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The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org

uncover

Gold Meritorious Patron
So I got this bright idea one night as we're sipping sake to go on YouTube and play the video: "Thank You For Listening".

.....
That night in bed I tossed and turned and had the hardest time sleeping because that God damn song kept going through my head over and over and over again........ I woke up with it in my head and for the next few days it would not leave me alone.
.....
I see that you are in need of help.... there is hope for you.

Here is the cure - directly from El Con Hubbard's right hand Captain Bill Robertson:

[video=youtube;A5qOxlC61Xo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5qOxlC61Xo[/video]

I hope you enjoy it.... :omg:
 

Bost_Bobby

Patron with Honors
I see that you are in need of help.... there is hope for you.

Here is the cure - directly from El Con Hubbard's right hand Captain Bill Robertson:

[video=youtube;A5qOxlC61Xo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5qOxlC61Xo[/video]

I hope you enjoy it.... :omg:

Oh no you don't. No no no no. In 5 minutes i'm off to bed and the last thing I need is something like this to be swirling in my head for the next 8 hours. I'll tell you what. I will watch it tomorrow so I can at least get one good nights sleep. I'm just going to close my eyes and hum Barry Manilow's Copacabana. There is no way that THAT could get stuck in my head.
Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl....
 
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afaceinthecrowd

Gold Meritorious Patron
The whole saga of the Apollo Stars is extra-fascinating to me -- surreal, darkly funny, human and revelatory. The details are scattered all over the web, it would make a great book, starting with Shooting Stars, of course. http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?21698-Shooting-Stars

The Red Bull article got me looking for more scraps, and I found this great tidbit from Bare Faced Messiah. Ron wanted the band to perform in every port of call, and:

"Since he would be making appearances himself, he had a new uniform designed with a suitably theatrical flair. It featured a powder blue kepi with a lavishly gold-braided peak and a cloak in the same hue, lined with scarlet silk. He looked, Urquhart reported, 'most peculiar'."

A kepi is that flat-topped French military hat with a visor. My kingdom for a photo of Ron in this getup.

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

EDIT: Now, that would be worth FAR more than Hisself's Yammerhaw.:coolwink:
 
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TheOriginalBigBlue

Gold Meritorious Patron
..

Any band that turns out an album called "THE POWER OF SOURCE" is doomed from inception.

What musical artist in their right mind would allow the album's producer to title their debut album as a vainglorious tribute to HIMSELF?

Who does that?! LOL Who the f*ck hires musicians and then forces them to service his megalomaniacal lust for "admiration" by such a braggadocio, self-worshiping, status-craving, ridiculous name like "The Power of Source"?!

Stupid-ass cult leader. I mean, just....fucking cringe!

I don't know - I rather like it as a metaphor for the whole experience.

Having LRH make a fool out of you is character building.
 

ILove2Lurk

Lisbeth Salander
"Since he would be making appearances himself, he had a new uniform designed with a suitably theatrical flair. It featured a powder blue kepi with a lavishly gold-braided peak and a cloak in the same hue, lined with scarlet silk. He looked, Urquhart reported, 'most peculiar'."

. . . My kingdom for a photo of Ron in this getup.
This is what I found in my extensive private photo archive. :shrug:


View attachment 12341
:wink2:
 

HelluvaHoax!

Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on



:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

PERFECT COMPARISON!

Especially, the clownishly overblown operatic gravitas on the lines:

"WE ALL LIVE ONLY TO DIE"
(Galactic Patrol)

--and--

"HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY"
(Mighty Mouse theme song)

(Hey, Pavarotti--you're singing about a mouse--a stupid cartoon mouse!)​


Whoa, that reminds me of something. . . . . .


[video=youtube;t-wUe5aEwHM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wUe5aEwHM[/video]​
 
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Bost_Bobby

Patron with Honors
I see that you are in need of help.... there is hope for you.

