The Albatross
Pine Manor College, Chestnutt Hill, MA 1969?

Lineage: Master Reel -> cassette -> Xitel -> hd -> Nero (tracking) -> flac 8

1. Train Kept a Rolling
2. Highway Child
3. All Your Loving
4. Diving Duck Blues
5.
6. Ain't That Loving You Baby
7. Come On Up
8. jam
9. I'm on My Way
10.
11. break song
12. Stepping Stone
13. Stone Free
14. Hoochie Coochie Man
15. All Around the Watchtower

Jim Mahoney -- vocals
Ernie Brooks -- bass
Jerry Harrison -- keyboards
John Mernit -- drums
Jeff Parsons -- guitar

http://www.nedband.com/Welcome.html
http://www.talking-heads.nl/index.php/jerry-harrison

The Albatross was formed by newly matriculated Harvard students Jerry Harrison and Ernie
Brooks in September, 1967. They spent the next year and a half playing mixers and the
usual low profile gigs that semi-pro bands play until the band split up in May, 1969.

The reason for the split was that guitarist Jeff Parsons hooked up with two other Harvard
students who had formed a band called Ned, and had secured a recording contract with none
other than Capricorn records. The result was a self-titled LP which is, without any doubt,
one of the most obscure records of the era.

After the split, Mahoney and Brooks joined Catfish Black, Andy Paley's new band (Brooks and Paley
had been in a band together at the prep school they attended), which evcentually
changed its name to The Sidewinders, and signed with RCA. Mahoney only lasted a couple of
months, but Brooks stayed with Paley for about a year, and was ultimately reunited with Harrison
in the Modern Lovers. Mernit moved to NYC after graduation and stayed active in the downtown music
scene. You can hear him on the Chinese Puzzle LP. Mahoney has had a long career at the Smithsonian.

This tape was recorded by the band using on-stage mics. The sound is really good for something from
this era. BUT ... and yes there's a but ... the mic that was supposed to record Jim Mahoney's vocals
was knocked over and he's very much in the background here. Which is shame, because their
psychedlic blues style is really quite enjoyable. Mahoney turns out to be a very good singer, and
Parsons is the instrumental star.

So, here's an opportunity to hear Jerry Harrison 8 years before he joined The Talking Heads.