Paradise FoundLost recordings by Elysian Field released on CDBy Rick MattinglyIronically, a Louisville band that was originally formed to concentrate on recording is better remembered for its live appearances. And some of the group's strongest recorded tracks were cut immediately after a gig because the group wanted to capture the energy of a live show. But those tracks, along with a number of others recorded by Elysian Field between 1968 and 1971, were never released, despite the fact that the band started off with a major-label contract. The band's first release, "Kind of Man," was a number-one hit in Louisville in the Fall of 1968, and got airplay in a number of U.S. cities. But as personnel shifted and Elysian Field changed drastically from the group that Imperial Records thought it had signed, the group lost its contract. Although the band continued to record, only four songs cut early in the band's history ever made it to vinyl. But now, Gear Fab records has issued Elysian Field, the third in a series of Louisville-music CDs that kicked off this past September with Soul, Inc. Volume 1 and continued in December with Soul, Inc. Volume 2. In addition to the four songs originally released on Imperial, the CD contains 17 additional tracks that have never been heard by the public. For those who remember the band's live shows, many of the tracks will bring back fond memories. And whereas the Soul, Inc. CDs sound like a collection of individual songs that were cut with singles in mind (which is what they were), the Elysian Field tracks combine to form a more cohesive album. Other than one track that breaks down midway through (and on which you can hear drummer Marvin Maxwell yell out in frustration, "I can't play this f***** song!"), the Elysian Field CD contains no alternate takes, instrumental backing tracks or novelty songs, as do the Soul, Inc. discs. No single category can encompass the variety of influences that turn up on different tracks, but overall the music is remarkably non-dated. "They were always a little bit ahead of their time," says Tim Tyler, a disc jockey at Louisville AM rock station WAKY in the 1960s and early '70s who still works in radio in Texas. "A lot of the Louisville groups were more interested in playing for the crowds, and sometimes you can make a lot more money that way. But Elysian Field had a focus on the music that set them apart." It's fitting that the Soul, Inc. CDs would be followed by an Elysian Field release, as the latter band evolved from the former. In early 1968, Soul, Inc. consisted of guitarists Wayne Young and Frank Bugbee, bassist/lead vocalist Jim Settle and drummer Marvin Maxwell. The band was enjoying a number-one hit with "I Belong to Nobody," which was written by Bugbee. But by the time the song faded from the charts in early Spring, three-fourths of Soul, Inc. had split from Young to form Maxwell, Settle and Bugbee. "We wanted to do a different thing than Wayne was doing," Maxwell says. Indeed, "I Belong to Nobody" was a smoother, more pop-oriented song than was typical of Soul, Inc. In fact, it was originally released as the B side of the hard-driving "Love Me When I'm Down." But WKLO disc-jockey Carl Truman Wigglesworth flipped the record over and loved what he heard. "I played 'I Belong to Nobody' once an hour for a week during my shift," says Wigglesworth, who is now program director at a rock radio station in Texas. "But the reason the record made it was that it was a great song." The new trio wasted no time going to Memphis to record two tunes: "Kind of Man," written by Settle and Bugbee, and "Alone on Your Doorstep," written by Bugbee. They brought the tapes back to Louisville's Allen-Martin studios where Louisville Orchestra musicians added sophisticated accompaniments inspired by Jimmy Webb and orchestrated by Louisville keyboardist and arranger Ron Bedenbaugh. Imperial Records liked the music but hated the band's name. The group became Elysian Field, a name from mythology that refers to an afterlife paradise. It's just as well they made the change; by the time the record came out in early Fall, Settle was gone. Settle's replacement was Gary Johnson, who had previously been in a prominent Louisville band called the Oxfords. The trio started gigging extensively to promote the record, and quickly earned a reputation as Louisville's first power trio. Not only had Bugbee become the reigning Louisville guitar virtuoso, but the group was tackling challenging repertoire such as "MacArthur Park," in which Bugbee captured the sound of an entire orchestra with a single guitar. Greg Martin, guitarist for the Kentucky HeadHunters, has vivid memories of seeing the group during that period. "I believe there comes a time in each of our lives where God speaks to our hearts through other people," Martin says. "In the Fall of 1968 my fate was sealed after my cousin took me to see Elysian Field. I remember 'Kind of Man' sitting at the number-one spot on Louisville's WKLO survey. After [WKLO DJ] Bill Bailey introduced the group, I was mesmerized as the group performed under the psychedelic lights through a wall of Baldwin Exterminator amps. Watching Frank Bugbee gave me an insatiable desire and vision to pursue the guitar. To this day, I've never understood how he evoked so many tones from a Baldwin Virginian! I went back to school the following Monday with a plan, and knew that music was going to be my life passion." Unfortunately, Bugbee's guitar virtuosity was never captured on an Elysian Field recording. By the time the group went back in the studio in January, 1969, he had left the band. But he did produce the recording session, which featured new Elysian Field guitarists Mark Miceli and Dennis Ledford, with Steve McNicol of the Rugbys also helping out. And Jim Settle had returned to the band as lead vocalist. The band cut four songs that night, two of which were released by Imperial in the summer of 