Most people have never heard of the Wumblies - I had the fortune to know them and hang with their drummer, the late Randy Castillo, who
later played with Lita Ford, Ozzy, and Motley Crue before passing away
some years back. Randy was undoubtedly a talent on the level of John Bonham or Simon Philips, and genuinely nice guy.

The Wumblies played the same Colorado/Arizona/Oklahoma/New Mexico/Montana circuit my cover band did. I thought they were the best unsigned band from the seventies and I still think so today. Recently, someone posted a MySpace page with some live footage of this band.

Their stage show was excellent, and included different “bits” where they dressed up as doctors or policemen, and they always “dressed up” the venue where they played with parachutes hanging from the ceilings. The lead singer, George, was definitely a little too much of a Robert Plant clone, but he did have a great range and was a great shoiwman. This is from an era when the quality of rock cover bands was higher, there was no auto-tune to fix vocals, and a band could still be signed on the strength of its music alone.

If you’re not into hard rock, they wouldn’t have been your cup of tea. If you were (and perhaps still are), you can probably dig what made them so cool. Bear in mind that this was a cover band that literally brought a full arena-rock show to little podunk towns as well as bigger cities. And yes, Jimmy Page really was a fan of the band.

[url=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=341214605]http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=341214605 [/url]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4eqWEmQCRM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4eqWEmQCRM [/url]

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70’s

Mate, sorry, I thought you’d mis-spelled and were actually talking about “The Wombles” who had some hits back in the 70s, from the pen of singer/songwriter Mike Batt !

Cheers

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70’s

Well, from DP’s description, I’m sure I’d have no interest in the band, but that aside, surely their name didn’t do them any favours.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Another thread dredged from the deep. The name is reminiscent of the Rutles, whom I’ve never properly investigated. Maybe someone in the group heard the story about George Martin’s colleagues at EMI accusing him of disingenuously promoting a new Peter Sellers comedy disc when he revealed he’d just signed a group called the Beatles.

Speaking of signing, the term unsigned in the thread title sounds to me suspiciously like a euphemism for local, the group itself dredged this way from the deep, dim recesses of time. It’s perfectly fine for locals to remember their own, I suppose, but this seems to me a dubiously sneaky attempt to circumvent the...um...vagaries of fortune--to put it charitably. It just so happens that there are zillions of other localities.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

The Rutles were a construct/spinoff by some of the Monty Python team, with such classic numbers as Lucy in the sky with Dennis, and Cheese and Onions (C. H. double E, S E - O, N, I - O, N, S)

It went with a short series called Rutland weekend television.

Worth checking out for quite a larf /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Cheers

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

I don’t know where the band came up with the name “The Wumblies”.
Maybe it was a riff on “Wembley” where they hoped to eventually
play...:-). Of course, I’m not sure Wembley stadium was in existence back then..

I posted about them because I think we have all seen a band in some
club somewhere that had us thinking, “why aren’t they signed?” I would never be so presumptive to think the Wumblies were the only
70’s band that should have been bigger but weren’t. They were certainly the best unsigned band I myself saw (and hung out with) in the 70’s.

I never learned exactly why the Wumblies weren’t signed and why they broke up. I know they started a record, which they were recording in Denver. They most likely just ran out of gas, so to speak, and couldn’t make enough money to keep going as they were. Like a lot of bands. Randy, the drummer, went on to the
most successful career of any of them, although he tragically died
broke and sick (Ozzy paid for the funeral).

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Maybe it was a riff on “Wembley” where they hoped to eventually play...:-). Of course, I’m not sure Wembley stadium was in existence back then..

A quick check shows it to have been in existence since 1923. The idea that the group might have been trying to pass itself off as British is implicit in my original remarks.

I posted about them because I think we have all seen a band in some club somewhere that had us thinking, “why aren’t they signed?”

I’ve seen all sorts of local and regional groups I’ve enjoyed, but I don’t recall ever posing to myself this question. I’d much rather see a group in a small club than in a stadium. I’d much rather see a group I enjoy in a small club than listen to a recording.

I would never be so presumptive to think the Wumblies were the only 70’s band that should have been bigger but weren’t. They were certainly the best unsigned band I myself saw (and hung out with) in the 70’s.

Well, the “hung out with” thing makes me just a little bit suspicious.

I never learned exactly why the Wumblies weren’t signed…

If they earnestly and industriously endeavored to acquire a record contract and nevertheless failed, it must be because record companies judged them insufficiently potentially profitable, but there is certainly nothing wrong with contenting oneself to play clubs.

...and why they broke up.

Pretty much every group breaks up eventually.

Like a lot of bands. Randy, the drummer, went on to the most successful career of any of them,

Hmm...I wonder what groups you’re thinking of?

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Of course, I’m not sure Wembley stadium was in existence back then

Well, now let’s see, there was the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, the Olympic Games of course in 1948, and, oh yes, a little matter of England winning the World Cup there in 1966!