Here is the cure - directly from El Con Hubbard's right hand Captain Bill Robertson:

[video=youtube;A5qOxlC61Xo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5qOxlC61Xo[/video]

I hope you enjoy it.... :omg:
Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggh! WTF IS THAT???!!! And WHO is singing? I'm sorry but I could not get through more than 120 seconds of it. I'm on my phone which is quite small so the writing to the right I could not read. At some point during the weekend, maybe when I've chugged a couple of sakes, I will watch it on the computer so I can read the text. Sound down of course.

You should be made to read and do the exercises in Handbook For Preclears and follow the instructions where at the end it tells you to go through the book again. Talk about a never-ending cycle of mind f**k.
 

Bost_Bobby

Patron with Honors
. . .
HH, perfect on finding that 50's-ish organ rendition of the song. Has that
lovely Hammond/Wurlitzer sound that everyone was in love with back then.

:lol:

Here's my discovery after listening to the Power of Source vinyl album
and digging through my extensive photo archives.

It seems that unbeknownst to most people, L Don Hubbard was actually
part of the band during the recording of POS. Now, L Don did not have a
natural musical ear. In fact, he had NO musical ear to speak of really! He
played sax but ALWAYS played off pitch . . . wrong key. Usually very sharp
and screechy, which may totally account for the dissonant or discordant,
drastically inharmonious sound of the album.

And possibly, this was the beginning of the end of the brother relationship
and why he eventually got beached, thrown off the Apollo.

People may have a hard time believing all this, so I dug through my
archives and found this previously unpublished photo of L Don playing,
rather screeching, with the band. On the right, next to bearded
Class 8 Russ Meadows, who is playing bass.

View attachment 12333
:wink2:

Me thinks to the right of ole L. Don is Jerry Garcia hisself.
 

tr8theta

I Love Kitties
The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org.

Red Bull Music Academy: The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org

http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/03/the-apollo-stars-feature


* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *

March 30, 2016

By Daniel Dylan Wray

In 1974, the Apollo Stars released their only album, The Power of Source. Like many ’70s American rock bands, the Apollo Stars were young men with long hair, bushy moustaches, flapping flares and loud guitars. Unlike others, though, they were Scientologists and lived on a ship, the Apollo, with church founder L. Ron Hubbard, who was credited as the band’s producer and co-writer.

On board the Apollo was the church’s Sea Organization, or Sea Org. It comprises Scientology’s most dedicated members, who are required to sign a symbolic (but not legally binding) one billion-year contract to demonstrate their commitment to the church. The Sea Org was established in 1967, the same year that Hubbard purchased a fleet of ships including the Apollo, which was once a British Royal Navy landing ship called HMS Royal Scotsman and had served in World War II.

The purchase of these ships by Hubbard came at a legal crossroads for Scientology. In 1963, the church was raided by the United States Food and Drug Administration, with materials, books and E-Meters (used for displaying the ectodermal activity of a human being, an procedure known as ‘auditing’) being seized. The FDA believed that the church was making false medical claims through their practices and in 1967, when the church lost its tax-exempt status after an audit from the Inland Revenue Service, it moved its daily operations onto the water.

Scientology’s official line on the purchase of the fleet is that Hubbard formed the Sea Org in order for the church to focus on advanced research operations and supervise the church’s global organizations. However, given such raids and audits, which resulted in enormous debts and clashes with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it’s been suggested that Hubbard was using the ships to evade U.S. authorities.

The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments.

The remaining traceable few members of the Apollo Stars are split between those who have remained in the church, those who have left, and those who have no desire to talk about it from either side. In a rare instance, though, three members were willing to tell their stories: Craig Ferreira, guitar player, co-writer and current church member; Neil Sarfati, saxophone player and group director, who left the church in 1976; and Tom Rodriguez, bongo player, who prefers not to reveal his current status in regards to the church.

The Power of Source is a disjointed album, weaving together rock, jazz, blues, soul and psychedelia. It’s also driven by a solid energy and experimental tendencies, the result of which is reminiscent of an African-indebted, acid jazz freak-out. A key reason for this is the social and ethnic construct of the group. The Apollo would sail primarily across the Mediterranean but often as far as Africa, picking up sounds and members along the way. Bongo player Rodriguez, for example, boarded the ship from Morocco in 1971.

It would be a further two years before anything resembling a recording act would start, though – and even then it was by accident. When the Apollo docked in Madeira on the Christmas of 1973, the local mayor inquired if there were any musicians on board to play in the town square. “The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments,” says Rodriguez. “An announcement was made for any musicians to come directly to the PR lounge. About ten of us showed up. We were told to ‘put something together’ immediately. We asked each other, ‘What songs do you know?’ and we ended up with about three or four songs.” They performed in the square and despite Rodriguez thinking they were “terrible,” they went down well with the locals and were asked back again to play on New Year’s Eve.

The Apollo Stars were born. The band as credited on The Power of Source consisted of Tamia Arbuckle (bass, guitar), Craig Ferreira (guitar), Luten Taylor (bass), Russ Meadows (bass, flute), Charlie Rush (drums), Kenny Campleman (flute), Bill Potter (saxophone), Neil Sarfati (saxophone) and Wayne Marple (trumpet). Ferreira claims to have put this lineup together, with Sarfati then positioning himself as a director of sorts. “I became the head of the whole troupe,” Sarfati says. “I guess I had the balls because I’m a New Yorker.”

According to Sarfati, the band had some big hitters in tow. Taylor was one of the original composers for the Mission Impossible theme tune, Potter had played for Big Mama Thornton and Ferreira recalls fellow guitar player Arbuckle as being a “Japanese rock star,” referring to his time in the RCA-signed band the Lead in the late ’60s. As for the other members, “A lot of the folks just came from playing in garage bands,” says Ferreira. Various members joined the church at different times and for different reasons, but Sarfati’s story was a fairly common one. “At the time [1973] I was 23 years old and lost. I didn't know where to go. I was looking for answers, and I thought that [the church] was the answer.”

* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *

* * * * * BEGIN LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *

“We moved from the sea to land in ’75,” remembers Rodriguez. “I pretty much ceased being a band member then. Others continued to play together, when we had parties.” Sarfati left the Apollo Stars the following year. “I ‘woke up’ in ’76, when they put me in a prison camp and I escaped. The more I went through it [prison], the more it awoke me. It had the reverse effect on me. I was thinking, ‘Holy fuck, what am I doing here?’” The escape involved having to trick his former bandmate, drummer Charlie Rush, into thinking that he had explosive diarrhea in order to temporarily get out of a cell. Sarfati grabbed some money and clothes that he’d stashed behind a dumpster, hopped a prison wall, made his way to the airport and never looked back, not to Scientology nor the Apollo Stars.

* * * * * END LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *
Hello Daniel. I just came across this article while perusing through the "search forum" tool. I thought you'd like to know (if you even get this message) that I just posted more details about my experience on board the Apollo as an Apollo Star musician (bongo player). It was a thrill to see those photos of us in your article...and your article was very well written. feel free to contact me. Tom R

The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org.

Red Bull Music Academy: The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org

http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/03/the-apollo-stars-feature


* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *

March 30, 2016

By Daniel Dylan Wray

In 1974, the Apollo Stars released their only album, The Power of Source. Like many ’70s American rock bands, the Apollo Stars were young men with long hair, bushy moustaches, flapping flares and loud guitars. Unlike others, though, they were Scientologists and lived on a ship, the Apollo, with church founder L. Ron Hubbard, who was credited as the band’s producer and co-writer.

On board the Apollo was the church’s Sea Organization, or Sea Org. It comprises Scientology’s most dedicated members, who are required to sign a symbolic (but not legally binding) one billion-year contract to demonstrate their commitment to the church. The Sea Org was established in 1967, the same year that Hubbard purchased a fleet of ships including the Apollo, which was once a British Royal Navy landing ship called HMS Royal Scotsman and had served in World War II.

