Jerry Yester & Judy Henske, Farewell Aldebaran

Release Information

06/16/69 LP Farewell Aldebaran (Straight STS-1052)
06/30/69 7" Horses On A Stick/Snowblind (Straight ST 102)
02/09/70 LP Farewell Aldebaran (Straight/Reprise RS 6388)
69 Horses On A Stick appears on Zappéd, Warner Brothers PRO-368
70 St. Nicholas Hall appears on Zappéd, Bizarre/Reprise PRO 368

Album Credits

1. Snowblind (Henske/Yester/Yanovsky) 3:07
2. Horses on a Stick (Henske/Yester) 2:10
3. Lullaby (Henske/Yester) 2:55
4. St. Nicholas Hall (Henske/Yester) 3:35
4. Three Ravens (Henske/Yester) 3:30
5. Raider (Henske/Yester) 5:12
6. Mrs. Connor (Henske/Yester) 2:17
7. Rapture (Henske/Yester) 4:09
8. Charity (Henske/Yester) 3:17
9. Farewell Aldebaran (Henske/Yester) 4:21

Musicians:
Judy Henske—Vocals
Jerry Yester—Bass, Guitar, Vocals

Other credits:
Executive producer—Herb Cohen
Produced by J. Yester and Z. Yanovsky
Cover Photo by Ed Caraeff
Special Effects by Litholab
Album Design by John Williams
Published and copyrighted 1969 by Third Story Music and Barmpatomph Musik, BMI

 

Judy Henske & Jerry Yester

emdebe—October 18, 1998

Judy Henske was a bluesy folk singer or, if you like, a folky blues singer, who made a splash in 1963, then sort of vanished from the scene...

Richie Unterberger (All-Music Guide)

"Success is a matter of luck as well as talent. Given different circumstances, Henske could have certainly been a much bigger star than she was. Instead she's a hazily remembered figure, known if at all for some recordings that faintly prefigured folk-rock, and tangential associations with more famous performers. Her strong, bold, and versatile delivery would have been well-suited for the folk-rock era; her timing was just a bit off."

Richie Unterberger (All-Music Guide)

"She finally got her chance to blossom on the 1969 LP Farewell Aldebaren, a collaborative effort with Jerry Yester that appeared on Frank Zappa's Straight! label (an association that probably arose because Henske and Zappa were both managed by Herbie Cohen). The album was a wildly eclectic, impressive effort that showcased an astonishing range of vocal delivery on Henske's part, and owed more to psychedelic music than folk. The enigmatic production was reminiscent of some of Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson's more adventurous work. Baroque music filtered through acid-colored glasses, its shimmering textures coat an uneasy restlessness. None of the parties involved ever came close to matching the inspired weirdness of this record again, though Henske and Yester were part of a band called Rosebud."

unknown

She was/is married to Jerry Yester who replaced Zal Yanovsky (in 1967) in the Lovin' Spoonful 'till the group folded in 1968... Jerry Yester produced Tim Buckley's first album "Goodbey and Hello" (in 1967).

Also see:

Official Judy Henske Fan Site: http://www.seorf.ohiou.edu/~xx103/
08/16/71 LP Rosebud—Rosebud (Straight/Reprise RS 6426)

Marilyn Jones

Regarding the above, you can find more information on Judy at http://www.judyhenske.com. She has a new CD + has reissued one of her old albums.

If you have any questions, contacting her through her website will be very fruitful; she is highly approachable and extremely interesting.

 

Zappa Involvement

Marc

On October 17, 1998, I wrote an e-mail to Keith Hanlon, who is the "gatekeeper" of the Judy Henske Fan Page (http://www.seorf.ohiou.edu/~xx103):

"Hi Keith, I'm rather a Frank Zappa fan than a Jerry Yester / Judy Henske fan... ;-) 'Farewell Aldebaren' was an album issued by Straight Records (Stereo STS 1052) in 1969... Straight Records was owned by Frank Zappa... It's one of those albums that keeps popping up, when FZ fans talk about FZ-related projects. However, based on the information I see on your web pages, I see no connection with FZ. Could you possibly clarify this? Was there any FZ involvement on that album? Did Jerry Yester or Judy Henske ever meet FZ? Thanks in advance."

Here's what he had to say:

"Hi Marc! You have great timing. I just finished reading 'Unknown Legends of Rock and Roll' by Richie. In it, he covers 'Farewell', and says that FZ was involved to a certain degree. Henske says that FZ advised her to put her poetry to music. She took his advice and many of the songs on 'Farewell' were taken from her poetry. The book also says that this album was one of the first records released on Straight. I recommend reading this book. There are about six pages about Henske/Yester. Also, there's a chapter on Plastic People of the Universe! If someone transcribes the chapter from this book, we'll post it to the website. I'll let you know if that happens! Keith."