The local music scenes of the 1960s and 1970s produced a treasure of remark… Read Full Bio ↴The local music scenes of the 1960s and 1970s produced a treasure of remarkable records, often released only as limited vanity pressings. A combination of social upheaval, pioneer optimism and DIY philosophy paved the way for unknown talents to put forth their vision without having to succumb to trendy demands or major label commercialization. The result: hundreds, maybe thousands, of highly personal and sometimes unique musical testaments whose lasting quality often overshadows the more famous artists of the time.
One of the most dearly beloved discoveries within this "private pressing" field comes from a band called VIRGIN INSANITY. Even among a wealth of unlikely idiosynchracies this album stands out, due not just to the timeless nature of its music, but also because of its unlikely origins. It's hard to imagine a locale less appropriate for intimate basement folkrock than Dallas, Texas, 1971, where bands like Bloodrock and Nitzinger ruled the day.
Of course, Virgin Insanity was not your traditional local rock band of beer-fuelled rehearsals and local bar gigs. The group was created mainly to record the album, although it turned out to exist beyond that escapade. The main engine behind the group and album was Bob Long; songwriter, arranger, guitarist and coordinator, who after an unsuccessful attempt to break into the westcoast music business had returned to Dallas determined to produce something tangible. Living under meagre conditions the financing of an album, even a budget custom pressing, was difficult. As the band's website tells the story, Bob Long made ends meet by working as a department store Santa Claus in late 1970, which is where he met his future wife and future Virgin Insanity member, Eve. Unemployed after the Christmas holidays, Long was offered another job in the glamorous sewage and wastewater business, which would prompt the LP title, "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man".
In early 1971 the couple rebuilt their Plano apartment into a makeshift recording studio, using stacked chairs and draped blankets to create a "soundproof" tent-like structure. A Radio Shack tape recorder was on hand to capture the music, which was put together via "bouncing" tracks in classic do-it-yourself fashion. Apparently unconcerned about the audio deterioration with each subsequent track bounce, every instrument and vocal was recorded by itself. Fortunately, the album is relatively sparse in its instrumentation. Apart from guitar, bass and vocals courtesy of Bob and Eve Long, two college student friends were brought in to play second guitar (Wayne Lamar Boggs III) and drums (Jud Chapin).
The 10 songs that form "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man" had been written over a 2.5-year period; "Livin' Lives" was written when recording was already in progress, while "Touch The Sky" and "Time Of Sorrows Gone Soon" had been composed shortly before. "Charity", the earliest song, was written by Bob as an 18-year old in 1968. "Don't Get Down" refers to the frustrating experience of trying to get into the music business, while "Once" is an anti-Vietnam War song; apart from these the vast majority of the material is personal love songs. The memorable line "This is not goodbye/It's just farewell for a while" comes directly from a phone conversation between Bob and Eve shortly before they got married; a good indication of how close the songs were to Long's reality.
One of the album's assets is the strong consistence it displays, due partly to the distinctive sound created by the home studio, but also from a deliberate effort to create a concept album, with songs selected to function both as single pieces and as part of a greater whole. While each listener will come out with a different experience, certain keywords keep recurring when the album is discussed; such as "warmth", "atmosphere", "purity". Comparisons to the sparse, nocturnal moods of the third Velvet Underground LP have been made by more than one listener, no doubt prompted by a similarity in instrumentation as well as a certain resemblance in the male/female vocal styles. As is often the case, this was a coincidence rather than a case of inspiration, and when asked recently Bob Long confessed never even having heard the VU album: "… Off the top of my head the most influential musical folks at the time we made the recording were; The Beatles, Moody Blues, George Gershwin, Woody Guthrie, Carlos Jobim, Hank Williams, Sergio Mendez, Crosby Stills & Nash, America -- pretty well pop stuff at the time. I'm not sure I can peg another group or album that we sounded like, the attempt was to create something truly original."
