The Hollywood Squares (band)
Encyclopedia
The Hollywood Squares were an American band formed in Los Angeles
, California
in 1977. They are probably best known for their classic "Hillside Strangler". Released in a very limited edition on the trio's own Square Records label, the issue quickly sold out and has since become a highly sought-after collectible. The single has reappeared in various bootleg incarnations over the years including the 1989 compilation album Killed By Death #1(KBD#1). The original master tapes were used on the LP and CD Hillside Strangler: Restrangled, released in 2006.
with various bands since the early seventies, found themselves in London after touring Europe and North Africa with Swiss rocker and performance artist Bernard Constantin during the summer of 1977. Returning to L.A. they were inspired to form the power trio they dubbed the Hollywood Squares with bass player Spider Cobb (aka Bob Schell). Cobb had migrated to L.A. in early 1977 to work as an arranger.
The group rehearsed and experimented for several months in the San Fernando Valley
garage of a disc-jockey friend, collaborating on new material and reworking classics. Vincent's songs explored themes of alienation and angst, propelled by the raw, unrelenting, and occasionally Bartókian backdrop of an extremely loud power trio. In fact, the band was so loud that Cobb suggested rehearsing with headsets, a practice which became part of the group's signature in their rare, live performances as well.
, a then-unknown serial killer who was terrorizing the city at the time. After some soul searching about the subject matter and the safety of loved ones, the group booked four hours (all they could afford) in an eight-track studio (the original Music Grinder on Melrose in Hollywood).
Cobb invited friend and freelance recording engineer Ron Hitchcock to stop by and "look over the house engineer's shoulder", eventually persuading him to engineer and master two tracks, "Hillside Strangler" and "Hollywood Square", for a 7-inch 45 RPM single. In return, the trio credited Hitchcock on the record label as producer and publisher.
Upon release, most of the 500 records pressed went to Greg Shaw
's Bomp! Records
, through whom they were retailed at Bomp's North Hollywood store and wholesaled worldwide. The record sold out fast, quickly gaining cult-classic status.
The Hollywood Squares handled their own local radio promotion. They gave Rodney Bingenheimer
a copy of the single at the back door of KROQ
's Pasadena studios one Sunday evening during a break on his radio show, "Rodney On The ROQ", and Bingenheimer debuted "Hillside Strangler" within the hour. Claude Bessey, who was one of Rodney's guests at the time, opined: "I'll give it a 10 - you can pogo to it." Also among those who initially aired "Hillside Strangler" was radio personality Dr. Demento
, who described it urbanely on his nationally syndicated program as a tale about someone "who's not much fun at parties".
"Hillside Strangler" promptly charted in Record World's New Wave Hit Parade, eliciting favorable comment from reviewers. Bessey, writing in Slash Magazine
, called it a "Mysterioso release from [a] mysterioso group", noting that, in contrast to many of their fellow L.A. bands, the Hollywood Squares rarely performed in public. The original recording is still logged regularly on the playlists of college and counterculture radio stations, discussed on boards and blogs, and sought in its rare, original format by collectors.
In August 1978, The Hollywood Squares signed a production and publishing deal with Hitchcock, and five performances were subsequently recorded—three originals and two covers: "Ashes and Dust" (Vincent), "Organized Crime" (Vincent), "Alienation In L.A." (Vincent, Spider Cobb), "Here Comes The Weekend" (Paul Weller), and "Summer In The City" (John Sebastian
). "Alienation in L.A." also debuted on Rodney on the ROQ, when the band brought a test pressing of the planned but never-released new single to Rodney Bingenheimer's show.
Hitchcock shopped the first four tracks around to major record labels but, when efforts to sign the Squares proved unsuccessful, he returned to engineering for mainstream artists. The master recordings were shelved and, by the end of 1978, the Squares had gone their separate ways.
/Paul Rodgers
collaboration of the same name). Playing new original material, they performed at several Los Angeles clubs including the Troubadour. Although garnering positive reviews and record label interest, they were ultimately unsuccessful in landing a recording contract and split up in late 1979. Laura Crowe later joined the American punk band Chainsaw.
At around the same time, after a stint with Badfinger
, Cobb formed the new wave
group Debbi and the Digits in Los Angeles
with partner Debbi Meadows. Later drummer Tad joined the group after the breakup of The Firm. In early 1981 Vincent joined the Digits, replacing departing guitarist, Dana Ferris (Moon Martin
). Keyboardist Carl Dahlgren (aka Carbon Unit), Tad and Vincent left the group during a 1981 Canadian tour. Cobb formed his own production and music publishing companies and re-focused on recording.
