39249 Ugly Things Magazine.p0001_impo Mar-07-2018 17:22 Sig:4-B Black

Orange shadows in the nighttime... fill my dimly lit mind...

But back in 1967, nobody— least of all the band members— was remotely aware of having created something of lasting sig- nificance or artistic value. It was all for fun. Everyone went on with their lives and careers, and the 500 THE RISING STORM – Calm Be- souvenir LPs they’d had pressed in fore… (Sundazed) LP the spring of 1967 were soon all but forgotten. It wasn’t until the n the spring of 1967, six students early ‘80s that Calm Before began from Philips Academy, a prep I to filter into the consciousness of school in Andover, Massachusetts, the record collecting community. pooled their money and recorded As word spread, copies began to an album. The teenagers—Tony sell for hundreds of dollars, which Thompson (lead vocals, guitar), was unheard of at the time for a Bob Cohan (lead guitar, vocals), completely unknown band. Before Todd Cohen (bass guitar, vocals), long they were changing hands for Charlie Rockwell (keyboards, vo- thousands. cals), Rich Weinberg (guitar, har- monica, vocals), and Tom Scheft I first heard the album in 1983 (drums)—had been playing to- when it was reissued illicitly on gether for two years, first as the the French Eva label. That first Remnants, then the Rising Storm. spin, an experience I shared with Now, in their graduating year, they my friend Carl Rusk, is still etched wanted to put together a musical vividly in my memory. We could setts—were you fans? We scrambled into the booth. We memento before they headed off to barely comprehend the greatness listened to the first song, “Heart.” college. A thousand dollars bought of this record, an album that came TONY: In the summer of 1966, Fantastic. We listened to the sec- them five days at Continental Re- seemingly out of nowhere yet a friend and I slipped into a Bos- ond tune. Outstanding. We lis- cording Studios in Framingham cast such a powerful spell. Calm ton club. We were under drink- tened to the third, “Don’t Look and a 500-run pressing of the al- Before…The Rising Storm quickly ing age and not supposed to be Back.” When it finished, we both bum, which they duly sold to their became one of my favorite albums. there. The two of us had come to looked at each other. Words were friends and classmates for $3.00 Decades later, it’s lost none of its see the Outsiders of “Time Won’t unnecessary. Todd moved the nee- each. luster, continuing only to reveal Let Me” fame. The Outsiders were dle so we could hear it again. And more facets of its special, uncon- Calm Before…The Rising Storm the headliners that night and were when it finished, he moved the strained magic. I was never able was intended as little more than a fantastic (“Time Won’t Let Me” needle back again. to afford an original copy, but in souvenir of their school days. But was added to the Rising Storm rep- After the third playing, we gath- 1992 a legitimate reissue appeared it turned out to be so much more. ertoire that coming fall). But the ered up the album; Todd bought it on the Stanton Park label in up- Unfettered by any commercial other group performing that night, (I never had any money), and we graded fidelity. I recently obtained constraints or musical ambitions the one that preceded the Out- ran back to the dorm to play it my third vinyl copy of this mas- extending beyond the duration siders and outshone them, was a for the guys. I can’t imagine how terpiece, another upgrade, this of the remaining months of the band that changed my perspective many times we played that album time from Sundazed, pressed on school year, the group created, on rock music forever—it was Bar- during our Philips Academy days. high quality (unfortunately, snot- with a complete lack of self-con- ry and the Remains. They were a We added “Don’t Look Back” to colored) vinyl, and in a handsome sciousness, a perfect distillation revelation. Their music was wide- our playlist very quickly. gatefold jacket