Continued from Part One β¦. At the same time the singles were being recorded and released, The Palace Guard stayed busy with local gigs and their standing engagement at the Hullabaloo. In that role, the group came into close contact with some of the biggest emerging acts of the era, including The Association, The Yardbirds, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Hollies and many others.
They even crossed paths with their more famous Hawthorne neighbors. And we were only allowed to have five seconds between songs. That lack of exposure meant that wider success was never in the cards. His place behind the drum kit was filled by Terry Rae from The Driftones who subsequently changed their name as well, becoming The Yellow Payges.
Like the previous Parkway single, it sank without a trace in the marketplace. Initially the session was to feature Grady on lead vocals plus additional vocals by the three Beaudoins and backing singer Mike Conley. The instrumental parts would be cut by session musicians. Go to the office and check out, and get up there as fast as you can. The flip side tune features some ersatz Tijuana Brass styling. In the new CD liner notes, Moser makes the point that while Grady did appear onstage with The Palace Guard on one occasion, he was never a member of the band.
The entire experience left the band β Moser in particular β disillusioned. Threatened with a lawsuit if he quit immediately, the bassist remained with the group long enough to appear on an episode of popular daytime variety TV show Where the Action Is.
The band folded not long thereafter. That compilation featured liner notes including reminiscences from late-period drummer Terry Rae. The Omnivore release features a different track order and much improved, remastered audio by Grammy winner Michael Graves.
