(Lowell George & The Factory, CD, Bizarre/Straight R2 71563, November 2, 1993)
Tracks 9-11
Studio audition for Herb Cohen
& Frank Zappa
August 18, 1966
Engineer: Ami Hadani
Tracks 1, 6
Recorded at Original Sound, L.A.
Fall 1966
Produced by Frank Zappa
The Factory is:
Lowell George lead vocals,
rhythm guitar, woodwinds & percussion
Warren Klein lead guitar &
guitars
Martin F. Kibbee bass
Richie Hayward drums &
bg vocals
Original Sound, L.A.
Fall 1966
Produced by Frank Zappa
Lowell George
dulcimer, lead vocals
FZ piano, backing vocals
Original Sound, L.A.
Fall 1966
Produced by Frank Zappa
Lowell George
triangle
Warren Klein reverb guitar
Martin Kibbee fuzz bass
Ritchie Hayward knife &
fork
FZ prepared piano (with screwdriver)
Studio audition for Herb
Cohen & Frank Zappa
August 18, 1966
Engineer: Ami Hadani
Fred pipe
Warren Klein leads
Cary Slavin drums
Studio audition for Herb
Cohen & Frank Zappa
August 18, 1966
Engineer: Ami Hadani
Fred pipe
Warren leads
Cary Slavin drums
Studio audition for Herb
Cohen & Frank Zappa
August 18, 1966
Engineer: Ami Hadani
Fred pipe
Warren leads
Cary Slavin drums
11/02/93 CD (Bizarre/Straight R2 71563)
Cover art by Neon Park.
Before emerging as a cult star in the 1970s, Lowell George was a presence on the L.A. folk-rock/psychedelic scene in the 1960s. With his group the Factory, he only managed to release one single during this time. Lightning-Rod Man rescues 15 tunes cut by this unit, including the single and over a dozen outtakes and demos. Almost exclusively original material, most of these tracks were recorded in 1966 and 1967. They show the group pursuing a slightly eccentric folk-rock vision that neither bears much similarity to George's more famous work nor matches the best work done in this genre by their L.A. peers. At times they echo Kaleidoscope in their vaguely spacy, good-natured folkish rock; just as often, they take cues from Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa in their skewed blues rock and obtuse songwriting. In fact, Zappa himself produced and played on a couple of the demos, and one-time Mothers of Invention members Elliot Ingber and Roy Estrada show up on a few others. A few songs cut towards the end of the decade feature a heavier, bluesier sound that show George edging in a different direction. An enjoyable vault find, but not a major revelation.
-- Richie Unterberger
Lightning-Rod Man (Lowell George and Martin Kibbee) Fall '66. Original Sound. The Factory Produced by Frank Zappa. Lowell on dulcimer. Lead Vocals by Lowell. Zappa BG vocals and piano.
Lost (Lowell George) The Factory, February/March, 1966 Recorded at TT&G, remixed at Annex. A Marshall Leib production, for UNI records. Ami Hadani, engineer. Fred recordist. Richie, BG vocals.
Candy Cane Madness(Lowell George & Warren Klein) January 1967 at TT&G Produced by Marshall Leib. Ami Hadani, engineer, & Fred recordist. The Factory, marshall on chimes.
Slow Down (Lowell George & Martin Kibbee) The Factory, Marshall Leib, prod. TT&G February, 1967. Remixed at Annex. Mike Melvoin, Wurlitzer piano.
Smile, Let Your Life Begin (Lowell George) Emil Richards featured on Cymbalum (Bulgarian hammered dulcimer). Marshall Leib, prod. Ami engineer, Fred recordist. Lowell plays piccolo. Richie Hayward and Earl Palmer on drums.
The Loved One (Lowell George & Martin Kibbee) Recorded Fall '66, at Original Sound. Produced by Zappa. MFK fuzz bass, FRANK on prepared piano (with screwdriver.) Ritchie on knife & fork. Lowell on triangle. Reverb guitar, Warren.
Sleep Tight (Lowell George & Martin Kibbee) The Factory, for Marshall Leib at T.T.G., Summer '67. Remix at Annex.
No Place I'd Rather Be (Lowell George & Warren Klein) Water chimes, exotic percussion by Emil Richards. Lead guitar, Warren. Annex & T.T.G. Marshall Leib, prod.
Hey Girl! (Lowell George) 8/18/66, studio audition for Herb & Frank. Engineer: Ami Hadani. Fred on pipe. Warren on leads. Cary Slavin on drums.
Changes (Lowell George & Warren Klein) The Factory 8/18/66, studio audition for Herb & Frank. Engineer: Ami Hadani. Fred on pipe. Warren on leads. Cary Slavin on drums.
