Biography
The Search Party issued a lone, little-known psychedelic LP in the late 1960s called Montgomery Chapel, manufactured in an unusually small run that instantly marked it as a prized acquisition for psychedelic completists. Scarcity alone does not account for its interest, however, since the record stands as a reasonably capable specimen of its period, albeit one heavily indebted to West Coast psychedelic rock and, more narrowly, to the San Francisco sound exemplified by Jefferson Airplane and Country Joe & the Fish. Echoes of those ensembles surface in the group’s fondness for minor-key melodies, in the division of vocals between a forceful female singer and male counterparts, and in the use of an organ timbre both darkly vivid and faintly macabre. The songs, performances, and arrangements never reach the standard set by the Airplane or Country Joe & the Fish, nor do they display the humor and wit with which many San Francisco bands offset their more earnest or exploratory passages. Instead the material projects an over-reverential stance that captures the hippie ethos at its most solemnly inflated. Even so, a spectral sincerity runs through the grooves, lending the album a modest appeal that rewards listening despite its unevenness.
Information about the band remains scant, yet existing accounts note a move from Wisconsin to Sacramento, California, a detail borne out by the pair of contact addresses printed on the rear sleeve. From those same liner notes one can infer that Nicholas T. Freund, who composed the bulk of the material and produced the sessions, served as the dominant musical force, though it remains unclear whether he performed in the group, since instrumental and vocal credits name only four other individuals. The annotations further suggest a religious impetus behind the project, even if the lyrics contain only occasional, tenuous references that might support such a reading. Additional remarks strengthen the impression of a spiritual link: Nicholas T. Freund is once identified as “Rev. Nicholas Freund,” and thanks are extended to the San Francisco Theological Seminary for the use of Montgomery Chapel, the likely origin of the album title. Whatever the precise and perhaps irretrievable circumstances, the finished work—reported in the notes to have required six weeks and $2,000—ranks as an above-average entry among limited-press psychedelic LPs.
Information about the band remains scant, yet existing accounts note a move from Wisconsin to Sacramento, California, a detail borne out by the pair of contact addresses printed on the rear sleeve. From those same liner notes one can infer that Nicholas T. Freund, who composed the bulk of the material and produced the sessions, served as the dominant musical force, though it remains unclear whether he performed in the group, since instrumental and vocal credits name only four other individuals. The annotations further suggest a religious impetus behind the project, even if the lyrics contain only occasional, tenuous references that might support such a reading. Additional remarks strengthen the impression of a spiritual link: Nicholas T. Freund is once identified as “Rev. Nicholas Freund,” and thanks are extended to the San Francisco Theological Seminary for the use of Montgomery Chapel, the likely origin of the album title. Whatever the precise and perhaps irretrievable circumstances, the finished work—reported in the notes to have required six weeks and $2,000—ranks as an above-average entry among limited-press psychedelic LPs.
Albums
