Sopwith Camel (band)
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Sopwith Camel was an American rock band associated with the
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psychedelic rock scene of the mid-1960s.


Career

Sopwith Camel, named by founding member Peter Kraemer,Michael Goldberg
Sopwith Camel: Where Are They Now?
''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', September 10, 1987. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
formed in late 1965, with a line-up consisting of vocalist and saxophone player Peter Kraemer, guitarists Terry MacNeil (name changed to Nandi Devam in 1979) and William "Truckaway" Sievers, bassist Martin Beard (born 1947, London), and drummer Norman Mayell. Sopwith Camel is best known for being the second San Francisco band to get a recording contract with a national record label, and the first to have a
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
hit. Sopwith Camel's first album (and only album recording during the 1960s), the eponymous ''Sopwith Camel'', was released in 1967 on the
Kama Sutra Records Kama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Artie Ripp, Hy Mizrahi, and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The ''Kama Sutra'' is an ancient Sanskrit text. In 1965, the company was joined by Art Kass and the record labe ...
label. The single "Hello, Hello" became the first hit to emerge from the San Francisco rock scene and reached No. 26 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in January 1967 and No. 9 on the Canadian ''
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'' magazine chart in February. A second hit, "Postcard from Jamaica", peaked at No. 88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 82 in Canada in April 1967. Some songs on the band's first album, the
vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatre, theatrical genre of variety show, variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comic ...
"Hello, Hello" in particular, were more reminiscent of earlier songs by
the Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is a Canadian-American folk-rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band were among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influ ...
than of most other San Francisco psychedelic rock of the time; Erik Jacobsen produced both Sopwith Camel and the Lovin' Spoonful. On the other hand, "Frantic Desolation" was chosen by
Jon Savage Jon Savage (born Jonathan Malcolm Sage, 2 September 1953) is an English writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his definitive history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, ''England's Dreaming'' (1991). Early life and educati ...
as one of "The Psychedelic 100", an annotated list first published as a booklet by
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and reprinted in the book ''I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965–1969'' (an accompaniment to an exhibit of the same name), published by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Chronicle Books, 1997). The band was unable to follow up the success of their first album and hit single and disbanded later in 1967. Sopwith Camel's debut album has been re-released twice: as ''Frantic Desolation'' in 1986, and as ''Hello Hello Again'' in 1990. The band was defunct by the end of 1967. Beard and Mayell continued for a period in music, as
session musicians A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a record ...
under the direction of Eric Jacobsen. Both appeared on
Norman Greenbaum Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter, known for his 1969–1970 hit song "Spirit in the Sky". The song made him one of the most famous acts with a best-selling one-hit wonder for all time. Early life a ...
's hit album '' Spirit in the Sky'' (1969). Mayell later joined
Blue Cheer Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style. The ...
, replacing
Paul Whaley Paul Gene Whaley (January 14, 1947 – January 28, 2019) was an American drummer best known as the drummer for rock band Blue Cheer. He was the son of country music singer Paul Edward Whaley. He grew up in the towns of Vallejo and Winters, Califo ...
as drummer. The group reformed in 1971, with all original members with the exception of Sievers, and recorded their second album, ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon'' released on
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'
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label in 1973. Allmusic gives the album three stars, saying, "Imagine a jazzy John Sebastian who's into Eastern culture and vaudeville. This is pleasant, unambitious hippie groove music for a lazy, sunny afternoon. If you're in that mood, it will take you to a warm, fuzzy place." Reviewing the album in 2014, ''The Guardian'' said, "What never fails to amaze me about this record is how it sounds like it was recorded about a week ago... Taking in elements of FM schmaltz, prog-rock, jazz, showtunes, Krautrock and Indian classical music, this is an album that overflows with ideas, but never overwhelms." The band broke up again in 1974. British-born bassist Martin Beard, who later became an electronics technician in Silicon Valley, died November 10, 2015, at the age of 68. Norman Mayell died August 14th, 2022 at the age of 80.


Discography


Albums

* 1967: ''Sopwith Camel'' * 1973: ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon''


Singles

* 1967: "Hello, Hello" / "Treadin'" * 1967: "Postcard from Jamaica" / "Little Orphan Annie" * 1967: "Saga of the Low Down Let Down" / "The Great Morpheum" * 1973: "Fazon" / "Sleazy Street"


Reissues

''Sopwith Camel'' was released as a LP ''Frantic Desolation'' (1986) & CD ''Hello Hello Again'' in 1990. After sitting in the Warner Bros. vaults for 30 years, ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon'', was issued on CD in 2001 by drummer Norm Mayell on Generic Type Records, called, ''The Millennium Edition''. In 2006, a second CD release of ''The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon'', also by drummer Norm Mayell on Generic Type Records was called ''Remastered 2006''. This time the original master was discovered in producer Erik Jacobsen's basement.


See also

* San Francisco Sound *
List of psychedelic rock artists The following is a list of artists considered to be general purveyors of the psychedelic rock genre. 1960s–early 1970s 0–E *The 13th Floor Elevators * Aguaturbia * Daevid Allen * The Amboy Dukes * Andromeda * Apple Pie Motherhood Band *Syd B ...


References


Sources

* ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', Joel Whitburn, 2000 (7th ed.)


External links


Official Sopwith Camel History and Discography website
SopwithCamel.com
Official Site for Current Band, Upcoming Shows, Pictures and Videos
SopwithCamel.org
Sopwith Camel biography, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at
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Sopwith Camel discography, album releases & credits
at
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.com
Sopwith Camel albums to be listened
as stream at
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.com
Grateful Dead Family Discography – Sopwith Camel discography page

Sopwith Camel – The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon (1973) album
at CDBaby.com {{Authority control Kama Sutra Records artists Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1967 Musical groups reestablished in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1974 Musical groups from the San Francisco Bay Area Psychedelic rock music groups from California Reprise Records artists