Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

HARPERS BIZARRE

Harmony vocal/ instrumental group formed in San Francisco '63. First lineup: Theodore "Ted' Templeman (b 24 Oct. '44), lead vocals, trumpet, drums; Dick Scoppettone (b 5 July '45), vocals, guitar; Dick Yount (b 9 Jan. '45), vocals, guitar, bass, drums; Eddie James, vocals, guitar, bass; all from Santa Cruz CA. First called the Tikis, signed to Autumn label; described on the sleeve of a mid-'80s Autumn anthology (The Autumn Records Story on Edsel UK; Nuggets Vol. 7: Early San Francisco on Rhino USA) as "a whitebread quartet who performed Beatle songs in bermuda shorts and madras jackets'. After mid-'60s singles e.g. "Pay Attention To Me' and "I Must Be Dreaming' they switched to WB, changed name and gained new member, drummer John Petersen (ex- Beau Brummels, also from Autumn). First LP Feelin' Groovy '67 was prod. by Larry Waronker; title song (by Simon & Garfunkel, aka '59th Bridge Street Song') was their only top 20 single hit. The album incl. three songs by the then unknown Randy Newman ("Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear'), "Come To The Sunshine' by Van Dyke Parks (with Newman and Parks playing piano here and there), "Happy Talk' (from Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific) etc. Anything Goes same year followed same formula, with more Newman and Parks, Edith Piaf's "Milord', Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man'; the Cole Porter title track made top 50 as a single, as did follow-up cover of Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo'. James apparently left the group; third LP The Secret Life Of Harpers Bizarre incl. a Newman song, oldie "Sentimental Journey', Jimmy Driftwood's "Battle Of New Orleans'; last LP 4 '68 incl. several originals, but also covers (Beatles' "Blackbird'; "I'm Leavin' On A Jet Plane'), an Indian peyote chant and the theme song from the Peter Sellers/hash cookie movie I Love You, Alice B. Toklas. They were clearly trying to touch all the bases of sophistication and drug culture chic, but the LPs were not strong sellers and the last did not spawn a single: by '70 they had broken up. Templeman became a successful producer at WB (Captain Beefheart, Little Feat, Van Morrison, then the Doobie Bros and Van Halen). The group re-formed for an LP '76 without Templeman and with Scoppettone on lead vocals; As Time Goes By appeared on The Forest Bay Co. label, where manager James Scoppettone was connected.