The Turtles Live @ CMU Fall 1969
Central Michigan
University was still a rather small institution at the time, about 8,000
students, mostly white. However changes were afoot following the 1967 riots in
Detroit, Flint and Saginaw. CMU was actively recruiting students of color,
hoping to provide greater opportunities for diversity and cultural competence.
Between 1968-69
CMU booked the hottest acts in the country including Spanky & Our Gang,
Blood Sweat & Tears, the Association, Sly & the Family Stone, the Cryan
Shames and the Turtles – each of these bands were at the top of their game. But
musical tastes were gradually shifting and expanding into genres that took on
greater complexity, at least in name if not deed. Marketers would hail the next
big thing e.g., hard rock, metal, progressive, folk, symphonic - but it was
still rock & roll to me.
The Turtles were
certainly an underrated and misunderstood band, perhaps it was their proclivity
to stretch out from folk and pop to psychedelia, jazz and anti-war anthems. For
god sakes they even recorded a concept album in 1968 entitled The Turtles
Present the Battle of the Bands. It was their Sgt Peppers and the even left out
some great 45’s (She’s My Girl, The Story of Rock & Roll) just like the
Beatles when they carved out Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields from their opus.
I was eagerly
anticipating the Turtles concert. I had all their LPs and their most recent
45’s and I actually played them all on my tiny modular stereo. I didn’t know
any better. It sounded just like my tiny
little transistor radio. To this day I cherish those warm primitive sounds more
than the loud pro-tooled analog crap that sprays the airways with more poison
than a liquored-up mosquito control pilot.
I can’t recall
the opening act. CMU always had an opening act, an intermission and a three
song encore by the headliner. It could have been a very young Jackson Browne or
Henry Gross because I saw them open for somebody somewhere…ok, so I don’t know
but what I do recall is the then common practice of festival seating. This was
the norm at the time, most venues did it. It went something like this - general
admission tickets are sold to an unwitting public; the show starts @ 7pm; crowd
assembles @ 5pm. The doors open @ 7:15pm and the crowd storms in, running,
pushing and shoving to get the best seat possible. It was a harrowing exercise
and proved to be fatal a few years later. It was always a bad idea.
After sprinting to
my seat and body blocking a wannabe
concert buff, I smiled broadly – wow, I’m pretty close to the stage – 20 rows
out or so. Is that cool or what? A thought flickered –where’s my brother. He
was wondering the same thing and we eventually landed together. I could feel
the crowd was pumped. People were talking, laughing and singing Turtles songs.
It was a good vibe
The Turtles opened the show with The Battle of
the Bands – a sweet little rocker that had plenty of cowbell. The theme was a
perfect tag for most everyone at the show. Battle of the Bands contests had
been around for years and musicians and fans alike had experienced it.
Two
bucks a ticket, got to get with it,
On the night they have the battle of the bands.
Shine up my new shoes, kick off my old blues,
The night they have the battle of the bands.
On the night they have the battle of the bands.
Shine up my new shoes, kick off my old blues,
The night they have the battle of the bands.
The
singers Howard Kaylen and Mark Volman were in excellent voice right from the
start of the show. The audience did a unison gasp when the hit those 3 octave
stratospheric vocal registers. Nobody - and I mean no one had ever sung this
way before, not at any live show I attended. These cats had other-worldly gifts
that they delivered in an almost nonchalant manner…as if they didn’t know just
how good they were. Plus they goofed like adolescents – fake holding hands and
fake grabbing ass. Volman was a natural vaudevillian, a Buster Keaton whereas
Kaylen was the sardonic storyteller of greater and lesser truths like Charlie
Chaplin or John Lennon.
The
band focused on much of the material on their (undeclared) 1968 masterpiece The
Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands. They performed the exquisite You
Showed Me (the prompted many back seat romances and mash fests) and Elenore was
simply breathtaking - perfect execution by the 3-piece backing of Jim Pons
(bass), Al Nichol (guitar) and Johnny Barbata (drums). It was apparent that
Barbata was a master and that his rhythmic patterns were both powerful and
intricate. He filled spaces and accented shifts in tempo as well as keeping a
rock steady beat. But it was Volman and Kaylen who sent us to another world.
The vocal crescendo on the coda was otherworldly, brilliant. Surfer Dan was a
sonic hats off to the Beach Boys and Too Much Heartsick Feeling was a chance
for Pons to use his rich baritone. Pons’ low harmonies were strategic to the
Turtles sound, a counterpoint to the dual tenor harmonics of Volman and Kaylen.
One
of the highlights for me was the Harry Nielson anthem The Story of Rock &
Roll. Kaylen’s vocal gymnastics were simply not humanly possible. He had the
best voice in rock – everyone talked about it as if reaching those high
registers were normal – only if you’re a steel worker walking a 12 inch cross
beam 100 stories up - that’s not normal either. But for me it was Barbata’s
sharp accents and syncopated beats that scaffold the energy of the song. It was
sonic nirvana.
It
was about mid-show when Volman left the stage and came jumping back onstage all
greased up and do-wop’d to spoof on Lee Andrews’ chestnut Teardrops. It was
stellar performance with a manic energy that kept me on the edge of the seat. I
wanted more. I loved the vaudeville. I loved the energy. Mach Schau
All
the hits were present and accounted for: You baby. Love it – can’t help it.
Kaylen’s soaring “You” hits my G-spot
and won’t let up. It’s just too innocent sexy to resist.
She’s
My Girl the highlight of the evening. It is in my opinion the Turtle’s most
realized song - soaring vocals, elusive
yet accessible lyrics, soft/loud dynamics, tempo changes and incredible
musicianship. Kaylen’s lead vocal was astounding – perfect. That performance
alone should land him and the Turtles in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But
then again rock & roll should never be in a museum. It’s a oxymoron.
Bo’s Interview with Howard Kaylen:
Hi HowardI'm preparing an article of the Turtles Concert I attended @ Central Michigan University in 1969. Could you help me recreate the set list and clarify if John Seiter was in the band at that point?
In 1969, Seiter played during the last part of the year. Can't answer depending on the month.
Bo:
It was a great show that highlighted those exquisite
Kaylen/Volman vocals. In the middle of the show Mark did a spoof on fifties
rock. Do you recall the name of the song (s)? I remember the hits - did you
play any deeper album cuts during that time, the Ray Davies produced cuts?The song was TEARDROPS by Lee Andrews and The Hearts. Yes we did play deeper cuts
Bo:
I recall battle of the Bands opened the show - were you
doing Somewhere Friday Night, There You Sit Lonely, and Hot Little Hands? Did Setter
and Nichol sing any of their songs during the 69 tour?
PS Thanks for helping me out - it's very generous
PS Thanks for helping me out - it's very generous
If we opened with Battle of the Bands, then we didn't do ANY of those songs. We would have done Too Much Heartsick Feeling and Surfer Dan. Big Difference. And Barbata did that show. Pleasure
Bo
Can we be best friends?
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