This week, as part of the ongoing LOUIE of the Week series, it’s time to highlight a never-before heard recording of LOUIE LOUIE.
In the early-mid 1980s, right around the time when I began the task of exploring the vast LOUIE universe, Marty Preece was the main audio engineer at KFJC Radio. KFJC, for those that aren’t aware of the significance, was the radio station where the Maximum LOUIE LOUIE marathon occurred, which thrust songwriter Richard Berry into the national headlines, created the opportunity for Richard to meet original Kingsmen vocalist Jack Ely, and inspired me to pick up a video camera to capture some history, create a documentary, website, etc. etc..
I know the late Ken Forsythe was the “Chief Engineer” during this period, but Marty was the audio guy that seemed to always be around the station, especially during the “Open Mike” sessions which provided a forum for a lot of local bands to be heard on the radio. During the Max LOUIE marathon weekend, Marty seemed to be there all the time, ready for live broadcasts with whoever showed up to perform live on the radio.
This year, KFJC Radio celebrated 50 years of existence, and there’s been a lot of celebrations for the station going for the past 11 months. A lot of old friends came out of hibernation, and it was wonderful to see a lot of familar faces after all these years. Marty’s an old friend I’ve been seeing on a semi-regular basis, usually at the local blues music festivals, but with all the KFJC celebrations going on, he was inspired to dig deep into his archives, and see what goodies he might be able to share with others.
It’s been a real treat to see what Marty has uncovered. Amongst this pile, he found a NEVER-SEEN MAXIMUM LOUIE LOUIE PLAYLIST assembled by the late Kirk O’Connell (original tape organizer for the event), something I wish I had before I started the massive KFJC Maximum LOUIE LOUIE digitization project. He also found some rare live Open Mike recordings with the Shockwaves, the Malones, and the legendary band known as Zep’s Asleep (tribute band created in “honor” of station manager Robert Zeppernick).
One of the real treats Marty discovered was an audio master of his multi-track recording project known as “Max Multi-Track.” Apparently Marty recorded a version of LOUIE LOUIE, performing all the musical parts, including vocals, guitars, drums, and other instruments. Marty thought this version was submitted for the KFJC marathon, but I couldn’t find any reference to this recording, either on air check tapes or playlists.
So it looks like we we have here is a previously unreleased version of the song, premiered for the first time on this very website!
You can hear this special recording of “Max Multi-Track” by clicking on the cassette image to download the MP3 file. Or you can just click here.
HAIL HAIL, MARTY PREECE!
I remember Marty. When The Wonders of Science appeared on “Open Mike” we had to pick up Marty and his equipment in order to do the show! It was Marty who, at the Louie Louie marathon, told TWOS that we should have a horn player. My brother-in-law at the time was roadying for us; he played trumpet for the Oakland and San Jose Symphonies. He went and found a horn and jammed with us on our Louie Louie medley. As soon as we were finished he ran off to return the horn. Marty came running into the room asking, “Who was playing the horn?” We told him we didn’t have a horn; we were a synth band.
Hey, this is GREAT. One guy doing it all. That is devotion to the cause. Hats off to you, Marty!
(1) Where can I find a copy of the “Maximum Louie Louie” playlist from August 19-22m 1983 … have been unable to locate it !
(2) Where can I find a copy of the Wall Street Journal article on “Maximum Louie Louie” … again … unable to locate !
(3) Has there been a 2015 compilation of all previous recorded versions of “Louie Louie” … and any more that might be in
the works with the passing of Jack Ely ?
All the Best
The Canadian Rockman
Kenneth Wakulich
1) The KFJC playlist can be found at
https://www.louielouie.net/ll-database/LOUIE%20Collection%202014-11-21.pdf
2) I haven’t looked for any official digital version of Wall Street Journal issue with the LOUIE article. I guess it’s not easily available? I do have my slightly yellowed copy, which has been photographed. Send me a direct message, and i’ll send it to you. Use the contact LOUE form at
https://www.louielouie.net/blog/?page_id=196
3) A compilation of ALL previous recorded versions? Hmm…. that could be a challenge. I’m guessing it might take 100 CDs for the 2,000 or so versions, and the licensing could be crazy….