The purchase of these ships by Hubbard came at a legal crossroads for Scientology. In 1963, the church was raided by the United States Food and Drug Administration, with materials, books and E-Meters (used for displaying the ectodermal activity of a human being, an procedure known as ‘auditing’) being seized. The FDA believed that the church was making false medical claims through their practices and in 1967, when the church lost its tax-exempt status after an audit from the Inland Revenue Service, it moved its daily operations onto the water.

Scientology’s official line on the purchase of the fleet is that Hubbard formed the Sea Org in order for the church to focus on advanced research operations and supervise the church’s global organizations. However, given such raids and audits, which resulted in enormous debts and clashes with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it’s been suggested that Hubbard was using the ships to evade U.S. authorities.

The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments.

The remaining traceable few members of the Apollo Stars are split between those who have remained in the church, those who have left, and those who have no desire to talk about it from either side. In a rare instance, though, three members were willing to tell their stories: Craig Ferreira, guitar player, co-writer and current church member; Neil Sarfati, saxophone player and group director, who left the church in 1976; and Tom Rodriguez, bongo player, who prefers not to reveal his current status in regards to the church.

The Power of Source is a disjointed album, weaving together rock, jazz, blues, soul and psychedelia. It’s also driven by a solid energy and experimental tendencies, the result of which is reminiscent of an African-indebted, acid jazz freak-out. A key reason for this is the social and ethnic construct of the group. The Apollo would sail primarily across the Mediterranean but often as far as Africa, picking up sounds and members along the way. Bongo player Rodriguez, for example, boarded the ship from Morocco in 1971.

It would be a further two years before anything resembling a recording act would start, though – and even then it was by accident. When the Apollo docked in Madeira on the Christmas of 1973, the local mayor inquired if there were any musicians on board to play in the town square. “The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments,” says Rodriguez. “An announcement was made for any musicians to come directly to the PR lounge. About ten of us showed up. We were told to ‘put something together’ immediately. We asked each other, ‘What songs do you know?’ and we ended up with about three or four songs.” They performed in the square and despite Rodriguez thinking they were “terrible,” they went down well with the locals and were asked back again to play on New Year’s Eve.

The Apollo Stars were born. The band as credited on The Power of Source consisted of Tamia Arbuckle (bass, guitar), Craig Ferreira (guitar), Luten Taylor (bass), Russ Meadows (bass, flute), Charlie Rush (drums), Kenny Campleman (flute), Bill Potter (saxophone), Neil Sarfati (saxophone) and Wayne Marple (trumpet). Ferreira claims to have put this lineup together, with Sarfati then positioning himself as a director of sorts. “I became the head of the whole troupe,” Sarfati says. “I guess I had the balls because I’m a New Yorker.”

According to Sarfati, the band had some big hitters in tow. Taylor was one of the original composers for the Mission Impossible theme tune, Potter had played for Big Mama Thornton and Ferreira recalls fellow guitar player Arbuckle as being a “Japanese rock star,” referring to his time in the RCA-signed band the Lead in the late ’60s. As for the other members, “A lot of the folks just came from playing in garage bands,” says Ferreira. Various members joined the church at different times and for different reasons, but Sarfati’s story was a fairly common one. “At the time [1973] I was 23 years old and lost. I didn't know where to go. I was looking for answers, and I thought that [the church] was the answer.”

* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *

* * * * * BEGIN LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *

“We moved from the sea to land in ’75,” remembers Rodriguez. “I pretty much ceased being a band member then. Others continued to play together, when we had parties.” Sarfati left the Apollo Stars the following year. “I ‘woke up’ in ’76, when they put me in a prison camp and I escaped. The more I went through it [prison], the more it awoke me. It had the reverse effect on me. I was thinking, ‘Holy fuck, what am I doing here?’” The escape involved having to trick his former bandmate, drummer Charlie Rush, into thinking that he had explosive diarrhea in order to temporarily get out of a cell. Sarfati grabbed some money and clothes that he’d stashed behind a dumpster, hopped a prison wall, made his way to the airport and never looked back, not to Scientology nor the Apollo Stars.

