Dan Hartman - Legends

CD Review - The Legends: High Towers (Arf Arf-087/88) Two CD set

DISK ONE:
THE BALDWIN SESSIONS (1967-'73)
High Towers (1969),
Fever Games (1969),
Jefferson Strongbox (1969),
Gone April Gone (1969),
Yes, Someone Called Me (1969),
Circle Rise (1969),
Marianne Summer (1969),
Somebody Else (1969),
Deception (1969),
Sometimes I Can't Help It (1970),
Rock And Roll Woman (1972),
Problems (1972),
Full Moon (1973),
Great Day (1973),
Sole Rider (1973),
Baby Get Your Head Screwed On (1967),
Why (1967),
Keep On Running (1968),
Cheating (1968),
Jefferson Strongbox (1970) [alternate version],
Concert Radio Spot (1972)

BONUS QUICKTIME(TM) MOVIE To Make A Legend (1973) [A film by Jerry King Musser]

DISK TWO:
PROGRESS FIRE HALL SESSION (1965)
Set Me Free, The Last Time, The Bells Of Rhymney, All I Really Want To Do, She Left Me, You Were On My Mind, Laugh At Me, Shakin' All Over

DON WOOLRIDGE SESSION (1966)
I Need You, I'm Gonna Make You Mine, Shapes Of Things, I'll Always Love You, Devil With The Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly, Why, Norwegian Wood, If I Needed Someone, You Really Got Me, Summer In The City, My Little One, I'm A Believer, Don't Bring Me Down, A Winter's Day, Mr Dieingly Sad, Keep On Running, Louie Louie, Legends Jam

THE DONSHIRES (1965) Sad And Blue, Tripeline

The release of High Towers is truly a labour of love. Erik Lindgren and his team have worked tirelessly to bring this early example of Dan Hartman's musical talents to the fore.

The exhaustive sleeve notes, authored by Doug Sheppard, contains contributions from members of the band who put the work into perspective as you listen to the tracks.

As you listen to the music you can hear and feel the talents of the young Hartman at work. It's fascinating as you realise that you've heard those musical patterns before - sometimes from the Edgar Winter Group, sometimes from his solo work.

The most poignant of comments from the liner notes come from Dan's brother, Dave. "I'm three and a half years older than him age-wise, but he's 100 years older than me wisdom-wise. That's what I miss the most. What I could have learned had he continued to live. He would have been a great teacher for me."

The CD, dedicated to the memory of Dan Hartman, is a must-have for any fan who has followed his musical career. The launch party was attended by Dan's Father (Carl Hartman, sister Kathy and brother Dave (former Legend band member).

"High Towers" launch party: (left to right) Doug Sheppard (wrote liner notes for CD), Carl Hartman (Dan's father), Kathy Hartman (Dan's sister), Erik Lindgren (Arf Arf Records).

Thanks to all the guys at Arf Arf for their dedication in bringing this music back into the public domain.

Jonathan Creaser

ArfArf Records News Release - The Legends: High Towers (Arf Arf-087/88) Two CD set

Some people know 'em as the spawning ground for Dan Hartman of Edgar
Winter/"Free Ride"/"I Can Dream About You" fame. Other people know 'em for their
four excellent singles. But until you've heard Arf! Arf! Records' new double-CD
High Towers compilation retrospective, you haven't gotten the full perspective
on the Legends.

From '64 to '73, the Legends were as synonymous with Central Pennsylvania as a
Hershey Bar with almonds, and every bit as tasty. They got the audiences dancing
with their mix of pop, rock and soul in the mid-'60s, freaked 'em out with heavy
psychedelia in the late '60s, then rocked 'em back outta their shells with even
harder rock in the early '70s. All phases are documented on High Towers, which
traces the rise of the Legends from their garage band roots playing teen hops
and fire halls into seasoned rockers blowing the doors off larger venues.

Featuring their four ultra-rare singles and an even rarer promo flexi from 1970,
the first CD documents the Legends from 1967 to 1973, their most renowned era.
But the listening pleasure doesn't end with rare 45 sides like the stompin'
freakbeat cover of "Baby Get Your Head Screwed On" from '67 and the quirky
wah-wah piano of "High Towers" from '69. CD number one is rounded out by a bevy
of previously unreleased material, including seven more power-trio psych-outs
from 1969, three pounding hard rockers from 1973 that should have the stoner
rock crowd in air-guitar heaven, and even a CD-ROM of a video made by band ally
Jerry King Musser in 1972 to promote "Rock and Roll Woman," a regional smash
that almost got the Legends on American Bandstand.

And then there's the second CD, which throws a life preserver to those '60s
fanatics who abandon ship when the captain's into psychedelia or hard rock. Fear
not, garage fiends, as CD number two completes the Legends' voyage with 26
previously unissued cuts from 1965 and 1966, including a few band originals and
teen-fueled renditions of "Shakin' All Over," "You Really Got Me" "I Need You,"
"Don't Bring Me Down" and even the Shadows of Knight's fuzz ripper, "I'm Gonna
Make You Mine." Perhaps the coolest garage vault find of all, however, is a pair
of cuts by the Donshires (featuring future Legend Joe Caloiero) from 1965, "Sad
and Blue" and "Tripeline," which would be lighting up eBay if the songs had ever
been pressed on a single.

The musical experience is only enhanced by a 24-page booklet lined with
pictures, memorabilia and a detailed band history (including interviews with six
former members) by Doug Sheppard of Discoveries/Ugly Things. Whether you're into
garage, psych, hard rock or even Dan Hartman himself, High Towers is guaranteed
to scale the rock and roll heights for you.

More Information

Dan was the band leader and penned a number of tracks for the group and played electric piano, the organ and guitar. Although the band started out as a soul group they soon moved into rock music. The group released a number of 45's including "Why/Baby Get Your Head Screwed On " (1968).

Arf! Arf! Records of Middleborough, Mass. will soon be releasing a two-CD compilation of Harrisburg's number one rock export, the Legends. Dan Hartman is on a considerable portion of the cuts (many previously unreleased), and even some of the material recorded after he left had his input via songwriting.

Besides the music, the main thing that will be of interest to Dan's fans is that the package will also include an extensive booklet featuring many never-before-seen vintage photos and detailed liners including interviews with some of Dan's old mates (and closest friends): Larry Sadler (who played on a few Hartman solo albums), Joe Caloeiro, and of course, his older brother Dave.

This is the first time that the earliest period of Dan's career has ever been reissued and it's very difficult to find any of the Legends records he played on (few copies were pressed in the first place). So this should be a pretty illuminating experience for Hartman fans, most of whom probably have never heard it.

If you want to learn more about the label or the release, check out http://www.arfarfrecords.com/arfarf/records/aa86.html

Additional information about the Legends can be found at the Delerium site.

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