"TRUNK OF SARONGS" LINER NOTES
Hello, I'm Crosby Stillson Nash ... Senior Music Editor for the Saskatoon Music Review.
What follows are the recently discovered only known recordings of the most influential band of the early 1960's.
But as with any discovery, there is a story.
The mystery of the I Band has perplexed musical scholars for many years. (Actually, the only known research was done by Lionel Twanes, Dougie Style, Tim Burr, Mike Sweeney and Noah Riddle in the mid 2000's with an assist from an article written by a little known blogger, Laura Lynne Hardy.)
In 2013, Mike Raffone, a well-known connoisseur of flea markets, purports to have found an eight track cartridge containing an early recording of the band - whom some have dubbed “The I Band” - at one of the first flea markets held in Minneapolis – where they have been illegal for the past 60 years.
For the younger people, at one time all recorded music had to be stored on a physical medium, like vinyl or tape (reel to reel & cassette) or (more recently) CD’s. The 8 Track Cartridge was a giant step forward in portable music technology from vinyl LP’s and reel to reel tape and was the predecessor of cassette tapes.
Raffone discovered the cartridge at a table of Dinkytown music memorabilia run by a 90 year old one-eyed Norwegian. The old fellow seemed to have been someone of note in the Minneapolis music scene of the late 50’s/early 60’s.
He explained to Raffone that the 8 track cartridge contained recordings of a band he booked to play at the 10 O’Clock Scholar in the Fall of 1959.
He said that the band sent the 8 track to him in May of 1966 as partial payment of a debt they owed him for room and Torsketunger. The note that accompanied the cartridge said the music was recorded over a period of six years on their tiny Stuckscheisse reel to reel recorder on cellophane tape and transferred to 8 track cartridge to preserve the recording for posterity in a studio in Southern California.
The cartridge contained songs recorded between the Fall of 1959 and the Spring of 1966. Raffone immediately realized that this could be the mysterious I Band.
The songs show the growth of the band from their early days. And their growth as songwriters.
The first song, “The Brotherhood Song”, is crude, but shows flashes of what was to come. It’s very “folkie” in tone and execution. It is a civil rights call to action song. One item of note, you can see their influence on the performance choices of a young Bob Zimmerman, who they befriended as he was just starting out.
The next song, “Positively Homesick Talking Blues”, seems to have been written early in 1960, maybe January. It is structurally better developed and the lyrics capture the feeling of being kept down by “The Man”. It appears that some traveling bluesmen, Two Fingered Blind Lemon Jello Washington and New Shoes Blue Eyed Muddy Johnson, who were on the run from the Law for back alimony, sat in and played the lead guitars.
The third song, “Rainy Night in Juarez”, may have been written and first played the Summer of 1960. This is the beginning of their “Love” period. Maybe their proximity to a college allowed them the opportunity to explore the rituals of the mating dance. However, since the songs of this period are about lost love, longing and Jack Daniels, they may not have been particularly successful in this pursuit. Even though, they still included some elements of anti-war sentiment – “I was on leave from the Old Men’s War, confused as I could be.”
The fourth song, “For Cassandra”, is representative of the group at the end of their “Love” period. It addresses the issues of love, loss and the aftermath. Maybe it masks the inciting incident that propelled them to leave Minneapolis/St. Paul and embark on their "Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood Tour" in the Winter of 1960. We'll never know. All we know is that this is the last song written in Minneapolis. From here it is easy to see how they wrote all the great songs recorded by others in the 60’s.
The plan for the "F, B and E Tour" was to travel Northwest through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and finally Washington State before turning South and heading toward Southern California. They would survive by getting bookings in venues along the way.
Unfortunately, they didn't take into account the sparsity of the population or lack of cities along the route.
When their meager funds ran out somewhere in Eastern Montana, they had to forego the luxury of bus transportation and rely on stealing rides in empty boxcars or by hitch hiking. Cold and hungry, they survived by rummaging through the garbage at roadside fast food restaurants and stealing napkins to stuff in their clothes for warmth.
Since they couldn't get bookings, they battled their boredom by writing songs on those napkins as they "rode the rails".
The next song, "Into My Grave", was an early example of their "On the Road" period. Their bitterness and hopelessness at this point in the tour is evident. As an interesting side note, they debuted the song at a town festival in Custer where they finally got a gig in March of 1961. They were to be paid in funnel cake. And who was in that audience, up from Whittier, CA visiting family? Little, eleven year old Tommy Waits. The rest is musical history.
In April, they were saved from starvation or worse by their old friend from the 10 O'Clock Scholar days, Bob Zimmerman - now going by the more Irish sounding "Dylan". They received a telegram in Pompeys Pillar, Montana which read, "Good news ... Stop ... Found a way for you to earn cash ... Stop ... Have market for your songs ... Stop ... Call me ... Stop ... Keep writing ... Don't Stop".
When they called him he told them how he sang their praises to all the new acts springing up that he met as he toured and recorded. These new acts needed material, and would be willing to pay upwards of $20 per song. They were overjoyed. And so it began. What started as a trickle became a raging torrent as the songs became instant hits.
The next three years were busy with the songwriting and playing gigs. They had quickly moved through Idaho and finally set up in the Puget Sound area where there were more people and opportunities. These were relatively happy times.
They finally decided to head toward their original final destination, Southern California, in the Winter of 1964.
They packed up their gear and played one final gig ... Sharing a new song expressing their feelings about their relationship with the area.
"Please Talk About Me" shows definitively where Gordon Lightfoot got his unique style. As you can hear, by this point, their truly "American" sound is completely developed. The themes of longing and an understanding of home dominate. People are referenced that appear nowhere else in the history of the band. Who were Jimmy and Mike? Why did Cheezo throw up? Who was the waitress, Suzie Wagner? And was she a midget?
By the time they reached California in January of 1965, their style matured into what some call the "finest example of American music". Leveraging their propensity for securing room and board gratis, they managed to get an invitation from the musical genius with the initials, "BW" to stay at his home. Due to legal issues, we can't get more specific except to say that the band probably had more than a passing influence on his "Pet" project.
"Falling in Love" seems to have been written around February of 1965. This new sound is a departure from their previous style and reflects the impact of their new environment and experimentation with the popular music form. New imagery - the beach and youthful passion- replaced the more serious issues explored in earlier songs.The song's influence on their host should be apparent to any student of the music of the period.
The final song seems to be from much later; perhaps even as late as Spring of 1966, right before they left for Mississippi and disappeared. Looking back, "Goodbye" seems prophetic. More than just a farewell to their hosts, it seems to be a farewell to the music world.
Did they know? How could they? But a scant month later ... they were gone.
Legends lost in the mists of musical history.
The I Band.
