Band In The Basement, by Chet Nichols

Band In The Basement

by Chet Nichols

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1.	I'm The Ice Cream Man 04:00	lyrics	buy track
“I’m The Ice Cream Man” Words and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1964/2014 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) www.chetnicholsmusic.com :: chet@chetnichols.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VERSE 1. I’m the ice cream man I’ll bring you ice cream delights I’m the ice cream man I’ll bring you ice cream delights Oh, the little ladies love me so ‘Cause I’m the ice cream man VERSE 2. I’ve got every kind Of tasty delight I’ve got every kind Of sweet and tasty delight Oh, the little ladies love me so ‘Cause I’m the ice cream man CHORUS I’ve got gooseberry, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, Black cherry, raspberry, huckleberry and Butter Pecan I’ve got Banana split, Peppermint stick, Chocolate Chip, Coconut whip, Caramel dip, Oreo chips and Butter Pecan And if you want I’ll put a little bit of whipped cream on it Musical Bridge CHORUS I’ve got gooseberry, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, Black cherry, raspberry, huckleberry and Butter Pecan I’ve got Banana split, Peppermint stick, Chocolate Chip, Coconut whip, Caramel dip, Oreo chips and Butter Pecan And if you want I’ll put a little bit of whipped cream on it VERSE 3. I’m the ice cream man I’ll bring you ice cream delights I’m the ice cream man I’ll bring you ice cream delights Oh, the little ladies love me so ‘Cause I’m the ice cream man
2.	If You See Kaye 04:51	lyrics	buy track
“If You See Kaye” Lyric and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com :: Chet@chetnichols.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED VERSE 1. Now, I won two tickets to fly around the world And, I’m driving around town looking for my girl ‘Cause the plane takes off a little later tonight And I want my little baby, sitting by my side Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah CHORUS If you see Kaye, tell her that I’m leaving If you see Kaye, tell her that I need to see her, don’t want to leave her If you see Kaye, tell her that I love her And we’ve got a plane to catch That’s leaving tonight, yeah Yeah, it’s leaving tonight VERSE 2 Now, I searched the movies and every store in town Thinking she’d be reading magazines or maybe shopping around I went to her girlfriends’ house to see if she was there Dancing to some 45’s with her hands in the air Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah REPEAT CHORUS BRIDGE Now, Kaye has a tendency to be a little spacey A little too wild and a little too crazy, ah uh (That’s what I like, I like it lot) She’s a little on the flipside, a lot on the upside She can make me smile and have me fit-to-be-tied VERSE 3 So, I headed to the airport so I could make my flight Then I saw her on her roller skates, she was a beautiful sight She was doing figure 8’s, all the way to the gate And tugging on her pigtails, she said, “You thought I’d be late?” Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah REPEAT CHORUS
3.	I Come From Chicago 04:04	lyrics	buy track
“I Come From Chicago” Words and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1964/2014 by Chet Nichols/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) www.chetnicholsmusic.com :: www.chetnichols.net chet@chetnichols.net :: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CHORUS Now, I come from Chicago That’s where we play the blues Yes, I come from Chicago That’s where we play the blues People came from Mississippi They brought Chicago the good news VERSE 1. Mothers and Fathers Packed up their old Oldsmobiles Looking for a better life Far from the broiling delta fields Chicago looked like paradise Through those broken window shields Repeat CHORUS VERSE 2. From the delta came the slide guitar And, Lord, they played it right The blues was the backbone That kept them playing through the night Singing about lonely moments Money, lovers, and fights Repeat CHORUS BRIDGE There’s a rumble in the alley You can hear the blues moan Listen to the backbeat And the rolling undertones Sounds like thunder beating down the doors Makes you want to stand and scream, “More, more, more!” Repeat CHORUS Dedicated to the memory of Mark “The Blues Cannon” Hannon, Tom Peck, Jeff Weinstein and Wayne Welch.
4.	Hollywood, Hollywood 05:14	lyrics	buy track
“Hollywood, Hollywood” Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 2003 by Chet Nichols/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://wwwchetnichols.net :: Chet@chetnichols.net ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Verse 1 I know a town that is filled with ghosts Where lives and dreams go up in smoke And the entities linger behind Praying they’ll be added to the storyline The spirits in the shadows need to know The light is waiting for them a little further down the road…from Chorus Hollywood, Hollywood People dancing through flames at 32 frames in Hollywood There’s a fabulous cast always strutting past in Hollywood Find a mirror and hold it to your nose Then thank God you’re still breathing After your daily dose ………. Of Hollywood, Hollywood Verse 2 There are caves hidden up in the canyons Where