Nova Local - Nova 1 1967

This band were students at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Their album, which was recorded in New York in December 1966, is definitely worth investigating and is a minor collectable. Its very Anglophile sound garnered it a U.K. release, although the band had split by April 1967.
Bassist Jim Opton told U-Spaces:- "We were a band that was making a pretty good living playing fraternity parties around the campus, and a few cellar clubs in Chapel Hill. My fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, was sponsoring a charity concert for our scholarship fund, and we decided to go for broke that year and book a big name. We contacted William Morris Agency in New York, and booked Chad and Jeremy. We needed an opening act, so I booked my own band... got us real cheap. The deal was that Rob Heller, who was with the Morris Agency would come and hear us play. He signed us immedately after the concert. A week later he hooked us up with Elliot Mazur, who became our producer. Elliott also worked as a song peddler for E.B. Marks Music, who published the music. We got a recording contract with Decca, I don't know how, but Rob put that deal together with Elliott, and the next thing I know, we are in the studio with all kinds of famous people that had us in awe for the first 35 seconds or so. I do know that somebody thought we were kind of special, because the studio was absolutely closed to visitors while we were there, and we were not allowed to take home raw tape to play for anyone. We did a lot of things that were pretty advanced for our time. Listen carefully to Morning Dew for example. The strange vocal effects were done by feeding the vocals through a Leslie Tone Cabinet from a Hammond B3. Also, the bass lead is the first bass feedback lead I think I can remember in a rock song. I blew up the amp doing it!! Cost me $750 (a LOT of money I didn't have in 1966)!! But, it was a hell of a lick. The album was essentially recorded by five of us: Randy, Bill, Joe, Cam and me. Phil had departed for law school. I believe he is alive and well, and practicing law in Charlotte, N.C."
"Actually, there is one little piece or two of rock and roll history that goes with that album. It was the first ever recorded using the very new, and relatively unknown, Dolby NR System. It took up a good size room at the time. The engineer for the album, Fred Cretera, was also the engineer for Simon and Garfunkel."
Joe Mendyk had earlier played in Tri-Power, The Better Days and The Warlocks (with an excellent 45 on Decca). The 'A' side of their first 45, excellent harmony pop-punk, can be heard on Echoes In Time. Vol. 2, the flip is on the album. Forgotten Man, also from the album, has resurfaced on Baubles, Vol. 1. (Fuzz Acid & Flowers)

Tracklist:
01.$5 a Ticket 3:02
02.If You Only Had the Time 2:20
03.Yascha New Deli Intimately 0:035
04.Visit From It, The Kong, A 1:19
05.Tobacco Road 7:03
06.Hitch Hike 2:50
07.Morning Dew 5:42
08.Forgotten Man 2:23
09.Dear Jim 0:55
10.And I Remember 2:18
11.John Knight's Body 2:19

Nova Local:
Phil Lambert - guitar
Joe Mendyk - guitar
Cam Schinhan - organ
Bill Lavesseur - drums
Jim Opton - bass
Randy Winburn - guitar