The Penthouse-Don't Mess Around With Our Dream

The Penthouse 5-The WordD is Love

The Penthouse 5-Rob Graham-lead vocals, Bill Looney-bass,vocals,Richard Keathley-lead vocals(on La,La,La),lead guitar, Steve Wood-rhythm guitar, Mark Porter-drums,Jon Williams-lead vocals(onYou’re Gonna Make Me)
The WordD-Jon Williams-lead vocals(on Keep On Walking and You’re Gonna Make Me),keyboards,harmonica, Genie Geer-lead vocals(on Today Is Just Tomorrow’s Yesterday and You’re Always Around) Bob Johnson-bass, Richard Keathley-lead guitar,Pat Whitefield-bass

The Penthouse 5 formed in 1965. They were influenced by The Beatles. The members of the group were only about 17 years old at the time. They were an Oak Cliff group, which is the same area from which Stevie Ray Vaughn and Ron Price were from back in the golden 60’s. The group consisted of Justin Brown-lead guitar, Mark Porter-drums, Rob Graham-vocals, Steve Wood-guitar, keyboard, vocals, and Bill Looney-bass guitar. The Penthouse 5’s first single was “Bad Girl” b/w “In His Shadow” released in July of 1966. It reached as high as #3 on KBOX radio of Dallas. This single was released on Solar Records, which was Mr. Looney’s(bass player, Bill’s father) newly developed label for the group. After this single the group played many more gigs at such well renowned spots as Lou Anns and The Pirates Nook. Their chart success also allowed them the luxury of playing The Beatles cover hit “Slow Down” on a teen TV show aired from Ft. Worth called “Hi Ho Shebang”.

The bands second single was You’re Gonna Make Me b/w “Don’t Mess Around With My Dream”. It was released in February of 1967. This time the single was on the “HAWK” label, named in honor of Dale Hawkins who was involved with The Penthouse 5 during this period(as well as with The WordD). “Don’t Mess Around With My Dream” was written by another Oak Cliff resident, Ron Price. He was a member of The New Breed(who released a well known single, “Big Time” in Dallas in 1966). In 1966 Ron Price was considered an up and coming Bob Dylan type. The demo version of “Don’t Mess Around” sung by Ron is also included on this cd. “Don’t Mess Around” was actually recorded during the “Bad Girl/In His Shadow” sessions in 1966 and therefore includes all the original group members, however by 1967 The Penthouse 5’s original group had changed and their name was shortened to simply The Penthouse.

The Penthouse was now without three fifths of the original group losing Rob, Justin, and Mark due to internal conflicts. Three new members joined The Penthouse at this time and they were Jon Williams(lead vocals,keyboards,harmonica), Richard(Lurch) Keathley(lead guitar and vocals) and Mike Echart(drums). It was this incarnation of the group that recorded “La, La, La” and “You’re Always Around” in April of 1967. Becky Durr sang lead vocals on “You’re Always Around”. She was Steve Wood’s girlfriend at the time. A new producer, Edwin Greines, was brought in to help the group record these two songs. Greines had just finished working with another Dallas group called The WordD(the big D stood for Dallas). Greines had also worked with another great psychedelic group while they were residing in Ft. Worth, The Front Page News(whose release “Thoughts” is a classic psychedelic slab of fuzz guitar and mystic lyrics)

The WordD consisted of Genie Geer(lead vocals), Jon Williams(lead vocals,keyboard, harmonica) , Richard Keathley(lead guitar),Bob Johnson(drums),Pat Whitefield(bass) . Jon Williams formed the WordD in the summer of 1966 after his stint in The By Fives(who only released one single during their career). He wrote a couple of new songs for the group. One of these songs required a female vocalsit so Jon contacted Genie Geer, a co-student of his at Bryan Adams Hight Scholl. Coincidentally, Genie had written a poem called “Today Is Tomorrows Yesterday” for which she had a tune in mind. The group decided to use it as part of their demo session. They cut the four songs at Boyd Recording Studios in Dallas. From these fours songs, “You’re Gonna Make Me” and “You’re Always Around” were released almost overnight on the Caprice label(a subsidiary label of Tom Brown’s Vandan Records). The a-side was popular enough around Dallas that it received airplay on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and received a very high rating. The song featured Genie Geer on lead vocals and is a creative blend of the Byrds 12 string Rickenbacker style with The Mamas and Papas harmonies.

