relationship with his alcoholic father, and his experiences of living for a time in (and marrying a native of) the Netherlands
. The final Reprise album, Familiar Songs, was a collection of demo
re-recordings of some of Rapp’s earlier songs, and was released under his own name, not as a "Pearls Before Swine" album, and without his knowledge.
In 1971, Pearls Before Swine toured for the first time, the group then comprising Rapp, Mike Krawitz (piano), Gordon Hayes (bass) and Jon Tooker (guitar). Around this time, Rapp often referred onstage, not quite seriously, to the group as "the house band for the SDS
." A live album from this period, Live Pearls, recorded at Yale University
, was released as a download in December 2008.
. The first, Stardancer, was again recorded in Nashville, followed by Sunforest. The band - by that time comprising Rapp, Art Ellis (flute), Bill Rollins (bass, cello) and Harry Orlove (guitar, banjo) - toured until 1974, with Rapp from then performing solo until a final appearance in 1976 supporting Patti Smith
.
After this, Rapp retired from music and, after graduating from Brandeis University
, became a civil rights lawyer. After being contacted by the magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope
, he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock
, a music festival
in Providence, Rhode Island
, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year.
Original member Roger Crissinger left the group in 1968, joining San Francisco band One (1) led by Reality D. Blipcrotch. Lane Lederer is now a member of the Florida Orchestra.
Jon Tooker died in a motorcycle crash in 2008.
PBS have been cited as a key influence by various musicians including The Dream Academy
, Damon and Naomi
, the Bevis Frond
, Magic Hero vs. Rock People, The Late Cord, This Mortal Coil
, and the Japanese band Ghost
. Three tribute albums have been released by Secret Eye Records.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp
Tom Rapp
Thomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.-Life:...
in 1965 in Eau Gallie
Eau Gallie, Florida
Eau Gallie was a city in Brevard County, Florida from 1857 until 1969 when citizens voted to merge with neighboring Melbourne, Florida. It is now a small district in the north part of the city, near the Eau Gallie Causeway. William Henry Gleason founded the city. From 1874 to 1878 it served as the...
, now part of Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.
Early years, 1965-68
With high school friends Wayne Harley (banjo, mandolin), Lane Lederer (bass, guitar) and Roger Crissinger (piano, organ), RappTom Rapp
Thomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.-Life:...
wrote and recorded some songs which, inspired by the Fugs
The Fugs
The Fugs are a band formed in New York in late 1964 by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of the Holy Modal Rounders...
, they sent to the avant-garde ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
label in New York. The group took its name from a Bible passage: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine..." (Mat. 7:6, KJV), meaning: do not give things of value to those who will not understand or appreciate it. They were quickly signed up, and recorded One Nation Underground
One Nation Underground (Pearls Before Swine album)
One Nation Underground was the debut album by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine. It was released on the ESP-Disk label in October 1967....
(1967), featuring songs of mysticism, protest, melancholia, and some controversy in the case of “Miss Morse”, which spelled out an obscenity in code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
. The album eventually sold some 200,000 copies, although management and contractual problems meant that the band received little reward for its success.
The strongly anti-war themed Balaklava
Balaklava (album)
Balaklava was the second album recorded and released by psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, in 1968.For the album, original group members Tom Rapp, Wayne Harley and Lane Lederer were joined by Jim Bohannon, who replaced Roger Crissinger. Like the group’s previous LP on ESP-Disk, "One...
(1968) followed, inspired by the Charge of the Light Brigade
Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. The charge was the result of a miscommunication in such a way that the brigade attempted a much more difficult objective...
. Rapp has said "The first two albums are probably considered the druggiest, and I had never done any drugs at that point. I smoked Winston cigarettes at that time, so these are all Winston-induced hallucinations." The album covers featured paintings by Bosch and Brueghel
Pieter Brueghel the Elder
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a Flemish renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes . He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel" to distinguish him from other members of the Brueghel dynasty, but he is also the one generally meant when the context does...
, while the records themselves included interpretations of the writings of Tolkien and Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
as well as archive recordings from the 1890s, with innovatively arranged songs using an eclectic variety of instruments.