After a master was cut in Dallas in mid-1971, 200 copies were pressed by a custom operation, a small run even for a vanity pressing, where 500 is the usual minimum. Furthermore, an actual printed sleeve exceeded the Virgin Insanity budget, and the band opted for rubber-stamping their monicker and album title manually onto the plain cardboard sleeves, making each copy unique. Sales were confined to friends and family, although Bob Long managed to get scattered local radio stations in Texas interested, no mean feat under the circumstances. Nevertheless, the 200 copies took some time to sell out.
Following the "Illusions" album, the band soon went into another recording venture, the "Toad Frog & Fish Friends" project which was recorded the same way and by the same personnel as the LP. Unlike "Illusions", this was a collection of songs with no overall aesthetic concept, nevertheless the sound is similar and likely to delight fans of the earlier album. Again, some tracks reach back to the late 1960s, and a title such as "Poor Boy" was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The disenchanting encounters with the LA music business is reflected in several songs, while "She Ain't Nothing Like I Dreamed" shows a clear Dylan influence. The range of emotional expression is impressive, from the raw teenage anger of "In The Eyes" through the jazzy sophistication of Eve-sung numbers such as "Love Is" into the almost-commercial mid-60s folkrock nostalgia of "Clifton T", about Bob Long's memories of his maternal grandfather.
However, the slow sales of "Illusions" caused Bob Long to hold back the manufacture of this second album, and in the interim the original band - never more than a studio outfit - dissolved. The "Toad" album never reached the vinyl stage, but most of the tracks can be found on this CD, available for the first time ever. A few months later there was a brief reunion of the band, as the Long couple joined guitarist Wayne Lamar Boggs III for a nervous performance at the NSU student union building in Denton, where Boggs attended college. Apart from a few earlier gigs at parties and small clubs in Dallas, this coffeehouse booking was the only live performance of Virgin Insanity.
Still interested in breaking into the music business, Bob and Eve Long moved briefly to Nashville before ending up in Austin, which was rapidly emerging as a new musical hotspot. During 1972 the couple, now billed as "Bob & Eve" performed regularly at various Austin clubs as well as the first Kerrville Folk Festival. This active spell did not yield permanent success, and towards the end of the year the couple had drifted apart. Bob Long embarked on a solo project, "The Odometer Suite", which was a concept work about the life of an itinerant country & western singer, in a musical style far from the Virgin Insanity recordings. With typical productivity, Bob composed and recorded ten songs, two of which ("Take Your Time" and the surprising "Hallelujah") can be found on this CD. Like "Toad Frog & Fish Friends" the "Odometer Suite" did not progress beyond home demo recordings. After completing his third project in less than two years, Bob put his musical ambitions aside to return to college and pursue other interests. Virgin Insanity and the "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man" was a thing of the past, and apart from the value it held for those involved and their friends and family, was unlikely ever to be heard of again.
This situation remained for a decade and a half, until Virgin Insanity's name began popping up among curious musicologists during the early days of rediscovering unknown albums from the 1960s-1970s. After a few copies had been uncovered in Texas flea markets and purchased from band members, one copy was put up on auction by noted New York record dealer Paul Major in 1988, who described it as "Great garage hippie folk… sparse & warm human feel, mesmerizing in a way like the third Velvet Underground LP…obscure late night magic in the most basement sounding way". This trend-setting exposure coupled with the album's unique qualities began a cult appreciation that grew slowly but steadily over the years, until the demand was such that the album, once barely sellable at $3, traded hands for upwards $1000, while requests for a reissue grew impatient. And here they are once more, arguably one of the most talented bands to emerge from Texas in the early 1970s, certainly one of the most unique.
One of the most dearly beloved discoveries within this "private pressing" field comes from a band called VIRGIN INSANITY. Even among a wealth of unlikely idiosynchracies this album stands out, due not just to the timeless nature of its music, but also because of its unlikely origins. It's hard to imagine a locale less appropriate for intimate basement folkrock than Dallas, Texas, 1971, where bands like Bloodrock and Nitzinger ruled the day.
