Clear Light was an American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band that was formed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1966. The group released one studio album, ''

Clear Light Clear Light was an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. The group released one studio album, '' Clear Light''. It had moderate national success before the group disbanded. History In 1966, The Brain ...

''. It had moderate national success before the group disbanded.

History

In 1966, The Brain Train formed and was managed by

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

hipster Bud Mathis. They recorded one single – "Black Roses", written by Wolfe Dios, (aka: Wolfgang Dios, now residing and recording in Toronto, Canada) – before changing their name to Clear Light and signing to

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. Guitarist Bob Seal felt the name should be changed to coincide with the single. Clear Light shared its name with a potent form of

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

, although Seal states the name came from his studies of Eastern philosophy.

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

' producer Paul A. Rothchild took over management of the band. The core members of Clear Light were: * Bob Seal, lead guitarist and vocals, * Robbie "The Werewolf" Robison, rhythm guitar and vocals, * Doug Lubahn bass and vocals, * Dallas Taylor drums, and * Michael Ney on an atypical second set of drums.Larkin C., ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 118 The original line-up was featured in the 1967 motion picture ''

The President's Analyst ''The President's Analyst'' is a 1967 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Ted Flicker and starring James Coburn. The film has elements of political satire and science fiction, including themes concerning modern ethics ...

'', with

Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in O ...

cast as their leader and vocalist. They soon added

Cliff De Young Clifford Tobin DeYoung (born February 12, 1945)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905-1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Ame ...

on lead vocals and this is the version of the band seen on their only album cover. However, sometime during the recording process, often described as "brutal",

Paul Rothchild Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

was not happy with Robison's guitar playing skills and pressured the group to remove him - he was replaced by keyboard player

Ralph Schuckett Ralph Schuckett (March 2, 1948 – April 4, 2021) was an American keyboardist, composer and songwriter known as one of the founding members of Todd Rundgren's band Utopia. He composed for film and television, including Pokémon, Sonic X, and A ...

. In what has been called the band's finest hour, drunken customers in a

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

club heckled them so brutally that

, the usually gentle organist, hurled a few choice words back at them. The band walked off the stage, retired to the Albert Hotel, and woke up in the morning to find that they had become underground heroes. A notable track from the ''

'' album, was "Mr. Blue," a psychedelic version of a folk song written by

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

and a popular request on underground radio at the time. Lasting over six minutes, the rather sinister, psychedelic song is considered a classic of the genre. Its lyrics, which alternate between spoken word and song, include verses opening with such lines as, "''Good morning, Mister Blue, we've got our eye on you," "Step softly, Mister Blue, we know what's best for you,''" and "''Be careful, Mister Blue, this phase you're going through ....''" The album also included a reworked version of "Black Roses", released as a single, and some of guitarist Bob Seal's psychedelic folk-rock songs, namely "With All in Mind" and "They Who Have Nothing." It had some success in England, but was largely ignored in the U.S, reaching number 126 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' album chart.

then pressured the other members of the band to fire Bob Seal" Seal was replaced by ex-Fug Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar;

was soon to follow, and after having started work on a second album the group disbanded in 1968. Two tracks from the sessions for the second album surfaced in 2006, "Darkness of Day" and "What a Difference Love Makes"; the latter showed the group moving into more commercial territory due to Kortchmar's influence.

Aftermath

went on to become an actor in more than 80 films and television series. Dallas Taylor, who had played previously with

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Lowell George Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat. Ear ...

in the pre-

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving ...

group

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

, later became a member of

Crosby, Stills and Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, ...

, Manassas and the

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

Band. He died on January 18, 2015, of complications from

viral pneumonia Viral pneumonia is a pneumonia caused by a virus. Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in one or both of the lungs. The pulmonary alveoli fill with fluid or pus making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, vir ...

and liver disease at the age of 66.

went on to play on

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

single "

Porpoise Song "Porpoise Song" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and performed by the Monkees as the theme song for their 1968 film ''Head'' and its accompanying soundtrack album. The single version contains an extended instrumental outro not inc ...

" and

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy The Peanut Butter Conspiracy was an American, Los Angeles-based, psychedelic pop/psychedelic rock, rock group from the 1960s. The band is known for lead singer Barbara Robison and for briefly having Spencer Dryden of Jefferson Airplane as a ban ...

album ''

For Children of All Ages ''For Children of All Ages'' is the third and final album by the American psychedelic rock band the Peanut Butter Conspiracy (PBC), and was released on Challenge Records, in 1969 (''see'' 1969 in music). The album came after the band's contra ...

''. He later joined

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

and became a popular session player for TV soundtracks. Michael Ney also played on "Porpoise Song" and ''For Children of All Ages'', among other session work. Doug Lubahn played bass on several of

' albums, including '' Strange Days'', ''

Waiting for the Sun ''Waiting for the Sun'' is the third studio album by the American rock band the Doors. The album's 11 tracks were recorded between January and May 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles. Released by Elektra Records on July 3, 1968, it became the ba ...

'', and ''

The Soft Parade ''The Soft Parade'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969, by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time to compose n ...

''. In addition to writing the hit, " Treat Me Right" performed by

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

, he was also a member of

Billy Squier William Haislip Squier (, born May 12, 1950) is an American rock musician and singer who had a string of arena rock and crossover hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include "The Stroke", "Lonely Is the Night", "My Kinda Lover", "In t ...

's band. He died on November 20, 2019, at the age of 71. Robbie Robison ended up in Oregon. He died in 2000. Bob Seal later gigged with Gale Garnet and the Gentle Reign, Transatlantic Railroad, and Redlegs.

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, ...

worked with

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

for a while, and then with

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

for many years.

Discography

Album

*''

'', Elektra, 1967

Singles

*"Black Roses" b/w "She’s Ready to Be Free," Elektra EK45622, 1967 *"Black Roses" b/w "She's Ready to Be Free," Elektra EKSN45019, 1967 (UK) *"They Who Have Nothing" b/w "Ballad of Freddie and Larry," Elektra 45626, 1967 *"Night Sounds Loud" b/w "How Many Days Have Passed," Elektra EKSN45027, 1968 (UK only)

References

External links

Mr. Blue lyrics
{{Authority control Elektra Records artists Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1968 Musical groups from Los Angeles Psychedelic rock music groups from California