The Kitchen Cinq / When the Rainbow Disappears: An Anthology 1965-68 - 2LP Vinyl
- Compilation and notes by Alec Palao
- Includes The Kitchen Five's complete LHI sessions, comprising the Everything But album and non-LP singles as well as rare sides by the act's earlier incarnations as The Illusions and The Y'Alls
- Fully remastered audio with three previously unissued cuts
- Extensive liner notes featuring interviews with Five members Jim Parker, Mark Creamer, and Johnny Stark, along with manager Tom Thacker and producer Suzi Jane Hokom
Track Listing:
A1 The Kitchen Five – You'll Be Sorry Someday
A2 The Kitchen Five – Solitary Man
A3 The Kitchen Five – Determination
A4 The Kitchen Five – Please Come Back To Me
A5 The Kitchen Five – Codine
A6 The Kitchen Five – Good Lovin' (So Hard To Find)
A7 The Kitchen Five – For Never We Meet
B1 The Kitchen Five – Young Boy
B2 The Kitchen Five – Last Chance To Turn Around
B3 The Kitchen Five – Still In Love With You Baby
B4 The Kitchen Five – If You Think...
B5 The Kitchen Five – I Can't Let Go
B6 The Kitchen Five – Need All The Help I Can Get
B7 The Kitchen Five – (Ellen's Fancies) Ride The Wind
C1 The Illusions – Young Boy
C2 The Illusions – Searchin'
C3 The Illusions – Figareux Figareux
C4 The Illusions – Try
C5 The Illusions – Gloria
C6 The Y'Alls – Run For Your Life
C7 The Y'Alls – Please Come Back
D1 The Kitchen Five – When The Rainbow Disappears
D2 The Kitchen Five – The Street Song
D3 The Kitchen Five – I Want You
D4 The Kitchen Five – Wasn't It You
D5 The Kitchen Five – I Am You
D6 A Handful – Dying Daffodil Incident
D7 A Handful – Does Anybody Know
Lee Hazlewood's LHI flagship group, The Kitchen Cinq, had everything but one elusive factor: success.
Formed as The Illusions (and briefly The Y'alls) in Amarillo, Texas, the band blended garage punk with killer harmonies and a slight sense of the absurd. Picking up steam locally in the mid-'60s, the members started to think about cracking it on a bigger scale, and, in 1966, moved to LA. “Almost immediately upon arrival, we auditioned for Lee,” says guitarist/vocalist Mark Creamer. “He said, 'Deal.'" Another of Hazlewood's coterie, Suzi Jane Hokom, was charged with producing the group, making her a de facto female pioneer in the industry.
By 1968, The Kitchen Cinq issued a total of five impressive singles and one album, Everything But. They recorded a surprisingly vast amount of material, all of which is collected here. Their version of The Beau Brummels' “Still In Love With You Baby” was a regional hit in many cities, but they were still chasing a big hit, and the LA dream was wearing thin. In the end, the industry burned them out: the endless gigging, the radio spots, the long journeys–including an ill-fated East Coast tour that required them to drive from LA to Florida in three days. “I think LA ate the Texas boys; I really feel that way,” says guitarist/vocalist Jim Parker.
The group split in '68, and the members spread off into bands including Them, rock outfit Armageddon and, eventually, careers in studios. One–temporary member JD Souther–has a recurring role on the popular soap opera Nashville. The Kitchen Cinq was just a springboard for each of them, but listening to these overlooked works of beat-pop brilliance, you can't help but wonder why it didn't work out for the Texans at the time. Their songs–all of them–live on in this anthology.