by Achille Brunet
"Theme songs became the thing for the movies a decade or so ago and every multimillion dollar production had one. Now the same dodge is being tried in the book industry."
So is introduced the article of the Philadelphia Daily News presenting "Wilderness Of Monkeys", one of the very few, if not the only example of a 1960s rock single actually issued to promote a novel. The thing had indeed become commonplace for movies or commercials, but for a book, that was unheard of.
First published in August 1965 by Dutton, Judith Paige Mitchell's book "A Wilderness Of Monkeys" tells the story of attorney Will Barrett, who's job is to prove that Jacques Gariura, a M.D. who set up a clinic in Leesburg, Virginia, has been slandered by his former perverted colleagues. He goes to Leesburg, uncovers abortion, miscegenation, and adultery. He precipitates a suicide, sheds a mistress, mixes it up pretty good with the ladies, and in the process wins his case.
The reviews were positive, including in legal periodicals praising its realistic trial scenes and the book quickly became a popular success, though its approach of some daring topics got it to be banned in Memphis, Tennessee.
Judith Paige Mitchell aka Paige Mitchell was born Judith Paige Segel. A native of New Orleans, she lived in Jackson, Mississippi where she was married to Civil Rights attorney Alvin Binder. She worked as a medical artist, illustrating a textbook of physiology. She started to write her first novel "A Wilderness Of Monkeys" in 1963 and also studied law for a year only to strenghen its autencity. The book was published in 1965 and after divorcing, she moved to Los Angeles that year. She also turned to painting, ultimately adding music to the list with this single.
The single by The Restless Natives was made one year later for the paperback print of the novel in November 1966, a year after the first edition. Paige Mitchell was the one to come up with the idea. Her paperback publisher, the well established Bantam Books, was so impressed by the song she wrote that they went as far as establishing a new firm, Bantam Records.
"We at Bantam expect such great things from 'Wilderness' that we formed a record company just to promote the book," said Miss Margolis to The Register.
"They call it diversification" answered Mitchell to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"Wilderness Of Monkeys" is a fast upbeat rocker, sung with a powerful voice by a male singer, backed with female harmonies. Where the title of the book served obviously as an metaphor, the song has in fact nothing to do with the story told in the novel and instead refers to the actual wilderness, speaking of monkeys, fish, sand, hot rocks, oceans and so on. If that was metaphoric too, I didn't grasp it.
Take me where the fishes fly
Take me where all the monkeys cry
Take me (yeah) in the wilderness of monkeys
The flip side, "I Had A Spring", is a slow atmospheric ballad sung with harmonies by a female vocalist (probably the same singer who did backing vocals on the A side) and might feel at home on a Garage Girls compilation. (I'll make a better transfer than this one when I get the chance)
Paige Mitchell was probably the first author to write a rock 'n' roll theme song for her own book, at least Bantam representatives proudly presented her as such, but she wasn't making a stong case for it.
"One day when I didn't have anything in particular to do, I thought it might be amusing to write a song to go with my book. I don't know any music, but a tune comes into my head and I set it to lyrics." she explained to the Philadelphia Daily News.
After bringing the song to Bantam, the publisher most likely hired a studio band for the work. Since Paige Mitchell lived in Los Angeles, the Wrecking Crew and the likes obviously come to mind. However, Bantam Records was established in New York City. Either way, a local band might also have been hired for the job.
(Cash Box - Nov 12, 1966)
Note: they mixed Allen and Paige's names in credits
for "Once I Had A Spring". There is no "Miss Allen".
All articles refer to The Restless Natives as a "new rock 'n' roll group". The name was obviously made up in relation to the theme song. I didn't find any band touring under that name, I don't think any gig was done to promote the single either but the band might have had other activities under a different moniker. Articles gave no information on the band. If Bantam took care of it, Paige Mitchell herself may have not known much about the band and recording.
Raymond Allen (miscredited Allan on the label) may have been the producer of the session and the one to find the musicians. He could also have been the male singer of the theme song, for all I know.
I couldn't identify him with certainty. Among the better possibilities in California, he could be Raymond L. Allen who co-wrote a song for the Allegro's in 1959. The Allegro's were from around Cucamunga, CA and the single was later picked up by a Los Angeles label. In the case he was more from the publishing world, there was also a publicity director by that name in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, and also a magazine publisher in South Pasadena.
If he was rather from New York, I have even fewer leads. There was a veteran actor from New York who performed actively in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and was also singer and dancer in a chorus for a musical in March 1966. But that seems unlikely.
With one man and one woman sharing credit on the 45, I first supposed Allen and Mitchell may have been the two singers heard on the single, but Paige, though often mentioning writing the songs, never said she sang them.
Anyway, as for Allen and the actual band, the mystery remains.
Paige Mitchell went on tour in various cities to plug the Bantam paperback edition of her novel. The book was successful but the record likely had nothing to do with it. It was already selling before that.
Only a couple of newspapers found worthwhile to mention the record. Most articles have nothing to say about the music itself and rather praise Mitchell's versatility. One Pennsylvania article called them "lilts". In December, another journalist mentioned the record slightly more extensively and the description isn't very flattering:
"I took [...] her record and headed for home where I played the theme song to "A Wilderness Of Monkeys" on the stereo. [...] Paige Mitchell may be a talented novelist and painter, but when it comes to rock and roll songs, The Beatles don't have a thing to worry about!"
The record went way under the radar at the time. DJ copies were sent to radio stations at strategic points in the country in California, New York and Texas. Someone from Austin, Texas recalled his father who was in the DJ business in the mid-60s had given him the promo, possibly after playing it or renouncing to play it (I too own a promo copy). Stock copies were pressed and sales-tested in Dallas, Texas but since they are as scarce as DJ copies, I assume it wasn't very conclusive.
(The Register from Santa Ana, California - Dec 11, 1966)
"[Paige Mitchell] has a second book due out in the spring, 'Love Is Not A Safe Country' and has already cleffed the companion tune." (Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia - Nov 23, 1966)
The novel was indeed published in March 1967 (and in 1968 by Bantam) but as for the theme song, it unfortunately stayed in a drawer. "Wilderness Of Monkeys" would be the first and last attempt of this kind. Bantam Records never made anything else.
'Love Is Not A Safe Country' addressed topics that were very controversial in the South and articles report her move to Los Angeles, just before the publication, had something to do with it.
"'My Jackson friends told me how glad they were I didn't write my [first] novel about the race question,' Miss Mitchell said. 'But my next one [...] IS about the race question.' So, before hardcover publication last year, the lovely 33-year-old author packed up household goods and 3 children and moved from Jackson, Miss. to Los Angeles, knowing she'd broken the code and would no longer be welcome at home." (Cleveland Plain Dealer - Nov 1966)
But that didn't stop Mitchell. Placing authenticity in the center of her work as a novelist, she went as far as taking flying lessons to research her third novel. Due to its popularity, "Wilderness Of Monkeys" was reprinted in 1968 by Dell. The paperback cover ventured into more sensual territory:
Paige Mitchell kept ties with music as in 1966-67 she collaborated with Leon Uris on the musical version of Uris' book "Exodus" planned for Broadway, and occasionally wrote song lyrics.
She wrote several novels turned on topics of the era including integration and civil rights. She later worked in television in the 1980s as a writer and producer, with topics mainly focused on true crime.
Paige Mitchell passed away in Los Angeles in 2010.
Paige Mitchell in 1965.
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