Edwin Greines heard The WordD’s demo of Today Is Just Tomorrws Yesterday and had them re-cut the song at Delta Recording Studios in Fort Worth. The result is a beautifully haunting song psychedelic in its vision yet otherworldly in its final effect. The lyrics still pack a powerful punch thirty years after their first appearance. The other WordD song that remain unissued on vinyl was Jon William’s song from The By Fives now called “Keep On Walking” and made more psychedelic with the addition of Keathley’s great guitar playing. While The WordD’s sound was obviously unique and superior to most of the other groups in Dallas and Ft. Worth, the band’s demise would occur a few weeks after their first and only single was released when their agent left town due to various legal hassles. Richard Keathley and JonWilliams would join up with The Penthouse.

Rob Graham, Mark Porter, and Justin Brown, late of The Penthouse 5 would also use Edwin Greines as a producer for two new songs they had been practicing, “Its All My Own Bizarre Dream” and “Vertigo Blue Sometime”. These were recorded in April of 1967. Rounding out this recording was Keathley sitting in on 12 string guitar. Rob, the lead singer, was influenced by the sound of The Music Machine and this is heard to great effect in “Its All My Own Bizarre Dream” and to a lesser degree “Vertigo Blue Sometime”(with its great harmonies). These would be the last known recordings by this studio group.

The Penthouse broke up in the latter part of 1967 due to the lifestyle changes brought on by the tumultuous effects of the decade. Steve Wood moved to California. He would later form a group called The New Life. They were featured on the original soundtrack album to the classic drive-in movie, “The Sidehackers”. Wood would later play in Kenny Loggins group and enjoy great success. Richard Keathley got drafted. Bill Looney went to college. He is now a freelance artist. Rob Graham was last reported to be living in Las Vegas. Mark Porter owns a great ranch. Sadly, Richard Keathley died in a motorcycle accident in 1984. Genie Geer moved from Dallas to Pennsylvania in 1985. Jon Williams no one knows where he is today, but he certainly left his mark as a great talent with The By Five, The WordD, and The Penthouse 5.

TRACK LISTINGS FOR THE CD

The Penthouse 5

1.Bad Girl(Rob Graham)

Solar#766S-4211(a)

2.Don’t Mess Around With My Dream (Ron Price)

Hawk#1-1,2-67(b)

3.In His Shadow(Bill Looney)

Solar#766S-4211(b)

The By Fives

4.I Saw You Walking(Jon Williams)

Tomi#106(a)

The WordD

5.Keep On Walking(Jon Williams)

(unreleased version)

6.You’re Gonna Make Me(Jon Williams)

Caprice#609V-4983(b)

The Penthouse 5

7.You’re Gonna Make Me(Jon Williams)

Hawk#1-1,2-67(a)

8.Vertigo Blue Sometime(Rob Graham)

(previously unreleased version)

9.Its All My Own Bizarre Dream(Rob Graham)

(previously unreleased version)

10.La, La, La(Richard Keathley)

(previously unreleased version)

11.Twelve String Jangle(Richard Keathley)

(previoulsy unreleased)

12.You’re Always Around(Jon Williams)

(previously unreleased)

The WordD

13. You’re Always Around(Jon Williams)

Caprice#609V-4983(a)

14.Today Is Just Tomorrow’s Yesterday(Genie Geer)

(previously unreleased demo)

15.Today Is Just Tomorrow’s Yesterday(Genie Geer)

(previously unreleased 4 track version)

The Penthouse 5

16.The Years Have Passed(Richard Keathley)

(previously unreleased backing track)

17.Its All My Own Bizarre Dream(Rob Graham)

(previously unreleased demo)

Ron Price

18.Don’t Mess Around With My Dream(Ron Price)

(previously unreleased demo)

The Penthouse 5

19.Vertigo Blue Sometime(Rob Graham)

(previously unreleased backing track)

20.Today Is Just Tomorrow’s Yesterday(Genie Geer)

(previously unreleased early rehearsals

Special Thanks To-Bill Looney, Genie Geer and Edwin Greines.

Group Scoop: The Penthouse 5 were from Dallas, Texas. They formed in the wake of the British Invasion in 1965 and started out as a Merseybeat sounding garage band. In 1966 and early 1967 they changed to a melodic folk rock and psychedelic outfit. All their singles plus many unreleased songs are included on this cd. The WordD were a outstanding folk rock band also from Dallas. They released one single, but recorded some other songs that were never released. All are included on this cd. Some of the members

of The WordD would later join up with The Penthouse 5. While some of the previously unrleased material on both of these bands was released on Cicadelic Records in the mid 1980’s, all of the material has been newly re-mixed in December of 1996. The singles have been digitally re-mastered and cedarized for the finest sound possible.