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Arzachel, I knew you when!

Jack Flynn | Fairfax, VA United States | 04/16/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 1969, I was fresh out of the Army and back in college (I failed miserably in my first semester in 1965, and was -- of course -- drafted). I lucked into a chance to work as an advertising copy-writer at a local AM radio station (1000 watts AM, 250 after sundown!). They'd just switched from polkas and elder-talk (complaint) radio, and I had some initial sway in how things would work. He got a beer company to sponsor a free-format "Underground" weekend program. It was dead money anyway!



When we switched to the new format (Top 40 during the week), record companies flooded us with music. I had a blast listening to all of this new stuff from 'back in the day,' and deciding what I wanted to play: Creedence Clearwater's first album -- psychedelic it was, with "I put a spell on you," and "Susie Q," the coming decline of "The Jefferson Airplane" and the tidal wave of the new world in bands like "Led Zeppelin" and ..."Arzachel."



Played one tune at a time, Arzachel just didn't seem to work. As I recollect, I found it surprisingly brilliant anyway, and wanted to use it. My program (anonymous, no ego, mostly music...sponsored by a local beer company I called 'The Golden Stream of Consciousness') was on 6 PM Saturday night to 6 AM Sunday morning, and twice a year had the opportunity to use Arzachel in the Spring, when there was an hour lost, and in the Autumn when it came back.



I called the ersatz program "The Hour That Never Was," I'm not sure, but I think the LP was about an hour total, so it fit about perfectly -- in all ways. "Liberated Radio," as I called it, had a good, but limited following (250 watts doesn't go far in an area with lots of mountains and valleys). It built up a little rep in northeastern Pennsylvania among the cognoscenti (or the usual suspects...take your pick).



I'm only now finding Arzachel again and can't wait to hear the CD) after selling the Arzachel LP album, along with about 1500 others, for about 1200 bucks. I knew I was 'giving away' alot of great stuff (to whit: Spooky Tooth, the LP [I forget the name] with the spike being driven through somebody's head). The guys came to my house, and seemed to love the music, so it was a good karma sale.



A few days later, I went by their store and what did I find? Arzachel, with the proud pink LP cover poking your eye out, advertised in the center of the front window for $1,000.00. I don't know if they ever sold it, and if so, for how much. "Psychedelic album, recorded by unknowns (no names at all, even phoney, on the cardboard cover) and played only twice a year. Special sale price, One Thousand Dollars." I'm replacing it today with the CD...and it WILL be played more than twice a year."