* * * * * END LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *
The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org.

Red Bull Music Academy: The Apollo Stars: The Rock Stars of Scientology’s Sea Org

http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2016/03/the-apollo-stars-feature


* * * * * BEGIN EXCERPT * * * * *

March 30, 2016

By Daniel Dylan Wray

In 1974, the Apollo Stars released their only album, The Power of Source. Like many ’70s American rock bands, the Apollo Stars were young men with long hair, bushy moustaches, flapping flares and loud guitars. Unlike others, though, they were Scientologists and lived on a ship, the Apollo, with church founder L. Ron Hubbard, who was credited as the band’s producer and co-writer.

On board the Apollo was the church’s Sea Organization, or Sea Org. It comprises Scientology’s most dedicated members, who are required to sign a symbolic (but not legally binding) one billion-year contract to demonstrate their commitment to the church. The Sea Org was established in 1967, the same year that Hubbard purchased a fleet of ships including the Apollo, which was once a British Royal Navy landing ship called HMS Royal Scotsman and had served in World War II.

The purchase of these ships by Hubbard came at a legal crossroads for Scientology. In 1963, the church was raided by the United States Food and Drug Administration, with materials, books and E-Meters (used for displaying the ectodermal activity of a human being, an procedure known as ‘auditing’) being seized. The FDA believed that the church was making false medical claims through their practices and in 1967, when the church lost its tax-exempt status after an audit from the Inland Revenue Service, it moved its daily operations onto the water.

Scientology’s official line on the purchase of the fleet is that Hubbard formed the Sea Org in order for the church to focus on advanced research operations and supervise the church’s global organizations. However, given such raids and audits, which resulted in enormous debts and clashes with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it’s been suggested that Hubbard was using the ships to evade U.S. authorities.

The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments.

The remaining traceable few members of the Apollo Stars are split between those who have remained in the church, those who have left, and those who have no desire to talk about it from either side. In a rare instance, though, three members were willing to tell their stories: Craig Ferreira, guitar player, co-writer and current church member; Neil Sarfati, saxophone player and group director, who left the church in 1976; and Tom Rodriguez, bongo player, who prefers not to reveal his current status in regards to the church.

The Power of Source is a disjointed album, weaving together rock, jazz, blues, soul and psychedelia. It’s also driven by a solid energy and experimental tendencies, the result of which is reminiscent of an African-indebted, acid jazz freak-out. A key reason for this is the social and ethnic construct of the group. The Apollo would sail primarily across the Mediterranean but often as far as Africa, picking up sounds and members along the way. Bongo player Rodriguez, for example, boarded the ship from Morocco in 1971.

It would be a further two years before anything resembling a recording act would start, though – and even then it was by accident. When the Apollo docked in Madeira on the Christmas of 1973, the local mayor inquired if there were any musicians on board to play in the town square. “The truth is that there was no band, just individuals who happened to have their instruments,” says Rodriguez. “An announcement was made for any musicians to come directly to the PR lounge. About ten of us showed up. We were told to ‘put something together’ immediately. We asked each other, ‘What songs do you know?’ and we ended up with about three or four songs.” They performed in the square and despite Rodriguez thinking they were “terrible,” they went down well with the locals and were asked back again to play on New Year’s Eve.

The Apollo Stars were born. The band as credited on The Power of Source consisted of Tamia Arbuckle (bass, guitar), Craig Ferreira (guitar), Luten Taylor (bass), Russ Meadows (bass, flute), Charlie Rush (drums), Kenny Campleman (flute), Bill Potter (saxophone), Neil Sarfati (saxophone) and Wayne Marple (trumpet). Ferreira claims to have put this lineup together, with Sarfati then positioning himself as a director of sorts. “I became the head of the whole troupe,” Sarfati says. “I guess I had the balls because I’m a New Yorker.”

