Melody Man: Interviste with Herbie Pabst
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A few years back I ordered a dozen records from a seller in NYC sight unseen. This wasn't unusual, however an extra layer of mystery surrounded this purchase. Not only were most titles unknown to me, many were still in their shrink wrap after 30 or more years. The prospect of sealed records frozen in time along with a few particles of 1980s oxygen is a thrilling one, but it can also make warped discs, pressing defects and the like more difficult to spot. Along with a healthy dose of optimism, it can pay to practice being disappointed.
As I opened each audial time capsule, one record stood out. A blue sticker with the record label Blue Earth struck me with its unique Letraset-style logo. I had seen this typeface on records before, namely William C. Brown's excellent Come On And Go With Me (1982) and some early Ultimate Breaks and Beats titles, which I imagine gave it a sense of familiarity. Herbie Pabst was credited as artist, co-writer and co-producer, 1986 the year. To me it screamed private press, meaning it had likely been a limited release on the artist's own label. This record had been a labour of love.
Image: Herbie Pabst - Reach Out For Your Life 12" (1986)
I had been DJing at relaxed bar and dining venues regularly, allowing me to test fresh music on unsuspecting ears. I put the needle on this crisp (damage free!) record and a lush chorus of "Life... reach out!" rang out into my headphones, followed by a jazzy horn riff. A bouncy and determined synth bass joined the mix beneath spacious keys and tight drums. Before I could utter "Holy RAH Band!" (which by the way is still my closest discographical coeval to this record), Herbie arrives on vocals with some sage advice about being the effector of change in one's own life.
I can't say for certain if the lights suddenly dimmed, or if the people on dates got closer, or if someone who usually drinks decaf went for the full Joe, but something happened in that room. I know this because I don't go looking for every obscure artist whose records I enjoy - but I did go looking for Herbie Pabst. His other Blue Earth releases, which were yearly from 1982 until 1986 (when according to Discogs he commenced radio silence) had me wondering what he'd been up to. A quick search took me to hepabst.com which showcases his art, photography, and a resume that also includes acting, film-making, and beekeeping.
Some 4 years have passed since we first spoke, and in that time the Blue Earth imprint has resurfaced, Reach Out has been deservingly reissued, and Herbie just dropped a brand new record. It is a pleasure and a privilege to introduce him to Record Per Tutti's very first Interviste.
Image: Herbie Pabst (1982)
Welcome Herbie. To begin, can you talk to us about where you're from and how you got involved in music?
My father was in the air force in the 50’s when he met a beautiful young woman who became my mother. I was born in Munich, Germany. We then moved to New Jersey, USA when I was one years old. I’ve been living there ever since.
My grandfather was an accomplished violinist, and my father was musical. I first learned music at 5 or 6 years old with the accordion. From that point forward I always played an instrument. I played the bugle and the trumpet in a drum and bugle corp. It wasn’t until I was 13 that I played guitar and joined a rock band. That was the beginning of my interest in writing songs. The first band I was in was called the Curly Maples. We played cover music of the time which was in the mid to late 60’s. We had a great time.
When I turned 18 I went into the US Navy working on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, where we would spend 40-50 days out at sea. I met a few guys and we formed an acoustic guitar band. Similar to America, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, those were my influences at the time. It was the early 70s and southern rock was just starting and I was starting to write songs. I continued writing for the 6 years I was in the Navy.
In 1973 I made my first studio recordings of two songs that I wrote. A fellow sailor named Ralph Riley and I came with two 12-string guitars and made our first demo at Cyprus Recording Studios in Jacksonville, Florida. After the Navy I began writing more defined types of songs for a more pop record sound but they all were created on a guitar.
Image: Herbie Pabst - Melody Man 7" (1982)
At what point did Blue Earth come about and how did the label get started? Were there others involved?
I’m a carpenter by trade working for a real estate management firm. One day in 1981 I brought into the office my demo from Cyprus Recording Studios and let them hear my songs. My boss fell in love with Sandcastles in My Mind [one of the demos]. We talked about my other songs, and I mentioned I was recording my first seven inch record at If Walls Could Talk studios in Passaic, New Jersey with Glenn M. Taylor, the owner of the recording studio. The two songs were Melody Man and Loving You and Remembering.
