Milan (aka The Leather Boy)

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Milan (also known as The Leather Boy) (born c. 1944) is an enigmatic producer, songwriter and recording artist on numerous songs released throughout the 1960's, mostly though not exclusively in the psychedelic rock and garage rock genres. He has released an LP and several singles for six different national record labels under a variety of names: Milan, The World of Milan, Milan (The Leather Boy), The Leather Boy, and the Unclaimed.[1] Additionally, Milan has been the producer and/or songwriter for a variety of artists ranging from the pop singer Lou Christie to the psychedelic rock band the Head Shop.

Greg Shaw thought enough of Milan to place his song "I'm a Leather Boy" as the opening tracks on two different albums in the Pebbles series: the Pebbles, Volume 10 CD and the Pebbles, Volume 11 LP. He has written of Milan as being "a cryptic artist who made a series of high image records offering himself as some leather-clad, bike-riding rebel, but so stylized he might've been imagined by Andy Warhol. . . . The only name to be found on these records is Milan, a name that also shows up on a big pile of records, from the early 60s right thru the end of the decade. . . . But who was he? No further clue has ever emerged. This is one guy whose story really cries out to be told."[2]

Contents

[edit] Early Musical Career

Among the long litany of 1960s recording artists who went by only one name (at least for a period of time) – Donovan, Jennifer, Keith, Oliver and Cher (not to mention Sonny), to name a few – Milan was one of the first, beginning with his 1963 single on End. There was never any attempt to be anonymous, however; his photograph was provided on both sides of his 1964 album, I Am What I Am and both of the singles that he released as The Leather Boy in 1967.

Probably his highest charting success was with one of his songs that was recorded by Lou Christie, "How Many Teardrops" as a follow-up single to his major hit "Two Faces Have I"; this single reached #41 on the Cash Box charts on June 22, 1963. [3]

[edit] Milan's Identity

By most accounts, Milan's real name is Rick Rodell; he often works with another mysterious figure, Maxim, whose real name is Max Ellen. For instance, the liner notes on his album I Am What I Am list the songwriter as "M. Rodell" (which presumably stands for Milan Rodell). Also, the promotional material for the World In Sound reissue of the Head Shop album on CD mentions the real names of both of Milan and Maxim; they are likely mentioned in the liner notes as well[4].

The full name of this alias is further listed by some as Milan Radenkovich[5] (or Milan Radenkowich)[3]. Retrieved 15 Oct 2006. </ref>, though the surname is rarely if ever shown on records attributed to him. Both Milan and Maxim are evidently music industry professionals working in New York, and some sources claim that Milan is actually a combined alias for both men. This appears unlikely, since they are shown individually on the credits for the Head Shop (where they served as producer and associate producer, respectively, as well as songwriters and backing musicians).

Milan's identity is not universally provided, however. AIP has reissued four of his classics on the LPs and CDs in the Pebbles series and has never mentioned his real name. For instance, Greg Shaw – whose AIP Records has reissued many of his songs on albums in the Pebbles series – says only that Milan "evidently worked in New York and must have been a fixture on the fringes of the Brill Building-dominated studio scene".[2]

[edit] Album, I Am What I Am

Album Cover

The first recording attributed to Milan appears to be the "Innocence" single; the second is evidently an LP that was released on 20th Century Fox in 1964, called I Am What I Am, along with an associated single, "I Am What I Am" b/w "Over and Over Again". The front cover copy also includes "presenting a bright new star". The album's liner notes describe Milan as "a darkly handsome, six foot, 160 lb. twenty year old" with a "European musical background" and continue: "Milan is popular music . . . he lives it, loves it and understands it and refuses to allow the tendency to copy whatever happens to be in the top ten at the present time to influence his work" (ellipses in the original). He also has a beautiful, melodic voice that is sometimes difficult to appreciate on his later recordings.

Although the authenticity and commitment to his music is apparent even at this point, the album is in the style of early 1960's pop music records, and much of the music bears only passing resemblance to the garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings for which he is better known. As a result, this album, though scarce, is typically available for a fraction of the cost of most of the singles that were released in later years. However, some of the songs on the album, including "Runnin' Wild" and "Spellbound" have the flavor of his later garage-rock classics.

[edit] Later Recording Career

Perhaps in response to the slow sales of his early work, Milan moved on more interestingly to a variety of guises and bands, not to mention new record labels. Whether these new names are bands or pseudonyms is unknown for the most part. Some sources identify The Leather Boy as a band that is led by Milan; but on one single, the two names are combined, and the covers on the Leather Boy singles only show Milan, so this is doubtful.

Insofar as his persona is concerned, the moniker "Leather Boy" is certainly appropriate, since he is shown on several singles in a leather jacket, sometimes holding a guitar. Anticipating his pose on the single "I'm a Leather Boy", he is shown on the back cover of his earlier album holding a guitar and dressed in what appears to be a faux leather smock emblazoned with "Milan" in stylized lettering.

[edit] Producer and Songwriting Credits

On his 1964 album, the songwriter is listed as "M. Rodell", and on the associated single, the songwriter is "Milan Rodelle" (although the surname is probably misspelled in that case). Otherwise, the name "Milan" was evidently used in all of his many appearances as songwriter or producer. These range from writing a song for Lou Christie called "How Many Teardrops" for a 1963 release, to producing and songwriting duties on the 1969 psychedelic rock album for the Head Shop.

