San Francisco based combo The Ophelias were one of the most
perfectly beautiful bands it was ever my good fortune to stumble upon and
stumble upon them I did at English Weather, the late Steve Burgess’ record shop
in Crouch End back in the late eighties. Burgess was a miserable old sod at the
best of times but like me he was always searching out new music to enchant and
delight all us already seasoned music listeners. It was there that I first
discovered Camper Van Beethoven and soon after that The Big O by The Ophelias,
an album I fell madly in love with on the very first play. They were wild and
romantic, one moment exquisitely melodic, then blazingly bold the next and like
nothing I’d ever heard before. Musically the band were dripping with finesse
from every pore, psychedelic, progressive and literate pop rolled into one
succulent spliff of listening joy and they played it like they loved being The
Ophelias and who could blame them? The rhythm section of Terry von Blankers and
Edward Benton were superbly deft and precise, dancing through the inventive
arrangements with both grace and unmistakable weight. Splattered over the top
was the intelligently maniacal tour de force axe wielding magnificence of
craftsman supreme, David Immergluck in a display of such unfettered
multilayered brilliance that it surely should have overshadowed all else
contained within the album. And yet even
that stood back for the true reason for us all being here, the passionate
genius of Leslie Medford. A brilliant, innovative and wholly unique songwriter
who seemingly obeyed no rules but his own whims and yet served up sublime often
complex tunes that were somehow always an easy delight to hear. Engagingly
strange lyrics that were both pre-Raphaelite in their crafted detail but
totally vital in their touching resonance and sly humour, wrapped lovingly in
bewitching melodic magic, enough to make your toes curl with pleasure at every
twist and turn. And then the cream on
top of this mighty, sonically engaging creatively unbound cake was The Voice.
Medford was gifted with a vocal of such luscious purity and emotion, that you
could only sit back in awe and pleasure at the velvet honey bliss of it all.
Most singers with such a sweetly rich and notable voice would be content to
swaddle themselves in it like a comfort blanket eshuing all else but then
Medford being Medford such a limitation, no matter how lovely it is, was not
something he would take as a source of contentment. The Ophelias were driven by
adventure and Medford, being a big fan of Peter Hammill, understood the voice
should adapt to the various musical settings presented by that adventure. Like
Hammill, he can be quietly gentle and then a moment later extreme with
unshackled screaming desire. But unlike
Hammill whose voice sounds just harsh and brutal at points, (not that I ever had
a problem with that I should point out) Medford cannot escape the natural
loveliness of his glorious voice even at his harshest moments. I loved his
warm, whatever it takes singing for all its coy playfulness, mocking loftiness
and whimsically effortless “let’s rock” attitude.
Back in the pre-internet days it was hard to find out
anything about an American indie band only released on import other than the
scant information on the cover. All you could really do was search the
local record shops in the hope of eventually turning up something else. And
within a few months I found a previous album, Oriental Head which was another
gem and an earlier, rather wonderful three track 12 inch with a different line
up, sans Immergluck, which I assumed was the debut release. It wasn’t until I
was working at Minus Zero a few years later that a copy of the actual self titled debut album fell into my hands and the collection was complete. There
had been nothing since The Big O and Immergluck was in Monks of Doom and then the Counting Crows so it seemed The Ophelias were sadly no more. The debut
album is understandably slightly eclipsed by the later two recorded by the
definitive line-up but still, if it had turned out to be The Ophelias only
release, Medford is such a unmistakable talent that this lovely album would
still be seen as something special. I
continued to search the credits on likely looking unknown new albums in the
hope that one would turn out to be Medford’s latest musical venture but alas
there was nothing to be found. And then one day Mr. Immergluck, in town with the Counting Crows, turned up at Minus Zero and confirmed my fears that after
The Ophelias Medford had retired from music completely and moved far out into
the sticks. So that was that then.
If any band could be called the legendary lost band it
should be The Ophelias. Their albums were quite impossible to find and as time
moved on they never got reissued or rediscovered. They remained unknown to all
but the few. Ophelia herself had drowned in a river while The Ophelias had
drowned in undeserved obscurity.
Not so in San Francisco it seemed where in certain
intelligent musical circles they were still viewed as the most important band
on the scene at that time. Game Theory’s
Scott Miller was a huge fan, as was Michael Quercio from the Three O’Clock,
going together to every Ophelias show they could and standing open mouthed in
the audience at what they were witnessing.
Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer, then in the rather lame Beatnik Beach,
would attend many shows their minds racing with the musical possibilities the
Ophelias laid out before them and from that enlightenment the seeds of
Jellyfish were born. (After Jason Falkner walked away from Jellyfish,
Immergluck was their primary choice to replace him… he turned them down.)
I always wanted to do The Story of The Ophelias but even
with the internet in full flow information on the band was skeletal at best. I
often searched for Medford in the backwaters of Goggle but he proved to be
tantalisingly elusive, the Scarlet Pimpernel of rock. And then just like that he appeared in my
inbox a few months ago, having noticed some comment I had made about the band
on some forum many years before. He wanted to tell me about Bare Bodkin the
wonderful audio visual event he had been working on all year to celebrate the
legacy of the band and now available on YouTube. He had finally reached the age
where he was ready to dig out the big box of live, demo and rehearsal tapes
from the back of the closet where it had sat undisturbed for all those years
and begin the long task of archiving it all.
Since that time Leslie and I have been painstakingly working together to
bring you the definitive history of the band, taking our time and patiently
waiting until all the pieces we could gather together arrived. Besides Leslie both Ed Benton and David
Immergluck soon climbed on board and
their contributions to our story have been both wonderful and generous in the
extreme. It’s been a lot of fun and very
much a dream come true for me. And now at last we are ready to present the
outcome of our efforts. Off we go then.
Bare Bodkin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEG_w1Foqh8
Leslie: “I approached
Bare Bodkin as if it would be the last will and testament of The Ophelias, as
if it alone might be our legacy. In the mid-Nineties I had played with the
concept of a “best foot forward” kind of compilation from our studio output. At
that point I put together a prototype version of Bare Bodkin on CDR for my own
listening. The initial version was nineteen tracks, but almost immediately I reduced
it to fifteen as a more digestible length. I toyed with the song sequence a few
times but the selections have remained the same. Whenever I listened to that
compilation, perhaps once a year, it satisfied, so the concept was c lear to me.
But the idea that there would be a YouTube and that YouTube would become the
crux of the matter as regards a band’s legacy, as opposed to vinyl records and
compact discs, has been a big surprise. I never watched a YouTube video until
2015. I had no idea about any of this. It’s a whole new universe and I’m just
so amazed and delighted to see things like The Nice at Croyden 1968! It really
is a new paradigm with a resultant renaissance. And for now it’s how the grand
old stuff will live on, at least for most people in this new 100% digital age.
The fact that Bare Bodkin has come to YouTube with
remastered sound and a rather complex visual presentation has been an amazing
journey, one of countless hours spent on my own in preparation. I did the
remastering, I scanned and cleaned photographs for months, I plotted filmic
sequences. But, after all that, without Carl Salbacka as a project partner the
YouTube Channel wouldn’t have happened. Carl has been the indispensable man
with his expertise in all things computer. All Ophelias fans, old or new, have
Carl to thank for the way Bare Bodkin looks, (and that it can be viewed at
all!) and I am lucky indeed that Carl continues to partner with me to create
additional videos. More on Mr Salbacka later.
I’m absolutely badgering the others for more photographs of
them and the lads are cleaning out their closets to find more fodder. You ask
“why didn’t you do this before?” Well, I wanted to have something special in
hand to surprise when I reemerged from the mists. Bare Bodkin is my gift to
them most of all. We are using any usable photograph in my archive, most of
which are from photographer “contact sheets” with small thumbnail sized images
requiring enlargement and cleaning. Drummers always get short-changed by
photographers who don’t generally climb onto the stage for the optimum angles
required to get good drummer shots, and that’s a shame. But you would think
David Immergluck (to use just one example) would have inspired a helluva lot of
camera clicking. Unfortunately, being viewed as the focal point of The Ophelias
meant I appear in seemingly nine out of ten still photographs, instead of their
being any sort of appropriate distribution. Carl and I worked with this
handicap on Bare Bodkin and to a large extent the landscape has not changed.
It’s a very finite number – photos of Ophes – but we’re exploiting what there
is. Not only do the visuals give the songs an additional dimension, but I also
believe Bare Bodkin may be our best “record”. The remastering has the band
sounding robust, the song selection and the sequencing create a successful
theatrical whole. It is certainly more indicative of The Ophelias modus
operendi than the few shambolic live clips of the band that exist, though these
too have their place in our story. Anyway, I hope well-wishers will subscribe
to our channel and watch the new offerings as they come out. We appreciate very
much those who previously posted our songs on YouTube over the years, but now
there's a huge upgrade available: Bare Bodkin and the other content on The
Ophelias Official YouTube Channel.”
Update. The Ophelias' Bandcamp page is now up and running
https://theopheliasofficial.bandcamp.com/
Medford on his pre-Ophe years…
Leslie: “I was born in Appomattox, Virginia, the town made
famous by General Lee’s surrender which ended the War for Southern
Independence, styled by the winners as the “American Civil War”. In my home
there was the European Classical repertoire, the Methodist Hymnal, Appalachian
folk music, some real Country, and a little bit of pop like Broadway and movie
musicals and the Tijuana Brass. My affection for the Kinks and the great
Prog-rockers was tolerated to a degree because of their Britishness, artiness
and musicality. More subversive things needed to be kept well-hidden or
confrontation ensued, because music and morality were taken very seriously.
I was at least as athletic and outdoorsy as I was musical or
studious. My upbringing was rural but my parents made sure museums and high
culture were part of my life. Virginia has so much history that everywhere you
turn the past is being honoured. Also, the world of Nature - both wild and
tamed (farmed) - was my constant companion. I spent much of my day time out of
doors. My mother was a farmer’s daughter, my father a Marine, and I was
decidedly not mollycoddled! It was hard work in the gardens, hard work at the
desk before any free time was allowed…and though I was an avid reader from an
early age I loved being out of doors, playing sports with my friends or camping
in the woods. I passed my Eagle Scout Board at age thirteen and received the
award at fourteen, which is in the minimum time possible due to time-in-grade
requirements. I was always on some school or club team in the various sports.
My father was a lacrosse All-America at university, and my mother was a piano
teacher and choral director. So perhaps athletics and music were in my genes. Disappointingly
for my folks, religious belief is not transferred generationally in the same
way.
Leslie Medford (second seated player from the right) absorbs Horse strategy for trans-generational shape throwing.
Seemingly infinite
were the church and classical music performances I attended or participated in
during my youth, but I also began going to rock concerts in February of 1974. Emerson
Lake and Palmer was my first concert. I was thirteen, near the stage and blown
away! I never saw ELP again but did
catch, in the mid-Seventies and multiple times, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis,
Gentle Giant, PFM, Jethro Tull, Curved Air, Gong, Caravan, the Strawbs, Peter
Gabriel, Brand X. I saw the Kinks, Roxy Music, Rory Gallagher, Steeleye Span;
the Stones in 1976. I never did see Van der Graaf Generator, though I did see
Hammill both solo, duo, and trio and once hung out with him backstage for ninety
minutes. Ah, those were the days when gods walked the earth…these guys were
dynamite! Post 1976 I saw Television four times, and Richard Lloyd once,
Talking Heads a bunch. The first American tours of Tom Verlaine, Pretenders,
Ultravox, U2, Gang of Four, the Cure, Killing Joke, Psychedelic Furs, OMD,
Public Image and Bauhaus!
Medford: I stood next to my friend John Malde as he took this photo of Jon Anderson
I was a good student
and was admitted to the universities to which I applied: Stanford, Harvard,
Princeton, Washington and Lee, and Lewis and Clark. Stanford offered a year
abroad program at Oxford which attracted me and I chose to go there. My
anglophilia was massive at that time due to my love of British rock, folk music
and literature, though world history and Russian literature were also a focal
point during my university years and into the present. My first year at
Stanford I played Ariel in The Tempest to excellent reviews. Prospero was played by one of my Shakespeare
professors and though I didn’t follow the acting path as some believed I should
I played major roles in two other classical drama productions while at university. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree.
The only real
ambition I ever felt was for a career in rock music. But I never talked about it, least of all to
my parents. I had piano lessons from an early age, then trumpet lessons but by
thirteen or so I was fancying myself as a singer and lyricist. In high school I
had a friend who was a well-above-average guitarist and I thought we might make
a song-writing team but though I fed him lyrics he never wrote any music for
them. Eventually I realized I needed to take the bull by the horns and learn to
play the guitar myself because I was filled with musical ideas I needed to get
out. It takes several years to teach yourself guitar well enough to perform but
songs can take shape almost immediately once you learn a few chords and this
was the case with me. I started setting my lyrics from the get-go. "Stay
With Me" is my first song, written within days of my getting an acoustic
guitar. This song later appeared on Oriental Head. But to improve on the instrument quickly
enough I just started learning by ear dozens of songs from records.
The Voyage of the Dark-Eyed Sailor- CDR front cover
In February 1982 I
self-released a cassette album of bedroom recordings from the previous two
years, all originals,now called The Voyage of the Dark-Eyed Sailor but simply referred to as "Prototype" when first released. Very callow,
very rough but good ideas and well received by my friends and acquaintances at
least. In point of fact it is still
requested by old friends who got one of the original cassettes that I send them
a replacement CDR version…this in 2017! Ha! "Stay With Me",
"She", "Living Under", "New Society", "In
America The Other Day" were all on that in early form.
Later in 1982 I began
performing solo in public and between August 1982 and March 1984, that's twenty
months, I played over 150 paid solo shows at restaurants, coffee houses, bars
and universities, many of them three 40 minute sets. My repertoire was eclectic to
say the least. I started out playing familiar things: Beatles, Stones, Kinks,
Cat Stevens, "Pinball Wizard" and the like. I had to
get hired after all! As I was accepted on that circuit I began stretching out
more, interjecting more and more originals, and punkish things. I did some Bauhaus, Pistols, Clash. My
12-string versions of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and Iggy's "The Passenger" were particularly
well-received I remember. As my fingerpicking became more confident I included
songs by Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, Greg Lake, Peter Hammill, Roy Harper, Kevin
Coyne, and Syd Barrett. It was my convincing versions of Syd stuff that brought
me to the attention of Gavin Blair of True West, (who released their cover of
Barrett's "Lucifer Sam" in 1982) and then Barrett-aficionado Brian
Ritchie of Violent Femmes, a band who took the college circuit by storm in 1983.
I had been offered
the support slot of the Violent Femmes show at the University of California-Davis where I had played once
or twice before at the Student Union and gone down well. The Violent Femmes
date was on my birthday, 30 October 1983. I played seven songs, three by
Barrett, "Octopus", "Long Gone", "Here I Go" and
four of my own in Barrett style, "The Night Of Halloween", "Even
As the Days Change" and "Circle" in particular being very
Barrett indeed. Brian Ritchie whom I hadn't met at that point, came right up to
the foot of the stage and was leading the cheers. Not only did the Violent
Femmes sing Happy Birthday to me later as part of their set but Brian insisted
I play the same seven songs at the University of California -Berkeley and San Francisco State University the next two nights. He
just hired me on the spot and made it happen. Ha! I had a lot of over the moon
times during those twenty months but those three shows were a highlight for
certain. At that point I knew I was ready for the next step, which was, of
course, forming a band."
The forming of The Ophelias and the Sam Babbitt period
Sam Babbitt and Leslie Medford
Medford had been living in the hills above Oakland and had a
job as a filing clerk for an Oakland Law Firm, Boornazian, Jensen and Garthe.
In early 1984 he wound down his solo performing and that summer recorded a set
of home demos of songs he wanted a band to perform. The result was the BrowBeat
cassette, featuring among its twelve songs the earliest versions of
"Mister Rabbit", "Southeast Asian American Blues",
"Palindrome", and "Pretty Green Ice-box Eyes".
Leslie: “I settled on the name The Ophelias during a viewing
of Laurence Olivier's Hamlet of 1948 at the UC Theatre on Berkeley's University
Avenue. I giggled, thinking it was just right. Since I figured San Francisco
was the headquarters of the local music scene I placed my seeking-guitarist
adverts in the local papers on that side of the bay. Respondents were given the
BrowBeat cassette.”
In performance The Ophelias were always a four-piece.
Besides Leslie Medford, bassist Terry von Blankers was the only member of the
band from the beginning to the end. He played bass during every public
appearance the group made. However the distinction of being the first band
member to join goes to Samuel Babbitt the original lead guitarist.
Leslie: “I chose him after a series of advertisements and
auditions during the fall of 1984. I thought we had real rapport both musically
and personally. We became great friends. Sam and I hung out pretty constantly
for a year and a half at his place on Oak Street across from Golden Gate Park
and after Terry joined at his flat further down Haight Street. Sam always rode
a motorcycle and had a black leather jacket on which he painted The Ophelias in
kind of a Jackson Pollock style. That was right at the beginning and tres cool.
He was such a charismatic hipster – a real one-off character – he gave the band
immediate gravitas. I was proud that he wanted to partner up with me."
