- (This page is about the American band. For the American writer of the same name, see H.P. Lovecraft).
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967 and named after the horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose name they had adopted. Combining elements of psychedelia and folk rock, the band's sound was marked by the striking vocal harmonies of ex-folk singer George Edwards and the classically trained Dave Michaels. In addition, Michaels' multi-instrumentalist abilities on organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet and recorder provided the band with a richer sonic palette than many of their contemporaries.
The band was signed to Philips Records in 1967 and released its first single, "Anyway That You Want Me", in the early part of that year. Their first album, H. P. Lovecraft, followed in late 1967 and included what is arguably the band's best-known song, "The White Ship". The band then relocated to San Francisco, California, where they became a frequent attraction at various San Francisco Bay Area venues, including The Fillmore and the Winterland Ballroom. In 1968, a second album, H. P. Lovecraft II, appeared, but the group disbanded in early 1969.
Edwards and fellow original member Michael Tegza subsequently formed a new line-up of the band with the shortened name of Lovecraft, although Edwards left this new group before the first album was recorded. This second incarnation of the band released the Valley of the Moon album in 1970 and, after a further name change to Love Craft, the We Love You Whoever You Are album in 1975.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played tracks from the band in the late 60's due to mainly the attraction of their name, which was named after the writer H.P. Lovecraft, who he was a fan of. The band's second album, HP Lovecraft II, was mentioned by Peel on his 09 March 1969 show as an LP that Nick Mason of Pink Floyd enjoyed.
Shows Played[]
- 14 January 1968: The Time Machine (album - H.P. Lovecraft) Philips BL 7830
- 04 February 1968: The White Ship (single) Philips (JP: "Those are nice sounds too – I’ve said it again. I’ve got to stop saying ‘nice’, it’s very bad, because I get more letters about it.")
- 1969
- 09 March 1969: High Flying Bird (LP - HP Lovecraft II) Philips