zombie souls cling to the ledge Paralyzed by visions of overnight success They can barely kick their dreams back out of bed Someone needs to tell them to let go Open the windows and fly away a little further down the road…from Chorus Hollywood, Hollywood People dancing through flames at 32 frames in Hollywood There’s a fabulous cast always speeding past in Hollywood But, if you don’t check the thickness of your skin You’re bound to wake up bleeding From all those silicone sins………. In Hollywood, Hollywood Verse 3 There’s a gathering of the tribes out on the peaks As the ground rolls and tears beneath their feet And the masters of the media will be offering a prize To anyone who volunteers to be the final sacrifice Then someone finally screams it’s time to go Find the switch and fade the lights on the devil's reality show…in Chorus Hollywood, Hollywood People dancing through flames at 32 frames in Hollywood There’s a fabulous cast always crawling past in Hollywood Ahh, secret deals buff up your sex appeal But after all the cheers die down You’re only good as your next deal In Hollywood, Hollywood
5.	Million Dollar Sandbox 04:45	lyrics	buy track
“Million Dollar Sandbox” Lyrics and music by Chet Nichols Copyright 2014/64 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com :: chet@chetnichols.net All Rights Reserved 1. I went to your house to ask if you could play I asked your mother because it was such a fine day I wanted you to come on over and lay around in the sand And stare into your big blue eyes and feel the touch of your hand CHORUS: In my…. my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play In my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play We’d laugh in the sun and romp all day ‘Cause we had a secret that would always stay … in my sandbox, hey, hey 2. Or we could go anywhere your heart would desire “Cause I was blessed to be a rich child millionaire I’d send for popsicles, ice cream cones and more I even gave you a diamond ring from the 5 and 10 cent store ……. CHORUS: In my…. my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play In my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play We’d laugh in the sun and run through the sprinkler Dancing like pixies out on the seashore … hey, hey Bridge: In my sandbox we could build a world With our plastic pails and spoons Every sandcastle was covered with gold When you told me that you loved me Even though we were three years old … hey, hey, hey 3. When we grew older baby people still remember the day We were naked little sandbox twins sitting in the sandbox laughing and playing We knew something then that no one ever knew You were falling in love and I was falling for you, too CHORUS: In my…. my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play In my million-dollar sandbox, we’d play We’d jump in the pool just to cool off Then back to the box so we could talk, talk talk … in my sandbox We’d laugh in the sun and run through the sprinkler Dancing like pixies out on the seashore … hey, hey We’d laugh in the sun and romp all day ‘Cause we had a secret that would always stay … in my sandbox, hey, hey In my million dollar sandbox … hey, hey In my million dollar sandbox … hey, hey In my million dollar sandbox … hey, hey
6.	Love Turned Into A Fever 05:06	lyrics	buy track
"Love Turned Into A Fever" ********************************* Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1969/1996/2014 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) /Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) chet@chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Verse 1 When I first saw her, she bent my back Lifted my engine right off of its track The way she looked at me up and down I knew she was aiming to polish my crown Lift Love first appeared as a smoky feeling Embers sparking beneath smoldering coals Then all at once, there was a major explosion That sent our senses spinning out of control Chorus Love turned into a fever burning out of control Love turned into a fever, oh yeah, blazing through our bones Oh, it turned into a fever, oh yeah, blazing and burning Fever, oh yeah, burning out of control Verse 2 We both know love makes perfect sense When it’s steamy and in the present tense “Let’s get down”, she said, “Let’s get intense. Let’s stoke the flames and take a real chance? Repeat Lift & Chorus Bridge She swirling her fingers up and down my skin And found my trigger with a mischievous grin She lit my rockets over and over and over again Repeat Chorus. Oh, man what a smoky, smoky feeling Lord, that girl knew how to take my temperature Blazing, blazing out of control Exploding , spinning and smoldering It really turned into a fever Yeah and I know I still have that fever Oh, I feel so-o-o hot Would you do me a favor and touch my forehead I think I’m burning up here……..
7.	You Made Me Cry 03:29	lyrics	buy track
