Breaking Che Underground news: Sitting poolside in Las Vegas, ur-Morlocks drummer Mark Mullen has reportedly unearthed the band’s legendary lost album, Wake Me When I’m Dead, available for free download.
“It would be cool to put up on the site if people want to download it,” Mark suggests. “I really think most everyone has said they heard it existed, but it was more myth than truth. It was a myth for me until an hour ago.”
Mr. Mullen’s wish … Che Underground: The Blog’s command!
Matt Johnson has provided liner notes on this lost Morlocks album:
After the original Morlocks broke up, “Leighton and Tommy got Paul Howland and I to try a second run. Leighton and I had been in our first band together, and Paul and Tommy played together in the Wallflowers before Paul and I played in the Wallflowers, so it was a sure thing!
“We took it in a little bit different direction — more Stooges-, Funkadelic-, MC5-influenced. Equally influential to us in that lineup were James Brown, the Meters and the then burgeoning hip-hop scene (mix tapes provided by our manager Ron Rimsite in New York).
“We went back to S.F. in like ‘87-’88 to record and play some shows. Then I went out to N.Y. later and re-mixed the tapes with Ron. We put out a coupla singles from this recording session, and Ron gave some guy in Yugoslavia an alternate mix or two along with recordings of our shows I made on my boombox (seriously!), which were released as Wake Me When I’m Dead, with lineup one (Leighton, Tommy, Jeff, Ted and Mark) on side one and lineup two (Leighton, Tommy, Paul and I) on side two. I still have the original (1″?) tape as well as the remix (1/2″?), which I was trying to find some way to put out someyears ago. I think the guy who put the L.P. out died during conflict there in Yugoslavia.
“I’m glad to see that Leighton is going strong with Lineup Three as we speak/type!”
Ted,
I have no idea when any of that was recorded on a boom box but I thought I heard some of your back up vocals in a song or two?
Chris is not among us anymore? I think I remember his car with the metal dash board and I thought that might be the end of a few of us in any accident……..
Yeah, Chris died. I think in 2000. He went to sleep on the couch and never woke up. I never got too many details, but, Larry might know. He was in his 30’s.
My back up vocals … YIKE!
>>Leighton had a song on a commercial recently pretty trippy for some corporate food thing, TGIF or something, too funny
We’ve got some other commercial deals in the works:
>Hershey’s is going to pick up “Candy Rock” by the Rockin’ Dogs, and Lipitor will be using “Back of Your Heart.”
>We already mentioned that UNICEF is licensing “Bag of Hugs” (sic) by the Wallflowers. Their “Wall Drugs” … Well, that should be obvious.
>American Airlines is hoping the Answers’ “Margaret Flies” (“So can you … So can I!”) will help shore up flagging ticket sales.
>”The Assassin” by Noise 292 is already selling bug spray in Brazil.”Talking in Circles” is the theme of Sprint’s new friends-and-family campaign, while Verizon is launching a competing ad drive with “He’s Calling You Tonight” by Hair Theatre.
Unearthed! Good job Mark! I have the vinyl at my pad in El Centro, which has the dates and locations of each track on the back cover. I’ll do my best to scan a copy. Only side two was recorded on my boombox, I’m not sure when or where side one was recorded, but I’ll get back with that info as I’m heading to El Centro tomorrow night for band practice. Ted, I’m 99% sure that’s you on there, it was just released way later…
P.S. I love Mark’s comment on the other thread regarding side two. “It sounds like the Wallflowers with Leighton singing.” Which, basically, it was. The proper track listing is on the back cover, also.
RE the Wallflowers-Morlocks connection: There was an incredible amount of nuclear fission within the Wallflowers core.
It helped power two iterations of the Morlocks, it drove three distinct phases of the Wallflowers band itself, and it generated a sound that was years ahead of the mainstream.
RE the Morlocks proper: What an incredibly opportune collaboration! Everybody I know stepped back and took notice from Day One when the Morlocks emerged … Anyone who’d spent any time on the SD scene had to expect great things from that lineup. Plus, how the hell did you guys get to that name before anyone else had snapped it up? 🙂
Those expectations probably put a fair little bit of pressure on you right out of the gate, but you were amazing from the start. And this recording does indeed rock!
Well.
