Unreleased songs (1 numbers or more)
Members (4 numbers or more)
Gigs (1 numbers or more)
- Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally Sat 16 May 1970
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The name Titanic derives from the Titans (Τιτᾶνες / Τιτανικός) of Greek mythology. The band Titanic was a pre-Cirith Ungol band active around 1969-72, most probably it was from February 1970 – April 1971.
Trivia: RMS Titanic was a ship, but 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg.
I don’t remember how we came up with “Titanic”, but we intended the name to mean “huge” or “giant”, and not the ship that sank after it hit an iceberg. Of course, everyone made jokes about the band going down with the ship!
Greg Lindstrom, interview 21 Jun 2021
- Robert Garven – drums and vocals
- Jerry Fogle – guitar
- Greg Lindstrom – bass and vocals
- Pat Galligan – guitar and vocals
- Tim Whisenhunt (or Wisenhunt, or similar) – roadie
I think the only reason Pat and Rob got me involved was because I had an amp! Three guitars plugged into one 15 watt amp and Rob with just a snare drum and hi-hat trying to play Beatles songs. I wish I had a tape, it would be hilarious !
Greg Lindstrom, interview by Patrick Lefevre
Rob Garven and I first met in English class in 7th grade in 1969, and we found we had common interests in Ferraris and The Lord Of The Rings. A couple of years later in 1971, another guy in our school named Pat Galligan (later a member of the punk band The Angry Samoans) wanted to form a band called Titanic with Jerry Fogle to mostly play Beatles’ songs. For some reason they got Rob in to play drums (even though he didn’t have any drums and didn’t know how to play), and Rob called me because I had an amplifier. In the very beginning, there were three of us playing guitar through one amplifier and Rob with just a snare drum and hi hat! Well, I’ve never been a big Beatles fan, so I was pushing us to play heavier stuff like Cream and Grand Funk. Pat wasn’t into that, so Jerry, Rob and I quit Titanic in 1972 [edit: probably 1971] and formed Cirith Ungol [edit: probably Apr 1971] .
Greg Lindstrom, BallBuster interview
Titanic did not release any albums (believe me, you wouldn’t want to hear it, anyway),
Greg Lindstrom
Summer of 1970 – That’s Jerry on the right with his $39 Kent guitar, Pat Galligan on 2nd guitar in the plaid shirt next to Rob, and me way in back with my Hofner Beatle bass copy. We were either playing a Beatles or CCR song…
– Greg Lindstrom commenting on the photo on FB, 28 Jan 2015
It all started in Ventura, CA. The other member of the band at the time beside Greg, Jerry and I was Pat Galligan. His parents had a folk singing group that he was part of… THE GALLIGAN FAMILY. He played rhythm guitar. Greg and I first met in 7th grade about 1969, we had several things in common, we both loved cars, especially Ferraris, and music. We wanted to start a band and we knew Pat already played guitar and Jerry was starting to, so we started to jam as TITANIC. Pat was a big BEATLES fan at the time, so we stared playing all BEATLE covers. First song we played was “Get Back”! To make a long story short, the rest of us were into more heavier music and so the three of us quit TITANIC and started CIRITH UNGOL. Right away we started to write original music and play heavier covers, like MOUNTAIN, Jimi Hendrix, CREAM, and BLACK SABBATH, who were all happening around that time. We had some heavy jam sessions. I wish I had the tapes still… they would have been classic! Pat, Greg and I all sang in TITANIC.
Robert Garven
Our original band “Titanic” started when Greg Lindstrom and I first met in 7th grade about 1969, we had several things in common, we both loved sports cars, especially Ferraris and hard rock music and we wanted to start a rock band. We had a friend Pat Galligan, whose parents had a folk singing group called “The Galligan Family”. Pat played rhythm guitar, Greg was playing bass guitar and Jerry Fogle was playing lead guitar, I had just bought a drum set so we started to jam. Pat was a big Beatles fan at the time so we stared playing all Beatles covers; first song we played was “Get Back”!