The people involved in starting the label were me, my boss, Wayne Canastra and his partner, Neil Beighley and their close friend, Barry Ostrowsky. They funded the promotion of my first record on Blue Earth. These gentlemen were very generous and helped promote that seven inch record to radio stations all across the US and Canada. It did get significant air play but did not chart. It was a wonderful experience.
Listening to your records, it is clear that you've been inspired by a lot of genres, but the record I first listened to had a strong Soul/R&B vibe. Are you a big fan of this sound or was it more so part of your experimenting?
You are referring to my 12 inch dance record released in 1986, the pop/R&B song, Reach Out for Your Life. Yes, I am a big fan of R&B and Dance records. I love listening to that genre. At the time I was writing and creating all kinds of music. I was also working as a sound man for the Dave Saunders Band, a country music band. I learned a lot about sound and engineering, which combined with my carpentry skills enabled me to build Glenn M. Taylor a whole new recording studio named Taylor-Made Productions.
I've seen a great film clip to one of your songs, Northern Star. It looks very well produced for an independent artist from that era. How was the video made and were there any cool outcomes from its release?
Northern Star was released as a double A promotional record (same song on both sides). I had a friend who worked as a videographer for Entertainment Tonight in New York City. This was a nationwide entertainment news show very popular at the time. He heard the record and in the spur of the moment decided “let’s go out and make a video".
It was shot in New Jersey in about an hour and a half before sunset. We then drove into NYC and edited the footage at the Entertainment Tonight studios. Late in the morning we ended up with a finished video. It was created just when cable tv started to come to our area, and it played every night around 11pm as a filler for a number of years on a local cable network.
Let's talk about 1986 and Reach Out For Your Life. Aside from being an excellent recording, to my ears it is a hopeful song about making good choices in life. What were you up to at that time and how did the song come about?
I had a friend named Barry Byrne who was trying to produce a show called Soberfest. It was going to be in the Meadowlands Arena (one of the major arenas in the metro area). The idea of the show was to create an uplifting, fun experience that celebrated recovery from alcohol and drugs. He knew I was writing music, heard my songs and asked me to write a theme song for the show. The major artist that Barry was trying to get for the show was Kool and the Gang. Reach Out was one of the few songs I did not write on the guitar. I sketched out a rough melody and lyric on a small Casio keyboard. Of course I took it to Glenn M. Taylor at If Walls Could Talk studios and - genius that he is - he took the melody and created an R&B arrangement.
I wrote the melody and most of the lyrics. Barry and my wife at the time, Julie, helped put some of the lyrics in the second and third verse. We created a demo. The song was pitched to Kool and the Gang but I never heard what their reaction was, other than they stood there quietly, nodded and seemed happy about the song – according to Barry. Ultimately the show never received enough funding and was never produced.
The release of the record wasn’t conceived yet, so we shelved the demo and moved on to another song to record, which was Oh So Hard (To Say Goodbye), the second song on the 12 inch. After finishing Oh So Hard we decided to take Reach Out from a demo state to a finished master and release it as the record you know. The original recording was mastered on DMM Metal and pressed by Europadisk, Ltd. in New York City.
That is unreal how close it came to being a Kool and the Gang song! In terms of the distribution, how big did you go once you decided to press it? How and where was it promoted? (I'm still trying to work out the odds of a copy ending up in my hands).
There were three hundred copies pressed. And the record was promoted to record pools in NYC, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. The concept of record pools was interesting. You would distribute the record for free and DJ’s would pay you with a response to the record. The feedback was interesting and the record was well received. As the saying goes, the record came and went. We had a lot of fun releasing it. It was also the last vinyl released by Blue Earth in the 80s.
Sounds like it was a time indeed. The song was later included on a 2008 CD compilation by influential French label Boogie Times. When did you become aware of this? Did you "reach out" to them?
They “reached out” to me. I received an email from Boogie Times requesting permission to use the record on a compilation. It had been many years since the record was released, and I thought it would be a great idea to be on the compilation. In return I received one copy of the CD. I never knew what impact it had in Europe. There was no further communication.