Sam and I engaged the G-Spot rehearsal space on Frederick
Street in the Haight District of San Francisco and began rehearsing as a duo,
but of course with the intention of finding a bassist and drummer. I'm sure
they never played together - which would have made for an early four-piece -
but two interesting characters who each played separately with Sam and I were
my friend bassist M.T. Ferrari and Sam's drummer friend Melanie Clarin. Ferrari
was clear he wasn't an Ophe-to-be, he was on a different track in life, but he
was a great chap, and he inadvertently achieved immortality via his appearance
on "Lightning Tide" on The Ophelias Channel, (ha!) an extemporaneous
G-Spot recording from a November 1984 rehearsal. Melanie Clarin also played
with Sam and I, oh perhaps four or five times in late '84.
Melanie Clarin
I was quite ready to
offer her the chair but Sam told me, and Melanie confirmed, that she believed
we needed a "more accomplished" drummer. I don't know about that.
Melanie had a great big thumpy sound, established beats that made things like
"There's A Bell", "Palindrome" and "The Big
(Myopian)" really groove, and she could sing harmonies and choruses while
she played. She had a lovely personality and looked great! What was not to like!?
But she nipped the talk of her joining in the bud. She loved to play, was good
company, and left me feeling that perhaps I hadn't passed her audition. I
cannot recall if the Donner Party was in nascent form at that time, but she
ended up with them and the Cat Heads both, and in Harm Farm and others a bit
later. Much later, in 1989, when my face appeared on the cover of the San
Francisco Bay Guardian the Donner Party used it as a poster for one of their
gigs, apparently poking fun at my brief liason with Melanie, at least that's
how I took it. Though neither M.T. Ferrari nor Melanie became Ophelias they
certainly helped Sam and I move our project forward, and I thank them for it!
It was Babbitt who suggested a tryout for von Blankers who
was attending the San Francisco Art Institute at the time. No other bass player
was auditioned as Medford took Babbitt’s recommendation and a personal liking
to the gangly Dutchman. Reuben Chandler was also a friend of Babbitt, and in
December was selected drummer from the four who were auditioned, thus, the
original line-up was complete. The band then started rehearsals, nine hours a
week, at G-Spot Rehearsal Studio on Frederick Street in the Haight-Ashbury
district of San Francisco.
In March 1985 the nascent group's three-song rehearsal
cassette received the only "Perfect 10" ever awarded by the judges of
San Francisco Music Calendar's Demo Derby. Encouraged by this feedback and the
good performances The Ophelias were now executing in rehearsal, they determined
it was time to seek live engagements. Toward that end the foursome decided they
should present to clubs a demo tape made at a professional recording studio.
Babbitt, von Blankers, Medford, Chandler - the first line-up
Again, it was Babbitt who suggested Tom Mallon Studios, a
comparatively inexpensive 8-track studio in San Francisco. In two four-hour
sessions on consecutive days in May 1985 with Tom Mallon engineering, the band
recorded two Medford originals: "Clash Of The Titans" and
"Southeast Asian American Blues", and a version of a Public Domain
Southern folksong called "Mister Rabbit". The songs were recorded
live as a band the first day, with Medford adding trumpet and Mallon creating
the final mixes on the second day. Though originally envisioned as simply a
demo to present to local clubs with an eye on getting gigs, all three tracks
later appeared on the first LP when it was released twenty months later.
Unfortunately Chandler was experiencing personal problems
and shortly after the Mallon sessions returned to Florida, leaving The Ophelias
without a drummer. They halted rehearsals, for five months as it turned out,
thinking he would return and no approaches to local venues were made during
that time. However, Babbitt played the Mallon demo for Mark Zanandrea, a San
Francisco musician who was preparing a compilation album meant to showcase
unsigned local bands.
The inclusion of "Mister Rabbit" on SF Unscene,
which was released that September, proved a significant catalyst for The
Ophelias in several ways. It brought with it the first major exposure for the
group, not just locally but nationally as "Mister Rabbit" was quickly
embraced by university and underground radio stations around the country. The
zenith of the buzz surrounding the track came in May 1986 when Spin Magazine
reviewed SF Unscene and specifically "Mister Rabbit" with a double
exposure photograph captioned: "Leslie Medford of The Ophelias makes like
a nun." The enthusiasm, which greeted “Mister Rabbit” set the band in
motion once again. Auditions for Chandler’s replacement yielded Geoffrey
Armour, original drummer of MX-80 Sound, which had produced two excellent
albums out of Bloomington, Indiana and then relocated to San Francisco in the
early 80s. Rehearsals resumed in December, this time at Capp Street Rehearsal
Studios in San Francisco.
The Ophelias debut gig took place on 9th February 1986 at
the V.I.S. Club, San Francisco. That they headlined their first-ever gig at
this trendy venue with a capacity of around two hundred is perhaps remarkable
in itself. Well-attended by musicians and music journalists from the San
Francisco underground scene, the buzz from "Mister Rabbitt" was
having tangible effect.
Their precipitous local rise continued when a few gigs later
they supported Green On Red on 18th April at the most prestigious nightclub of
the era, the I-Beam on Haight Street, and they played there again just four
nights later, in support of Gene Loves Jezebel. A day later, reviewing these
early performances with "Locals Outshine Stars" as the headline, Joni
Hollar of the Daily Californian wrote:
"I've seen The Ophelias three times now, twice in the
last few days, and they are just amazing. They were not only more interesting
than Green On Red, they blew Gene Loves Jezebel away when they opened for them
Monday night at the I-Beam. Their style is impossible to pinpoint, because they
do so many things so well. The Ophelias are fortunate in several respects: the
musicians do new things with the music yet retain a certain warped
traditionalism, they are accomplished enough to play around with a multitude of
styles, and they have a particularly strong singer/songwriter. These forces
will, I think, combine fortuitously to make The Ophelias well-known beyond the
local scene. Lately, the only bands I notice are the ones who don't fit into
any specific genre, whose music is so original that hearing them is like
hearing a completely new way of playing. The Ophelias have only performed
publicly seven times, but they are already so good that I believe someday they
will be the inspiration for other bands."
Leslie: “Many times in the early gig days of 1986 Terry, Sam
and I, at two in the morning, went up and down Haight Street with a 12 foot
ladder staple-gunning our white-background 11”x17” posters high up on the
wooden telephone poles. You could see them up there for literally years because
they were higher up than the once-a-month pole-cleaning crews could reach. It
was only the weather that would eventually break the paper down.”
That Samuel Babbitt chose to leave The Ophelias in June 1986
seems strange indeed. The band was enjoying a true moment of triumph with
empowering live reviews, the May piece in Spin, local buzz, and interest
nationally from the alternative network due to "Mister Rabbit". In
2004, long-time San Francisco music journalist Denise Sullivan wrote sleeve
notes for an ex-Cat Heads release, which opens with these lines: "It was
summer 1986, and the issue of the day was whether Sam Babbitt was going to play
guitar for the CatHeads full time or stay with The Ophelias. Oh, it was a big
deal all right: It felt like everyone in town was talking about it and if they
weren't, well, they needed to rearrange their priorities."
In the event, Babbitt chose to leave The Ophelias for a band
with friends of long-standing, where he would be a songwriter and sometime lead
singer as well as guitarist. The fact that the Cat Heads musical style had virtually
no overlap with the heterogeneous experimentalism employed by Medford no doubt
speaks to some discomfiture Babbitt had with his role in The Ophelias.
Leslie: “I had no idea Sam was thinking of leaving. I was
really surprised and saddened by his announcement. I thought his guitar style,
his whole ethos, was just a great fit for the songs and the band. Terry may have known he was thinking of
leaving but Geoffrey and I certainly didn't.
Of course I knew about the Cat Heads. I liked Melanie Clarin (the Cat
Heads drummer) a lot personally. She and I had had a brief fling, and by that
point I had seen them play several times. When they started playing gigs I was
a bit annoyed because I figured there could easily be a rehearsal or gig
conflict, but Sam told us "Oh, of course, The Ophelias are my
priority."
I was a complete newcomer to the scene and I remained an
outsider as regards Sam’s old group of friends… and to the San Francisco scene
in general The Ophelias were always an oddity and an outlier. I suppose to some we were a bit high-brow and
unhip, maybe except for Sam. I was a
stranger, a Virginian, a country boy, an Appalachian apparation (Ha-ha!) decidedly not a Frisco, street-savvy,
familiar scenester. I lived in the Oakland hills, so I wasn't in the Haight
partying every night. I think Sam was
just very comfortable with his group of old friends. Also, Sam sometimes
complained to me that he wasn't a lead guitarist, that he wasn't some flash
soloist. I wanted him to take solos, we needed him to embellish our songs in
that way and he did. Terry, Geoffrey and I thought his solos were subtle and
appropriate and often brilliant. But he may have chaffed at that role more than
I knew. He probably wanted to write, not just do my songs, and he may have
thought The Ophelias were never going to be that kind of outlet for him. He
never brought forward any songs to us but he did write songs for the Cat Heads.
Maybe he thought I wasn't receptive to that but I could have been. As a band
leader with lots of songs and ideas I have realized that at times I could be
viewed as dictatorial or unapproachable. That may have been part of it with
Sam, I don't know. I know that Sam's departure had a real impact on our
trajectory."
Now down to a trio they played another show at the I-Beam on
the 18th August supporting Chris Isaak. Filling in on lead guitar was the
ultra-capable Jim Juhn who, it was hoped, might join on a permanent basis. This
proved impossible as Juhn was to spend the rest of the year in England working
on a record, Low Flying Aircraft with ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross.
Leslie: “ Another guitarist I approached at this time was
Chuck Prophet of Green On Red who themselves were taking time off after a run
of albums and tours. Chuck said "no" in a nice way.”
On the Keith Dion period.
Dion, Medford, von Blankers, Armour
Keith Dion, an American who grew up in New Zealand, was an
early Ophelias fan who had attended several of the band's first shows and he
approached Medford to talk about Strange Weekend, a small record company of
which he was part owner. He proposed the financing of an album and a meeting
was quickly arranged with his partner Arthur West, Dion and Medford.
Leslie: “I suggested that the three songs from the Tom
Mallon session could be used as a starting point. I also opined that though The
Ophelias were currently without a lead guitar player, I could play all guitar
parts on the five additional songs required to complete an album of suitable
length, and that Sam’s replacement could be found during the period of time we
were engaged in recording.”
A contract was signed and David Bryson's Dancing Dog Studios
in Emeryville was engaged for sessions in September. "Palindrome",
"Nocturnal Blonde" and "In America The Other Day" were
completed by the three piece of Medford, von Blankers and Armour. The threesome
had also nearly completed "New Society" but it was agreed it should
feature a powerful electric guitar solo at its conclusion. The label guys
occasionally dropped in to watch proceedings and during one of these visits
Dion suggested he, being a guitarist who had played in several New Zealand
bands, might have a go at adding the solo to "New Society". West and
Dion were paying the bill and there was an empty track which could be erased as
necessary, so Dion was invited to have a go. The resultant solo was approved
of, and he was invited to join The Ophelias shortly thereafter, becoming, in
October, the group's new lead guitarist.
Dion plays on two songs on The Ophelias: the solo at the
conclusion of "New Society" and throughout "The Big (Myopian)
Buck Boy Spins." Though he plays on only two tracks, less than the three
on which Babbitt and Chandler appear, his photograph appears on the inside of
the gatefold sleeve, the perk of being the current member.
The band resumed playing live on 16th October and the
self-titled debut album “The Ophelias” was released in March 1987 to much local
positive acclaim. Dave Marrs was typical of the praise lavished on the album
when he wrote, "The Ophelias have delivered a tour de force with their
debut. I think it'll be hard to top. Perhaps the best independent album to come
out of San Francisco in recent years, this album is brilliant." The
influential College Music Journal (New York) reproduced the album jacket on its
cover and ran an ardent review which ended, "What finally emerges is a
mesh of the ephemeral mystery of Bolan and Donovan, with a weird, confident
modernism that makes them a leading contender."
The Ophelias entered the KUSF (San Francisco) Top 20 at
number 4 the first week of April 1987, attained the top spot the following
week, and in KUSF's complete year chart The Ophelias had received more plays
than every American band except REM and the Replacements. On the other coast
the album held down the number 1 spot at WVUM in Florida for five weeks running
and in the heartland it did the same at WMMR Minneapolis.
Strange Weekend Records manufactured 4000 vinyl copies of
The Ophelias. Never released on compact disc or cassette, The Ophelias is the
most difficult of their albums to obtain. Despite this, "Mister
Rabbit" may be their best known song. Micheal Stipe called "Mister
Rabbit" the best track of the year and the album remains highly esteemed
by fans.
Dion, Medford, Martina - Haight Street Fair
June 1987 was a particularly eventful month for the band.
Chosen to headline on the main stage at the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair as it
celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Summer of Love, they were heard by
thousands of people in attendance as well as those listening to a live radio
broadcast on KUSF. "These characters stole the show at the Haight Street
Fair," wrote Puncture Magazine. "A real San Francisco psychedelic
band. No plastic paisley shite here." "Not enough room in this column
to do the band full justice" wrote the Daily Californian.
Ophes, Aretha, Run DMC - a Tower Records display
Also that month they were recording again at David Bryson's
Dancing Dog Studios, preparing for the projected September release of an
EP. The band recorded "The Night Of
Halloween", "Wicked Annabella", a Kinks song from their 1968
Village Green Preservation Society album and "Overture To Anaconda",
a trumpet-driven instrumental. Though this was a self-funded project as far as
recording costs, Rough Trade Records agreed to handle manufacture and
distribution.
In reaction to The
Night Of Halloween EP, Tower Records PULSE! Magazine touted "Wicked
Annabella" as "the best cover ever made of a Kinks song", and
the Hard Report (New Jersey) said, "Their sweeping debut album is still
planted firmly in the minds of alternative programmers but it looks like they
are at it again. The daring arrangements, biting acoustics and dazzling
creativity continue as San Francisco's Ophelias carve a spectacular niche in
the underground community."
But all was not well in The Ophelias camp as Armour decided
to leave the group and announced the 26th June at Firehouse 7 would be his last
show with the band.
Leslie: “Geoffrey had diabetes mellitus and found the physical
requirements of drumming increasingly onerous. He also made clear that his
discontent with Keith’s guitar playing was an equally paramount factor in his
decision, stating that in his opinion one of The Ophelias' primary charms had
been Sam’s playing and personality.
Terry was also vocal in similar regards. We lost some of our
fan base during the Dion "interregnum", and clubs re-evaluated our
worth downward and rightfully so, I have to admit. Keith's limitations as a
guitarist could be made invisible on studio recordings but not in live
performance. The truth is we never really got our mojo back live until David
Immerglück joined, which was, what, fifteen months after Sam left. David was a
godsend."
Whatever unease Medford and von Blankers felt about Dion's
performance and Armour's departure, there was enough positive progress
happening surrounding the first album, a second compilation, The View From Here
with "Palindrome", released July 1987, the EP, and a longer term
Rough Trade deal currently in discussion.
Edward Benton, an acquaintance of Medford’s, was invited to
take over the drum chair. He was an experienced live player, having served in
Bad Habit, a long-standing, sometime-gigging, always rehearsing San Francisco
hard rock band. This new line-up (Medford, von Blankers, Dion, Benton)
performed only seven times. At one of these shows Eden Unger, a friend of
Medford's and the bassist in Arista Records signee Legal Reigns, introduced
David Immerglück to Medford with the words "This is the guitarist you
should have in your band, and he wants to join." Medford made note of the
recommendation.
Edward: “My drumming started as a pure stroke of luck. My
stepmom and her sister decided to take the three daughters they had between
them to tryouts at a drum and baton corps in our little town of Orangevale
California. They took me along to see if I would like to try out for the
drumline. To everyone's astonishment, as soon as they put drum sticks in my
hands I could play. Who knew? That really got the ball rolling for me. I was
thirteen years old and just about to start junior high school. When school
started I immediately joined the concert band and the stage band where I first
got to play on a drum set. I was real anxious to see what playing drums in a
band setting was like and junior high afforded me that opportunity. I loved
it!!! So much so that two years later when high school started I joined the
concert band, the marching band, the stage band and orchestra. I was in heaven;
music all day every day. My first two bands outside of school happened during
those years. Actually, my first band was made up of guys from Stage Band. We
played a local junior high dance. That was my first paying gig for drumming.
The other band I had during my high school days was only cool as far as our
name: Well In Black. I don't know what it meant, but it was the only thing cool
about that band.
My high school daze
were so full of music, drugs and girls that my scholastic efforts were
non-existent. That's how I missed out on a music scholarship and ended up in
the U.S. Navy. I went in to learn a trade and spent a good two years in various
electronic schools they offered. After the first eighteen months of schooling, I was dispatched to a
ship to serve in the Pacific Fleet. That is where I had my third band. Myself
on drums, a kid on a Fender Rhodes 88 key electric piano, a Robert Plant
wannabe on vocals, and this little black kid from Alabama on a Gibson Les Paul
electric guitar. I only mention "this little black kid" as such,
because he freaked out all the other black guys on the ship. They were all into
the soul and funk music of the day and here comes one of their own wielding an
electric guitar with a vengeance. His entry into the band allowed me my first
taste of playing what the big boys played. Our musical ambitions knew no limit
as we tried our hand at material from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Robin
Trower, etc... Our renditions of those pieces was close enough that our ship
mates loved whenever we got to play for them. That was my first real taste of
rock drumming, and the impetus for my moving to San Francisco, post Navy. That
was in February 1982. The Navy wanted me to stick around to teach crypto school
but I just couldn't ignore the itch to go play rock-n-roll.
