Blessed End - Movin' On (1971)

Blessed End - Movin' On (1971)

Personnel:
KEN CARSON bs A
MIKE PETRYLAK drms A
STEVE QUINZI keyb'ds A
JIM SHUGARTS gtr A
DOUG TETI vcls A

ALBUM:
1(A) MOVIN' ON (Tns J 248) 1971

NB: (1) counterfeited in 1992. Reissued officially on CD with a bonus track (Gear Fab GF-112) 1998 and on vinyl (Akarma AK 118) 2000.

This band came from Philadelphia and their album is excellent Doors-influenced psychedelia with similar keyboards and a vocalist who sounds like Jim Morrison. Consistently good throughout, this is recommended. All ten tracks were self-penned and arranged by the band. The album was produced by Carl Sandell and recorded at "The New Sound" studios in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Teti's vocals are excellent and reach their peak on tracks like Sometimes You've Got To Be Strong and Dead Man. The album's finest moments include Nightime Rider and Movin' On, which both feature superb keyboard work

Steve Quinzi adds: "Mike, Jim, Ken and myself were from Ridley Park Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia, whilst Doug was from Springfield. We are all from more or less working class backgrounds. We met in high school (Ridley High) and the band had already been together about a year when I joined in the Fall of 1970. Up until that that time they had two guitars. The other guitarist - Lenny Perchowsky - had left the band to go off to medical school. The first time we played together we hit it off both musically and personally, Mike and I became best friends and remain so to this day."

"We played at school dances, pep rallies, battle-of-the-bands, splash parties, and coffee houses around town. It was a wonderful time. As we became more familiar with each other, Jim and I began writing songs together. We got the idea to record the album when a local recording studio owner called me and asked if I'd be willing to loan him my farfisa organ (for use at a recording session) in exchange for recording time. Needless to say I accepted his offer. Over a period of about 3 months, Jim and I worked up what we felt were our ten best songs, and the band started rehearsing them. We recorded the whole album in one day (Summer '71). Like a Godsend, three very good paying gigs came up in one week, and we used the proceeds to finance the pressing of the albums. Ken designed the cover."

"Shortly after recording the album, Ken left the band to join the navy. This, as I was later to realize, was the beginning of the end for the band. The only other recording we did was a remake of Can't Be Without Her that we did with a sub bass player."

"Ken's replacement was Rick Swanson. Rick and Jim did not get along, so sometime later Jim left and was replaced by Ernie Fletsig. The band took on more a hard rock edge and began to play frat parties at the numerous fraternity houses in Philadelphia. We also played some cheesy clubs. Ernie suffered a mental breakdown brought on by a drug problem and had to leave the band. He was replaced by Lou Grieco who did not get along with Mike. By this time (winter '73) I was sick of what things had become and left to join a top 40 band playing nightclubs full-time. Blessed End was formaly disbanded. A few months later Doug joined me in the new group, but a year later was fired after a bitter dispute with the other members. I never saw him again."

"I believe that Doug went to medical school. Mike became an auto mechanic. Ken and Jim worked in sheet metal fabrication at the Boeing helicopter plant in Ridley Park. Ken passed away from cancer a few years ago."

"I'm the only one who continued in music. I moved to Miami Florida in '78, where I now do music production for advertising and corporate presentations. I am also a new age artist with two albums out (The Pond and Vanishing Rainforest). A third Rhythm Of The World, on Pacific Time Records, is released in April '99 and is in an ambient-techno style. A dance remix of one of the cuts Mirage has also been released as a CD single."

Leading reissue label, Gear Fab have re-releasd Movin' On on CD, whilst Jim Shugarts also has a couple of original vinyl albums up for grabs - mail him at commanche@hotmail.com. For more info on the Gear Fab reissue and the band in general, check their website: http://www.voicenet.com/~osprey/blessed_end/index.html

Compilation appearances have included: Movin' On on Gear Fab's Psychedelic Sampler (CD).

(Vernon Joynson/Clark Faville w/thanks to Steve Quinzi/Jim Shugarts)

1. Nighttime Rider 3:08
2. Someplace to Hide 3:29
3. Is It Time 4:22
4. Sometime You've Got to Be Strong 3:51
5. Movin' On 7:44
6. Day Before Tomorrow 4:14
7. Dead Man 2:36
8. Can't Be Without Her 4:05
9. One Stop Woman 3:07
10. Escape Train 5:50
11. Can't Be Without Her 4:30