The name “Morlocks” was my idea. So was the recording debut name of “Emerge”.
The idea of the Morlocks included the usual connotations, derived from H.G. Wells’ Time Machine -- as opposed to the light and tinkly Eloi of early ’80’s pop radio, these were the “true underground” -- and dangerous… 😉
The hirsute pun “More Locks” was, of course, intrinsic to the working of the name.
There’s a little tale of how the Morlocks happened.
During the time of one of Jeff and Flem’s fallings-out, Jeff was looking to do something different. This was about the third or fourth of these disturbances to the Answers calm -- but seeming pretty final this time.
I had been looking to be front on a group for years. No secret to anyone, I’m sure. Being largely viewed as a factotum and egomaniac, most bands thought more wisely than to include me.
Anyhow, I wanted to get a power-trio together to work with. Jeff was looking, and -- surprisingly -- didn’t know Tom Clarke at all. Tom had been dissatisfied with what was going on in the Wallflowers, and had let me in to some private bellyaching about this himself -- about a week before. Naturally, I told Jeff -- and introduced them -- I think at Tom & Kristen’s apartment on Normal (later famous as Murphy’s and Cyndi’s.) They got very excited about doing a Garage/Psych outfit, while I was really listening to Disraeli Gears and Bowie’s “Man Who Sold the World” LP, and thinking of originals -- not covers…
Soon enough they were jamming covers, and had made overtures to Leighton -- who’d split the Gravedigger 5 only if Ted came along. Nursing a little bit of hurt feelings about seeming bypassed, I hung around all the practices, in any case, and supplied the name, etc. over a few late nights.
All the better it went this way -- and I was soon pretty glad it did.
A couple years later, I actually heard the band I’d imagined having, when Tom and Jeff and I first started babbling about it: Electric Peace -- with their songs “Big Man” and “I Bought a Gun Today”.
Oh,
And that Morlocks photo that heads this entry? It was taken backstage at the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park, where the Morlocks opened for the debut of KBC (Kantner, Balin, Cassidy) Band -- my first full day in SFO, in Sept. 85.
This was another of Paul Renna’s coups, getting this high-profile gig from Phil Graham -- for a band that no one had heard of, and sixty days before were breaking up in San Diego!
I should’ve detected the hand of Cornelius behind that wicked-cool name! I knew you architected a big part of the look, Jeremiah, but I never knew anything about the Morlocks’ preflight preparations or etymology.
Hah! Matt!
The day I sprung the idea of starting with Tommy Clarke to Jeff was the very same day you met us at the Balboa Park Organ Pavilion -- chilly, I remember -- and broke out with “Pigglue Igloo”. Looking back, I can surmise that Jeff was looking at doing a post-Answers group with you, as the possible guitar-player. He would best be able to comment on that, though…
The opinions and interest of various girls were pretty decisive in various members looking to do a garage psych outfit. It probably isn’t too sensitive after 25 years to confirm that much of the talk in the gestative Morlocks was about rivaling and outdoing the Tell-Tale Hearts. They were a fave of various GF’s and paramours.
I happened to live with Jeff and Leighton when playing in the Tell Tale Hearts and Jerry is correct, there was a natural competition between the bands. I will say now that the Morlocks were a bunch of smart-ass assholes. On the other hand, the Tell Tale Hearts we’re a bunch of asshole smart-asses. I wish I could remember some of the great ripping, taunting, specific insults….reckless smart-ass abandon. All I seem to remember is Jeff and Leighton talking in Texas accents for a time, and that the fact that playing “Keep On Trying” by the Outsiders made us the Partridge Family.
BTW, Jerry is correct regarding the album cover photo. What he neglected to mention is that we were all stoned out of our gourds due to the flourescent “Yellow Thai” that Mr. Ned-- I guy who had taken to following us around with a briefcase full of drugs-- had turned us on to. I still see Mr. Ned around town occassionally. He looks exactly the same.
Dammit.
8. Superstupid
9. 99 Miles
Mirage Club, San Diego 7/1/88
10. Nile Song
Che Cafe, San Diego 6/18/88
11. Under the Wheel
12. You Must Not Been (sic) Seen As I am
Alternate Studio Mix Fall ’87
Jeff,
I can’t remeber the timeline, Did I play those LA gigs where the songs from that album came from? It sounds like me but I don’t remeber going back down to LA after we went to SF.
