(Released on December 30th, 2000 1PM EST)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT
"The Michigan Tapes" CD

"Two words, Aris-------Wow,Goosebumps !!
I got my copy at the release party today and put it on as soon as I got home.
The mix is perfect and the book excellent !!! People can get a real feeling for the work you put into this project. What a trip down memory lane.I used to see you guys at The Place in the Battle of the Bands just blow the competition away.
Thank you for your hard work and perseverence to see this true labor of love completed.

Fred J.
Rockford, Michigan

I started listening to music seriously about the time "Last Voyage Home" was being played here in town, so what I knew about your previous music came to me in bits and pieces until the release of "The Michigan Tapes". Knowing a band's history always enhances their music for me, and this CD has been a kind of local mini version of VH-1's Behind the Music. Of course, it's always a kick to enjoy the music of a local group, past or present.
On the subject of the songs themselves, I have to agree with that record exec. from A&M; you really were way ahead of your time... something to be proud of.
You should also be proud of the good work remastering and producing the disk. A job well done indeed. Many thanks for the effort.

Jon Erwood
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Aris, I haven't had a chance to meet you (even though I know you're always at your store and have listened to you on the radio since I was knee high), and all I ever heard regarding your music was from my parents who have often raved about your live shows back in the 60's & 70's. They brought home your cd yesterday, and I'm just stunned at how cool your music was, and how proud you must be of your accomplishments. The booklet is a great read, stayed up late last night reading it in bed.The quality of the recordings are super considering what you had to work with, and the music is so timeless, still valid today! Your remastering job (wow, what a lot of work for just one guy) is super! I can't stop listening to it! Tell the world (thru your website) to grab this disc before they're gone!

Josh Hebner (age 22)
Kentwood, Michigan

Aris, I am very happy to again have a copy of the SoulBenders/Phlegethon music that I enjoyed so much back in the late 60's, early 70's. I couldn't wait to get home after picking up my copy and listen again to your music. It meant so much to me back then and still does today. I will never forget seeing you guys at the Battle of the Bands (at The Place) and was one of the people yelling at the top of my lungs my approval when it was announced the SoulBenders won. When you guys came back on and played "Hey Joe" I will never forget it as long as I live. Thanks for bringing back your music for all to enjoy again. You did one hell of a great job with the sound quality of the music. Thanks again!

Jim Bodbyl
Grand Rapids, Michigan


This is really great stuff. Even with all the wildly great bands from Michigan in the mid-sixties, you can hear why the Soulbenders won the state Battle of the Bands competition in 1967. These recordings disprove once and for all the notion that "garage" bands were just punks who didn't know how to play their instruments. These guys were tight! And they rocked. The sound quality is outstanding. Unless you're lucky enough to own mint copies of the original vinyl, you couldn't hope for higher fidelity. And even then you'd be missing out because the CD contains unreleased material. I hope that this collection inspires other area bands (the Quests, the JuJus, the Jades, and on and on...) to put together their own compilations. If that happens, let's hope the others put as much care into their projects as was so obviously put into this one.

Jake Brown
Grand Rapids Michigan
http://www.grandrapidsrocks.com
Mid-60's West Michigan Rock and Roll!


I'm 47 years old and have lived in the Grand Rapids area all of my life. Last week I purchased a copy of The Michigan Tapes 1967-1971, TheSoulbenders/Phlegethon. The music on this CD is fantastic. It is so great to be able to hear this music again and have my own copy of it on CD. I would really appreciate being kept informed of any future releases of Michigan Tapes CD's. Thank you!!!

Chris Hill
Grand Rapids Michigan


As soon as my sister told me she was working as a volunteer for WYCE, and that they had this great music library, I asked her if she could look up a song from the early 70's I had always loved, and used to hear on WLAV AM 1340. All I could remember was the groups name (I thought it was Polygathon, now I know better). Kelcey said she would try, and then surprised me after Christmas with the CD. I have been enjoying it, listened to it several times. I especially enjoyed the liner notes book that came with the CD. I wasn't old enough then to be part of the rock scene, but I have always remembered that song. Thank-you for "re-releasing" it!
Fara Cochran
formerly of Grand Haven, MI
Kalamazoo, MI

