H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, I… Read Full Bio ↴H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967 and named after the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft (born Howard Phillips Lovecraft on 20 August 1890; died 15 March 1937). Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the namesake author. Combining elements of psychedelia and folk rock, the band's sound was marked by the striking vocal harmonies of ex-folk singer George Edwards and the classically trained Dave Michaels. In addition, Michaels' multi-instrumentalist abilities on organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet and recorder provided the band with a richer sonic palette than many of their contemporaries.

The band signed to Philips Records in 1967 and released its first single, "Anyway That You Want Me", in the early part of that year. Their first album, H. P. Lovecraft, followed in late 1967 and included what is arguably the band's best-known song, "The White Ship". The band then relocated to San Francisco, California, where they became a frequent attraction at various San Francisco Bay Area venues, including The Fillmore and the Winterland Ballroom. In 1968, a second album, H. P. Lovecraft II, appeared, but the group disbanded in early 1969.

Edwards, and fellow original member Michael Tegza, subsequently formed a new line-up of the band with the shortened name of Lovecraft, although Edwards left this new group before the first album was recorded. This second incarnation of the band released the album "Valley of the Moon" in 1970 and, after a further name change to Love Craft, they released the album "We Love You Whoever You Are" in 1975. The album sold poorly and, as a result, the band were dropped by their label and disbanded shortly thereafter.

Founder George Edwards had been a folk troubadour in Chicago, California and Florida, whose repertoire included covers of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” and Bob Dylan’s “Quit Your Low Down Ways”, as well as early songs by Fred Neil and Terry Callier, with both of whom he played in clubs. Vocalist/keyboard player Dave Michaels, who had previously played in jazz groups with David Sanborn, boasted a classical training and a four-octave range.

After covering Chip Taylor’s “Any Way That You Want Me” with members of Chicago band The Rovin’ Kind , Edwards and Michaels became the creative force behind the group. After getting clearance for use of the writer’s name from his executors, they recruited Tony Cavallari (lead guitar), Mike Tegza (drums) and Jerry McGeorge (bass), and a debut album for Philips, H. P. Lovecraft, soon followed.

Featuring a nine-piece orchestra, it juxtaposed covers such as Dino Valente’s hippie anthem “Get Together” and the early Randy Newman ballad “I’ve Been Wrong Before”, with band-written songs including the jazzy “That’s How Much I Love You (More Or Less)” and vaudeville psychedelia in “The Time Machine”. A musical tribute to their novelist namesake, based on his short story “The White Ship”, was drenched in hallucinatory harmonies, droning feedback, baroque harpsichord passages and the chiming of a genuine 1811 ship’s bell.

The band’s sound was distinguished by the dual lead vocals of Edwards and Michaels—influenced by Fred Neil’s earlier work with Vince Martin—the intricate organ and harpsichord work of Michaels, and the propulsive drumming of Tegza. Several of their songs attempted to communicate the eerie atmosphere of the writings of their namesake. Their power and imagination as a live group can be heard on Live at the Fillmore: May 11, 1968, recorded after McGeorge had been replaced by Jeffrey Boyan, and issued in the 1990s.

A second studio album, H. P. Lovecraft II, followed. Although recorded with the band in some disarray, it successfully developed their musical approach and stands as an exemplar of acid rock of the period. Many of the psychedelic effects were apparently created by engineer Chris Huston, previously of Merseybeat band The Undertakers. The album included another song based on a Lovecraft short story, “At the Mountains of Madness,” as well as a contribution from voice artist Ken Nordine on the track “Nothing’s Boy”, and songs by Terry Callier and others.

In late 1968, Michaels decided to leave the band to return to university, and H. P. Lovecraft effectively collapsed. A spin-off group, Lovecraft, reformed in the 1970s with Edwards and Tegza from the original line-up, but Edwards very soon left. The group released two more poorly-regarded albums, but had little connection to the first incarnation of the band.

Edwards has subsequently played in folk clubs as Ethan Kenning, occasionally reuniting with Michaels who also performs as David Miotke.

Note 1) Howard Phillips Lovecraft, (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction. His guiding literary principle was what he termed "cosmicism" or "cosmic horror", the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. As early as the 1940s, Lovecraft had developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fiction featuring a pantheon of humanity-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christian humanism. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the antithesis of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality and the abyss.

Note 2) there are several artists with the name Lovecraft.

Sites: Discogs and Wikipedia
http://www.ethankenning.com/

Let's Get Together
H.P. Lovecraft Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love is but the song we sing

It is the way we die

You can make the mountains ring

Make the angels cry

Now the dove is on the wing

You need not know why

Come on people, now

Let's get together

Smile on your brother

Try and love one another right now, yeah

Some may come and some may go now

We will surely pass

When the one that left us here, yeah

Returns for us at last

We are but a moment's sunlight

Fading on the grass

Come on people, now

Let's get together

Smile on your brother

Try and love one another right now, yeah

Love is but the song we sing

It is the way we die

You can make the mountains ring

Make the angels cry

Now the dove is on the wing

You need not know why

Come on people, now

Let's get together

Smile on your brother

Try and love one another right now, yeah

Come on people, now

Let's get together

Smile on your brother

Try and love one another right now, yeah

Come on people, now

Let's get together

Smile on your brother

Try and love one another right now, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to H.P. Lovecraft's song "Let's Get Together" are a call to unity, love and peace. The first stanza is a tribute to love – “Love is but the song we sing, It is the way we die, You can make the mountains ring, Make the angels cry”, and celebrates the power of love to inspire and move people. The second stanza, “Some may come and some may go now, We will surely pass, When the one that left us here, yeah, Returns for us at last,” speaks of our mortality and the inevitability of death, reminding us that we are only here for a short time, and that we should make the most of it. The last line of the stanza is a reference to the idea of the afterlife, and the hope that those who have passed on will be reunited with their loved ones.

The chorus, “Come on people now, Let's get together, Smile on your brother, Try and love one another right now, yeah” is an invitation to join together and embrace our common humanity. This is reinforced by the repetition of the chorus at the end of the song, urging people to come together, smile, and love one another.

Overall, the song is a message of hope and unity, promoting the power of love and the importance of coming together as a community.

Line by Line Meaning

Love is but the song we sing
Love is an expression of human emotion that is like a song

It is the way we die
Love is so important that it is a part of our life and death

You can make the mountains ring
Love is powerful enough to affect the world around us

Make the angels cry
Love is so beautiful that it can move even celestial beings

Now the dove is on the wing
There is hope and peace in the world, represented by the dove's flight

You need not know why
It is not always necessary to understand love, but to feel it

Come on people, now
An invitation to gather and unite

Let's get together
Let's come together as one

Smile on your brother
Show kindness and love to others, like a sibling

Try and love one another right now, yeah
Encouragement to practice love and kindness in the present moment