Discographical Accounts Part 4 (1975-1983)

Disco Dabblings

 Little more than a footnote in the Jobriath catalog, the once, highly touted glittery androgyne, is reported to have committed some disco-flavored material in demo format, fleshing out a transition that began with some of the shelved third album's leanings. Although he was estranged from manager, Jerry Brandt, who still maintained "ownership" over previous royalties from his Elektra output, these recordings are said to have been a noted departure from his glam rock opuses. Sometime during 1975, Jobriath is known to have written and recorded two disco songs in the privacy of his own home:

1.) Philly, Philly
2.) Disco Saturday Night

 It has also been rumored that a disco version of "World Without End" exists somewhere in the shuffle of unreleased projects, although this is yet to be determined as fact.

If Jobriath had remained with his fellow Creatures, perhaps 

he would have been singing material pitched for 

Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie disco extravaganza.

Cole Berlin Work and Miscellaneous Projects

In 1976, Jobriath adopted the moniker "Cole Berlin," and began generating a rapidity of piano-laden, Broadway-themed musicals, which are currently held in private archives. At the time of his death, he appears to have completed at least three musical works, accompanied by dozens of revisions. Jobriath's first musical, 'Sunday Brunch', was a comedy piece, loosely based on the play/film, 'Dinner at Eight.' Writing of material would extend for the next three years. In 1981, Jobriath was filmed for a BBC Documentary on the Chelsea Hotel, where an excerpt of the title song was featured.

 At some point during 1977, Jobriath started developing another solo musical ventur called 'Popstar.' With several revisions to arise in the years before Jobriath's death, the first completed version was auditioned for theatre director, Joseph Papp, at New York's Public Theatre, but was rejected. Jobriath continued to scribble drafts of the musical into the early eighties, evidently recording a studio score as well.

 While in ill health, Jobriath recorded songs on a private casstte tape for a friend, with the following compositions:

1. Shelter Me
 2. Someone To Fall Back On
 3. No Matter What You Do
 4. Feel Like A Waltz
 5. You've Got A Lover
 6. This Is Our Time
 7. Dancing In Eternity

 Joseph Papp also commissioned Jobriath to work on a muddle adaption of 'Moliere's Misanthrope.' Jobriath hastily put together over twenty songs which were incorporated for a two month run, never to be revived. A few titles are recognized:

 1. Be Witness to My Madness
 2. The Choosing Song

 Two final songs penned during Jobriath's twilight years, are also worthy of mention; the first one was submitted to Frank Sinatra, inquiring of a possible collaboration.

 1. The Heart is Like a Jazz Musician
 2. Happy New Year, Let's Dance!

Discographical Accounts Part 3 (1973-1974)

Jobriath in England, recording with the London Symphony Orchestra (?)

All That Glitters Is Gay!

After his album had been turned down by numerous proprietors in the record industry, managerial impresario, Jerry Brandt came into possession of the demo tapes, and was able to locate Jobriath, signing him to Elektra for a lucrative, $500,000 recording contract. Jerry and Jobriath embarked on preliminary recording sessions for a lavish glam rock spectacle, whose length would span for around two hours. A total of twenty four songs were recorded, in conjunction with five symphonic tracks that would serve as interludes. Studio sessions lasted regularly for four to five months, based mainly in Electric Lady, with some additional time in England to orchestrate the symphonic interludes. Eventually, the conclusive studio time was divided across two separate albums, released in swift succession, during 1973 and 1974.

 Several versions of "Take Me I'm Yours" were also recorded, and "As The River Flows" was also revisited, but is yet to be released. As of 2004, the unused symphonic interludes dating from October 1973, were in possession of Sanctuary (the label that compiled the 'Lonely Planet Boy' anthology disc.) These tracks have been identified and listed below:

The symphonic tracks were conducted with a series of London-based musicians, and have circulated among collectors in lo-fi dub quality. Some of the instrumental cuts that have surfaced, rework two songs featured on Jobriath's 1974 album, 'Creatures of the Street' (a vastly different undertaking than the shelved demo reel from 1972.) Running for a total of roughly seven minutes, they are characterized by flourishes of Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet.'

While on tour, Jobriath and his newly christened backing quartet, the Creatures, began work on a third album. Tentative recording was taken up in New York City's Media Sound (Creature, Gregg Diamond would later record as Bionic Boogie, along with fellow band mates, Steve Love and Jim Gregory.) One of the songs demoed in Media, "Weightless (aka: Weightless Love)" would be pitched by Jobriath as a single for the third album. The third album would have blended new material with re-recordings of earlier songs. Material was rehearsed and recorded during the run of Jobriath's summer 1974 tour of the United States, and was said to have been supervised by Godfrey Diamond, noted record producer and brother to Creatures drummer, Gregg. The track listing is theorized to have functioned in the following arrangement:

 1. Amazing Dope Tales
 2. City Freak
 3. Miss Arkanas
 4. Wildfire in Memphis
 5. Beyond Blonde
 6. Weightless Love
 7. The Actor
 8. Girl of the Night
 9. Good Fight
 10. New York, New York
 11. Ducky Lullabye

 "Good Fight" appeared on 'Lonely Planet Boy,' under the title, "I Love A Good Fight." Master tapes for five other tracks exist, and have circulated among the hands of devoted collectors with the best of bootleg crudity. On occasion, half-baked attempts at a proper release have been pursued, but there is some considerable doubt as to whether the material is "releasable."