Of course, Virgin Insanity was not your traditional local rock band of beer-fuelled rehearsals and local bar gigs. The group was created mainly to record the album, although it turned out to exist beyond that escapade. The main engine behind the group and album was Bob Long; songwriter, arranger, guitarist and coordinator, who after an unsuccessful attempt to break into the westcoast music business had returned to Dallas determined to produce something tangible. Living under meagre conditions the financing of an album, even a budget custom pressing, was difficult. As the band's website tells the story, Bob Long made ends meet by working as a department store Santa Claus in late 1970, which is where he met his future wife and future Virgin Insanity member, Eve. Unemployed after the Christmas holidays, Long was offered another job in the glamorous sewage and wastewater business, which would prompt the LP title, "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man".
In early 1971 the couple rebuilt their Plano apartment into a makeshift recording studio, using stacked chairs and draped blankets to create a "soundproof" tent-like structure. A Radio Shack tape recorder was on hand to capture the music, which was put together via "bouncing" tracks in classic do-it-yourself fashion. Apparently unconcerned about the audio deterioration with each subsequent track bounce, every instrument and vocal was recorded by itself. Fortunately, the album is relatively sparse in its instrumentation. Apart from guitar, bass and vocals courtesy of Bob and Eve Long, two college student friends were brought in to play second guitar (Wayne Lamar Boggs III) and drums (Jud Chapin).
The 10 songs that form "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man" had been written over a 2.5-year period; "Livin' Lives" was written when recording was already in progress, while "Touch The Sky" and "Time Of Sorrows Gone Soon" had been composed shortly before. "Charity", the earliest song, was written by Bob as an 18-year old in 1968. "Don't Get Down" refers to the frustrating experience of trying to get into the music business, while "Once" is an anti-Vietnam War song; apart from these the vast majority of the material is personal love songs. The memorable line "This is not goodbye/It's just farewell for a while" comes directly from a phone conversation between Bob and Eve shortly before they got married; a good indication of how close the songs were to Long's reality.
One of the album's assets is the strong consistence it displays, due partly to the distinctive sound created by the home studio, but also from a deliberate effort to create a concept album, with songs selected to function both as single pieces and as part of a greater whole. While each listener will come out with a different experience, certain keywords keep recurring when the album is discussed; such as "warmth", "atmosphere", "purity". Comparisons to the sparse, nocturnal moods of the third Velvet Underground LP have been made by more than one listener, no doubt prompted by a similarity in instrumentation as well as a certain resemblance in the male/female vocal styles. As is often the case, this was a coincidence rather than a case of inspiration, and when asked recently Bob Long confessed never even having heard the VU album: "… Off the top of my head the most influential musical folks at the time we made the recording were; The Beatles, Moody Blues, George Gershwin, Woody Guthrie, Carlos Jobim, Hank Williams, Sergio Mendez, Crosby Stills & Nash, America -- pretty well pop stuff at the time. I'm not sure I can peg another group or album that we sounded like, the attempt was to create something truly original."
After a master was cut in Dallas in mid-1971, 200 copies were pressed by a custom operation, a small run even for a vanity pressing, where 500 is the usual minimum. Furthermore, an actual printed sleeve exceeded the Virgin Insanity budget, and the band opted for rubber-stamping their monicker and album title manually onto the plain cardboard sleeves, making each copy unique. Sales were confined to friends and family, although Bob Long managed to get scattered local radio stations in Texas interested, no mean feat under the circumstances. Nevertheless, the 200 copies took some time to sell out.
Following the "Illusions" album, the band soon went into another recording venture, the "Toad Frog & Fish Friends" project which was recorded the same way and by the same personnel as the LP. Unlike "Illusions", this was a collection of songs with no overall aesthetic concept, nevertheless the sound is similar and likely to delight fans of the earlier album. Again, some tracks reach back to the late 1960s, and a title such as "Poor Boy" was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The disenchanting encounters with the LA music business is reflected in several songs, while "She Ain't Nothing Like I Dreamed" shows a clear Dylan influence. The range of emotional expression is impressive, from the raw teenage anger of "In The Eyes" through the jazzy sophistication of Eve-sung numbers such as "Love Is" into the almost-commercial mid-60s folkrock nostalgia of "Clifton T", about Bob Long's memories of his maternal grandfather.
