The Masked Marauders is a record album that was released in the fall of 1969. The recording captured a purported "super session" of the era's leading rock and roll musicians, including Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney. None of the artists were mentioned on the album’s cover, supposedly because of contractual agreements with their recording companies, but an advance review in Rolling Stone magazine on October 18, 1969, disclosed the stellar lineup. By the time the album reached record shops, it was virtually a legend.
Imagine the following scene taking place in San Francisco, a few months pre-Altamont, circa mid-October, 1969. Rock 'n' roll scribe T.M. Christian has just turned in a favorable review of The Masked Marauders' debut album to his editor at Rolling Stone Magazine.
Now, further imagine the Rolling Stone Copy Editor looking over Christian's review with bemusement as he wonders just who this new reviewer is and why he's never met the man. Nevertheless, he scans Christian's review of this group's eponymous effort, reading how the group members have been forced to conceal their true identities for "contractual reasons", but reads that the album's recordings were the combined efforts from a one-off session by John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan.
Christian proceeds to describe the contents therein, writing that the LP contains an extended version of Donovan's "Season Of The Witch", which features Bob Dylan's lead vocal doing a "superb imitation of early Donovan", and features a stellar performance by Paul McCartney, playing both bass and piano in a duet with himself. There are versions of "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "In The Midnight Hour." Also featured are Bob Dylan's "Cow Pie", and Mick Jagger's new instant classic, "I Can't Get No Nookie."
If you've read this far and haven't already sussed it for yourself, The Masked Marauders' album reviewed in the pages of Rolling Stone reportedly never existed and that Christian was none other than Rolling Stone scribe Greil Marcus having a bit of fun at the expense of his readers. A few weeks later, on Wednesday, October 18, 1969, Ralph J. Gleason, a writer for The San Francisco Chronicle, broke the news in his "On The Town" column that the whole thing was a joke, calling the review "a delightful bit of instant mythology."
A late 60s ‘hippy’ urban legend was created, and the authenticity of the ‘myth’ has been debated by stoners for decades. The ‘official’ story is that album was only a clever hoax, but to this day there are still true believers.
Composition of ‘real’ Masked Marauders is reported to be as follows:
Langdon Winner - Piano and Backing Vocals
Annie "Dynamite" Johnson - Vocals and Percussion
Phil Marsh - Vocals and Guitar
Brian Voorheis - Vocals, Guitar and Harmonica
Vic Smith - Bass
Anna Rizzo - Drums
Mark "The Fox" Voorheis - Drums and Vocals on "Saturday Night at the Cow Palace"
Gary Salzman - Lap Steel
Allen Chance - Vocals on "More or Less Hudson's Bay Again"
Tracklist:
Media Info:
Bitrate: 192 kbps
Channels: joint stereo
Samplerate: 44100
Encoder: FhG
MPEG-1 layer 3
Encoded by: SavageSnts
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