All but two of The Hollywood Squares' studio recordings ("Alienation In L.A." and "Summer In The City") were released in October 2006 on vinyl LP by Italian company, RaveUp Records. The LP, Hillside Strangler: Restrangled, includes the original masters of "Hillside Strangler" and "Hollywood Square", and four live tracks recorded at the Whisky A Go Go in 1978. Hitchcock Media released Hillside Strangler: Restrangled on CD in November 2006. In December 2006, RaveUp began offering "Alienation In L.A." as a free download.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1977. They are probably best known for their classic "Hillside Strangler". Released in a very limited edition on the trio's own Square Records label, the issue quickly sold out and has since become a highly sought-after collectible. The single has reappeared in various bootleg incarnations over the years including the 1989 compilation album Killed By Death #1(KBD#1). The original master tapes were used on the LP and CD Hillside Strangler: Restrangled, released in 2006.
Formation
Guitarist Eddie Vincent and drummer Tad (aka Tad Malone), having played together in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with various bands since the early seventies, found themselves in London after touring Europe and North Africa with Swiss rocker and performance artist Bernard Constantin during the summer of 1977. Returning to L.A. they were inspired to form the power trio they dubbed the Hollywood Squares with bass player Spider Cobb (aka Bob Schell). Cobb had migrated to L.A. in early 1977 to work as an arranger.
The group rehearsed and experimented for several months in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
garage of a disc-jockey friend, collaborating on new material and reworking classics. Vincent's songs explored themes of alienation and angst, propelled by the raw, unrelenting, and occasionally Bartókian backdrop of an extremely loud power trio. In fact, the band was so loud that Cobb suggested rehearsing with headsets, a practice which became part of the group's signature in their rare, live performances as well.
Recordings and Performances
Then at a rehearsal, Vincent played his latest composition—an ironic, tongue-in-cheek peek into the twisted mind of the Hillside StranglerHillside Strangler
The Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978...
, a then-unknown serial killer who was terrorizing the city at the time. After some soul searching about the subject matter and the safety of loved ones, the group booked four hours (all they could afford) in an eight-track studio (the original Music Grinder on Melrose in Hollywood).
Cobb invited friend and freelance recording engineer Ron Hitchcock to stop by and "look over the house engineer's shoulder", eventually persuading him to engineer and master two tracks, "Hillside Strangler" and "Hollywood Square", for a 7-inch 45 RPM single. In return, the trio credited Hitchcock on the record label as producer and publisher.
Upon release, most of the 500 records pressed went to Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw was a Los Angeles-based fanzine publisher, music historian and record label owner. He grew up near San Francisco, California.It was as a young teenager that he started writing about rock and roll music...
's Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
, through whom they were retailed at Bomp's North Hollywood store and wholesaled worldwide. The record sold out fast, quickly gaining cult-classic status.
The Hollywood Squares handled their own local radio promotion. They gave Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer, born December 15, 1947, is a radio disc jockey on the long-running Los Angeles rock station KROQ who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market. His contribution to the music business has been described as important...
a copy of the single at the back door of KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
's Pasadena studios one Sunday evening during a break on his radio show, "Rodney On The ROQ", and Bingenheimer debuted "Hillside Strangler" within the hour. Claude Bessey, who was one of Rodney's guests at the time, opined: "I'll give it a 10 - you can pogo to it." Also among those who initially aired "Hillside Strangler" was radio personality Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
, who described it urbanely on his nationally syndicated program as a tale about someone "who's not much fun at parties".
"Hillside Strangler" promptly charted in Record World's New Wave Hit Parade, eliciting favorable comment from reviewers. Bessey, writing in Slash Magazine
Slash (fanzine)
Slash was a punk rock-related fanzine published in the United States from 1977 to 1980.The magazine was a large-format tabloid focused on the Los Angeles punk scene, though it did not restrict itself to local acts: its first cover featured Dave Vanian of The Damned. It regularly covered such L.A....
, called it a "Mysterioso release from [a] mysterioso group", noting that, in contrast to many of their fellow L.A. bands, the Hollywood Squares rarely performed in public. The original recording is still logged regularly on the playlists of college and counterculture radio stations, discussed on boards and blogs, and sought in its rare, original format by collectors.
