Pidgeon -

Pidgeon was an American folk-psych band that released a self-titled album and a standalone single in 1969 on Decca. Keyboardist/songwriter Jobriath Salisbury (aka Bruce Wayne Campbell) released two cabaret-rock albums as Jobriath.

Members: Cheri Gage (autoharp, vocals), Richard T. Marshall (poetry), Jobriath Salisbury (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Bill Strong Smith (drums, percussion)

Background

Pidgeon formed in late 1968 in Los Angeles around keyboardist/guitarist Jobriath Salisbury (born Bruce Wayne Campbell, Dec. 14, 1946, Philadelphia), who relocated from New York City after a stint in the Los Angeles production of Hair. He partnered with lyricist Richard T. Marshall, a poet and screenwriter. Salisbury handled composition and arrangements while Marshall supplied lyrics. Rounding out the lineup were autoharpist/singer Cheri Gage and drummer/percussionist Bill Strong Smith. The band gigged locally through early 1969 and signed to Decca with the help of producer Stan Farber, who recorded their lone album at American Recording Co. in Studio City with engineers Bill Cooper and Richard Podolor.

Pidgeon

Pidgeon released their self-titled album in May 1969 on Decca.

The album features eleven Salisbury/Marshall songs with arrangements that lean toward sunshine pop layered in baroque textures. Salisbury’s high-register vocals combine with Gage’s harmonies over harpsichord-driven backdrops, filtered through faint echoes of Jefferson Airplane and The Left Banke.

The tracks alternate between ornate chamber sections and more forceful, vocal-forward passages. The contrasting male–female harmonies and harpsichord passages underscore the group’s attempts at blending baroque structure with California psych-pop tendencies.

A1. “Of the Time When I Was Young” (2:32)
A2. “Milk and Honey” (3:30)
A3. “When She Arrives” (3:05)
A4. “Dark Bird” (3:34)
A5. “Irene” (3:20)

B1. “The Wind Blows Cold” (3:17)
B2. “Penny’s Magic Bell” (3:03)
B3. “The Main Line” (3:03)
B4. “Springtime Girl” (3:00)
B5. “The Dancer” (2:39)
B6. “House On a Hill Among Trees” (3:09)

Sessions occurred at the American Recording Co. in Studio City, California, where Stan Farber produced Pidgeon ahead of Conception, the 1970 Lizard Records release by psych-rockers Frantic.

Pidgeon appeared in a gatefold with a pidgeon submarine sandwich photographed by Gene Brownell, whose imagery also graces 1969/70 covers by American Eagle, Jellyroll, Wishbone Ash, and Yellow Payges.

“Rubber Bricks”

In August 1969, Pidgeon released “Rubber Bricks,” a Marshall/Salisbury co-write backed with Jobriath’s “Prison Walls.”

A. “Rubber Bricks”
B. “Prison Walls”

Aftermath

“Rubber Bricks” marked Pidgeon’s final release before their disbandment in late 1969 when Campbell (an army deserter) was tracked by military agents and committed for six months. In late 1972, he reemerged as Jobriath and released the 1973/74 Elektra glam-rock albums Jobriath and Creatures of the Street.

Cheri Gage resurfaced with a pair of 1981 synthpop singles on Martian Records, including a cover of “96 Tears.” Her final single, “Boys and Girls,” appeared in 1986 on Gage St. Records.

Discography: