Previously Unknown/Undocu_mented pre-Fleetwood Mac Single!!!!!

[jeffretro]

While searching for obscure 60's/early 70's single to burn I came across a record on the Karma Records label out of the Bay Area pairing a rock version of "What The World Needs Now" with a very cool garage pop track called "You Don't Get Young Anymore" by a group listed as Sincerely, San Jose on the label. While trying to put a year to the single I ran a Google search on the composer of the B-side, Javier Pacheco. Knowledgeable Mac/Buckingham/Nicks fans can probably already see where this is headed. J

Of course the Google search led to The Penguin Javier Pacheco Q&A Session at http://www.fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/...acheco_qa1.htm. It became clear that the single I had was a legitimate release of two of the three Fritz tracks recorded during a demo session in San Mateo in 1968 with Lindsey singing the lead on both (the info is in Section Three of the Q&A mentioned above; the third, unreleased track is "Wondering Why" with a Stevie lead vocal). Going back and relistening to the single it's clear that it indeed is Fritz with Lindsey and Stevie! As stated before Lindsey sings lead on both songs, and while he obviously sounds younger here, he already has all the vocal inflections that would characterize his later work. And Stevie is clearly audible in the harmonies, especially on "You Don't Get Young Anymore" where she stands out more in the vocal blend.

How did Karma Records - who around the same '68/'69 timeframe also released a now very expensive Northern Soul collectable called "Woman, Love, Thief" by Stemmons Express - get ahold of these tracks? And why was this issued under the name Sincerely, San Jose? Well, whatever the answers, we should be glad they got these tracks out there. The cover of "What The World Needs Now" is about the same tempo as the Jackie DeShannon hit version, but has more of a rock drive to it. But it's the flip side that's the real keeper, a great garage pop track with multiple changes in tempo and feel with cool organ and guitar work throughout (and great ba_ss as well).

I am going to be putting this record up on ebay within the next few days with scans of both labels on the ebay page. And since I realize there's likely to be some skepticism as to the authenticity of this new discovery, I'll also be putting up a web page where you'll be able to download an mp3, 1:38 in length, with excerpts of both sides highlighting Lindsey and Stevie's vocals (it'll be a 64 kbps mono mp3 as the single is mono; this will give it the same sound quality as a 128 kbps stereo mp3 while being easier and quicker to download).

Right now I'm looking at putting these up about 4 PM US Pacific Daylight Time this Sunday (June 13). I'll post here again when it's up.

And good luck in advance to anyone who bids on what might be a new FM Holy Grail item!

Jeffrey Glenn
Burbank, CA

[wondergirl9847]

SOMEONE BID!!! LOL We need to hear these!!!! Lindsey on lead on both, oh crap...there goes my life savings. EEEEEEEE...an mp3 of it!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHH!!! Thanks Jeffrey!! Oh, and welcome to the Ledge!!

[dontlookdown]

Congrats on your investigation.

I'm actually really surprised that it's taken this long for this stuff to see the light of day. I guess we have the internet to thank!

It's pretty clear that this indicates that there is more out there.

Knowing Lindsey and his attention to detail and perfection, you'd think he has all these masters somewhere up in the attic - or at his parents house....

Maybe we'll get a nice boxed set of vintage Buckingham Nicks someday


when our hair is silver and grey.

[wetcamelfood]

So Jeffrey, what are you going to title the auction?

John

[sodascouts]

I hope whoever gets this shares it! I have a bad feeling it will get too rich for my blood very quickly. I'll bid on it anyway, lol.

[wetcamelfood]

Originally Posted by wetcamelfood

So Jeffrey, what are you going to title the auction?

Oh, and please post a link to the site you'll be creating for this itrem here as well, thanks in advance.

John

[jeffretro]

Thanks, dontlookdown.

Let me address a couple of the things you said in your post.

"I'm actually really surprised that it's taken this long for this stuff to see the light of day. I guess we have the internet to thank!"

This single dates from '68/'69, so it saw the light of day back when it was newly (or fairly recently) recorded. How it got released under the name Sincerely, San Jose apparently without the band members knowing it - Javier Pacheco says in the Q&A that he doesn't think anything was commercially released by Fritz - is anybody's guess. Do we know if Fritz had a change in managers during that time period? If so there's always a chance that the original ousted manager sold the masters to Karma Records for cash which he then pocketed (the name "given" to the band kind of sounds like a goodbye salutation from a letter, possibly meaning the original manager's "parting shot"). Anyway, that's only one possible - and I emphasize possible - scenario.

And yes, we do have the internet to thank for me being able to make the connection of Fritz to this single (and as far as I know I'm the first to discover it though the record's been out there for some 3 1/2 decades). Before the internet there wasn't much info on Fritz out there.

"It's pretty clear that this indicates that there is more out there."

Well, we know there's one other song from the same 1968 San Mateo demo session - "Wondering Why" with a Stevie Nicks lead - and Pacheco says he has live tapes of the band. Oh, and there's Stevie's demos from the Fritz period, but those aren't full band recordings. Pacheco doesn't mention any other Fritz sessions in his Q&A, so we really don't know right now if there may be more stuff out there. We know he wrote quite a few songs for the band, and if "You Don't Get Young Anymore" is any indication of the quality then I'd love to hear more too.

"Knowing Lindsey and his attention to detail and perfection, you'd think he has all these masters somewhere up in the attic - or at his parents house...."

