Plan 9: Sea Hunt 1987 + Ham And Sam Jammin' 1989 + Pleasure Farm 1998

 

It all started when record collectors, Eric Stumpo and Deb DeMarco decided to form a band that would

play their favorite music: ’60s garage/punk and psychedelia. Eric was teaching guitar at the time and recruited several students to form the band. By the time the lineup gelled, there were four guitarists, bass, Farfisa organ and drums!
                 

The repertoire at first consisted solely of covers of the ’60s garage punk 45s that Eric and Deb

collected. In spite of the fact that this was the heyday of new wave and post-punk, Plan 9 was not alone with this concept. Around the same time, all across the United States and in Europe, many collectors of garage/psych records had begun to form bands based on their collecting habits. This was the dawn of the ’80s garage/psych scene.
                     

In retrospect, a large variety of the bands that sprang up did little more than ape their favorite music

note for note. There were a few, however, utilized ’60s garage/psych as a basis for a more original or new sound. Plan 9 who resided in the relative isolation of southern Rhode Island, took this path.
                 

PLAN 9 - SEA HUNT 1987

              

1987’s Sea Hunt represented a transition album of sorts. To start with, it was recorded in Texas in the middle of a tour rather than at Trod Nossel, where all previous recording had been done. This album replaced nearly all of the lysergic trappings of their earlier work with a touch of jazz; noticeable mostly in Eric’s guitar playing. The songwriting on this album is again quite strong, especially the lyrics. A

new drummer, Frank Villani, added a solid, more straight ahead feel to the band. A large part of the B-Side is taken up by the nearly 14 minute long “Sea Hunt.” All instrumental, this suite has several interconnected ideas of differing moods held together by a recurring theme. The addition of Betsy Sturdivant on saxophone added a new sound that was especially effective on the track “Sea Hunt.” The overall feeling of this suite is very relaxing. Almost as if you were on a diving expedition. The closing number, “My Secret Life,” has a very laid back feel with some nice jazzy guitar playing from Eric. It’s very difficult to describe this song, but it sums up the album very well and leaves you wanting more.
              

Plan 9 - Sea Hunt
Label: Enigma – cde-73248, Enigma – 3248-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: USA, Canada & Europe
Released: 1987
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                    

01. Hat Comes First
02. The Figures
03. Man Bites Dog
04. Slice
05. Girl Talk
06. The Facts
07. Beyond Mombasa  (Written-By – Evan Williams)
08. Sea Hunt
09. Human Mertzes
10. My Secret Life

LINE - UP

Bass – John Florence
Drums, Percussion – Frank Villani
Guitar – Evan Williams
Guitar - Tommy Champlin
Guitar, Vocals, Written-By – Eric Stumpo
Saxophone – Becky Sturdivant

Flac Size: 252 MB

PLAN 9 - HAM AND SAM JAMMIN' 1989

                  

The next album, Ham And Sam Jammin’, was released in 1989, and brought another change in styles

for Plan 9. This brought to the fore a problem facing them and many other indie bands who were simultaneously trying to appeal to a wider audience yet keep thier musical independence. Their style, combined with more complicated songs and cleaner production, made them appear to sound more commercial than most underground music fans were willing to listen to. Yet, at the same time, they were still way too far out in left field for the majority of music fans in the “mainstream” world. Thus Plan 9 was becoming confined to the status of a cult band; playing to a small group of extremely devoted fans. This album featured a new (albeit short lived) vocalist named Pip taking over much of the

duties as well as a few special guests helping out. (Who exactly is Masharam Heller?) While this album is a far cry from their psychedelic work, it succeeds on its own terms largely because of the songwriting which is varied and interesting. Again the lyrics are well worth listening to. This was their last album for Restless, and the last recordings from the band until 1993’s “Around the USA” 45. After Ham and Sam Jammin’, the band dissolved for the most part. While they played some shows, they were far more sporadic and with different lineups.
                

Plan 9 – Ham And Sam Jammin'
Label: Restless Records – 7 72328-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

          

01. Weapon    0:47
02. What - Said    1:59
03. 36-24-36   3:21
Violin – Kevin Fallon
04. The Mambo Night   3:52
Guitar – Julius Borges
Violin – Kevin Fallon
05. Wishful Thinking    1:50
06. A Visit From Sal   3:50
Lead Guitar – Masharam Heller
07. Shecky's Monologue   3:05
Violin – Kevin Fallon
08. Find Some Truth    4:12
09. Blue   2:25
Backing Vocals – Carey Monserrate
Guitar – Julius Borges
10. Shecky's Dream   2:55
Violin – Kevin Fallon
11. Power Of Love   4:15
Guitar – Aram
Violin – Kevin Fallon
12. Immaculate Consumption   1:31
Flute – Hugh Everett
Guitar – Julius Borges
Mandolin – Kevin Fallon
13. Top Of The World  3:55
Flute – Hugh Everett
Violin – Kevin Fallon
14. I'm Really Mad   2:47

LINE - UP

Bass – John Florence
Drums – Frank Villani
Guitar, Vocals – Eric Stumpo
Keyboards, Organ – Deborah DeMarco
Vocals – Pip

Flac Size: 284 MB

PLAN 9 - PLEASURE FARM 1998

                

The 9th Album by this prototypical Psych-Band does nothing but further their reputation as one of the

most original and important artists operating in the genre. A must! The group was named for the 1950s science fiction film Plan 9 from Outer Space. The Calgary Herald wrote, in 1989, "Its music has that spirited, no-holds-barred feel of rock from the '60s while managing to not sound dated." The band was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2017, alongside Throwing Muses and several other acts.
              

Plan 9 – Pleasure Farm
Label: J-Bird Records – JBD 80085-2
Format:    CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative

TRACKS

                    

  
01. Blip / Open Wound    3:15
02. Animals Doing Things To Each Other    3:49
03. Pleasure Farm   3:09
04. The Abduction Of Baby Bleam    5:07
05. Panic In The Streets   2:57
06. Infamous    5:57
07. Relief Map    4:20
08. Hardware Store   2:54
09. -30-   2:41

LINE - UP

Bass – Roger Vaughan, Tom Caulfield
Drums – Steven Anderson
Drums, Percussion – Evan Laboissonniere
Guitar, Vocals – Eric Stumpo
Keyboards, Vocals, Producer – Deb Demarco
Violin, Lap Steel Guitar – Kevin Fallon

Flac Size: 239 MB

  Plan 9: Frustration EP 1981 + Dealing With The Dead 1984  HERE

Plan 9: Keep Your Cools  And Read The Rules 1985  HERE