Category Archives: IGL

The Restrictions from Sioux City, IA

Restrictions IGL 45 Down on the Corner
The Restrictions came from Sioux City and cut one single on IGL 147, “Down on the Corner” / “She’s Gone Away” in September, 1967. Russell Gill wrote “Down on the Corner” and co-wrote “She’s Gone Away” with Rob Molden.

The Restrictions members were:

Russell Gill
Rob Molden
Donald Pinney
Dave Mettleton
George Lauresen

The Sioux City Journal ran a notice about the August, 1967 River-Cade Festival of Music band competition, and listed the members of the top three groups.

The winner of the competition was the Shags, who would receive a session at Sears Recording Studio in Omaha. Russell Gill of the Restrictions wrote the song that would be the top side of the Shags’ single, “You’re a Loser”.

The Restrictions would cut their own record, traveling the hundred miles northeast to IGL Recording Studios in Milford, Iowa. I actually haven’t heard “She’s Gone Away” yet.

Russell Gill would go on to form the Last Chapter in 1969.

The other finalist was the Psychedelic Hangmen, with members Jame Polimeni, Phil Polimeni, Dave Stokes, Larry Means, and Stanley Sawienski. I’m not sure if they ever recorded.

Anyone have a photo of any of these bands?

The Golden Cabaleers (Golden Cavaliers)

The Golden Cabaleers IGL 45 Come Back To MeThe Golden Cabaleers are one of the more obscure bands on the IGL label. They released their 45 “Come Back to Me” / “All Alone” on IGL 123 in August of 1966. Teen Beat Mayhem lists the band’s location as Holstein, Iowa, 50 miles east of Sioux City, and about an hour and a half drive south of the IGL studio in Milford.

James Goettsch wrote and sang both songs on the single. He attended high school first in nearby Cushing, IA, then graduated from Eastwood Community School in Correctionville, IA in 1967. His first band was the Roadrunners with his brother Gerald Goettsch, T.J. McGuire and Lane Volkert. According to James’ obituary, the band changed their name to The Golden Cavaliers, which makes more sense than Cabaleers. James Goettsch became a physician. He passed away on June 30, 2005.

“All Alone” is very underrated – it received only a 2 in TBM. Check it out below and judge for yourself. It’s a low-key ballad with steady picking and fine vocals. “Come Back to Me” is more upbeat. No indication on the label as to which is the top side. I realize now my copy of the 45 is signed by both brothers on the labels.

The Golden Cabaleers IGL 45 All Alone

The Dynamic Dischords

The Dynamic Dischords Poster
Concert poster for the Dynamic Dischords

Dynamic Dischords IGL 45 Passageway To Your HeartThe Dynamic Dischords came from the small town of Oakes, North Dakota, in the southeast part of the state. Members were: Mel Bruns, Dave Enquist, Tom Rodine, Bob Vorachek and Tim Weatherhead.

In 1967 the band played the Roof Garden in Arnolds Park, Iowa, 330 miles from Oakes, but not an unusual distance for a band to travel in the upper Midwest. After their show the band visited Iowa Great Lakes Recording in nearby Milford, Iowa, where they cut their first 45, released on IGL 45-150 in November, 1967.

“Passageway (to Your Heart)” starts with a gloomy four-note riff then settles into something resemblings “You Keep Me Hanging On”, with heavy fuzz breaks between the verses. The IGL Rock Story, Vol. 2: 1967-1968 has a slightly longer version with an alternate vocal, though I prefer the 45.

Dynamic Dischords IGL 45 This Girl o fMineI’m a fan of the flip side, “This Girl of Mine”, an upbeat harmony song without any psychedelic influence at all.

Tom Rodine and Mel Bruns wrote both songs and Mark Reiner produced the single. I don’t recall Mark Reiner appearing on credits for any other IGL singles so he may have been part of the Dischords’ management. The publishing was by Okoboji Music BMI, a common credit on IGL 45s (and named after the lake where all this fun was happening).

The band did not record again until 1971 when they released “The Age of Caesar” / “I Love Life” (another Rodine & Bruns original) on Mark Custom Records from Moorhead, Minnesota, distributed by Midwest Booking Authority in Grand Forks, ND. I haven’t heard either side of that 45 yet.

Info and top poster taken from http://www.nightlifemusic.com/HOR/Dynamic%20Dischords/index.html. Poster below sent to me by Philippe Wegmuller.

