The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (WCPAEB) was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group created music that possessed an eerie, and at times sinister atmosphere, and contained material that was bluntly political, childlike, and bizarre. Representing different musical backgrounds among band members, the group, at times, resembled a traditional Byrds-esque folk rock ensemble, but the WCPAEB also, within the same body of work, recorded avant-garde music marked by multi-layered vocal harmonies.
Aspiring musician and scenester Bob Markley managed to join the group the Laughing Wind in exchange for his connections in the music industry and substantial bankroll. The original five-piece line-up consisted of Michael Lloyd (rhythm guitar, vocals), Shaun Harris (bass guitar, vocals), Danny Harris (lead guitar, vocals), John Ware (drums), and Markley (tambourine, vocals).
The band debuted with the album Volume One in 1966 on the small FiFo record label. In the early years of the group, much was made of the WCPAEB's elaborate psychedelic light shows, which became the focal point of their live performances in Los Angeles. Following the release of Volume One, the WCPAEB signed with Reprise Records, recording three albums with the company, including arguably their most accomplished work Volume 3: A Child's Guide to Good and Evil in 1968. Two additional albums, Where's My Daddy? and Markley, A Group, were distributed on independent labels before the group disbanded in 1970.
Links to Peel[]
Peel mentioned on his 05 January 2000 show seeing the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band in the late 60's, whilst living in San Bernardino in California. When Peel returned back to the UK, he would play the group's material on his Top Gear show and revisited the band's music in later decades.
In 1995, during an interview when trying to guess unidentified records for Wire magazine, a track by the group called '1906', was played and Peel described the track sounding a bit like Mark E Smith. When the interviewer announced the track was from the band, Peel mentioned he got their LP, which he thought was good, although it is not known what the album was. He later described the guitar playing in the '1906' song as really nice and compared it to almost Lonnie Mack at the end.
Shows Played[]
- 21 July 1968: 'Until The Poorest People Have Money To Spend (LP-Vol. 3: A Child's Guide To Good And Evil)' (Reprise)
- 1991
- 08 September 1991: '1906 (LP-Part One)' (Reprise)
- 2001
- 26 July 2001: Our Drummer Always Plays In The Nude (album - Vol. 3: A Child's Guide To Good And Evil) Sundazed Music
- 01 August 2001: Until The Poorest Of People Have Money To Spend (A Child's Guide To Good And Evil) Sundazed Music