Candy Cane Madness (live version) (Lowell George & Warren Klein) The Factory 8/18/66, studio audition for Herb & Frank. Engineer: Ami Hadani. Fred on pipe. Warren on leads. Cary Slavin on drums.
Crack In Your Door (Lowell George) Lowell on slide guitar. Roy Estrada on bass. Billy payne, organ. Ritchie on drums. Lowell George, prod., for Herb Cohen, late '69. Lowell note: "needs new vocal."
Teenage Nervous Breakdown (Lowell George, Martin Kibbee & Tom Levy) Lowell George Producer. For Herb Cohen. Billy, Ritchie & Roy. Elliot Ingber, guitar. Lowell note: "add guitar & remix."
Framed (Leiber/Stoller) Lowell produced post Factory as above. Lowell note: "finished." Elliot Ingber, guitar. Bill payne, piano. Ritchie & Roy.
Juliet (Lowell George) Elliot Ingber guitar, Roy Estrada bass, Billy Payne B-3, Richie, Lowell, Ian Underwood, sax. (Post Factory-as above.) Lowell note: "add guitar & remix."
All songs by permission of Naked Snake Music except: "Framed" (Quintet
Music, Inc. Ben Stock Pub, ASCAP) and "Candy Cane madness" (Dutchess
Music/MCA Music Publishing, ASCAP)
Tracks 2,3,4,5,7 & 8 courtesy of MCA Records, inc.
Just listened to ["Lightning-Rod Man"] again. Check out the production at the end (with the flute etc). That's the hippie riff. Earliest example thereof?
A couple of these songs were released on the Little Feat album 'Hoy Hoy'. It contains (other) unreleased material, live versions alternate takes etcetera...
A couple of the Zappa related tracks have been released on a Rhino Handmade 4 CD set called Hotcakes & Outtakes: 30 Years Of Little Feat.
Dallas Taylor was the Factory's drummer the night I met Lowell in Sept 1966, Richie [Hayward] was at the same Shrine show with Animal Huxley and decided to join Lowell's band . . . he had answered an ad in the LA Free Press: "drummer wanted, must be freaky". So, in that sense 9/17/66 was a verrry cosmic night for Richie and I . . . little did we know!
In The Factory, we were looking for a drummer and Ritchie came to a gig we played. We had Dallas Taylor playing drums in the band at the time, and he had just come from Texas or somewhere and had had an appendix operation. I didn't know anything about it, but he was ripping his stitches while he was playing the drums. He was dropping the beats and slowing down, and I thought, "Wow, this guy's terrible, I've got to get another drummer." He was actually very good, but he was ill. And I didn't find out until years later that he was bleeding through his shirt. I mean he needed the money real bad and was so honorable that he wouldn't cop to the fact that he was sick.
And Ritchie came up and said, "That guy's no good, you need a good drummer. I'm your drummer, huh? Let me in the band." He was with a girl, Animal Huxley was her name--a relative of Aldous Huxley. Animal brought him to the concert, it was a Mothers concert--a Freak Out. So Ritchie joined that original band with the guys who were in the Fraternity Of Man.
09/19/00 CD Rhino Handmade/WEA R2 79912-2
LIGHTNING-ROD MAN - The Factory (1966) [2:12] First issued on the LOWELL GEORGE & THE FACTORY album Lightning-Rod Man Bizarre/Straight #71563 (11/2/93) Produced by FRANK ZAPPA Engineer(s) unknown Recorded & Mixed at ORIGINAL SOUND STUDIOS, Hollywood, CA (late 1966)
CRACK IN YOUR DOOR (Pre-Warner Recording) [2:31] Lowell George on slide guitar. Roy Estrada on bass. Billy payne, organ. Ritchie on drums. Lowell George, prod., for Herb Cohen, late '69. Lowell note: "needs new vocal."
TEENAGE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (Pre-Warner Recording) [3:19] (Lowell George, Martin Kibbee & Tom Levy) Lowell George Producer. For Herb Cohen. Billy, Ritchie & Roy. Elliot Ingber, guitar. Lowell note: "add guitar & remix."