The Reprise period, 1969-72
The band signed for Reprise RecordsReprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
in 1969, although by this time the other original members had left and the band name now referred to Rapp and whichever musicians he was recording or touring with, one of whom, Jim Fairs, was previously a member of The Cryan' Shames
The Cryan' Shames
The Cryan' Shames is an American garage rock group from Hinsdale, Illinois. They originally formed as The Travelers, with founding members Tom Doody , Gerry Stone , Dave Purple of The Prowlers, Denny Conroy and Jim Fairs from The Roosters, Jim Pilster , and Bill Hughes...
. The five albums on Reprise were generally more conventional in sound, but contained a unique blend of humanistic and mystical songs, with some whimsical touches. Some were recorded in New York and others – particularly The Use of Ashes
The Use of Ashes
The Use Of Ashes was the fourth album made by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and the second on Reprise Records after their move from ESP-Disk....
and City of Gold
City of Gold (album)
City of Gold was the fifth album made by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their third on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971....
- in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
with top session musicians including Charlie McCoy
Charlie McCoy
Charles "Charlie" Ray McCoy is an American musician noted for his harmonica playing. In his career, McCoy has backed several notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Astor, Elvis Presley and Ween. He has also recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records...
, Kenny Buttrey
Kenny Buttrey
Aaron Kenneth Buttrey was an American drummer and arranger. According to CMT, he was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history"....
, and other members of Area Code 615. Several also featured Rapp's then-wife Elisabeth on vocals. The oddly-upbeat "The Man", from City of Gold, was sung by David Noyes and recorded at A&R Studios in New York City during the summer of 1970. Noyes' friend, Jon Tooker, took his position when the band toured Europe that fall.
In his teens, Rapp lived close to Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
and watched the rockets take off. The song "Rocket Man", on the album The Use of Ashes - written the day Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
landed on the moon - was credited by Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
with inspiring his hit song with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
of the same title. Quote : "We didn't steal that one from Bowie, we stole it from another guy, called Tom Rapp...". Many of the other songs of this period reflected Rapp's interests in mysticism, his relationship with his alcoholic father, and his experiences of living for a time in (and marrying a native of) the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The final Reprise album, Familiar Songs, was a collection of demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
re-recordings of some of Rapp’s earlier songs, and was released under his own name, not as a "Pearls Before Swine" album, and without his knowledge.
In 1971, Pearls Before Swine toured for the first time, the group then comprising Rapp, Mike Krawitz (piano), Gordon Hayes (bass) and Jon Tooker (guitar). Around this time, Rapp often referred onstage, not quite seriously, to the group as "the house band for the SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
." A live album from this period, Live Pearls, recorded at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, was released as a download in December 2008.
Later years
Two further albums followed, released under Rapp's own name on Blue Thumb RecordsBlue Thumb Records
Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
. The first, Stardancer, was again recorded in Nashville, followed by Sunforest. The band - by that time comprising Rapp, Art Ellis (flute), Bill Rollins (bass, cello) and Harry Orlove (guitar, banjo) - toured until 1974, with Rapp from then performing solo until a final appearance in 1976 supporting Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
.
After this, Rapp retired from music and, after graduating from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, became a civil rights lawyer. After being contacted by the magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope
Ptolemaic Terrascope
Ptolemaic Terrascope is a magazine covering old and new music, usually of a psychedelic nature. It has been published irregularly since 1989...
, he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock
Terrastock
Terrastock is a music festival organised periodically by Phil McMullen, formerly editor of the Ptolemaic Terrascope and since 2005 the publisher of the Terrascope Online website. The event typically features independent bands playing psychedelic rock....
, a music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year.
Original member Roger Crissinger left the group in 1968, joining San Francisco band One (1) led by Reality D. Blipcrotch. Lane Lederer is now a member of the Florida Orchestra.
Jon Tooker died in a motorcycle crash in 2008.
PBS have been cited as a key influence by various musicians including The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy was a folk rock band from England, comprising singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John; plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. They are most noted for their hit single, "Life in a Northern Town".-History:Laird-Clowes and Gabriel met each other in the late...
