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834. EAST BIONIC SYMPHONIA: “Recorded
Live” (ALM Records – AL-3001) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 2 Inserts:
Near Mint). Ultra rare original, top-notch copy. Comes with the ALWAYS MISSING 2nd INSERT!!!! All complete issue!!! Officially released as a
graduation effort in an edition of only 300 copies way back in 1976 by Kosugi
Takehisa, this one copy here is one of those, the real thing and comes complete
with insert having detailed liner notes by Yuasa Yoji. Not really an outfit with Takehisa Kosugi in its ranks, but consisting
out of a collaborative effort of his students and recorded under his auspices
was this improvisational ensemble baptized as the East Bionic Symphonia. Its
line up consisted out of 10 members, of which some are still active in the
today Tokyo underground scene. The band consisted out of Ozawa Yasushi (Fushitsusha’s long time bass
player until he passed away this year) Okabe Kaoru, Hamada Kazuaki, Imai Kazuo (Imai Kazuo was the sole person who graduated
from Takayanagi Masayuki’s guitar school and remains till this day active as a
solo guitar improviser and as a member of the improvisational clitter clatter
unit Marginal Consort.), Tada Masami, Koshikawa Kazunao, Sui Hajime, Mukai Chie (Mukai Chie is a legendary figure still today
in the Tokyo underground scene, although that she originated from Osaka, still
active solo as well as with her outfit Che-Shizu) Minegishi Masaharu and Hattori Tatsuo. Their sole
recorded output was registered live and presented in the form of a graduation
concert staged at the Kanda-Shi Bigakkô on the 13th of July
1976. Their sound was centered around an avant-garde, improvisational
amalgamative sound of different percussion and various snare instruments such
as Imai Kazuo’s guitar and Mukai Chie’s kokyu drones, establishing a hypnotic
and minimalist sonic universe, reminiscent to the Taj Mahal Travelers. The
record itself was released in that same year by the independent record label
Kojima ALM Records. Soon thereafter the ensemble ceased all of its activities,
until they regrouped in 1998 under the name of Marginal Consort, performing
some concerts in the Tokyo area. Although that the group remains active on an
irregular basis, some of its key figures retrieved from its ranks due to
conflicting interests and personal objectives. Ultra rare original pressing in top-notch
condition. First time ever I have a copy to spare of this gem. Just turns up
around never…and if TMT is up your alley, you cannot pass up on this one.
Highest possible recommendation and rare beyond belief. Price:
Offers!!!! |
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835. EAST NEW YORK ENSEMBLE DE MUSIC: “At The Helm” (Folkways – FTS-33867) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Original 1974 US pressing in top condition and one of the oddest records to seep out of the Folkways label. Sold my last copy but luckily could dig up another one but this one is in ever better shape than my last one so… eargasmatic music gel perfectly with amazing condition. East New York Ensemble de Music came out of the diverse community of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, where African, West Indian & black American cultures converged. First and foremost, this is a deep Spiritual Jazz record, that succeeds in incorporating elements of the West Indies, and both the Near and Far East. Released as very small pressing by Folkway Records in 1974, it sounds loose and free – spiritually building in a manner that recalls the work of Ahmed Abdul Malik, Phil Cohran, and some of the AACM.. The elaborate tracks brings out the core group that prominently features soprano sax and Korean reeds by Bilal Abdurahman and vibes by Ameen Nuraldeen – plus guest work on bass by James Smith, and appearances by a lot of different world percussion players. Multi-reed player Bilal Abdurrahman was best known for his musical partnership with the trailblazing bassist/oudist Abdul Ahmed Malik from the late '50s into the mid-'60s. At The Helm is the only surviving document of Abdurahman's own Black Magical Music and was mainly a collaboration between Abdurahman and vibraharpist and composer Ameen Nuraldeen. Nuraldeen's compositions deftly mix the somewhat loopy, exotica-derived sounds one might find on Sun Ra's early recordings with an authoritative, groove-oriented, early-'70s Afro-modal jazz sensibility. The cover of Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower" daringly opens with an extended improvisation on a bizarre-sounding non-tempered Korean reed instrument. This is not done merely for exotic effect; Abdurahman plays the untamed, unnamed instrument with the same soul and passion he displays on his main axe. Nuraldeen is a forceful, percussive player who revels in the vibraphone's bright bell-like tones while eschewing the clanky, clangy sounds that many players of this ilk fall prey to. The supporting players provide an organic propulsive rhythmic base throughout. At The Helm presents a convincing fusion of jazz, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern ethnic musics in which the immediacy and power of jazz is never diluted by the ethnic influences, and vice versa. Could dig up another copy but in a slightly even better shape than my last copy so…don’t hold back. Price: Offers!!! |
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836. EAST OF EDEN: “Boogie Woogie b/w Last Dance of the Clown” (Odeon Records – EOR-10234) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Rarely seen Japan original issue from 1972 that comes housed in Japan only picture sleeve. White label Promo issue. Top shape. Price: 75 Euro |
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837. EAST OF EDEN: “Snafu” (Deram/King Records – K16P-9082) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Pristine Japanese high-quality pressing from 1976 all complete with insert and obi. Their second album had to be one of the least commercial albums ever to enter the British Top 30, as well as one of the most stylistically diverse. Fusing neatly progressive rock stylings with elements of jazz, rock, Eastern tinted influences and long tracks. Some virtuosic instrumental sections make up for a large part of the LP, spiced up with some out and out weirdness, like the squiggly tape manipulations/musique concrète of "Uno Transito Clapori" and the eerie backwards-sounding effects that run through some of "Habibi Baby Beast of Sweden." A classic in its own right and this one here is a spotless Japanese pressing for your audiophile pleasures. Price: 50 Euro |
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838. EAST OF EDEN: “Snafu” (Deram/ King Records – SL-285) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). First original Japanese pressing in top condition and all complete with first issue OBI. East of Eden's second album, 'Snafu' was released in 1970 by Deram Records and saw the band take their particular fusion of jazz, psychedelia, world music and even blue beat, one step further. As ever, the instrumental prowess of Dave Arbus on violin dominated the music. Second and final album by the band that still sounds as great as back then. Original Japanese pressing totally underrated full-blown psych gem, which is these days hard to find in NM condition. Top copy. Price: 65 Euro |
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839. EAST OF EDEN: “Mercator Projected” (Deram – DL-14) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Uncut Advance Obi: Near Mint). Bloody rare 1st original Japanese pressing out of 1969. WHITE label PROMO issue that comes with advance-OBI copy with uncut serated edges! “East of Eden's debut LP is one of the hardest rocking albums to come out of the progressive rock movement, and maybe the best non-Rolling Stones albums issued by English Decca during all of the late 1960s. It's also one of the most daring debut albums of its period, less tightly focused than, say King Crimson’s Court of the Crimson King but otherwise equally bold and maybe more challenging. The whole record is eerie -- coming from a pop culture where most psychedelic rock tended toward the light and airy -- the way the high-impact bass, drum, and guitar parts interact with the distinctly Oriental and Central/Eastern European classical influences. The title track is a surprise coming from any British psychedelic band of the period, opening with a pounding heavy metal beat pumped out on Steve York’s bass and Dave Dufort’s drums, while Dave Arbus’ electric violin subs for what would normally be the rhythm guitar part and Geoff Nicholson’s guitar twists a blues riff around before setting a Jimi Hendrix like wave of tonal pyrotechnics ablaze for the finale. Though most of the rest isn't as hard rocking as that, it is still progressive rock with balls. "Isadora" may have a few flute flourishes too many, but it also has a beat, and "Waterways", after a meandering opening, breaks loose in a hard-edged piece of heavy metal raga rock (with a sax part that fits in perfectly), something like what the Yardbirds’ might've attempted if they'd stayed together through 1969 and forsaken their pop pretensions -- and then it finishes with the kind of brooding, violin-based ballad that anticipates the 1973-era King Crimson. And "Centaur Woman" takes us back to almost a mid-1960s blues-rock mode, reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization, except that East of Eden quickly kicks out the song structures, taking Coltrane-like sax excursions before throwing in an extended bass guitar solo. Side two of the album opens with the brooding "Bathers," perhaps the most conventional progressive cut on this album and, not coincidentally, the least interesting song here. "Communion," by comparison, is a composition whose inspiration was aa Bartok string quartet, and is dominated by Arbus’ violin. The album finishes with the high-energy "In the Stable of the Sphinx," a blazing showcase for electric guitar, violin, tenor, and alto sax that's worth the price of admission by itself and must've been amazing to hear on stage.” (All Music – Bruce Eder). Very rare 1st pressing with 1st issue DERAM obi present, first copy I see in over a decade. Sold nothing at the time here in Japan, making it now – all complete with obi a highly sought-after & collectible item. TOP copy!!! Price: Offers!!! |
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840. The EASYBEATS: “Friday On My Mind b/w
Made My Bed: Gonna Lie In It” (United Artists/ Nippon Columbia – LL-1031-UA) (7
Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint – faint
foxing/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Rare Japan original picture sleeve
with Japan only sleeve art that was released in 1967. Comes with picture
insert. Price: 75 Euro
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841. ECHIGO NO GOZE UTA: “S/T” (CBS Sony – CODZ-1~3) (3 LP Set: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Box: Near Mint/ Fully Illustrated Booklet: Near Mint/ OBI: Mint). TOP COPY & ALL COMPLETE!!!! Massively important and jaw droppingly great 3 LP set that documents the music and culture of the Goze. Goze are these days all become extinct due to the 21-century catching up with their rural lifestyle, tradition, and handicap. Goze were blind, itinerant female singers and shamisen players mainly active and traveling from one rural village to the next weather-beaten hamlet. They were mostly active in the Niigata Prefecture. These blind women from Niigata were due to their handicap excluded from regular society and had to struggle to survive and the sole option they had in order to scrape some money together to get through the day was giving door-to-door performances of songs with shamisen accompaniment. (The rural blind were desperately poor and accorded few rights or privileges). The reason why these women limited their activities to mainly Niigata and not further north was that Tsugaru and Akita were poorer regions and more inhospitable than their home turf. These traveling blind women mainly made a living by singing songs known as kudoki bushi, which were basically long narratives cast in a repetitive seven-syllabic meter. These songs often recounted melodramatic plots of double love-suicides or vendettas, mostly sung in a short strophic melody, punctuated by interludes on the shamisen and sometimes by comic lines spoken in a rapid-fire manner. However, as time went by audiences grew tired of these long songs and Naniwa Bushi drifted into the repertoire, including a large variety of vocal styles ranging from lyrical singing to speech-like recitation. This stunning collection here captures the last of the Goze in action while roaming the countryside, focusing on the two last surviving groups of three women at that time, documenting a tradition that was dying out. The first group was named Takada Goze and consisted out of Sugimoto Kikue, Igarashi Shizu and Namba Kotomi. The second roaming group was called Nagaoka Goze and its members were Nakashizu Mise, Kaneko Seki and Kato Ise. The whole was recorded on the rood while they roamed from village to village and performed from door to door during July and November of 1971. The result is bone crushing and heart shriveling performances recorded in the field, wailing itinerant blind female performers armed with battered down and strummed out shamisens, riffing away and wailing songs into being in return for a cheap meal and a place to rest. This is some of the best music I have ever heard and since discovering them the Goze have ruled my waking hours and dreaming days. Now finally I can present one spare of this hard to track down box set. The whole affair was supported by Akira Aida, who also wrote the liner notes. Like you may know he was the one who managed Takayanagi, Abe and brought Bailey and Lacy to Japan. But here he is shouldering a disappearing tradition, trying in vain to keep modernity at hold and record the then last surviving performing Goze. Best disc in this time’s list, once you have heard this, the whole of your record collection will become utterly redundant. Fan-fucking-tastic!! Price: 250 Euro |
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842. ECHO and the BUNNYMEN: “The Pictures On My Wall b/w I’ve Read It In Books” (Zoo Music – Cage-004) (7 Inch Single: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Rare 1979 first Echo and the Bunnymen single. Given that he once burned a million quid and dumped a dead sheep at the Brit awards, the KLF’s Bill Drummond isn’t a man who’s short on big statements. Still, the Bunnymen’s one-time manager was patently sincere when he described them as “the greatest rock band of all time”. The group certainly made some magical records, and they weren’t far short of greatness on this very first Zoo Records single. Improbably, singer Ian McCulloch had been in a band with two other Liverpool luminaries – Pete Wylie and Julian Cope – when he briefly rehearsed as the Crucial Three. Wylie went on to front Wah! Heat, and Cope was with the Teardrop Explodes, while McCulloch found the perfect vehicle for his big voice, large overcoat and not exactly diminished ego with the Bunnymen. He learned about how to be a rock star from listening to David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. On The Pictures on My Wall, we hear McCulloch’s formative influences. The embryonic Bunnies are also a trio on this track, with McCulloch joined by Will Sergeant on guitar and Les Pattinson on bass. (“Echo” was the band’s drum machine). Post-punk and psychedelia blend wonderfully with an anthemic chorus and haunting vocal. The Pictures on My Wall would appear in a different form on the band’s 1980 debut, Crocodiles, but with only 4,000 copies pressed, the original seven-inch record is a hard one to get a hold off in decent condition. Here is one complete with the picture sleeve and instantly captures the Bunnymen at their embryonic peak! Price: 100 Euro |
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843. ECKANKAR: “Bee Fat Boogie Morning Dream Legends” (Turnbridge Records – T-1001) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Hand-Pasted Jacket: Excellent) Damned rare and utterly obscure 1971 private press free jazz wrist slasher. Layered just like a submarine sandwich in a troubled galaxy, this combo coalesces to form a swirling, shimmering mass of cosmic gray – a not so subtle body capable of omitting all colors of sound once heated to the appropriate temperature. It veers into a multi-directional, expansively-minded, blotter-fried pie served with a dynamically circularly ranged organs, it is a raw drive that accelerates, carves and shapes a uniquely free-floating/ spiritually intoned sound. In all it is a pleasantly exhausting game of burning improvisational interplay between Kestutius Stanciauskas (trumpet/ electric bass/ flugelhorn), Bob Long (Piano/ electric piano/ flute), Steve Juds (drums) & Seeker (vibes/ percussion/ recorder) and exchanging hard-grinding fumes, creating a shining golden nugget that reflects the torch beams in brilliant and dazzling patterns. This is a great lost-in-tyme obscurity of US privately released free jazz slides, and it is something of a revelation. Copies are thin on the ground, largely unknown still and only sporadically pop up for air. But once more heads are turned into this little gem’s direction, one might expect prices to exploded…. but before mass appreciation becomes a phantom-esque reality, you are advised to seek out this surprising hard-burning gem of a free jazz private press slide out of times long gone. Price: 400 Euro |
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844. EDDIE COSTA: “Eddie Costa Quintet” (Overseas Record/ Teichiku – ULS-1862-V) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Mono high quality Japanese pressing. All complete with obi. Eddie Costa made only a few dates as a leader prior to his sudden death as a result of an automobile accident at the age of 31; this 1957 session is the best of them. Alternating between piano and vibes, Costa leads a quintet that includes Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Teddy Kotick and Paul Motian, featuring enjoyable interpretations of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and Dave Brubeck’s still fairly new "In Your Own Sweet Way," the latter of which focuses on Costa’s vibes and Farmer’s muted trumpet, with Woods switching to the piano. Each of the originals by Costa, Woods and Farmer is stimulating, although they have undeservedly languished in obscurity. Recorded for the long-defunct Mode label and this is a high quality Japanese mono pressing that will be glued to your ears. Price: 40 Euro |
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845. The EDDIE COSTA TRIO: “The House of Blue Lights” (Dot Records/ Nippon Victor – DOT-5055) (Record: Excellent/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Very first Japanese original press issue all complete with hardly ever offered first issue obi. Eddie Costa was a strange but nevertheless bewildering musician I am quite obsessed with these days. As this recording will demonstrate, Eddie was also an accomplished pianist. He was experimental to the degree similar to Lenny Tristano and we are speaking 1959 here!! In that year during a late February evening, the trio consisting out of Costa, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Paul Motian walked into a smoke-filled studio in order to record over 2 consecutive days this unheralded masterpiece. Right from the first notes of the mesmerizing opening track “The House of Blue Lights”, one gets sucked into Costa’s strong left-hand swirls, which pounces on the lower reaches of the keyboard with a driving walk and a bebop style much like Bud Powell or Horace Silver, but also brimming over with vibrating originality that was unheard until then. He was after all a pianist, although quite a few people remember him as an uncelebrated vibe player, hence the crossover in his playing mode. The whole track – as well as the rest of this killer-no-filler-smoke-filled late night butt shaker is unrelentless in a laidback and intoxicating way. Simply music to smoke opium to. Costa was after all a cat with a very active career between 1954 and 1962, both playing jazz and as a studio hand, until he died at 31 in a car accident. As is showcased here, he was gifted as a pianist with a fierce attack and was famous for diving into the lower register of the piano, sometimes playing as if it were a set of vibes. Beyond that quite compelling feature, he was also a soloist with a knack for long, fluid improvised lines, devoid of clichés or licks, again similar to Tristano in some perverse way, yet very captivating and once put under his spell, one has a hard time shaking it off. His playing is very rhythmic and intelligent, always impregnated with a standard melody that yet gets sucked into improvisational lines and modes, making it extra compelling and addictive and just as is showcased here his playing is brimming over with spontaneity and inventiveness. He goes off on some interesting nearly avant-garde tangents and like Tristano that is where for me his strength lies. Avant-garde, yet rooted in hard bop with a nicotine-stained swing attached to it and still able to churn out intoxicating lines no one else would be able pull out of those ivory keys except Costa himself. This is a masterpiece and it keeps on sucking you in time after time…highest recommendation to these ears!! Price: 250 Euro |
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846. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “Out Demon’s Out
b/w Momma’s Reward” (Odeon – OR-2636) (2 Track Single Record: Near Mint/
Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint) Scarce
Japan only single issue with unique sleeve art. Demented, heavy, growling and
totally wasted group of mavericks. Perfect ingredients for prison riot in full
swing blasting through your speakers. Cool Japan sleeve art single issue that
is just indispensable as the rest of their sonic assault. Price: 150 Euro
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847. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “Hotel Room b/w Call Me A Liar” (Odeon – EOR-10023) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Japan 1971 original 1st press issue housed in unique Japan sleeve art – WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 100 Euro |
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848. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “Evil b/w Death Of An Electric Citizen” (Odeon Records – OR-2343) (Red Wax EP: Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Bloody rare Japan only artwork Edgar Broughton Band EP release. This is the WHITE label PROMO issue that comes on BLOOD RED VINYL – only promo issue came on red wax. Has on label record executive catalogue seal. Perfect copy and damned hard to dig up. Price: 150 Euro |
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849. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “WASA WASA” Odeon Japan – OP-80145) (Record on Red Wax: Near Mint/
Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Mint). Rare 1st original Japanese WHITE LABEL PROMO pressing that comes on blood
RED WAX and with the OBI!! Goes without saying that these red wax Japanese
pressings rarely surface, especially in such a top-notch condition as this one
here. Formed in Warwick, England, the Edgar Broughton Band arrived on the
London underground music scene in 1968. Led by the Broughton brothers,
vocalist/guitarist Edgar and drummer Steve, and fleshed out by bassist Arthur
Grant and guitarist Victor Unitt (who also briefly served with the Pretty
Things), they soon signed with the Harvest label, and issued their debut Wasa
Wasa -- a collection of underground electric blues jams anchored by Edgar's
Captain Beefheart-like vocals -- in late 1969. The following expose I borrowed
since the description is just spot on: "Establishing themselves as an
unholy collision between the still-nascent Pink Faries and the legendary Fugs,
the debut album by British free-festival favorites the Edgar Broughton Band
almost literally re-created the spirit of their natural territory -- a muddy
field full of sunbaked hippies -- with eight more or less epic tracks that,
though their inspiration has long become the stuff of ancient history, remain
essential listening to all but the most jaded ears. All maniacal cackle and
frenzied riffing, the band's first single, "Evil," and the brutal
bellowing of "Love in the Rain" are the most conventional numbers in
that they were certainly written as crowd-pleasing stompers in the days before
"Out Demons Out" established itself as the Edgar Broughton Band's
all-consuming anthem. More impressive, however, are the numbers which see the
band stretching both their capabilities and their audience's expectations --
the lengthy opus "Dawn Crept Away," the evocatively titled
"Death of an Electric Citizen," and, best of all, "American Boy
Soldier." Ranking alongside Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" as
British rock's finest contribution to the Vietnam War, it is a Mothers of
Invention-esque piece that blends sneering spoken word with a delightfully doo
wop-ish invocation of all that war really has to offer and all that its
servants leave behind. "Shot down from my plane/Never be the same again/I
was just 16 years old." As jaggedly metallic as it is theatrically
ambitious, Wasa Wasa (an Eskimo phrase meaning "from far, far away")
stands alongside early albums by the Fairies, the Deviants, and Hawkwind as a
dramatic snapshot of a very special moment in time, as the whimsical
hopefulness of the late '60s gave way to the chilled cynicism of the early
'70s. And, while the band would certainly produce better songs over the next
three years, they never again unleashed such a potent mood.” (Dave
Thompson, All Music Guide). Insanely great, wasted, doped and fuck up but ready
to tear shreds of shrapnel debris out of your already detoriating mind.
Killer!!!! Haven’t seen a copy of this one in over 10 years…Price:
500 Euro |
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850. The EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “Sing Brother Sing” (Odeon Records – OP-80059) (Red Wax LP Record: Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: VG++, has water damage on lower side/ Obi: VG++). Rare Japan 1st original pressing, comes on RED WAX – White label PROMO Issue: The band’s second album following the illustrious “Wasa Wasa”. The band continues the hybrid combination of Stooges-meets-Beefheart primal, tortured acidic rock with uncommercial, people’s band street cred that colored their first LP. Sing Brother Sing now sounds like a transitional album between the primal scream of Wasa Wasa and the rather fine self-titled third album. The concepts of alcohol consumption, Beefheart emulation, and a dedication to 'the conspiracy' were certainly well discussed themes in the Broughton Brothers household. If you'd like to pound it out in unison, this will cover your needs quite well. Bloody rare 1st original Japanese pressing on RED wax. Jacket has lower moisture/ water damage, record is stunningly untouched mint. Bloody rare with first issue obi included. Price: 400 Euro |
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851. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “S/T” (Odeon Records – OP-80357) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint). White label PROMO issue. TOP CONDITION. Bloody rare 1st original 1971 pressing, complete with obi in immaculate condition. “The most conventional of the Edgar Broughton Band’s first (and best) three albums, 1971's LP finds the group dispensing with the no-holds-barred mania and theatricality responsible for such classics as "Out Demons Out," "Up Yours," and "Apache Drop Out" and concentrating instead on more musical endeavors. It's an approach that arguably captures the band at their very best at the same time as revealing them at their ugliest. The two-part epic "For Dr. Spock" conjures images of Gong as it drifts closer to space rock than the group had hitherto ventured, while "House of Turnabout" certainly restates the group's free-freak credentials with its rumbling percussion and scything guitars, a second cousin to the roars that punctuated Wasa Wasa and Sing Brother Sing. The heart of Edgar Broughton Band however, lies elsewhere. The lilting chant "Thinking About You," with its spectral reminders of John Lennon’s "Working Class Hero," is certainly one of their most rancorous concoctions, while "Evening Over Rooftops" rides an acoustic guitar as pretty as its flowery lyric, but you know there's something rotten squirming just below the surface, even if you can never quite put your finger on it. The pure pop backing vocals, all "sha-la-la" and "doo-be-doo-be-doo," of course, only add to your unease. And, as that is merely the opening number, you can guess what you're in for over the rest of the album long before you actually get it.” (All Music Guide). A stunning LP, so essential. Top copy Japan 1971 original press with obi, hard to ever improve upon and obi is damned RARTE!!!!… Price: 400 Euro
