I REMEMBER MANDRAKE MEMORIAL: THE BEST BAND YOU NEVER HEARD OF
Over the years I have had a tendency to become highly enamored of some very obscure artists. There are quite a number that I either saw many times live or listened to on record extensively. The fact that they never achieved a wider following might mean that I simply have a taste for things that lack mainstream appeal or it could mean the artists weren't as good as I thought they were. Or it could mean that I have been a perceptive champion of artists who really deserve wider recogniation. I hope it is the latter!
These thoughts are occasioned by my memories of Mandrake Memorial, a Philadelphia band that I loved in the late Sixties. Very few people I know have ever heard of them and yet they were quite visible on the rock scene in Philly during that time period. They were particularly visible as the house band at The Trauma, the first "psychedelic" night club in Philadelphia, which lasted only about a year, from early 1967 to early 1968. As house band, Mandrake was the opening act for virutally every national "name" act that played the Trauma. And they played around the area during the three years of their existence. I've heard that they also made forays to New York Citiy and Boston but Philly was truly their stomping ground. They released three albums on Poppy Records( a label formed by Jon Bon Jovi's brother Tony, which had good distribution through MGM, and though Wikipedia claims that their first one sold 100,000 copies, that is hard for me to believe, since I almost never saw any of their albums in the collection of anyone I knew.
But here's my main point about Mandrake Memorial: they were certainly one of the most original bands of their time--or any time, for that matter. For one thing, their keyboard player played a Rocksichord, a recently-invented electric keyboard that produced a pretty faithful harpsichord sound, as well as electric piano sound. Michael Kac, the keyboard player, was classically trained and he used the harpsichord setting most frequently, interpolating very authentic and well-played baroque counter-melodies into the Mandrake's music. The guitarist, Craig Anderton, was a master of effets and gadgetry, some of which he invented (he went on to be a nationally recognized authority on electronics in music). As a guitarist he was technically just average but he played the effects running through his guitar as much as he played the guitar, creating all kinds of sonic textures in the mix. He also played electrified sitar on occasion. Drummer J. Kevin Lally played what looked like two complete drum kits and, unlike some drummers who had lots of drums and cymbals in their kits, he actually utilized the entire two kits, often playing with mallets. Rather than simply keeping a backbeat, he played running, almost melodic patterns on his kits, a constant swirl of percussion that was quite distinct from any rock drummer I can think of (with the possible exception of Ginger Baker). Bassist/lead vocalist Randy Monaco, notable for the long, staight hair cascading down his back, played a Hofner bass semi-hollow body, with it's exceptionally "woody" tone, more akin to an acoustic bass than an electric bass. His lines were somewhat rudimentary but again they tended to sketch out or at least imply counter-melodies. So at times, the musicians of Mandrake would swirl along with up to four separate melodic lines intertwining. Really none of the players played their instrument in a conventional way. And that made them--in combination with their often surreal or impressionistic lyrics--more truly psychedelic than many other bands with that label.
Monaco handled most of the lead vocals and he was not a great singer. But he had a unique sound, augmented by his consistent tendency to sing flat or seemingly flat (though not in the Philadelphia "flat singing" tradition exemplified by Barbara Mason, The Intruders or The Dreamers etc--Randhy wasn't from Philly originallyl in any case). But the overall effect of his singing --especially in combination with the lyrics (which often referenced mirrors, faces in the rain, dark ladies, magic birds etc)--was slightly mournful, dreamy, and conveying alienation. Kac often provided clear, pure high harmony vocals.
Mandrake was innovative in another way. When they played a set, one song blended into another, continuously, for an hour or more. At the time, no one else was doing that. A Mandrake set was like a journey, a "trip" if you will, a roller coaster of sound, melody, words. I saw them at The Trauma initially, possibly opening for The Mothers Of Invention, but it could have been someone else, maybe the infamous Lothar & The Hand People. After the Trauma closed, I saw Mandrake at The Electric Factory, The Second Fret, The Main Point and other locales many times and always found the experience fascinating.
Another amazing thing about Mandrake Memorial is that despite their limited profile they managed to record and release three full-length albums through Poppy Records, each with plusses and minuses.The first, simply entitled THE MANDRAKE MEMORIAL seemed to be recorded live the studio and was structured just like a typical Mandrake set, with one song transitioning into another. It offered many of their best songs--"Bird Journey," "Sunday Noon", "Strange", "Next Number" etc--but was not very well recorded or mixed. The sound is not terrible but it simply is not as rich and textured as their live sound. Nonetheless it is the an excellent souvenir of what they did live. Here are a couple ofthe songs:
Next Number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfJ8xHa0PiM
Bird Journey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-IxH43dJsGYA
Their next album, MEDIUM, was much better recorded. Aurally it is far superior to the first and all the nuances of their playing can be heard. But there aren't as many strong songs. Here's "Witness The End" from MEDIUM (the sound of this clip is unfortunately very poor):
"Witness The End": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2oxbl-20s
Their final album, from 1969, is entitled PUZZLE; it featured a typcially mind-bending M.C. Escher painting on the cover. It is exquisitely recorded and produced but almost totally lacking in songs. It is more of an atmospheric sound collage; as such it has its moments. One of my favorite is the recurring fragment "Just A Blur",which is quite beautiful ("have you ever climbed so high... that when you look down...it's just a blur?) ; I wish it had been developed into a complete song. PUZZLE is a diverting listening experience but ultimately unsatisfying; there is just not enough substance at its core.
I have all three Mandrake LP's, on original vinyl. I've seen prices quoted of more than $100 for each in collector's magazines, so apparently they are relatively scarce. Even the CD re-issues of the albums that were released by Collectables are out of print now and going for hefty prices. I won't claim that Mandrake Memorial is the great lost band of all time. But they were unique, fascinating, innovative and highly impressive as live performers. I loved what they did and only wish there were some live film or video available sot hat there performing magic could still be appreciated. You had to be there...and even though it was the Sixties and I have clear memories of them, I was indeed there!
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