My cousin JS was
living in San Francisco at the time and I used to spend my summers there with
his family during my high school years. I knew from those summers that I
already liked that town. My cousin was also a drummer back then and playing in
a metal band at the time. He agreed to let me room with him until I could find
my own place, so I moved forward with my plan. I had a 4 piece Slingerland drum
kit that came with me. Let me pause to say that was a great sounding drum set,
but intended for jazz drumming, not the power style of rock drumming that lay
ahead. It sufficed for the first couple of bands I played in after my move to
The City By The Bay. Musicians in San Francisco are as plentiful as grains of
sand on the beach. Within two months of moving there I was in a band. I don't
remember our band name, just that we were led by a guitar player with a shock
of flaming red hair that matched his Gibson ES-355 hollow body electric. The
guy was a huge Clapton fan(like every other guitar player on the planet), which
led to us covering Cream, and Derek and the Dominos material, plus stuff by the
Stones and Faces. I really love the Rod Stewart stuff from that period. What I
did not love was being in a band that played nothing cover tunes. That band
lasted about 3 months and then I found myself in another band. That band was
called Fractions and we did all original music. We had a talented writer at the
keyboards, who unfortunately had a hidden aspect to his life. Before long he
started missing rehearsals; more and more as time went by. Then we come to find
out he had AIDS. He succumbed quickly to the disease, poor fellow, and the band was done.
About that time I decided to upgrade my drum kit. I was a
big fan of Neil Peart at the time, and so, went for the monster drum set. I
bought this big beautiful Tama Tamstar Royal Pewter drum kit that when combined
with my RotoToms gave me an eleven piece monster kit. What I found out in short
order was this kit would not fit on most drum risers, so I would leave out a
couple of pieces and sally forth. The acquisition of this kit gave me the tools
for what lay ahead.
A drummer friend of mine called me over to his
house to jam. He said he had a guitar player for me to meet, a chap by the name
of Sal Carozzo. We hit it off immediately, musically speaking. I loved his tone
and style and he liked that I could play along with anything he did. My varied
musical background served me well over the years and really worked well with
Sal. Philosophically we had our differences; a guy from suburban California and
a guy from New York City, but musically it fit. This meeting that day turned
out to be fateful, as it forged a musical bond that lasted 12 years. Together,
we formed a band called Bad Habit. Unfortunately, this was a band that lived
down to its name. Tragedy and woe followed us around like a
shadow. Musically, it was a grand adventure playing in Bad Habit. Over the
twelve years it was always me and Sal at the core of the group, but with a
revolving cast of characters filling out the rest of the roster - 4 different
bass players, 3 different singers and a keyboard player. The lineup kept
changing over the years where we might be performing on any occasion as a trio,
a quartet, or even a quintet. The music was a nice mix of mostly originals,
with a few covers thrown in for good measure. I liked that we always put our
own spin on the cover tunes. Imagine a punk'd out version of the Monkees tune
I'm a Believer, for instance. We had our own takes on Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck,
The Who and many others, but it was the original songs that really got my
juices flowing. Sal and I found it real easy to write songs together. He was in
a small minority of musicians I encountered over the years that could actually
jam. He had a musical catalogue within, as well as the
musical instincts to spontaneously create music. At times, this band was really
good; one of three bands, out of eighteen that I was in, that attained that
status. Sal was always good at creating a scene around the band; lots of
groupies, hangers-on, drug dealers, helpers and predators, and lots of other
musicians. We used to organize these six hour jam sessions. This was always
heaven for me as I would be the only drummer in attendance with about 30 other
musicians to play with. It was on one of these occasions that I met Leslie
Medford. The Ophelias were but a drop in the bucket, timewise, in my life; not
even two years, but so much happened in that drop.
I think I actually first met Leslie at the set of flats he
shared with Sal, the guitar player I was working with in Bad Habit. Sal lived
in the upper flat and Leslie in the bottom flat of a pace in Oakland. The meeting was
so brief that I didn't really get a reading on him. He looked pleasant and
interesting enough, but I didn't really get to talk with him. It wasn't long
after, maybe a couple weeks later, that we had one of those six hour jam
sessions and Leslie shows up for it. I'm looking at him thinking he must be
some sort of musician or he wouldn't be here. He didn't stay long, but long
enough to get me and Sal to try one of his songs. It was one off the first
Ophelias album called In America The Other Day. It struck me as industrial rock
with a kind of mechanical feel to it at first, but after a couple of runs at
it, I really started liking it. Then he was gone.
It wasn't too long
after this that the Haight Street Fair came up. This is an annual arts and
music festival in the notorious Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. They
close off the street to traffic, array three stages spread out down the length
of the street and let the party commence. I've got my one year old son in the
kiddie carrier on my back and we are working our way through the crowd towards
the main stage. As we get there, I see that it's The Ophelias setting up on the stage. I'm
looking at them and saying to myself "Hey, I know that guy." He sees
me and motions for me to come up to the front of the stage. He leans over and tells me that their drummer is leaving the band and would
I like to audition for his spot. Being game to try anything musically I say
sure, why not. We arrange a meeting where he hands me a tape of their stuff to
learn before the audition a week later. To tell the truth, I thought them a
little strange at first. I was more of a hard rocker as compared to the
alternative slant they had on things. Though I thought them strange, I did my
best to assimilate the material and showed up for my audition. Honestly, I
didn't think I had a prayer at making the band, as we seemed to come from two
different musical worlds. So, full of trepidation I dragged my drums up the
stairs to the loft they had set aside for the audition. I had heard enough of
their previous drummer, Geoffrey Armour, to know that we were nothing alike
musically, so again, why am I here? Yet, the opportunity beckoned. I set up my
drums and stumbled through the arrangements. I only had the tape for a week to
learn the material, but still leaned into it 'cuz that's what rock drummers do,
right? Apparently, it was enough. The boys in the band got excited and I got
hired.
Ten days later I was playing my first gig with them. I still
didn't know the material and had to fake my way through a lot of the set.
Still, it was exciting to be playing in a new band, in a venue I had not played
in before. I was now in a band that had an album and an EP getting radio
airplay. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was a huge determining factor in
where you got to play. Being in The Ophelias, I was playing venues that my
other bands could not get into. Radio airplay was the difference. We continued
to practice and gig, so I was learning the songs as we went along, but I was
also learning something else. I could sense a discord in the band that I was
not immediately aware of, particularly coming from Terry. I started picking up
the signs then, such as being on stage, finishing a song and instead of a clean
finish to the song there'd be some squealing feedback coming from the guitar.
Then I would see the disgruntled look spread across von Blankers face and hear
him say "Thanks Keith." and then turn away in disgust. I think this
was something that had probably been brewing for a while. It wasn't much longer
before Keith was out of the band. On a personal level, I liked the guy. Keith
was nice enough and fun to be around, but I think he wanted to be Jimi Hendrix
and as such, was in the wrong band.”
.
In September 1987 von Blankers announced he would leave the
band unless Dion was replaced. Complaints to Medford from Armour and von
Blankers, and Medford’s own concern about Keith’s lack of improvement generally
and his inability to curb guitar feedback and pedal effect squeals at the end
of numbers on stage became too insistent to ignore. The POW Magazine sponsored No
More Censorship Benefit Show at the Kennel Klub on the 16th September proved to
be the last straw. Dennis Gonzales of POW in his wonderfully lavish CD package
commemorating this show – Dion’s last – writes “The Ophelias played what I feel
was the best set of the evening.” That may be, but the video of the set, now
online, sadly illustrates Dion’s struggles and von Blanker’s peaking
exasperation. A day or so after the benefit show Medford met with Dion and
informed him he was no longer the guitarist in The Ophelias.
Keith Dion was in the Ophelias from October 1986 until 16
September 1987. He plays on five Ophelias studio tracks: the two from The
Ophelias and the three tracks on The Night Of Halloween EP. He performed live
as a member of the group 25 times. Furthermore, Dion and Arthur West and their
Strange Weekend Record Company helped put The Ophelias before the public by
releasing the band's debut album on their label.
Edward: “Now The Ophelias were a three member band, not to be
confused with a power trio, and were looking for another guitar player. We
actually played one gig as a three piece, an acoustic in-store show
at the Rough Trade San Francisco location. Then the auditions began.”
On David Immerglück’s joining and Oriental Head
They auditioned several guitarists that October, but Medford
contracted pneumonia and was bedridden for three weeks. The personnel reshuffle
was also delaying the Rough Trade Records deal as the company had an obvious
interest in the band's line-up and stability. No one in The Ophelias had seen
or heard David Immerglück play though he had been involved in various musical
projects in Berkeley for several years.
David: “It’s all a bit hazy, but I’m pretty sure where I
first met Leslie was at The Berkeley Square (a club we used to all frequent and
play in the 80’s, Berkeley CA ‘natch). Gotta be early ’86, The Ophelias were
on a bill opening for my pals Camper Van Beethoven (if I’m not mistaken, a
visibly tripping Flaming Lips jumped onto the bottom of the bill and barely
made it through a set comprised solely of demolishing Led Zeppelin I). I’d heard “Mr. Rabbit” on KALX or KUSF (the two local and excellent
college radio stations) and liked it, but seeing them live up close blew me
right away! Leslie’s stage presence, and the whole bands’, just resonated with
me, reminding me immediately of the audaciousness of so many (particularly
British) Glam/Psych/Prog bands I’d grown up with. An aesthetic that was sorely lacking in the
Bay Area music scene of the time, so I was seriously thrilled to find a new
band to call my own! I distinctly remember being down front as they played a
nascent version of “There’s A Bell” and staring up at Terry von Blankers as he
hit the final harmony thinking this was the closest I was ever gonna get to
seeing Ziggy era Bowie. I believe I went to the show with my friend Eden Unger
(bass player for all girl metal band Rude Girl and later Legal Reins) who
already knew Leslie. I think she also brought producer Sandy Pearlman to see
the band and we all wound up in a corner of the club after they played. Eden
introduced me to Leslie and we had a quick conversation about The Incredible
String Band and Joe Boyd thinking he’d found the new Sandy Denny in Natalie
Merchant (we were both sceptical). I tagged Leslie as a Record Collector
Supremo, and The Ophelias as a band to watch…I caught them whenever I could
after that. Some time passed and I’d already made the first Monks Of Doom album
when an ad popped up in the local music rag announcing The Ophelias were
looking for a new guitar player. I KNEW I just HAD to get that spot, that I was
tailor made for that band and vice versa.
So I maniacally reached out through any channel I could think of and to
my relief (cuz I knew they were looking at other guitarists as well) we finally
wound up in a rehearsal room together. I guess it went really well because I
got a call from Leslie about a week later to meet for coffee next to the Tower
Records in Berkeley where he had worked.
And there, with his good friend Jeff Clark (singer of Shiva Burlesque)
in attendance, Leslie ceremonially offered me the coveted spot over double
cappuccinos. Needless to say I was beyond chuffed.”
Leslie: "Eden
had given me David's number just a few months before, so I invited him to
audition and he was personable and extremely enthusiastic, just as Eden had
said. I must say that when we started playing together that very first time,
just extemporaneously, which is how we always started rehearsal, you know, just an off the cuff, often dreamy jam with
made-up words while getting the sound together,
David was just locked in. I'm talking about weird, atmospheric effects, and
in total sympathy with the rest of us and oh so musical...always musical. And
he was willing to take the lead and soar with it. When we stopped playing we
all just looked at each other and laughed. We all knew. It was one of those
rare moments when we all just knew this was it."
Edward: “I don't know where Leslie found these guys that
came to audition for the vacated guitar player spot, but over the ensuing two
weeks we heard some good ones. Leslie was asking me and Terry who we liked from
the auditions, but luckily for us, he was just asking. I had David at the
number two spot on my list but clearly that would have been a mistake to pass
on him. It wasn't long after he joined the band that he had changed my mind
about who he was and what he could bring to the party. I found out in short
order that he, like me, had a wonderfully diverse musical background. He could
quickly and easily adapt to any musical situation and add something wonderful
to the mix. This was exactly what was needed to play in this band, as Leslie
was wont to challenge us all with various musical stylings. David was exactly
the right guy. Another thing he and I found out quickly was that we could play
off each other. He exhibited a trait that I love in my fellow bandmates - he
had his ears on. This band as a whole was really good at that, which is why The
Ophelias became my favorite band to play in. When we would play together the
eye contact was good and everyone was listening to each other. This is huge! It
is also not the norm, which is kinda' baffling to me. Too often, in other
bands, I would be playing with people who appeared lost in their own little
worlds. These guys were not like that. As a result, when we were on stage we
were a tighter ensemble and were having more fun because we were playing
together, instead of just inhabiting the same stage. The bonus is that when the
band is having more fun together, the audience does too. I believe the onstage
interaction is huge.”
Benton, Immergluck, Medford, von Blankers
David:“I hit it off with Terry and Ed immediately. They’d
been unsuccessfully looking for a suitable guitarist for awhile and seemed
truly relieved and glad I was there and I was beyond excited to be “an
Ophelia”, so it was exciting times and good feelings all around! They’d been
off the scene and underground, retooling, for a couple of months. The Ophelias
shared a giant rehearsal space in SF with The Looters (SF’s version of The
Clash) who ran the place, Sister Double Happiness and a few other notables that
escape memory (Xtal, The Bedlam Rovers maybe?). I do remember the place very
well though: in The Mission district, big proper stage and PA, a huge open
concrete floor, and a basketball hoop. The Looters would throw benefit concerts
in the place from time to time, so it was like rehearsing in a proper Nightclub.
I liked that. I got down there the first day and we jumped right in to it. I
was already familiar with their first album and I think Leslie had given me a
tape of songs in progress (some great ones that still haven’t been recorded!
“Throat Of A Goat”, “Scion Of Toadies”, “Father Of The Flock” etc). I’m sure we
rolled through the first album material and I definitely remember just playing
a long jam off the cuff, Leslie improvising lyrics on the spot (this might’ve
been the FIRST thing we did!?). Leslie always recorded everything on cassette
with his boombox, I believe. It produced a really cool atmospheric compressed
sound of the band, as those cheap boombox microphones tended to do), and much
later (years later!), he presented a tape of this first jam (and many other
audio verité recordings) to me with the title “Fast Lightning Tide” – KILLER!! Magic
was definitely afoot!”
Considered the classic line-up, this one was also the
longest lasting, the one that played the most shows by far, the one that
toured, and the one that recorded twenty-six studio tracks, far and away the
most of any configuration of The Ophelias. Formally signed to Rough Trade
Records in December 1987 their new label provided them a $6000 budget to record
their second LP. Rough Trade had been contacted by Dave Roback of Opal and Mark
Mulcahy of Miracle Legion, each expressing interest in producing the album but
budgetary constraints dictated a self-production. “Oriental Head” was released
six months later in May 1988.
Leslie: “I'm unsure how it was determined to record Oriental
Head at Emeryville Recording Company with Randy Rood engineering. Probably it
was the cheapest 16-track studio around, and we had a tiny budget to work with.
As in most things you get what you pay for. I know there was a sibilance
problem on the vocals which we struggled over on our dime, and it was just not
the most professional situation. A rhythm section which kicks ass live has
entirely different challenges in a small recording studio, and neither Randy,
Edward or Terry were experienced enough to deliver a solid bass-and-drums sound
without a lot of our time allotment being devoted to it. Still, I have great
memories of the sessions. You just roll with the punches and do your best. And
in the end we did achieve a robust bass and drum sound on most of the tracks.
It was always exciting creating records. David was a huge
advantage to us. He was a recording engineer himself, almost certainly more
adept and experienced than Randy. I remember he took charge of the tape loop
effect during "Midsummernight's Scene" and really made that happen
properly. We were all euphoric about his playing, his enthusiasm, and his
humour and good attitude. We rented orchestral bells for "Love Is
Teasing" and "There's A Bell" and we all took turns clobbering
them to much mutual delight. Randy Rood played the excellent violin at the end
of "Apron Strings" and Edward got teary when I sang "Don't you
cry for me." David engineered "This
Is My Advice To You" in one evening session at Polymorph Studio, Berkeley
on 8-track, which was a small studio where he had done many projects
previously. That saved us some money and the track turned out really well.
"Stay With Me" is a bit of a clunker in my opinion and should have
been re-done from the bottom up. And
"There's A Bell" is awfully over the top…but I like Oriental Head
…it's got really good stuff, and some fabulous playing from David.”
