THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
2,114) Powder — “Gladly”
Thomas and Richard Frost had a minor hit and created Visualize, one of the greatest lost albums of the 1960s (see #209, 211, 247, 385, 595, 775, 967, 1,733, 1,865). But before that these two Who-bsessed brothers ignited Powder (see #789, 1,556, 2,032), the first and greatest American mod band, giving us “splendid proto power pop” (Flipped Out Phil, https://flippedoutphil.substack.com/p/visualizing-the-california-superpop) from their second great lost albums of the 1960s. “Gladly” is “as good as any of the Creation’s work. . . . [and] would not be out of place on The Who Sell Out . . . because it’s that good”. (imiaxe, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_FcgL6KvI&list=RDM1_FcgL6KvI&start_radio=1&pp=ygUNUG93ZGVyIGdsYWRseaAHAQ%3D%3D&ra=m)
Kieron Tyler writes that:
[“Gladly” is t]he archetypical Powder performance . . . . Waves of guitar surge, drums are attacked Keith Moon-style and the vocal is cleanly delineated with rich harmonies. The forward motion is relentless. As Sixties’ pop-art pop goes, it’s as forceful as anything on The Who’s second album A Quick One.
Mark Deming gives us the story:
After the Beatles broke big in America in 1964, plenty of young American rockers began following the lead of their peers in the U.K., and very few did so with greater enthusiasm than Powder, a California-based combo whose explosive style was rooted in their enthusiasm for the Who [see #119, 548, 833, 976, 1,912, 2,055], the Small Faces [see #969, 1,024, 2,113], the Creation [see #129, 165, 1,502, 1,643, 1,748, 1,950] . . . . [G]uitarist Richard Martin, aka Richard Frost, . . grew up in San Mateo, California, not far from San Francisco. Frost became a rock & roll fan at an early age, and had already played in a handful of local acts with his brother Thomas Martin (aka Tom Frost) when the British Invasion struck in 1964. The Frost Brothers formed a band called the Newcastle Five, whose jangly style was informed by the new British sounds and early folk-rock. The Newcastle Five were playing clubs in San Francisco when they were spotted by Ray Columbus, a rock & roll singer from New Zealand who had come to the United States in hopes of advancing his career. Colombus invited the Newcastle Five to be his backing band, and the new combo took on a new name, the Art Collection. . . . and released [with Columbus] a fine example of fuzztone proto-punk, “Kick Me,” [see #1,014] in 1966 . . . Columbus didn’t stay with the group long, and as the first waves of the San Francisco psychedelic sound began to appear, the Frost Brothers relocated to Los Angeles in search of an audience for their louder, wilder sounds. . . . [They] caught a lucky break in 1967 when they were hired to be Sonny & Cher’s [see #281-83, 1,021] backing group for a nationwide tour. In addition to a well-paying road gig, th[is] . . . gave the[m] connections with Sonny Bono, who had launched his own music production concern, Progress Production Company, with producer Denis Pregnolato. . . . Progress signed them to a deal, and the group cut an album . . . with Bono and Pregnolato as producers, that they planned to lease to Atco Records. However, the deal went sour when Progress demanded the publishing rights to the songs, and the album was shelved. Powder soon broke up . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/powder-mn0001251845/biography
Kieron Tyler talks more of the Powder sound:
Crescendo follows crescendo, and power chord follows power chord. For The Who, “I Can see for Miles” was the apex of this style. But this is not The Who. Instead, it is a band from California called Powder whose shelved album from 1968 was crammed with thrilling, British-influenced gems. . . . [that] filtered a British sensibility through an American outlook. . . . Martin confirms that “we were Who fanatics and got hold of the My Generation album before it was released in the States. People used to think we were from Britain because of our stage attire.”
Alec Palao provides a vivid description: “Rich and Tom read the British mags like Rave, dressed in dandified threads brought directly from Carnaby Street . . . dug the latest hip UK sounds on import-only singles and albums . . . . and were forever being asked by fans whether or not they were from England.” (liner notes to the Biff! Bang! Powder CD comp)
Oh, what could have been. Derek Anderson writes:
Sonny Bono pitched the potential album to the wrong man. Sonny choose to take Powder’s recording to Atlantic Records’ Ahmet Erteugen. However, he was better known for jazz, R&B and soul. Only later, would Atlantic Records become a rock label. . . . So, it’s no wonder . . . Erteugen didn’t show any interest . . . . Following the disappointment of the recording sessions, Sonny and Cher’s management team decided to concentrate on Chastity, a film starring Cher. Powder were meant to contribute some of the music. However, in early 1969, drummer Bill Schoppe quit . . . . decid[ing] to wander down the spiritual path that was proving popular in San Francisco. . . . Powder’s biggest mistake was turning down Mercury Records to sign for Sonny and Cher’s management team. That must have seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime. It proved not to be the case.
https://dereksmusicblog.com/2014/12/10/powder-ka-pow-an-explosive-collection-1967-1968/
Kieron Tyler ponders their fate:
All it’s possible to think is “how did a band this great, this melodic and this potent escape attention at the time?” . . . After looking at their contemporary context, it becomes clear why Powder didn’t attract widespread attention. They simply didn’t fit in. . . . Rich Martin (later Frost) declares “we revelled in not conforming to the San Francisco sound – it was a badge of honour and a bit of rebellion against what was popular.” . . . Powder played San Francisco but weren’t part of the ballroom scene. They were suburban and definitely not hippies. . . . Musically, the San Francisco narrative for 1967 was . . . dominated by lengthy songs, jamming and a general looseness. . . . The kinetic, sharp-edged Powder were something else. Their heads were filled with neon visions of a concise mod-pop rather than notions of soundtracking journeys to inner space.
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