Autosalvage

Notes & Comments

• "Parahighway"/"Rampant Generalities" (7" single, RCA 9506, 1968)
• Autosalvage (LP, RCA Victor LSP 3940, January 1968)
• Autosalvage (CD, Edsel ED 286, 1988)
• Autosalvage (CD, Evangeline Records ACA 8011, July 9, 2001)

From: ZOOGZ RIFT AKA The Liquid Moamo

Zappa supposedly produced this band's album around 1967. Anybody ever hear it, or hear about it ?

From: TODD TAMANEND CLARK

The actual release date was January 1968. I had it at the time it was released on vinyl and would love to see it made available on compact disc. Here are the track listings:

1) Autosalvage
2) Bugler Song
3) Hundred Days
4) Rampant Generalities
5) Ancestral Wants
6) Land Of Their Dreams
7) Parahighway

Here is what Lillian Roxon's "Rock Encyclopedia" has to say about it:

"AUTOSALVAGE:

Thomas Danaher (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
Darius LaNoue Davenport (vocals, oboe, piano, drums, trombone, guitar, bass guitar, krummhorn, recorder)
Rick Turner (lead guitar, banjo, dulcimer)
Skip Boone (bass guitar, piano)

This group was started in the middle of 1966 by Thomas Danaher, who was a folk and bluegrass freak, and Darius LaNoue Davenport, who came from a musical family. Lead guitarist Rick Turner, son of a poet and a painter, had worked with Ian and Sylvia and then a long line of rock groups. Bassist Skip Boone is the brother of Steve Boone, the bassist for the Lovin' Spoonful.

Originally discovered by The Mothers Of Invention, the group broke up when they saw it wasn't enough to be good: you also had to sell a lot of records to make the sort of money that made the whole hassle worthwhile. Their only album, released in 1968, is full of quiet flashes of brilliance, and there are people about still weeping at the demise of a group called Autosalvage—even if there is a fine album left to remember it by."

From http://www.borderlinebooks.com/us6070s/a4z.html#Autosalvage:

Autosalvage were formed by Donaher and Davenport in 1966. They were reputedly discovered by Frank Zappa during his stay in New York and he took a role in their sole album. The group were obviously competent musicians, but this attempt to merge rock lyrics with avant-garde music was largely a failure. Some tracks had interesting intros, notably Land 0f Their Dreams and the final number The Great Train Robbery were musically interesting.

Skip Boone was the brother of Steve Boone, who played with The Lovin' Spoonful. Davenport also played with Bear, who recorded an album for Verve in 1968, and appeared on Terence Boylan's 1969 solo album. Rick Turner went on to work with Jerry Corbitt and Jeffrey Cain. He later became a well-known guitar builder/repairer (notably for Ry Cooder).

(Vernon Joynson / Stephane Rebeschini)

Tom Danaher, February 6, 2002

Still interested in correcting bio mistakes? There are a few: notably that Frank Zappa was an acquaintance, but had nothing to do with the band musically.

Tom Danaher, February 14, 2002

The Mothers of Invention [they were that!] first came to New York City—it must have been in '67 or '68—to play two memorable gigs: At Andy Warhol's Balloon Farm in the East Village, and then at a small transformed movie theater beside The cafe A-Go-Go on Bleeker Street. To give you a flavor of the times: Muddy Waters followed the Mothers at the Balloon farm, while across town was Cream, in their first American gig at the Go-Go. Jimi Hendrix was also on the scene, possibly with beginning ideas for his recording studio on West 8th St., "Electric Ladyland."

Newly formed Autosalvage, myself included of course, first met the Mothers in opening for them at the Balloon Farm—in reality an old Ukrainian Hall completely festooned in silver mylar. We then played the Go-Go for a few weeks, and were further able to hear and get to know Frank and the rest of the Mothers. We loved their freaky exuberance, backed up and expressed with fantastic chops—a liberating experience for any musician. But Autosalvage, gaining by osmosis, was the extent of our musical connection.

One otherwise unknown fact for you: Frank had a particular liking for our signature song, "Auto Salvage," and at the time we were searching for a name for the band. Frank said that he would choose our "Auto Salvage" ... and so we did, but with a different meaning implied than junkyard for cars