WOW! Thank you Aris for your time and effort put into this CD. I was still a little young to appreciate the Soulbenders, but I do remember the songs from the radio. However, when I first saw and heard Phlegethon, I was hooked into the GR music scene. Was at the Calder concert and attended many of the free concerts at Riverside Park.
I have found new favorites on the CD besides the "hits". Cristo Redentor, Mountain of Dreams, Child of Glass and Alone/Epiphany are those. You're No Good I remember from the Calder concert. I loved it and still do.
I am from Grand Rapids and still live in the area. I appreciate the music that came out of GR during those times and for several years later. When I would go see a band at a bar, I was one of the few people not talking, but watching and listening to every note and word.
Again, thank you for coming out with this CD. Aris, you mentioned this may have given back your creative bug. I sure hope so. I would like to hear more in the future.

Daniel Gillespie
Ada Michigan

In the late 1960's, I listened to the radio and played records as often as
I could. There was just something magical about playing records....In the
early 1970's, I heard a song on the radio that made me just stop and stare
at the radio. Some type of hypnotic euphoria was flowing through me; this
was the best song I had ever heard. The DJ announced the title, but I
didn't write it down.

The song popped in my head for many years, but all I could remember was
something like "Palegathon". I later graduated from college and moved to
Dallas. If anyone in Dallas would know this old song, Mr. Bill from
"Bill's Records" (a huge store full of LP's, 45's, and CD's) would know.
He had never heard of it. The more I thought about that haunting melody,
the more of a quest it became to find out what it was. Unfortunately,
everything seemed to be a dead end.

The years rolled on, and I moved back to Michigan. Here in Lansing, they
recently resurrected a radio station, this time with an 80's format. This
station plays a different (but really cool) version of "In Your Eyes",
whose ending is different from that on the LP, CD and cassette. Nobody in
Lansing could get me a copy of it. Remembering a recent trip to 28th
Street in Grand Rapids, I saw that Aris Hampers had his own CD shop. I
figured Aris would be the most knowledgeable person in the Grand Rapids
area to talk to about this song, and (better yet) try to get me a copy of
it. He informed me that the version I was hearing was probably the
(vinyl) 12". While I had him on the phone, I thought I would ask him THE
QUESTION; the one that had been bugging me for years:

"Aris, while I've got you on the phone, there was this awesome song from
the early 1970's that I am trying to find; the song was beautiful, kind of
slow, with flute and piano; the name of the song was something like
'Palegathon'. Does that ring a bell?" Quick as a whip he says
"Phlegethon" was my band, "Last Voyage Home" is the name of the tune".
"YES!!!!--THAT IS IT!!! There's probably no way to get a copy of it, is
there" I ask. He replied that he just remastered it and is available on
CD now. I almost fell over.

A few days later, the CD arrives at my house. My heart was racing as I
put the disc in the player. I had to go right to the track. The nagging
doubts enter: "this can't really be it; it's not going to be as great as
you remember". The piano starts. OH MY GOD, this is the right song. My
eyes close, Seratonin floods my brain. I feel like a junkie with a
needle, transported to some other place. The piano and flute interlude,
and then that cool guitar solo knock me out. Yes, it is just as good as I
remember. I believe this song belongs in the top ten "power ballads",
which would include "Drive" by The Cars. I played the song over and over.
As I take the CD out of player, I reflect on the sorry ass music scene of
today, especially pop music. Why can't people write music like this
anymore? Brittany Spears? Oops, I heard this again, and my finger can't
change the channel fast enough. Then another preset station, then
another, and another... Somebody shoot me. Let's just put in a CD of
Hornsby, Bonnie Raitt, or Deep Purple, thanks.

Aris, I want to thank you and the band for getting together and making
this song. The bonus is that there are quite a few really, really good
songs on this CD. Then I get upset that someone who has this kind of
talent writing music and playing the piano is not doing anything with this
God given talent anymore. :( I would love it if you would really take
some time with "The Odyssey" and complete it; make it a flowing,
contiguous piece of work. Use a grand piano and a real string section.
The icing on the cake would be to record it on good analog equipment.

In closing, sometimes saying "thank you" really doesn't convey enough
feeling, but it's all I can do. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Kevin Dutcher
kevin.dutcher@eds.com
Lansing, Michigan

(Have a comment about the CD? Drop us an email at: arisdisc@aol.com)

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