We Found a 36-Year-Old KDKB Local Compilation -- Here's What We Thought Of It

By Troy Farah Wed., Jan. 23 2013 at 9:30 AM

Side Two

Duane Davenport - "The North of Arizona"

I lived in Flagstaff for awhile, so I understand how being around those Ponderosa pines and aspens can feel like home. I still think Phoenix is a far better town, however, so I didn't care much for Davenport's descriptions of a "heartless city."

The Normal Brothers - "Fiddler and The Gambler"

Well, this song is normal alright. It sounds like every other fiddler song you can think of, but it warns that if you play music too much, your woman will leave you and take a plane to L.A. Just keep that in mind. Fiddling: Not Even Once.

Hans Olson - "Early in the Morning"

A pretty good attempt at a Muddy Waters -style song, it talks about leaving and ain't comin' back no more. I'm sure you can guess the time of day this exodus occurs. My favorite part is how Olson describes his musical style: "With just his acoustic guitar and harmonica Hans has been playing his folk, blues, and rock n' roll dance music for honkytonk audiences, in Arizona, since 1969." Huh. "Rock n' roll dance music for honkytonk audiences." Must be a lucrative target market, as Olson continues to play out to this day.

Dusty Chaps - "Keep Your Hands Off Her Stranger (She's With Me)"

I misheard the chorus to this song at first and thought it was a tune against one night stands. "Keep your hands off a stranger..." Never mind. This is actually about a guy who takes a girl out and tells these handsy fellows who this woman belongs to. It sounds suspiciously like the Statler Brothers. They formed in the summer of 1969, which immediately made me think these guys dropped acid in San Francisco and had a hallucinatory revelation to start a band. Somehow, I think I'm wrong about that one too.

The Fabulous Air Brothers - "No Regrets"

I swear these fabulous Tucson brothers use the same riff The Who use on "Baba O'Riley." It still sounds good here, especially when they begin noodling their guitars in a gentle, Grateful Dead sorta way. Fun fact: they were the house band at the Pawnbroker Restaurant and Music Hall once upon a time.

Fester Plugg and The Stilt Chickens - "Stilt Chickens Theme Song"

This is my favorite song on the whole album and it made the entire purchase worthwhile. It's definitely the most experimental song, recorded by the band's only member, George Gilman, in his home using a four-track home recorder. He fucks with the tape a little, speeding it up, slowing it down and twisting it all up. It sounds like some demented marching song, but the best part is the lyrics:

"Some folks call us cowboys / in spite of our long hair / some folks just ignore us / pretend that we're that not there / Some folks say we're crazy / I do believe they're right / because we'll sing almost any old song / if it helps us through the night.

We live in Arizona, the land of the desert sun / we don't work too hard and we don't get too much done. The intense heat doesn't bother us / we think that it's alright / 'cuz we sleep all day anyway and party all through the night.

Desert living could make a person crazy, I believe / People around here are the craziest that I could conceive. We have desert parties, that's how we get our kicks / Would you believe the things we do out in the sticks? We all drive pickup trucks and make them go kerspluts? Uh, what?

If we never make it big, we don't really care, / 'cuz we like living here, it's better than anywhere. Don't get us wrong and think that we would pass up the chance to strike it rich and own three good pairs of pants!"

It seems not much has changed in Arizona's outside reputation or slacker attitude, which was the whole point of reviewing this album, to see what's changed. I doubt most people would listen to most of these songs on a regular basis, but from a historical aspect, it's really enlightening. I wonder how future vinyl archaeologists will look back on compilation discs from the local Phoenix bands of today?

Troy Farah thinks about the present in the past tense at troyfarah.com

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Tags:

70s, rock, country, Neil Young, y, Hans Olson, KDKB, music, Phoenix

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River Jones

KDKB ((ROCKS ARIZONAAAA)) *Robot voice*

Jeff Taylor

Me too! Some interesting tunes on this one..

Thomas McIntyre

yup, definitely have this on vinyl.

River Jones

I have this on vinyl! :)

dbliss53

1 Like

The Malapai Inn in Showlow????

georgepacion

@dbliss53 Wow you guessed where the rednecks did not like Country Rock! The Hippie Music Gods eventually got even and the place burnt to the ground. LOL

dbliss53

@georgepacion @dbliss53 Yeah, I played there several times....downstairs in the "Rock Room" Kuntry was upstairs....verrrrry interesting venue. White Punks on KDKB.....

dbliss53

2 Like

We lived next door to a DPS officer up on 35th Ave & T-Bird back in the day. Every night or two we would go put a KDKB bumper sticker on the back of his unmarked car. Every night or two it would be gone...so we kindly replaced it for him. The Beans down at Brophy High School; The Crystal Palace at Xavier; The Red White & Blues Band at Cortez High; I was the captain of the Bill Compton Swim Team; that was before Compton Terrace. Oh yeah and Joe Bethancourt at some sandwich shop on 7th or 19th Ave north of Bethany. BBBBBBrrrrrrrrr

debracadabra

2 Like

I remember the day KDKB appeared on the dial in place of KCAC. KCAC was a short lived underground station that changed to a sports station. KDKB was a true force in my life for many years.