Jeff,
How do the people have the tapes of the show with the Cult? Have you heard them?
Hey Mark-- It was you! The dates listed on the album are wrong. I just typed them like they’re listed.
I believe the two LA shows happened BEFORE we moved to SF. The Anti-Club show got us the record deal with Jordan and Midnight, correct? So, that had to be ’84ish.
The Cavern Club show was the one where Sky Saxon was running around freaking everybody out. He ended-up singing with someone, I believe… I just can’t remember who was on the bill, though I remember Audrey was there.
Wow. My brain is hurting. Too… much… trying… to… remember…
Same here my brain is hurting.
What about the Cult show tapes?
I sent you an e-mail………..
Also I was in contact with the guy in Croatia today who did the bootleg. He says he has 2 tapes of stuff, I asked him to send it to me on CD. We will see.
Mark: Is this the guy Matt Johnson thought was killed in the war?
Traveling around Europe in ’86, Paul Kaufman, Rob Labbe and I met a woman in Zagreb, Croatia, who I heard later was a well-known rock promoter … Her name was Mima Paic. (She wanted me to stay in Croatia and be a DJ!)
Can you ask your Croatian if he knows what became of her?
I think this is the guy. As he said Ron Rimsite gave him the tapes.
I will ask about the girl.
I don’t remember being a part of christening anyone Motorhead--sounds like something Mike would say, being English and all. I would think any band would be proud to be compared to Motorhead, though, provided the similarity was musical not physical.
ps Jerry The Elois I remember were on the Ugly Things album from Australia. I believe we covered that song. Also in terms of Renna Coupes, the SF Chronicle ran a front page article on us after we had done just a few VIS shows with a headline that read PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC RETURNS TO THE HAIGHT …
and then there was the infamous TIME Magazine article interview …
PS Jeff, nice to hear you admit being kind of an asshole during that period. I was pretty self conscious back then and looked up to you a whole lot cause you were older and were in The Answers. The Answers were one of me and Hanrattie’s favorite bands. We loved you guys, and, really respected your talent. Used to go to The Headquarters shows and we were young maybe 16 -- 17.
I always got the feeling that Leighton didn’t like the fact that The Gravedigger V were kind of a novelty act. The stuff was fun, and, kind of goofy. He wanted to be taken seriously. Also he kind of had a falling out with Tom Ward because when we recorded we were all broke and Tom had food but wouldn’t share it. It’s funny though how much feedback I get from people even today that really loved The Gravedigger V. It still gets a lot of critical acclaim. Which freaks me out because it really was just us being goofy. Trouser Press called it like one of the best albums of the 80’s. Those were funny shows at least for me, just cause Hanrattie couldn’t play and he would jump around like a freak in his sister’s clothes.
Joe Lightfoot was the club owners name.
I rented that station wagon from some hillbillies here id Dago. I paid them extra cash since it was going to SF. It broke down and we left somewhere on Market Street. We were pretty naive camping out in the bunkers> We had our bhang and everything. The cop just laughed at us.
And, yeah Mark, you looked like shit.
Mark: Do City Barbecue “Eat Yo Ass Off!” The owner had a beautiful, yellow-orange, hand painted, ’76 Cadillac Coupe.
One block down from the One Mind Unity Temple (Church of St. John Coletrane).
I really longed to see that stretch of the ‘vis in its heyday -- 70-78.
The VIS used to be a major blues venue. Do City BBQ on one side of the street and Razorback on the other.
Ted: Before they plowed it under to create the Western Addition and Japan Center, the Fillmore District was well and truly hoppin’. One of those really ill-conceived 1960s urban-renewal projects — akin to Robert Moses knocking down the old Penn Station here in NY, but with ickier racial overtones.
Ted: I remember when you slapped the audience member at Berkeley Square as well. I’m talking about when we trashed the stage and Leighton bent the mic stand. We left the stage in a feedback squall and were sitting in back when the sound man storms in whining his head off and you just calmly punched him in the face. He started crying that we’d never play that place again, etc. Which was why I was so amazed that they invited us back, all things considered.