However, the slow sales of "Illusions" caused Bob Long to hold back the manufacture of this second album, and in the interim the original band - never more than a studio outfit - dissolved. The "Toad" album never reached the vinyl stage, but most of the tracks can be found on this CD, available for the first time ever. A few months later there was a brief reunion of the band, as the Long couple joined guitarist Wayne Lamar Boggs III for a nervous performance at the NSU student union building in Denton, where Boggs attended college. Apart from a few earlier gigs at parties and small clubs in Dallas, this coffeehouse booking was the only live performance of Virgin Insanity.
Still interested in breaking into the music business, Bob and Eve Long moved briefly to Nashville before ending up in Austin, which was rapidly emerging as a new musical hotspot. During 1972 the couple, now billed as "Bob & Eve" performed regularly at various Austin clubs as well as the first Kerrville Folk Festival. This active spell did not yield permanent success, and towards the end of the year the couple had drifted apart. Bob Long embarked on a solo project, "The Odometer Suite", which was a concept work about the life of an itinerant country & western singer, in a musical style far from the Virgin Insanity recordings. With typical productivity, Bob composed and recorded ten songs, two of which ("Take Your Time" and the surprising "Hallelujah") can be found on this CD. Like "Toad Frog & Fish Friends" the "Odometer Suite" did not progress beyond home demo recordings. After completing his third project in less than two years, Bob put his musical ambitions aside to return to college and pursue other interests. Virgin Insanity and the "Illusions Of The Maintenance Man" was a thing of the past, and apart from the value it held for those involved and their friends and family, was unlikely ever to be heard of again.
This situation remained for a decade and a half, until Virgin Insanity's name began popping up among curious musicologists during the early days of rediscovering unknown albums from the 1960s-1970s. After a few copies had been uncovered in Texas flea markets and purchased from band members, one copy was put up on auction by noted New York record dealer Paul Major in 1988, who described it as "Great garage hippie folk… sparse & warm human feel, mesmerizing in a way like the third Velvet Underground LP…obscure late night magic in the most basement sounding way". This trend-setting exposure coupled with the album's unique qualities began a cult appreciation that grew slowly but steadily over the years, until the demand was such that the album, once barely sellable at $3, traded hands for upwards $1000, while requests for a reissue grew impatient. And here they are once more, arguably one of the most talented bands to emerge from Texas in the early 1970s, certainly one of the most unique.
Whispers
Virgin Insanity Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Whispers' by these artists:
7 of 7 Finger nails dig deep Light kisses on your cheek I'm about t…
79.5 Ooo C’mon baby, let it show If we don’t try we…
A Faylene Sky Listen for the whispers to show us the way (the…
A.K.A. I hear these niggas whisperin' but they ain't talkin' bout…
A.M.R & Ai Takekawa Theres a sound Calling over, to the other side A light it…
A.M.R feat Ai Takekawa Was it the land of liberty Where they talked about Where the…
A.M.R feat. Ai Takekawa Theres a sound Calling over, to the other side A light it…
Aeroplane Whispers Can I get a witness I′m feeling so breathless I nee…
Aeroplane feat. Kathy Diamond whispers can i get a witness? im feeling so breathless i nee…
Aion They watch you dying, they are helpless You close your eyes…
All That Remains It may seem at last day passing mean nothing But the…
Ana Criado & Beat Service Walking up the steps alone, Power rushing through my bones, …
Ancestors Get twisted, I choose the path less taken Less walked on,…
Andy LaRocque/King Diamond You've got to get his daughter, daughter, daughter You've go…
Anna Graceman Sitting all alone, waiting for you my dear Wishing, i was…
Ayla Nereo Pine, I am calling to you Aspen, I am singing to…
Bang I feel so alone I feel so cold I want to fly Take…
Bella Morte I've waited long. For a day. That I pray will come to…
