THE CHILDREN - REBIRTH (original Atco label)

$

61

The Children

Rebirth

VG++/VG++

US 1968

Atco Records - SD-33-271

The Stoics and The Argyles were both the cream of the crop for bands in San Antonio, Texas. They covered the Kinks and the Rolling Stones very well and were popular at many clubs including The Vulcan Gas Co. The Stoics members were Bill Ash (guitar), Rufus Quillian (guitar), Al Acosta (vocals), Mike Marechal (bass) and Sam Allen (drums). They had a single out on the airwaves gaining fan interest. The Argyles included Stephen Perron (vocals), Louis Cabaza (keyboards), Chris Holzaus (lead guitar), Benny Treiber (bass) and Steve Anderson (drums). They also had recorded and released a song and took over as the main band to see at The Blue Note Lounge after Sir Douglas Quintet left as the house band there to go on a national tour.

Chris Holzaus left the band and he was replaced by The Stoics guitar player Bill Ash. Steve Anderson also left, replaced by Andy Szuch on (drums). The Argyles had recorded a couple of singles and by May ’67 retitled as The Mind’s Eye naming themselves after a new Psychedelic Club opening in San Antonio. They were to be the house band at the new club. Members were Steve Perron (vocals), Bill Ash (lead guitar), Benny Treiber (bass), Louis Cabaza (keyboards), Andy Szuch (drums) and they added a female singer, Cassell Webb (vocals).

Opening night at the club had them opening for the headliner band The 13th Floor Elevators. Drugs were heavy on the scene and the club only lasted a few months before being forced to close down due to fighting, drugs and alcohol over-indulgence.

The “Summer of Love” was happening in California so the band thought about moving west. Benny knew the sister of Mike Nesmith (who was with The Monkees) so he traveled to Los Angeles to talk with Mike about possible representation of his Texas band. Mike was too busy but Davy Jones, also of The Monkees, decided he would give it a try. The band joined Benny in California and had big plans, but early on Davy Jones and Benny had a major falling out, so he split leaving the band without a bass player.

Bill called Mike Marechal formerly of The Stoics to replace Benny on (bass). They had almost written enough songs to fill an album, so they were booked into Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles to lay down the tracks. Meanwhile Davy Jones suggested that they call themselves The Children. While they were in the studio, Davy Jones had to tour the UK with The Monkees. The band did the recording sessions and a guy named Laramie was left in charge managing them and setting up gigs at local clubs around town. But when Davy got back, the money he set aside to promote the band was depleted and the finished album wasn’t pressed.

The band was hung out to dry, but Laramie offered to release a single, “Picture Meb w/ Enough of What I Need”. They played the clubs on the Sunset Strip like The Whiskey Au Go Go and The Hullabaloo opening for The Doors, The Seeds, The Chocolate Watchband, Spirit and other bands. The whole LA scene was psychedelic. Riots occurred, Pandora’s Box burned down and the police were beating hippies. They were all taking heavy doses of acid and the dreams of LA stardom died.

They grabbed their master tapes of the Gold Star Studio sessions and headed back to Houston, Texas. Walt Andrus was the technical engineer for Golden Dawn, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Clique, Fever Tree and others and he had his own studio. The band hooked up with him and with the help of Leland Rogers, who produced the sessions, they were able to re-materialize the songs for an album called "Rebirth".

By this time Mike Marechal had left and Lou Cabaza took over (bass) duties on keyboard. Walt Andrus’ derived the label, Cinema Records, specifically for the album release. The album cover artwork is stunning and colorful drawn up by William “Dub” Weathersby. Local radio did the band well and because of this the ATCO record label picked up the album, repressed it on their own label and put it out nationally.

They played the local clubs but then changes occurred. Steve Perron caught a bout of hepatitis from his drug use and was out for months. Bill Ash left for Japan and Andy Szuch was in a bad car accident. But the band carried on with Cassell Webb (all vocals), Ken Cordray (lead guitar), Lou Cabaza (keyboards, bass, woodwind’s) and Jim Newhouse (drums). Steve got well enough and came back in time to start recording again. They put together new songs and began recording at Soundville Studios in Houston.

The Polydor Record label was interested but as luck would have it, Lou Adler of Dunhill Records was in town producing Robert Altman’s movie Brewster McCloud starring Bud Cort and Sally Kellerman. He happened upon The Children playing an outdoor concert and was impressed enough to sign the band on the spot. He had them back in Los Angeles recording their second LP. Eleven songs were recorded for the second album and the single, “From the Very Start b/w Such a Fine Night”, was released and had considerable airplay in Los Angeles for Lou Adler’s Ode Record label. They headed back to Houston and then Lou Cabaza, their main song writer and arranger, decided to leave for more-steady income. There was enough hype about the band back in LA, so Lou Adler asked them to come back to promote the new LP ready for release.

