Ben Arteaga's Recollections: George Olliver and The Mandala
By: Ben Arteaga
Date: January 18, 2006
Back in 1966 I saw George for the first time at the Hullabaloo in Hollywood with the rest of the Mandala. At the time I was a recent transplanted young guy from Mexico City still struggling with the feeling of not having real roots or acceptance with this different culture.
When we first saw The Mandala and I must admit I was one of ones that got the message and from "Testifying the rest was easy". In those days we were exposed to so many groups at the Sunset strip. After The Mandala played there I've noticed, that even the other bands would come and take a look, when George and The Mandala was on stage and latter mimic some of his moves on stage.
At that time we were lucky to see so many different groups that are part of the pop history of the 60's in Los Angeles and from other parts of the world as well from The Animas, Dave Clark Five, The Kinks and so on.
After seeing George, Dom, Joey, Don & Whitey doing what they did on stage with their music. I was eager to see if other bands in Los Angeles would get the clue to get going in a different direction after being influenced by The Mandala.
Forty years latter I am still looking for another band or single act to move me in the same way that George and The Mandala did in those days. It was unfortunate that George and the rest of the guys didn't continue with their act. Mandala had a reincarnation with another singer and another organ player. It wasn't the same.
What can I say, that hasn't been said before. Mandala had a great influence on many people and I was a lucky one to be there at the time when the unique experience that made history into so many young people at the time in Hollywood.
Additional Comments (Jan '06)
If there is a source to get some records of The Mandala live or otherwise. I remember one night when The Mandala was playing a group of people in business suits came and set up a set of recording equipment just before The Mandala was to take the stage. Has any of those recordings survived? and if so there is a market for it as I will be willing to buy anything that George and The Mandala put on records.
I have read [Erick's] impressions of your visits to the Hullabaloo and it mirrors mine almost to the day. I do remember seeing the Grass Roots and the Doors there, but before the Mandala came we were going to see the house bands which at the time were the Palace Guard and the Yellow Paiges which was the Los Angeles version of the Yardbirds. Doing their songs and replacing guitar players on a regular basis.
The Buffalo Springfield played there as well as Little Richard and others, but the one that keeps coming back is The Soul Crusade with George and the other guys. After that no other act compared.