(2010, download, - , crossfire publications)

(2011, flash-drive, usa, crossfire publications)

various artists

paul buff presents the pal and original sound studio archives, vol.16
    - feat.contributions by frank zappa

re-releases
    (2011, flash-drive, usa, crossfire publications) = the complete 35 album series, with bonus liner notes on pdf and 56 extra tracks

various tracks recorded by Paul Buff

1. the hollywood persuaders: thunderbird

2. the pal studio band: sun dog

3. paul conrad (paul buff): chocolate milk (demo - short version)

4. the bongo teens: she's got a 60 cycle brain (single version)

5. mr. clean: mr. clean (alternate mix)

6. the bongo teens: donnica (instrumental)

7. the buff organization: orchestral instrumental

8. the tired 4: somethin' stupid (mix 2)

9. paul buff: funny (version 1)

10. ricky dean: flowers (alternate stereo mix)

11. bobby ray: encinada way (backing track 2)

12. the pal studio band: cucamonga surf

13. the tornadoes: raw-hide

14. the bongo teens: surfin' u.s.a.

15. paul buff: american indian piano

16. johnny atlan (johnny fisher): indian maid (backing track 1)

17. johnny barakat and the vestells: static (take 1)

18. the hollywood persuaders: last night

19. giant crab: e.s.p. (first single version)

20. the ragamuffins: push don't pull

21. the buff organization: upside down world (instrumental demo - version 5)

22. thee sixpence: hey joe

23. the thundermugs: you for me to love

24. thee sixpence: gotta get the first plane home

25. paul buff: stereo drums

26. paul buff: she's got a 60 cycle brain (backwards fragment)

27. kspc: chaffey college "freak out in cucamonga" promo 1

liner notes by Greg Russo

Welcome to Volume 16 of Paul Buff's 20-volume series of recordings from Pal Studios and Original Sound Studios! Pal Records was a record company run by his mother Olivia and stepfather Ward Allen. After Paul Buff was honorably discharged from the military, he finished putting together Pal Studios in December 1957. The studio costs were $12.50/hour for mono recording and $15/hour for stereo. Local musicians booked the studio to make recordings of their rehearsals and repertoire. When Pal Records wound itself down in mid-1959, Paul Buff created his first record label - Emmy. Other labels (Plaza, Yukon and Vigah!) would follow shortly thereafter. The music presented on this series was released on extremely rare records that would literally cost thousands if you can find them. In addition, there are many unreleased tracks spanning from 1960 to 1969. Paul Buff is now making them available again for everyone to appreciate.

The Hollywood Persuaders' "Thunderbird" gets us off to a flying start, with a shorter version of Paul (Conrad) Buff's demo of "Chocolate Milk" a short time later. Paul's single version of "She's Got A 60 Cycle Brain" goes off in a different direction and still sounds strange, even though it was done in 1965! An alternate mix of "Mr. Clean" with Frank Zappa on guitar takes us into an instrumental version of Buff's "Donnica."
Speaking of Frank Zappa, he produced The Pal Studio Band track "Smoky Night" (Volume 8) in early 1963. From the same FZ-produced sessions come two more numbers: "Sun Dog" and "Cucamonga Surf." The influences of Dick Dale and the popular "Moon Dawg" are in evidence on the first song, while more Dale-inspired guitar chugging accompanies the sax melody of "Cucamonga Surf." Listen for Frank announcing "4" (as in Take 4) just before "Sun Dog" starts! Alternate takes of both songs will appear on Volume 17 along with a final track that Zappa produced from the session: "Straight Ahead."  

The Buff Organization's "Orchestral Instrumental" was an adventurous and grand presentation of a very melodic Buff theme. The inspired craziness of The Tired 4's "Somethin' Stupid" (in its second mix) and Buff's first version of "Funny" is finally grounded by an alternate stereo mix of Ricky Dean's "Flowers" and the second backing track of Bobby Ray's "Encinada Way."

The Zappa-engineered "Raw-Hide" by The Tornadoes is a compact but powerful take of the Link Wray tune, with The Bongo Teens' instrumental version of "Surfin' U.S.A." accomplishing the same task.

The Native American portion of our program consists of a brief Paul Buff piece called "American Indian Piano" followed by the first backing track of Johnny Atlan's "Indian Maid." It's been a long time since it was mentioned, but Atlan was Johnny Fisher!

The first take of Johnny Barakat's "Static" follows, and we get more of Johnny yelling at his dad at the end! "Last Night" was recorded by Paul Buff as The Bongo Teens and The Hollywood Persuaders, but the latter is included here. Unlike the other song that both outfits recorded ("Forget It"), the HP version of "Last Night" is a completely different take.

Here comes the power! Giant Crab's "E.S.P." was a cover of the popular Rain song, and this is the first mix that first appeared on Uni before it was sold to All-American and credited to their new band name: Big Brother Featuring Ernie Joseph. It is actually the clearer and less phased mix of the two that Paul Buff created. An unreleased intermediate mix will appear on Volume 17. Another mix/edit of "E.S.P." with tons of phasing was billed to their updated moniker, and was used on later All-American singles and the subsequent album "Confusion." It will be included on Volume 20.

The last of The Ragamuffins' fall 1965 tracks, "Push Don't Pull," finds its home on this volume. It was one of the Sean Bonniwell songs that the trio performed live for months before they found their lead guitarist (Mark Landon) and keyboardist (Doug Rhodes) to become The Music Machine.

The fifth Buff Organization version of "Upside Down World" was an instrumental demo that shows the song in transition from its original piano demo to the more elaborate showcase it eventually became.

The next pair of tracks by Thee Sixpence is "Hey Joe" and "Gotta Get The First Plane Home." The first was the Billy Roberts classic done in an arrangement similar to the Love version but with additional time changes. It was the B-side of the "In The Building" single from November 1966. "Gotta Get The First Plane Home" was written by Ray Davies, and it was recorded by The Kinks for their LP "The Kink Kontroversy." The version by Thee Sixpence was the B-side of initial copies of the "Heart Full Of Rain" single in January 1967. "Gotta Get The First Plane Home" was quickly replaced on that single by "Fortune Teller." In-between Thee Sixpence's tracks is The Thundermugs' "You For Me To Love." One of Jack Lutz's best songs, its impact was enormously enhanced by the shimmering echo effects that Paul Buff placed on the track.