H. P. Lovecraft - Wayfaring Stranger (US 1967)

H.P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock group in the 1960s, later resurrected with a revised line-up as Lovecraft in the 1970s. The band was named for the famous horror writer. Originally formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1967, they relocated to San Francisco, California the following year. History: H. P. Lovecraft fashioned a hybrid of acid-folk-rock and oddly striking vocal harmonies from two contrasting sources. Band founder George Edwards had been a folk troubadour in Chicago, California, and Florida, and whose repertoire included covers of The Beatles Norwegian Wood and Bob Dylans Quit Your Low Down Ways, as well as early songs by Fred Neil and Terry Callier, with both of whom he played in clubs. Vocalist/keyboard player Dave Michaels, who had previously played in jazz groups with David Sanborn, boasted a classical training and a four-octave range. After covering Chip Taylors Any Way That You Want Me with members of Chicago band The Rovin Kind , Edwards and Michaels became the creative force behind the group. After getting clearance from the executors of the science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, they recruited Tony Cavallari (lead guitar), Mike Tegza (drums) and Jerry McGeorge (bass) (who had previously seen the group perform at The Cellar, a dance club in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago [3] ). A debut album for Philips, H. P. Lovecraft, soon followed. Featuring a nine-piece orchestra, it juxtaposed covers such as Dino Valentes hippie anthem Get Together and the early Randy Newman ballad Ive Been Wrong Before, with band-written songs including the jazzy That’s How Much I Love You (More Or Less) and vaudeville psychedelia in The Time Machine. A musical tribute to their novelist namesake, based on his short story The White Ship, was drenched in hallucinatory harmonies, droning feedback, baroque harpsichord passages and the chiming of a genuine 1811 ships bell. Edwards and Michaels duel lead vocals distinguished the band’s sound — influenced by Fred Neil’s earlier work with Vince Martin—the intricate organ and harpsichord work of Michaels, and the propulsive drumming of Tegza. Several of their songs attempted to communicate the eerie atmosphere of the writings of their namesake. Their power and imagination as a live group can be heard on Live at the Fillmore: May 11, 1968, recorded after McGeorge had been replaced by Jeffrey Boyan, and issued in the 1990s. A second studio album, H. P. Lovecraft II, followed. Although recorded with the band in some disarray, it successfully developed their musical approach and stands as an exemplar of acid rock of the period. Many of the psychedelic effects were apparently created by engineer Chris Huston, previously of Merseybeat band The Undertakers. The album included another song based on a Lovecraft short story, At the Mountains of Madness, as well as a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine on the track “Nothing’s Boy“, and songs by Terry Callier and others. In late 1968, Michaels decided to leave the band to return to university, and H. P. Lovecraft effectively collapsed. A spin-off group, Lovecraft, reformed in the 1970s with Edwards and Tegza from the original line-up, but Edwards departed from the group very soon after. The group released two more poorly-regarded albums, but had little connection to the first incarnation of the band. Edwards has subsequently played in folk clubs as Ethan Kenning, occasionally reuniting with Michaels who also performs as David Miotke.