HI! Ho! Ho! Well, well, well. If it isn’t that time of year again! (It isn’t you say? Little do you know! You too can enjoy Christmas in October! Just subscribe to TeenSet (cheaper at half the price) and every year, on the year, you will be the happy recipient of a Christmassy issue of TeenSet in October. Better yet, get a job on a Kra-zee mag like this one and you can join in on a Christmas party in August. The fun never ends…)
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ringo Starr, upon the birth of their second son, Jason. A Leo. Happiness at our house. Congratulations, also, to Mr. and Mrs. Derek Taylor, upon the birth of their fifth child. A boy. Dominic. Two Leos. Ecstacy [sic] at our house…
In the BUILD-YOUR-OWN-BUFFALO-SPRINGFIELD-DEPT. Now, kids, take out the little paper-doll David Crosby we had you insert on second lead guitar last month and move Stephen back there. Take the Doug Hastings doll (the one on lead guitar last month), and replace it with a new, revitalized Neil Young doll. Have them all giggle nervously and run back into the recording studio to re-record the new album. You, too, can play rock and roll star… speaking of good old rock and roll, the Buffalo’s next single, “Rock and Roll Woman,” is great!
Have you heard or seen Vanilla Fudge? Are they not fab, simply fab? So too are the Strawberry Alarm Clock.
Two (count them, two) new clubs opened recently on Sunset Blvd. The Genesis IX is small with an eye-boggling light show (and eye-boggling Lee Michaels on stage); the Spectrum 2000, farther down the Strip, used to be Ciro’s. It’s Boss and Ciro’s. The new management spent lots of money redecorating; they should have invested in war bonds… But as new clubs come and sometimes go, the Old Faithful Whiskee A Go Go keeps rollin’ on… the Motown format has been abandoned or postponed and the Whisk is once again a hangout for the best in pop—the Byrds (how can they be so good… and so terrible!). Gene Clark, the Cream, Mike Bloomfield, the Paupers, the Buffalo. It’s nice to have a place to groove away from home again!
Spencer Davis group in town for only two days—and no performances! All you lucky people in New York, Chicago, and smaller burgs got to see him, and I’m jealous!
Mamas and Papas, Scott McKenzie, Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Electric Flag were booked into the Hollywood Bowl for one night only and were probably very good. I say “probably”, because we couldn’t get in… fan magazines weren’t given press passes. We’ll show them—someday. Meawhile [sic]…
Our faith was restored, however, by the royal treatment shown us by the proprietors of the Ice House in Glendale. We were there to see the Hearts and Flowers (who are slowly winning our hearts (and money—their album is great!) and Bob Lind.
I was about to say that, what with Paul’s statement about LSD and George’s visit here this summer and Ringo’s new son, this was definitely a Beatle Year. But I had to stop myself. What year (since 1964) hasn’t been a Beatle Year? Readers will take (delight) note that John and Paul have shaved off their blechy and ugghy mustaches and beards, leaving only beautiful, gorgeous, sensitive, happy, honest faces to be seen. Judging from some of the letters we’ve gotten here regarding the facial hair, beauty, too often, is not even in the realm of knowledge of the beholder, let alone the eye…
Paul and John, along with friend Jane and wife Cyn and son Julian, found an island in the Aegean Sea, for which the Beatles had to make special arrangements. There seems to be some hang-up about how much money (bread) one can take from the country at a time, so a payment deal had to be arranged…
Pictured with Peter and Gordon (at left) is Gordon’s new girl friend, Sibylla Edmonstone. She’s heiress to the Marshall Field fortune. About marriage plans, Gordon says, “Time will tell.” So get your copy of Time and find out…
At a benefit for an Indian fund in North Hollywood, Phil Ochs, Jackson Browne, the Peanut Butter Conspiracy and the Spirit all did excellent sets. The Spirit (as mentioned before, under the name Spirits Rebellious) continues to produce instrumentally beautifully and lyrically singalong-type tunes. An album from this group should be a real treat…
If, indeed, it was largely to George Harrison’s credit that Tim Buckley was flown to England and booked at the Saville, it can only serve to substantiate my belief that Tim is gorgeous and magnificently talented. (I already knew about George…)
Why do people insist on declaring, as if it will prove them astute, that the Beatles wouldn’t be able to perform live again? What does it matter? Their stage act was never the draw anyway. Not to point a finger, I could say that there are far more groups that will never be able to make a decent recording…
Ah ha! So the Monkees have gone “hip!” English papers tell us that the four wore beads, fringe, suede and other “hippie” acouterments [sic] while in London.
But who are we to doubt the word of Michael Vosse?
This has gone on long enough! I can’t go on another minute without saying something (nice) about the PAUPERS! I could ask why they don’t live in Los Angeles. I could marvel at their collective and individual beauty. I could pray aloud for their lasting bachelorhood. I could write another love letter to “Mine.” But instead, I think I’ll just go home and put the album on, full blast. Might I suggest you do the same…
I can’t help but wonder what the social significance of my last night’s dream was. I was giving Sky Saxon a new song, one which I had written. He was having a tantrum (our Sky?) and screaming that it was too much like “Pushing Too Hard” and “Mr. Farmer” and “A Thousand Shadows”…
Lisa Kindred of the UFO did a great guest set at the Troubadour, knocking everyone out with her fantastic voice. She told me that the group is moving to San Francisco, in an attempt to “get out of show business and into music.” Dyane has left the group, as did Laurie, who was replaced by an auburn-haired girl named Cyn…
The Gordion Knot will look great when they open the new Factory in Beverly Hills. They’ll be wearing silk shirts and striped pants tailored for them by the one and (we hope) only Genie the Tailor. (Miss the Tailor to you.) Genie also made the “new image” suits for the Association’s opening at the Cocoanut Grove…
What does Richie Furay’s cat “Larry” know that Nanci doesn’t?
Is Phil Volk married to Tina Mason? Is anyone asking?
Jim Valley has been making the rounds of radio stations around the country, hyping “Try Try Try,” which, it would appear, didn’t need that much typing. Big news from Jim is due any minute now…
Since this is our Christmas issue and our offices are all decorated with lights, pine cones, stocking, etc., I would like to extend warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year to all the people who made this year as amazing as it was. To the Beatles…
