October 1965 – Group’s Origin
Interview with Paul Shapiro, founder of the Hallucinations from http://www.maverick-arts.com/.
I was running a frame shop for the Child’s Gallery on Newbury Street from 1962-65 and met Steve Bladd who was framing for Boris Mirski’s Bunnell Frame Shop. (Boris’s son, Mark, a regular of Coffee Corner, was known to his peers as “Bonnie Prince Junkie.”) That was around 1964 and we would talk a lot about music. At some point he mentioned that he would like to play the drums. I encouraged him to buy a set and we could jam together. I don’t know how he did it but he could play drums as soon as he bought them. – http://www.maverick-arts.com/
At some point he mentioned that he had a friend who played guitar named Doug Slade. We met at a party in Brookline Village to play unrehearsed. While we were playing a guy asked if he could sit in and sing. We were doing Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘One Way Out’ and he pulled out a harmonica and we were off and running. I said, ‘Let’s form a real band.’ That was Peter Wolf’s debut. We invited a bass player Joe Clark and Steve Bladd came up with the name Hallucinations. – http://www.maverick-arts.com/
The band lasted from October 1965 through June 1969. We did gigs with Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker and numerous well known sixties groups. I left in the summer of 1969 because of some ridiculous identity crisis. Am I a painter or a musician? Of course, now I am a painter who plays music and feel wonderful about it. The band morphed into the J. Geils Band with Peter Wolf and Steve Bladd. The rest is rock and roll history. Sometimes I feel like the Fifth Beatle, Pete Best. None of that would have happened if I didn’t put The Hallucinations together because I was Peter’s mentor and turned him on to a lot of the music.”
I vividly recall hearing performances of The Hallucinations at the Boston Tea Party. Their girlfriends used to sit on stage propped up against the speakers. That was so cool. My sister was a real fan. Years later she just froze when at a social event I said, “Pip, this is Peter, and Peter, this is Pip.” It was one of those great moments when a big brother does something way cool for a little sis. Peter and Magic Dick, the band’s harmonica player, were my neighbours in the Murder Building in Harvard Square. Used to run into them at Cardell’s cafeteria between gigs. That’s when Peter started dating Faye Dunaway “The Lady Makes Demands” after Edie died. – http://www.maverick-arts.com/
Rare Recording – Cover of ‘Messin’ With The Kid’ by Junior Wells
Found by Gillis (1000Dances) and officially confirmed by Steve Nelson as a recording by the Hallucinations. “It’s the Hallucinations. Which is very exciting, since there’s almost no existing recordings of the band that I’m aware of. Messin’ was of course the signature tune of Junior Wells, whom Peter Wolf no doubt saw play many times, including at Club 47 around the corner from his apartment in Harvard Square circa 1966-68 (I saw Junior there too back in his days with Buddy Guy). Not only did The Hallucinations play that song regularly, but the clip doesn’t sound like the J. Geils Band. The first thing you notice when you listen to it is that there’s no harp except when Peter isn’t singing — during the break and a riff at the end. That’s because it’s Wolf on harp. Magic Dick would have been playing throughout the tune, and it doesn’t sound like him anyway. Second, the guitarist doesn’t sound like Jay. The lead guitar player of the Hallucinations, Paul Shapiro, didn’t have Jay’s really biting chops, but he did have a rhythm guitarist behind him, Doug Slade, which gave the H’s a very funky and rhythmic sound in tunes like Messin’ and the R&B stuff they did like Funky Broadway. From this recording it’s hard to hear if there are two guitars, but the overall sound is that of the H’s. Could well have been recorded at the Tea Party at the time, although of course they played many other venues, even at Club 47.”
The Hallucinations: Tour Dates 1965 – 1968 (Thanks to Gilles at 1000Dances)
December 1965
- 12/20-23/65 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
- 12/25/65 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
- 12/27-31/65 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
January 1966
- 01/01/66 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
- 01/31/66 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
February 1966
- 02/07/66 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
- 02/14/66 – Odyssey Club – Boston, MA
- 02/18-20/66 – The Hallucinations and The Tokens officially open the club ‘Where It’s At’ in Kenmore Square, a non-alcoholic nightclub for young people.
