From their origins as The Loved Ones in the mid-60s to their transformation into 1984 Love Machine, keyboardist Raphael Iaccarino shares a bit of the band‘s history, local roots in the Davenport, Iowa music scene, and the story behind their cult-classic soul/funk 45.

___

Initially known as The Loved Ones, the group rebranded as the 1984 Love Machine to release their CBS International single, featuring the original tracks “Magic Baby” and the beloved soul/funk 45 “You’re Breaking My Heart.” Though internal pressures eventually ended the ensemble, they remain fondly remembered for their unique psychedelic sound and their local roots at Davenport’s Draught House.

Sounds Visual: Tell me about how the band came together.

Raphael Iaccarino, keyboardist: I think it was 1965 or ’66. There was a group from Palmer Chiropractic in Davenport called The Chosen Ones, featuring Rick Bush and two other guys. When those two guys left, I happened to be one of the first people to buy a Farfisa organ. Rick called me up, said, “Wanna put together a band?” and I said, “Yeah.”

I rounded up some people, and because “The Chosen Ones” sounded a bit elitist, we changed our name to The Loved Ones. We played a lot of big places—the Draught House in Davenport was one of our regular spots.

At one point, someone who was friends with Rick Bush suggested we come down to Nashville to play on a couple of his tunes. We went down and recorded a few tracks, though I can’t remember exactly which ones. We had a break afterward, so we all went to see Rosemary’s Baby. On the way back, one of the members said, “Hey, we should write a song like the one from Rosemary’s Baby.” It took us about 20 minutes, and we called it “Magic Baby.”

SV: And the flip side was “You’re Breakin’ My Heart.”

RI: Cable Von Maur II—who has unfortunately passed away—wrote “You’re Breakin’ My Heart,” which was the other song on the record. He re-recorded it in Nashville. It was one of those quirky things. I always thought “You’re Breaking My Heart” was the better song, honestly. But the strange part was that when we played “Magic Baby,” it was about a woman having a devilish baby, and our lead singer, Debbie, was actually pregnant. That was a trip.

Cable was a great bass player; he came from the family that owned the Von Maur stores. As for the rest of the crew, I think Rick Bush ended up in Panama with his wife, and Debbie is somewhere across the river in Illinois.We were pretty good musicians, but more than that, we were a great “stage band.” We had big performances, opening for groups like The Byrds and The Buckinghams. It was a fun time.

In reality, we were the first white band in this area playing black music for white audiences. It’s ironic, but that was 65 years ago. We played a lot of Aretha Franklin and Sam & Dave because Debbie had an incredible voice. Later, we moved into Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, and that style.

SV: Where did the “1984 Love Machine” name come from?

RI: That was for a later iteration [of the band]. In 1969, the year 1984 sounded like, “Ooh, that’s a long way off.”

I played for about three year [after that]—since I’d helped start it with Rick Bush. After that, believe it or not, I went into teaching grade school, which was a trip for some of the parents because, you know, I was the “rock star guy.” I’ve always been interested in recording, though. I’ve worked with a number of groups, including recording at Golden Voice Recording Studio—where bands like Styx and Dan Fogelberg recorded back in the day.

Eventually, I played in a local cover band called Highway 61. The next significant band I was in was called Noble Spirit in the 80s. We played this blend of rock, jazz, and contemporary music—all songs that John Burchett and I wrote. We put out three discs as a group. Noble Spirit had, in my opinion, the best musicians I’ve worked with.

SV: And you’re still in Davenport, Iowa?

RI: Yep. I came here when I was 18 from Connecticut. It might sound bizarre, but I just loved the Midwest. Back then, it was almost like frontier land, and the people here gave me incredible opportunities. I did segments for PBS for 15 years, some glamour photography, and I’m best known for my artwork these days.

SV: Right on, man. Thanks for sharing the story of this great 45!

RI: Thank you for reaching out!