He also was the producer for both sides of the 1967 single "Bongo Bongo" b/w "Free as a Bird" on MGM (#K-13750) – MGM also released some of his own singles – for an obscure girl group called The Chanters. He was also listed as the songwriter of "Bongo Bongo". According to the programmer of the compilation albums Look What I Found, Volume 12 and Look What I Found, Volume 21 – which each included a re-release of one side of this single – "Bongo Bongo" "sounds like [Milan's] 'On the Go'. . . The Chanters have remained a mystery band as I've never seen this 45 on any compilation."[6]

[edit] Reissues and Other Sources of the Music

Milan was re-introduced to the world in Pebbles, Volume 11 of the LPs in the Pebbles series. This was actually the first album in the series to be released by Bomp! and was the initial LP on their AIP label. This particular compilation album starts off with both sides of a 1967 single by The Leather Boy, "I'm a Leather Boy" and "Shadows", while "You Gotta Have Soul" closes the album. The former cut is an exuberant garage rock track that features actual sounds of motorcycles in the background that even Steppenwolf eschewed, while the latter is a passionate romp that has a similar gritty feel. "Shadows" is a marvelous psychedelic rock masterwork that appears on the Pebbles box sets called Pebbles Box and Trash Box but is not otherwise available in the Pebbles series on CD. However, "On the Go" appears on the Pebbles, Volume 10 CD (this song also reprises the motorcycle sounds from "I'm a Leather Boy").

Greg Shaw has expressed hope that an album could be collected of his work some day[7] — which, sadly, has still not taken place — adding that "what he did with Donovan songs has to be heard to be believed!". The latter is a reference to the Leather Boy single, "Jersey Thursday", one of the rarest of Milan's singles.[2] However, in addition to those in the Pebbles series, Milan's recordings have been collected on several other garage-rock and psychedelic-rock collections.

While not reaching the stratospheric level of artists like the Human Expression and the Outcasts, the original Milan 45s sell on a regular basis for elevated prices. For instance, between 2004 and 2006, the "I'm a Leather Boy" single sold at auction on eBay for $68, £15 and £27.[8]

[edit] Bands, Aliases and Other Projects

  • Milan
  • The World of Milan
  • Milan (The Leather Boy)
  • The Leather Boy
  • The Unclaimed
  • Lou Christie
  • The Head Shop
  • The Chanters
  • The Aladdins
  • Licorice Schtik

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

As Milan:

[edit] Singles

As Milan:

  • "Innocence" b/w "Winter Time"; End (#1123) — 1963
  • "I Am What I Am" b/w "Over and Over Again"; 20th Century Fox (#487) — 1964

As The World of Milan:

  • "Cry, Lonely Boy" b/w "Luva-Luva"; ABC-Paramount (#10718) — 1965
  • "Follow the Sun" b/w "I'm Cryin' in the Rain"; Brunswick (#55292) — 1966
  • "One Track Mind" b/w "Shades of Blue"; Brunswick (#55298) — 1966

As Milan (The Leather Boy):

  • "You Gotta Have Soul" b/w "My Prayer"; Flower (#100) — 1967

As The Leather Boy:

  • "I'm a Leather Boy" b/w "Shadows"; MGM (#K-13724) — April 1967
  • "On the Go" b/w "Soulin'"; MGM (#K-13790) — August 1967
  • "Jersey Thursday" b/w "Black Friday"; Parkway (#125) — 1967

As The Unclaimed:

  • "Memories of Green Eyes" b/w/ "Jingle Jangle"; Philips (#30430) — 1967

[edit] Compilation Albums[9]

I'm a Leather Boy

  1. Pebbles, Volume 11 (LP)
  2. Pebbles, Volume 10 (CD)
  3. Pebbles, Volume 3 (CD – ESD Release)
  4. Mayhem and Psychosis, Volume 1 (LP)
  5. Mayhem and Psychosis, Volume 1 (CD)

Shadows

  1. Pebbles, Volume 11 (LP)
  2. Pebbles Box (LP Box Set)
  3. Trash Box (CD Box Set)

You Gotta Have Soul

  1. Pebbles, Volume 11 (LP)

On the Go

  1. Pebbles, Volume 10 (CD)
  2. A Journey to Tyme, Volume 5 (LP)
  3. Garagelands, Volume 1 (LP)
  4. Garagelands, Volume 1 (CD)
  5. Wavy Gravy series[6]

Soulin'

  1. A Journey to Tyme, Volume 5 (LP)
  2. Garagelands, Volume 1 (LP)
  3. Garagelands, Volume 1 (CD)

One Track Mind

  1. Winning Sides, Volume 2 (LP)
  2. Quagmires, Volume 3 (CD)

Memories of Green Eyes

  1. Garagelands, Volume 2 (CD)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Entry on the single on the Unclaimed on www.beatbehindthedykes.com (a Dutch website). Retrieved 27 Mar 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Liner notes, Pebbles, Volume 10 CD.
  3. ^ a b On-line article on a Lou Christie & the Tammys collection Egyptian Shumba, by Harry Young. Retrieved 15 Oct 2006.
  4. ^ Entry on the Head Shop under www.forcedexposure.com. Retrieved 15 Oct 2006.
  5. ^ On-line article on The 1960s New York Garage Band Scene, by Mike Markesich. Retrieved 15 Oct 2006.
  6. ^ a b Entry on the Look What I Found compilation albums. Retrieved 15 Oct 2006.
  7. ^ Liner notes, Pebbles, Volume 11 LP.
  8. ^ Realized auction prices report on www.popsike.com. Retrieved 3 Jun 2008.
  9. ^ Searchin' for Shakes on-line database, Ugly Things fanzine (unless otherwise noted). Retrieved 3 Mar 2007.