Questions about band member refusals

[13th Floor Garage]

A recent comment on "Psychedelic States - The Carolinas" had me wondering.

When it comes to legitimate comps, it seems that not every contacted member is not open to having their music included.

What are the various reasons that they'd not wish to be included? Any specific stories that anyone can share?

Also from reading various topics on this issue, it's rarely mentioned which groups refused. Is this a courtesy to the band member(s)? For instance, being from North Carolina, I wonder what omitted groups from the Carolina's Psychedelic States CD's I may never hear (or if they have appeared on other comps).

It still boggles my mind that when some of you have reached out to former members, that some of them have expressed disinterest in their past.

 

[abc]

i think it's as simple as people not wanting to revisit their past. it's easy for us to listen to a great, rare record and think that it's a hidden gem, but for the band members, there are often real emotions attached to their memories & experiences, and they're not always positive.

whether it's simply the failure to achieve success as a rock'n'roll musician, personal disputes between members, shame related to reckless youthful behavior (they WERE punks, after all), etc. -- there's a myriad of reasons why someone may not want to visit a 50+ year old chapter of their life.

i've also had experiences where musicians i contacted thought i was trying to scam them, so that could be a factor in some cases, especially considering the recent uptick in telephone scams/spam in the US

 

[Frantic]

I've run into born again christians a few times.

 

[Heitkotter77]

A lot of musicians continued making music and their tastes and playing styles changed with the times.
Some of them just want you to listen to their newer sounds and don't like the old sounds. They're often embarrassed by their earliest recordings.
More often than not, the new music is generically commercial and lifeless.

 

[13th Floor Garage]

A lot of musicians continued making music and their tastes and playing styles changed with the times.
Some of them just want you to listen to their newer sounds and don't like the old sounds. They're often embarrassed by their earliest recordings.
More often than not, the new music is generically commercial and lifeless.

Interesting that you'd mention this because it reminds me of a story.

About twenty years ago, a record store owner (also a garage music fan) had mentioned talking to a member of "We The People." This band member couldn't understand the fascination of his former band. Instead, he sort of implied with a friendly smirk that "Cowboy" (his band that followed - with LP's on Capricorn records) "was where it's at."

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

I've run into born again christians a few times.

The band member of the Marksmen I talked to some decades ago was one of those. They tend to think their past recordings are devil's work. The fact that I'd called him in the middle of a concreting job didn't help either.

 

[Jim]

A record fair in a NY hotel, I ran into a member of the Second Summers who was selling off a stack of 45's plus acetates of the cool Sad Vibrations 45. I asked him ìf he was a band member. All I got was a "yes". Upon asking more questions about the band all he said was "I don't want to talk about that" , however he gave me his business card and told me if I ever needed legal help to call him. He was a lawyer. A bit of a bummer in the summer (thank you Arthur Lee)
I guess some band members are either disappointed or embarrassed about their past, no matter how much we appreciate or even worship their musical legacies.

 

[Heitkotter77]

A record fair in a NY hotel, I ran into a member of the Second Summers who was selling off a stack of 45's plus acetates of the cool Sad Vibrations 45. I asked him ìf he was a band member. All I got was a "yes". Upon asking more questions about the band all he said was "I don't want to talk about that" , however he gave me his business card and told me if I ever needed legal help to call him. He was a lawyer. A bit of a bummer in the summer (thank you Arthur Lee)
I guess some band members are either disappointed or embarrassed about their past, no matter how much we appreciate or even worship their musical legacies.

As I found with some of them, they prefer their more "mature" music. Like Cowboy as 13th Floor mentioned.
Cowboy - yikes!

By the way, which hotel show was this? Was it the Prince George?

 

[Jim]

As I found with some of them, they prefer their more "mature" music. Like Cowboy as 13th Floor mentioned.
Cowboy - yikes!

By the way, which hotel show was this? Was it the Prince George?

Think it was The Roosevelt
As an aside two Long Island rock and roll sellers had 6 copies of the Magic Mushrooms on Warner Brothers, Cry Baby Cry, 4 orange label stock copies and 2 white label promotional copies I bought them all at 10 bucks a pop. Happy days

 

[Jim]

And to top it off was me running into Wally Tax of the Dutch Outsiders at 8 in the morning on my way to record stores and an early flea market. He just yelled at me saying all you f***rs want is the inferior Muziek Express 45's.
Well to me they are superior Outsiders' 45's. He was quite inebriated and really killed my admiration of him.
Found some great 45's that day but lost the thrill of scoring due to his behavior

 

[Heitkotter77]