Mark: wolfgangsvault.com has EVERY (it seems) Fillmore show archived. They have the Cult show listed, so I’m sure there’s a tape of us somewhere. BTW, whatever happened to our video archives? I thought--perhaps wrongly-- that you were the curator? There used to be video of us at The Stone, the newscast from GG Park show, a show we played with The Toy Dolls, and some other stuff. I’ll shoot you an email.
Ted: I’ve been trying to find that newspaper article for ages! We were all sitting at a booth in the Vis Club allegedly smoking a joint in that photo. The article covered a lot of our alleged drug use. I have the photos from the Time Magazine shoot, btw. If you have any idea as to the date of the Chronicle article, it would help my search.
Anyway, I have a bunch of Morlocks photos and other surprises I’m going to scan and post on Friday here on the blog.
RE: Tell Tale Hearts rivalry… I don’t think it should be taken so seriously! After all, we lived with Eric and were all friends. I believe it was all healthy. I thought the ‘Hearts were an inspiration and a motivating force in many ways. And believe me, I wear the Mötörhead badge with pride to this day-- especially since I look like Lemmy now. :-\
Hey Jeff, the “rivalry” was all silliness. Both bands we’re among the funniest people I’ve known and I think the competition was healthy if anything. When I describe us as assholes it’s supposed to be meant as an endearing quality!!!
By the way, I look exactly like a young David Cassidy these days.
I just remembered this: A few years ago, I stumbled across a music blog by this guy who was talking about how his SF home’s claim to fame was that it had briefly been home to the Morlocks!
“In fact, the San Francisco house I moved into in 1989 was said to have been recently vacated by The Morlocks, who did in fact move to SF after this record to … toughen their sound, as if that was possible. They died there as well — figuratively — and I never found out if Leighton was truly shagging birds in what later became my bedroom.”
I can’t remember what came of my brief correspondence with him, except I wasn’t able to ID the house properly. Now that we’ve got the eyewitnesses assembled, where did Leighton do his bird-shagging?
Paul Kaufman: The missus can’t understand why I keep bursting out laughing!
Tonight on PBS: The National Theater of the Deaf presents “I Could’ve Been Your Daddy, But My Dog Beat Me over the Fence.”
Geez, Jeff I don’t even remember punching a sound guy. Talk about chemically induced amnesia. What do you expect from a guy that gets kicked out of a psychedelic band for doing too many drugs. Sorry sound guy.
Does anyone remember our roadie Thadeus? He was like one of the only people wounded in Grenada, ricochet hit him in the ankle or something, friendly fire.
I don’t recall when the newspaper article came out. It must have been Summer 87? Anniversary of the Summer of love. I’m not sure if you were at the interview, that was before cell phones. I just remember I had bleached my hair and looked really silly.
LOL, Ted: I remember you punching the sound guy, and I wasn’t even there! 🙂
Ted: You had bleached blond hair AND a cape AND lace-up knee-high moccasins. You ruled.
Uh… I think I left the Morlocks in ’86, soooo… shit.
maybe 85 then, whenever the summer of love was add 20 years. Get the “ugly as you want to be” CD through Bomp I think there is a a copy of the front page in the liner. I am not sure though. I don’t keep things. I don’t like to collect things. I don’t have any cd’s or records. I don’t have any hair. I do have some moccasins but they are vegan and just ankle high.
Yeah we were sitting in a booth and I believe smoke free at least at the time the photo was taken.
Mid night in Vegas on night 5 for me and 3 nights to go. Boy did I stir up some shit.
I’m almost sure I have the origional copy of the SF times article.
The deaf chick was mary madlin or something, she is now the famous actress on tv.
Ted you were named Haram Scaram in your most darkest of times.
Yeah, I guess. I still don’t remember punching the sound guy … oops.
Don’t worry, Ted; that Zen moment helped the sound guy achieve satori. He is now a master of shikantaza meditation and co-founder of Yahoo! Inc.
Well I sent Paul Renna this way, but, obviously he didn’t comment. If anyone wants his email let me know. He’s headed out to Vegas for a Beatles thing. Renna is involved with http://www.beatlesradio.com.
I never really noticed the band rivalry back then, but i also didn’t notice things that guys in my own band were doing to themselves, so there you go. i had my head in the klowds. In those days, Mark and I used to get together and set up our drums in his living room and wail away for hours! i was friendly with all the morlochs but closest to Mark. i loved the morlochs. still do. i am downloading the lost mp3s now!
