Here’s another gem from the record collection of Cosmic Jim: The Twilighters! Jim happens to have both of the known Twilighters LPs, of which this is the first. The group – born and bred in the Portland area – was founded in 1960. As the story goes, they played in a number of local venues, including the Crystal Ballroom. During this time, “garage” music was quite popular in the northwest, and while The Twilighters did not perform in a garage, they did have a number of other amazing qualities about them, not the least of which was that four of the five members were blind!
While they released some singles, this record – released in 1967 – was a good representation of what they were like as a band. This was the first release by the Vancouver WA label, Vanco, a label owned by Bob Gibson, who is also credited with writing one of the songs performed on this record, “Fiesta In Acapulco.” Additional credits include: William Webber on drums, Pat Mulvey on Saxophone, Mike Mulvey on trumpet (who was Pat’s twin brother!), Darrel Deck on Organ, Larry Huston on bass, and Dave High on guitar. (Dave is credited as “the only sighted member” of The Twilighters.) As if having four blind members and a pair of twins in the group wasn’t enough, The Twilighters were also one of the few mixed race bands at the time, beating Love to the claim by several years.
Over the years they had a number of personel changes as people would start families or move on to other things. Chris Marks of KRDR was, at the time, a big supporter (and possibly friend), and while “Out Of My Mind” and “I Need Your Lovin'” could very well have been radio hits, they never managed to break out of the local scene in any big way. The group continued to play into the ’80’s, at which time the local punk scene began to develop, and bands like this began to get incorporated into the scene, or fade away.
The highlight of this record is Dave High’s guitar playing. Much of the album is very typical of rock and garage of this era, but Dave’s contributions really could of have made this band a classic. While “Out Of My Mind” is the true gem of this release, there are great moments whenever Dave lets loose. All in all, this is a solid record, and quite worth a listen as a representation of the early Portland music scene.
Enjoy!
Both Sides of The Twilighters
01.) Winchester Cathedral
02.) Hello Dolly
03.) Liechtensteiner Polka
04.) Truck Driving Man
05.) I Need Your Lovin’
06.) Fiesta In Acapulco
07.) Kansas City
08.) Elmer’s Tune
09.) My Heart Is An Open Book
10.) Out Of My Mind
Mid-Valley Mutations 