The Story Behind The Release of My CD Mark Yandle Memoirs of the Marquis De Sade

My CD has been released both in download and hard copy formats, and I am more than pleased to say, that sales world wide are going very groovy. This is a dream come true that goes far beyond that of simply releasing ones music. It is the accumulation of years of hard work between five close friends who literal gave up everything in the pursuit of creating a new style of rock music, and in doing so became as close as any loving family. But it's also a dream that not so long ago looked like it was never going to happen.

In 1970 I formed a band called the Marquis de Sade, after a girl I was dating gave me an historical book on Frances most notorious sex freak of the 18th Century, the Marquis de Sade. Being your typical horny teenage boy at the time, I thought what better name for a hard hitting rock band than that of the most famous sex maniac in the world. Thus, we became the Marquis de Sade.

When I formed the band I had hoped to put together a group with the rock n' roll and R&B feel of the Rolling Stones and the blues and hard rock sounds of the Yardbirds, but soon after I bet the bands lead guitarist, Dana Rasch those thoughts would quickly thrown out the door. Dana didn't play like any other guitarists, nor did he write songs like anyone else. He was in short in his own genius world of creativity, and together we became song writing maniacs as well as the best of friends.

The Marquis de Sade's fame grew fast, as we began to headline all the top night clubs and small concert halls throughout California. Because of my past fame, (limited as it was), we were also put into the rock newspapers and magazines of the day. Dana and I were also doing a lot of writing and recording of our tunes anytime we could get into a studio.

I was not only the bands lead singer and co song writer, I was also the groups leader as well. I had a lot more professional experience in the entertainment world than the rest of them, so they were glad to let me lead. They trusted me, and I made it my job to take care of them, not only as a band member, but as a personal friend, at times even a father figure. These guys meant the world to me, and I could not let them down. Failure for the band would have been devastating for me like a father failing his child or his wife. These guys turned their lives over to me, and it was my job to make it happen.

I was also the bands manager which worked out groovy for directing the guys career, but was death when it came to dealing with record companies. Record companies generally would not work with an artist(s) who did not have professional management support outside of the band. So in 1973 we were very excited to find a manager who was young, very hip, rich and thought the Marquis de Sade was going to be bigger than Led Zeppelin.

Our new manager reminded me of an American version of the Rolling Stones Andrew Loog Oldham. He was wild, open minded with visions that we dug. We got a lot more gigs, much more publicity in the press and our four song demo was reaching all the top record companies in the world.

The only problem we were having is every major record company who heard our demo was turning us down. They didn't seem to care that the public loved us or even that the press loved us. They couldn't categorize us. Who is this band like? Are they rock n' roll, hard rock, progress hard or what? Record companies love to categorize new artists. They feel safer if the artist reminds them of someone who has already made it. Some told our manager they didn't hear a hit single. Others even said we should change our band name, because it might turn off some of the younger audiences parents. The bottom line was, nobody wanted us and it was starting to tare the band members down.

The Marquis de Sade had been performing a double album concept idea that I had come up with in 1969. I called it a Rock Biography. Dana and I had written most of the songs, and then later our new keyboard player Don Bleedin joined our writing team with one brilliant musical idea after another. I somehow talked our manager into putting us in a professional 24 track recording studio to record the entire double album and submit it to record companies that way.

As we finished recorded the first six or so songs our manager decided to start shopping those songs to record companies even though I had wanted to wait to shop the whole concept album together. And just as before every record company turned us down. Once again the hopes of the band began to fade and once again it was my job to give them hope and assure them that this album was going to sell. We just needed to believe in ourselves.

We finally finished our double concept album and the band celebrated. It came out just as we had wanted and everyone felt the major record company deal was soon to come. Our manager had hired a top notch publicist who at the time was working with the likes of Paul McCartney and the Moody Blues to handle the Marquis de Sade. She and I put together a press package with a tape of our double album. Band biography, pictures, bumper sticker and a T-Shirt to give out to the press and went submitting our songs to record companies.

The public and press loved the press kit, but once again, every record company we played our album to turned us down. Who do you sound like? The album is to long. We don't hear a hit single. You need to change the name of your band, its just to nasty. The unthinkable was in sight. This could finally break up the band.

Some of the band members began blaming our manager and our manager was starting to put some of the blame on me for being so stubborn and head strong, (this could be true of me). Somehow I learned a sort of rock n' roll psychology overnight and began helping each one of my guy through this set back. You have to keep in mind how much I loved each one of them. They were family and they had put all their trust in me. I could not let them down.

Then out of the blue, like some scene out of one of those romantic movies where the girl is saved at the last minute by the heroin, our publicist calls to tell us that she submit our songs to the owner of RSO Records and Filmworks, Robert Stigwood, and he loved the album.

