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MAX FROST & THE TROOPERS
“Shape of Things to Come”
(Barry Mann, Cynthia Well)
Tower 419
No. 22 October 26, 1968
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The “Shape Of Things To Come” was pulled from the movie soundtrack (Wild in the Streets #12, 1968)
of what critic Linda J. Sandahl called “the ultimate youth exploitation flick.” Christopher Jones, the
hawked “next James Dean” and son to Lee Strasberg, father of the fomed New York Actors’ Studio, filled
the role of 24-year old Max Frost, a pop star whose popularity pole vaults him–inexplicably–into the
role of the U.S. Presidency. Once elected–ha, ha–Max axes all those unfortunates over the oge of
thirty. These IDed geriatric misfits were then–per flick– to be placed in concentration camps and fed
quantities of LSD. Looney idea, yes. Bad film, yes; oh yes. But, given the times–Tricky Dickie and all–
some actually found solace in this dull dim dud.
Now, while Chris did flll the visual role of Max Frost, he did not actually sing the “Shape Of Things To
Come”. A very, very little known group called the 13th Power (comprised in part of Billy Elder, Eddie
Hadded, and Lindy Gentz) were the culprits. They had had a single issued by Sidewalk just prior to
“Shapes” (“I See A Change Is Gonna Come” b/w “Captain Hassel”). It bombed, but now when their tlme
seemed at hand, when the country was indeed showing on interest in something done by the 13th Power,
their label issued the disk as by “Max Frost”; impling Chris Jones was the creator, not the poor 13th
Power.