The Blues Magoos

CLAIMED TO HAVE HAD THE WORLDS LARGEST LAVA LAMP ON STAGE

Born in the Bronx , New York in 1964 the Blues Magoos , were oringinally called "The Trenchcoats", then "the Bloos Magoos" and finally settled on "the Blues Magoos". By 1966, after a couple of personnel changes the members were now : Emil Thielhelm who The Blues Magoos with their beloved lava lamp

The Blues Magoos with their beloved lava lamp

went by the name Peppy Castro (vocals & guitar), Mike Esposito (lead guitar), Ralph Scala (organ & vocals), Ronnie Gilbert (bass), and Geoff Daking (drums).

With their electric suits and giant, onstage lava lamps, the Blues Magoos had all the accoutrements and affectations that any practitioners of the new "psychedelic" movement could need. The Magoos even marketed their own line of lava lamps: the "Psyche-de-Lite." What few appreciated, though, was that the group had the aptitude and creativity to back up their commercial gimmickry.

Scala, Gilbert, and Theilhelm had originally gotten together (with another guitarist and drummer) as The Trenchcoats in the Bronx in 1964. By 1966 they were renamed the Bloos Magoos and were gigging frequently at Cafe Wha and the Night Owl in Greenwich Village. After one early single and a spelling revision, Mike Esposito became their new lead guitarist. Esposito had at one time been in a college band with Lou Reed, and his inventive guitar playing -- utilizing controlled feedback and tape-echo devices -- added a new dimension to the group's sound. Drummer Geoff Daking was the last to join, arriving in time to record their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, which was released in November 1966.

With its heavy use of effects and improvisational segments, the album showed a band toying with the possibilities of psychedelia without ever taking themselves too seriously -- a sense of humor was never far below the surface. The extended "freak-out" version of "Tobacco Road" -- which also appeared as a single -- was a highlight of the Magoos' live act and demonstrates how effectively the earlier garage-psych bands were able to utilize experimental sounds and controlled dynamics without ever overextending into self-indulgent jamming.

Like their name, the group’s sound was of the psychedelic variety. They released singles on smaller labels, like Ganim Records and Verve Records, but those singles did not gain the band much recognition. However, Mercury Records signed the band to a record deal in late 1966 and the group’s debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop was released shortly thereafter. It was one of the first records to contain the word “Psychedelic” on the sleeve

In a U.S. tour in 1967 they were the opening band, followed by "The Who", then headliners "Herman Hermits". Their song "Gotta Get Away" was used in the movie Easy Rider. They went on to have a few more hits, but they were basically "one hit wonders". Their last two albums were pretty much ignored by their fans. They split up in 1968. Castro re-organized the Magoos with new members Eric Katz, Richie Dickon, John Leillo, and Roger Eaton and they released "Never Goin' Back To Georgia", but it also did poorly. Eaton went his way and the other Blues Magoos' used session guys to record one final album "Gulf Coast Bound". In 1981Peppy Castro showed up again with a band called "Balance". The Blues Magoos will be remembered forever by Baby Boomers for their electric suits and giant lava lamps on stage.

The original group’s output on CD is now complete. Repertoire has released their three albums in deluxe digi-packages with detailed liner notes. Each CD has bonus tracks which include mono versions of single releases, fan club exclusives, and obscure early recordings. Additionally, Collectibles still has the doubled-up “Lollipop/Comic Book” CD for sale and Mercury’s “Kaliedoscopic Compendium” anthology is still available as well. The post-1969 group’s output has not been released on CD to date.

2009 status : active.

Blues Magoos Links
Find out more about "The Blues Magoos" here.
(Offical?) Blues Magoos website (not much here) || Wikipedia/Blues Magoos || Beki Brindle Home page || Beki Brindle Blues Magoos page (some MP3s here)

The leader of Windopane, Beki Brindle - was lead guitarist for the Warner/Reprise band, 'Grace Pool' and has performed and/or recorded guitar with greats such as Jerry Lee Lewis, James 'Yank' Rachell, John Sebastian, Rick Danko (The Band) etc. Windopane's 1st album, 'See?' became an underground hit in Italy, Canada. The 2nd album, 'Lucky Catatonia' followed as an even bigger hit - remaining at the #1 position on the Italian underground charts for several months in 1995. Because the latter was a private release and is out of print, we are re-releasing in the MP3 format. Beki lives and records near New York, NY. Beki is married to Ralph Scala - lead singer/keyboardist of the 60's band, The Blues Magoos who's hit songs "(We) Ain't Got Nothing Yet" "Tobacco Road "and "Pipe Dream" were top 5 hits. Ralph and Beki play together now and they are very psychedelic!