Think it was The Roosevelt
As an aside two Long Island rock and roll sellers had 6 copies of the Magic Mushrooms on Warner Brothers, Cry Baby Cry, 4 orange label stock copies and 2 white label promotional copies I bought them all at 10 bucks a pop. Happy days

Thought of the Roosevelt, but didn't really think of that as a show where old band members dumped their old records. Didn't seem in line with Dexter's plans for the show's direction (he eventually pushed out pretty much anything that wasn't soul-related).
Still, I always did well there, like finding an original Haymarket Square at a super bargain price.
Also used to score great 45s off the Count at good prices. Of course, that involved a fair amount of haggling, but I'd generally catch him when he was desperate for a sale. Got my unknown acetate that Billy Miller used in the Norton acetate series (christened The Wombats on Vol. 3) for $35. That was the only record I ever bought from that I bought at his price.

 

[mikael]

I've gotten many reasons contacting ex-band members.
Main ones:

- They moved on to play "better" music (often blues/country) and are embarrassed by the "poor quality"/playing)
Quite a few, who continued their careers as muscians have completely axed their Teenbeat period from the bio/discography.

- They are now "upstanding citizens" (laywers, politicians, hot-shot business men) who don't want a "bad reputation".

- They are now deeply religious.

Some are just paranoid in general. That dude from Fifth Row Bac (whose name escapes me now) asked me, after a few
giving convos, if I was from the FBI.

 

[chuckd]

I remember Timmy describing the excruciating process he went through chasing down band members for the B.F.T.G. liners. Some guys like Ralph Nielsen were truly flattered that somebody actually enjoyed the two songs they released. Went as far as a full length interview in Kicks issue #4. Other bands had moved on with their lives and wanted no part of their past.

 

[Dave Baldwin]

I've run into born again christians a few times.

Me too. Some (like Kyle Hunter of the Dirty Filthy Mud) were actually still proud of their 'edgier' 60s music.

 

[Dave Baldwin]

I remember Timmy describing the excruciating process he went through chasing down band members for the B.F.T.G. liners. Some guys like Ralph Nielsen were truly flattered that somebody actually enjoyed the two songs they released. Went as far as a full length interview in Kicks issue #4. Other bands had moved on with their lives and wanted no part of their past.

The most frequent reaction that I got when tracking 60s band members back in the 80s and 90s was:
"I can't believe that you like THAT record...you need to hear my new stuff, I'm much better now!"

 

[Heitkotter77]

The most frequent reaction that I got when tracking 60s band members back in the 80s and 90s was:
"I can't believe that you like THAT record...you need to hear my new stuff, I'm much better now!"

That line is all to familiar to my ears.
I heard that from guys who made great folk or psych, then continued into the 80s creating generic synth-driven pop swill that they claim to be so much better. It requires great tact to not tell them it's garbage while also not lying and saying you like it.

 

[greenfuzz]

There are also the guys who went above and beyond to answer every question and to assure that every photo in their scrapbook and every song their band recorded was shared. Tom Kirby (Tonto & The Renegades), Dan Hortter (Yellow Payges), Kenneth Evans (D-Men/Fifth Estate), George Napolitano (Ox-Bow Incident), Don Sucher (Abstracts), and many others more than made up for the time wasted by contacting guys similar to the ones described in this thread.

 

[Dave Baldwin]

Shep Tullier of The Tower Of London (Montgomery) was great...he invited two other surviving band members over to his place just to talk to me.
Unfortunately they only had one (cracked) copy of their 45 between them (lol),

 

[undertheclock]

I have found a mixed bag, being solely a buyer. Some just ignore because they don’t care about you or your interest, some are just assholes, some you have to build it up with asking questions about the band over time, some just respond to an ego boost, some have their interest piqued when you explain how much it is worth to you, and some like Joey “Drums” Bellomo loved to talk about his record, loved a visit, and loves a good cheeseburger and a fair price. Some like Bob Runk of Uranus and the Five Moons actually became a friend.

 

[Jim]

Nicest guy I ever met was Faine Jade! He was sharing all of his memories and really laughed about some of his shenanigans. He told me everything about how his records came to fruition.
And no he didn't have any 45's or albums to spare.
He was just a bit hyped up by some English guys who had told him that they could get his album in the top 10 over there.
Of course that never happened and he was happy just living his own life and relishing his obscurity status.
A truly nice guy! We are not worthy lol
My ex did a bit of cover art for some reissue ep's. I actually gave him a copy of the It Ain't True 45 and that made him smile.
A true hero of mine and a fabulous guy with lots of great stories.