Introduction to Max Frost and the Troopers
Many groups during the 60s music era were fictional and manufactured by the studio (or tied with the film’s characters) and thus were not an actual band. One such act is Max Frost and the Troopers.
Max Frost and the Troopers were not a real band but were actually a fictional group, created for Wild in the Streets, a 1968 film that exploited the youth and hippie culture. The “Max Frost” was character actor Christopher Jones; it is also interesting to note that comedian Richard Pryor also made an appearance in the film as the band’s drummer. The band weren’t really formally named in the film as such, but the “Troopers” refers to the “troops” – the friends and followers of the influential Max Frost. However, in their records they were named Max Frost and The Troopers, although the music was credited to the real performers The 13th Power. The fictional band’s song “Shape of Things to Come”, written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, was their only hit, entering the Top 40 chart in 1968.
Who were Max Frost and the Troopers
Max Frost and the Troopers were a fictional group formed in the 1960’s and was created for the hippie-exploitation film Wild in the Streets in 1968. The character Max Frost was played by actor Christopher Jones. Max Frost’s band in the movie was unnamed but for the sake of formality, “The Troopers” were given credits for their album and singles. The word “troopers” is based on the term “troops” which Frost was using in the movie, referring to his friends and fans.
Max Frost and The Troopers Biography
Max Frost and The Troopers consisted of Davie Allan and Paul Wibier, The Arrows’ lead. They have no connection to The 13th Power, a real band that simultaneously recorded the songs with Wibier as the lead. Harley Hatcher and Eddie Beram for Mike Curb Productions produced this fictional group.
With the success of “Shape of Things To Come,” the band also produced more singles, such as “Sittin’ In Circles.” It was performed in the film Three in the Attic. Another soundtrack came to the spotlight as the album was used for the 1968 film The Glory Stompers, with Dennis Hopper taking the lead.
The album contained two additional songs credited to the band: “There’s A Party Going On” and “You Might Want Me, Baby.” Greil Marcus, a cultural historian, borrowed the Troopers’ song title for his 2006 book, “The Shape of Things to Come: Prophecy & The American Voice.”
“A Shape of Things to Come”
A song from the Wild in the Streets’ original soundtrack, “Shape of Things Come” was released by Tower Records. It became a hit in 1968, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for a total of nine weeks. It also nearly topped the Canadian charts during that same year. All credits on the songs went to The 13th Power, a studio group who performed the songs for Max Frost and the Troopers. The psychedelic rock tune was played by some members of Davie Allan and The Arrows and Paul Wiebier as the lead vocals. Wibier was also the one who wrote most of the songs in the album.
Later, another song was released which also happened to be the fictional group’s final single, “Sittin’ in Circles.” Performed by Davie Allan and the Arrows, “Sittin’ in Circles” was used in the film Three in the Attic. Also in that same year, a couple of tracks were credited to Max Frost and the Troopers: “There’s A Party Going On” and “You Might Want Me Baby.”
Max Frost and the Troopers’ discography (may be impartial)
Sidewalk Records
(Feb 1968)
- A: There Is A Party Going On
- B: Stomper’s Ride
Tower Records
(May 1968)
- A: Shape Of Things To Come
- B: Free Lovin’
(Nov 1968)
- A: Fifty Two Per Cent
- B: The Max Frost Theme
(May 1969)
- A: Paxton Quigley’s Had The Course
- B: Sittin’ In Circles
Million Seller Records
Max Frost and the Troopers
- A: Shape Of Things To Come
Ian Whitcomb
- B: You Turn Me On (Turn On Song)
Power Records [N.J.]
Max Frost and the Troopers
- A: Shape Of Things To Come
Ian Whitcomb
- B: You Turn Me On (Turn On Song)