David: “The Rough Trade record deal was already in place
before I joined up so I was immediately thrust into a flurry of activity with
Leslie and the guys from day one. We sort of based all operation out of a make
shift headquarters set up in Leslie’s bedsit in the Oakland hills, the walls lined with shelf upon shelf of records and books, the air thick with weed and last night's pheromones, where I
would go nearly every day to plot, scheme, practice new tunes as a duo, organize
press releases, design gig posters etc. Every Ophelias gig, no matter how
shitty, was accompanied with an excellent poster, usually with a piece of
medieval art or Crowley-esque imagery, later to be plastered all
over town by some team of us before said gig. The consistent high quality
imagery most definitely helped create and maintain an overarching mystique
around the band, which hadn’t escaped me well before I joined and was beyond
anything our local competition was doing. But I digress…
I was already far
along into running and maintaining, with some like minded freaks, an 8 track
recording studio (Polymorph Studios, in Berkeley, to be exact) and I brought
Leslie in there very soon after joining up. The first day, we did “This Is My
Advice To You” from basic track to mixdown, just the two of us (this version
was used on “Oriental Head”) and it became immediately apparent that we had a
special symbiosis, a shared vocabulary
of psychedelia, folk, glam, experimental etc, all coloured with a constant
humorous outlook. It was sort of “Oh, this is DEFINITELY gonna work out. Let’s
get to making an LP asap!”…I believed he called me later that same night after
listening to it about a thousand times to tell me how chuffed he was. I was as
well. I don’t know how we found it but pretty soon after that we were in a
weird warehouse 16 track studio in Emeryville that we’d gotten a deal on, just
getting down to it. For me it was like being in heaven. It was as though I’d
been gifted all this great Medford material to try out any and every idea I’d
harboured since becoming a studio rat a couple years earlier. I remember
getting into composing the backwards piano bit on “There’s A Bell” in my head
and being amazed when it actually worked! Another successful experiment was on
”Love Is Teasing.” I recorded Leslie’s
picked acoustic guitar performance in stereo, twice, and then used the left
side of one performance and the right side of the other performance. It had the
audio effect of Japanese snowflakes falling on cherry blossom trees. Just
perfect! I was so fucking excited! We had a bit of a budget, a whopping $6000 (facetiousness, anyone?) so we brought in rented Tubular Bells (for “There’s A Bell”, ‘natch! Also maybe
“Love Is Teasing”?), and I was able to indulge some of my other fantasias, my
trusty ARP 2600 on “I Will Die In Your Pocket”, a handful of borrowed guitars
augmenting my sole ’60 Fender Strat. I actually used Leslie’s ’65 Gibson SG a
lot on the record, as well as live. I bought it off him later, when I actually
had a bit of money and still have and cherish it today. I use it all the time
with Counting Crows and many a recording session. Magic axe!”
Edward: “The band's lineup is set. The contract
with Rough Trade Records has been signed. An album awaits the making. So we're
rehearsing and gigging as we may, all with the notion of getting into a recording studio and making something great. Well, my bandmates are probably
thinking that. Meanwhile, my head is spinning. I'm still getting used this band,
this music, our new bandmate, and now have the spectre of a recording session at
hand. I was the least experienced at the recording thing, having only done a
demo record session with another band and nothing else. To make matters worse,
I didn't yet have all my parts written as the date loomed large. Over time, I
found out that this is how it usually works. Most musicians don't have all
their music written when they hit the studios. In fact, some bands with large
bankrolls will write the album in the recording studio; terribly expensive
this. Of course, we had not that budget. In fact, Rough Trade Records ponied up
a whopping 6,000 dollars to do Oriental Head; a laughable amount to most folks.
I think most bands would have a hard time making one song in a recording studio,
let alone an entire album on that budget. Frankly, I just couldn't see it and
thought it a really bad joke put forward by the label. Leslie and Dave had a
different notion. These guys had experience and connections unbeknownst to me,
so I just hung on for the ride. We get booked into a 16 track analog recording
studio in Emeryville, California, saving us money right away. I don't know what
kind of hourly rate we got from this place, but shockingly I was told we had designated a small sum for renting instruments. Happily for me these rentals by and large turned
out to be percussion instruments. If you look at the song credits on Oriental
Head you will find everybody in the band eventually got to add something
percussive to the songs. We even had two octaves of orchestral tubular bells
show up, which Terry went crazy on during There's A Bell. I got to rent a pair
of tympani, which I dropped onto Love Is Teasing. My favourite addition was
something we didn't rent but I found laying in the corner of the main sound
room. It was a brake drum from somebody's car that produced a lovely tone when
struck with my drumsticks. You can hear that on Plaster Of Paris. One of the
main ways we saved money on the recording sessions was to record all of the
rhythm tracks together in unison. We all piled into the main room, set up as a band, and
with Leslie providing a scratch vocal track, to let us know where we are during
the songs, we laid it down. Our limited budget meant limited runs at each song,
and I believe we got all of the rhythm tracks done in about three days. For
clarification, the "scratch" vocal tracks were later dropped in
favour of what Leslie did by himself in a sound booth.
What strikes me most
from when listening to this album, as compared to The Big O, our last album, is
the unified feel end to end on the record. Oriental Head feels to me like a
concept album, while The Big O feels to me more like a collection of individual
songs. I can only attribute this to us recording the rhythm tracks together,
in unison, as a band. On The Big O we recorded everything individually, with
none of us playing together. This happened because Leslie did not like the few
moments of wandering tempo on Oriental Head.
And yes, that's my fault as the drummer and therefore timekeeper in the
band. So, on the next album, with a slightly bigger budget from Rough Trade, everything was done to click track. Yes, everything is tighter and
cleaner but the unified feel is gone. Of course, this is just my perception and
may not apply to the other fellows. My favourite part of the Oriental Head
sessions didn't involve the band. On a couple of days at the Emeryville
Recording Studios I had my two year old son with me, and watching him walk
around wide eyed, marvelling at everything going on there was a real treat. On
one occasion I was passing by one of the smaller sound rooms, which David had
been using for some of his overdubs. I look through the doorway and see my son standing alone in
the middle of the room. He has David's mandolin in his hands and he's strumming
it and singing into the mic set up in the room for David. Priceless! Of course,
only a father would feel that way”.
Immergluck, von Blankers, Medford, Ed and Matt Benton
David: “We’d been at it for a couple weeks and were already
over budget and slightly fried. One late night I was trying to get the guitar
solo on “Stay With Me” and it just wasn’t happening. Leslie was in the control
room with short temper, yelling out unhelpful suggestions and I just blew a
fuse and went outside for air (these things happen sometimes). Leslie came out
and suggested we knock it on the head for the night and go for our regular
beers. Over pints he calmly told me the solo should be “just pure LOVE! The
orgasm has already happened! Just pure LOVE!” I laughed and thought, “This
guy’s inscrutable!” Anyways, the next morning
back at the studio, I got in early, purposely before everyone else. I decided to set up all my effects in a line,
I had this killer A/DA Flanger that always did crazy stuff in a pinch, amongst
other forgotten pedals, probably an Echoplex, and just see what happens. Randy
Rood was engineering and I told him to roll “Stay With Me” while I adjusted the
pedals. The song played and I just sort of stepped on each pedal making sure it
worked, then I was gonna do an “actual take”. The song ended and I was like
“Ok, let’s do one”, but unbeknownst to me, Leslie had arrived while I was
testing the pedals and over the talkback was beside himself. “EXACTLY! THAT’S
IT! YOU GOT IT!” So that’s actually the take on the album, me testing my
pedals. HA HA HA! Total Troggs moment!”
Edward: “Another funny little side note from the recording
sessions came about from mine and David's growing affection for each other's
playing. After the rhythm tracks for Oriental Head were recorded, the overdubs
started taking place. David's turn came up to start laying down his guitar
solos and embellishments on various tracks. As I was becoming a fan of his
guitar work, I asked him if I could sit in the room he was recording in and
silently listen. Without hesitation, he told me "no" and I let it
drop without discussion, knowing that he needed to go in with a good vibe
intact. When we were recording the next album, The Big O, the exact same thing
happened in reverse, with David asking me if he could be in the room as I was
recording my drum tracks. I said "no' to him, probably for the same
reason, as I felt the need to concentrate without distraction. With David in
the room, I would have been playing to him, rather than focusing on the music.
Still, I think it's cool that we could be fans of each other while playing in
the same band.
I had another majorly cool moment shortly after the release
of Oriental Head. I was at work with the radio on when I hear the DJ announce
"Here's a new song by local artists, The Ophelias" and Stay With Me
starts playing over the air. I don't know how long I stood there stunned, like
a piece of petrified wood but I think I was probably in shock for a moment.
Then I started running around telling everyone about it, dragging co-workers
over to the radio. That was a first and a big moment for me. Toooooo
cooooool!!!”
David: “When the record came out shortly thereafter, on an
excellent and storied label, no less, I was just on top of the world. Honestly,
it’s still one of my favourite albums I’ve ever made! (John Hiatt’s “Crossing
Muddy Waters”, Counting Crows “Somewhere Under Wonderland”, Monks Of Doom’s
“The Brontë Pin”, Tyson Meade’s “Robbing The Nuclear Family” also make the
grade, if you’re asking!)
I really believed
(and still may) we’d made the BEST album to come out of the SF Bay Area since
“Surrealistic Pillow”, Santana’s “Abraxas”, Quicksilver’s “Happy Trails”, Skip
Spence’s “Oar” (which Leslie had recently turned me on to, amongst many other
albums) or Garcia’s first solo album. I mean, the “popular” music out of the
Bay Area at the time was Huey Lewis And The News, Journey, Eddie Money, Night
Ranger and crap like The Eric Martin Band – mega popular but super cheesy and
decidedly unmagical in my eyes back then. As a precocious music fanatic, with a
big dose of civic pride, I was fairly embarrassed by the current state of
affairs! I can’t really speak for my bandmates about this but I had an extreme
sense of Bay Area music history and was sort of railing against the accepted
Pop scene and hoping to make a major mark for the Bay Area music world! In my
mind it was inevitable that we’d be celebrated in the streets for bringing
quality, respect, and mystical beauty/danger back to a sleeping SF music scene!
Listen, the mid to late 80’s SF underground music scene we came up in was
undoubtedly fertile and varied, with a lot of excellent bands, but no one was
really making bold statements, great albums to contend with the status quo. I
thought we had!
Of course, the scales fell from my young eyes relatively quickly
after Oriental Head’s release. We did get a lot of good national and local
press off the album but our fortunes just didn’t seem to change. We had a
strong local underground following and got played on the local college radio
stations a lot, which always thrilled to no end. One fuzzy morning I woke to my clock radio
playing “Whirling Dervish”. I made my way to the shower and my bathroom radio
was playing a Sordid Humor song I’d just recorded, and when I got out to dry,
the same station was playing Monks Of Doom’s “Vaporize Your Crystals”…you
coulda shot me right then! But
unfortunately we suffered from non-existent management (a true death knell) and
a label who, much to our surprise, didn’t seem to understand us. We we’re
reviled as much as loved in the local scene. The pomposity scared some folks
(wankers!), and the live shows could be over intoxicated and shambolic (heh
heh). We thought we should go to England and with the Rough Trade connection it
seemed a no brainer. Never happened. There was Rough Trade talk of a tour opening for Love
And Rockets (an excellent pairing!). Never happened. So many great ideas seemed
to go up in smoke (I later learned this is par for the course in the music
biz!)…still, we soldiered on like good lads. My belief in the quality of what
we were doing was enough to keep me going (still how I roll to this day)”.
Edward:"About this time, the band was really hitting its stride
musically, playing all over the San Francisco bay area. Some of these shows are
memorable for different reasons, such as the show at the I-Beam, where Leslie
takes the stage in nude spandex and I get to watch he and David engage in faux
sex on stage. They will, of course, deny this but I was there. Or the frat
house party at Cal Berkeley. We were set up downstairs in the main room, while
most people were stumbling upstairs to where the electric coolaide was
overflowing the place. My favourite place to play was The Kennel Club in San
Francisco. I always felt we sounded best there. I attribute this to the
on-stage sound. The sound system there was good and the people running it were
very good. They took their time during sound check to get it right. The result
was how effortlessly the band members could hear each other on stage; I mean
every note. It was a good size room with a nice view from the stage for
watching all the rock-n-roll maniacs down front. The University of California - Berkley show at Sproul Plaza was a good one
too. It was an outdoor venue on a lovely spring day and about a thousand kids
in attendance. But the crazy Stanford University the show was a day when we set up in their
radio studio and did a live show over the radio. Half way through show we take a break, step outside for some fresh air and lo and behold a joint is produced! It got
lit, we got lit and Leslie then tells us
that we are going to go back inside and do a jam in four different colours.
Huh, what? We're stoned, and we're live on the radio. As it happened Stanford's football team (wearing Cardinal and White) was playing Notre Dame's
football team (wearing Navy and Gold) the next day. Those were the "four colours" So, we get back inside and Leslie gets on the mic and
tells the listeners "this is called "Beat Notre Dame". Amazingly
enough it worked. With David and I leading the way, we played musical moods
that jibed with the colours Leslie called out."
Edward: "So, thanks to the two visionaries in the band, Leslie and
Dave, our paltry recording budget was turned into something beautiful. These
guys picked the right studio, where we could get the best bang for the
buck. Randy Rood, the engineer at
Emeryville Recording, was so easy to work with. He let me put effects on my
drum tracks on a couple of songs during the mix down phase. Then he really
stepped up to the bar by throwing down a fiddle part, which he played himself,
on the jam at the end of Apron Strings. How many engineers can do that for you?
His easy going manner and expertise helped make the magic in the recording
studio. Other magic was taking place outside the studio. Leslie had started a
contest for the album cover art. He offered the concept and many artists
returned their renditions of it, including my cousin John who did one on his
computer. Luckily, that one was not chosen and the version done by Ariadne
Fellows was. Isn't it beautiful? The back cover art necessitated us running all
over San Francisco with a photographer in tow. He got some great shots which
are arrayed around the border of the backside of the album jacket. With the
photos and even more tremendous artwork from Leslie, I kinda' like the back of
the album jacket more than the front.
Leslie continued his artistry with the
liner notes included with the record. These are things you just don't see
anymore with music going digital. Interestingly enough, you also see in the
liner notes a "Thanks" offered by L.M. to those who helped him
replace equipment that was stolen from him. This is in reference to the one bit
of catastrophe that I recall hitting the band. Terry had an upper flat on
Haight Street in San Francisco, where we'd all meet on occasion. On this
particular day, Leslie had left his gear, guitars and other items, in the back
of Terry's truck. This truck had a lockable shell on it, so perhaps Leslie
thought it secure. The thieves thought otherwise. They smashed the cheesy
plastic window in the back and took it all. Hopefully, they are burning in hell
at this moment. I have no compassion for such villains. Leslie, being who he
is, rallied tremendous support in replacing his equipment; and we sallied
forth.
Now it's back to
rehearsing and gigging whilst we wait. If you have kids, then you know what
it's like; the anticipation, awaiting the arrival of your new creation. Of
course, it's not the same, but having experienced both, I can tell you there is
a similar expectation. When the day came and Leslie walked up to me and handed
me copies of both the vinyl and cassette versions of Oriental Head I think I
practically swooned. There were no such things as CDs yet, so he didn’t hand me
one of those as well. A minor fascinating point is that The Ophelias straddled
that point in musical history before and after the advent of CDs.
The Big O came out in all three formats: vinyl, cassette, and CD. The cherry on
that sundae is The Big O coming out on vinyl in the round jacket. If that
doesn't define cool, I don't know what does. Dig this; I just went on-line to
Amazon's website and saw the vinyl version of The Big O selling for $99.99. Who
knew? See how the thrills continue...Ha!!!”
David: “I don’t think
there were any recorded songs left off “Oriental Head”, but we were back in Polymorph recording shortly after the album came out. There was
just so much material. Pretty quickly we put together “Panurge”, “Strange New
Glasses” and “Lawrence Of Euphoria” at my 8 track studio, which all later wound
up on “The Big O”, as well as the strange “Thanks For This Shade” (another Medford/Immerglück duo piece), which only came out recently on “Bare Bodkin” the
killer compilation Leslie put together. We also, around this time, went over
to legendary Mobius Studios (Dead Kennedys, Henry Kaiser etc) in SF (a major
upgrade for us, and a place where Monks Of Doom later wound up doing a lot of
work) to maybe cut a deal to record the next album proper. The owner Oliver
DiCicco gave us a spec deal to record one song to see if we could get along.
“Pretty Green Ice Box Eyes” was the successful result (which again we wound up
later using on “The Big O”), but Oliver and Leslie didn’t quite jell together,
so the deal fell through. I vaguely remember Oliver (whom later worked very
fruitfully with Monks Of Doom) complaining that he was hoping to make us sound
like Suzanne Vega (?!) with more “commercial” tunes, and us balking, Leslie
yelling into his face “Pretty Green Ice Box Eyes is a WORLD CLASS SONG!!!” Who
could argue? But still, bad vibes all around…(these things happen sometimes, ha
ha) I guess I’m trying to paint a picture of us always scheming, always
recording, often gigging, usually drinking…often banging our heads against the
wall.”
Rock journalist Ann Powers wrote in Calendar Magazine (San
Francisco): "No other San Francisco band reaches the heights of supreme
imagination, ego and crunchiness required for true rock stardom as well as the
Ophelias.”
Hard Report said, "This is one of the most original and
fascinating groups the American independent scene has to offer. Every part of
this music machine is working overtime and bandmaster Leslie Medford jumps in
and out of this world with a shy, unsettled voice and moody abstract lyrics.
From the blasting cacophony of horns to a quiet stab of silence, adventurous
listening is a guarantee on an album that stretches your imagination while
tempting the rest with one catchy chorus after another."
J.R. Tiger wrote in S.G.N. Magazine "I expect that one
either loves the Ophelias or hates them because they are so completely unique
in this day and age. Romanticists to the end, they shall endure as musical
literature in an era practically devoid of such a thing. This band makes the
listener think, and takes the listener into a secret world where other
"new music" dares not go. The result is what has made me a diehard Ophelias
fanatic for the past couple years."
Rough Trade were not obligated to provide tour support, and
live performances, including tours, were handled by a succession of
semi-professional managers engaged by the band for a percentage of gate
receipts, or by The Ophelias themselves. The band managed to organize three
West Coast tours (Southern California to British Columbia) and one national
tour of university towns. These four tours were completely self-funded and
consequently done on a shoestring budget, without roadies or soundmen,
"just four guys in a van". After a scheduled East Coast summer 1988
tour opening for Pere Ubu and Crime & the City Solution fell through, Rough
Trade arranged an eighteen date solo tour of New England for Medford during July
1988 to help promote the Oriental Head album. Included in the tour were four
performances in New York City sponsored by the New Music Seminar, including one
at CBGB and two at the convention itself held in the Marriott Meridian Hotel.
