Thus | Interview | Killer 1968 Garage Rock!

Thus’ ‘All Of Us’ is one of the rarest teen-garage albums from the US, originally released in 1968 on the custom Century label.

---

It’s a mix of fantastic original songs and imaginative covers from garage-punk to moody folk-rock, beat and proto-psych. Guerssen recently reissued it with original artwork and an insert with photos and liner notes.

“The social and political climate of the time was daunting”

Where and when did you grow up? Was music a big part of your family life? Did the local music scene influence you or inspire you to play music?

Barry Dalgleish: I was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada in 1951. My family was not especially musical, other than a basic appreciation. My interest increased in those early years, listening to the “rock and roll” coming from the radio broadcasts of WKBW in Buffalo, New York. Mid to late ’50’s…the stuff was great! My family emigrated to the U.S. in 1960. We eventually moved to Victor, New York in 1962. I guess I was 10 or 11 years old. Around this time, is when I first met Don Corbit and John (Jay) Johnston. We became fast friends. We also had an immediate embrace of the early British Invasion. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Zombies, The Yardbirds……we loved it all. Probably within a year, we jointly decided to start our own band. Don and Jay did have musically based families. They gravitated to the string instruments. I thought I could learn to play drums, to back up my friends. Musically, I was the weak link but we went forward. I believe we were in Jr. High School.

Can you elaborate the formation of Thus?

Initially we “covered” any tune we liked and any we could figure out. As a trio, we played some community or school sponsored “sock hops.” We called ourselves The Impalas. We thought the car was cool. It was a small town, and having cheap live music was preferred over spinning records. As we moved on to high school, the band expanded. We needed more sound and versatility. To our good fortune, a recent transfer to the school, Jerry Heukensfeld joined the band. Jerry was a classically trained musician. A great addition. He took up keyboard duties and filled out our band. He also had an unspoken, yet profound influence. Jerry’s presence seemed to free up Jay’s responsibilities. Jay started writing songs. The band name was a result of a group discussion. We were talking about music and bands. The Who came up and I believe Don suggested naming ourselves The Us. That became abbreviated to simply “Thus”. The album title ‘All of Thus’ is misleading. A dumb oversight on our part. Keep in mind, we were a young high school band. We were not old enough to play in larger venues. At the time, we were content to play in regional events. We did private parties, country club dances, school sponsored gigs and stuff like that.

What’s the story behind your album? 

The recording was a unique experience. After countless hours of practice, we met with Mr. Dengler one evening on the high school’s stage to record the music tracks. This was all new to us. I know nothing about the equipment he used. Considering the time frame and mono recording, I would imagine it was basic and simple. The music tracks were done in one or two takes. It’s pretty much live. Some time passed and we met with Mr. Dengler at his home studio, in Rochester, N.Y., where the vocal tracks were cut. The whole sequence of recording was the highlight for me. We, actually, pulled it off. The masters were shipped to Century Records in California. The album was recorded and released in 1968. Jay, Don and Jerry were seniors in high school. Being a year younger, I had another year to go before graduation. The social and political climate of the time was daunting. I believe none of us were interested in getting involved with the war effort. It’s not something we discussed very much. Being in college, at the time, allowed for avoiding the draft. Jerry formally left the band and Jay and Don were off to a state university. The following year was difficult. We did get together occasionally for practice, but that was sporadic. We limped through the year, trying to keep it together. I had decisions to make myself. I formally left the band and enrolled in art school in Baltimore, Maryland.

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

It is difficult for me to quantify the nature of individual tracks. I think I am too intimately involved. I always look at them as two separate groups. The “covers” and Jay’s original material. The covers were tunes and artists we liked. Be it Dionne Warwick or The Byrds. Jay’s compositions are all special to me. Being there, hearing them evolve and now preserved is priceless.

What about the cover artwork?

Good or bad, I take full responsibility for the album cover. I had no idea what I was doing. I am not a graphics guy and never will be.

What kind of gear and instruments did you have in the band?

I remember Jay had a gold top Les Paul and a Fender Super Reverb. I believe he had bought the guitar, used, through a friend of his father’s. Don was using a Les Paul style Hofner Bass. By the time we recorded the album, Jerry was playing a Wurlitzer Electric Piano, and I believe a Farfisa organ. I was playing Slingerland drums.

“We originally sold 265 copies locally”

How did you distribute the records? 

Unfortunately, not a lot of photos of the band exist. I think all have been published. The album was a one-off. It was the only recording we did. I am fairly certain that the initial idea for recording was Jay’s. He had some good tunes and wanted to get them down. He contacted a gentleman, Mr. Dengler who recorded school musicals and the like. He was agreeable to the idea. I believe it was a first for him. We got details on the pricing for production of a limited number of copies. Now we had to figure out how to pay for it. The band launched a pre-release sales campaign. We set up a table in the main foyer of our high school and sold copies for about $3.00. We sold enough to cover the costs of recording. Truly self-produced. Don contends we sold 265 copies. It was under 300. Obviously, we weren’t in it for the money, we just wanted to record.

What happened after the band stopped? Were you still in touch with other members? Is any member still involved with the music?

We didn’t keep in touch after the demise of the band. We all went our separate ways. Don and I have rekindled a phone and internet relationship since the passing of Jerry and Jay.

To Don’s credit, he still is active with his music which I feel is just great! I did a very short stint with a Blues band in Baltimore but retired at 19 years old.

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

I carried on with my art career. I taught at a couple of Rochester, N.Y. area colleges for about 15 years. I still paint, most every day.

Klemen Breznikar

---

Headline photo: Thus (1968)

Guerssen Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube