Wednesday, June 23, 2010

1969 Ads: The Electric Circus

Selected '69 Voice articles for the Electric Circus. [I feel a little like Carole King at the moment--"I fell the earth, move, under my ass..." As if the madness surrounding the G20 Summit weren't enough, we had an earthquake about an hour ago while I was writing this! I could feel and see the shaking, but I seriously just thought there was some kinda maintenance work going on in my building. Turns out it was a 5.5!]



1/02/69 issue: Deep Purple on New Year's Eve, with Sirocco, the Mighty Tornadoes, "and You...A splendid time is guaranteed for all."



1/16/69 issue. "Once is enough...It'll change your life. Appearing thru January 19, the Holy Modal Rounders."



1/30/69 issue: Announcement of closure for renovations. There was a report on this in the 1/9/69 "Scenes" column.





3/20/66 issue: Announcements for the re-opening, featuring quotes from staff members--but the only name I can make out is Jerry Brandt.




4/3/69 issue: Reopening on April 3. This week's "Scenes" column has a description of the new look.




4/3/69: Full page ad for Sly & the Family Stone, April 3-10, "A Celebration for Everyday People."





5/1/69 issue, and repeated for several weeks afterward: "First Generation Blues" series on Wednesday nights. The review of the first show in the 5/15/69 "Riffs" column wasn't too favorable though (couldn't link directly to the article for some reason, sorry). There's also a review in the 7/3/69 "Riffs" column for a later show with Freddy King and B.G. Hutton.




5/1/69 issue: "...and we thank you...Appearing thru May 4, Elephant's Memory. May 6-11, The Children of God. May 7, First Generation Blues premiere.


5/15/69 issue: Artsy happening on May 19.



6/12/69 issue. "Suddenly, you're dancing. (Fast!)...(The magic's in the music.) Appearing thru June 15, Far Cry. June 17-22, Cyrus Erie. Come. (Stoned)." [I believe Cyrus Erie included future Raspberrie Eric Carmen.]



6/26/69 issue.


7/3/69 issue. Coupon for free admission to the second anniversary party on July 10. "Appearing thru July 10: The Twentieth Century Zoo...Other guys imitate us, but The Original's still The Greatest."





7/17/69 issue: Moon landing party.



7/24/69 issue: Dr. John, July 25, 26, & 27. (Hard to read the opener even when enlarged...I think it's Listening.)




8/14/69: Benefit for the Chicago Eight on August 27--"Abbey Hoffman, Jerry Ruben" [sic.], Raven, Ten Wheel Drive, Enchanted Forrest, Voices of East Harlem.




9/11/69 issue: "The Last Supper, A Multi-Media Trans-Substatiation for the Benefit of the Underground Arts. September 15, 16, 17, 18."




10/5/69 issue: "Beginning October 5th, girls without brassieres admitted free every Sunday at the Electric Circus...(We want your body.)." Local women's lib groups were none too pleased with this promotion, as reported in Blair Sobol's 10/9/69 "Outside Fashion" column.




10/16/69 issue: Raven, October 21-26. Kinda reminds me of the cover of the "Live Yardbirds" album recorded at the Anderson Theater.



10/30/69 issue: "Beginning October 29th, admission one dollar every Wednesday...(Come and see your friends.)...A Night for the People."



10/30/69 issue: Halloween party with Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys and Elizabeth.






11/6/69 issue: Benefit for the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, on November 9.



Also in 11/6/69, but no mention of bralessness here.




11/27/69 issue: "Our soul has been psychedelicized." Shouldn't it be Revue? This was around the time they were opening for the Stones at the Garden.





12/11 & 12/25 issues: "Moon Walk, a multi-media space fantasy/play for children...Back to Earth party with refreshments and dancing after every show."




12/25/67 issue: Sha-Na-Na, with Chelsea Beige, thru December 31. It's no fluke that they were at Woodstock...they were quite highly regarded at this time, and Voice critics gave them some great reviews, which I'll be linking to later in this series. Hey, I loved their TV show when I was a kid, and I still think their rendition of "Tell Laura I Love Her" is thrilling. My Moms had a big crush on Santini.



Also in that issue's "Scenes" column, an announcement for a Christmas day multi-media show.


UPDATE 3/15/2012:  Please see the revised and improved post on 1969 Electric Circus ads here.

2 comments:

jkellert said...

Am on the phone with Stan Freeman, creator of the Electric Circus and we are discussing and enoying your blog. What fun!
jlkellert@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Stan freeman .......thank you for some of the best times of my life!!!! Absolutely loved the circus ...... After my first night was hooked!!!! Met Sandy ' Freddy " Alexander and the rest is part of my wonderfFun history! Left for California the day after I heard the strawberry alarm clock only to return 4 months later and the Fun was still happening ....... Rest in peace Sandy ��