Two weeks later the band was at Studio Instrument Rentals in Hollywood, California doing a private performance for Robert Stigwood. We did the entire double album and put on a show as if the room was full of a thousand nude, screaming groupies. When we finished, Robert turned to our manage and told him he was going to sign us to a record contract and release our double album. We did it. We held true to our beliefs and won. The Marquis de Sade was going to be signed to RSO Records and Filmworks and more over they were going to release my concept double album. Fuck, those loser record companies who turned us down. We were going to become super stars and I couldn't wait to rub it in their kiss ass faces.

I had told our manager and the music attorney that I only wanted the basic percentage for our first album. Didn't want to ask for to much. Just get the first album out, go on tour and prove ourselves. We could ask for more money on the second album. The point was to make the dream come true first, the money was secondary.

As our manager and his lawyer worked with the record company working out the fine points of a record contract, I worked on designing a stage for our concerts. Something more spectacular than had ever been seen before. Everything was going to groovy, and the record company was treating us like super stars.

For the first time in the bands history we were all able to let our guard down. That secret safe guard that every rock musician must have to protect themselves from the let downs they know will happen along the way. We all so believed and we open up ourselves to our new world.

Then out of the blue, like finding out your have terminal cancer and you only have weeks to live, our manager called me up and told me the record deal was off. I asked him why and all he would say was for me not to call Robert Stigwood or else, and to tell the other guys that there would be a meeting at his home the following day. I didn't know it at the moment, but my world was about to go into a tail spin that would change me for the rest of my life.

The following afternoon the band met at our managers home and he told us the record deal with RSO Records and Filmworks was over. When we tried to ask him why, all he would say was the companies president was an asshole and a record deal that was satisfactory to both parties was not to be had.

The silence in the room seemed like it went on for an hour. I looked around, into each of my guys eyes and saw only pain and loss. It felt as if we had each been told someone in our family who we loved very much had just been killed in a tragic car accident. Each of our world's in our own way had change, was over and none of us knew what to say to do.

People don't always scream or cry when they are sad or feel a deep loss. Some times they just crawl into a hole inside of their heart, and that's when things can get really bad. That's were the seed of destruction are grown.

I never felt so low in my life, but I had to find a way to save the band. It couldn't just end like this. There was no way I could let them down. So I came up with a plan. I would ask my old friend, Doc Segal, the famed record producer and engineer to do me a favor and produce three new songs by the band. He agreed, our manager agreed to put us in the studio to record them and the band half heatedly agreed to record them.

Each one of guys was going through their own grieving process over the loss of the deal with RSO Records and Filmworks. At first it was hard to tell what everyone was feeling, except that that magic was gone, and I felt their trust in me as there leader was gone as well. The guys who I promised I would never let them down, I had in my heart let them down.

The recordings of the three songs came out perfect and Doc Segal's producing was brilliant, but the Marquis de Sade was over before the final mix was done. The band was ripped apart emotionally. Dana the guitarist refused to practice with the band anymore or do live shows. He added that he thought my singing wasn't good enough and that I had to take singing lessons before we recorded the last three songs. The drummer Gary threatened me at a practice with a fist fight, because he said I looked at him wrong while I was singing a song. The bass guitar Chuck would not show up for practices saying, It was a lovely day and he was going to the beach. I was becoming fragmented. The thought of letting these guys down was taring me apart, and for the first time in my life, I was loosing myself.

Dana quit the band before we had a chance to submit our new songs to anyone. Don didn't want to work with Chuck anymore, (personal problems between them), and Gary didn't want to be in the band if Dana was gone. It was over.

Our manager shortly after RSO ended our recording deal began going through his own personal hell which he didn't tell me about. His actions like everyone elses became bizarre and weird at times. He refused to let me have a copy of the master recordings of our double album, and reminded me that we were still under contract to him, and none of us couldn't make a move without his okay. Fuck, there was no band. Who was he going to manager?

No other Marquis de Sade was ever put together even though Don my keyboard player and I tried several times. The management contract with our manager finally ran out, but still the master recordings where with him. Then one day our ex manager calls me up and tells me he is going to give the masters to me, adding that he was very ill, and that he knew I was the only person in the band who could still make this happen like it should of.

I received the tapes but it would take me more than 10 years before I was in a place in time where I could try to remaster the songs and decided what to do with them.

At first I thought I would simply makes copies of the songs for my two children, and give them to them as a birthday or Christmas gift. Something to show the that once upon a time I had a dream, and it still lived in my heart.

The discussion to release the 16 songs on a CD was really came about because of my friends on FaceBook and the others who listened to my radio shows on Digital Revolution Radio. Friends had asked me to play some of my old songs on the air, so I did. The reaction from everyone was unbelievable. Everyone wanted me to put them out. They loved the band, and those old feelings of that dream slowly came back to me.

My only regret is that the rest of the band is not here with me. Three of the guys have passed away and I have been looking for Dana for over 6 years now. Hopefully, when I'm on the cover of Rolling Stone, he will see me, and call me up asking for his back royalists. I can only pray he does.

The restoration and remastering of the Marquis de Sade songs is another story to tell at another time. Let it suffice to say, it took nearly a year of hard work to get them ready to be released.