David:“Live, The Ophelias were always an audacious
proposition, before I got there and continuing on with my membership. Leslie
had an outrageous pan sexual wardrobe and was a shape thrower par excellence. I
remember seeing them with my girlfriend early on at The Gilman Street Project
in Berkeley and she was completely obsessed with trying to look up the kilt
Leslie was wearing onstage to see if he was “au natural” underneath, ha
ha. Taking a cue from Brian Jones, lady
friend’s closets we’re constantly being plundered. Womens’ wear sections of
local department stores were regularly raided for all manner of kit. One of the
first shows I did with The Ophelias was a full band in-store at the small Rough
Trade SF offices on 6th St celebrating the release of “Oriental Head”. Leslie
had some flowered blouse and see through black tights with his considerable manhood visible
in unambiguous detail. Absolutely no need to look up any kilt on this occasion! As for myself, I’m sure I had eyeliner, a long black Chinese
robe purloined from my girlfriend, as well as some of her jewelery. Terry,
skeletal and glamorous, always looked the proper rock star and Ed came straight
out of the local spandex Metal scene. “Where did you find HIM?!” asked Steve
Connell, our weary rep at Rough Trade, in a slightly worried stage whisper. We
played a short, loud and rollicking set to the staff and a bunch of radio folk,
then later that night played a full set at The Kennel Club (another local SF
rock club, regularly hit by us. Still standing, it’s now been rechristened The
Independent) with a couple other local Rough Trade bands. I believe we did lay
to waste all comers that night. I remember a frightful “Plaster Of Paris” with
the whole room shaking! A powerful “coming out” of the new lineup, with big
hopes for the future!
The Anchor Steam:Terry intones"Plaster Of Paris" from a rumbling I-Beam Stage
I always thought we
stuck out with our look, a little effort goes a long way! not to mention the
material. Also, perhaps due to Leslie’s predilection for Aleister Crowley, some
of the occult references in the lyrics, or the medieval imagery the band
cultivated in its promotions, we seemed to attract, along with the regular
underground rock punters, a slew of people from the quasi Wiccan community in
SF. There were always these mysterious hilarious characters hanging about at
our gigs, dudes decked out in pagan garb claiming to be “Wizards of the highest
order”, witchy women occasional trying to engage with some of us in white magick sex games…just another added feature of the band mystique!
Musically, The
Ophelias’ live endeavour was always difficult at best. We had a ton of gear,
acoustic and electric, and no soundman, so we were always at the mercy of the
local tech at whatever club we happened to be playing. More than once I watched
Leslie who believed he should be treated like a Bowie, or at least a Peter
Murphy, no one would ever have called
him “humble” back then ha ha, berate an unimpressed house soundman when the
appropriate respect wasn’t being given and consequently we’d get shit sound
that night
My favourite reminiscence of this oft repeated scenario was at an
afternoon soundcheck at the I Beam in the Haight, we were on the bill that
night with local heroes American Music Club. Yelling over the mic in a loud
authoritarian screed, Leslie demanded the hapless soundman “put the lead vocal
LOUD and in front of EVERYTHING else – LIKE THE DONOVAN SINGLES!!!” Now, I’m
pretty sure said house tech didn’t even know who Donovan was, let alone care a
rat’s ass for the pompous Ophelias! Another night of treacherous stage sound
ensued. This went into the “lexicon”…Leslie and I still refer to ‘like the
DONOVAN SINGLES!!!” ha ha ha…
Medford sits in with Monks Of Doom, The Music Works, SF 1987 The song was Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean"
Getting the band well
rehearsed was also a challenge. Leslie was often stoned and impatient and
didn’t want to grind out detailed trouble spots on any given song. I used to
jokingly say he had to be peaking on some drug, not for A rehearsal, but for
EVERY SONG REHEARSED! Don’t get me wrong, I’m no teetotaller but I was used to
taking the time to work on things 'til they sounded good, especially if there
was a problem in a dynamic or transition. I mean, if anything, Monks Of Doom
were OVER-rehearsing around the same time, but we Orphes would play through a tune once,
good or bad, and the next thing I knew we were playing a game of Horse around
the basketball hoop. This was a regular
occurrence at the rehearsal space, Leslie was a basketball fanatic, as was Ed,
and the aforementioned basketball hoop was a constant distraction, ha ha."
Edward: “The rehearsal space we were in at the time was a
great cavernous room with a stage at one end, storage lockers along one wall
and a basketball hoop nailed to the opposite wall. The games of Horse that we
played were less than legendary, with me winning most of them. Being the
drummer, I think I had a slight edge when it came to physical games like that.
The worst thing was for me to lose one of these games as my bandmates were sure
to rub it in, especially that Medford fellow. On a tape that Leslie gave me of
a show we did at the club Nightbreak, he recorded his voice at the end of the tape,
telling me "I
hope you enjoyed the show. Cheers. Oh, this is the champ speaking". See,
that way any time I listen to that concert for the rest of my life, I can be
reminded of his victory. This man knows how to gloat. My most cherished memory
from that rehearsal space does not involve basketball but does involve that
Leslie Medford guy. By this time I had been in the band long enough to realize
Medford's musical mastery, seeing him play anything you put in his hands.
Still, I was not prepared for the day at rehearsal when he asked if it was okay
for him to climb behind my drum set for a minute of two. I say sure, expecting
the usual mindless doodling about that most people display when I let them try
my drums. Instead, he starts carving out beat after beat whilst I stand there
in wide-eyed amazement. I should have known better, right? There's really
nothing he can't do musically and that really certified that fact for me that
day. What a creep! I mean that in the best way possible, of course."
Leslie:"Ah yes, the basketball hoop at the Komotion
rehearsal space. That was hilarious. You could call us a jocular bunch! The
Horse games provide an apt example of how well we all got along. What I always
loved about playing with Terry, David and Edward was how good David and Terry's
attitude always was, because they happily participated despite not being very
good at basketball. They always got eliminated from the game first, leaving
Edward and I to settle the matter, but neither ever had any bad vibe about it.
On the contrary, they relished the opportunity for abusing our drummer that
these Horse games provided! Edward was and is fanatical about basketball and he
was an enthusiastic and decent player, always taking the game with seriousness
but humor, openly resigned that I was going to win, his acknowledgement of this
inevitability being his main point of conversation during the games. Terry and
Dave would wander back onto the stage, drink beer, noodle around with their
gear, all the while peppering Ed with loud taunts of "He's just toying
with you, Edward." and "Cat and mouse! Cat and mouse!" which
often morphed into “Musician and Drummer! Musician and Drummer!!” They knew on
which side their bread was buttered! Great, great times! We were falling down
with laughter! Ha-ha-ha!! During a three-hour rehearsal block it was great
having some ballgame as a diversion. Hmmm…you know, maybe David was really
expert at Horse but would lose on purpose in hopes of getting us back to
rehearsing."
Thee Basketball Portal Portrait- To handicap Edward for his drummerly physical advantage, he was required to play in a stiff painted coat somewhat similar to a straight-jacket, whereas the other Oafs competed comparatively unencumbered. This may or may not have been responsible for Edward's long winless streak!
David: "Shortly after Oriental Head was released, Leslie went on a solo tour of east coast radio
stations for a couple of weeks. I took this opportunity to rehearse with the guys as
a trio to iron out my long list of “problem spots” and we got a lot of work
done in three short rehearsals. We capitalized on that week’s work for a long
time. For example, we had a killer cover of Bowie’s “She Shook Me Cold” in our
repertoire, but we could never get the guitar/drum break right that leads into
the long middle jam. Ed and I ground it out about five times in rapid
succession, got it and never had a problem with it again. That kind of
repetitive work just wouldn’t have happened with Leslie there, for whatever
reason, but I guess you just figure out ways to get shit done. I’m not sure
Leslie ever knew this even took place, heh heh…"
Leslie: “As far as “my creative process” I would be remiss if I didn’t admit my drug use and its fundamental place in the summoning of the music I have made. I find it annoying and disingenuous to the point of fraudulence when drug use is swept under the carpet in biographies and documentaries about bands who obviously were using psychedelic drugs as a tool to finding their muse. I was brought up on sophisticated music and literature and the beauty of Nature, so there’s the cornerstone. But I was also repressed, preached at, frustrated, reigned in and bullied by the strict puritan morality of my parents. I had to tow the line to avoid onerous consequences. But I wasn’t hoodwinked by them…I saw through the fence to the other side. Life! Joy! Freedom! Adventure! When I left home I wanted to express the things I felt. Alcohol, but mainly marijuana and psilocybin, helped me overcome my baked-in repression. I know it isn’t the only way, or the best way, but I was wound so tight I needed something to help uncoil the spring. I could sit and sing with my guitar and music would just come out. Early on in my guitar-playing adventure I got myself a dictaphone and began taping myself, singing on-the-spot words or gibberish if need be, playing whatever my hands wanted to play. Listening back to the recording I would separate seed from chaff, learn a section I thought had potential, manipulate, write other words around select evocative phrases that had come subconsciously. In other words my general technique was drugs to break down the barriers, tape recorder to collect potentialities, listen, manipulate, learn, and hopefully perfect. Polish that stone into something worthwhile if I’m lucky. Truth be told, during my music years I was almost constantly high when I was making music. I was able to function that way and get psychedelic at a moment’s notice. It is an alternate reality I know. Maybe you’ve been there. Good music…good art is adventurous and one of the best places to find adventure is within.
Elena Powell
Another key element in the whole thing was my girlfriends and the love and education they gave me. Again, how can The Ophelias story be told without mentioning and saluting those who were the real Ophelias to my deeply flawed Hamlet. The "we" and the "she" of those relationships have inspired most of my songs. From the advent of my songwriting to the end of it, Melissa Almon, Barby Brumm, Virginia Wilcox, Martina Livingston, Cindy Nelson, Elena Powell, inspired my creativity and showed me the rose and the thorns of life. I loved you then and I love you now."
Cynthia Giuliani
David: "We unfortunately
never toured extensively, though early on in my tenure I begged Camper Van
Beethoven’s manager Jackson Haring to book us a West Coast tour and lo and
behold, we suddenly had shows in Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, my first time up
the coast with a proper band, very exciting!! Especially crossing over into
Canada. You really had the feeling you were “getting somewhere” when you had to
pull out your passport and cross into a different country. I remember that tour
being incredibly fun. We were getting played on the radio a bit and people came
to check us out. The local rags wrote about us…”
The Ophelias Conquer Seattle
Edward: “Touring was a blast, although painful at times because I
slept in the van a number of nights. It
was full of gear, which was why I slept in the van. We had experienced Leslie
losing all of his gear to thieves, so I was not about to let that happen to us
during the tour. If ever we arrived at a destination too late to load our stuff
into the venue, then I just stayed with the van. It wasn't like that everywhere
we played. When we got up to Canada we were treated like royalty. In Vancouver,
we were given two suites in a 4 star hotel. They were right next to two suites
that another band from San Francisco had. They were on the bill with us that
night. So, after the show, we went back to the hotel, opened the doors which joined the four suites and let the party commence. Acoustic guitars, and beers
all around; people singing drunkenly at the tops of their voices - a good time
was had by all. (Of course, Medford had his crumpet and wasn't there.) In Victoria B.C., after the gig, we were chauffeured to a
house, where we were left un-chaperoned for the night. We each had our own bed,
and the kitchen was stocked full of food. So, the Canadians provided nice
accommodations and both venues payed us better than we were being payed in the States. Ya' gotta' love the Canucks!! Other on-tour after show events would have
to include breaking in to the Hollywood Bowl after hours. We did two shows in
Las Angeles, one at the Club Lingerie and one at Madam Wong's West. Both of
these we did with a band that Leslie knows called Shiva Burlesque; nice and
crazy rock-n-rollers like ourselves. One of these guys knew how to access the
stage at the Hollywood Bowl after hours. So, after the first show, there we
were in the middle of the night, prancing about on this humongous stage, in
front of thousands of empty seats, in the dark, pretending to be the Beatles. Somehow,
we did not get arrested. The next night we did the second show and afterwards
ended up at Shiva's rehearsal studio. This was a large loft full of music gear,
in an industrial section of town, where no one would complain about the volume.
I can't even tell you how many people we had in that loft that night. Leslie
took off with some piece of fluff right after the show, but the rest of us went
to the loft and oh, what a noise we made. People were playing on whatever was
at hand, and just jumping in to the jam whenever we could. It was a big
beautiful mess that went on 'til sunrise. I love that stuff. I'm not sure if
there were any naked animals involved or not. That was one of the few times in
my life that I've ever been drunk. I learned about tequila that night. NEVER
AGAIN!!!”
Happy Freuds in Vancouver
David: “A vivid
memory of that tour: We’d pulled in to Portland the night before our show at
the famous Satyricon, and decided to go down in the morning and check out the
venue. There it was! Our name on the Marquee at our first “out of state”
show. Gotta get pictures! Ed whips out
his camera and starts happily snapping away. All of a sudden my Spidey sense
tingles and I notice this super shady looking character in a long trench coat
with long greasy hair eyeing Ed’s camera from a block and a half away and
heading towards us in a sort of Night of The Living Dead shuffle. I corral my
oblivious compatriots towards our van and suggest we high tail it outta there
to find some breakfast. Ok, fast forward five hours and we’re back at Satyricon,
mid soundcheck, when the same shady dude comes strolling into the club carrying
drums. Yep, he’s the drummer in the band playing after us, local legends Napalm
Beach, and a super nice guy t’boot. Anyway, we play our set and I throw our guitars in the communal dressing room
behind the stage so we can fraternize with the locals without worrying about
our gear. Napalm Beach starts rocking and I’m transfixed. Like some weird
hybrid of Mountain, Sabbath and The Dolls and the drummer’s roaring nonstop
like a modern day Ginger Baker. Then,
right out of a Billy Holiday bio pic, another shady dude makes his way behind
the band into the dressing room, eyeing the drummer meaningfully and now the
drummer’s sweating profusely and visibly distracted. He ends the song quickly
and dives back into the dressing room while the cymbals are still ringing, show
over. I go back to retrieve my guitars only to find the drummer shooting heroin
right over one of my guitar cases, I mean, seconds later!? Good ol’ Spidey sense. Coming from Transcendental Bay Area, it was
the first time I’d seen anything like that, but I soon ascertained that, while
the Bay Area partied for alleged enlightenment, the North West seemed to party
for complete obliteration…(a little late 80’s North West tour atmospherics for
ya.)
On another front,
Leslie’s friend Jeff Clark had an excellent band, Shiva Burlesque (from whence
sprang forth Grant Lee-Phillips), down in LA whom we regarded as a sister band.
We went down to LA on more than one occasion to do gigs with them; but for the
most part we couldn’t seem to bust out of the Bay Area treadmill. Berkeley?
Yes. San Jose? Yes. San Francisco? Absolutely! Oakland? Uh huh. Sacramento?
Occasionally…Outside of California? Just didn’t materialize on a regular basis.
Still, some
outstanding gigs happened. One of my faves was opening at The I Beam for a
much-ballyhooed “reunion” of Arthur Lee And Love. It was actually just Arthur,
a guy from The Knack, and two Rastafarians…but it was killer, and packed to the
gills. A monstrous “She Shook Me Cold”, with yours truly straddling a prostrate-but-still-twitching Medford at the front of the stage during the instrumental break, did not
disappoint! Love played for 25 minutes, but it was a good 25 minutes.
There’s a Berkeley
Square gig Leslie’s put up on our YouTube page in its entirety, and it’s
definitely us firing on all cylinders. Dominating in our home court.
Leslie and I
sometimes played acoustic duo gigs at places like The Paradise Lounge, where we
peppered in Barrett and Gong covers amongst Ophelias material. Those were
always fantastic. I remember a couple guys from The Sneetches, contemporaries
of ours in SF, whom I adore to this day, sitting in the audience at one of
those, looking at us with a combination of amusement and fear like we were from
some other planet. We could pour it on when we wanted to!
One of my most
disappointing memories was when we got the coveted spot opening for Siouxsie
And The Banshees, touring “Peepshow” at an arena up in Sacramento. A great
pairing. This was huge for us and we
were so stoked. Alas we got up there to
find that we weren’t allowed a proper soundcheck, and to make matters worse, we
had to play in front of the curtain in a straight line, the drums to one far
end and me to the other, probably no monitors. Absolute suck and the Banshees
crew weren’t nice to us at all. We limped home. Of course any band worth their
weight in salt has lived some version of this scenario.
I always felt that
our fortunes would change if we could just go play on the East Coast, let alone
overseas, where I thought people would‘ve been more attuned and receptive to
what we were doing; but oh bollocks, it wasn’t in the cards. Money, adulation
and respect were in short supply, and it could be quite dispiriting…”
Edward: “One thing
which was the fulfilment of a personal fantasy of mine. I had always wondered
what it would be like to play in the big arena. Of course, David has been there
over and over with the Counting Crows. My one time was when the Ophelias got to open for
Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was a "one off'" that left a huge impression
with me, starting with the sound check. Of course at that point the arena is
empty, so you get the sound through the P.A. reverberating through the empty
cavernous hall. We're sound checking the drums and I'm hearing them coming
through this gigantic P.A. system in this big empty area and - hammer of the
gods, Mick. That's what it sounded like to me - HAMMER OF THE GODS!!! I didn't want to finish the sound check. But,
of course, all good things must end and we're back in our dressing room waiting to go on. As it
happens, the dressing room we were assigned to was actually a racketball
court. They had a bunch of tables set up on one side, with food and drinks on
them, and a number of rolling office chairs for us to sit on. So, naturally,
being a rock band, we had rolling chair races up and down the racketball
court. Then it was time to go on. That was a moment unto itself, leaving the
dressing room, going through a couple of hallways and into the darkened arena.
