H.P. Lovecraft
1) Howard Phillips Lovecraft, (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction.
2) H.P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock group of the 1960s and 1970s who took their name from the eponymous horror writer.
n.b. See also the several artists under the name Lovecraft.
1) Howard Phillips Lovecraft's guiding literary principle was what he termed "cosmicism" or "cosmic horror", the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. As early as the 1940s, Lovecraft had developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fiction featuring a pantheon of humanity-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christian humanism.[1][2] Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the antithesis of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality and the abyss.
2) The rock band fashioned a hybrid of acid-folk-rock and oddly striking vocal harmonies from two contrasting sources. Founder George Edwards had been a folk troubadour in Chicago, California and Florida, whose repertoire included covers of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” and Bob Dylan’s “Quit Your Low Down Ways”, as well as early songs by Fred Neil and Terry Callier, with both of whom he played in clubs. Vocalist/keyboard player Dave Michaels, who had previously played in jazz groups with David Sanborn, boasted a classical training and a four-octave range.
After covering Chip Taylor’s “Any Way That You Want Me” with members of Chicago band The Rovin’ Kind , Edwards and Michaels became the creative force behind the group. After getting clearance for use of the writer’s name from his executors, they recruited Tony Cavallari (lead guitar), Mike Tegza (drums) and Jerry McGeorge (bass), and a debut album for Philips, H. P. Lovecraft, soon followed.
Featuring a nine-piece orchestra, it juxtaposed covers such as Dino Valente’s hippie anthem “Get Together” and the early Randy Newman ballad “I’ve Been Wrong Before”, with band-written songs including the jazzy “That’s How Much I Love You (More Or Less)” and vaudeville psychedelia in “The Time Machine”. A musical tribute to their novelist namesake, based on his short story “The White Ship”, was drenched in hallucinatory harmonies, droning feedback, baroque harpsichord passages and the chiming of a genuine 1811 ship’s bell.
The band’s sound was distinguished by the dual lead vocals of Edwards and Michaels—influenced by Fred Neil’s earlier work with Vince Martin—the intricate organ and harpsichord work of Michaels, and the propulsive drumming of Tegza. Several of their songs attempted to communicate the eerie atmosphere of the writings of their namesake. Their power and imagination as a live group can be heard on Live at the Fillmore: May 11, 1968, recorded after McGeorge had been replaced by Jeffrey Boyan, and issued in the 1990s.
A second studio album, H. P. Lovecraft II, followed. Although recorded with the band in some disarray, it successfully developed their musical approach and stands as an exemplar of acid rock of the period. Many of the psychedelic effects were apparently created by engineer Chris Huston, previously of Merseybeat band The Undertakers. The album included another song based on a Lovecraft short story, “At the Mountains of Madness,” as well as a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine on the track “Nothing’s Boy”, and songs by Terry Callier and others.
In late 1968, Michaels decided to leave the band to return to university, and H. P. Lovecraft effectively collapsed. A spin-off group, Lovecraft, reformed in the 1970s with Edwards and Tegza from the original line-up, but Edwards very soon left. The group released two more poorly-regarded albums, but had little connection to the first incarnation of the band.
Edwards has subsequently played in folk clubs as Ethan Kenning, occasionally reuniting with Michaels who also performs as David Miotke.
Sites: Discogs and Wikipedia
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