“You Made Me Cry” Lyrics and music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1964/2014 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com :: http://www.chetnichols.net All Rights Reserved Verse 1. Now, Saturday night is still a blur to me Whatever I said I did not mean I was feeling down and so frustrated I was such a fool to make you leave….Oh, and…….. CHOURS: You made me cry You made me cry For the first time in my life Verse 2. Now, I’m reason we’re both sleeping alone Staring at the shadows and our telephones We have a love that burns so deep inside A special love we can not hide …. Oh, and …… REPEAT CHORUS Bridge: I vow to do anything, baby To change your mind If you’ll only open your heart up It’ll only be a matter of time Verse 3. Then I heard my telephone begin to ring On the other end I heard you whispering You said, “Come to be, baby. All’s forgiven and I’ll be waiting. Because, I need you here with me” … Oh, and……. REPEAT CHORUS
8.	I Hurt Too Much To Squeeze 05:13	lyrics	buy track
“I Hurt Too Much To Squeeze” ********************************************* Words and Music by Chet Nichols Copyright 1996/2014 by Chet Nichols/Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://ww.chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com chet@chetnichols.net :: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Verse 1. You headed to your night classes To work on a college degree But, I know the secrets You’ve been trying to keep from me I wonder how you get your grades And how you get your stars When you're out taking courses In the discotheques and bars So, I gotta say .... Chorus Go, go, go and baby stay away I hurt too much to squeeze Go, go, go and, baby stay away I hurt too much to squeeze (BACK VOCAL: I hurt too much, I hurt too much baby, baby, baby, yeah, I hurt too much) Verse 2. You’re a sweet little bee A bubbling bowl of honey You got a hairpin stinger And a hair trigger love But, you go through men Like a pack of cigarettes Yeah, ya smokes 'em up While you’re increasing their debts So, I gotta say ...... Repeat Chorus BRIDGE I’m feeling like boogie putt Always a step behind You’ve had me reaching for the money I’ve been hiding in my hatband Now, what goes into a free hot dog? What's floating in a free beer? I had to find out the hard way When after just one night you were calling you dear So, I gotta say ..... Repeat Chorus
9.	Summer Love 04:03	lyrics	buy track
“Summer Love” Music & Lyrics By Chet Nichols Copyright 1965 and 2012 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com Chet@chetnichols.net :: ALL RIGHST RESERVED 1. We met at a party after school let out And danced to The Beatles playing, “Twist & Shout” We laughed and talked all night and it did not take too long Before we knew that something’s going on….. we had a …. CHORUS: Summer love, working on our tans Summer love, always holding hands Your string bikini drove every guy insane But no one could take you away 2. Elvis at the drive-in movies put us in the mood For bonfires on the shoreline and marsh mellow Bar-B-Qs We passed a guitar around and took turns singing songs And all our friends, yeah, began to sing along … that we had a … CHORUS: Summer love, living on the sand Summer love, you were my girl, I was your man Fireworks and moonlight were shining in our eyes ‘Cause everyday was like the 4th of July BRIDGE: Transistor radios playing Beach Boy songs And at the Dairy Queen we were sipping chocolate malts Cruising by the ocean with the rag top down Then wind up sharing cotton candy and kissing on the merry-go-round CHORUS: We had a…….. Summer love, working on our tans Summer love, always holding hands These are the memories that still live in our minds And no one could take them away …. we had a ….. CHORUS: Summer love, loving out on the sand Summer love, you were my girl, I was your man Your pink bikini drove every guy insane But no one could take you away …. we had a …. Summer love, summer love, to have and to hold Summer love, no one could take our, summer love
10.	Stay Away 03:25	lyrics	buy track
“Stay Away” Music & Lyrics by Chet Nichols Copyright 1965 & 2012 by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) and Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) http://www.chetnichols.net :: http://www.chetnicholsmusic.com chet@chetnichols.net :: All Rights Reserved 1. Your father said you were forbidden To see me or to take my calls My reputation as a bad boy Had your whole family climbing the walls CHORUS: You couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from me You couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from me Too long, long, long, long 2. The gossip says that I’m a rebel But, none of that talk is really true But, I’ll admit that I went crazy The moment I laid eyes on you CHORUS: I couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from you I couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from you Too long, long, long, long BRIDGE: I know we both want to run away So, I’m working night and day To plan our big escape 3. So, we’ll just move up to Alaska Las Vegas just ain’t far enough We’re gonna pack my souped-up Chevy And leave this town in a cloud of dust CHORUS: You couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from me You couldn’t stay away, stay away, stay away from me Too long, long, long, long You couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t stay away You couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t stay away You couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t stay away We couldn’t stay away, We couldn’t stay away You couldn’t stay away from me