David
Miss YA brother
I will be in SD in October, maybe we can get together.
Eric you said David Cassidy but I would say a slightly trimmer Sabastian Cabot with a short, tight permed haircut.
I do have this album on cassete originally issued here in Jugoslavia in late 80 ties. I can provide cover art for you.
Best/funnist read I have had in along time. Someone needs to put a “Please Kill Me” style book together about The Morlocks, better yet on San Diego music scene late 70’s to mid 80’s.
Wow… Ron!!! Thanks for the memories!!
I just woke-up, so I’ll keep this brief.
The Croatian guy you mention (who’s name escapes me right now) who put out “Wake Me When I’m Dead” was very much still alive about 3-4 years ago… He’s still running a label. He actually found ME through some French magazine guys and I corresponded with him for awhile.
He sent me my copy of “Wake Me When I’m Dead”-- which incidentally is marked “__/500”-- and I was going to send him some memorabilia. I had previously only had a cassette copy a friend made me.
Unfortunately, we lost contact due to a lost email account and I cannot find his care package he sent me of several different albums from groups he was working with. I know it’s around somewhere and will forward his info as soon as I can unearth it.
A great read… glad to know you’re around and well!
Ron!
Jeez, it’s been ages. I too am glad to hear you are doing well. Back in 1983 or so, there were really only a few “authentic” sixties garage bands in the world, so you traveled from New York City out to San Diego to be the East Coast ambassador/garage punk liaison between the Chesterfield Kings and the Tell-Tale Hearts. That was a great trip--we were all talking like you for a while--“How much for the fringe, Pop?” Do you remember when Rick Wilson and I were stranded at your place in LA for a week, sleeping on the floor and eating your hot dogs? I remember the shit you used to give us for hanging out with the audience at Studio 517 before playing, instead of emerging from backstage like rock stars! You were one of our biggest advocates and a great friend.
Soon I’m going to post the track we recorded for 99th Floor along with a story. As I recall, you were none too impressed when we delivered that Heinz song to you!
Ron, Wow! It’s Dylan from The Defilers, glad to see your still alive and kicking man!!! Thanks for all the stuff you gave me back in New York, I still have it all…. Wish I would have gotten that copy of “Wake me when I’m dead” you gave to Scott.
WOW! Thanks a lot, guys, for remembering me still and all those crazy times! I want to catch up with all of you, since it’s been a bunch of years & I still think back to my days in Hollywood and my dozens of trips to SD with all of you (as well as SF at the end of the Morlocks too)!
Ray -- I’ve got the master reel tape to “I Get Up in the Morning” in case you need it. The reason I was slightly “disappointed” about the TTHs doing a Heinz song for the final 99th Floor flexidisc (still have a batch of those as well as a few copies of the 2 Morlocks 45s in a box in the closet!) is that I was begging Mike to get you guys to cover a Dutch punker and HAVE YOU SING IT IN DUTCH which I thought would’ve been uber-kool since all you guys were OBSESSED with 60s Nederbeat at that time. Remember when you were recording the first TTHs LP at Silvery Moon & Mike placed the covers of all his Outsiders LPs on the window ledge “for inspiration”?
