|
|
| Artist: The Flock Title: Dinosaur Swamps Date: 1970 Label: Columbia Records C 30007 Cover Art: American Museum of Natural History Photo of the Flock: Charles B. Slackman
Notes: I can't tell you much about this band. The record came with a small turntable/8-track/AM-FM system that my mom bought back in the seventies. She never played it so I adopted it and came to really enjoy its quirky themes and melodies. "Mermaid" is a nice, soft piece with some string accompaniment while "Hornschmeyer's Island" sounds like a drunken sing-a-long at the local pub on any given night. All of it works rather well and seems to fit the odd cover setting. I think I've seen at least one other record from this group. Violinist Jerry Goodman later joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a fusion jazz band who include the like of John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer amongst their ranks. Give it a listen if you happen to stumble across it some fine day. |
|
|
|
Inner Cover |
||
|
Here's some information provided by Jigmerca: The original LP appeared
as "The Flock:" on Columbia-CS 9911 and hit the Billboard on 9/20/69. The
album made it to #48 and only stayed on the Billboard chart for 20 weeks.
The songs were: Side A: Introduction(4:50), Clown(7:42), I Am The Tall
Tree(5:37), Tired Of Waiting(4:35) - Side B: Store Bought-Store
Thought(7:00), Truth(15:25).The members: Jerry Goodman (Violin, vocals),
Fred Glickstein (Guitar, lead vocals), Jerry Smith (Bass), Ron Karpman
(Drums), Rick Canoff (Tenor Sax), Tom Webb (Tenor Sax), Frank Posa
(Trumpet). Dinosaur Swamps is their second LP. I believe the group disbanded
after the second LP. Columbia tried (and failed) to do with them what they
did with Chicago or Blood, Sweat & Tears: the rock group with horns-style.
With one added instrument: the violin. An obscure instrument for a rock
band, I might add. Although Jerry Goodman was considered one of the best, if
not the best. (Who else played the violin?) If you want to hear samples of a
new greatest hits (?) CD that came out by The Flock (with some of these
songs and some from this LP) then go to www.cdnow.com and you can check
them. A few more bits of info: 1) An admirer of this group was none other than John Mayall. He actually did the liner notes for the back of the first LP "The Flock". He stated: "The Flock was the best band I'd heard in America." 2) The first LP was produced by John McClure. 3) The group came out of Chicago, just like that other famous group from the same city. 4) The first LP cover was a done in all gray with a picture of the seven members of the group. No scenery whatsoever, just them with a gray background. Very cheap (for Columbia). 5) The back cover had the liner notes by John Mayall, the list of songs along with who did what on each of them and a large picture of a shirtless and jeans Jerry Goodman dancing while playing the violin, his long hair flailing up. This picture appears on the greatest hits CD. |
||
Track Listing |
|
|
Side 1
Green Slice |
Side 2 Crabfoot Mermaid Uranian Sircus |