Blu Mar Ten feat. Kirsty Hawkshaw I think I should go now I must leave before my…
Boi Wonder Would it Help to Know that it hurts me too I'll…
Catalepsy If you're there come forth and show yourself Why let the…
Cath Baxter Na, na, na, na, na, oh Na, na, na, na, na,…
City&shivers Whispers, in the night, No secrets, left to hide, You've got…
Cochise Hear the sound of whispers my love Hear the sound of…
Corina We only know what we see There was a love Once upon…
DAP The Contract Whisper I can hear whispers in my head Telling me I could…
Dave I'm caught in your whisper there's nothing that I could do…
daz.chill 风临私语 · Whispers in the Breeze 作词：Chill Boy 作曲：Chill Boy 编曲：A…
deadmau5 Oww, secrets I know your secrets Oww, secrets I know your…
Deadmau5 vs. Melleefresh I know your secrets Your secrets are safe Your secrets are s…
Deep Divers Sun is rising, I can see it shine The horizon’s gonna…
Defy Theory I don't think you would understand But pleasure that they fe…
Demether [Prelude]…
Desert "The only thing I wish for is for you to…
DREAMOIR Oh God, get them out Get them out of my head,…
Dyrisk I hear whispers of your name when im unconscious Begging…
E.D.I. Mean Listening to the screams of death come to me When I…
East & Atlas I'm bleeding The gods were wrong The angels call Destruction…
Echidna Dusk and moments of change As shadows swim in the lakes…
Ed-ward A sentimental song; a memory Wingfield family, now just of t…
Elbury The white noise of whispers As I stand on the landing Quickl…
Elijah Blond Yeah Whisper (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Whisper I know you wanna Li…
Ella Renn The whispers in the wind Sound just like you But I don't…
Elton John Look at me twice with wildcat eyes Promise me everything Exc…
Embraze The sun sets and we sit down The night is filled…
Emily You know something I don't I'd like to hear what you…
Eternal Descent Breaking in thunder, Through black skies Voices are di…
Evemaster Hear the thunder rising - clouds gather in the sky Hear…
Fairground Attraction The way she whispers the stories I have heard In captivation…
Fairground Attraction Eddi Reader The way she whispers the stories I have heard In captivatio…
flyingfish I look at you The tears on your cheeks And I sit…
G.I.P I got a hole Where my heart Used to be I got her…
Gaerea Wall of emptiness Sadness of destruction The future visions …
Ghost Of A Traitor Whispers! Voices inside my head Keep me drowned in a shatter…
Ginge Take me to the garden Outside I'm fine with it Ignore t…
Gracchus Sunlight seeping in In this hazy cell They hold me in The wh…
Halsey "You do not" "You do not" It's the thing in your thighs…
Holiday Sidewinder Everytime the phone rings Imagine that you're answering Answ…
I.Khan I got a hole Where my heart Used to be I got her…
Ian Brown You`re waking in the morning Spent the night trying to…
inertia Oh... I Held out my hand for you But you looked at…
Invictus Questions burning in my mind. Do you love me as I…
J-Sin The stars above my head whisper things to me I see…
Jackie Wilson the whispers getting louder calling your name In my lone…
Jade. I hear you In the distance I'm moving with persistence Tryin…
Joseph Baldassare A brave man said, "You put a name to a song, And…
Kaho Nakamura La la la La la la la la 歌よ導いて!…
Kakistocracy When the flags have all been folded and the fools…
Keith McInally Well I've got open eyes And an open door But I don't…
King Diamond You've got to get his daughter, daughter, daughter You've g…
Kings. I hear these niggas whisperin' but they ain't talkin' bout…
Lady Sovereign I'm about to go cheesy I don't give a shit Cause every…
Life of Agony You probably heard all about it You probably heard every wor…
Livigesh I've been thinking about it It's just you that I want cfter…
Lucy Camp My violent terms are momentous Not real but they could've…
Luna There's a train of thought Making all the local stops Here…
Mark.x Special, you had me thinking I was special Been cool and…
Marlo I had to fly away I was a bird uncaged I never…
Medhane Play the cut Whispers in the walls say enough Days in the…
Melleefresh I know your secrets Your secrets are safe Your secrets are s…
Mihaela Marinova I got your softly whisper in my mind Killing me…
Moon Martin There's a feeling that I got Last night when we…