We are confronted by a large long black ramp, leading up to a large black
curtain that cordoned off the stage from the backstage area. We proceed up the
ramp and through the curtain. That's when the buzz hits you; the murmur of the
crowd anticipating the start. You don't see them, just the hundreds of small
flames from people sparking up. From the stage you could only see about three
rows deep out on the floor in front of the stage. But, you could feel them all.
It was so exciting. Then we were announced and playing; a total out of body
experience. Then the lump in your throat comes when you finish the first song,
and there's that eternity from the finish of the song until you hear the
audience applaud. Because, you don't know. Are they going to like us? That
silence in between is deafening and goes on forever. It's only seconds, but
seems a lifetime. Then the thousands applaud and you're suddenly in the zone
and ready for more.”
The Big O
The next album was scheduled by Rough Trade for a Spring
1989 release, so by the end of Autumn 1988 the band began busying themselves
toward that end. The contract stipulated
a recording budget of $10,000.
Leslie: “The original hope was to record The Big O at Mobius
24-Track Studio in San Francisco with Oliver diCicco engineering. Mobius was
easily the best studio I have ever set foot in, let alone recorded in, and
Oliver the highest flight engineer. The sonic tones on the one track we
completed at Mobius are the richest of any Ophelias recording.
This is how it happened: DiCicco had approached me after a
show in San Francisco and invited me to come by and discuss doing our next
album with him. He had all our previous records, really liked us and apparently
had been observing and contemplating us for a while. I had no idea what Oliver
or Mobius was about until David and I went by…the place was amazing.
Immaculate. Light wood paneling that curved everywhere for proper acoustics. It
was obvious Oliver was intelligent and a real professional. After we talked he
went to Rough Trade and struck a deal for one eight hour session, offering
Rough Trade a discounted fee. He'd see how he liked working with us and vice
versa. I believe he chose "Pretty Green Ice Box Eyes" as a song he
liked and one which would show off his studio and engineering capabilities and
I think the results speak for themselves. He took the finished song to Rough
Trade and said "These are the type of results you can expect from me"
and he proposed a deal for an album. But Rough Trade couldn't or wouldn't meet
his price and negotiations went nowhere. I don't know what he was asking but
Rough Trade just wouldn't go there. They bought "Pretty Green Ice-Box
Eyes" but told us we had to find a less-expensive studio for the rest of
the album.
There is one other thing I would mention as part of this
episode: It seems to me quite possible that Oliver diCicco may have become a
mentor to me, one that could perhaps have had positive impact on our career.
I'm sure I needed a steadying influence, someone with clout and experience who
saw the big picture. My sense is that he
was someone I would have listened to, respected and understood the wisdom of an
opinion he expressed even when it diverged from my own. I never had a Tony
Visconti or a Tony Stratton-Smith, and The Ophelias no doubt could have
benefited enormously from such a guide. I was always just winging it, steering
instinctively, and in retrospect I know I directed us into some traps, traps we
might have avoided with the help of the right fifth person.”
So the band went back to David Bryson's 16-track Dancing Dog
Studios in Emeryville where they had done half of the first album and The Night
of Halloween EP. The place had been upgraded since they were there in 1986 and
1987 and Bryson was always easy to work with and increasingly accomplished.
Furthermore he was sometimes running their live sound at club dates in San
Francisco, so he had a good handle on The Ophelias.
Leslie: “Dancing Dog was in an industrial warehouse and many
of the surrounding units were unoccupied. We conducted several photo sessions
in the building while we were recording there. The album cover and the music do
all seem of a piece to me. Again, I felt that the drum and bass tracking took
up too much of our budget but I was at least partly to blame for this because I
brought in several new songs we hadn't played live. This meant Edward and Terry
were still learning them as the sessions began. I thought we might get fresh
and fired-up exuberance but in reality this was not playing to their strengths.
And of course, the more time spent on the rhythm section the less time remained
for all other tracking. In the end we did not complete all the songs we started
for The Big O, and we ended up using Polymorph 8-track for “Panurge” to extend
our budget. We did not complete some excellent originals, whereas we completed
a few covers, which perhaps had less gravitas being less complex and somewhat
“easier”. This may have made the album less theatrically whole than it might
have been. However, The Big O includes “Holy Glow”, “Glory Hog”, “Pretty Green
Ice-Box Eyes”, and “Strange New Glasses”, all of which I count among our best
work.”
David: “I have so many mixed feelings about The Big O. We
got a good deal from pal David Bryson, (my current bandmate in Counting Crows!)
at his 16 track Dancing Dog Studios, again, in industrial Emeryville. As
previously mentioned, we had a big chunk of it already done at my studio, and I
love those tunes. But in the final
thrust to finish, so many excellent tunes weren’t even attempted, others were
left on the cutting room floor, only to be replaced by some, in my opinion, sub
par material that Leslie, who I regard as a genius songwriter, didn’t even pen,
but insisted we do. Very unsatisfying for me, and yet it does, in fact, house
my single favourite Ophelias recording - “Glory Hog” (dig those fucking amazing
lyrics!!), but even that was only on the CD and not on the vinyl. I’m
remembering Leslie, and all of us, to be fair, was by this time super frustrated
at a lack of recognition and god knows, we were all broke. I can’t crawl into
Leslie’s mind about this but I reckon he thought that the “classic” Ophelias
aesthetic was proving to “not pay off”, and he had to make what he thought was
a pop record. So he became insistent and insufferable about what was going on
the album. Tensions flared. I mean, I coulda done without “Leah Hirsig” and
“She”, and would love to have had “Sleepy Hamlet” which was in the can and “The
Golden Calf Played Rock ‘n’ Roll” which was recorded but not used. An excellent
Hammill-esque piece “The Hanged Man”, remained only partially recorded. So I
can’t help but feel the album was only a shadow of what it could have been,
despite some really excellent material on there, “Holy Glow” another standout
in my book. The album came out with minimal push from a now disinterested and failing label, and definitely didn’t get us where we needed to go…c’mon, we’ve heard
this tale a thousand times! We immediately started talking about another album,
but Rough Trade flagged shortly after that, and we found ourselves without a
record contract, and shrinking prospects.
Still, we soldiered on, playing our gigs and holding
court at our adopted headquarters in SF - Zeitgeist, a biker bar a couple
blocks from our rehearsal space, where we were treated well and copious pints
were consumed as the band fell into even greater Dostoevskian nihilism.Heh-heh.”
Martina, Medford and Sabrina
Edward: “On the
subject of recording The Big O, I don't have a lot to say. It was a fairly
sterile undertaking for me. The approach was different on this album, with
everything being done to a click track and everyone recording their parts
separately. I know this is a fairly common method of recording. Engineers and
producers love it, as you get a really
clean recording that way. I think you lose something, though, when the band
isn't playing together as a band. There are some good points to recording this
way. When recording in unison, if you make a mistake, you live with it. When
recording alone, you can go over a passage in a song as many times as necessary
to get it right. It was pretty weird though, going in everyday not
knowing what had been previously recorded by whichever bandmates had been in
earlier to do their parts. I was given five hours a night for two weeks to
record all my parts. I would go into the room by myself, where the drums were
set up and mic'd. I sit down at the kit and put the headphones on. I get the
click track through one ear piece and what bits and been recorded by my bandmates
during their sessions. It's pretty strange having skeletal versions of songs
played for you to fit your parts too. I'm sure a lot of folks like doing it
this way, but for me, I miss the inspiration of playing with my bandmates.”
Released in March 1988, vinyl copies of The Big O were
packaged in a die-cut, round album jacket, the last occurrence of this before
the music industry stopped manufacturing vinyl albums in 1990. Additionally,
and independently of Rough Trade, in May they created a short (1 minute, 39 seconds), comical, black and
white video of the 1968 Skip Spence song "Lawrence Of Euphoria" - a
kind of tag-on track which had closed the album. The video received multiple
airplays on MTV in 1989 and The Big O was reviewed positively on MTV's Alternative
Programme.
The Hard Report (New Jersey) once again trumpeted The
Ophelias virtues and proclaimed The Big O pick-of-the-month for March 1989.
Dawn Hood wrote, "Out of the sky comes a third rollicking effort by San
Francisco's retro-rompers. This is sheer psychedelic entertainment, enhanced by
witty song styles and erratic vocals that follow in the shadow of Zappa. The
Big O is in your face from the opening note, and keeps on truckin' as dubious
arrangements find themselves changing shape like a lava lamp. The Big O is not
only the best bloomin' disc The Ophelias have conjured up to date, but it tugs
you in new directions by reworking music of the past."
Nils Berstein of OPTION Music Alternatives magazine (Los
Angeles) wrote, "This immensely original and entertaining San Francisco
quartet are based in solid rock'n'roll – beefy acoustic and electric guitars
and heavy beats – but where they go from there is anyone's guess. Their oddly
powerful and incredibly diverse music incorporates trumpets, harmonica, and
pedal steelin a sound that can alternate from raunchy to sweet in seconds. The
only musical comparison that pops up with any consistency is T-Rex; after that
compare them to the Zombies, Queen, XTC and everyone in between. Let's just say
The Ophelias have no influences. The impressively literate lyrics are
enticingly psychedelic, though in a mystical/magical sense rather than acid and
flower power. The Ophelias conjure up intense imagery and sing with infectious
confidence and celebration."
David Fricke of
Rolling Stone wrote, "In the Sixties, psychedelia wasn't just a sound; it
was a state of mind. The biggest drag about Eighties psychedelia is that for
every dozen bands that talk about blowing minds (reciting the proper
influences, trotting out the hip covers), there are really only one or two that
can blow anything other than hot air. The Ophelias, from (where else?) San
Francisco, belong to that delightfully manic minority. Their fourth release,
The Big O is a potent tab of futurist acid pop, with a jagged ensemble
intensity that sounds like vintage English freakbeat,early Pink Floyd, a
pithier Van der Graaf Generator, laced with postpunk menace. Leslie Medford's
occasional trumpet adds a spooky Renaissance gentility."
Musician Scott McCaughey (REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Young Fresh
Fellows, Minus 5) wrote this review published in The Rocket, (Seattle) May
1989. "The Ophelias have some vague 1960's love-roots, but they are so
weird that any related attempt of reference doesn't even apply. The new album
is The Big O. Leslie Medford's songs are structurally and lyrically all over
the place, consistently fascinating and his singing is like no one else ever.
The band is instrumentally superb, with Medford's rhythm and David Immergluck's
lead guitaring always impressively original and trailblazing and the odd
assortment of other noisemakers at Medford's command make for some wild
juxtapositions of mood and colour. Each song is like three or four. You wonder,
are these people just really smart or plain out of their heads? Dang cool,
whatever it is!"
Edward: “Somewhere along the line somebody got wind of the fact
that Rolling Stone Magazine had made mention of The Ophelias. I wouldn't have
guessed that they knew who we were. One of my two brothers came up with the
issue. It had the actor Michael Keaton on the cover, as he had just played the
role of Batman in a movie that was out at the time. It was a pleasant surprise,
especially since they only had nice things to say about us, although I wonder
at the take that we were a "psychedelic" rock band. But, you know, Mick, I've
lost track of the number of different labels put on The Ophelias music. The Rolling
Stones had it right: I know, it's only rock n roll, but I like it. Rock music.
Period.
The promo shot for Lawrence of Euphoria, the band's
"subversive" MTV video.
Then there was the
video. The day of the shoot was probably the drunkest day of my life, again.
There were only five times in my life
when I got drunk; two of them with this band. Go figure. Actually, Mick, it was
kinda' unavoidable. The video we made involved drinking lots of beer. On behalf
of authenticity, we did not substitute water for beer. This allowed for great
geysers of foam shooting up in air as mugs came together. Plus, it allowed for
the girls to be a little less inhibited during the shoot. All three of the
women were in their marvelous frilly underwear. That was a lot of fun, the only
drawback being that it wasn't one our songs, but a cover tune. Still, seeing
your band on MTV is a blast!”
On Benton’s Departure and Lucchesi’s Arrival
Despite rave reviews and well attended concerts, finances
remained a constant problem for the band.
Leslie:” It was unfortunate that none of us could ever stop
working day jobs, and taking time off to record or tour always meant making
complex arrangements with employers. It often meant quitting a job and seeking
a new place a month later or whatever. I worked as a courier, filing papers for
attorneys using my own car, so I could take time off as necessary and jump back
in. But Edward was a welder/electrician and he had special classification to
work on Navy ships because he had served in the Navy. It was a real job with a
good hourly wage, tough work but with union or Navy benefits. And the Navy
hired people to work on a docked vessel with a strict timetable. He would work
on one ship for a couple of months and then wait a few weeks until another ship
came in for maintenance. He also had a son who was very small, three and four
at that time. He had always managed to record and tour with us but in May of
1989 he felt he could not get out of working on one particular ship to which he
had been assigned.”
Edward: “The day came when I had to say good bye to the
band. That's when I had to take custody of my son from my ex wife. My choice
was clear, but I delayed telling the band for two weeks. I agonized over
the matter, praying for a way out, knowing there was none. Finally, I bit the
bullet and made the call to Leslie. As it turned out, I only had my son
temporarily at that time, three months only. But, the band had moved on. I did
do another album with a different band I had played with off and on over the
years. That was a hard rock outfit called Changeling. We managed one self
produced album called The Crashing Wave, which didn't do much. That was fun
band for me to play in, as it was hard rock and I really got to thunder at
will.
John Bonham wrote the book on rock drumming; end of story. All educated
people agree on this. That's just a corny cliché to amuse myself, but there is
plenty of recorded evidence to back my claim. All drummers who came after John
Bonham drew from his musical rhythmic inventiveness, whether they knew it or
not. Those who came immediately after, say 10-15 years later, drew directly
from J.B. Those who came to their drums even later than that drew their
influences from the first batch. At any rate it's all traceable back to the man
himself. Listen to what came before Zep and the drumming is fairly bland in
comparison. That guy created so many rhythms, feels, techniques and just a
musical approach that taught all of us drummers how. From him I learned how a
single beat, properly placed and accentuated can have immense power. Most of us
can't do that. It's a feel thing that he had and the rest of us covet. John
Bonham is clearly my all time favorite drummer, but.... in the post Zep years
another British drummer has taken hold of my ears. His name is Simon Phillips.
Simon
is probably the best all around drummer I've ever heard. The man is proficient
in both jazz and rock drumming, as well as other stuff he's done. His
discography is a who's who list covering both genres of music. I first saw this
guy back in October of 1980 on Jeff Beck's There and Back tour. Simon was 23
years old at the time. This last December I saw him here in Vegas drumming as
part of the Hiromi Trio. He was here again two months ago playing with Toto.
The guy's my age and still kickin' ass. Simon not only can play in any musical
style, but add to it musically, has the best technique going including true
four limb independence (maybe a quarter of one percent of all drummers on
planet Earth have that), as well as the best drum sound going.
Edward reunites with David backstage before the
Counting Crows' show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, July 2018. Photo by Matt Benton
After all this, I
took permanent custody of my son and moved to Las Vegas. I looked around
initially at the rock and roll landscape here and found nothing. Not being able
to shake the music, and to a larger degree, the performance bug, I looked for other
opportunities. I ended up in a church choir at
the church my dad was attending. Three of the members of that choir were
in the local opera company here. They encouraged me to join, and being just
that crazy, I did. It was not something I had ever thought to do, but what a
blast. Large stages in beautiful venues, and large crowds, while we are all in
ornate costuming singing mostly Italian, with large orchestras down front. It
was so cool. I did that for ten years here, until I had a money dispute with the
company manager. My son got to do it with me, which made it doubly cool. We
were also doing musical theatre with another company here. Basically, I raised
my kid on stage from nine years old on up. We also did stuff with the SAG
conservatory here, and a dance company for a couple of years.
Then my son grew
up and went off to college. At that point I quit all of the theatre stuff.
Now, I am just singing with a local gospel group. My son has since moved back
to this area and is singing by my side once more. All is well.”
Lucchesi, Immergluck, Medford, von Blankers -
the last line-up
Leslie: “We had a
West Coast tour set up, which, believe me, took a lot of doing. At this point
we were rehearsing at Jackson Street Studios in Oakland. The fellow who ran the
place was our age and a drummer, Alain Lucchesi. He probably overheard Terry
and I discussing our problem because there was this plush little bar area where
musicians would hang out, you know, before and after their rehearsal slots. I
met Duane Allman there…but, alas, not Cher. I digress. So Alain says,
"Hey, I'll drum for you guys." We had never heard him play but knew
he had his own little studio there where he kept his drum kit set up and it was
a large kit, not quite Carl Palmer but in that vicinity. We knew he was a fan
of Rush, not one of my favourites but they had an excellent drummer. The tour
was only a week away when Edward said he couldn't do it. Alain claimed he had a
mental technique whereby he could learn drum parts quickly and accurately, and
this did prove to be the case. His mother was a percussionist in the San
Francisco Symphony, so he had been around all this stuff his entire life. We
gave him the set list, some cassettes and The Big O CD and a few days later we
played with him for the first time, and a few days after that we headed out
with him as our drummer. It was exhilarating to play with someone of his skill
and heaviness, he was a big, strong chappie. But it was gut-wrenching to leave
Edward behind. I loved that guy. Sweet, committed, good humoured, funny. Edward
remains very dear to me.”