Speaking of which, I believe I may have the ONLY copy of the ORIGINAL mix of your first LP still in existence -- you remember how quick I was to come to your defense & assign blame on that horrid “re-mix”! I think it was at that point where I was starting to quickly gather up enemies in LA for my “arrogance” as well as loudly proclaiming that the ‘Hearts & Morlocks were thee 2 best bands in California & that LA bands were “weak”! I still think I was right! Remember that Bomp Xmas party at the original Silverlake “Cavern” Club w/ the SD vs. LA Battle of the “supergroups”? That shoulda been taped! (you know which city won…)
And speaking of tapes, Mark (also Jeff and Ted if he reads this) -- I have all the cassettes of the shows that were gleaned for the Yugoslavian LP in case there are some shows you are missing. Got some cool pix also -- did you like those ones on the back of the “Wake Me” cover? (got them from Zoe Poore years ago)
We’ve all gotta stay in touch! Well, I’ve used up way too much space again so I’ll sign off here…
One other thing… Jeff, reading what you wrote earlier -- sorry if the dates on the LP are incorrect. I was trying to be as thorough as possible with the facts but some of the tapes I was working with had NO dates at all so I did as good as I could with the tools I had. When you spoke earlier about the double falling-off-the-stage gig -- wasn’t that the (old) Cavern show I wrote about in 99th Floor? That’s the moment I knew you guys were great! I went up to the Unclaimed & said sarcastically “good luck, guys!” An awesome show (probably not for you though)! The only reason there is only “Cruel” from the (2nd) Cavern is because of that shitty PA -- you can’t hear ANY vocals at all! I could only use a song where you guys didn’t sing AND play at the same time! If there are any other questions about the “Wake Me…” LP, I’ll answer them to clear up any sort of mystery. As I said, I’m really glad a lot of people think it’s one of the best Morlocks records since I did put a lot of work into it! There’s still a great live show Darren G. has that has never been released, for those Morlocks completists in former Iron Curtain countries that need to put it on their lists.
Ooh! Let’s get in touch! I mean, being a Morlocks completist… 😉
I’m not sure which show we did the inadvertent stage dives during. You could probably help clear some cobwebs away. I know it was in LA. I’m not sure if it was during “By My Side” or “Double Decker Bus”.
Great to hear from you, Ron!!!
Kristen: “Hair Bear Bunch”?!? I was just happy to see I used to have a figure!
Jeezus… just stumbled onto this site and WOW. Looks like everyone but Leighton is around (or Reighton as I recall Eric calling him). I’m sitting on a couple of tapes, ’86 I think, ANTI CLUB and The Cavern, pretty sturdy stuff even by today’s measures. Should see about posting them here somehow. I had band a few years ago, we’d end our set with One Way Ticket, bummed people out big time! We still never did our ‘By My Side’ showdown with you guys vs. the Untold Fables, next life, right? Write me here: pantichrist.com
Later fags
Hey Robert. It’s been ages. I ran into your sister a few years back when she did a photoshoot with me for an album. For those of you who don’t know Robert, his band the Untold Fables was at the center of the Cavern Club, Che Underground counterpart scene in Los Angeles. He later played bass in the Miracle Workers.
We’ve got a mess of Untold Fables and Miracle Workers flyers awaiting publication. I gather the Untold Fables played quite a lot with the Morlocks and TTHs, and the Miracle Workers gigged frequently with Hair Theatre.
Brilliant stuff!! Somebody needs to write a book on the 80’s garage scene! Ron Rimsite, been looking for you for AGES brother, pop me a line someday if you read this!
wilthomer@yahoo.com
Jerry Cornelius, all props for being the architect of the original line up
of the Morlocks, but as i recall i came up w/the band name, being a huge H. G. Wells fan and having recently read the Time Machine oh, I don’t know for the 3rd time when we were struggling to come up w/ a cool name for our “supergroup”. on a side note i happened to be the roomate of the son of the director of the 60’s version of said movie,
byron yordan after the dust had settled on the last incarnation of the Morlocks.
make that “second-to-last incarnation”
Wow, I guess I lost track of this thread some time ago. What’s up, Ron and Robert?
Just read the whole string again……….How bizare
I found the link while searching for Emerge on the internet. I have the album but no record player. I want it in my digital music so I can listen to it. Funny, I’m trying to find a free copy and may have to end up paying for my own album……..HA
aloha friends!
i’m that guy from croatia (ex yugoslavia). before a few days i’ve been on the morlocks show here in zagreb, croatia. they did a great show.
enjoy!
zzz : )
franticz@gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/lutajucidjzdena
http://www.myspace.com/slusajnajglasnije
http://www.myspace.com/babilonci
http://zookeeper.stanford.edu/index.php?s=byLabelKey&n=14019&q=10&action=search&session=
http://www.gla.ac.uk/~dc4w/listenloudest/front.html
Mark,just do a blogsearch,it’s out there,trust me,I found it that way,as well as submerged alive,which I can’t find now.
or I’ll burn a copy and send it to you
I found Emerge at the head shop in El Centro in a used record bin! I’ve got Submerged Alive, and Wake Me When I’m Dead as well. I’d be happy to burn any of them for you.