Mr. Ivex 以往赤腳亦感到樂透 試過與你為貪歡樂自由 放任遠走 懶理世界 夢想擁盡星宿 振過兩臂汗水請 繼續流 為何要淡忘 為何要淡…
N.D. Can I whisper in your ear I know that you gon…
Narrow Skies If you could only If you could only find this place If…
Neon Arcadia I can't let it go Want to let you know Scream, just Screami…
Orion Riders He sits alone by the window The rain falls down on…
Oshi Darling, do you think about me In the early hours, next…
Ousel Silence Feel them coming near Blood's dripping from their fi…
Pantanum Living together or apart from you I don’t care I see…
Passenger Well I've got open eyes And an open door But I don't…
Peach Shed Waitin, on the sun to set So I can get this,…
pillows & blankets An airplane has fallen many times. And someone would die. I …
QOYA Living between dimensions Persists the endless hunger She's …
R. Demon I am sitting here counting stars I will be strong and…
R.L. Walker You used to be the reason I could not…
Reruntuh Far beneath the cloud, it hides Whispering as your tears fal…
Richard Next time I promise I will be ready Ready to move when…
Rok Nardin Lying on my bed Lost in what you said Staring at the…
Rum & Black You're now listening to Black Wolves I'm getting too hostile…
Sacriversum Keep inside your sorrow and your fear Yeah, and your fear …
Sam D. Hyde Hyde's cover of "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. Sung i…
Sensuous Enemy Allegations Connotations Defamation Obfuscation Accusa…
Simeon And John Look at me twice with wildcat eyes Promise me everything Exc…
Slick Shoes There was a time when I was certain of so…
Society's Plague My actions speak for themselves And I've meant ever fucking …
Storm Theory Your whispering made me famous My secrets made me cringe You…
Svrcina Hands over my face while I play along Vision just as…
Symphony X When all the angels cry Sadness reigns upon us all White dov…
Symphony_X When all the angels cry Sadness reigns upon us all White d…
Tamia Hey, oh, oh Yeah, we almost blew it Had a thing so…
Tarrus Riley I can hear them I can hear them I can hear them I…
Tearstained This planet dies slow Magma rises from below The sky crack…
Tenterhook We've been overdue, So magnetic. But when we come together, …
The Arcadian Wild There's a beast that can't be tamed, with its dark…
The Cable Car Theory I wonder why I gave up the promises I made…
The Concepts The rain follows me Darkness brings anxiety And I can't brea…
The End Let the whisper take over now Do not think of what…
The Mayan Factor Must have been something wrong with the air on that…
The Vintage Caravan I'm wide awake but there's nothing behind my eyes I want…
The Youth And Young Late night whispers Late night whispers Late night whispers …
Tina Dickow What happened to the whispers (The whispers) (Of love and of…
Trapdoor Social I can see nothing, but she can see red Pulling back…
U.N.S.I.N. Can I whisper in your ear I know that you gon…
Unsun I'll give you all I've got to give. It's never too…
Unsun - SataN Was Here I'll give you all I've got to give. It's never too…
Up Front Long nights lapse into morrow, yesterday seems so far away…
Usher If my heart could speak, you'd know My heart could speak,…
Usher(亚瑟小子) If I could I'd tell you (I would tell you…
Vancouver Sleep Clinic You lost your purpose quietly In the night In your eyes No p…
Vancouver Sleep Clinic Vancouver Sleep Clinic You lost your purpose quietly in the night In your eyes…
Various Artists I need to show you a secret, it's gonna be…
Vello Leaf I wonder why I gave up the promises I made to…
Visage Show me, yes, go on, no you, alright Wake up, they're…
Warm Brew If you feel how we feel Chill how we chill, you…
Wilson Jackie The whispers gettin' louder Calling your name, Peaches The w…
Wires Everyone I know, making plans and moving on Every time I…
WonderWolf I take you home Where I am with you You travel far Let's…
Xavier Rudd I've seen you somewhere before your eyes Your eyes draw me…
XO-IQ VERSE|Oh oh|I think there's something they think |They know|…
中村佳穂 La la la la la la la la 歌よ導いて!…
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souma
This is amazing! You both sound really awesome~
SugaryChaos
it's okay ^-^ Thank you so much ;w; It boosts my confidence when I see things like that! :D
SugaryChaos
Thank you! ;w;
SugaryChaos
XDD
SugaryChaos
Lies! xD