Dynamic Dischords Poster, Balmoral

The Second Half “Forever in Your World” on IGL

The Second Half were long rumored to have come from southwestern Minnesota, Jasper to be exact – if a rumor could be exact. Actually they were from Des Moines, Iowa, as I learned from Steve Acheson, who put me in touch with his brother David, the bassist for the group.

The IGL label was based out of Milford, Iowa, about two hundred miles from Des Moines. “Forever In Your World” is a really fine uptempo song, written by the band’s vocalist Deni Bell, published by Okoboji Music – Okoboji being a lakeside town in Iowa near Milford.

The flip, “Knight in Armour” is a contrived kind of pop, but the band gives a good performance. It was written by Wes McGlothlen, who turns out to be the group’s friend and manager.

Steve Acheson first gave me some info on the band:

The band was based out of Des Moines, Iowa, not Minnesota. My brother played bass in the band, and they often used to practice in our living room. I’m not sure exactly how long they were together, but it was long enough to get pretty good, and play some local venues. I am several years younger than my brother, and was extremely interested in playing drums at the time, and used to watch them practice for hours.

Their drummer had a set of Ludwig drums, with that classic “60s” color, sort of like the drums Ringo used during the Beatles’ early years. Occasionally, he’d let me play them. (Thanks Bob.) I recently talked with my brother, and between the two of us we remembered some of the details below:

The lineup at the time the record was made was:

Bob Spooner – Drums
David Acheson – Bass Guitar
Deni Bell – Lead Vocals
Dean Arnold – Rhythm Guitar
Fred Shaffer – Lead Guitar
Wes McGlothlen – Manager

When they made the record, I remember there was a lot of “buzz” around our house. They loaded all their equipment into a trailer, and hitched it behind our Mom’s ’63 Ford Falcon, and towed it off to somewhere, which I now find was IGL studios in Milford.

My recollection of the “B” side of the record is that it wasn’t that good a song. Certainly not on a par with Forever In Your World.

When I played this for my brother, he, at first, didn’t recognize it, having not heard it for 40 years. But then, the memories all started coming back.

After the band broke up, and after my brother graduated high school, he joined the Army, and ultimately ended up in Denver, CO. He doesn’t play an instrument any more. The funny thing is, I remember more about the band, and the song than my brother. Even before I found the song again, I knew the opening bass line, the basic melody and the first verse and chorus. For some reason, that stuck with me for all these years. We have no idea of the whereabouts of any of the other members.

David Acheson added:

I don’t remember many specifics about the band. Don’t even remember how I got involved with it. I do remember that I played a red Guliettin bass guitar.

Bob Spooner (drummer) and Dean Arnold (rhythm and keyboards) were out of school. Bob was married. Deni and Fred went to North High School, Fred Scheafer (lead) was a junior, Deni Bell (lead vocals) was a senior, I believe. I went to Roosevelt HS, I was a senior. Wes McGlothlen (manager) was out of school.

Our name came about because Wes and Deni wanted us to be “the second half” of the music revolution that The Beatles began. My mother was very involved … we practiced a lot in the living room of our home, and she drove us to some of our gigs. Two that I remember the best were at Fort Des Moines Roller Rink for a battle of the bands, and at a frat house on the University of Iowa campus for their homecoming. I remember many students at U of I telling us they thought we were the best band on campus that weekend. We also received a very enthusiastic reception at the battle of the bands.

Wes, and especially Deni and Dean, wrote a lot of songs, many of which were incorporated into our playlists. For the most part, the original music was very well received.

I don’t remember much about the studio work, except that the day was very long. The weeks prior to the recording date were spent in constant rehearsal on “Forever in Your World”.

I am not inclined toward music. It was hard work for me to play any instrument, so I didn’t continue my “career” after I graduated (1967). Shortly after I graduated I joined the Army and left everything with my mother. While I was in Germany I learned that she traded or sold it for a sewing machine. I was glad she did as she got much more use out of that than I ever would have with the guitar. It was quite an experience for me at the time. I wish my mother were alive …. she remembered everything, and I am sure she could have provided us with details that have been long forgotten by everyone else. I remembered a few things just talking with my brother the other night … things that I hadn’t thought of in years. When I left Des Moines I didn’t stay in touch with anyone.