MacArthur were formed when a young guitar player and songwriter named Ben MacArthur met a 17-yeard old prodigy musician called Bill Heffelfinger in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1978. Bill was not only a gifted guitar player but also a genius arranger and keyboard wizard. When Ben showed him some of the stuff he had written, Bill took the songs and transformed them into classic pieces of music. They soon recruited Jeff Bauer on drums and Scott Stockford on bass. The chemistry of MacArthur was born.
The first MacArthur album, known in collector’s circles as “The Black Forest” due to the vinyl bootleg of the same title released in the 80s, was recorded in 1979 using a four-track machine. Produced by Bill Heffelfinger, “MacArthur” is a progressive / psychedelic concept album highlighted by devastating, ripping fuzz guitar solos and Mini-Moog / synths attacks.
Due to the lack of funds, the album was originally issued by the band in a primitive hand-made sleeve with just a sticker on front and a paper sheet with the credits glued on back. For this, the first ever legit reissue, we’ve done a printed sleeve with embossed letters on front, as the band originally intended.
GuerSsen
Tracks
1. Light Up (Ben MacArthur, Bill Hefflefinger) - 3:25
2. Laughing Like A Lark - 4:57
3. Generations/First Contact - 6:38
4. Push On (Ben MacArthur, Bill Hefflefinger) - 4:39
5. Of Only Then - 5:53
6. The Black Forest (Bill Hefflefinger) - 5:10
.1. The Journey In
.2. Demonic Encounter
.3. Presence Of The Dark Force
.4. The Battle
.5. The Escape
.6. The Journey Out -
7. Prelude No.1 In C Major (Bill Hefflefinger) - 4:25
8. The Shock Of The New (Bill Hefflefinger) - 4:00
.1. The Molecular Meeting
.2. The Reaction/Atomical Fusion
.3. Confusion/The Interaction
.4. The Molecular Release
.5. Finale
All Lyrics by Ben MacArthur, Music by Ben MacArthur except where indicated
Musicians
*Ben MaCarthur - Vocals, Piano, Guitars
*Bill Hefflefinger - Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
*Donald Stockford - Bass
*Jeff Bauer - Drums