about

NOTES ABOUT THIS ALBUM:

Dedicated to the memory of Thomas O. Peck, Jeffrey Weinstein, Wayne Welch, Lee Keating and Bill Bradley

Copyright 2007 by Chet Nichols. All Rights Reserved. Cover design and photos by Chet Nichols

Record Review

Forget "Ten Years After" with Alvin Lee, how about "Forty Three Years After with
The Chosen Few"!

Chicagoland's Quintessential Mid-Sixties Rock Band

Like discovering a diamond in the rough, Musician Extraodinare Chet Nichols
unearthed a long thought lost 1964 taping of his band The Chosen Few. Thanks to
Chet's perseverance, he had it re-lobotimized, cleaned up and digitized, reproduced
and packaged. Considering the primitive conditions under which it was recorded on
1/2 inch tap, as well as it's forty three years of entombment in a long lost music
graveyard, the sonic clarity and quality remained intact! Chet must have employed a
kitchen magician, the ghost of Houdini, and a clone of George Martin, the producer
of The Beatles, to bring this baby back to life. (Actually it was Chet's buddy and
David Crosby producer, Stephen Barncard).

Thank the Music Gods for miracles.

What we have before us now folks, is the only known recording of one the hottest
mid-sixities bands to grace the Chicagoland area and The North Shore. This band
had a following that always backed the venues where they played. In spite of the
young age of the members of the band (17-18), they displayed a sense of musical
professionalism, far beyond their years. Additionally, their vocal talents were top
notch, and balanced in true harmony. They played the various covers of that era,
that ran from The Beach Boys to The Stones to The Beatles, and on and on.
With Tom Peck on bass, Jeff Weinstein on rhythm guitar, Chet Nichols on lead
guitar and lead vocals, and Wayne Welch on drums, they were a together group with
a very tight sound. The biggest surprise of the group was Chet Nichols's song writing
ability, which led him to a long and highly successful career as a highly acclaimed
performing artist, proficient song writer and well noted author. Chet's self-penned
songs on this CD are well written, highly evolved and perfectly vocalized and were a
highly positive harbinger of things to come for him in his music career. Having seen
this band blast out their many great songs on many occasions in those music filled
years, I now have a piece of music history that I had longed for many a year.

Anyone from that era needs this CD for their music collector. In addition, anyone who
has ever lived or went to High School in the Chicago area, the North Shore, Wilmette,
Winnetka, Kenilworth, Evanston and Highland Park, etc, is required to have this
album. It's too bad that we don't have any more of the music that The Chosen Few
played. However, this sonic taste of that time is like a whole musical feast! Chet, many
thanks for giving us a piece of the past that we had longed for such a long time. It is
a true Mid-West Musical Masterpiece!.

.......GW, Marquette, MI

Background Notes About
The Chosen Few

The Chosen Few was an important rock ’n roll
“basement band” based on the North Shore of
Chicago in the early 1960s. Basement band?
Well, they practiced in basements. All of the
initial band members attended New Trier High
School, a school that has spawned many great
creative artists, musicians, actors and
producers. The North Shore was a hot spot for
developing rock’n roll bands and artists in the
area. The Chosen Few began playing together
in the Fall of 1963. The co-founders were Chet
Nichols, who played lead guitar and sang lead
vocals, and Phil Hagenah, who initially played
guitar. A friend of Phil’s, Tom Peck, was
begging to join the band, so Chet and Phil
taught Tom to play bass and Phil graciously
moved to the drums. Mark Springer joined to
play rhythm guitar. Like many bands, there
were changes in personnel until the final
nucleus was solidified. Along the way they
added Wayne Welch on drums and vocals and
Jeff Weinstein on rhythm guitar and vocals.
Phil Hagenah, went on to be a very successful
film producer and Mark Springer went on to be
a singer in The New Christie Minstrels.

