Various Artists – Homegrown III
This is a non-profit regional spotlight compilation LP out of San Diego from 1975 which really covers quite a bit of ground. From folksy singer/songwriter stuff through to hard rock, it’s all represented in this professional sounding album. Informative liner notes on the back, lyric sheet and having the music selected by Cameron Crowe back in his Rolling Stone days give this a slick and authorative feel. Released by local KGB Radio it’s an enjoyably varied listen throughout, definitely a product of mid-70s regional pride. How on earth this stuff makes it to New Zealand is a constant source of wonder.
Steven Shipps – Final Stand
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Punk – San Diego
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People Movers – San Diego Dance
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Mutt – Mission Bay
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7 Comments
KGB – the same station that brought us the San Diego Chicken. I remember the Home Grown albums well. Somehow these sealed the deal on San Diego’s deeply ingrained communal sense of inferiority. The production value and the obvious “we got talent” nature of the songs always seemed to call out the LA, “hey, we’re here too.” Somehow these records are incredibly pathetic, from a time when “local” meant not good enough for the bigtime. Ha!
I think the HomeGrown series is pretty good for what it is…these records are just plain ol’ fun. Some of the artists featured on HG would never of had the opportunity to release their music otherwise, as various HG’s contain tracks exclusive to these albums. I have a few of the lesser known HG spin-offs from other parts of California. The one from Mendocino is awesome.
That’s my song, “Mission Bay.” Can’t believe that all these years later someone on the other side of the world would think well enough of it to post it.
It was originally recorded in 1973 (under the the title of “Moondog Bay”) at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles in a one-day marathon session that included two other tracks. I recall seeing Frank Zappa in the upstairs studio, and late in the afternoon Little Richard made an appearance in a purple spaceman outfit. I also remember seeing some tracking sheets for an old Phil Spector session laying on top of a timpani in the back of the studio … damn, I wish I’d taken those!
Anyway, a few years later we decided to repurpose the track for Homegrown, so I went back to the studio and redid the vocal very quickly (hence the lousy singing). Wish I could’ve done a better job.
If you’d like to hear my music now, check out http://www.eliotwider.com
Cheers.
Oops, make that http://www.eliotwilder.com …
Jeez, these Homegrown LPs were all over the place back in the day. The used record stores in San Diego still have them all the time. I do remember seeing Mutt back in the day, they were one of the better bands that ended up on thees things, Most of the bands were pretty lame. The only slightly famous band that was on one (that I can remember) was Rosie & the Originals (who hit it big with “Angel Baby” some years earlier). Still, it surprises me too that one ended up in New Zealand
LOL I played in 2 songs on this allbum ! AHHH those were the days ! song for everybody and for the rest of my life !
A copy has ended up in the UK too. The Homegrown charm has won me over, I’ve decided it’s a keeper!