David: “Probably in a
belt-tightening move, we shifted rehearsal spaces to a large multi unit
warehouse in Oakland called Jackson Street Studios. This was run by an excellent, large and affable rocker dude named Alain Lucchesi, who’s mother had apparently
been a famous percussion educator. Alain also played drums. The band was hanging
by a thread at this point, both financially and spiritually but somehow a run
of shows up the West Coast to promote The Big O presented itself seemingly out
of thin air, taking us back up to Seattle, and maybe even Vancouver again. Ed
had to choose between us and a job that actually paid, he had a kid and bowed
out at the 11th hour. It looked like the
tour was gonna fall apart but Al, who was a bemused fan, and a “can do” cat,
stepped in and saved the day, offering his drum services and jumping in the van
with us up the coast after I believe only one rehearsal. He killed it. A very fearless and muscular drummer, he gave us
a much-needed kick in the ass, and the collective band spirit rose again.
Al was “in” full
time at that point and pretty soon we were recording
again, without a label or contract, this time at Al’s ADAT studio. The new tunes rocked harder
but maintained The Ophelias “mystique”. I was definitely stoked again. I
believe we recorded four new tunes: “Anywhere You Look” (found now on “Bare
Bodkin”), a great post-punker “Capitol”, my favorite “Blood On The Moon” and
one other whose title escapes me…we started playing some of these live
immediately. Unfortunately the master tapes of these recordings were destroyed in a fire at Alain's family home and all that remain are the rough mixes on cassette in
Leslie’s possession…damn tragic!”
Lucchesi would remain in The Ophelias until the end, which
was only a few months away. They were home again by the end of May, and at the
start of June played a show for the staff and friends of Rough Trade Records in
San Francisco. Later that month the band completed their last studio
recordings, though this time not in a professional studio but in the rehearsal
space at Jackson Street Studios. Lucchesi owned a DAT cassette recorder, which
was employed for the exercise. Four songs they had recently added to their live
set – "Everywhere You Look", "Pretty Girl", "Capitol",
and "Blood On The Moon" – were
recorded. These tracks were never released, but along with four other
unfinished extras from The Big O sessions – "Thanks For This Shade",
"Sleepy Hamlet", "The Golden Calf Played Rock 'n' Roll",
and "The Hanged Man" – they were already contemplating the track
listing of the next Rough Trade album.
On the 1st July The Ophelias played at the Berkeley Square
on University Avenue, and on the 25th at the Kennel Klub on Divisadero in San
Francisco. The Ophelias last ever performance was the 5th August 1989 at
Nightbreak, the trendy Haight Street club less than a mile from where it began
at the G-Spot Rehearsal Studio on Frederick in October 1984.
The Ophelias had no idea it was their last performance. It
was later in August that Medford was informed that Rough Trade would not be
picking up its option for a third album. This was a surprise, but the final
straw was Immerglück's announcement that he would be touring as an auxiliary
member of Camper Van Beethoven who had just had a breakout hit single, their
cover of the 1968 Status Quo hit "Pictures Of Matchstick Men". He was to join them on their US and European
tours which were to stretch from the Autumn of 1989 into 1990. In fact,
Immerglück was with them in April 1990 when Camper Van Beethoven broke up after
a show in Örebro, Sweden.
David: “I was burning at both ends, working crazy hours in
the studio, I was working out of both Polymorph and Dancing Dog by now,
constantly playing gigs with several bands, picking up shifts at my local
record store but still broke. Suddenly I got a call from David Lowery and an
offer I couldn’t refuse to join up with Camper Van Beethoven, tour nationally
and eventually internationally and actually get paid as well. I can’t remember
but maybe I had to cancel some upcoming Ophelias gigs because of this and
Leslie must’ve seen the writing on the wall. I was truly sad about the disolution of The Ophelias but something definitely had to give…”
More than the Rough Trade situation, which could have been
surmounted by pursuing a contract with another label, Immerglück's choice to
commit to Camper Van Beethoven meant that The Ophelias would likely become a
side project for Immerglück were the other three to wait for his return.
Immerglück had already been playing in Monks Of Doom as a side project, but his
primary focus had clearly been The Ophelias. However, Monks Of Doom was not
only the side project of one member of The Ophelias, it was the side project of
three members of Camper Van Beethoven. Immerglück has stated he did not want to
break up (or leave) The Ophelias. However, Medford decided that without
Immerglück as a constant and fully commited partner it was time to move on. He
met with von Blankers in early September and drew down the curtain on The
Ophelias.
Immerglück is the band's best-known alumnus having continued
in Monks Of Doom and gone on to membership in Counting Crows, John Hiatt,
Camper van Beethoven, Cracker, and others, as well as doing much session work,
studio production and music engineering with a variety of notables.
David: “I am SO proud of my time with The Ophelias and
happily consider myself a life long card carrying member, cherishing my time in
that band now more than ever. I was
truly lucky to find myself in a situation of such high calibre so early on in
my in my bizarre trajectory. I‘ve been blessed with a shockingly long and
fruitful career, and even more so, I’ve had the insanely good fortune to work
with top shelf people the entire time. Adam Duritz (34 years and counting),
David Lowery, my mates in Monks Of Doom, John Hiatt…may the list continue to grow. But let’s not forget or underestimate Leslie Medford! The
quality of his songwriting and vision speaks for itself. He’s just a flat out
genius and the stuff we did together really holds up and tickles me no end!
Yes, The Ophelias as a band had some trying times but I
only look back with extreme fondness and pride. I’m so happy to have
reconnected with Leslie. We fell horribly out of touch for a long time and
we’re working hard to rectify the band’s and Leslie’s criminally overlooked
profile in the current bizarre era we find ourselves in.”
Musical Comparisons Drawn by the Press and Medford’s Musical Influence
Two bands cited by reviewers many times – but that Medford claims were not influences are Frank Zappa and the Incredible String Band. Multiple reviewers heard similarities between Medford's voice and that of Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, as well as noting a general similarity to the Scottish group in the Ophelias songs which employed Renaissance stylings such as "Nocturnal Blonde" and "Pretty Green Ice-Box Eyes."
Leslie: "It was the Irish DJ Billy Jam who finally convinced me to seek out the Incredible String Band records. I mean, I was a huge Bert Jansch fan and had all his solo records, all the Pentangle records. I had a large British Isles Folk collection, June Tabor, Martin Carthy, Steeleye and Fairport, on and on…Jean Redpath for chrissakes! Love 'em all. But somehow I hadn't got the Incredibles in my collection
So I bought the records and now I hear what Billy and many others were hearing, because there are similarities, and I like the comparison. But the similarities are coincidental because I had never listened to them. Now the Frank Zappa comparisons are less welcome. I recognize Zappa is a top flight musician, and I had heard a few of his records as a kid, like Overnight Sensations. But I didn't care for it, particularly his sense of humor which makes up so much of his whole schtick. I just wasn't amused, I was repelled. There may be commonalities: I use a deep voice sometimes, and certain Ophelias songs are weird and wild and tongue in cheek and subversive. I deny the influence, never owned any Zappa records, but as a comparison it was mentioned multiple times so what can I say? I just don't know his work that well, I guess, so I should probably shut up and study the 60s Mothers Of Invention records and see what those are all about. But from what I know I just don't feel a similarity of motive at all. All the other groups that were name-checked with regularity I know and love, so they are among my influences and I feel most of them are legitimate comparisons as to how The Ophelias sound in one song or another. Or that a phrase or moment in a song could remind a listener of one of these bands. Syd Barrett, the Kinks, Beatles, Who, Donovan, Bowie, Bolan of course, Zeppelin, Queen, Soft Boys and Hitchcock…that's the usual list, right? Who am I missing? Oh Peter Hammill, my great favourite, but not someone I would expect many people to hear in The Ophelias, though quite a few did. Am I not correct in thinking that quite a bit of Ophelias music doesn't sound like any of these?"
After the breakup of The Ophelias Medford formed two bands
concurrently: the hard rock band
HighHorse with Alain Lucchesi from the last Ophelias line up and James Juhn, (who had sat in with The Ophelias at the I-Beam show
after Babbitt’s departure) and
The Heaven Insects, a folk-rock duo with his then girlfriend Elena Powell on
violin and viola. Both bands recorded demos but were short-lived, both ceasing
operations in 1991. Among the live engagements The Heaven Insects played in
1990 were support slots preceding The Replacements, Happy Mondays, Pixies, and
Love And Rockets, all at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium. When Powell and
Medford split late in the year Powell was replaced by violinist Steven Lanza.
This duo recorded several demos as well but never played live. Medford also
fronted the well-received Doors tribute act The Perceivers in 1991. Formerly known as Doors Hotel and touring out of their home base of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Medford was a last-second replacement for the band's regular Morrison who had broken a leg and could not participate in a Canadian and West Coast tour concurrent with the 20th anniversary of Morrison's death in July 1971. Medford suggested they rechristen themselves The Perceivers after Huxley's "Doors of Perception." The Ophelias YouTube Channel features video of The Perceivers, HighHorse, The Heaven Insects, and other recordings from Medford's past. Medford
retired from music in 1992.
In 1992 Terry von Blankers reunited with his old Ophelias bandmate Sam Babbitt in Sideways along with Camper Van Beethoven's Jonathan Segel, songwriter Bob Fagan and ExCatheads drummer John Stuart. They recorded some demos and a radio session for KZSU before calling it a day.
Leslie: “I have written many, to my mind anyway, excellent
songs which never saw the light of day, and only currently exist as bedroom
demos or perhaps on a live performance cassette. A longer career and they might have been
released in proper form. Of course, who knows what else I might have written
but I'd venture to say I've got 50-60 completed songs worthy of the Immerglück
treatment!
I moved from Oakland to Arcata in Humboldt County in 1993
which is six-seven hours north of San Francisco by automobile. I'm not a city
person, so this was a good move since I wanted to raise my new-born daughter, in
a rural environment and I couldn't afford or get L.C.’s mom to immigrate back
to the land of my birth. I boxed up my music memorabilia, live performance
cassettes, photographs, et cetera and stored them away. Music remained paramount to my day-to-day but I didn't really follow the new pop
music. I kept listening to the Classical, Prog, Folk and Rock music I always
had, the things which had always excited me about music in the first place.
Through the Nineties and beyond, occasionally new rock music broke through to
me like Black Crowes, Pothead, Anekdoten, PJ Harvey, White Stripes, Fu Manchu,
Low Flying Owls. I continued to follow the music of my favorite contemporaries
such as Frank Black, Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Grant Lee Buffalo-Phillips, The Church, Michael Gira-Jarboe-Angels Of Light, as well as new music by the great old
hands like Peter Hammill, Roy Harper, Bert Jansch, David Bowie and Robert Plant.
But I hardly ever went to see these, or any other artists in
concert. I have lived in a series of remote places. As I look at this group of
artists I just listed, I only ever saw Hammill, Jansch, Frank Black, Lanegan,
once each after 1993. I saw The Church twice. (I had had personal encounters
with each of these artists pre-'93, though that is not at all why I attended.)
I saw Low Flying Owls more than a dozen times because they were a truly great
live psychedelic band who were local to me at the time. Regardless, I continue
to listen and love my ever-expanding collection of records and CDs to this day.
So I packed away my Ophelias memorabilia and I rarely
listened to my old music. I also didn't stay in touch with any of the people of
that era. I thought often and fondly of them but it has been a fault of mine
that I have generally drifted away from past friends simply through laziness
and physical distance. And I also have never been a tech-embracer. I was last
to get a cd player, a computer, a cell phone, to see YouTube, join Facebook...
The change in the culture, the fact that one couldn't operate without these
things, was what brought each of these into my life, not any desire to be part
of the zeitgeist. I never was, and I'm not now. I still don’t use mp3 files or
earbuds or stream or any of that. Twitter? Give me a break!
However, in early 2016 I decided I should break out those
old cassettes of bedroom recordings, band rehearsals and live performances and
have a listen. There were around 250 cassettes I hadn't listened to for 25
years. My old cassette deck had given up the ghost so I bought a refurbished
TEAC cassette player and got down to business, cataloguing as I went. One thing
led to another...the cassettes led to the photographs, the photos to the
posters, the posters to the magazines, the magazines to the address book with
all my friends and contacts written there. I spent days and days listening and
culling the music, converting the good stuff to compact disc and culling it
down some more.
In late 2016 I approached a longhaired fellow in my local
library, a librarian
Carl Salbacka who had helped me on the computers there a few times.
Though I had only had a few very brief encounters with him he seemed an
interesting and tech-savvy character, so that day I asked him if he had any
experience posting YouTube videos. I explained I had been in a band in the 80's
and wanted to get help in this regard, blah, blah, blah. He said he knew how to
do it, and didn't say "no", but the blank look on his face told me he
wasn't immediately taken by the idea of being involved with this old
pony-tailed geezer wearing a cowboy hat. Ha! Regardless, I told him I'd bring
him a CD of the music and if he wasn't enthusiastic so be it. The following
week - I only go there on Thursdays because of my schedule – I gave him two CDRs
of Ophelias music, with lyrics and a couple of press clippings, trying to make
a good impression. The next Thursday I went in expecting "Uh, no, I
haven't listened to them yet." Instead he came right up to me, smiling,
and said how we sounded like a very stoned Fairport Convention meets Syd
Barrett's Pink Floyd via Zeppelin, and several other fairly apt if equally
overly complimentary comparisons to bands I never thought he would be familiar
with but were certainly bands I like. "More people should hear this stuff.
Yes, I'm game for helping you on this." he said.
The Ophelias' Latter-Day Saint, Carl Salbacka.
So as it happens we have been meeting most Mondays for
four-five hours a go, putting these YouTube videos together. And, it is my
total good luck that he is a wizard at this type of audio-visual editing. I could never
have imagined my good fortune in partnering up with Carl Salbacka. He’s a
musician himself as well as being knowledgable in a lot of areas including rock
music, film and obviously video editing. And here we are a year and a half later – Bare
Bodkin was released on Shakespeare Day, 23 April 2017 – and we continue to make
these things. David Immerglück, Edward Benton, Alain Lucchesi in particular
have been very keen indeed about Bare Bodkin and the other releases. That alone
has made it all worth it!
With Bare Bodkin as my "neo-icebreaker" I joined Facebook to track down old friends
and, with or without Facebook, I have made inroads on contacting not only The
Ophelias inner circle but friends from my boyhood, university years, and
post-Oaf period as well. 2017 has been a special year as a result.
Leslie and Edward reunited 2018
The fact that The Ophelias didn't get the exposure and
recognition the band deserved either then or after the fact has rankled me for
years - probably not a surprise - but I just put those feelings aside and
didn't dwell on the short shrift. It certainly gives me satisfaction to be
bringing The Ophelias back into the light again, and anything that can be done
to burnish our legacy in any way is tremendously appreciated!”
Final thoughts...
Leslie: “I have so many fun memories that make me smile and
laugh about the other members of the band and how much silliness we got up to
together. I think we each had a good sense of humor and we were good at
tickling one another, keeping things light with absurdist humor, double
entendres and over-the-top impersonations and whatnot. I have great
memories about the shenanigans we got up to in the studio or in rehearsal.
And of course we had great times on the road. Though The Ophelias had our share
of personnel changes, each new combination brought something fresh to the
party. We were definitely never a collection of sulkers.
I would say looking
back, that Rough Trade supported The Ophelias in the normal way a struggling
independent record company supports a signee. We benefited from the association
in that we could not, on our own, afford to record or manufacture product or
promote the product effectively throughout the country. But it was a
disappointment to me that Rough Trade did not release the albums in the UK and
European markets where many, including myself, thought the band would be
particularly well received, and where Rough Trade was organizationally
strongest.”
Unbeknownst to The Ophelias at the time was the fact that
the label was well overextended financially during the period of their
contract, and in consequence was unable to provide competitive budgetary
support compared with more financially sound independent labels. Rough Trade's eventual bankruptcy in 1991
illustrates how their financial crisis negatively affected their ability to
provide the full financial support The Ophelias expected and probably deserved.
Indeed, Rough Trade dropped all their American signees in 1989, including The
Ophelias, as they prepared themselves for receivership.
Since Rough Trade did not exercise their right to a third
album for which they were contractually obligated to advance $15,000, and
instead terminated the contract in September 1989, all rights to The Ophelias
music and master tapes reverted to Medford by November 1991. During those two
years Rough Trade shipped all masters in their control to the UK, declared
bankruptcy, and misplaced The Ophelias masters, which have never been located
or returned to Medford.
It is both convenient and accurate to divide The Ophelias
career into three periods corresponding to the band's three guitarists. The
uniqueness of each period is most apparent when listening to the live
performances of each, wherein the guitarist is comparatively naked. Immerglück
is obviously and by far the most complete guitarist, a soloist and colourist of
superb talent. Babbitt also has great soul, his playing often surprising in its
depth of feeling. He is a messier, less virtuosic guitarist than Immergluck,
but the earthy, lo-fi, no bullshit essence of his work in The Ophelias prove him to be a legitimate heir to the Keith Richards thing, and not just another poser
within that almost always pathetic discipleship. Dion isn't in the same class with either of
these – in fact he is not as adept a guitarist as Medford – but that is not to
say he was unable to sometimes rise to the occasion.
