Rockin' Foo: Rockin' Foo (1969)
Records can be valuable and/or collectible for numerous reasons: posthumous critical acclaim or fan discovery, limited, high-quality, or botched pressings, and so on ...
But this 55-year-old LP from Rockin' Foo is collectible (though not all that valuable) for a rather unique reason: its short-lived (1969-'70), mostly-forgotten record label, Hobbit Records, which released barely a dozen albums and singles, before vanishing into oblivion.
It definitely ain't collectible for its music, I'll tell you that much ... in a moment ...
Based in San Francisco, Hobbit's quaint cartoon logo was obviously inspired by the diminutive heroes of The Lord of the Rings, but the reason for its disproportionate awareness among hard rock heshers is that one of its titles was Population II: the 1970 stoner rock (bong)watershed recorded by onetime Blue Cheer guitarist Randy Holden.
Rockin' Foo, for their part, were the label's first signings, and vocalist and guitarist Wayne Erwin (who'd already played some sessions with The Monkees), keyboardist Michael 'Raccoon' Clark, and drummer Lester Brown Jr. played what is best described as "hippie rock."
Meaning, its defined by the philosophy and aesthetic of the Age of Aquarius, more so than any specific sound, as its songs meander aimlessly through psych rock, folk rock, country rock, blues rock, and more, errr, rock, in blissful, stoned equanimity.
Rather like hapless Hobbits on a quest, come to think of it ...
Won't you join them, as they visit "New Friends," "Old Friends," and a "Kind Old Lady"; "Familiar Places," the "Rochester River" and "Boogaloo Jungle," while promising to play the best they can in spite of the album's lifeless, shoestring production?
Raccoon's churchy organs lend a hymnal quality to "Gabby Hayes Waltz" and "Black Diamond Mine," while Erwin's vocal and guitar bring the slightest bite to "Stranger in the Attic," "Down to Cleaton," and "Browder Ground," but precious few songs leave a lasting impression.
And yet, at some point in time, Rockin' Foo allegedly shared the Fillmore West stage with Johnny Winter and Eric Burdon, though a lot of long-forgotten '60s Bay Area rock groups could stake the same claim.
But not much else seemed to be happening for the band, and after adding bassist Ron Becker, they had to find another label to release their second self-titled album in '71, because Hobbit Records had by then been "slain" by the forces of evil ... or something.
That's our story for today, but maybe the craziest Rockin' Foo trivia is that future actor and comedian Phil Hartman apparently put in time as their roadie and designed both of their album covers, later also doing the honors for Poco and America.
More Psychedelic Rock: The 13th Floor Elevators’ The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators, The Amboy Dukes’ Journey to the Center of the Mind, Andromeda’s Andromeda, Art’s Supernatural Fairy Tales, Black Pearl’s Black Pearl, Bliss' Bliss, Blue Cheer’s Outsideinside, Bubble Puppy’s A Gathering of Promises, Coven’s Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls, Crow’s Crow Music, The Damnation of Adam Blessing’s The Damnation of Adam Blessing, Dragonfly’s Dragonfly, Fever Tree’s Fever Tree, Fields’ Fields, Fraction’s Moon Blood, Goldenrod’s Goldenrod, Sam Gopal’s Escalator, Gun’s Gun, Hamilton Streetcar’s Hamilton Streetcar, The Head Shop’s The Head Shop ...
Even More Psychedelic Rock: The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Are You Experienced?, The Hook’s Will Grab You, H.P. Lovecraft’s H.P. Lovecraft II, Iron Butterfly’s Ball, The Litter’s Emerge, The McCoys’ Human Ball, Moby Grape’s Wow, Morgen’s Morgen, Mount Rushmore’s ‘69, Os Mutantes’ Os Mutantes, The Open Mind’s The Open Mind, Pan’s Pan, Power of Zeus’ The Gospel According to Zeus, Puzzle’s Puzzle, Rhinoceros’ Rhinoceros, Road’s Road, Sainte Anthony’s Fyre’s Sainte Anthony’s Fyre, The Bob Seger System’s Rambin’ Gamblin Man, The Shocking Blue's Shocking Blue, Silver Metre’s Silver Metre, Small Faces’ Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake, Spirit’s Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus, Steppenwolf’s Stepppenwolf, Stone Garden’s Stone Garden, Ultimate Spinach’s Ultimate Spinach, Valhalla’s Valhalla, The Vanilla Fudge’s “Where is My Mind.”