H. P. Lovecraft (album)
Encyclopedia
H. P. Lovecraft is the debut album
by the American psychedelic rock
band
H. P. Lovecraft
and was released in October 1967 by Philips Records
. It blended psychedelic
and folk rock
influences and was marked by the haunting, eerie ambiance of the band's music, which itself was often inspired by the literary works of horror
writer H. P. Lovecraft
, after whom the band had named themselves. Although most of the album comprises interpretations of traditional
and contemporary folk songs
, it also features the self-penned compositions "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)", "The Time Machine", and arguably the band's best known song, "The White Ship". The traditional
song "Wayfaring Stranger" was released as a single
just ahead of the album in September 1967 and "The White Ship" was issued shortly after the album appeared, although neither single reached the charts. Like its attendant singles, H. P. Lovecraft was also somewhat commercially unsuccessful and failed to reach the Billboard Top LPs
chart or the UK Albums Chart
, although it did sell reasonably well over time.
for the album took place in mid-1967 at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, with the band's manager
George Badonsky producing
and Jerry DeClerk engineering
. Progress on the album was very rapid, with the band recording many of the songs virtually live in the studio, although horns
, woodwind instrument
s, and a nine-piece orchestra
were overdubbed
onto the tracks after completion of the initial sessions. The album is highlighted by the vaguely sinister ambiance of the band's music and by the oddly striking harmonies
that resulted from the juxtoposition of guitarist
and ex-folk singer
George Edwards
' folk-influenced singing and keyboardist
Dave Michaels
' classically trained, operatic phrasing.
The ten songs included on H. P. Lovecraft exhibit a wide range of styles, encompassing elements of jazz on "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)", folk music on "Wayfaring Stranger", Gregorian chant
on "Gloria Patria", vaudeville
psychedelia on "The Time Machine", and contemporary singer-songwriter
material on "The Drifter", "Let's Get Together", "That's The Bag I'm In", and "Country Boy & Bleeker Street". In addition, the laid-back, druggy ambiance of the cover of Randy Newman
's "I've Been Wrong Before" serves to give an indication of the musical direction that the band would follow on their second album, H. P. Lovecraft II
.
The album's centerpiece is the song "The White Ship", which was directly inspired by author H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The White Ship". Written by Edwards, Michaels, and the band's lead guitar
ist Tony Cavallari, the six-and-a-half-minute opus made use of baroque-style harpsichord
, droning feedback
, somber harmonies, and the chiming of an 1811 ship's bell. The song was released in an edited form as a single, shortly after its appearance on the album, but it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
. In addition, the full-length album version of "The White Ship" went on to become something of an underground FM radio favorite in America.
Although the H. P. Lovecraft album was largely overlooked at the time of its release and had gone out of print
by the early 1970s, its reputation has continued to grow over the years. A revival in interest in the band and their music began in the late 1980s, with Edsel Records
reissuing the album and its follow-up together on the At the Mountains of Madness compilation
in 1988. Today, the album is available along with H. P. Lovecraft II on a CD
release by Collectors' Choice Music
titled Two Classic Albums from H. P. Lovecraft: H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II. In addition, all ten songs that make up the H. P. Lovecraft album are available on the Rev-Ola Records
compilation Dreams in the Witch House: The Complete Philips Recordings.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the American psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (band)
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1967 and named after horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose...
and was released in October 1967 by Philips Records
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
. It blended psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
and folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
influences and was marked by the haunting, eerie ambiance of the band's music, which itself was often inspired by the literary works of horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, after whom the band had named themselves. Although most of the album comprises interpretations of traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
and contemporary folk songs
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, it also features the self-penned compositions "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)", "The Time Machine", and arguably the band's best known song, "The White Ship". The traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
song "Wayfaring Stranger" was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
just ahead of the album in September 1967 and "The White Ship" was issued shortly after the album appeared, although neither single reached the charts. Like its attendant singles, H. P. Lovecraft was also somewhat commercially unsuccessful and failed to reach the Billboard Top LPs
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart or the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, although it did sell reasonably well over time.
