Jumpin’ Josaphat! Leaping Lizards! Great Googly Moogly!
Wow. That was a very exciting opening. How shall I top that ? Easy!
It is time for AAIIEE – See You In Seattle. On vinyl. Colored vinyl. Random Multi-colored vinyl. So beautiful. In every way.
To make this even more exciting they will be playing a special afternoon Record Release show at Lucky Liquor on Sunday May 1 – doors open at 3, music at 4:00 – can’t wait!
is the name, pronounced as a guttural scream, with “AAIIEE” being an approximate phonetic spelling.
Wut’s the scoop? Easy.
AAIIEE released See You In Seattle on CD in 2012 for the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair. Now, Seattle’s AAIIEE has re-released See You In Seattle on vinyl just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Originally released on CD in 2012, See You In Seattle is aaiiee’s proud and thematically rich paean to “Century 21.” Additional “old Seattle” references (Boris S. Wort, Jones’ Fantastic Museum) complement this epic undertaking. See You in Seattle presents twelve fun & finely wrought tributes to this halcyon era. We hope you enjoy the ride!
1. Monorail – The futuristic mode of transportation built for the Fair.
2. Bubbleator – The clear, spherical elevator that carried people into the “World of Tomorrow” exhibit in the Washington State Coliseum during the Fair. The lyrics actually describe the later incarnation of the Bubbleator in the Seattle Center Food Circus (now the “Center House”).
3. World of Tomorrow — Inspired by the “World of Tomorrow” exhibit, which combined an optimistic vision of the 21st century with the threat of nuclear annihilation.
4. Space Needle USA — The Space Needle was the Fair’s most visible symbol and centerpiece. Sixty years later, the 605-foot saucer-topped tower remains Seattle’s iconic landmark. This song begins with Eddie Carlson’s napkin sketch of a space-age tower, and captures the optimism and enthusiasm that accompanied the design and construction of the Needle.
5. U.S. Science Pavilion – A “tour,” if you like, of exhibits found at the U.S. Science Pavilion, a complex comprising several buildings and a big hit at the Fair. It was later renamed the Pacific Science Center.
6. Johnny Vinyl Went to the World’s Fair When He Was 3 – Need we say more?
7. Boris S Wort – “The second meanest man in the world.” If you grew up in Seattle in the ‘60s and/or ‘70s, you know who this is. But for those not in the know, Boris S. Wort was the nemesis of J.P. Patches (very popular local kids’ TV show host), and this song will probably sound like a foreign language to you.
8. Gayway — The Gayway (later changed to “Fun Forest”) was the Fair’s midway, with rides and amusements. The song also delves into Show Street, the “adult” section of the Fair, which was near the Gayway. Show Street included attractions such as “A Night in Paradise,” Gracie Hansen’s Vegas-style showgirl revue, and “Les Pupees de Paris,” an adults-only puppet show produced by Sid & Marty Krofft (future masterminds of “H.R. Pufnstuf”).
9. Northwest Trek — A trip around the State of Washington.
10. Dingwall & Spilhaus — Ewen Dingwall oversaw and managed every aspect of the Fair, and was two-time director of the Seattle Center. Dr. Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus was Commissioner of the U.S. Science Pavilion.
11. Polar Star Intro (Universal Love) — This introduction is a spoken word piece from a record sold during the Fair. An extremely optimistic preview of the 21st Century, where technological advancements will lead to “no more wars” and “Universal Love.”
12. Polar Star of Love — Inspired by the “Universal Love” spoken word piece, this one features Lar’s supersonic love machine.
13. Come to the Fair — A bunch of things one might have seen at the Fair.
See You In Seattle Press
“See You In Seattle represents Seattle as much as Jimi Hendrix, Heart, The Thrown-Ups, and the Edgewater Inn do” This Is Book’s Music
“Making a garage-rock concept album about the 1962 World’s Fair is a lot like painting the Space Needle a garish shade of orange: a bad idea in theory, a worse one in practice.” Andrew Gospe – Seattle Weekly
“Musically, it’s all over the map (in a good way), with special recommendations for fans of The Butthole Surfers, Dead Kennedys, Devo, and Camper Van Beethovan … with the wonderfully giddy ‘Gayway’, a wink-and-a-nod to the Fair’s midway ” – The Terrascope.
Great aaiiee videos for See You In Seattle:
“Boris S Wort” https://youtu.be/3bh86bHAJB8
Monorail https://youtu.be/2tBj0YIFKWI
I love this great album and if there is any justice in this remarkable universe you will love it too. It is available direct from Green Monkey or at fine stores near you! And as you can see – it comes in a dizzying array of colors – you might want to get multiple copies because they are so darn pretty! And, yes, if you are a CD person, we still have those too.
In other swell news,
Peter Barnes is kicking his CD retrospective along the garden path. Tilted I Helped, this is a choice selection of tunes that Peter has played on or produced since the 80’s. Peter and I have been discussing this for a couple years and now that he has exited the studio business, PB is getting busy. Pretty hip.
And of course,
the march to Olympia: A True Story continues. Last week The True Olympians cut basic tracks (guitar, bass, drums) for our last seven songs for the album. Two weeks ago I went to Olympia High School and recorded the OHS Chamber Chorus under the direction of Dan Schwartz for the album opening. Totally thrilling! Last week I went to the rehearsal with the string quintet that will be recording “The Land and The Water,” playing Jim of Seattle’s beautiful arrangement. They sounded great. The Artesian Rumble Arkestra will be coming to record the marching band middle section of “Let’s Have A Parade” on May 7. I have a team of fact checkers enthusiastically going through my lyrics and looking for boo boos. Still a ton of work to do to bring this home!
Carry on!
td April 2022