Fast forwarding to 2019, reissuing this record and the return of Blue Earth. You've made a great video about the reissue process which I'll share below. Walk us through how it feels to come full circle and be back making music on vinyl again.
Coming full circle was something I never thought was on the cards for any of my records. I was active in the 80’s and then life happened, I had kids, a house, etc. So when I received your video of you spinning Reach Out in a club in Australia it was an incredible feeling. Seeing that record spinning, knowing people were hearing it, and even more incredible that this was happening in Australia.
I had not heard of Discogs. You told me to go look at that website and see what was going on with my records. I did not know that people were looking for my music, and I have you to thank for that introduction and knowledge. I had one bent copy of Reach Out that would not play, so I immediately bought one from Discogs that I could play (lol). With the resurgence of vinyl records I thought it would be a great idea to create a reissue of Reach Out, and resurrect the Blue Earth label. I do other forms of art (painting, photography, film) and thought it would be great to put one of my paintings on a proper sleeve for the record.
It was also great that the half inch master tape of that record still existed and played proper. It was a real thrill putting this reissue record together. There were 550 records of the reissue pressed by Stereodisk in Kenilworth, NJ. Creating new music on vinyl has brought me back to my roots. When I first started making records, there were no cassettes. There were only 8 track tapes. If you wanted a demo to pitch a song to a record company you had to have a lacquer cut, also known as an acetate disk.
And so record “grooves” were what I grew up on, as many of us have from that era. Records are tactile. They are the antithesis of a digital recording. I listen to digital music, but I find I still need to have something in my hand, and to watch a record spin on a turntable. I guess I’m sounding nostalgic, but it seems that many people these days have found vinyl records again - the sleeves, the lyrics, the pictures, have so much meaning to them. I’m very happy about it.
You are referring to my 12 inch dance record released in 1986, the pop/R&B song, Reach Out for Your Life. Yes, I am a big fan of R&B and Dance records. I love listening to that genre. At the time I was writing and creating all kinds of music. I was also working as a sound man for the Dave Saunders Band, a country music band. I learned a lot about sound and engineering, which combined with my carpentry skills enabled me to build Glenn M. Taylor a whole new recording studio named Taylor-Made Productions.
Image: Billboard review for Love From The Right Man (1984) ... "features vocals and keyboards phased into otherworldliness."
I've seen a great film clip to one of your songs, Northern Star. It looks very well produced for an independent artist from that era. How was the video made and were there any cool outcomes from its release?
Northern Star was released as a double A promotional record (same song on both sides). I had a friend who worked as a videographer for Entertainment Tonight in New York City. This was a nationwide entertainment news show very popular at the time. He heard the record and in the spur of the moment decided “let’s go out and make a video".
It was shot in New Jersey in about an hour and a half before sunset. We then drove into NYC and edited the footage at the Entertainment Tonight studios. Late in the morning we ended up with a finished video. It was created just when cable tv started to come to our area, and it played every night around 11pm as a filler for a number of years on a local cable network.
Let's talk about 1986 and Reach Out For Your Life. Aside from being an excellent recording, to my ears it is a hopeful song about making good choices in life. What were you up to at that time and how did the song come about?
I had a friend named Barry Byrne who was trying to produce a show called Soberfest. It was going to be in the Meadowlands Arena (one of the major arenas in the metro area). The idea of the show was to create an uplifting, fun experience that celebrated recovery from alcohol and drugs. He knew I was writing music, heard my songs and asked me to write a theme song for the show. The major artist that Barry was trying to get for the show was Kool and the Gang. Reach Out was one of the few songs I did not write on the guitar. I sketched out a rough melody and lyric on a small Casio keyboard. Of course I took it to Glenn M. Taylor at If Walls Could Talk studios and - genius that he is - he took the melody and created an R&B arrangement.
I wrote the melody and most of the lyrics. Barry and my wife at the time, Julie, helped put some of the lyrics in the second and third verse. We created a demo. The song was pitched to Kool and the Gang but I never heard what their reaction was, other than they stood there quietly, nodded and seemed happy about the song – according to Barry. Ultimately the show never received enough funding and was never produced.