JULIET (Pre-Warner Recording) [2:55] First issued on the LOWELL GEORGE & THE FACTORY album Lightning-Rod Man Bizarre/Straight #71563 (11/2/93) Elliot Ingber- Guitar; Roy Estrada- Bass; Billy Payne- B-3; Richie Hayward; Lowell George; Ian Underwood- sax; Lowell note: "add guitar & remix." Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineer(s) unknown Recorded & Mixed at T.T.G./SUNSET-HIGHLAND RECORDING STUDIOS, Hollywood, CA (7/22/69)
JAZZ THING IN 10 [3:30] Produced by MICHAEL O'BRYANT & RICHARD MOORE Engineered by RICHARD MOORE Recorded & Mixed at THE VILLAGE RECORDER, West Los Angeles, CA (10/31/69)
RAT FACED DOG (From Sessions for Little Feat) [5:06] Produced by RUSS TITELMAN Engineered by RUDY HILL Recorded at UNITED/WESTERN RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (4/21/70)
DOGLINES (From Sessions for Little Feat) [2:48]
WAIT TILL THE SHIT HITS THE FAN (From Sessions for Little Feat) [2:51] Produced by RUSS TITELMAN Engineered by BOB KOVACH "Doglines" Recorded & Mixed at UNITED/WESTERN RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (7/15/70-8/31/70); "Wait Till The Shit Hits The Fan" Recorded at UNITED/WESTERN RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (8/7/70-10/16/70)
EASY TO FALL (EASY TO SLIP) (Demo for Doobie Bros.) [2:48]
TEXAS ROSE CAFE (Demo for Doobie Bros.) [3:32] Produced by TED TEMPLEMAN Engineered by BOBBY HATA Recorded & Mixed at UNITED/WESTERN RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (2/5/71)
DORIVILLE (From Sessions for Sailin' Shoes) [2:58]
BOOGIE (TRIPE FACE BOOGIE) (From Sessions for Sailin' Shoes) [3:47] Produced by TED TEMPLEMAN Engineered by DONN LANDEE Recorded at SUNWEST RECORDING STUDIOS, Hollywood, CA (4/7/71-4/14/71)
TWO TRAINS (Lowell Demo) [3:20]
ROTO/TONE (From Sessions for Sailin' Shoes) [4:12] Produced by TED TEMPLEMAN Engineered by DONN LANDEE Recorded at WARNER BROS. RECORDING STUDIOS (AMIGO), North Hollywood, CA (12/8/71-2/6/72)
ACE IN THE HOLE (HI ROLLER) (From Sessions for Dixie Chicken) [3:30]
ELDORADO SLIM (From Sessions for Dixie Chicken) [4:48] Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineered by ROBERT APPĂ^ÉRE "Ace In The Hole" Recorded & Mixed at CLOVER RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (10/21/72-12/4/72); "Eldorado Slim" Recorded at CLOVER RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (11/22/72)
FEATS DON'T FAIL ME NOW (From Sessions for Feats Don't Fail Me Now)[2:34]
BRICKYARD BLUES (From Sessions for Feats Don't Fail Me Now) [3:31] Produced by VAN DYKE PARKS Engineered by DAVE HASSINGER & JOHN ARRIAS "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" is believed to be from the same sessions that produced "Spanish Moon" & "Brickyard Blues" Mixed later by RON PENDRAGON; "Brickyard Blues" Recorded at THE SOUND FACTORY, Hollywood, CA (1/25/74-3/30/74)
ALL THAT YOU DREAM (From Sessions for Feats Don't Fail Me Now) [3:42] Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineered by GEORGE MASSENBURG - Assistant Engineer: DAVE HASSINGER Recorded & Mixed at BLUE SEAS RECORDING STUDIO, Hunt Valley, MD (6/74)
DOWN BELOW THE BORDERLINE (Lowell Demo) [1:57]
ROCKIN' SHOES I & II (Lowell Demo) [2:09] Produced & Engineered by LOWELL GEORGE Recorded at LOWELL'S HOUSE, Topanga Canyon, CA (late 1974/early 1975)
FRONT PAGE NEWS (From Sessions for The Last Record Album) [4:46]
HIGH ROLLER (From Sessions for The Last Record Album) [3:41] Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineered by GEORGE MASSENBURG Recorded & Mixed at THE SOUND FACTORY, Hollywood, CA (6/19/75-7/31/75)
ROLL 'EM EASY (From Sessions for Thanks I'll Eat It Here) [2:40] Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineered by GEORGE MASSENBURG Assistant Engineer: RAY THOMPSON Mixed later by RON PENDRAGON Recorded at SUNSET SOUND RECORDERS, Hollywood, CA (10/26/76-11/9/76)
BOOGIE WIGWAM (SHORT JAZZ PIECE) (PZM Pressure Mic Demo) [0:45] Produced by LOWELL GEORGE Engineered by RAY THOMPSON Assistant Engineer: BILLY YOUDELMAN Recorded & Mixed at THE PARAMOUNT RANCH, Agoura Hills, CA [w/WALLY HEIDER MOBILE] (1/79)
Informants: Ted Alvy, Greg Russo
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