Discographical Accounts Part 2 (1971-1972)

WNET recording flyer from Electric Lady Studios

Electric Lady Recording Sessions For Shelved Solo LP

In early 1971, Jobriath had taken up residence in New York City, where he was picked up by former Jimi Hendrix manager, Mike Jeffrey. Studio sessions were supervised by producer, Eddie Kramer, and featured a pre-'Looking For Mr. Goodbar', Richard Gere, and a teenaged Vicki Sue Robinson amidst the vast choir of backup singers. Studio time for the proposed album was documented in the New York WNET documentary series, 'Vibrations,' while the television crew were working on a piece about Electric Lady Studios. A reel of finished demos was completed on May 17, and included the following recordings:

1.) Little Dreamer
 2.) As The River Flows
 3.) Amazing Dope Tales
 4.) As The River Flows (2nd Version)
5.) Ducky Lullabye
 6.) City Freak
7.) Miss Arkansas

Following the demo cuts, a full album went into production, under the title, 'Creatures of the Street', dated June 9, 1972, with the following track listing:

In 2001, two reels of demos for the Electric Lady sessions were auctioned on Ebay and bought by Record executive, Lisa Fancher. Twelve years later, in late 2013, songs recorded during that time, finally received a proper commercial release from a small independent record label, Eschatone. A three-track EP entitled 'Amazing Dope Tales' came about as a primer for a full-length album, 'As The River Flows', which appears to have included most, if not all of the archived studio work at Electric Lady.

Discographical Accounts Part 1 (1968-1969)

      

Jobriath Salisbury promo photo

Pidgeon (1969)

 After leaving the Los Angeles cast of Hair, Jobriath went on to lead the shortly lived psychedelic pop group, Pidgeon. With songs co-written by the lyricist, Richard T. Marshall, the band (which included singer Cheri Gage and teenage drummer, Bill Strong Smith,) were assembled and signed to Decca Records by veteran session musician, Stan Farber (Farber's credits also include providing backup vocals for the American glam band, Sparks, on their 1977 album, 'Introducing Sparks.') Farber also served as producer for the album, and negotiated with the fledgling outfit for their stay in a house, where they would commit themselves to rehearse, six months prior to the album's scheduled recording sessions.

Recording sessions for the album commenced in December 1968, and the final product was mixed and finalized within a month. The album was originally dubbed, 'Pidgeon: First Flight From The Forest,' until Decca shortened the title, to the eponymous, 'Pidgeon.' The album's psychedelic avian cover art was created by Gene Brownwell, a noted art director, who issued album art and photography for record labels such as Uni and Decca.

 Just days after the December 1968 sessions had been wrapped up, Pidgeon began work on a proposed follow-up project. On January 21, the demo tracks, "How Should I Love You," "My Old Lady Is A City Freak," "Tasting of the Caramel," "What Good Then Are," and "Life At The First National," were laid down in the studio, followed by an April 22 recording of "Rubber Bricks," and "Prison Walls." The latter two demo recordings were released as a 45" single. In spite of the group's efforts to follow through with a sophomore release, Decca dropped Pidgeon from their roster due to dismal album sales. The other three songs have remained shelved, along with any other material that may survive.

BRAND SPANKING NEW! 'As The River Flows'--Jobriath's First Full-Length LP In Four Decades, Finally Released!

A new album's worth of never-before released Jobriath recordings! The icing on the rebirth of Jobriath's legacy. Stay tuned for an in-depth review of the new album. In the meantime, go ahead and order these tunes here: http://jobriath.eschatone.com/

Amazing Dope Tales EP

On October 29, 2013, a small independent record label by the name of Eschatone Records, issued a limited edition, three track vinyl EP of demo recordings from Jobriath's never-before-released studio sessions at Electric Lady studios, circa mid 1971. This material has only a dash of the Broadway stylized glitter rock that the singer would become better identified with, and can be more appropriately linked to the denim strands of rootsy psychedelia personified by the New York production of his stint in the hippie musical, 'Hair.'

In 2001, the demo reel containing songs from the unreleased Electric Lady LP were auctioned and sold on Ebay, to record executive Lisa Fancher (source: The Jobriath Fan Collective, March 31, 2004 archive)

The B-side of this EP contains songs from a soulful, independent band who go by the name of The Sevendys.

All photos appearing in this blog entry were originally uploaded to Facebook on November 29, 2013.

Columbia Test Pressing Of Jobriath's Debut LP (from the vault's of intergalactic pilot, Ygarr Ygarrist)

This is a Columbia test pressing of Jobriath's first album given to founding Zolar X member, Ygarr Ygarrist during an August 1974 show at West Hollywood's Troubadour Club. I won this record on Ebay in 2009.

Jobriath's name is inscribed on the far, upper left hand corner of the Columbia test pressing. The cardboard sleeve is also adorned with charming, whimsical doodles from various members of Zolar X.

All photos and their accompanying text appearing in this blog entry were originally uploaded to Facebook on November 29, 2013.