They were one of the “house bands” at the
famous Winnetka rock ’n roll nightclub,
The Rolling Stone. What set the band apart
from other bands was the fact that they played
originals penned by Chet Nichols and mixed
them in with danceable cover songs. Chet’s
songs were influenced by The Beatles,
The Kinks, The Beach Boys and The Rolling
Stones. He wrote songs that people still
remember today; “You Made Me Cry”,
“Million Dollar Sandbox”,“Stay Away”,
“Over and Over”, “Summer Love” and
“If You See Kaye”, to name a few..............

They played together until the summer of 1967,
when college and the Armed Services finally
split the band up for good. Tom Peck headed
to Boston and lived there for several years until
migrating to San Diego, where he lived as a
free-lance writer and cared for his mother until
June 2005 when he passed away. Jeff
Weinstein moved to Colorado and played in
bands in the Boulder area until he passed
away in the 1980’s from complications of
diabetes. Wayne Welch went into the Army
and took his basic training near Oklahoma
City where Chet first attended college. Wayne
now lives in Bonanza,Oregon and his band,
"The Usual Suspects" plays in the Klamath Falls,
Oregon area. Wayne has two sons, T.J., a bank
executive in Illinois and Bob, an artist. Chet
transferred to Kansas University and was
“discovered” in a coffee house in Kansas City.
This led him into a long-running solo career as
a performer, recording artist, singer, songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, actor, writer, designer and
composer that is still going strong. Chet has
produced 11 CDs of material that runs from
Outside Folk Rock to Americana to Alternative
Country to New Age/World Fusion Instrumental
compositions. Chet has been married for 27
years to Nancy and they have two sons,
Chet III, a system administrator and web
developer at AOL and Ben, a college student........

Chet thought he had lost this tape, but found it
in a box of old tapes stored in his garage in
December of 2006, He turned to his old friend
and respected San Francisco producer, Stephen
Barncard, to salvage the tape and digitize it. The
tape was recorded on a 1/2 machine and is
in mono. It was engineered and recorded by
Bill Bradley in his 3-story house in Wilmette
one Saturday afternoon. Bill went on to being
one of the best engineers in the music business,
eventually working with Madonna and running
her record company.

There is distortion and a raw feel to this tape
because the pre-amps on the mixing board were
not built for loud drums and amplifiers and The
Chosen Few played loud AND fast. But the vocals
are clear and out front. This CD is un-cut and
un-edited. It is an honor to be able to bring to
you this little gem of the history of an important
band that was part of such a vibrant and exciting
time of emerging music in the 1960’s........

We want to send out very special thanks of
appreciation to Stephen Barncard, Greg Welch,
Susan Peck MacDonald and Mrs. Peck for
their time, enthusiasm and contributions to this
production. Their help has truly enriched
this project.

Also thanks to Mr. Hagenah, Mr. and Mrs. Peck
and Mrs. Nichols for letting the band practice in
their basements, drink cokes and empty the ice
boxes of food. Also, thanks to Mrs. Bradley for
letting us trample her beautiful home in East
Wilmette on one fateful Saturday afternoon.

This CD is dedicated to the memory of
Tom Peck, Jeff Weinstein, Wayne Welch,
Leo Keating and Bill Bradley.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

All Lyrics and Music by Chet Nichols
All song copyrights by Chet Nichols (ASCAP) and Magic Garage Music (ASCAP)
All Global Rights Reserved
Produced, arranged and recorded by Chet Nichols for Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Records
All Instrumentation & Vocal Performances by Chet Nichols
Cover and CD Design by Chet Nichols
CONTACT: MagicGarageMusic@gmail.com

credits

released May 3, 2014

Chet Nichols - Vocals and all instruments
Chet Nichols - Producer, arranger and recordist.
All songs music & lyrics by Chet Nichols
All copyrights by Chet NIchols (ASCAP) & Magic Garage Music (ASCAP)

license

about

Chet Nichols

Chet Nichols is a singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and recordist. His poetic lyrics, & variety of singer- songwriter & instrumental tracks are inspired by the ever-changing world around us.

Chet is an inductee in The Kansas Music Hall Of Fame. He joins artists like Pat Matheny, Melissa Ethridge, and Martina McBride. His touring bio includes the "Who's Who" in the music industry. ... more