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Scotch wrote:

“Hmm...I wonder what groups you’re thinking of?”

Once again, Scotch, you apparently failed to read all of my first post.

Randy Castillo later played with Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, and Motley
Crue.

Not that I would expect you to know any of those names, as you
have demonstrated many times in the past your willful ignorance of
the history of rock music beyond 1970, and general disdain for
pop music in its entirety.

I don ‘t understand what you find “suspicious” in either the band’s name or in the fact that I “hung out” with them. whatever you may
think “hung out” means. And for your information, history is full of
great bands, artists and songwriters who were turned down by record companies - for completely stupid reasons. In the past 30
years of my living in L.A, having at one time worked for a huge publishing company (Screen GEMS/EMI) and having spent many hours in the offices of such record labels as Capitol, Chrysalis, Zomba/Jive,Warner, and Columbia,as well as putting in many hours in major recording studios here, I have personally, with my own eyes and ears, witnessed moronic, infantile behavior on the part of clueless
record company A&R people - so much that I could write an entire
book on my experiences. So no, just because a band was not signed by a label has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the musical merits of a group’s music, or even their marketability. If you had spent anytime out here in bands, trying to get signed, eventually you would have learned the meaning of the phrase, “the suits don’t know anything”.

I’m beginning to agree with Way_ne - Scotch, you really need
to comment on things you actually know something about.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

DaveP....
I get where you are coming from in this thread. 40+ years and having traveled over half of the country,I’ve run into some pretty good groups that I thought should be “out there” for all to hear.

One group comes to mind right away is a group out of Georgetown called “Wizard”. They played everything from Motown to Hendrix,Stax to Zeppelin, Chicago to Ike and Tina. Local band of course,6 pieces. Just “stayed” where they were for a few years.

Austin, Tx had some great musicians and groups too. Lots of young jazz players.

It’s the old story of “right place right time” for many. For others,keeping the “sound” together. Yet others, just don’t “know” anyone or “How”. So many reasons why we have seen and heard groups that were just so gifted but never got anywhere....for whatever reason. And others who got “the breaks” but crashed and burned. We used to call them “90 Day Wonders”: 90 days go by and you “wonder” what happened to them.

You have to forgive “The Perfessor”. He’s more analytical and critical, and maybe too much so, to appreciate, as some of us do, others we’ve come across over time that we really dug where they were coming from musically. As I’m sure you have,I’ve been in groups that I have asked the same questions. I just communicated with a guy that I was in three groups with and we still have questions as to why two of those groups didn’t “make it”.

I tell young musicians I meet that this isn’t a business for the faint of heart or the fragile personality. It is always humbling and no matter good you get there are still setbacks and disappointments. Many times they are of the group’s own doing.

Arthur Godfrey, a radio and television personality from the “ice age” once described a Quintet this way....
“A quintet is 5 guys who ‘each one of them’ thinks the other 4 guys stink”.

....now imagine Scotch in your group,DaveP./forums/images/icons/tongue.gif alt=
Just a thought....

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Dukester - how right you are.

One of the things I was hoping to stir by posting this thread was exactly what you stated - we’ve all been witness to talent that
never got the break it deserved. Regardless of genre.

I’d love to hear from others with similar stories of artists or bands
they saw or knew who should have gone on to greater things. Interestingly enough, if you google some of these people you thought were “long gone”, it turns out they’re still active today. Here’s one -
I used to go see a Denver three piece blues-rock outfit called “Aphrodite” - when I first started sneaking into clubs - about 1972.
Amazing, especially their guitar player. They later changed their name to “Stray Dog” and toured with Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their guitarist’s name was Snuffy Walden. Snuffy went on to a great career scoring for film and television, in fact you see his name on the credits for “Desparate Housewives” right now. He currently goes by “W. Snuffy Walden”.

Not to mention Bad Mister’s own discography, which he never brags about.

Speaking of Austin, Texas - well this story is about Amarillo, actually. My cover band had a gig at this little
biker bar in Amarillo, around 1977. We had two weeks there, and Sundays off, so on our Sunday off we went to the bar
to hang in the afternoon and watch the Sunday “open mic”.
We came in at the last part of a set from this young gal who played great blues tunes of her own and accompanied herself on guitar. When she finished, there was a snippet of applause, and the MC said, “let’s give it up again for Lucinda Williams, ladies and gents”. She must have been all of 19 at that time.

That same year, we played at the “Red Barn” in Great Falls Montana. On setup day, I was chatting up one of the rather
attractive bartendresses, and I asked who was the band that
had played the week before us. “Oh, they were great! They had two girls and they played a lot of Led Zeppelin!”. I asked what their name was and she replied, “Umm, I think they were called Heart”.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

This is a story about some pretty average musicians who did well another way.

