Monocled Alchemist

Mississippi late-60s psychedelic band The Flower Power are under the spotlight: Group member Joe Rolison confirms the details.

THE FLOWER POWER – ’Orange Skies’/’Stop! Check It! (Tune-Kel 614) 1969

It seems that by the final Flower Power release the focus of attention was firmly on their lead singer Sandi Craig. ’Orange Skies’, originally recorded by Love seemed an odd choice for a single.

Someone has written on the label ’Sandi Craig &’ . . . . The Flower Power. An obvious reference that management or the record label wanted her to be known as the front person.

’Orange Skies’ is a noteworthy effort, I’ve always loved the song anyway, so to get to hear it performed and arranged in a slightly different way appeals to me.

I don’t know how the 45 was received or if it sold in any quantity. I’m just hoping that someone gets in touch with more information about The Flower Power.

They were obviously a talented outfit. Shame they didn’t record an album. Maybe unreleased material lies in someone’s archives?

The flip ’Stop! Check It!’ sees the group loose and heavy with a powerful instrumental full of fuzz and wah wah. This is where it’s at for me – late 60s underground coolness.

Since I wrote my Flower Power entries I have been contacted by former member Joe Rolison who kindly sent me the following information about his psychedelic group.

“The Flower Power formed in October 1967… Craig Ferguson (4), guitar and lead vocal from The Soule Survivors, Robert Weathersby, guitar and Gregg Giuffria, organ from The Telstars. David Mcintosh and Sandi Craig from Sandi and the Gang Band, Joe Rolison from The Varments on bass. Our age was from 15 to 17 years old.

We played local gigs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Soon after we met [Tom & Paul Krimsier] in New Orleans looking for gigs in the parking lot of [Radio Station W.N.O.E, New Orleans, Louisiana], they became our Managers, Tom’s father in law, [Joe Banashak], owned [Tune-Kel Records] and we signed a contract with them in early 1968.

The first single, [Bye Bye Baby] was recorded at [Cosimo Recording Studio] in [New Orleans]. The line up was the original as mentioned.

David Mcintosh left the band and was replaced by Johnny Rand from The Soul Survivors. Robert Weathersby also left and was replaced by Randall Currie also ex Soul Survivors.

The next two records were with this line up. We did a lot of shows as an opening act with the [Krimsier] Management as a back up band for B.J.Thomas.

We also performed shows with Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone and many others. ‘Mt Olympus’ was recorded with this line up.

Randall Currie left the group in August 1968 and was replaced by [James T. Tierce] from The Substantial Evidence who had a single called [Death Angel] and were popular in the region.

Johnny Rand left the band and was replaced by Dickie Burnet on drums early 1969. Ted Tierce left after 5 months and we decided to stay as a five piece.

In July 1969 we went to Houston. Texas to open for The Nazz, Todd Rundgrens band. On Sunday, August 31st we were the opening act at the first New Orleans Pop Festival, a two day event with Janis Joplin, Santana and The Grateful Dead plus many more.

We recorded a lot of material in Houston, Texas, nothing released and the songs were never mixed but there was some test pressings on vinyl.

The Flower Power rolled on into 1970 and played the second Atlanta Pop Festival in Georgia that July. This was the last gig we played together.”
(Joe Rolison 2013)

The Flower Power discography:

• ’You Make Me Fly’ / ’Sunshine Day’ (Tune-Kel 608) 1968
• ’Mississippi Delta’ / ’Bye Bye Baby’ (Tune-Kel 611) 1968
• ’Trivialities’ / Mt. Olympus’ (Tune-Kel 612) 1968
• ’Don’t Burn My Wings’ / ’Sailing Around The Sun’ (Tune-Kel 613) 1969
• ’Stop! Check It’ / ’Orange Skies’ (Tune-Kel 614) 1969

More details:

Joe has since died but several years ago he sent me many unreleased songs, some only at the very earliest demo stage but a few were mixed and ready to go. I have created a podcast mix of this which can be heard on my RSS.com web page. 

Episode notes:

This is a special mix of Acid Revolver presenting previously unreleased recordings by psychedelic rock group The Flower Power. Joe Rolison, their bass guitarist, sent me these tracks a couple of years ago.

Here’s what he had to say about these undocumented relics:

“The recordings from 1969 were done in Houston TX. I was contacted by Fivepin Music, a Canadian record label who bought the masters, some songs sound like they are missing a final mix down.

Songs including ‘Black Dawn’, ‘Child Of Evil’ and ‘Go and Love That Man’ were not recorded by Flower Power, although they were labelled on the tape as such.

These tracks were probably recorded as solo demo tapes by our singer Sandi Craig and session musicians.

My favourite of these to play live back then was You Can Lead A Horse’.

I was only 17 years old during these recordings from the Houston sessions.”

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