THE BIRTH OF A BAND

1965 - mid 1968

Band Members

Ian Dunlop, Mickey Gauvin, Barry Tashian, Billy Briggs III
and occasionally Bobby Keyes, Junior Markham, Jimmy Karstein, Jesse Ed Davis, Gram Parsons

This earliest period of the band is the least documented of any during their long history but the formation can be attributed to a number of musicians disillusioned with their current bands. "THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND" & "THE REMAINS"

Band Members:
The International Submarine Band
Gram Parsons, John Nuese, Mickey Gauvin, Ian Dunlop, Jon Corneal
Remains
Barry Tashian, Billy Briggs III, Vern Miller Jnr., Chip Damiani, N.D.Smart II

THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND

ISB

International Submarine Band

In 1965 Gram Parsons went up to Harvard University but soon dropped out having got embroiled in the local music scene in the Boston area eventually joining. With exiled Englishman Ian Dunlop, Mickey Gauvin & John Nuese to form the "The International Submarine Band" playing an exciting mix of R & B, Country & Rock which later evolved into the musical style that came to be known as "Country Rock".
The band soon relocated to New York recording a couple of unsuccessful singles on the Ascot & Columbia labels.

THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND - Singles
- THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING / TRUCK DRIVIN' MAN (ASCOT 2218)
- SUM UP BROKE / ONE DAY WEEK (COLUMBIA 4 - 43935)

Several other recording sessions took place at the RCA studios in New York including some backing the former child actor Brandon De Wilde when the band did record a few songs on their own which remain unreleased except for two songs "November Nights" & "Just Can't Take It Anymore" that appeared over 30 years later on a UK compilation album called "Fallen Angels".

THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND - RCA Recordings
- FALLEN ANGELS (CAMDEN DELUXE 660392 (UK) 1999)
A various artist compilation containing 2 previously unreleased ISB tracks from 1965

Just Can't Take It Anymore / November Nights

ISB

International Submarine Band

However in the mid 1960's following the musical explosion of Folk rock and Psychedelia in California, the band moved to the West Coast hoping to join the bandwagon of success. The band reportedly recorded an album at the Gold Star studios in L.A. but any tapes seem to be lost forever. A couple of songs including "Lazy Day" produced by Hugh Masekela were recorded for inclusion in the film "The Trip" but were not used although the band appeared briefly in the film miming to the music of the band "Electric Flag".
Gram Parsons wanted the band to move more in the direction of country music and secured a one ­ off record deal with Lee Hazelwood's LHI label, but Ian & Mickey wanted to continue with a more R & B based sound so they decided to quit the band.
Gram & John, using session musicians and an old friend of Gram's Jon Corneal on drums, recorded a couple of Parson's originals, "Luxury Liner" & "Blue Eyes'" at Hollywood's Western Recorders in July 1967 released on an unsuccessful single later in the year. A further session in November 1967, again at Western Recorders, completed enough tracks for an album release.
The ten song album, "Safe At Home" released in April 1968 did nothing at the time but eventually became a highly sought after collectors item in the wake of Gram's later work.

Safe At Home THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND - Album
- THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND: Safe At Home (LHI 12001 (US) 1968)

Blue Eyes / I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known / Satisfied Mind / Folsom Prison Blues
That's Alright Mama / Miller's Cave / I Still Miss Someone / Luxury Liner / Strong Boy
Do You Know How It Feels To Be Lonesome

THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND - Singles
BLUE EYES / LUXURY LINER (LHI 45 - 1205)
I MUST BE SOMEBODY ELSE YOU'VE KNOWN / MILLER'S CAVE (LHI 45 - 1217)

A previously unreleased outtake, "Knee Deep In The Blues" from the album sessions surfaced on a Gram Parsons anthology release in 2001.

THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND - Album Outtake
- GRAM PARSONS: Sacred hearts & Fallen Angels (RHINO R2 76780 (2001)
A 2 CD career retrospective of Gram Parsons containing 6 ISB tracks including the previously unreleased "Knee Deep In The Blues'".

The International Submarine Band recordings were re-released on various albums:

- GRAM PARSONS (SHILOH SLP 4088 (US) (1979)
This Shiloh reissue was remixed, resequenced and retitled GRAM PARSONS

- THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND: Safe At Home (STATIK STATLP 26 (UK) (1985) / RHINO RNLP 069 (1985).
Reissues of original album

- THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND: Safe At Home (SUNDAZED LP 5112 (US) 2001 / SUNDAZED SC 6206 (US) 2004)
Vinyl & CD reissues containing the original album & "Knee Deep In The Blues"

- THE BYRDS: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (Legacy Edition) (COLUMBIA LEGACY 510921 (US/UK) 2003)
Contains 3 tracks from the Ascot / Columbia singles and 3 taken from the "Safe At Home" album

Note: 2000 Ian Dunlop & Jon Corneal reformed The International Submarine Band and recorded a new album album:

Back At Home THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND: Back At Home
- THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND: Back At Home (SUNDOWN CDSD 086 (UK) 2000)
Reformed band with Ian Dunlop & Jon Corneal

The Way You Used To Do / Feel A Whole Lot Better / One Day Week
Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do / Monster's Holiday
Cadillac Poor Don't Kick The Jukebox / High Country / Give Us Some Credit / Memphis Song

Note: In 2011 the German based  SPV label released a remixed version of the album and included two previously unreleased alternate versions and coupled it as two albums on one CD with the first ever CD release of Jon Corneal's solo offering "Jon Corneal & The Orange Blossom Special" released on the Auburn Orange label in 1974.