History
Recording sessionsStudio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for the album took place in mid-1967 at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, with the band's manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
George Badonsky producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and Jerry DeClerk engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
. Progress on the album was very rapid, with the band recording many of the songs virtually live in the studio, although horns
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
, woodwind instrument
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
s, and a nine-piece orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
were overdubbed
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
onto the tracks after completion of the initial sessions. The album is highlighted by the vaguely sinister ambiance of the band's music and by the oddly striking harmonies
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
that resulted from the juxtoposition of guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and ex-folk singer
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
George Edwards
Ethan Kenning
Charles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
' folk-influenced singing and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Dave Michaels
Dave Michaels
David Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
' classically trained, operatic phrasing.
The ten songs included on H. P. Lovecraft exhibit a wide range of styles, encompassing elements of jazz on "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)", folk music on "Wayfaring Stranger", Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
on "Gloria Patria", vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
psychedelia on "The Time Machine", and contemporary singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
material on "The Drifter", "Let's Get Together", "That's The Bag I'm In", and "Country Boy & Bleeker Street". In addition, the laid-back, druggy ambiance of the cover of Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
's "I've Been Wrong Before" serves to give an indication of the musical direction that the band would follow on their second album, H. P. Lovecraft II
H. P. Lovecraft II
H. P. Lovecraft II is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records. As with their debut LP, the album again saw the band blending psychedelic and folk rock influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than...
.
The album's centerpiece is the song "The White Ship", which was directly inspired by author H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The White Ship". Written by Edwards, Michaels, and the band's lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Tony Cavallari, the six-and-a-half-minute opus made use of baroque-style harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, droning feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
, somber harmonies, and the chiming of an 1811 ship's bell. The song was released in an edited form as a single, shortly after its appearance on the album, but it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. In addition, the full-length album version of "The White Ship" went on to become something of an underground FM radio favorite in America.
Although the H. P. Lovecraft album was largely overlooked at the time of its release and had gone out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
by the early 1970s, its reputation has continued to grow over the years. A revival in interest in the band and their music began in the late 1980s, with Edsel Records
Demon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
reissuing the album and its follow-up together on the At the Mountains of Madness compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
in 1988. Today, the album is available along with H. P. Lovecraft II on a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release by Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
titled Two Classic Albums from H. P. Lovecraft: H. P. Lovecraft/H. P. Lovecraft II. In addition, all ten songs that make up the H. P. Lovecraft album are available on the Rev-Ola Records
Rev-Ola Records
Rev-Ola Records is a UK record label formed in 1988 that specializes in reissues, as well as select new releases. The label is headed by Joe Foster, a former child actor and musician/producer...
compilation Dreams in the Witch House: The Complete Philips Recordings.
Side 1
- "Wayfaring Stranger" (traditionalTraditional musicTraditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
, arrangedArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
by George EdwardsEthan KenningCharles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
) – 2:35 - "Let's Get Together" (Chet PowersChet PowersChester William Powers, Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, and a member of the rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service. He was also known by the stage name "Dino Valenti" and, as a songwriter, as Jesse Oris Farrow...
) – 4:35 - "I've Been Wrong Before" (Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
) – 2:46 - "The Drifter" (Travis EdmonsonTravis EdmonsonTravis Edmonson was an American folk singer, who performed both as a soloist and in the group Bud and Travis.-Early life:...
) – 4:11 - "That's The Bag I'm In" (Fred NeilFred NeilFred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
) – 1:46
Side 2
- "The White Ship" (George Edwards, Dave MichaelsDave MichaelsDavid Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
, Tony Cavallari) – 6:33 - "Country Boy & Bleeker Street" (Fred Neil) – 2:35
- "The Time Machine" (George Edwards, Dave Michaels) – 2:05
- "That's How Much I Love You, Baby (More or Less)" (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) – 3:55
- "Gloria Patria" (traditional, arranged by George Edwards, Dave Michaels) – 0:27
Personnel
- George EdwardsEthan KenningCharles Ethan Kenning is an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, guitarrón, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dave MichaelsDave MichaelsDavid Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....
– vocals, organElectronic organAn electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple... - Jerry McGeorgeJerry McGeorgeJerry McGeorge came to prominence in late 1965 as a guitarist with the Chicago rock band The Shadows of Knight. He later joined acid rock band H.P. Lovecraft on bass in the summer of 1967, appearing on their debut album, H. P. Lovecraft.-Early life:McGeorge began playing guitar in 1961...
– bass, vocals - Tony Cavallari – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Michael Tegza – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, vocals