Et Cetera

I couldn’t think of anything to write about today, so yesterday I decided to go buy some new music after work. I shoved my way through the rush hour traffic and finally made my way to Waterloo where I was determined to buy something by TV on the Radio. I walked up and down the aisles, shoving past Charlie Sexton, who had positioned himself in the middle of the “T” aisle*. I sifted through the CDs until I came to TV on the Radio and grabbed Return to Cookie Mountain. Then I lingered a bit, looking at other CDs because Charlie Sexton was still blocking my egress. As I continued sifting, I came to the Turtles.

Sometime last year when I had just discovered Pandora, I set up a radio station and began voting on the songs it picked for me. After a couple songs, one that I had never heard by the Turtles came up and I listened. I usually don’t like oceans of reverb, but when it’s in the context of 60s pop, preferably in a minor key, I’m a sucker. See also, the Zombies. I gave the Turtles a thumbs up and went on listening. Then after a couple songs, the Turtles came up again. I’m not sure if this was because there wasn’t a huge selection of music on Pandora at the time or whether all the songs that I voted up had elements that added up to the Turtles, but they kept coming up. I started with Radiohead, and at that point had only gotten a couple of their songs, but I was getting the Turtles every couple songs. I get it, I get it, Pandora—you’ve taught me that I like the Turtles. I had to start voting them down if I wanted to hear anything else.

I picked up the Turtles CD and perused the titles, since I was still boxed in by Charlie Sexton and his conversation with hangers-on. The picture on the cover was clearly taken early in the Turtles career. They are all in blazers or cardigans and sport pointy boots and short, but shaggy haircuts. You can pick up pretty much any album of the time and find a similar picture. It looks nothing like the one that is featured in the Laurel Canyon book that I recently read. That picture shows a group of guys with mustaches and scarves, leaning against a tree. Vocalist Mark Volman has a huge afro and glasses that make him look a good deal like Chris Sligh from this season’s American Idol. Or, I guess, Chris Sligh looks like Mark Volman. This photo was apparently taken toward the end of the Turtles’ existence.

There is a story in the Laurel Canyon book about how the Turtles’ label pressured them to produce a hit, and how the pressure only intensified after they actually had one. To satisfy these demands, the Turtles released a concept album, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, which finds them inventing several bands of different genres. One of these was a band in the style of their biggest hit, “Happy Together,” but which also subtly mocked it. “Elenor,” the song that this “band” came up with—despite the ironic intent, or perhaps because of it—was another hit.

You’re my pride and joy, et cetera

There was one last proper Turtles album, Turtle Soup, produced by Ray Davies, which was a commercial failure, causing the band to implode soon after. Volman and the Turtles’ other vocalist Howard Kalyan then joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, who were then rehearsing in Zappa’s house down the road. Because of their contract with their label, Volman and Kaylan weren’t allowed to use their real names for other musical projects, so they adopted the pseudonyms “Flo” and “Eddie” to let them keep performing. After the Mothers, they went on to record a series of Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake albums and ended up as backing vocalists on 50 or so other albums—according to their website— for everyone from T.Rex to Duran Duran.

I got tired of waiting for people to realize they were blocking my way out, so I just pushed through and paid for my two albums. I have better things to do than wait for Charlie Sexton.

Oh, the TV on the Radio is okay too.

*Apparently there was some in-store appearance that I had just missed. People were lined up for something, but since I didn’t really care, I didn’t bother to find out what. I assume it was something Charlie Sexton related.