1969 as Elysian Field's second single: "24 Hours of Loneliness" and "Strange Changes." Both had been sent to the band by the record company, who saw Elysian Field as a pop band in the vein of Classics IV. Elysian Field also cut "Bed of Roses," another song sent by Imperial, and "Old Oak Tree," written by Bugbee and Settle. Those tracks were never released and were considered lost. But just a couple of weeks before the Elysian Field CD was to be mastered, Maxwell's wife found a test acetate of the songs in a closet at their home. After being digitally remastered, the songs were able to be included. Now working as a five-piece band, Elysian Field quickly settled into a heavier, more aggressive style. "Marvin had heard me playing with the Keyes," Miceli recalls. "He called me up and said, 'You're a nasty guitar player. Want a gig?' I took it as a compliment." Miceli's song "I Hate You" included the lyrics, "I'll get me a band with some nasty guys" and "We'll play our music for all it's worth," which pretty much summed up the new Elysian Field's take-no-prisoners approach. When Gary Johnson was drafted, Ledford switched to bass and Denny Lile joined the band. Lile certainly had the right credentials; he had played in Soul, Inc. after Maxwell, Settle and Bugbee left. Lile was a very talented singer, songwriter and guitarist who also had a problem with alcohol, which led to his untimely death at age 44 in 1995. "Denny Lile was the most talented musician I ever worked with," Jim Settle says, an opinion echoed by other members of the group. "Denny could sing anything, play anything," says Dennis Ledford, who now plays with Nervous Melvin and the Mistakes. "I first met him when he was 17. He couldn't graduate from Western High School because he wouldn't cut his hair. I remember he came to a rehearsal once and watched me fingerpick. He came back a week later and he could do it. Denny could walk in and take your whole style," Ledford says, laughing. Elysian Field's next recording session was held immediately after a gig at Ewing Lane School, which held a popular, weekly teen dance. "We wanted to capture that live energy," Maxwell says. "So as soon as the gig was over we went straight to Allen-Martin and did the tunes just like we did them on stage." Songs such as Miceli's "I Hate You" and Ledford's "Mother Hate" showed off the group's attitude and aggression long before "Punk" was a certified musical genre. But other original tunes by group members, including "You Again" and "Didn't It Feel Good," showed a more laid-back, country influenced side that pre-dated West Coast country-rock bands of the early 1970s. But Elysian Field sure as hell didn't sound like Classics IV, and Imperial Records dropped the group. At one point, Capitol Records expressed interest, and at that label's request Elysian Field cut a strong version of "Good Time Living." But nothing came of the "audition," except that it provided one of the strongest tracks for the Elysian Field CD thirty years later. By late 1970, Ledford and Miceli left the group. Bassist Rudy Helm, who had been in such Louisville bands as Milk Sea and Merseybeats U.S.A., joined Maxwell, Settle and Lile, and the group continued playing gigs for another year or so. Eventually, Lile started his own band called Otis, Helm joined Miceli and Ledford in the group Jake, and Elysian Field disappeared from the Louisville club scene. Carl Wigglesworth says that what happened to Elysian Field was typical of a lot of bands. "The direction kept changing and there was the inevitable infighting," he says. "When not enough happened with the records they kind of lost their direction, their original manager lost his interest, and it all kind of spiraled down from there. "The guys in Elysian Field all had dreams of making it, but individual desires took over," Wigglesworth adds. "They didn't understand what they had together and didn't work hard enough to keep themselves on the same page." But the story wasn't completely over. In late 1971, Maxwell, Settle, Miceli, Helm and Steve McNicol went into Fultz Studio to record eight tracks. Depending on who you talk to, this was either a new version of Elysian Field or the debut of the Steve McNicol Band, as the Rugbys had broken up after touring behind their hit "You, I." The musicians recorded three of McNicol's tunes along with two that had been written for and played by Jake and three others by various group members. Even those who heard Elysian Field live will likely be surprised by these tracks, which feature "progressive" rock influences. "Mark (Miceli) and I were both influenced by groups like Yes and King Crimson," says Helm, who now runs a company in California called Helm Productions that produces sound effects and music for computer and video games. "Steve McNicol knew how to construct good, commercial songs. And Marvin held everything together with a (Rolling Stones drummer) Charlie Watts approach. So when you put all that together, you can hear something different." Helm says that the plan was to seek a record deal, and if the tunes were released, Elysian Field would become a performing band again. But no deals were made and the musicians went on to other bands. But many recall the band's in-your-face stage demeanor and the power of their music. And former group members consider the band to have been a highlight of their respective careers. "Elysian Field was one of the few groups I was in that didn't mind challenging their audience with original songs," says Helm. "Even though Elysian Field took their music very seriously, having as much fun at a gig as any human could possibly stand was always at the top of the agenda! And our recording sessions were nearly as fun as the live gigs." Dennis Ledford agrees. "We were an incredible band," he says, proudly. "And the songs on the CD show what Elysian Field really sounded like."
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