- 02/20/66 – The Hallucinations @ New England Collage, Henniker NH
February 1966 – Music Publisher Irwin Pincus in Boston to audit new tunes by The Hallucinations.
March 1966
- 03/25/66 – Where It’s At, 660 Beacon Street in Kenmore Square – The Remains, Jack & The Spades & The Hallucinations.
April 1966
- 04/08/66 – Where It’s At – John Lee Hooker and The Hallucinations.
- 04/09/66 – Where It’s At – John Lee Hooker and The Hallucinations.
- 04/10/66 – Where It’s At – John Lee Hooker and The Hallucinations.
April 1966 – The Odyssey Club at 3 Hancock St. closed this week.
- 04/24/66 – The Hallucinations @ Moondial Coffee House, 53 Berkeley St. Boston. (Benefit for the Students Non Violent Coordinating Committee) 3-5pm
May 1966
- 05/01/66 – The Hallucinations @ In the doorway of the Junior League of Boston, Newbury St. (Part of Newbury Street’s annual art “block”)
June 1966
June 1966 – The Hallucinations (Led by Joe Clarke?) @ The South Boston Racquet Club.
September 1966
- 09/13/66 – Where It’s At – The Hallucinations.
- 09/14/66 – Where It’s At – The Hallucinations.
- 09/15/66 – Where It’s At – The Hallucinations.
- 09/16/66 – Where It’s At – The Hallucinations.
- 09/17/66 – Where It’s At – The Hallucinations.
January 1967
- 01/27-28/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ The Lost.
February 1967
- 02/11/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ The Chambers Brothers.
- 02/17-18/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ Beacon Street Union.
March 1967
- 03/03-04/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ Edens Children & Bagatelle.
- 03/17-18/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ Lothar & the Hand People.
April 1967
- 04/21-22/67 – Boston Tea Party – w/ Lothar & the Hand People
June 1967
- 06/02-03/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Jeremy Steig.
- 06/16-17/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Children Of God or Ill Wind.
July 1967
- 07/12-18/67 – Fine Arts Theatre – opened for Lenny Bruce (Almost certainly an incorrect date and/or main act. Thanks to ghostoflectricity)
August 1967
- 08/12/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Crow.
- 08/18-19/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ The Ultimate Spinach.
- 08/25-26/67 – The Crosstown Bus – 337 Washington Street, Brighton, MA – w/ Clear Light.
September 1967
- 09/22-23/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ The Mushroom.
October 1967
- 10/27/67 – Jordan Hall, Boston, MA – w/ The Barbarians, The Cloud.
- 10/28/67 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Sidewinders. (Poster)
December 1967
- 12/29-30/67 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Children Of God.
January 1968
- 01/19-20/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – Festival of the Boston Sound w/ Beacon St Union & Butter.
February 1968
- 02/17-18/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Beacon Street Union, Blues Children.
March 1968
- 03/02/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ The Chambers Brothers.
- 03/15-16/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ The Beacon Street Union.
April 1968
- 04/04/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Muddy Waters with Otis Spann.
- 04/25/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Procol Harum.
- 04/26/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Howling Wolf & The Beacon Street Union.
May 1968
- 05/10-11/68 – Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA – w/ Blue Cheer, Quill & Bagatelle.
- 05/16-18/68 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Velvet Underground.
- 05/23-24/68 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – opened for John Lee Hooker w/Quill.
- 05/25/68 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – opened for John Lee Hooker.
June 1968
- 06/13-15/68 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Quicksilver Messenger Service.
July 1968
- 07/18-20/68 – Boston Tea Party – Boston, MA – w/ Lothar & the Hand People.
The J. Geils Band.Net 