"The Zeke Tapes: summer 1972 concert in Harrison Smith Park"

compiled by Pete Sanderson in August 2007

1972 Zeke concert
Image scanned from Ray Gottfried's "Pictorial Memories".
Photo credited to Roger Swartz
This was an outdoor concert held on a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1972 in Harrison Smith Park in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Zeke played in the small shelter in the southwest corner of the park, facing toward the playground. It apparently was a benefit concert to raise funds for a youth center. The concert was free but buckets for loose change were circulated.

I had borrowed my sister's portable cassette recorder (about the size of a brick) for the summer and took it to this concert. I recorded 3 sides at 30 minutes per side. For me, this was the transitional summer between high school and college. It was a major social occasion for me and my friends, and we talked and joked throughout the recording.

I have extracted 20 individual tracks from the recording. The band spent anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes between songs -- changing instruments, tuning, and making announcements -- and that is not included.

The members of Zeke were, in alphabetical order: Jim King, bass; Tom Martin, rhythm guitar; Bruce Mewhorter, drums; Mark Strasser, lead guitar; Larry Thiel, keyboards; and Dan Vaughn, lead vocals. All graduated from Upper Sandusky High School between 1967 (I think) and 1972.

Although the recording is of extremely poor quality, it will give you the flavor of a typical 1972 Zeke set list. You will also note that most of Mark Strasser's soloes are heavy on the wah-wah!

A few songs I do not have the title for, two of these are noted as "break song". These were short songs typically played just before the band went on break. I still have the typed set list of the recording, that I made shortly after the concert. Both are called "break song" on that list. There is a third song that I called "Strasser's Song" on the typed list. I don't remember why; perhaps he wrote it?

Disclaimer: The audio in the clips is of extremely poor quality! Plus my friends and I were talking throughout. If you listen for the music and ignore the talking you will hear it.

To download an MP3, you may need to right-click on the link and select "Save Target As..." (or similar) from the pop-up menu.

Tape 1, Side A (this was possibly recorded after side B)

  1. "break song" (instrumental blues played just before a break)
  2. Ohio, from Neil Young
  3. Rock And Roll, based on Mitch Ryder's version of this Lou Reed song
  4. Good Times, Bad Times, from Led Zeppelin
  5. Celebrate, from Three Dog Night
  6. I'm Eighteen, from Alice Cooper
  7. Be My Lover, from Alice Cooper
  8. Foot Stompin' Music, from Grand Funk Railroad

Tape 1, Side B

  1. Aimless Lady, from Grand Funk Railroad
  2. Teach Your Children, from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
  3. Heart of Gold, from Neil Young
  4. I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home), from Grand Funk Railroad
  5. Caught In A Dream, from Alice Cooper
  6. Funk #48, from the James Gang

Tape 2, Side A

  1. Walk Away, from the James Gang
  2. "Strasser's song" (I don't know the real title, perhaps he wrote it?)
  3. Never Been To Spain, from Three Dog Night
  4. Down By The River, from Neil Young
  5. "break song" (aka "Rock to the East", played just before a break)
  6. Woman, from the James Gang (just a few seconds worth)
Questions or comments, write me at psanderson@ameritech.net