Rob
first time we ever played live was outside at our junior high school, we called up and they gave us permission to play facing the parking lot that was 12-02-1970
I think the last show I did verify that we played was at that same Anacapa junior high school where we played an auditorium
Rob, Feb 2022
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- Robs father Bill Garven in front of Barker Brothers
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- Barker Brothers Ventura 19XX 2
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- Barker Brothers Furniture
My father was the manager of this store Barker Brothers Furniture, and he let us set up right here unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of this but we faced out kind of where the corner of this building was. This was the reason we came to California his family was in a furniture business and we moved from Texas and we ended up here in Ventura. If it wasn’t for that move there would have been no band.
Robert
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- Greg, Rob – Titanic First Picture Ever 1970
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- PJ, Greg, Rob, Jerry
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- PJ, Rob, Greg, Tim Whisenhunt, Jerry
They helped Titanic
… we playing at the beach on a boardwalk that is called “The Promenade” We were friends with a couple of older guys in a blues band in town called Tim Buleys Blues Band, they had a real to reel recorder so that they came down and recorded that live performance.
… one was Gordon Stuart (Stewart?) and I think he had the 1/4” reel to reel tape recorder. The brother of Tim Buley was Pat Buley and he was a drummer and he was there that day helping record us.
Rob
Tim Buley – guitar
- The Tim Buleys Blues Band
- Tim Buley with the R&B Bombers Rhythm Section
- Joe Wilson – Vocals & Harmonica
- Steve Nelson – Bass
- Tom Walsh – Drums
- Steve Wachsman – Guitar
- Tim Buley on keyboards, guitar & vocals
- The Bowlful
- Larry Nass
- Pat Buley
- also friends
Patrick “Pat” Buley – drums, R.I.P. 21 Apr 2019
- The Tim Buleys Blues Band
- Surge
Those are brothers with Dan Buley (Axe, Surge, Prowler), 8 Oct 1959 – R.I.P. 24 Nov 1982 and Denny Buley, R.I.P. 2016.
From their early gigs
- (day dd mm) 1969: Rob and Greg first met in English class in 7th grade in 1969, common interests in Ferraris and The Lord Of The Rings
- (day dd) Feb 1970 – (day dd) Apr 1971 – Rob, Greg, Pat and Jerry form a band Titanic
- Summer 1970 – First photo on Titanic
- Thu 12 Feb 1970 – arguably Titanic played live at Anacapa Junior High School (or Wed 02 Dec 1970)
- Wed 02 Dec 1970 – First time Titanic played live was outside at their Anacapa Junior High School (or Thu 12 Feb 1970)
- Thu 14 May 1970 – arguably Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally (but poster is “May 16”,). Band is possibly Titanic, not Cirith Ungol. See Sat 16 May 1970.
- Fri 15 May 1970 – arguably Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally (but poster is “May 16,”). Band is possibly Titanic, not Cirith Ungol. See Sat 16 May 1970.
- Sat 16 May 1970 – Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally. Band is possibly Titanic, not Cirith Ungol.
- (day dd) Apr 1971 – Rob, Greg and Jerry quited Titanic and probably formed Cirith Ungol
- Mon 05 Apr 1971 – arguably live at Anacapa Junior High School (or Tue 04 May 1971)
- Tue 04 May 1971 – live at Anacapa Junior High School (or Mon 05 Apr 1971)
- Fri 14 May 1971 – arguably Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally (but poster is “May 16”,). Band is possibly Cirith Ungol, not Titanic. See Sat 16 May 1970.
- Thu 15 May 1971 – arguably Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally (but poster is “May 16,”). Band is possibly Cirith Ungol, not Titanic. See Sat 16 May 1970.
- Fri 16 May 1971 – arguably Nixon Send GIs Into Cambodia – Anti-War Rally (but poster is “May 16,”). Band is possibly Cirith Ungol, not Titanic. See Sat 16 May 1970.
- Mon 21 Feb 1972 – Mini Pop Festival @ Larabee Stadium.