Back in the mid to late 60’s, there was a local band from Oconomowoc, WI who we thought, as teeny boppers, was really cool.  They actually got a gig with Dick Clark opening the TV show “Where the Action is”.  They were just 3 brothers who had a band.

The band was called “Dee Robb & the Robbs”.  Well, they vanished from the scene by the early 70’s without ever producing any hits, but just recently I was talking to a buddy and he told me what these 3 brothers are up to now.

They own and operate Cherokee Studios (and have for many years) located in West Hollywood.  This is apparently quite a prestigious studio with a very impressive client list.  Dave P, you are likely familiar with this studio if not the brothers themselves.

[url=http://www.cherokeestudios.com/flashed.html]http://www.cherokeestudios.com/flashed.html [/url]

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

[DavePolich] Once again, Scotch, you apparently failed to read all of my first post.

No, that’s not the problem. The problem is that I took “Like a lot of bands” to go with “Randy, the drummer, went on to the most successful career of any of them” rather than with what preceded it. Well, it did appear on the same line as the later remark and not on the same line as the earlier remark. I misread your period for a comma, however, and I suppose it’s high time I invest in reading glasses. Anyway, I took you to mean that the drummer in a lot of groups (not just this one) goes on to find greater fame and fortune than the rest of the group. I didn’t mean to contradict this, I was just curious about which groups you had in mind. It sounded to me intriguing. I’m sorry for the error, and I’m sorry it appears to have angered you.

Randy Castillo later played with Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford, and Motley
Crue. Not that I would expect you to know any of those names…

Of course I’m familiar with the outer names--and Lita Ford just barely. It would require considerable effort not to know the name Ozzy Osbourne, an effort I don’t have anything like the energy to undertake. I hope you don’t expect me ever to have had anything approaching a favorable opinion of Black Sabbath, however, (or of name-dropping in general, for that matter).

...as you have demonstrated many times in the past your willful ignorance of the history of rock music beyond 1970

I think “Iron Man” is actually from 1970. I happen to consider myself quite knowledgeable through 1973 and well into 1974 (unless it turns out “Iron Man” is not from 1970), manifestly more than most inhabitants here according to my reckoning.  Beginning around 1975--having matured to an extent, I grew much more selective, but I was exposed to a wide swath again from 1979 through 1983 then gradually tapering off over the next few years.  My “ignorance” from this point is not exactly “”willful”. It’s only that pop music since at least the rock era is essentially music marketed to children and teenagers, and as an adult I just can’t bring myself to sift through the general sludge. I pick out pearls when they happen to come to my attention.

…and general disdain for
pop music in its entirety

Now here we have libel. I think you mean “general disdain” for the particular mid-seventies groups (and earlier groups anticipating that decline, as I view it) you seem to favor.

I don ‘t understand what you find “suspicious” in either the band’s name or in the fact that I “hung out” with them.

I find nothing whatsoever suspicious in either. I find the name amusing, and I find your promoting them here suspicious because of your avowed association with them, rather as I find Ford’s pardoning Nixon suspicious. There is at list a whiff of a suggestion here of self-promotion, whether or not that be your actual intent.

And for your information, history is full of
great bands, artists and songwriters who were turned down by record companies - for completely stupid reasons.

That may be so, but it can in no way falsify this remark of mine: “If they earnestly and industriously endeavored to acquire a record contract and nevertheless failed, it must be because record companies judged them insufficiently potentially profitable….” The only logical complaint you can have is that it’s banal or tautological.

If you had spent anytime out here in bands, trying to get signed, eventually you would have learned the meaning of the phrase, “the suits don’t know anything”.

I haven’t spent an appreciable effort trying to “get signed” (although some of my music has been commercially recorded by others), and I think I’ve expressed the opinion already that I don’t consider that necessarily a goal worth having. I do have far too much frustrating experience trying, in certain cases, to get fellow group members even to make a reasonable effort to be successful by whatever measure applicable in the particular instance, which accounts for my qualification “if they earnestly and industriously endeavored”. It’s very easy to conclude, however that “the suits don’t know anything” when you (one, that is) yourself (oneself) have (has) been bypassed, but that conclusion in such a circumstance can hardly be objective.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Quest, yes of course I’m familiar with Cherokee. Actually participated in recording a drum session there. I never made the “Robb” connection, though.

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

Dukester

Arthur Godfrey, a radio and television personality from the “ice age” once described a Quintet this way....
“A quintet is 5 guys who ‘each one of them’ thinks the other 4 guys stink”.

This, from a guy in a pork-pie hat playing a ukulele!

Bob

Re: Wumblies - best unsigned rock band from the 70

How can Scotch disregard the 80’s as ‘teenage’ music? 80’s had some of the best music in pop - depeche mode, a-ha, alan parsons project, def leppard, and so many more great bands.

True, some of the stuff were a bit cheesy, but overall the 80’s will always be the best decade for music.