According to Sarfati, the band had some big hitters in tow. Taylor was one of the original composers for the Mission Impossible theme tune, Potter had played for Big Mama Thornton and Ferreira recalls fellow guitar player Arbuckle as being a “Japanese rock star,” referring to his time in the RCA-signed band the Lead in the late ’60s. As for the other members, “A lot of the folks just came from playing in garage bands,” says Ferreira. Various members joined the church at different times and for different reasons, but Sarfati’s story was a fairly common one. “At the time [1973] I was 23 years old and lost. I didn't know where to go. I was looking for answers, and I thought that [the church] was the answer.”

* * * * * END EXCERPT * * * * *

* * * * * BEGIN LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *

“We moved from the sea to land in ’75,” remembers Rodriguez. “I pretty much ceased being a band member then. Others continued to play together, when we had parties.” Sarfati left the Apollo Stars the following year. “I ‘woke up’ in ’76, when they put me in a prison camp and I escaped. The more I went through it [prison], the more it awoke me. It had the reverse effect on me. I was thinking, ‘Holy fuck, what am I doing here?’” The escape involved having to trick his former bandmate, drummer Charlie Rush, into thinking that he had explosive diarrhea in order to temporarily get out of a cell. Sarfati grabbed some money and clothes that he’d stashed behind a dumpster, hopped a prison wall, made his way to the airport and never looked back, not to Scientology nor the Apollo Stars.

* * * * * END LAST PARAGRAPH * * * * *
 

tr8theta

I Love Kitties
. . .
HH, perfect on finding that 50's-ish organ rendition of the song. Has that
lovely Hammond/Wurlitzer sound that everyone was in love with back then.

:lol:

Here's my discovery after listening to the Power of Source vinyl album
and digging through my extensive photo archives.

It seems that unbeknownst to most people, L Don Hubbard was actually
part of the band during the recording of POS. Now, L Don did not have a
natural musical ear. In fact, he had NO musical ear to speak of really! He
played sax but ALWAYS played off pitch . . . wrong key. Usually very sharp
and screechy, which may totally account for the dissonant or discordant,
drastically inharmonious sound of the album.

And possibly, this was the beginning of the end of the brother relationship
and why he eventually got beached, thrown off the Apollo.

People may have a hard time believing all this, so I dug through my
archives and found this previously unpublished photo of L Don playing,
rather screeching, with the band. On the right, next to bearded
Class 8 Russ Meadows, who is playing bass.

View attachment 12333
:wink2:
Just respectfully asking...do you truly believe that in this photo you show here of the band - the Apollo Stars - of which I was a member (Tom R the bongo player) that bearded person playing sax was LRH? I can assure you that it was NOT. Somebody interjected or super-imposed or whatever you want to call it - 'doctored" that photo. Or is this photo merely an intentional joke? It's okay with me...kinda funny actually but just so you know, LRH never played any instrument with us. He did however spend a lot of time with us in the role of musical director. I posted yesterday about my experience in the band and with LRH should you or anyone else wish to read about it.
Tom Rodriguez - Apollo Stars - Bongo Player.
. . .
HH, perfect on finding that 50's-ish organ rendition of the song. Has that
lovely Hammond/Wurlitzer sound that everyone was in love with back then.

:lol:

Here's my discovery after listening to the Power of Source vinyl album
and digging through my extensive photo archives.

It seems that unbeknownst to most people, L Don Hubbard was actually
part of the band during the recording of POS. Now, L Don did not have a
natural musical ear. In fact, he had NO musical ear to speak of really! He
played sax but ALWAYS played off pitch . . . wrong key. Usually very sharp
and screechy, which may totally account for the dissonant or discordant,
drastically inharmonious sound of the album.

And possibly, this was the beginning of the end of the brother relationship
and why he eventually got beached, thrown off the Apollo.

People may have a hard time believing all this, so I dug through my
archives and found this previously unpublished photo of L Don playing,
rather screeching, with the band. On the right, next to bearded
Class 8 Russ Meadows, who is playing bass.