I have to say that I don't think this is particularly likely. When this was recorded Lindsey was only 19 years old or so and probably wasn't the perfectionist that he later became. It was probably one of his first, if not the first, times in a studio, and he was probably thrilled just to be there. You have to objectively look at it in perspective with what was going on at the time. Pacheco says these were just demos, and I'll bet he'll be as surprised as anyone to find out that they had been released. As far as Lindsey having the masters now, I'm sure he wasn't thinking about making sure he had the masters so that he'd have them when the box set of his work was compiled. :-) I would think it's more likely that the manager at the time had them.

And then there's the issue of what you mean by masters, because there will be at least three sets of masters - the original multitracks (probably 4- or 8-track, with the vocals being done as overdubs), the mixdown masters (most likely done only in mono, but I'd love to find out that stereo mixdowns were prepared as well!), and the final "mastered" masters from which acetates and records could be cut. It's possible that the multitracks were left at the studio (something The Beach Boys did way too often; when their box set came out back in 1993 they found the 8-track vocal session tape for "California Girls" at Columbia Studios in Hollywood; now it's back in their custody where it belongs. And the 8-track vocal session tape for "Good Vibrations" is currently lost because it was probably left at the same studio and now can't be found, so a true stereo mix of "Good Vibrations" is currently an impossibility). It's also possible the mixdowns were left at the studio and that the only copies the band or manager took were the final "mastered" copies. All pure speculation, but quite possible. Hopefully someone will do a follow-up interview with Javier Pacheco or maybe one of the other members of the band that can shed more light on all of this.

"Maybe we'll get a nice boxed set of vintage Buckingham Nicks someday."

How long have we waited for the Buckingham Nicks album to be issued on CD now?

I'd love to see these Fritz tracks get a legit reissue as part of some historical set, even if it had to be mastered from vinyl (btw, the single I have is in very nice shape). And I'd love to see what Lindsey and Stevie thought of these tracks once they heard them anew. Both tracks enhance their legacy, and we all know that that isn't always the case when you hear early tracks by performers who later became famous.

Jeff

[diamondsnake]

Why don't you just post all the songs on the internet so we can listen to them?

[jeffretro]

The heading is:

Fritz 45 Lindsey Buckingham Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac

The item # is 4018778913

The direct link to the item is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4018778913

And the webpage with the mp3 mentioned in the original post is at

http://lostjukebox.tripod.com/ebay.html

Good luck!

Jeff

[javier]

I hadn't read this particular post of yours and I want to respond to it. Thanks for the compliments on my writing. The reason that any Fritzs music had not leaked out before was because I merely sat on it for all these years (I have given my reasons for this elsewhere). After Fritz disbanded, I didn't want to share that music with anyone, and frankly didn't think any other group or singers could have done justice to the songs. That's the good news. The bad news is I had always hoped in the back of my mind that we would reunite and reissue that stuff--I wasn't going to do it on my own, without their blessing.
In 1967 I was the only composer in the band, later, the others would help with the overall arrangement of the music. AS THE MAIN COMPOSER I WOULD KNOW IF WE EVER AUTHORIZED ANY COMMERCIAL RELEASES.
Yes, that was Lindsey's first time in the studio--his voice vibrato is prominent (not shaky), but such is his talent that he handled everything like an experienced pro. If he was nervous it didn't show. Actually, it was the first recording experience for all of us. Everybody did very well--we were well-rehearsed before we went into the studio. That music was never meant to be released to the public. We were considering signing with that company but later changed our minds. Those were demo tracks. I talked to the engineer of that time just last week. He is a straight-forward and honest man, so I have ruled him out. I hadn't thought about our manager. He was sent to jail in the late 80s or early 90s for embezzlement. But I don't think he was with us yet in 1967 (I may be wrong). Let's face it, in the music business its very easy for managers (or anybody who handles money) to squeeze a little extra for themselves and not tell the musicians. This happened on my very first gig (w/Bob Aguirre), as a sophmore in HS playing a set at a roller rink. Guy was trying to make off with my $15--we stopped him before he sped away!!!
There are other recordings from the later periods. I have most of them. The one biggie that has escaped us was a reel-to-reel tape taken off the board at the Fillmore, San Francisco. We did two auditions there and ultimately, four nights with headliners, Chicago. I think the tape was from one of the auditions, perhaps the second one. ITs a great recording, but the chap who initially held that tape has passed away. Name was Preston Hollander. That is a very historic recording--we're talking 1970. That in itself would constitue a whole album. There is enough Fritz material for about three albums--and I'm talking the best--after the "fat" has been trimmed. It represents material from a band that worked together for three and a half years.
I agree with what you say at the end, and it is something I tried to impress upon Lindsey when last we met (June 27, 2004) only not in your words, which more aptly state the case, and that is, that the Fritz material definitely does "enhance their legacy." I told him, "this is a part of you your audience hasn't heard yet." It is an important part. Let's hope my words sink in and reverberate. There was enough artistry and craftsmanship in those songs (1967-71) that I know will be well received by the public. I am hoping Linds will make some time available for this.
But meanwhile, can ya help me find out more about Karma Records, Jeffrey?

Thanks,

Javier Pacheco

[gldstwmn]

Hey Jeffrey,
You made $880 off of this deal. The least you could do is answer the guy's question. You could do it in private through the private mail function on this board. Maybe the person who bought the record could help out with some info? Come on. You know you're out there.

[David]

Originally Posted by javier

I am hoping Linds will make some time available for this.

Hehheh. . . . Best of luck!

[EnchantedSLN]

Originally Posted by jeffretro

with a very cool garage pop track called "You Don't Get Young Anymore"

Wow, it sounds so... Strawberry Alarm Clock. I half expected to hear Incense & Peppermints . Amazing stuff... this would be a fun time to have another Javier Pacheco Q&A! Thank you for the sample.