Shep Cooke played - bass, I think - with Dearly Beloved, a band out of Tucson who was just getting a following in Phoenix. I saw them at a club on Indian School, around 7th Street - Junior something club - in 1966. (Alice Cooper played there as The Spiders, and later The Nazz.) I was honored to have Shep hit on me, but too young to take him up on it. Dearly Beloved's front man - sorry, I can't remember his name - was killed in a car wreck in 1967 and Shep went on to play with the Stone Poneys.

Fun times.

Trinonymous

@debracadabra The club was first called Stage 7, then the V.I.P. Sure were alot of teen clubs in those days.

debracadabra

@Trinonymous @debracadabra

Thanks! I needed that ;*) I think my brothers went to it as Stage 7 and I started going when it was the V.I.P. I think the "junior" in my head was that it later became a Junior Achievement place?

Trinonymous

@debracadabra @Trinonymous P.S., there's an old book that's still for sale on Amazon called "Yes, Phoenix Had Rock and Roll In the Sixties." It's not exactly a literary masterpiece, but for those few of us who lived through that time, it's an absolute kick!

Trinonymous

@debracadabra @Trinonymous Junior Chamber of Commerce. I had forgotten about that, but what is it, 45,46 years ago now? I guess the place would've been leased from the junior chamber for weekends or something. The promoter was a guy named Jack-can't think of his last name.

ttuerff@aol.com

1 Like

I find it hard to believe you've never heard of Joe Bethancourt or Hans Olson. How old are you? I do believe there was a total of three "Arizona Sounds" albums released, pretty much annually, This was the best, as it was the most diverse. (Plus, the second one included a song about having a KDKB bumper sticker on one's car -- a little bit of bribery there; and another song by one of the station's DJs at the time: "Put the Saddle on the Stove, Ma, I'm Riding the Range Tonight." Really.

Dusty Chaps went on to record two albums on Capitol that nobody bought, but are wonderful if you can find them.

georgepacion

Thanks for revisiting this snapshot of Arizona in the mid 70's. You article mentioned Custer's Last Band who I was a member of. I have fond memories of the Old KDKB studios on Country Club Rd back when Bill Compton, Willard, Nina Joy, Toad Hall were the DJ's and very supportive of local music. My band used to go to the studio late at night after a gig and be interviewed. This was way before Twitter, Facebook, etc. A struggling local band finding a friend at a local radio station was a Godsend. The music scene in Arizona was hostle to many bands in those days. In Metro Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson a long haired band playing Roots Country Rock did well. Playing in the small towns was challenging. I remember rednecks in Show Low telling us our Country Rock was Acid Rock. No it wasn't Hank... Gotta remember that disco and DJ's spinning discs was gaining traction at that time also. Custer's Last Band and many others submitted a tape and the KDKB staff selected the song. "Crazy Bass" was not the song we hoped would be selected, but in retrospect it fits in the album theme nicely. We recorded the song in 1976 at Tangent Studios. We double tracked the vocals and lead guitar solo (just like the Beatles used to) I am still proud of my cranked Fender Telecaster squeal at the end of the song.

fireserphent

@georgepacion Can you send me your email? I'd like to ask you some more questions. Troy.farah@gmail.com

Phxmusicdotcom

1 Like

@georgepacion What an awesome story, George. I really appreciate you sharing it.

sybiletc

1 Like

KDKB put one a year out for a while. But this was the best, i think, Also I do remember parts of

"Keep your're hands off her stranger, she's with me. What you get ain't neccisarily what you see" (not to possitive on that wording)

PS : I was 12 when it came out. But my husband also knows most of the words to 46 Plymouth.

sybiletc

1 Like

Oh my, I so want that album. I can sing the 46 plymouth song. "I drive a 1946 four door plymouth, she's great and she still runs good, Ain't too fast, but shes good on the gas....." Just wanted to say, this was just the first one KDKB put out. I remember this one song like it was yesterday. Thanks for a memory charge.

mdominy

1 Like

I still have this album, bought it new. A couple of years ago Hans came down to Sierra Vista to play at the Arizona Folklore Preserve and I got him to autograph it. Said he hadn't seen one in decades! Still some of the best music to come out of Arizona.