Haymarket Square was a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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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 in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their album, ''Magic Lantern'', released in 1968, was pressed in an edition of 80 - 100 copies, and despite its rarity is well considered by fans of psychedelic rock music even today. The music of the album was used to accompany the Baron and Bailey Light Circus at the

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

. ''Magic Lantern'' was reissued on CD by Gear Fab Records in 2001.

History

In 1967, drummer John Kowalski and guitarist Bob Homa were in a Chicago-area garage band called the Real Things. When the Real Things broke up, they decided to form a new band, and placed ads in several newspapers, seeking additional musicians. On the strength of their auditions, Marc Swenson became the lead guitarist, and Gloria Lambert the lead vocalist. Homa switched from guitar to bass. The new band named themselves Haymarket Square, a reference to the 1886

Haymarket Square Riot The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in ...

. They soon became popular and played at various venues in the Chicago area. They performed on the same bill as more well-known groups, including

the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

and

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. In 1968, they played as part of the Baron and Bailey Light Circus, a sound and light show that was produced by two college professors, and which was performed at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Later that year, the band's only album, ''Magic Lantern'', was released by Chaparral Records, but not put on general sale, instead being used for promotion and handed out to some MCA visitors. After the recording of ''Magic Lantern'', Homa left the band, and was replaced by bassist Ken Pitlik. Robert Miller joined the band and played rhythm guitar. This reconfigured lineup stayed together until Haymarket Square disbanded in 1974. Gloria Lambert and Marc Swenson married, had two sons, and subsequently divorced. Lambert works at a high school in Wisconsin as a Spanish and English teacher. Bob Homa received his bachelor's degree in architecture and has spent most of his career managing projects in shopping mall development and renovation.

''Magic Lantern''

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Dean McFarlane wrote, "From the opening cut, it is fairly apparent why the original album is so sought after — ''Magic Lantern'' is as fine a display of American psychedelia as late-'60s albums by

It's a Beautiful Day It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards. David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...

and

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

. This will appeal to fans of the fuzzed-out guitar antics of

and

Blue Cheer Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style, and ...

Track listing

Side 1 #"Elevator" (Gloria Lambert) – 7:06 #"

Train Kept A-Rollin' "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'") is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier son ...

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Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

, Howard Kay, Lois Mann) – 7:20 #"Ahimsa" (Marc Swenson, John Kowalski, Robert Homa) – 8:14 Side 2 #"Amapola" (Swenson) – 10:43 #"Phantasmagoria" (Lambert) – 4:08 #"Funeral" (Lambert) – 9:23

Personnel

Haymarket Square

*Gloria Lambert –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Marc Swenson –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, vocals *Robert Homa –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, vocals *John Kowalski –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Production

*Recording engineer – Laddie Oleson *Photography – Bill Bailey, Bill Baron, Gerald Wenner *Management – Dan Kovacevic *Equipment manager – John Rantz

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haymarket Square American psychedelic rock music groups Musical groups from Chicago