Original Pentagram member Geof’O Keefe on First Daze Here

(From our archives:  Original Pentagram member Geof  ‘O Keefe  wrote an in depth studio report about First Daze Here, the 2002 compilation of rare and unreleased Pentagram songs)

I initially learned of First Daze Here when Cameron Davidson called me to tell me that someone from Relapse contacted him about using his photos for the release (I have known Bruce (as I’ve always called him) since eighth grade, thirty-three years ago). Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with the label, and my first reaction was, “Not again!” I’m sure Pentagram collectors are familiar with numerous releases that have slithered out over the years. These past releases have been negotiated solely with Bobby and with no consultation or compensation to any of the other band members who played (and in some cases, co-wrote material) on the recordings.

But you know what? That “past” had some great moments of music, and fans of the better-known 80s-to-present doom version of Pentagram should get to hear how it started, especially since no fewer than twenty-two songs released on albums like Relentless, Day of Reckoning and Sub-Basement were originally performed by the 71-76 line-ups.

Any reservations I had vanished when I mentioned Relapse to occasional fifth Pentagram member / Bedemon founder Randy Palmer, who exclaimed, “Relapse? They’re one of the top metal labels in the country!” I then got in touch with Pellet at the label and was thrilled to be able to contribute to the release at the last minute, making some corrections in regards to recording info (glad I kept a diary back then!) and also contributing the booklet’s liner notes.

While I had no say in the track selection, this being yet another deal Bobby arranged on his own, this is overall an excellent release, with great sound and stellar packaging and graphics.

Forever My Queen
A killer song, and a great album opener. We recorded this at Bias Recording Studios in Falls Church in March of 1973, and if I recall correctly, we were the very first band to record there while it was still under construction. We were going for a “hit-you-over-the-head” stomp feel, sort of like Uriah Heep’s “Gypsy,” and whereas usually a song would have the verses played on the hi-hat, I instead rode them on this 16″ cymbal above my floor toms that had very little “after-ring” to them, so I could just crash the crap out of it on the beat. Unfortunately, on the version presented here and prepared by Bobby and engineer Chris Kozlowski, the song has a bizarre and abrupt fade-out right as the song is coming to an end. The song is supposed to end cold, and more than one person I’ve played the CD for has remarked about it sounding odd. Most unfortunate.

When the Screams Come
Another classic from Mr. Liebling, one his best songs ever. This is the first of three recordings of this song that the band would do (the others being at National Sound and then Columbia Records in New York) and each has their charm-my personal fave is the Nation Sound version. Pentagram at their doomiest and most Sabbath-esque, especially the fast part at the end.

Walk In the Blue Light
Ah, the old “Aqualung” drum pattern! Truth be told, this is not one of my favorite of Bobby’s songs. While the chord pattern and vocal line are really majestic, it’s somewhat repetitive and long and never really catches fire. But, it sounds good and was well-played and I guess is pretty impressive for a band with little studio experience.

Starlady
This song began as a Bedemon demo that guitarist and sometimes-fifth Pentagram member Randy Palmer had written as “Lady of the Dark Star.” He brought it to Bobby, who added a few parts and did some rearranging (including suggesting the new title). Ironically, Randy wasn’t in the band at the time we did this; guitarist Marty Iverson had joined up with Vincent, Greg and myself during the first half of ’76 after we three had left Bobby (who owns the name). Bobby rejoined and we recorded this session. We recorded this in September 1976 at Underground Sound, which was located in the owner’s sub-basement in the middle of Maryland suburbia. The band and Bobby parted ways before this song and the four others were mixed, and it sat there for a decade until bassist Greg Mayne and I rescued it from obscurity in the mid-80s. One of our very best performances, classy and powerful, and a hint at what could’ve been.

Lazy Lady
The b-side to “Be Forewarned” and our first venture into a studio during the time we’d changed the name to Macabre. The booklet says this was recorded at The Fireplace. In truth, that was the name of the nightclub that operated in the evenings. By day, the club was closed and it was Affiliated Studios. I don’t recall exactly how we hooked up with legendary producer Mitch Corday. He’d produced a number of successful D.C. bands like the Telstars, the British Walkers and the Chartbusters. I’ll never forget sitting down at the drum kit and hearing him say, “Give me a little fatback on the drums…” and I had NO idea what he meant!

This song was the first of a number of songs I co-wrote with Bobby. He had the verses and lyrics, and I came up with the heavy Sir Lord Baltimore-styled riff that is between them and also serves as the bed for the middle solo.

