Harold’s Blues

This is for… this is for my girlfriend, Beverly…

I got the, I got the frozen food blues…
I would drive a truck for *Aslesen’s (get it)…
I got the hey dad! (get down, man)…
I’m down… Yeah!
I got the blues…

I just better make sure that I got something to sing here…
Make sure that you guys aren’t malingering…
Hey, what ya say that we hit Dakota and get out? Com’on…
It’s dead, it’s dead, let it, let it alone, it’s dead…

Leave it alone…

This timeless piece of musical arcana was created in an upstairs duplex in North Minneapolis. “Harold” was the alter-ego of Dan Rowles, a vocal composite of various street people and barflies Dan knew, most notably “Hurricane Vern” who would regale the band (through ill-fitting dentures) of his misadventures between sets at the Union Bar. Completely ad-lib, Danny had been noodling on the piano when Jimmy joined in with some snaky slide guitar and the rest of the band joined in. It was part of the first (and only) recording session of this version of the band (left to right, below):

John V. Peterson, bass guitar
Austin Gillespie, congas
Mike Shannon, drums (and asides)
Jimmy Derbis, slide guitar
Dan Rowles, lead vocal and piano
Frankie Paradise, guitar

Recorded Live, August 19th, 1977

*Note: Aslesen’s was a restaurant supply company in Minnesota in the 1970s, it was absorbed by Sysco Foods.