The release of the record wasn’t conceived yet, so we shelved the demo and moved on to another song to record, which was Oh So Hard (To Say Goodbye), the second song on the 12 inch. After finishing Oh So Hard we decided to take Reach Out from a demo state to a finished master and release it as the record you know. The original recording was mastered on DMM Metal and pressed by Europadisk, Ltd. in New York City.
That is unreal how close it came to being a Kool and the Gang song! In terms of the distribution, how big did you go once you decided to press it? How and where was it promoted? (I'm still trying to work out the odds of a copy ending up in my hands).
There were three hundred copies pressed. And the record was promoted to record pools in NYC, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. The concept of record pools was interesting. You would distribute the record for free and DJ’s would pay you with a response to the record. The feedback was interesting and the record was well received. As the saying goes, the record came and went. We had a lot of fun releasing it. It was also the last vinyl released by Blue Earth in the 80s.
Sounds like it was a time indeed. The song was later included on a 2008 CD compilation by influential French label Boogie Times. When did you become aware of this? Did you "reach out" to them?
They “reached out” to me. I received an email from Boogie Times requesting permission to use the record on a compilation. It had been many years since the record was released, and I thought it would be a great idea to be on the compilation. In return I received one copy of the CD. I never knew what impact it had in Europe. There was no further communication.
Image/video: Various Artists - Boogie Times Presents The Great Collectors Vol. 10 on YouTube (2008)
Fast forwarding to 2019, reissuing this record and the return of Blue Earth. You've made a great video about the reissue process which I'll share below. Walk us through how it feels to come full circle and be back making music on vinyl again.
Coming full circle was something I never thought was on the cards for any of my records. I was active in the 80’s and then life happened, I had kids, a house, etc. So when I received your video of you spinning Reach Out in a club in Australia it was an incredible feeling. Seeing that record spinning, knowing people were hearing it, and even more incredible that this was happening in Australia.
I had not heard of Discogs. You told me to go look at that website and see what was going on with my records. I did not know that people were looking for my music, and I have you to thank for that introduction and knowledge. I had one bent copy of Reach Out that would not play, so I immediately bought one from Discogs that I could play (lol). With the resurgence of vinyl records I thought it would be a great idea to create a reissue of Reach Out, and resurrect the Blue Earth label. I do other forms of art (painting, photography, film) and thought it would be great to put one of my paintings on a proper sleeve for the record.
It was also great that the half inch master tape of that record still existed and played proper. It was a real thrill putting this reissue record together. There were 550 records of the reissue pressed by Stereodisk in Kenilworth, NJ. Creating new music on vinyl has brought me back to my roots. When I first started making records, there were no cassettes. There were only 8 track tapes. If you wanted a demo to pitch a song to a record company you had to have a lacquer cut, also known as an acetate disk.
And so record “grooves” were what I grew up on, as many of us have from that era. Records are tactile. They are the antithesis of a digital recording. I listen to digital music, but I find I still need to have something in my hand, and to watch a record spin on a turntable. I guess I’m sounding nostalgic, but it seems that many people these days have found vinyl records again - the sleeves, the lyrics, the pictures, have so much meaning to them. I’m very happy about it.
Images: Taylor-Made Productions in Caldwell NJ, built by Herbie circa 1987.
Are there any people and/or places you'd like to give a shout out to?
Yes, my dear friend, and co-producer of my music, Glenn M. Taylor of Taylor-Made Productions in Caldwell, New Jersey. We have been friends since the beginning of the 80’s. I had a blast building his studio and any time I can be around the studio and his wonderful equipment is a real treat.
Shout out to Stereodisk pressing plant in Kenilworth, New Jersey. They make great records!
And of course, you, Benny. Without you contacting me and letting me know that people were listening to my music, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’m very grateful to you. Thank you.
Words and research by Benny Badge.
Limited copies of Herbie's Reach Out For Your Life reissue 12" and new Das Beat 7"are available from Record Per Tutti.
Originally published 11th November 2022