We had a pure Spinal Tap moment with this single: the band had gathered at Bobby’s parents’ apartment and our manager Phil Knudsen walked in with the boxes of our very first single. We excitedly looked at it and couldn’t believe our eyes: the pressing plant had misspelled our name “Macbre,” leaving out the middle “a” and this became the first of many incidents that would almost indicate a curse upon the band. This became known as the “Mac-bree” single…

Bobby recorded the new harmony guitar intro to this song in September 2001 (as well as adding stuff to “Be Forewarned”-see below). As co-writer of this song and member of the band, I’m less than thrilled he elected to add these “revisions” to our music with no input from any other members. Regardless of what Pentagram is now in his mind or the public’s eyes, for the first five years we were a band of equal members and it’s unfortunate he felt the urge to alter our debut recordings. I think most fans would have liked to have finally heard a clean CD copy of both sides of our very first single as it was without these unneeded “extras.”

Review Your Choices
One of our heaviest numbers, and another of Bobby’s classics. It’s funny, but people lump us in with Sabbath and Blue Cheer, and this song is indeed one or our more sludgy / doom tracks deserving of that honorable perception, but in fact, Bobby and I were really into a lot of bands like Thin Lizzy, Wishbone Ash and others who were more hard rock and melodic and definitely not doom-oriented. This song has a nice tasteful Leslie guitar solo from Vincent, which contrasts nicely with the crunchy power chords that are behind it.

Hurricane
Another ten. One of the best songs and one of our best performances. This would have actually been my choice to open the album. Bobby’s snarling vocals spit in your face and Vincent’s solo is super-charged. We recorded this at Bias three months after the first session. This was pressed up as a single for promotional purposes by Skip Groff, who was working with the band and produced both Bias sessions. The b-side was a rare co-write between Bobby and bassist Greg Mayne called “Earth Flight.” An excellent song which we later re-recorded at National Sound (track 9 here).

Livin’ In a Ram’s Head
This is pretty much Bobby’s anthem, as he’s recorded it at least four times with as many line-ups! This version, from the live-in-the-studio National Sound sessions and with Randy Palmer on rhythm guitar, is in my opinion the best of them all, with a churning undercurrent and some great blazing wah-wah soloing from Vincent.

Earth Flight
This is a really cool song from the rare collaboration of Bobby and Greg, and this is a stellar performance of it from the National Sound sessions (again with Randy Palmer). Faster and more energetic than the comparatively restrained Bias version, it charges along like a runaway train, driven by some great riffs and, if I can be so bold, pretty slamming drumming (love those triple snare hits during the solo, a pattern I picked up from “Deuce” by Kiss). Another of Bobby’s best vocals and Vincent was smoldering.

20 Buck Spin
And speaking of Vincent, this is another from the Bias sessions, and features one of Mr. McAllister’s wildest solos ever captured on tape. As he was recording it, the band was sitting in the control room, wide-eyed and grinning ear-to-ear at hearing what he was coming up with! This was a great live song and was our set-closer at a lot of the gigs, where we’d stretch it out and let Vincent go nuts. I love it when Greg starts playing bass chords! Totally wall-of-sound heavy.

Be Forewarned
While this isn’t one of my favorite Bobby songs, it was our very first single and therefore has a special place in my heart. It’s unfortunate the fans aren’t getting the single as it originally was. Bobby added additional vocals and actually removed Vincent’s lead solo, replacing it with one of his own. I have fairly emotional and critical feelings on this, but will refrain from voicing them here. It would have been better in hindsight if the CD had included the original pure versions and then added these “2001 remixes” as bonus cuts. The good news is that the original version is slated to appear on the next compilation which is already in the planning stages.

Last Days Here
This is the one track on the collection that is actually from our warehouse rehearsals. I wrote the music and Bobby wrote the lyrics. I was really into Mountain at the time and was going for a heavy midtempo ballad-type of song (hence the Corky Laing-style drumming). Bobby really delivers on this, doing his best Iggy, and so we have a “Mountain of Stooges.” It would’ve been nice to see how a song like this would’ve turned out in the studio, just like it would the other fifty or so songs we played but never recorded. Although I have a pretty extensive collection of master tapes of our practices through the years, I surprisingly didn’t have this one song, so it was nice to re-visit these “Days.”

So there you have it. A peek into the Pentagram vaults, the “Tomb of the Unsigned.” And, more will follow.

When Bobby and I started Pentagram thirty-one years ago, sitting stoned in Bob Poston’s house one fall night in 1971, we couldn’t have known in our wildest dreams that three decades later, people would still be interested in the music we relentlessly rehearsed at the warehouse in Alexandria, Va. And there’s no disputing that had Bobby not kept Pentagram alive all these years with various line-ups, this release (and fan interest in the old material) would not exist.

While he is the constant link and figurehead of the group, the original project began as a band. Had drugs and egos not destroyed us, I can only wonder how things might have turned out differently in all of our lives if we’d actually gotten signed to a major label as it seemed we might so many times. It is bizarre and yet SO cool that people enjoy the music even if it is 25-30 years after we recorded it. As they say, better late than never…

Tags: bobby liebling, doom, first daze here, geof 'o keefe, pentagram, relapse

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 5:50 am and is filed under 2009, Interviews . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.