| Much of the Chocolate Watch Bands aesthetic success can be attributed to
their producer, Ed Cobb. Having served as bass singer with the vastly
underrated Four Preps from 1956 to 1965, Cobb fashioned a highly
successful career for himself in the mid-1960s as a
songwriter/producer/mentor for such garage bands as the Standells, the
E-Types and Stark and the Car Thieves. Cobbs experimental
instincts (combined with a penchant for the aesthetics of rock and rolls
glorious founding days) inspired him to constantly be on the lookout for
promising up-and-coming talent whose musical persuasions were not
necessarily in step with the norm. |
| One problem is that my watch face is heavier than the beads, so its
always on the other side of my arm, forcing me to use both hands or
ungraceful contortionist exercises of the arm and neck in order to see
what time it is. Im considering adding some kind of weight to my
next band, presently in progress. Or maybe putting two watch faces on
it--that way at least one watch face should always be visible!!! |
| In a 1980 interview, producer Ed Cobb recalled the circumstances thusly:
Tower also had Pink Floyd. And they didnt know what to do with Pink
Floyd. Then along came the Chocolate Watch Band, which was further out
than Pink Floyd at that point. Now Tower really didnt know what to do!
They were afraid to put them out. They figured they would release the
bands material on Uptown and see what happens. But the Chocolate Watch
Band was too erratic in concept to be on the Uptown label. |
| Sporting goods especially those emphasizing backpacking etc. have velcro bands
that work pretty well. But the real problem is those crummy little spring clips
that hold on the band--they break very easily in the rough and tumble of
diving. My solution was to bore through the sockets in the watch body they fit
in and replace them with stainless steel wire. If the watch body is plastic
you can bore the hole by heating the wire with a match and melting through. I
lost a couple of watches before I came up with this technique. Alternatively,
instead of doing anything to the watch band at all you could strap it to your
console. |
| 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. |