In August 1978, The Hollywood Squares signed a production and publishing deal with Hitchcock, and five performances were subsequently recorded—three originals and two covers: "Ashes and Dust" (Vincent), "Organized Crime" (Vincent), "Alienation In L.A." (Vincent, Spider Cobb), "Here Comes The Weekend" (Paul Weller), and "Summer In The City" (John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
). "Alienation in L.A." also debuted on Rodney on the ROQ, when the band brought a test pressing of the planned but never-released new single to Rodney Bingenheimer's show.
Hitchcock shopped the first four tracks around to major record labels but, when efforts to sign the Squares proved unsuccessful, he returned to engineering for mainstream artists. The master recordings were shelved and, by the end of 1978, the Squares had gone their separate ways.
Post break-up
After Cobb's departure Vincent and Tad recruited bassist Laura Crowe, dubbing this new power trio The Firm (many years before the Jimmy PageJimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
/Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
collaboration of the same name). Playing new original material, they performed at several Los Angeles clubs including the Troubadour. Although garnering positive reviews and record label interest, they were ultimately unsuccessful in landing a recording contract and split up in late 1979. Laura Crowe later joined the American punk band Chainsaw.
At around the same time, after a stint with Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
, Cobb formed the new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group Debbi and the Digits in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with partner Debbi Meadows. Later drummer Tad joined the group after the breakup of The Firm. In early 1981 Vincent joined the Digits, replacing departing guitarist, Dana Ferris (Moon Martin
Moon Martin
John David "Moon" Martin is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.-Career:Martin gained recognition in the 1970s as a pop artist and composer...
). Keyboardist Carl Dahlgren (aka Carbon Unit), Tad and Vincent left the group during a 1981 Canadian tour. Cobb formed his own production and music publishing companies and re-focused on recording.
All but two of The Hollywood Squares' studio recordings ("Alienation In L.A." and "Summer In The City") were released in October 2006 on vinyl LP by Italian company, RaveUp Records. The LP, Hillside Strangler: Restrangled, includes the original masters of "Hillside Strangler" and "Hollywood Square", and four live tracks recorded at the Whisky A Go Go in 1978. Hitchcock Media released Hillside Strangler: Restrangled on CD in November 2006. In December 2006, RaveUp began offering "Alienation In L.A." as a free download.
Discography
Singles
- "Hillside Strangler" B/W "Hollywood Square" (1978)
- "Alienation In L.A." (digital download) (2006)
Trivia
- The debut performance of the Hollywood Squares was at a party at the home of a new-age guru in the hills of Topanga, California. Their sonic assault left many of the guests - who had expected light "new age" sounds - bewildered, to say the least. They also appeared live at The Whisky A Go Go, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on May 13, 1978. Their last performance was at Jeff Simon's Rock Corporation, Van Nuys, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on July 3, 1978. - The audience at the Squares Whisky a Go Go show included members of The DickiesThe DickiesThe Dickies are an American punk rock group formed in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, U.S. in 1977.-History:The Dickies were among the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles...
who, having been impressed with the production values of the single, the thundering sonic attack of Vincent's guitar and Tad's rhythmic machine-gun style drumming, sought out producer Ron Hitchcock to produce their next recordings. - The Hollywood Squares' name was chosen to reflect the group's somewhat cynical awareness of the constantly changing styles and fads that consumed the L.A. "hip" community, which Vincent and Tad, who had grown up hanging out in Hollywood, had seen come and go. Vincent's composition, "Hollywood Square", expresses that underlying attitude with characteristic clarity: "I was here first, and I'll leave here the last." It was not directly, as some might suppose, lifted from the television game showHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
of that name. - Often behind the soundboard at the Hollywood Squares' rare live performances was Vincent's friend Russ Bracher, noted L.A. recording engineer (Steely DanSteely DanSteely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, TotoToto (band)Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
, Jane ChildJane ChildJane Child is a Canadian dance-pop singer, producer and musician.-Career:The daughter of Ricky Hyslop, Child joined Canadian Opera Company's children's chorus in her youth....
). - For the original "Hillside Strangler" single, Vincent and Cobb themselves printed the 500 tabloid-style sleeves in a friend's letterpress print shop after hours.
External links
- BobSchellMusic.com – Spider Cobb site
- Hitchcock Media Records – site