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The Velvet Illusions, also known as Georgy and the Velvet Illusions and the Illusions, were an American garage rock band formed in Yakima, Washington in 1965. The group, with influence spanning from R&B standards, the British Invasion, and early psychedelia, released five singles in their brief recording career. Despite never breaking out nationally, the band's music has been revived, thanks, in large part, to its inclusion on several compilation albums, most notably ''Acid Dreams''. ==History== The group originated from a jam session between Randy "Jimmy James" Bowles (lead guitar, vocals) and Chuck Funk (rhythm guitar) in 1965. Funk recommended rehearsing with neighbor George Radford Jr. (saxophone) at his parents' upholstery shop, with the resulting session encouraging the trio to form a band the Radford named the Illusions.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Velvet Illusions )〕 Radford's father elected to manage the group, supplying them with Vox equipment and velvet outfits. Upon discovering that another band was known as the Illusions, the band changed their moniker to the Velvet Illusions to emphasize their unusual gimmick. The band added to their personnel when they recruited Steve Weed (keyboards, vocals), formerly of the local group the Shy Guys, Larry “Lurch” Linse (bass guitar), and Danny Wagner (drums).〔(【引用サイトリンク】year=2011 )〕 The expanded lineup continued to hone their skills and develope a chemistry as an ensemble at Radford Sr.'s upholstery shop. The Velvet Illusions achieved a sizable regional fanbase by renting a music hall called Nob Hill Grange where the group held several battle of the bands, most typically with rival group the Fluorescents.〔(【引用サイトリンク】year=2009 )〕 With a live repertoire encompassing covers of material by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Monkees, as well as novelty songs such as "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron", "Mellow Yellow", and "Winchester Cathedral", the Velvet Illusions were what Bowled explains as their manager's attempt to make the group "clean cut alternatives to other bands of the period". In addition to the usual array of gigs, the band also appeared on KIMA TV to promote their Vox instruments, though the group strenuously denies that the company sponsored them during their existence.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine )〕 In early 1966, Funk departed the band and, which subsequently resulted in the acquisition of guitarists Danny Wohl and Dewayne Russell. Also during this time, the Velvet Illusions began recording at Audio Recorders in Seattle. In mid-1966, the band released their debut single "Acid Head", a composition about a woman suffering from a drug addiction, coupled with the Weed-penned "She Was the Only Girl", on Tell International Records. However, the single failed to reach a national audience when radio stations refused to promote "Acid Head" for its drug references.〔 Two more singles, "Town of Fools" and the psychedelia-tinged group theme song "Velvet Illusions", were recorded in Audio Recorders, and released in rapid succession on Radford Sr.'s self-produced record label Metro Media. "Town of Fools" was particularly successful in the Northwest region; however, the band was limited by the small market and sought to relocate to another more prominent music scene.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Velvet Illusions interview with Steve Weed )〕 In June 1967, the Velvet Illusions concluded a tour of the Northwest, and moved to Los Angeles in hopes of promoting their music on a national scale.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Velvet Illusions )〕 Linse left the group to keep commitments to the United States Army Reserve, and Russell departed over disagreements in musical direction. Former Shy Guy bassist Dale Larrison was recruited by Weed, as was his brother Gene Weed to withhold duties as the band's co-manager. The group worked persistently at promoting their music, particularly "Acid Head", which the Velvet Illusions performed on the Los Angeles television program ''Summer Wild Thing'' in a failed effort to leviate the radio ban.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Velvet Illusions Yakima, Washington )〕 Still, the song's removal from the airways earned the band notoriety in the region where they soon became a popular live attraction. However, Radford Sr.'s controlling managing style caused disgruntlement within the group, resulting in Bowles and Larrison returning to Yakima.〔 The final lineup of the Velvet Illusions saw the additions of drummer Jon Juette, and future Earth, Wind, and Fire guitarist Roland Bautista. Internal debate between Radford Sr. and the band minimized the group's willingness to continue performing.〔 An additional two singles, "Lazy" and the novelty "Hippy Town", where recorded in Sunset Recorders and released in November 1967. With the final releases credited to Georgy and the Velvet Illusions without the group's consent, the band members decided to disband the Velvet Illusions in December 1967.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Velvet Illusions / Born to Be a Rolling Stone )〕 Despite never receiving much promotion outside Los Angeles, the Velvet Illusions' music has since been featured on several compilation albums, and the band themselves are considered a garage rock classic. The group first appeared on ''Acid Dreams'', and have also been included on ''Acid Dreams Testament'', ''Pebbles, Volume 9'', ''Garagelands, Volume 2'', ''Sixties Archive, Volume 8'', and ''Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965–1968''.〔 In 2011, the Velvet Illusions' material spanning across their five singles was compiled on the album ''Acid Head'', on Cherry Red Records.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Acid Head - Velvet Illusions )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Velvet Illusions」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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