45:
1 Black Roses/Me (Titan FF-1738) Oct 1967
The full story of this band has finally been revealed thanks to Lee Joseph's compilation Take The Brain Train To The Third Eye (LP & CD), annotated by Mike Stax. The theme of this recommended retrospective is the artists and releases in the hands of Bud Mathis, a boxer-turned-music-entrepreneur based on the Sunset Strip in the sixties.
Originally known as Garnerfield Sanitarium (line-up 'A') with an unusual double-drummer configuration, this local L.A. group were heard and picked up by Bud Mathis in 1966. Through him they acquired bassist Doug Lubahn but lost Wanda Watkins (who'd join another Mathis act The Joint Effort) and were rechristened The Brain Train (line-up 'B').
In late '66/early '67 they laid down Black Roses (written by Wolfgang Dios, a songwriter signed by Mathis) and Me. Mathis took these on the label trail and managed to get the group a contract with Elektra. At that point he was persuaded by Elektra to let Paul Rothchild take over as the group's manager. This triggered the band's final stage of metamorphosis into the venerated Clear Light - losing Robbie Robison and gaining Cliff DeYoung (vcls) and Ralph Schuckett (keyb'ds).
In September 1967 Clear Light's first 45 was released - She's Ready To Be Free / Black Roses (Elektra 45622). Bud Mathis had retained the rights to the Brain Train material, and as this wasn't going to be used, he leased out the original recordings to Titan, who put out the excellent and sought-after Brain Train 45 the following month.
Black Roses is very similar to the finished Elektra product, where Byrdsy-jangle confronts Yardbirds-style-rave-ups. Me veers towards sheer dementia with crashing distorted guitars, demonic drumming (ala 7 And 7 Is) and a chorus of eerie chants, reminiscent again of The Yardbirds (Still I'm Sad).
Both sides of the Titan 45 and an unreleased instrumental take of Me appear on Take The Brain Train... (LP & CD). Other compilation appearances include:- Black Roses and Me on Scarey Business (CD); Me on The Chosen Few, Vol. 2 (LP), Chosen Few Vol's 1 & 2 (CD) and 30 Seconds Before The Calico Wall (CD).
(Max Waller/Vernon Joynson)