The charismatic advent of The Ophelias was due to the
authenticity and talent of its entire original line-up. Then, during the Dion
year, the band's live sound suffered without the essential coloration
specialist to match wits with Medford's unique artistic designs. When
Immerglück joined, it allowed The Ophelias to not merely recapture the original
charm and spark, his expertise helped realize Medford's vision as never before.
Despite a musical style at odds with other San Francisco Bay
Area bands and with the general worldwide musical trends of the mid and late
1980s, The Ophelias did achieve a degree of popularity in their home
metropolis. They played well over one
hundred performances in nightclubs or live on local college radio stations and
were the subject of several in-depth cover stories in local magazines. But the
band was never accepted as a viable draw by Bill Graham's organization, which
controlled the major arena and theatre shows in Northern California. Two
non-Bill Graham shows – headlining the Haight Street Fair in June of 1987, and
in support of Siouxsie & The Banshees at the ARCO Arena, Sacramento in 1988
– were the only occasions The Ophelias played before multiple thousands. They
met with their most enthusiastic response and sold the most records outside of
California and whether or not better national touring opportunities and
exposure to British and European audiences would have catapulted the band into
on going viability and financial security will never be known.
The multiform nature of their music made it
difficult to pigeon-hole or categorize The Ophelias during their tenure. In the mid and late Eighties came the hardening
of musical categories and territories and an end to the experimentalism which
so characterized the music of the 1960s and 1970s to which The Ophelias
obviously subscribed. Conservatism and contraction were rampant in the music
industry in the late 1980s as video took the baton from vinyl, and the
uncertainties of the digital metamorphosis loomed. In this environment they
were perceived as increasingly quirky and bizarre compared to the mainstream
and even the trends of the Alternative scene. Whereas The Ophelias were
embraced for their artful unusualness by underground audiences and university
radio – the Alternative market – the major record labels chose not to sign The
Ophelias for the same reasons.
The Ophelias are remembered as one of the best and most
eccentric bands of the 1980s by those lucky enough to have encountered their
music.
Leslie Medford's guide to Bare Bodkin.
The 15 tracks on Bare Bodkin are all studio recordings. All the LPs and the EP are represented by a total of 10 tracks, the other 5 songs being released here for the first time.
1…"Anywhere You Look" [Medford] First appearance: Bare Bodkin – 23 April 2017
This is from the Alain Luchessi Sessions, our last stand as regards studio work. June 1989. Leading into this 2-day mini-sesh was our last tour and first with Alain, during which we introduced a half-dozen new songs, "Anywhere You Look" being one of them. On the tour I improvised words the first night after the band learned it in the soundcheck...but it was such a powerful riff it took off right away...I mean David was soaring above me and EYE was eight miles high! I like the words (which I completed the next day using the cassette from the improv performance as starting point), I like the woodsy mood music, and I think the introduction of the whole/hole dare I say circular thing makes it an excellent opener. That main shot of the band is from our last Rough Trade In-Store performance.
So in several ways we are starting at the end, but that is in the middle of the circle, and this song, along with the next three, all "new", all rather short…I guess I use these four opening "new" songs to make a kind of personal statement about my feelings as to the prime aesthetic thrust of The Ophelias, musically, lyrically, visually...an extended prologue and set-up for the perhaps more-familiar numbers 5-14, all previously released...but now with visuals. "Shallows", song 15, is also "new" and was fashioned as Epilogue. Importantly, whether a seasoned Ophelias-listener or first-timer, I believe in Bare Bodkin you have that aforementioned best foot forward compilation from us, as well as one which is career-spanning. And there you have it.
But there's more…
2..."The Golden Calf Played Rock And Roll" [Medford] First appearance: Bare Bodkin – 23 April 2017
My spin on Jack Orion. I've thought about providing a key to this collection of photos of some of my musical heroes. Should I? Nah, I'm sure you recognize them all! Truly, every one is dynamite…and golden! (Hmmm…sounds like Aleister. Ha!) This was recorded during the Big O sessions, January 1989, and is technically a cassette rough mix since it was considered unfinished. (A reinforcing guitar line under the chorus was planned. So was a follow-up album(!) and we knew we had some great ones almost finished.) But "as is" it has pleased me over the years and in my view "it is accomplished."
3…"Sleepy Hamlet" [Phillips/Clark/Medford] First appearance: Bare Bodkin – 23 April 2017
This was a present to The Ophelias from my great friends Jeffrey Clark and Grant-Lee Phillips. We three became acquainted during my solo period, 1982-84. Jeffrey and Grant were both in Torn Boys, an incredibly engaging band with a drum machine…said drum machine allowing them to play small venues like coffee houses just as I was doing. Torn Boys are certainly among my very favourite bands of the period. In 1984 Jeffrey and Grant moved to LA, eventually forming Shiva Burlesque, who put out two albums in the late 80s on which I play some trumpet as a guest. As David says above, we considered them part of our family, a similarly Art-driven outfit, likewise sailing against prevailing winds. Sometime in 1985 Jeffrey gave me a cassette with a home-demo version of "Sleepy Hamlet" which he and Grant said they wrote with me in mind. There likely was some cross-pollination but I was told Grant wrote the music and Jeffrey the lyric. The Ophelias recorded our version during The Big O sessions of January 1989, quite faithful to the demo, but with a bit of added instrumental material. After The Big O sessions had wrapped I went back into Dancing Dog for a few hours with David Bryson our engineer, so that we could get a perhaps final mix of this. Here it is…The Ophelias, rapt around a rich and apt song, and in top form.
4…"Thanks For This Shade" [Medford] First appearance: Bare Bodkin – 23 April 2017
This is a Medford-Immerglück-Polymorph creation on 8-track from early 1988, a day of fun with David, just by ourselves in Polymorph, with this marvellous thing as the result. Not only did David get a good vocal sound for the a cappella opening, but great tones throughout the cacophony as well, which features me on psilocybin, piano and percussion, and David on laughter and electric guitar of some persuasion. Of course, with this lyric, the song provides a great link to the subconscious world for the trajectory of Bare Bodkin. I really do love plants, particularly trees. My first baseball team wore green and were named The Oaks…of course!
Leslie: "My Pignose is far right...unfortunately stolen after this gig, along with my acoustic 12 string, electric Rickenbacher, trumpet, recorders and harmonicas. Lost five or six of 'em, all my cords, picks, straps, trumpet and guitar stands in suitcase. The one guitar they didn't get was my SG which I had taken with me."
5…"Holy Glow" [Medford] First appearance: The Big O – 1 March 1989
This is one of the songs I began to teach the band about a week before we entered Dancing Dog Studios in Emeryville for our third extended run with David Bryson as engineer. Therefore, like many songs at the time of recording, we had not played "Holy Glow" live on stage. I had a collection of songs from my past which were always simmering there, then one would suddenly thrust itself forward bubbling, "You need to do me!" I wrote this in the first blush of owning an electric guitar in 1981, yes, on my blood red 1963 SG, which I played through the biggest PigNose amplifier made, with one ten-inch speaker. The combination was mega-crunchy and I would play in my room at, well, fairly-decent volume. The road I lived on wasn't well-travelled…a residential byway…and activity during the day was negligible, and that's when I would play my electric. One day I was leaving the house and a teenage boy approached me on his bicycle and asked me if it was me who was playing "that Zeppelin song" on guitar. "I really like it. Yer great!" said he. He meant this.
6…"Strange New Glasses" [Medford] First appearance: The Big O – 1 March 1989
Another one from my back-cata-cauldron of tunes, this one from 1983 or 84. Part of this is really Kinks-ish, I think…my rhythm guitar, the general feel. Dynamic performances from everyone on this. Like David’s solo, mein gott! I apply this next statement to every song on Bare Bodkin: Please, allow me to say that I do think my lyrics are a cut above, and here is an example of which I'm proud.
7…"This Is My Advice To You" [Medford] First appearance: Oriental Head – 20 May 1988
Also produced in one day with David Immergluck at 8-track Polymorph. David is a fantastically good-humoured and easy-going fellow, and the number of skills and aptitudes he brings to any party is astonishing. Here he is Master Engineer. With its foggy melancholy and backwards piano this result reminds me of Robyn Hitchcock’s folksy side. The video features several photographs I took of my girl Virginia Wilcox, someone truly lovely who passed to the beyond many years ago now. Still missed. Alas!
8…"Overture To Anaconda" [Medford] First appearance: The Night Of Halloween – 9 September 1987
This rollicks and should be a standard by now. I don't know what's wrong! "Put the vocals out front like the Donovan singles, please," I suggested most diffidently and in honeyed tones!
. The Stanford Band should be playing this for sure! Fun fact: the party noise heard during the main break in the song is from a solo gig I played on New Years Eve, 1982. My girlfriend Barbara Brumm had charge of my little dictaphone recorder, which that night archived a very nice version of "Even As The Days Change" and one of "Synonym", both written that past summer. There's a well-done C'est la Vie by Greg Lake that gets wild applause, mostly from Barbara I fear. After 10:30 the crowd was getting super festive and loud, so I played "I'd Love To Change The World" by Ten Years After, Bryan Ferry's "Sign of the Times", Iggy's "The Passenger", "That's Entertainment" by the Jam, Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the Sex Pistols' "Submission". Things got all shook up! Barbara was at a table with Richard Boubelik and Archibald Meredith III, more good friends of mine. They played Liar's Dice. It was Richard's call. "Three sixes!", quoth he. And from this Crowleyist credentials are fashioned!
9…"Glory Hog" [Medford] First appearance: The Big O – 1 March 1989
Much tender loving care went into this recording, surely one of our finest moments. I wrote "Glory Hog" in 1983 and performed it live solo on acoustic several times…there is a way of doing it with it still totally rocking! But this is The Big O of The Big O, six minutes of the dream realized.
Dave Davies, Sovay and Leslie Medford 2018
10…"Wicked Annabella" [Ray Davies] First appearance: The Night Of Halloween – 9 September 1987
Everyone knows my cup runneth over with love for the music of Ray and Dave Davies. The Kinks were my first band. To me the Top 60s-rockTier is Dylan-Beatles-Kinks. Three equals. No one else rates so highly. Though Ray wrote this one, Dave (my fave Kink) sings it on the original, and "Wicked Annabella" went perfectly with the Halloween theme behind the EP. I've performed many, many Kinks covers over the years, "Strangers" and "Shangri la" among the great solo acoustic pieces I've had extended relations with. Moreover, both "I Need You" from 1964 and "The Hard Way" from 1976's Schoolboys In Disgrace were showstoppers for my dance band at university when I was a teen. Keith Dion delivers here, the keening siren scream of his solo just right on this occasion, and it's a combo of the first and second takes, if memory serves. (This is the only video where I decided to use multiple photographs of a line-up different from that which featured in the recording. Geoffrey plays the drums on the track, Edward is featured in the video. Of course, Edward rocked it cum laude live many's-the-time.)
11…"Pretty Green Icebox Eyes" [Medford] First appearance: The Big O – 1 March 1989
Written in 1983, home-demo'd on 4-track in 1984 and included on that year's BrowBeat cassette, here was a song destined to figure in The Ophelias' story in some key way - see comments above. There is a nice four-track recording of this with Elena Powell singing the “female” part, which I intend to put up on the youtube channel eventually. In late 1989 a DJ at KALX Radio (I’m sorry his name escapes me now) invited me to their studio to make a recording of it…me playing a 12-string and us both singing some clever words he had penned for a KALX fundraising effort…words which maintained the back and forth conversation of my version and quite a few of the rhymes. It was cute…and it was played all the time for a month!
12…"Apron Strings" [Medford] First appearance: Oriental Head – 20 May 1988
Written June 1987, here’s one that immediately entered the live performance repertoire beginning with the Dion-Benton line-up. But it found its wings only via Immergluck who understood what it needed and had the skill to make it happen, and this became a live fixture down the gigs to the very end. Often played as our last song of an evening, we would leave the stage after a barn-burning extended ending. Obviously, the song has personal meaning – and I use the video to flesh out that aspect of it to the max with photographs from Virginia and West Virginia, of my mother and her family.
13…"Mister Rabbit" [Traditional, arr.:Medford] First appearance: SF Unscene (compilation) – 15 September 1985
The track that put us on the map - and made us get our act together and replace absent drummer Reuben Chandler - here illustrated by photographs from our first ever show, augmented by others from the Sam Babbitt period. Friends in support, and we thank you! Also appearing throughout the video are photographs from the first ever Ophelias photoshoot, the only one ever with Reuben, shot in and around the garage of photographer (and old friend) John Malde's San Francisco house. Mark Zanadrea told me he tortured over which version of "Mister Rabbit" to use on the compilation, my solo 1984 4-track bedroom demo (the BrowBeat cassette version) or the Tom Mallon 8-track Ophelias version. Unbeknownst to me Sam had given Mark both versions. I had no part in the decision he made. The demo's pretty rockin' and I think I'm completely happy with his choice!
14…"Nocturnal Blonde" [Medford] First appearance: The Ophelias. – 25 March 1987
At university my Shakespeare classes were taught by professors who either had published critical work on the plays, or, in the case of the professor who played Prospero to my Ariel, was a professional Shakespearean stage actor on the side. Much daily reading and study was required, and I had at least three other concurrent classes with equal work loads. I learned my first year that reading along to a Shakespeare play while listening to a great recording of it, was the best way to have the language come alive and be easier to "decipher", as it were. The library had some booths with turntables and headphones for just such study. Somewhere along the line I acquired for my own ongoing edification the 4-LP Hamlet from 1964, directed by John Gielgud with Richard Burton as Hamlet and Julia Marsh as Ophelia. In March of 1985 following some whim, I determined to randomly drop the stereo needle onto Marsh singing her "snatches of old tunes" during her breakdown scenes, combining whatever she happened to be singing at that moment with a rehearsal recording of The Ophelias first line-up playing my 1983 composition "Nocturnal Blonde". So onto two tracks of my 4-track I put a band rehearsal performance, and on the other two tracks (for stereo, you know) I randomly dropped the needle at the moments I wasn’t singing and picked it up when I was. Everyone was gobsmacked by the result. With little, if any, editing, the random needle drops had miraculously added an entirely new dimension, adding gravitas and new meaning. Bit of Bill can do that for ya! So the addition of the lines from Hamlet made for "Shake-down Dub" being added to the title. (The band recording was made on Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March 1985 after a day of drinking Guinness and Irish Coffees with my Rose of Tralee, Lily-Lisa Kinnemon.) A year later when it was time to make the proper recording of the song at Dancing Dog I recreated the “needle drops“ exactly. It was fabulous that my then-girlfriend Martina Livingston was game to attempt it on stage. Obviously, the wind-blown performance at the Haight Street Fair took some guts. Martina performed it indoors atleast twice, including at The Ophelias first record-release party. Appreciated!
15…"Shallows" [Medford] First appearance: Bare Bodkin – 23 April 2017
This “epilogue” for Bare Bodkin is a combination of the main Night Of Halloween riff at half-speed, and the instrumental “magickal mystery tour” section from She from The Big O. Over this, a photo gallery unwinds of all The Ophelias line-ups in chronological order. The credits which follow are set to a tape loop of the sublime processional section from Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” one of my very favourite works of art, period. At least once, dear reader, I hope that you will watch Bare Bodkin from start to finish. And I superhope you enjoy it!
The Ophelias The
Ophelias. Strange Weekend Records – SWR
0004 1987
Palindrome
Clash Of The Titans
In America The Other Day
New Society
Mr. Rabbit
Southeast-Asian-American Blues
The Big (Myopian) Buck Boy Spins
Nocturnal Blonde
The Ophelias The
Night Of Halloween. Rough Trade – ROUGH US 28 1987
The Night Of Halloween
Overture To Anaconda
Wicked Annabella
The Ophelias
Oriental Head. Rough Trade ROUGH US 44 1988
Midsummernight's Scene
There's A Bell
Turn Into A Berry
Plaster Of Paris
Whirling Dervish
Love Is Teasing
I Will Die In Your Pocket
Stay With Me
Apron Strings
This Is My Advice To You
The Ophelias The
Big O. Rough Trade ROUGHUS055 1989
Buspass To Budapest
Strange New Glasses
Leah Hirsig
Pretty Green Ice-Box Eyes
I Dig Your Mind
Holy Glow
Panurge
She
Living Under
When Winter Comes
Glory Hog
The Ophelias Bare
Bodkin YouTube 2017
O List Live Bandcamp 2018
https://theopheliasofficial.bandcamp.com/album/o-list-the-ophelias-live
1.There's A Bell (version) 01:53
2.Whirling Dervish 03:17
3.[KZSU Ident] 00:56
4.Mr. Pixie 04:13
5.Panurge 02:22
6.She Shook Me Cold 02:49
7.The Hanged Man (IV) 04:30
8.Dead In The Water 06:21
9.Mr. Rabbit 04:58
10.Capitol 03:00
11.Apron Strings 06:16
12.Overture to Anaconda 02:09
13.Wicked Annabella 03:12
14.Palindrome 02:42
15.When Winter Comes 01:26
16.Anywhere You Look 02:43
17.Dreamer's Waltz 03:58
18.[applause] 01:53
19.Clash Of The Titans 03:57
The Most Rarified Slab of Ophes : FAD Magazine Holiday Issue
Flexi-disc.
POW Magazine CD. It has the studio version of
Wicked Annabella as well as the complete set from the show.
Other things
