Barry LaBov Discography
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Music
The Ruins
A Rock Opera featuring LaBov, Linehan, Reff and Sauers
One of my earliest projects was writing a rock opera called "The Ruins" when I was only 18 years old in 1974. It was a unique challenge to find great musicians who were willing to commit their talent to the project, but eventually, I enlisted the help of Jerry Reff, Mark Linehan, and Gary Sauers. We rented a small practice room in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and spent months huddled together, jamming, and creating music across various genres, including rock, progressive, and orchestral. The result was twelve tracks, beginning with an overture that showcased brief snippets of the songs that would follow. I recently digitized the master tape of "The Ruins" that I discovered in my basement and was amazed at how good it sounded. To this day, Jerry, Mark, Gary, and I remain friends, and they continue to play music.
Gas, Food and Lodging
The earliest original songs and recordings I created are found in an album called "Gas, Food & Lodging". When I was just 14 years old, I started a band with my 12-year-old brother, Dean, who played the guitar and sang. We named the band after a roadside sign we saw while in our parent's car, which read "Gas, Food & Lodging". Despite being only a two-piece band with Dean on guitar and me on drums and keyboards, we played at dozens of events, such as local parks, weddings, and lakes in our region. It was during this time that I began exploring creativity by writing songs, performing, and learning how to record music on an old tape recorder.
Live @ IPFW
In 1975, I assembled a group of elite musicians to perform with me at my college, Indiana-Purdue in Fort Wayne, Indiana (IPFW). We put on a performance that featured progressive music with touches of jazz and rock and roll. The band included Gene Murray, Cliff Webb, and Mike Williams, and the music was mostly instrumental and very challenging to perform, with numerous time signature changes. We were able to pull it off, and I'm still amazed at what we accomplished. Much of the inspiration for these long-form pieces came from a famous painting by Hieronymus Bosch called "The Garden of Earthly Delights". The painting gave birth to some ambitious music that was featured in the concert.