Jon Corneal CD THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND & JON CORNEAL: Back At Home / Jon Corneal And The Orange Blossom Special
- THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND & JON CORNEAL: Back At Home / Jon Corneal And The Orange Blossom Special (SPV 309162 (Germany) - 2011

International Submarine Band: Back At Home
The Way You Used To Do / Feel A Whole Lot Better / One Day Week / Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used To Do / Monster's Holiday
Cadillac Poor Don't Kick The Jukebox / High Country / Give Us Some Credit / Memphis Song
The Way We Used To do (Alternate version) / Feel A Whole Lot Better (Alternate version)

Jon Corneal & The Orange Blossom Special
She's Sweet And She's Mine / Lord I Need To Kow You Better / We Just Couldn't Make It / Honky Tonk Life / Don't Get To Go Outside / Saturday Night Just A Dancin' Having Fun
The Feeling Side Of Me / Best Day Of The Year / You're Not Livin' At All / Little Bitty Bowlegs

THE REMAINS

Around 1965 a couple of other East Coast musicians now domiciled in L.A. were looking for a new direction, and here Barry Tashian & Billy Briggs III from the top Boston area band "The Remains" enter the story. This group, sometimes known as "Barry & the Remains", had recorded an album and several singles for Epic without any major success.

THE REMAINS - Singles
WHY DO I CRY / MY BABE (EPIC 1965)
I GET AWAY FROM YOU / I AIN'T GOT YOU (EPIC 1965)
DIDDY WAH DIDDY / ONCE BEFORE (EPIC 1966)
DON'T LOOK BACK / ME RIGHT NOW (EPIC 1966)

The Remains THE REMAINS - Album
- THE REMAINS: The Remains (EPIC 24212 (US) 1966)

Heart / Lonely Weekend / Don't Look Back / Why Do I Cry / Diddy Wah Diddy
You Got A Hard Time Coming / Once Before / Thank You / Time Of Day / Say You're Sorry

Over the years this album was re-released, some with unreleased bonus tracks or alternate takes:

- THE REMAINS: The Remains (FAN CLUB FC 012 (2LP) (France) (1985)
Although some Remains recordings had been reissued on the semi-legal "Spoonfed" label in the US
this double album of French origin was the first album of reissued material to be generally available .
It contains the band's original album along with unreleased studio recordings, some of the 1966 live session from Capitol Studios
and a version of the Gram Parsons song "Luxury Liner" recorded in 1976 during a brief reformation of the band.

- BARRY & THE REMAINS (EPIC LEGACY EGK 46926 (US) (1999)
A CD reissue of the original album (some in stereo) + bonus tracks

- A SESSION WITH THE REMAINS (SUNDAZED SC 6069 (US - CD) SUNDAZED SLP 5015 (US - VINYL) (2000)
Contains the complete 1966 live session at Capitol Studios

- THE REMAINS (SUNDAZED SLP 5055 (US) (2002)
A vinyl reissue of the original Epic album + bonus tracks

- THE REMAINS (SUNDAZED SEP 10 ­ 162)
A 10" vinyl EP with 6 tracks including one unreleased alternate take

- THE REMAINS: The Remains (Epic - Legacy 82851 (US) 2007))
A reissue of the original 10 track album plus 10 bonus tracks

Text

"The original Flying Burrito Brothers"
Billy Briggs, Barry Tashian & Ian Dunlop

The main claim to fame was 1966 being the support act for the first "stadium" tour of America by The Beatles. This tour took a heavy toll on the band who soon split after the tour with Barry & Billy deciding to stay on the west coast.

Text

The Remains

Looking for more fun in their music Barry & Billy joined with Ian Dunlop & Mickey Gauvin to form a loose aggregation of musicians named by Ian as "The Flying Burrito Brothers" who soon started playing gigs in the "bars & honky tonks" around the L.A. area. At this time in addition to this core line up many other musicians sat in with the band including horn players, Bobby Keyes, Junior Markham, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, drummer Jimmy Karstein and even Gram Parsons sat in with the band from time to time. But these guys were not looking for big success wanting instead to continue playing their type of music but their reputation was such that this was becoming impossible so in mid 1968 they decided to return to the east coast and based themselves in the New York area. However, other events were unfolding on the Californian music scene which would overtake the Flying Burrito Brothers forever changing the history of the band.

Note: Two members of the Remains had later connections with Gram Parsons, Barry Tashian played and sang on Gram's first solo album "GP" from 1972 and, in fact, was the lead vocalist on the song "Cry One More Time". The band's drummer N.D. Smart II, who had replaced Chip Damiani, was a member of Gram's Fallen Angels during the spring tour in 1973 and is on the "Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels ­ Live" album released by Sierra Records.

Note: 2003 the original line-up of the The Remains recorded a reunion album:

- THE REMAINS: Movin' on (ROCK A LOT 007 (US) / TAXIM TX 2073 (GERMANY) 2003)

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