, Damon and Naomi
Damon and Naomi
Damon & Naomi are an American dream pop/folk-rock duo formed in 1991 by Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang, formerly of Galaxie 500.-History:After Galaxie 500 completed a tour of the US supporting The Cocteau Twins, guitarist and vocalist Dean Wareham quit the band, forcing the cancellation of an...
, the Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond
The Bevis Frond is a British musical group whose range covers hard edge to melancholy vintage indie rock to poetic, "classic-rock" songcraft with a thick Walthamstow accent. Nick Saloman is the band's frontman and songwriter...
, Magic Hero vs. Rock People, The Late Cord, This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
, and the Japanese band Ghost
Ghost (band)
Ghost is an experimental rock group formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 1984.- History :Core-member Masaki Batoh grew up in Kyoto, Japan where he attended a private school...
. Three tribute albums have been released by Secret Eye Records.
Popular culture
- Pearls Before Swine is mentioned in Thomas PynchonThomas PynchonThomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's 2009 novel Inherent ViceInherent ViceInherent Vice is a novel by Thomas Pynchon, originally published in August 2009.-Title:The term "inherent vice" is a legal tenet referring to a "hidden defect of a good or property which of itself is the cause of its deterioration, damage, or wastage...
(pg. 121).
Studio albums
- One Nation UndergroundOne Nation Underground (Pearls Before Swine album)One Nation Underground was the debut album by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine. It was released on the ESP-Disk label in October 1967....
(1967, ESP-Disk) - BalaklavaBalaklava (album)Balaklava was the second album recorded and released by psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, in 1968.For the album, original group members Tom Rapp, Wayne Harley and Lane Lederer were joined by Jim Bohannon, who replaced Roger Crissinger. Like the group’s previous LP on ESP-Disk, "One...
(1968, ESP-Disk) - These Things TooThese Things TooThese Things Too was the third album by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their first for Reprise Records. It was released in 1969....
(1969, Reprise) - The Use of AshesThe Use of AshesThe Use Of Ashes was the fourth album made by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and the second on Reprise Records after their move from ESP-Disk....
(1970, Reprise) - City of Gold (1971, Reprise) (Thos. Rapp / Pearls Before Swine)
- Beautiful Lies You Could Live InBeautiful Lies You Could Live In... Beautiful Lies You Could Live In was the sixth album credited to American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their fourth on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971....
(1971, Reprise) (Tom Rapp / Pearls Before Swine) - Familiar Songs (1972, Reprise) (Tom Rapp)
- StardancerStardancerStardancer was the second solo album credited to American singer-songwriter Tom Rapp, the leader of folk-rock group Pearls Before Swine, and his first for Blue Thumb Records...
(1972, Blue Thumb) (Tom Rapp) - Sunforest (1973, Blue Thumb) (Tom Rapp / Pearls Before Swine)
- A Journal Of The Plague YearA Journal of the Plague Year (album)A Journal of the Plague Year was an album released on CD in 1999 by American singer-songwriter Tom Rapp, leader of the 1960s/70s psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine...
(1999, Woronzow) (Tom Rapp)
Compilations
- Constructive Melancholy (1999, Birdman) (CD compilation of 1969-72 Reprise tracks)
- Jewels Were The Stars (2003, Water) (4 CD box set of first four Reprise albums)
- The Wizard of Is (2004, Water) (2 CD collection of live recordings, out-takes etc.)
- The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings (2005, ESP-Disk and WildCat) (the two ESP albums on one CD)
Singles
- "Morning Song" / "Drop Out!" (1967, ESP-Disk)
- "I Saw The World" / "Images Of April" (1968, ESP-Disk)
- "These Things Too" / "If You Don't Want To" (1969, Reprise)
- "SuzanneSuzanne (Leonard Cohen song)"Suzanne" is a song written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen in the 1960s, and often heard in a recording by Judy Collins. It has become one of the most-covered songs in Cohen's catalogue....
" / "There Was a Man" (1969, Reprise) - "The Jeweller" / "Rocket Man" (1970, Reprise)
- "Marshall" / "Why Should I Care?" (1972, Blue Thumb)