View attachment 12333
:wink2:
This is a joke, right?
 

tr8theta

I Love Kitties
. . .
HH, perfect on finding that 50's-ish organ rendition of the song. Has that
lovely Hammond/Wurlitzer sound that everyone was in love with back then.

:lol:

Here's my discovery after listening to the Power of Source vinyl album
and digging through my extensive photo archives.

It seems that unbeknownst to most people, L Don Hubbard was actually
part of the band during the recording of POS. Now, L Don did not have a
natural musical ear. In fact, he had NO musical ear to speak of really! He
played sax but ALWAYS played off pitch . . . wrong key. Usually very sharp
and screechy, which may totally account for the dissonant or discordant,
drastically inharmonious sound of the album.

And possibly, this was the beginning of the end of the brother relationship
and why he eventually got beached, thrown off the Apollo.

People may have a hard time believing all this, so I dug through my
archives and found this previously unpublished photo of L Don playing,
rather screeching, with the band. On the right, next to bearded
Class 8 Russ Meadows, who is playing bass.

View attachment 12333
:wink2:
here is the original undoctored photo...just to set facts straight...as you can see there IS NO bearded sax player
. . .
HH, perfect on finding that 50's-ish organ rendition of the song. Has that
lovely Hammond/Wurlitzer sound that everyone was in love with back then.

:lol:

Here's my discovery after listening to the Power of Source vinyl album
and digging through my extensive photo archives.

It seems that unbeknownst to most people, L Don Hubbard was actually
part of the band during the recording of POS. Now, L Don did not have a
natural musical ear. In fact, he had NO musical ear to speak of really! He
played sax but ALWAYS played off pitch . . . wrong key. Usually very sharp
and screechy, which may totally account for the dissonant or discordant,
drastically inharmonious sound of the album.

And possibly, this was the beginning of the end of the brother relationship
and why he eventually got beached, thrown off the Apollo.

People may have a hard time believing all this, so I dug through my
archives and found this previously unpublished photo of L Don playing,
rather screeching, with the band. On the right, next to bearded
Class 8 Russ Meadows, who is playing bass.

View attachment 12333
:wink2:
here is the original undoctored photo just to set things straight
 

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tr8theta

I Love Kitties
The whole saga of the Apollo Stars is extra-fascinating to me -- surreal, darkly funny, human and revelatory. The details are scattered all over the web, it would make a great book, starting with Shooting Stars, of course. http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?21698-Shooting-Stars

The Red Bull article got me looking for more scraps, and I found this great tidbit from Bare Faced Messiah. Ron wanted the band to perform in every port of call, and:

"Since he would be making appearances himself, he had a new uniform designed with a suitably theatrical flair. It featured a powder blue kepi with a lavishly gold-braided peak and a cloak in the same hue, lined with scarlet silk. He looked, Urquhart reported, 'most peculiar'."

A kepi is that flat-topped French military hat with a visor. My kingdom for a photo of Ron in this getup.
"The whole saga of the Apollo Stars is extra-fascinating to me" Well I hope you see this reply...and I hope you enjoy my post about my experience as a member of The Apollo Stars aboard The Apollo and working with LRH. Hope to hear from you. Tom Rodriguez - Apollo Stars - Bongo Player
 

Clay Pigeon

Gold Meritorious Patron
Oh no you don't. No no no no. In 5 minutes i'm off to bed and the last thing I need is something like this to be swirling in my head for the next 8 hours. I'll tell you what. I will watch it tomorrow so I can at least get one good nights sleep. I'm just going to close my eyes and hum Barry Manilow's Copacabana. There is no way that THAT could get stuck in my head.
Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl....
no...

NO!

Not Barry Manilow!

I'll talk! What do you want to know?
 

Clay Pigeon

Gold Meritorious Patron
Parley-vous Francais mon ami?

Back in the early sixties when Jean Paul Sartre was among those dishing up Le Merde d'Infer over Algeria one DeGaulle's aides pressed him to arrest the author of "No Exit".

Le Grand Charles responded "You do not arrest Voltaire"
 
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