Please Help End 35 Years of Mystery!

This is a plea for help to identify a "mystery song" that has eluded the attempts of both myself and my father for 35 years now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js7PK0242Sw  (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m12EIqnmNJQ  (Part 2)

The song was originally recorded by my father on cassette tape from a Philadelphia radio broadcast between September 1973 and April 1975.  He believes it was in the winter and that the station was WYSP. 

After hearing the song for the first time, my father waited patiently by the stereo system for the station to replay it so he could make his recording.  Knowing that the song contained a lengthy drum solo and that his available tape would end before the song did he paused the tape at one point to exclude the solo and retain the piece's ending.  As it stands, the recording clocks in at 12:29 without the solo and it appears his tape ended before the song despite his best efforts! 

Part of me has not wanted to make this post, since so much effort has already been made on our part throughout the years to identify this song.  I wanted to make the discovery on my own.  The journey to identify this song has resulted in our discovery of a lot of other great music from the same time period, but at this point we're desperate.  It's time for us to know who did this so that we can possibly enjoy hearing the complete song.  We also wish to discover other works by this band.

Thanks for considering our request for your help.  Please understand that the posting of this (low quality) recording to YouTube has been done only for the purposes of determining the artist and song.  The video will be removed once this has been accomplished.  We're not looking to violate any copyrights; rather, we're trying to determine who the copyright holder is so that we may purchase their art!

If necessary, I can provide a list of the artists and albums we have already eliminated... but since this is the nexus of progressive rock knowledge I am assuming for now that it won't be necessary!

In case it may help, here's our best take on what the lyrics are (most debatable transcriptions in brackets):

[Edited to remove the previously posted lyrics, as the song has been identified and the lyrics are probably copyrighted.]


Edited by 70sMysterySong - May 26 2009 at 13:54

dunno what it is, but i can definetly tell you that it's pretty cool! :D

My lyric search was to no avail... took every line and searched, nothing.

I don't know it, but I think it is far too well-recorded and well-arranged for a demo of a local band.  Of course, it could be a very talented, rich and unlucky school band,   but with the full instrumentation of harpsichord, Hammond organ and Mellotron,   I believe that this could be a relict of some album sessions of a band that has issued some other LPs, too.

The vocalist sounds vaguely familiar to me, but I can't place him.  Of course, it could be/and most likely is, that he just sounds like another vocalist I've heard.  Cool song.  I wish you luck, as I wouldn't mind finding out who this band is myself.  I agree with the post above.  It's too well-recorded to be a local band demo.  I think more likely is that it was a band who released one album in the late 60's/maybe 1970 and disappeared into obscurity.  On the other hand, it could be from the long-lost Sex Pistols' first album. 

It's the most outside of outside bets, but you could contact the radio station themselves - they should at least be able to tell you who the DJ was if you can remember the broadcast date. Then it's just the matter of tracking him down (if he's still with us) and seeing if he can tell you. Not very helpful but it's the best i can do.

Zoldar & Clark?

They have woodwinds in their catalog.

Jasper Wrath?

I am thinking that it is an American band out of the Nor-eastern part of the US.


Edited by crimhead - May 24 2009 at 12:11

Easy Money wrote: Wow, that took me back, classic obscure 70s prog rock, I kept thinking I was going to recognize something, but I guess that is one I never heard before. I was trying to guess the band's orgin, the vocals sound American. The mid-west was full of ambitious bar bands that would record proggy albums on local labels. I look for records like that at garage sales and thrift stores. i was also trying to guess the band's lineup, drums, bass, kybdist that plays flute?, one or two guitarists?, Almost everybody sings backups and harmonizes.

Yup, I instantly thought of "Autumn People" , from Arizona I believe, and a band that Ivan is looking into adding here.  But I don't think they are correct answer. 

I have floated the question to two prog experts I know and will report any news. 

Easy Money wrote: Wow, that took me back, classic obscure 70s prog rock, I kept thinking I was going to recognize something, but I guess that is one I never heard before. I was trying to guess the band's orgin, the vocals sound American. The mid-west was full of ambitious bar bands that would record proggy albums on local labels. I look for records like that at garage sales and thrift stores. i was also trying to guess the band's lineup, drums, bass, kybdist that plays flute?, one or two guitarists?, Almost everybody sings backups and harmonizes.

Slartibartfast wrote: I was just thinking, why would you try to take all the fun out by ending 35 years of mystery?  The mooses have informed me that they aren't quite happy with this, but the llamas on the other hand....

Mooses you say.....where's the squirrel?