Re: The Easy Action Box
Date: 22 September 2006

We've had a number of inquiries questioning the authenticity of the alleged "band authorized" and highly over-priced Sonic's Rendezvous band box set. It’s time that we respond to the inquiries.

In 1998, after Fred's passing, Patti Smith personally gave me the responsibility of documenting the Sonic's Rendezvous material. I took that assignment seriously, doing so in a manner consistent with the development and evolution of the band's sound and giving due diligence to respecting Fred’s creative body of work. Fred was the unquestionable leader and ultimate authority within the band, that fact is undeniable. He decided the direction of the band, which songs the group would perform and what material would best represent the creative focus of the band; I was responsible for putting those decisions into practice and making them happen.

The dullard responsible for Easy Action's promotional spiel claims this 'new' box features "completely unreleased SRB material", that "only product the band ever released was a 7” Single of “City Slang”, that "the band themselves have all contributed as well as the estate of Fred Smith."

That is complete and utter bullshit. Anyone remotely familiar with the band knows two full-length CDs and a 12 inch EP have been released by Mack Aborn Rhythmic Arts. Anyone capable of reading the error-filled booklet of fantasy that accompanies this box will realize there's not a single quote from Scott Asheton and it can be stated unequivocally the "estate of Fred Smith" does not approve of nor do they support this fraudulent release.

Robert "the Ramalama" Matheu, who once masqueraded as a trusted friend, has claimed in a message board posting, “I would sometimes take one of my home cassette decks and plug it right into the soundboard” and that “Fred gave me a copy of this one, he used to drop by my house in Dearborn to dub cassettes”. He also claims he "didn't miss more than a couple of shows".

Unfortunately, Robert Matheu is a bald-faced liar, in my opinion he's a deceptive jackal who’s betrayed what little trust he was ever afforded. The idea of Fred "dubbing cassettes" is laughable to anyone fortunate enough to be close to him. However, since Fred's not available for comment, unscrupulous scumbags apparently feel they have carte blanche to make such outlandish comments.

For the record, all of the Sonic’s Rendezvous band board tapes within that box were recorded by either Bill Lord or myself. The best of the lot were included on the previously issued “Sweet Nothing ” and “City Slang” discs, though a number of tracks were retained for use in the upcoming “American Boy” collection. Those three discs will continue to serve as the true epitaph of Sonic ’s Rendezvous band.

Matheu also claimed "Scott Morgan felt that maybe there was something more we could do", a clearly troubling statement for anyone familiar with the dynamics and inner workings of the band. (Matheu apparently had similar ideas about Creem magazine; anyone know how that misadventure's working out?) He claimed this purported box set "sheds some light and sets the record straight" which is patently ridiculous. This haphazard jumble of "odds and ends" in no way "sets the record straight"; history is what it is, the record is already set in stone. This poor quality smorgasbord of inferior recordings seems intended to do exactly the opposite, to rewrite and refocus the band's history, quite similar to what the sycophants surrounding Wayne Kramer have attempted to do with the MC5.

And, as the MC5 debacle has proven, it's an effort destined for complete and utter failure.

The Easy Action misadventure is nothing more than a cheap and pitiful attempt to undermine the official Mack Aborn Rhythmic Arts releases; Easy Action has unlawfully appropriated the Mack Aborn discs, the other board tapes used in this mess are several generations removed from our master recordings. Beyond that, much of this costly sham of a box are either inferior songs or flawed recordings, even Easy Action admits “ many of these tracks fall a bit short on the recording quality”. No kidding?

And don't kid yourself: beyond the Mack Aborn material, much of the rest is garbage, deleted from the Sonic's Rendezvous repertoire long ago, music which Fred Smith did not ever intend to release or care to continue being associated with and that includes the silly "Electrophonic Tonic". Using the name "Sonic's Rendezvous" to market such lackluster material is reprehensible, both an affront to Fred's hard-earned and well-deserved reputation and an undignified attempt to capitalize on and ultimately diminish Sonic's name.

The same negative energy that ultimately ended the Sonic's Rendezvous band is what seems to have fueled this fiasco and the bad blood which has followed. The above comment attributed to Morgan expresses the exact intent of this bogus project, his delusional obsession with feigning a leadership role in a band he was ultimately removed from 26 years ago is bizarre. Dumbing down and rewriting Fred’s lyrics, re-recording a mortifying amount of the band's material, several songs more than once, is just weird; particularly when it's the same material he once complained about and despised playing when the band was a actual functioning unit.

In a recent conversation with the most prominent living member of Sonic's band, I questioned what might have happened, all those years ago, had Morgan stopped his pissing and moaning and instead put some real effort into furthering the band's collective interest. To paraphrase his reply, the band would have been better off had they jettisoned any dead weight long before the band's demise in 1980. Anyone who matters knows that Fred was an amazing musician, that it was his songs and his guitar playing that truly allowed the Sonic's Rendezvous band to transcend.

Jackson Smith recently questioned why every band his father was involved in has since descended into such an ugly and contentious mess, business-wise, years after their demise. My reply was that it should be taken as a somewhat demented compliment, he should be honored to know his father was so extraordinarily talented that his so-called 'surviving' band mates have reduced themselves to simply basking in Fred's refracted glory.

Sonically speaking, Fred Smith chose to explore untapped musical horizons and expanded boundaries others were unaware even existed. As a reward, he certainly deserves better than this lame Easy Action bullshit. So the “American Boy” release will proceed on schedule and be released this fall, including a solo acoustic version of "City Slang" and other rarities; you can also expect both repackaged Mack Aborn discs to be available when the Sonic site comes back online in October.

If you'd like e-mail notification when that happens, drop a line to Stellabiz.

Freddie Brooks
Mack Aborn Rhythmic Arts
Detroit