Formation and first album (1966) The group was formed in August 1965 when Los Angeles
playboy Bob Markley, a wealthy law graduate and adopted son of an oil tycoon, organized a party at his home in
Beverly Hills. Markley previously hosted the television program
Oklahoma Bandstand in 1958, until he was signed by a
Warner Bros. Records executive, and purchased a luxury mansion in Los Angeles. He released two commercially unsuccessful
singles, "Will We Meet Again" and "Summer's Comin' On", between 1960 and 1961, and
produced recordings for some musical acts, including Lucifer and the Peppermints, Bobby Rebel, and
Sonny Knight on Markley's own local
record labels. In attendance at Markley's party were dozens of journalists,
deejays, and various individuals of the "in-crowd", as well as live performances by
Al Kooper followed by
the Yardbirds. Producer
Kim Fowley introduced Markley to
Michael Lloyd, and brothers
Shaun and Danny Harris, members of the group the Laughing Wind. Lloyd began his music career in 1962 in an instrumental
surf rock band which included
Jimmy Greenspoon, known as the New Dimensions and later the AlleyKats. The group entered Stereo Masters studio to record three
albums, during which time Lloyd first became acquainted with Fowley. While attending the
Hollywood Professional School, Lloyd befriended the Harris brothers, who recorded the regional hit "Ski Storm" with rival act the Snowmen. In early 1965, Shaun Harris collaborated with Lloyd in his newly formed band the Rogues, releasing the Harris-Lloyd composition "Wanted: Dead or Alive", on Fowley's Living Legend label. Shortly thereafter, with Danny Harris and drummer John Ware in the fold, Lloyd and Shaun formed the Laughing Wind, which recorded the single "Good to Be Around" for
Tower Records later that year. Recordings made or produced by these pre-WCPAEB acts were collected years later on the
compilation album,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band Companion in 2011. Markley became motivated by the large crowd a rock band like the Yardbirds attracted, particularly the number of teenage girls, and proposed he would finance and secure a
recording contract for the Laughing Wind, in exchange for his inclusion into the group. Impressed and slightly seduced by the much older Markley's wealth and entourage, the band accepted his offer. The decision to record as the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, rather than the Laughing Wind, was made by Markley, who envisioned the band as a west coast counterpart to
the Velvet Underground. Looking to have something tangible to represent the band, in 1966, the WCPAEB released their debut album on Markley's
FiFo label,
Volume One. Much of the album was recorded at Lloyd's personal studio and a rented store-front on
La Cienega Boulevard, before Markley joined the group; however, tracks such as "Don't Break My Balloon" and "If You Want This Love" indicate he had some influence over the later sessions for the album's development. While
Volume One did feature a small selection of original material, the majority of the album was
cover versions including "
Louie Louie", "
You Really Got Me", and "
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Reprise years (1967–1968) The WCPAEB embarked on their first tour in June 1966, establishing themselves as a live favorite with Los Angeles
hippies at venues such as the Other Place and Wild Thing. The group shared the bill with
the Mothers of Invention,
the Seeds,
Iron Butterfly, and the Yardbirds, among others. According to Ware, the group's performances were "the ultimate street happening for a while"; highlighted by their ambitious
psychedelic light show, which was operated by Buddy Walters, who also arranged light shows for
Jimi Hendrix and
the Animals. In a review of a gig in 1967, the
Los Angeles Free Press commended the WCPAEB's musicianship, but was critical of Markley for his "hypster" attitude and non-rhythmic tambourine playing. Although his bandmates did not like his pretentious on and off-stage antics, Markley did manage to negotiate a three-album deal with
talent scouts of
Reprise Records who had attended WCPAEB's performances. Shaun Harris sang the reworked version of "I Won't Hurt You", rather than Lloyd, who, aside from some
backing vocals on the album, would not sing lead on a WCPAEB release until the 1969 album ''
Where's My Daddy?''. Markley and Lloyd did not get on, which led to the latter leaving the group and Morgan joining full-time. According to Lloyd, Markley became increasingly overbearing on the WCPAEB's creative output, and "he started to believe that he was like, you know, the real deal, as opposed to the guy who doesn't sing and doesn't really have any musical thoughts and stuff like that. He wasn't content anymore just being the guy who ended up with the girls that he could get from it". Lloyd remained in Los Angeles and participated in a number of studio projects with Fowley and
Mike Curb such as
October Country, the Smoke,
St. John Green, and
the Fire Escape. In August 1967, just prior to recording sessions for the WCPAEB's second Reprise album, Shaun Harris took a hiatus from the band. His departure was partly due to his disillusionment with the group, primarily with the WCPAEB's lack of success, and it served as a waiting period while his brother, Danny, was being treated for
depression. He formed the California Spectrum with Danny, Lloyd, and Jimmy Greenspoon. The group toured the Midwest with Markley's state-of-the-art light show, and released two singles in its brief recording career, "Sassafras" (the same version featured on
Volume One) and a cover of
the Left Banke's "She May Call You Up Tonight", none of which were met with much attention. The Dallas
psychedelic pop group
Southwest FOB covered the song in 1968, which reached No. 56 on the
Billboard Hot 100. Among its ten tracks, the album included the politically satirical "In the Arena", possibly inspired by the
Watts riots. Band biographer Tim Forster described
Volume 3 as the group's "most extraordinary achievement", one which utilized a "bizarre fusion of innocence and malice" heavily affected by the "exuberance of the
British Invasion, folk rock, and
flower power-era" being "swept away in a tide of bad drugs, paranoia, and protest". It became apparent on the album, however, that the echoing vocal harmonies found on the band's preceding works were replaced by a
closely-miked sound. The album loosely possessed the components of a
concept piece, narrated through the eyes of a young homeless girl named "Poor Patty" as she journeys through the chaos of post-
Summer of Love Los Angeles. However, ''Where's My Daddy?'', as well as its accompanying single "Free as Bird", failed to reverse the WCPAEB's commercial fortunes, and it is regarded by critics and fans as the group's most lackluster album release. Lloyd negotiated with Curb to distribute the group's fifth and final album on Forward Records. Released in 1970, Markley insisted the album, originally self-titled, should be released under the name
Markley, A Group. The album benefited from the full involvement and production experience of Lloyd, who sang the majority of the lead vocals, provided
keyboards, and organized the orchestral arrangements. Danny Harris was a key influence on the album, writing half of its tracks. However, although the album is generally considered an improvement over ''Where's My Daddy?'', the group could no longer cope with Markley's erratic behavior, and disbanded soon after the album's release. ==Aftermath==