MP3:
The Greek Fountains - An Experimented Terror (4:00)
This psyche / garage B side has been known to crop up on playlists of a few of the better informed collectors of leftfield esoterica in recent years and it was also sampled briefly by Madlib on the last Quasimoto album (damn! beat me to it). It was thrown in by the owner of a used store in New Orleans after I'd purchased a rather large haul of vinyl and was flipping through the 7"s on the counter. I looked at the title and, having never heard of the group and seeing that the label was an independant, decided to give it a go. What a treat.
Apart from the obvious drum breaks the rest of the tune is nuts, electronics, tape delays and effects and then there is the small matter of the timing. At first I thought 'wow' that time signature' is really wild, they must be incredible musicians to follow that' but on repeated listens i'm convinced that this is just a studio jam to fill a B side that the group or studio engineer were having fun with. The track starts out simply enough but suddenly the bass chimes in and the beats go awry and everything is wrongfooted, this happens repeatedly and i'll be damned if I can discern any logical pattern from it. Licks from others songs at completely the wrong tempo get thrown in the mix but the drummer keeps on hammering out his beat. Maybe they just cut the tape up, threw it in the air and glued it back together again. Whatever, it's supremely 'out there' as a result and way more interesting than the flip side. Furthermore to my theory that they could have cared less about it, check the credit under the publisher on the label, instead of having the exact time (as it does on the A side) it just says 'over 4 minutes'.
The Greek Fountains were from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and made a couple of singles and an album to my knowledge. They were popular at the time, shortly after the Beatles spearheaded the 'UK Invasion', and the bass player, Duke Bardwell, went on to tour with Elvis in the early seventies. You'll have to bare with my copy as it isn't in the best shape but i've put it through various de-click/crackle/noise programs to make it more palatable to the ear.
- Contributed by: Strictly Kev
Media: 7" single
Label: Montel Michelle
Catalog: MX-976
Credits: C. Vetter, D.Chesson, D.Choen, T. Miceli
"Bear with", not "bare with", it has nothing to do with nakedness.
Posted by: Rufus Lupus | January 22, 2007 at 01:24 AM
Amazing trousers! Perhaps the best ever seen on a mid '60's pop group.
Posted by: rocketboy | January 22, 2007 at 02:33 PM
I know nothing about the subject of this post in particular, but I know that old 45s, gritty or not, often have a brighter and more expansive sound than 33 rpm versions -- and let's not even talk about the many sorrows of muted, oh so clean CD versions.
Posted by: Vic Perry | January 22, 2007 at 03:41 PM
The CD has been out of print for years now. Originally it was compiled by Erik Lindgren (of Arf! Arf! Records). Seems to fit in 365. Can't please everyone, but then again, we don't try to please everyone.
Otis
Posted by: 365 | January 22, 2007 at 04:25 PM
Bringing something wonderful but obscure to the attention of people who, you can be about 95% certain, know nothing about it, and who you can, again, be 95% certain would appreciate it, is not a henious crime, it's public service! If it is available commercially, then people can seek it out and buy it. Don't be so bleedin' pious and po faced!
WFMU rules!
Posted by: Jon | January 24, 2007 at 05:44 AM
All I really care about is how freakin' awesome this recording is.
If I have any gripe at all, it's that I'd like to have the "A" side along with it, for contrast and completism's sake... I'm sure it's less interesting, but something makes me want to hear it anyhow.
SO glad 365 is back.
-BGA
Posted by: Bluegreen Anemone | January 24, 2007 at 03:28 PM
This is clearly a song off the new unreleased Mars Volta album, that alais doesn't wash with me!
Posted by: smoj | January 26, 2007 at 09:39 AM
I've met two of the four members of this group in the past few years. C(yril) Vetter and D(on) Chesson are related (cousins perhaps?) and I'm friends with Chesson's son, a nice chap who likes him some Jean-Jacques Perry among other things exotic.
Posted by: Rizza | April 20, 2007 at 08:13 PM
In 1964 I was at Centenary college in Shreveport, La. The Greek Fountains had released "Counting the Steps" and one other single about the time John Fred and the Playboys had "hey, Hey Bunny. Is there any way to get these tunes, or are they lost to the ages?
Posted by: jim parker | May 09, 2008 at 11:11 PM
Also looking for "Counting The Steps" which I lost in Katrina (along with 4,999 other 45's) - would love an mp3 of it @ 320k so I can clean it up if anyone has it you can contact me at [email protected]
Thanks,
Sonny
Posted by: Sonnydj | September 18, 2008 at 01:33 PM
I play in a band with Duke Bardwell. He's still playing great music in Walton County, FL...perhaps the best of his life. They made a movie about him: http://www.bayoucountrymovie.com/trailer1.html
Posted by: Gomango | June 10, 2010 at 02:13 AM