But the Children cancelled, on Lou Adler’s offer, and decided to tour with B.B. King and ZZ Top instead. This turned out to be a disaster and the tour was a virtual drug-fest. Steve Perron wound up in a mental institution to kick his drug habit. The second album never happened. Their last gig was in Houston, Memorial Day 1973 and the band finally broke apart.

Musically their album has some slight mystic passages, echoes and lots of piano on most cuts. They sound a little like Ill Wind, but the guitars are much lighter.

This was their only LP. An original Atco label issue. Not the original Cinema Record label that was a gatefold, but the second pressing, after Atco Records bought out the option and distributed it nationally.

Cover has some slight shelf, edge, corner and ring wear with a Promo sticker lower left. Record has a couple light marks. Record plays pretty clean with a light tick or two while spinning. Generic inner sleeve.

Highly recommended for psych enthusiasts. Originals on the Cinema label can be found but will cost you a car payment. This Atco label issue is clean and rare as well. 58 years old. Please bid accordingly.

Long time buyer from E-bay and other record websites since the 90's.

Please bear with me. I'm selling off my entire record collection (about 40,000 LPs) listing them one at a time.

A long and arduous task. Lots of gems and rare stuff.

Check out the book I wrote called "THE PSYCHEDELIC DIGEST" only found at Amazon.com.

GRADING DETAILS - SHIPPING DETAILS - RETURNS - FEEDBACK - ETC.

Auctions are listed for 7 days.  

ITEMS PULLED FROM THE AUCTION LIST - Keep in mind that if I continue to relist auction items that have been sitting for weeks with NO ACTION and several watchers with NO BIDS, I may pull the record and sell it to my local buyer. This can occur before the auction ends. LPs will typically be discounted before this happens. So, please bid if you are at all interested. Bids can always be retracted for no reason.

All records are Graded to the best of my ability and are rated VINYL FIRST / THEN COVER. For Double LPs Vinyl / Vinyl / Cover. 

GRADING DETAILS – Everything I list will be at least VG+ or better, both visually and audibly, unless I state otherwise. 95% of what is offered and up for bid is very clean with maybe 1 or 2 minor flaws. If it’s very rare, it may be offered with obvious visual marks, scratches, warps and might make some low-level noise. But this would be a rare instance. I’ll describe any flaws as best I can. I ASK THAT YOU READ THE FULL DETAILS AS DESCRIBED BY ME ABOUT THE LOOKS AND SOUND OF THE RECORD. Don’t base everything on a simple grading rate M, EX, VG++, etc. I’m not that good at it.

AUDIBLE GRADING – All vinyl records are played before they are listed. Some records look bad and play good. Others look perfect but play badly. Any visual flaws that I see will be described and I will let you know if they make an audible noise. 95% of the records up for bid are very clean sounding. You may hear a minor tick or click as its spinning but typically light hairline scratches and sleeve marks Do Not Affect Play (DNAP) and should not detract from your overall listening pleasure.

VISUAL GRADING - PLEASE READ THIS!!!

COVERS - I'm a 75-year-old guy with Strabismus (an eye disorder). I try to visually describe every flaw that I can see, but sometimes I miss a small tear or a tiny seam split.

SHELF WEAR generally means that the cellophane was removed when the LP was new and it sat on a shelf or in a box without a plastic sleeve, before they were available, for several years, so there can be some rub blemishes, sticker residue if it was purchased used, tiny tears, slight seam splits and other defects.

EDGE WEAR usually means the picture wrap around the edge has been worn, sometimes into the cardboard itself. This usually happens on the top or bottom edge.

CORNER WEAR is the same as edge wear but sometimes there will be a dent or ding at the corner. All 4 sides are suspect for this occurrence.

RING WEAR occurs when a record was not stored in a protective sleeve for a very long time. Back in the day, plastic sleeves were not easily available. Most of us as teenagers, ripped off the cellophane and didn’t consider how the record cover was being stored. Most of the record covers laid on the floor or were stored in the closet or on a shelf for easy access. If they sat for a long time, earth movement, that nobody feels, causes vibration and the record sleeves would rub together and wear on the cover picture or illustration causing the ring wear and other flaws.

THE VINYL RECORD ITSELF - I will try to visually grade both sides of the vinyl record. There might be some sleeve rubs or marks on some of these. All of my records were played more than once, unless they are sealed. If I mention ticks and or clicks in the description, that means that you can visually see and sometimes hear the imperfection. Most of these Do Not Affect the Play (DNAP). I try my best to see any flaws but understand I don’t Inspect these LPs with a High Lumens Tactical Light and a Magnifying Glass. If the visual flaws are obvious or severe, I try and describe these as best as I can. If there are a lot of visual scratches, it won’t be listed. The exception is if the LP is very rare. I will list a rare record that looks bad but plays pretty good without skips.

SPINDLE MARKS can be obvious if a record was popular and played a lot. The record label material and finish will determine if marks are visible. Most of the big labels don't have this problem because the finish is unusually pretty solid and durable. It's the small and private labels or a matted finish where most spindle marks will be noticed. I don't mention these for any of my listings but if that is a concern to you, ask me before you make a bid.

INNER SLEEVES - Most of the inner sleeves are simple paper sleeves and have slight splits, bends and tears on older LPs. If they’re really bad or split in half, I replace them with a newer paper or plastic sleeve. GENERIC means a blank paper sleeve.

WARPED RECORDS normally occur when they are stored near high heat. I will never send a warped record unless it is very slight and doesn't affect play. If you live somewhere in the world that has high temperatures that could affect package delivery. Insurance is a must to guarantee no loss on the item you bought. You are responsible for this request and there is an additional charge for insurance. Let me know. There is NO REFUND for a record that was sent not warped when packed but was delivered as warped and unplayable. I cannot put records on ice for delivery to high heat areas of the world. Buy package insurance so there won't be any $$$ loss in case this happens.

HIGH END RECORDS - There will be a few more pictures for any records that are high end items. I will give a more critical inspection and description of both cover and vinyl. Ask for more pictures if you need them and I can send them to you.

PACKAGING - LPs will be packaged in the proper corrugated cardboard box, we all know about, with extra cardboard pads. Each LP will have a clear plastic sleeve. The record itself will be removed and shipped within the inner sleeve, outside the cover or inside the fold of a gatefold cover all within a plastic outer sleeve to prevent any seam splits. All of the boxes I package records in are new and there are typically no problems. I can also ship in a Whiplash Box which protects the edges and corners. But I will only do this if you request it. 

SEALED RECORDS - The vinyl record will NOT be removed from a sealed LP purchase for shipping. I would advise you to add additional insurance for all sealed LPs that are being shipped to high heat areas due to possible heat warping. No obligation, but it safeguards against some potential problems.

PAYMENT - Payment is good only through E-Bay options, either PayPal or Credit Card, and is due within 7 days unless you let me know. I will send you at least three invoices with reminders to pay during the 7-day period. If payment has NOT been received within that 7-day payment period and you have NOT contacted me, the order will be canceled and the record will be offered to the second place bidder or will be relisted. First time buyers who don't pay within the proper time period will be added to my BOZO list.

I WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE, BUT INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE PACKAGE. DO NOT MAKE A PAYMENT UNTIL I SEND YOU AN INVOICE.

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POSTAGE COST - Typically, the minimum cost for USPS Media mail in the USA would be 1-2 LPs $5.50 USD. Canada 1-2 LPs around $24.00 USD. Europe, Japan and other countries around the world, $33.00 USD for 1-2 LPs. Countries in Europe also add an additional Customs Charge affective July 1st 2026 on top of the exorbitant postage fee. Additional LPs as per total weight. I will send an invoice with the total postage cost. Everything is shipped via USPS. I don't use the E-Bay International shipping. 

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POSTAGE DISCOUNT - I combine the shipping for multiple record purchases but will only send a maximum of 10-12 records per package. Additional postage will be determined by the total weight of the package. An invoice will be sent to you by me.

ADDITIONAL COSTS - Priority Mail, Insurance, etc. is available at additional costs. Let me know and I will send an invoice.

REFUNDS - I will Refund for any item purchased and received that was not fully as described. Grading is difficult and is the usual cause of concern. We're talking used and 30-60 years old. THERE ARE NO PERFECT RECORDS. Even sealed records can have visual and audible flaws, ticks, clicks, skips and heat warps. IF YOU OPEN A SEALED RECORD AND IT IS WARPED SO BADLY THAT IT DOESN'T PLAY, that usually means it was stored near or shipped in high heat. I have no way of knowing. All sealed records should be insured, just in case that happens. But with regard to a warped record that was sealed and is unplayable, contact me anyway, I will make it right. Any other flaws found on a sealed record that was opened by you, deems the LP non-refundable. If there is a concern, please contact me. We can always work things out.

DAMAGES DURING DELIVERY CAUSED BY THE POSTAL SERVICE - Any damages that are caused due to unfortunate circumstances during the delivery process, broken records, scrapes, heavy package dents caused by something heavy set on the box, warpage caused by excessive heat during delivery, etc. should be handled through E-Bay. They guarantee that packages arrive in the condition as described. If there are obvious damages to the package and the record is unplayable, email me with pictures of the record and the package as delivered and let me know. I mark all packages with "Fragile. Do Not Bend" notices marked in RED, so they should be careful. But $&#t happens. I will not be responsible for damages that were not incurred by me. But E-Bay can refund the transaction with proof. Pictures speak a thousand words.

Please message me through E-Bay to discuss any problems or concerns. ANY OBVIOUS MISTAKES I MADE IN THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ITEM PURCHASED WILL BE HONORED AND PARTIALLY OR FULLY REFUNDED. But email me through E-Bay to discuss the situation first. I'm always happy to work things out. Every customer is cherished.

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