| TAKEN FROM THE BACK COVER OF THE BEST OF THE CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND
(A.V.I./Rhino Records RNLP 108). Attributed to: Mike McDowell,
Editor/Publisher, Blitz Magazine. |
| Ive tried six stores and four internet sites and none of them offer a basic
black 20mm band (it can be plain, comfortable leather or more exotic). Its
not hard to find. Spiedel and others make them, but no one has a
20mm/long in stock and no one wants to order a single watch band. |
| There must be something unique about a band that can maintain a
considerable following nearly 15 years after their demise, and without
any hit records to their credit. Such a band is San Franciscos
Chocolate Watch Band. Their 1966-1967 singles for the Uptown label
exchange hands for anywhere from ten to fifteen dollars on the record
collectors market, while their three long-deleted albums on the Tower
label command prices as high as $100 in mint condition. |
| Because of the thickness of the beads, you have to make the length of
the band slightly longer than your flat watch band. I had to take
mine apart and add two extra beads for comfort. |
| But as commercial acclaim did elude the band, who splintered for good in
1968 to pursue academic careers (vocalist Aguilar is now a professor of
astronomy at a Colorado university). Nonetheless, their influence on the
new music movement remains strong. Rochester, New Yorks Chesterfield
Kings covered the Chocolate Watch Bands I Aint No Miracle Worker as
their debut single in 1981. Los Angeles Unclaimed includes Sweet Young
Thing as a regular part of their live repertoire. And traces of the
Chocolate Watch Bands distinctive style can be found in the original
music of such diverse bands as the Three OClock, Psychedelic Furs and
the Dream Syndicate. |