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852. EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND: “In Side Out” (ODEON Records – EOP-80632) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Mint/ Additional Lyrics Sheet Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint). Original 1972 Japanese press, - WHITE PROMOTIONAL LABEL - top-notch copy, all complete with rare OBI. Another rebellious, anarchic and politically incorrect slab of dusty greasy psych rock by this tremendous band. The Edgar Broughton Band was all of these things and more. In 1972, the band released Inside Out, inspired by the extremely original album sleeve design by Hipgnosis. The front cover of the album was a striking photograph of an ex-Wormwood Scrubs inmate stood by the imposing walls of the prison. In all, the pictured scene is an utterly surreal one, almost claustrophobic. The overall impact of the image is further intensified by the Chinese wallet design, for opened one way, the figures stand at the corner of the uncompromising wall. Opened the other way, the figures appear at the front of a long, daunting corridor. It still causes chills to run down my spine in discomfort of the atmosphere it breathed out and then you have only glanced at the packaging so the music to accompany it is even bleaker, far removed from hippie idealism and rolling in the mud while wearing flowers in your hair. So Musically speaking there are no fillers here. All the songs are totally stripped bare clean of any whimsical pretenses and as a result the whole album stands far removed and in sharp contrasts to the glam of Bowie and Bolan and the pomp of Yes and ELP. Raw emotions and brutal honesty are the order of the day here and for those who are about to experience this classic for the first time; you are in for a caustic shock. These guys were mean social psychopaths armed with guitars, battered drums and raspy vocals to spit out the glorified signs of the times. Doped up working man heroes!!!! Brilliant. White label promo copy with OBI, rare 1st press Japanese original!!! Price: 400 Euro |
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853. EDGAR
BROUGHTON BAND: “Oora” (Harvest – Odeon/ Toshiba Records –
EOP-80884) (Record: Near Mint/ Heavy Japan Only Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/
Japan Only Illustrated Insert: Mint/ Imprinted Inner Sleeve: Mint/ STICKER:
Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). WHITE LABEL PROMO issue with OBI. All
complete with all the inserts and always-missing sticker. Original 1973
Japanese press that comes on Japanese high quality audiophile vinyl &
housed in a Japan only released gatefold jacket. Japanese pressing of this
sucker is rare. Oora was released in May 1973, in an elaborate sleeve designed
by artist Barney Bubbles (noted for his work with fellow musical anarchists
Hawkwind), the album was perhaps the most sophisticated of all The Edgar
Broughton Band’s releases for Harvest, notably on the track Face From a Window
/ Pretty / Hi-Jack Boogie / Slow Down. Last and final album the hairy freaks
recorded for the Harvest label and again it is a stunner. The Edgar Broughton
Band are still till this day largely overlooked by they never stopped to rock
my world with much rigor, filling it with teenage angst and the hovering
feeling of a nearing cold turkey. Fantastic & in TOP condition with rare
obi present. All complete copies just do not surface anymore. Price: 400 Euro |
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854. EDWARDS, WINSTON: “Natty Locks Dub” (Fay
Music Inc. – F2004) (Record: Excellent – some faint sleeve lines can be seen
under a bright light – cheap private pressing so plays with faint crackle in
quiet parts/ Jacket: Near Mint). Holy bloody smokes!!! White whale alert! One
of the most-sought after UK dub releases out there, unleashed upon the sleeping
masses in 1974 through the small privately run Fay Records label and sank into
obscurity right from the onset on. In the following decades it reputation began
to spread and the record became stuff of legends as is turned out to be the
very first dub slide to be released on UK soil. Flash forward to the 21st
century Natty Locks Dub has become a bonafida premium dub album. It was
also Winston Edwards’ earliest album, thriving on his beautiful melodies and
sophisticated arrangements using flutes and organs, steadfast ingredients that
would continue to pop up onto his later Lovers Rock arrangements. The
rhythm section for Natty Locks Dub was recorded in Jamaica at Lee Perry’s Black
Ark Studio, and the dub mix was done at Joe Gibbs studio in the UK
studio. Only a year after 1973, when Jamaica's first dub album was first
released, Natty Locks Dub was dropped on the UK’s still infantile reggae
scene. But already you could feel the innovation brought forth by Edwards
making it a dub album too far ahead of its time. In short, a historically
and a too important dub album floating on a vibe of Lovers Rock beauty and the
vibrating essence of early deep rootsy dub with some jazzy undertones thrown in
for good measure, a fuckin’ lethal mixture. Such a bloody killer slide!!
Rarely seen first original pressing, released in tiny numbers and elusive ever
since 1974. Here is a nice original copy for you. Rare forever! Price:
Offers!!!!
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855. EGG: “S/T” (Deram/ King Records – K16P-9084) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Original 1980 first Japanese pressing in top condition. “A Canterbury-trio lead by the excellent organ-work of Dave Stewart. Personally I've always viewed them as the Canterbury-version of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Less grandiose, more down to earth and more jazz-influenced (NOT fusion) than their more famous counterparts. But their debut-album also features some obvious 60's influences, especially on the raw and energetic "The Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous" (reminding me somewhat of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown) and the adaptation of Bach's "Fugue in D Minor" sounds VERY proto-prog. "I Will Be Absorbed" is my personal fave here. It's a kind of relaxed and laid-back track the demonstrates Stewart's distinctive and atmospheric organ-sound very well. The 20-minute "Symphony no.2" includes several good themes and even incorporates some classical themes. Some of the most experimental parts may seem to drag a bit, but overall this is a good track. A fine album that will appeal to all fans of early 70's organ-driven progressive rock.” (Vintageprog). Price: 75 Euro |
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856. EGG: “The Polite Force” (Deram/ King Records – SL-290) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Newspaper Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint – has a folding crease). Pristine Japanese original pressing all complete with all the inserts and obi. “It was inevitable that Egg would be compared with Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- a trio of bass/keyboards/drums with the bassist also singing, coming along at the very end of the 1960s, incorporating serious classical influences (and directed quotations) into their extended pieces. On their second album, The Polite Force, they try for a higher wattage sound than EL&P, without as high velocity a brand of song. Dave Stewart’s organ playing is as aggressive and melodic as Keith Emerson’s, and he accomplishes a lot with less in the way of high-speed histrionics. That doesn't mean they aren't given to some electronic excesses. The album is diverting enough in its successful spots to carry the rest of it, but there are some missteps -- including one track dominated by guest horn players -- that were enough to keep this album from being a favorite, even among art-rock fanatics.” (All Music) A classic and as of late one that does not surface that much anymore all complete with obi and inserts and in top shape. Price: 75 Euro |
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857. EJE THELIN GROUP: “S/T” (SWE Disc – SJ25-9011) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original press that comes housed in Japan only jacket art. Complete with rare OBI, only 1st time I see the obi on this one! Eje Thelin was an extraordinary and prolific Swedish jazz trombonist during the 60s and 70s. This LP from 1975 (released by Caprice Records but released in Japan with alternative artwork in 1980) includes the musicians Bruno Aberg, Harald Svensson and Leroy Lowe. This album is a cool free jazz gem, but not as far out as you can guess, there's a Swedish kind of vibe of it that shines through and kind of adds to the overall sound. Sadly the whole Swedish jazz scene from the 70s is largely overlooked and this LP is amongst those gems that should have their place in the spotlights. Just a great treasure that hasn't seen the light of day since it's original release. Eje Thelin Group is groovy! So recommended!!!! Price: 75 Euro |
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858. Die ELECTRIC EELS: “Cyclotron b/w Agitated” (Rough Trade – RT-008) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Top shape UK original press issue of proto-punk brain freeze. Cleveland's Electric Eels formed in 1972 to record a flurry of catchy and genuinely fucked-up tunes. In their 4-year career, they only played 5 gigs, each one full off confrontation and frustration and at each of these shows, some sort of trouble occurred. The band had been arrested by police on their first gig, they had fist fights with audience members and each other on stage, they had the power shut down during half their set and told to get out of the venue on one occasion. After these five legendary live performances – complete with Dave E. in black leather jacket covered in rat-traps and playing a gas-powered lawnmower on stage – they broke up in 1976 and posthumously released their classic single Agitated on Rough Trade in 1978, blazing a trail for high-art, low-concept rock. As Jon Savage wrote "There is something heroic about the Eels isolation and uncompromising attitude: a fierceness that you can hear in these songs that still resonates in a different time and world." From the loud and snotty "Agitated" and its B-side "Cyclotron", it was clear the Eels exorcised the demonic power of the Stooges and Velvets and captured the mystique of these outsider artists by inventing a new language. "It's 5am and I'm crawling the walls ... just waiting for imaginary telephone calls." Hell yeah, one of the best punk singles ever to see the light of day, here ready to brighten up your day. Price: 200 Euro |
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859. ELECTRIC FLAG: OST - THE TRIP By THE ELECTRIC FLAG: “ THE TRIP - Original Soundtrack” (Capitol Records – CP-8405) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Japan only issue of this fantastic psychedelic movie that comes housed in Japan only jacket art, looking so much better than the regular US edition. To boot, the LP comes on blood RED vinyl. Original rare pressing that was released in Japan in June 1968!!! Top condition copy!!!. Price: 250 Euro |
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860. ELECTRONIC PANORAMA: “Electronic Panorama – Paris, Tokyo, Utrecht, Warszawa” (Philips – 6740.001) (4 LP Set: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Box Set: Near Mint/ Booklet: Near Mint). Awesome copy, top shape – PROMO copy. Electronic gurus include: Malec: Spot. Ferrari: Visage V. Reibel: Two variations en etoile. Parmegiani: Ponomatopees II; Generique. P. Schaeffer-Henry: Bidule en ut. Malec: Dahovi II. P. Schaeffer: Etude aux allures Bayle: Solitioudc (ORTF Research Music Group). Vink: Screen. StibilJ: Rainbow. Weiland: Textuur. Cats: Lux. Maschayeki: Shur. Ponse: Radiophonie I. Kunst: Expulsion. Koenig: Funklion blau (Utrecht Studio for Electronic Music). Mayuzumi: Nlandara. Ishii: Kyoo. Shibata: Improvisation. Moroi: Shosanke (Tokyo Radio NHM Studio). Penderecki: Psalrnus. Dobrowoiski: Music for magnetic tape and oboe solo. Nordheim: Solitaire. Kotonskl: Microstructures. Schaffer: Symphonic/Symphony (Polish Radio Experimental Studio). The box is a head-to-head of the four major electronic studios of the day; the GRM of the ORTF (Paris), The University of Utrecht (Netherlands), Radio NHK (Tokyo) and The Warsaw Radio Studio of Experimental Music (Poland). Somehow no other experimental electronic music comes near this stuff. This music is so super-humanly powerful and unexpected is that it emerged from the ravaged psyches of the Second World War. This is particularly true when you're talking about Stockhausen and Xenakis. These people are drawing on emotional resources the scale and depth of which you can't even imagine. Disc one is the cheese. Frankly the French have it. Parmegiani's "Ponomatopees II" is a dizzying seething swathe. A pile-up of snatches of speech folded and sliced, extremely influential on later INA_GRM alumni like Phillip Mion. Parmegiani was very much Pierre Schaeffer's protégé, and as such he works close to the spirit of Musique Concrete. The whole idea is right there, decontextualise a real-life sonic event and impel the listener to listen to it on its own merits. Also, Francois Bayle's "Solitude" (1969) which the composer describes as such: "Irreverent movement, in spite of a series of light genuflexions (to Duke Ellington...Boris Vian...the Soft Machine)". To my mind it is the defining text for the Student Riots of the previous year, featuring elements of the sounds of the street battles of that confrontation and, get this, guitar parts provided by David Allen (The Soft Machine, Gong etc). The Japanese disc has, as one might expect, a more contemplative yearning. Toshiro Mayuzumi's "Mandara" has this flitting dragonfly in a swamp fx, and the tone is markedly less strident. Makoto Moroi's "Shosanke" is a suite of six variations on a trumpet sound traditionally associated with the Buddhist "Ceremony of Water" The Warsaw and Utrecht crews also have a good bash. Krzysztof Penderecki's "Psalmus" (1961), the only purely electronic piece of his I'm aware of is splendid. Gabba fans take note, ha ha. Huge 2mm gaps punctuated by gloomy passing icebergs. Arne Nordheim also contributes a track. Of the Dutch lot Koenig is "firing on all cylinders. Price: 475 Euro |
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861. ELECTRIC PRUNES: “Get Me To The World On Time b/w Are You Lovin’ Me More” (Reprise/ Victor Records – JET-1752) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint but center piece is missing and has seal tear on label/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint) 1967 Japan original that comes housed in unique picture sleeve. The hardest of the Electric Prunes’ Japan issued singles. Two killer floor burning garage psych tracks. Indispensable and damned comes housed in such a cool picture sleeve! Sixties dementia a-go-go! Price: 125 Euro |
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862. ELECTRIC PRUNES: “S/T” (Reprise Records – SP8604R) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Scarce Japan 2nd press issue all complete with obi. PROMO issue. L.A. psychedelic trailblazers The Electric Prunes debut records is as a bolt of lightning striking you on a clear day. As the throbbing buzz of Ken Williams’ tremolo-laden fuzztone guitar creeps from one side of the stereo spectrum to the other, the Electric Prunes kick off their debut album with their first (and biggest) hit single, and if Electric Prunes: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) never hits the high point of its title track again, the next 11 songs confirm that these guys were in the first echelon of American garage bands of the '60s. Few if any bands from the '60s garage came up with a sound as distinctive as the Electric Prunes, and they got it on tape with striking success on I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night). Pristine condition. Price: 75 Euro
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863. The ELECTRIC PRUNES: “Underground” (Reprise – R-6262) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint for side 1 and VG++ ~ Excellent for side 2 which has a few superficial sleeve lines that do not affect the play back at all/ Jacket: Excellent). Great copy – WHITE label PROMO MONO issue. Rarely surfaces white label promo issue of killer US psych artifact. Price: 200 Euro |
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864. The ELECTRIC PRUNES: “Underground” (Victor Records/ Reprise – SJET 8000) (Record: Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ OBI: Mint/ Insert: Mint). First original Japanese pressing and one of the rarest SJET number releases that never surface with obi present. To boot this is a white label PROMO issue that came out in January 1968!!!!! This one is nothing short of being a masterpiece. The Prunes certainly succeeded in combining a big studio production with an anything goes attitude and make it work. This beast is filled with fuzztones, sound effects and a whole pallet of studio gimmickry that really elevate the record to the next level, as it will do with the listener. Some of the material on display is nothing short of being pure magical, especially “The Great Banana Hoax” and “I happen To Love You” and tracks like “Dr. Do-Good” contain some fearsome fuzz sound blasts!!! For the rest most of the album is filled with psychedelic touches that carry the whole and the prunes did something different on every song, making this a true classic. Hopelessly rare Japanese first pressing with OBI and white label promo. These babies sold nothing when they were released in Japan in 1968, making them now hopelessly rare and a bitch to wheel in. Just give it a try. TOP CONDITION. Price: Offers!!!! |
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865. The ELECTRIC PRUNES: “Mass in F Minor” (Reprise/ Victor Records Japan – SJET-8059) (Record: Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ FIRST ISSUE OBI: MINT). Never offered before original MINT copy Japanese pressing with FIRST ISSUE OBI in top condition. Never surfaces!!!! 1st original rare Japanese pressing. The Electric Prunes themselves had little to do with this album. Their quintessential garage philosophy wouldn't let them come up with the concept themselves; the idea of an 'electric mass' sung in Latin and combining gospel and Gregorian elements with distortion and feedback and rock energy belongs to the band's "spiritual godfather" of the time, David Axelrod. He himself 'wrote' all of the 'songs' on here and took care of all the arrangements. Their third LP, Mass in F Minor, resulted in a quasi-religious concept album of psychedelic versions of prayers; a definitively excessive period piece, its best song ("Kyrie Eleison") was lifted for the Easy Rider soundtrack. Top of the line 1st original Japanese pressing pressed on high quality vinyl. First time ever a copy gets offered with the 1st pressing OBI from 1968. Mega rarity in the best condition imaginable. Price: Offers!!! |
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866. ELIAS HULK: “Unchained” (Youngblood – SSYB-8) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Fragile Laminated Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint). Original 1970 UK 1st press. Top copy, rarely turns up in whatever condition, but this one is just clean beyond belief. Record is probably only been played once or twice, NM~M condition – time-machine condition. Same goes for the fragile sleeve which is just perfect without defects, looks like it rolled off the imprinting press just yesterday with only one tiny crease on right upper side corner. Just impossible to find any better. This copy came from one owner who got it when it was released, played it once to tape it and filed it away for half a century. Heavy deranged underground amphetamine intoxicated psychedelic blues-rock from beyond the grave. Heavy and totally berserk going blues psych underground moves impregnated with howling vocals, wrist slashing guitar action and a caveman rhythm section ready to bash some skulls. Neanderthal heavy doped up and psyched out blues-rock from next to the Thames. And you thought the Mississippi was the stream of consciousness? Look no further; these guys are going for the kill, cut throat action from start to finish. Awesome UK original pressing, getting next to impossible to dig up these days in such a nice nick as this one here. Brutal and total Killer. Looking for the perfect copy? Well here it is…. Price: Offers!!!!! |
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867. ELIS REGINA: “Transversal Do Tempo” (Philips – FDX-395) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original – WHITE label PROMO issue. Hard to find Japan original issue. One of Elis Regina's many qualities was her searching for new composer talent. In this album she recorded two songs from one of her findings, Renato Teixeira. Renato earned his living as a jingle writer when this Elis' recording of 'Romaria' launched him to become one of Brazil's better-known singers/writers. The song was a hit and quickly became a Brazilian standard. The other song by Teixeira, however, was unjustly forgotten, having been recorded only by the author besides this record. It's 'Sentimental Eu Fico', a brilliant tune with amazing lyrics, here receiving no less wonderful arrangement by Cesar Camargo Mariano and, of course, graced by the angelic voice of Elis. She also picked two songs ('Colagem' and 'Vecchio Novo') by the then young composer Claudio Nucci, who would later become famous as the leader of vocal group 'Boca Livre'. 'A Dama do Apocalipse' by Nathan Marques/Crispim completes the set of novelties, all of them excellent picks. The other songs, by the then already accomplished composer duos Milton Nascimento/Fernando Brandt, Ivan Lins/Victor Martins and João Bosco/Aldir Blanc are no less impressive, wrapping up the exceptionally strong song set of this album. Elis singing is as strong and heartfelt as ever, with the brilliant, somewhat baroque arrangements and piano by Cesar Camargo Mariano. In short a dead stone classic. Price: 100 Euro |
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868. ELIS REGINA: “Cabare” (Philips – FDX-161) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original – WHITE label PROMO issue. “Elis Regina had discovered the duo Joao Bosco/ Aldir Blanc two years later, and they contributed with four songs for this album, the same as Gilberto Gil, leaving only two tracks to be filled by old guard hits ("Folhas Secas," a beautiful samba classic by Nelson cavaquinho/ Guilherme de Brito and "É Com Esse Que Eu Vou" by Pedro Caetano). The fusion-sounding album with arrangements/execution by Cesar camargo Mariano opens with the slow pace of the mysterious "Oriente," "O Caçador de Esmeraldas," and "Doente Morena" until "Agnus Sei" is introduced with its suggestive percussion; the dynamics continue to grow with the swinging samba "Meio de Campo" but recede with the romantic introduction of the tango "Cabaré," which develops until its marked tango beat. Another swinging samba follows, "Ladeira da Preguiça"; "Folhas Secas" receives a cool bossa rendition; "Comadre" is a mid-samba; and "É Com Esse Que Eu Vou" is another bossa interpretation.” (All Music Guide). Another joy to emerge yourself in. Top copy Japanese press original with obi. Perfect summer sounds! Price: 100 Euro |
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869. ELLINGTON, DUKE: “Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins” (Impulse – SH-3006) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint) Damned rare Japan very first press issue from 1963 – comes housed in first press fragile flip back sleeve & with first issue OBI. This is the rare WHITE label PROMO issue. “This set documents a historic occasion. Although Coleman Hawkins had been an admirer of Duke Ellington’s music for at least 35 years at this point and Ellington had suggested they record together at least 20 years prior to their actual meeting in 1962, this was their first (and only) meeting on record. Although it would have been preferable to hear the great tenor performing with the full orchestra, his meeting with Ellington and an all-star group taken out of the big band does feature such greats as Ray Nance on cornet and violin, trombonist Lawrence Brown, altoist Johnny Hodges and baritonist Harry Carney. High points include an exuberant "The Jeep Is Jumpin'," an interesting remake of "Mood Indigo," and a few new Ellington pieces. This delightful music is recommended in one form or another.” (All Music). Damned rare Japan 1st original press with obi and never seen before WHITE label PROMO. Totally unique item in top shape. Price: 150 Euro |
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870. ELOY, JEAN-CLAUDE: “Gaku No Michi – Les Voies De La Musique Pour Sons Electroniques Et Concrets” (Ades – 21.005) (2 LP Set: Mint/ Laminated Gatefold Jacket: Mint). Original 1979 French 1st original pressing. Jean-Claude Eloy's epic electronic work Gaku-no-Michi has long been on my short list for drone classics. Composed at the NHK Studio in Tokyo in 1977-78, the 1979 double LP is without a doubt one of the greatest ever- recorded electro-acoustic works. The composition includes long, interlude drone tracks called “sons de prolongations” intended to put the listener in the appropriate psychological mood to appreciate the more substantial tracks. The final track, Han, is one of the few remaining “sons de prolongations”. The music of Gaku-No-Michi incorporates pure electronic sounds with radically processed musique concrète elements, generally to the point of defacement. The project is to elaborate on the Japanese attitude towards sound, while shying away from the picturesque – in track #1 Tokyo, someone asks: What is Japanese sound? If your idea of Buddhist approach to sound is quiet, sparse sonic clusters, then you’ll be shocked by the ultra-intense, massive, electronic overdubs on here. This is the Buddhism of Pachinko parlor machines, incessant traffic noise and electronic toy boutiques. Some of the sounds used include: Tokaido Shinkansen train’s whistle, Japan’s national anthem, Gagaku, Nô and Shomyo vocal interjections, Geta (wooden sandal) footsteps, temple bells, etc, all slowed down, filtered and processed in the studio. The end result is a dense and combusted sonic cluster bomb of asymmetric grooves and synthetic sounds, beautifully painful and coming straight at you like a pit-bull on crack. One of the greatest electronic music recordings ever. Top mint copy. Price: 150 Euro |
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871. EMBRYO: “Embryo’s Rache” (United Artists Records/ King Records – SR-774) (Record: Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Mint/ OBI: MINT). Bloody rare and never before offered for sale TRUE FIRST press of Embryo complete with 1st press OBI. To make it all even more salacious – this is the WHITE LABEL PROMO test issue from 1970. Everything is mint here, and needles to say the 1st Japanese issue is damned rare, only a few copies of this one exist. Embryo, formed by ex-Amon Duul II member Christian Burchard, consisted of Edgar Hofmann (sax, violin), Ralph Fisher (bass, organ), John Kelly (guitar). Their first album, Opal (Ohr, 1970), showed Embryo to be influenced by the mystic free-jazz of John Coltrane and the Canterbury sound amongst others. But the group’s characteristic jazz-rock didn’t took shape until their second album “Embryo’s Rache”, officially released in 1971.The disc is a splendid and fascinating juxtaposition crisscrossing between psychedelic jazz-rock of early embryonic Embryo together with embracing a love and predilection for ethnic music and eastern flavored tunings. It starts off with some tribal drumming, and moves onward into complex rhythms and lots of sax and flute solos that fuse with a lonely violin snare here and there. With some odd vocal chanting on “Sitting At The Moon” and lots of high-energy jazz-funk grooves throughout, Embryo’s performance is quite baffling, especially when the hand percussive rattles move in and add an exorcist rite kind of touch to the timbral palette, only to get squeezed out by eerie and spasmodic organ drones. Stunning all way through, this is the viciously rare 1st original Japanese press out of 1971, complete with never seen before 1st issue OBI. Top-notch condition. Classic album and highest recommendation. Seriously rare and never ever offered for sale before anywhere. Price: Offers!!! |
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872. EMERAUDE: “Geoffrey” (Private – KO/81.0907) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint). Bloody rare and obscure French private press acid folk masterpiece that saw the light of day in 1981. This was only released locally in a tiny run of 500 copies, all of which dried up like snow in the sun. Till this day, hardly detected by the masses but that may chance once ears get attuned to this beauty. The music floats on exotic instrumentation, long spun out tracks and dreamy vocals and blessed by a truly haunting vibe that pulls in a magical touch. Light-years better than Book of AM, Subway or Vashti just to name a few. And don’t be fooled by the release date, this sounds like it was 1972 all over. A major favorite of mine and one of the best acid folk discs ever to have waxed my ears. I haven’t seen a copy for over 8 years now and these babies are damned rare. Top copy. Private press French acid folk records are far and few, they just slipped of the face of the earth. Probably the best disc on this time’s list. Highest possible recommendation!!!! Price: Offers!!! |
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873. ENO, BRIAN: “Ambient 1 – Music for Airports” (Polydor – MPF-1229) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 1st original press issue all complete with obi + WHITE label PROMO issue. Though not the earliest entry in the genre, Ambient 1 (Music For Airports) was the first album ever to be explicitly labelled "ambient music". Eno had previously created similarly quiet, unobtrusive music on albums Evening Star, Discreet Music, and Harold Budd's The Pavilion of Dreams (which he produced), but this was the first album to give it precedence as a cohesive concept. Eno conceived the idea for Music For Airports while spending several hours waiting at Cologne Bonn Airport, becoming annoyed by the uninspired sound and the atmosphere it created. The recording was designed to be continuously looped as a sound installation, with the intent of defusing the tense, anxious atmosphere of an airport terminal, by avoiding the derivative and familiar elements of typical "canned music". Classic and rare Japanese WHITE label promo with obi. Price: 100 Euro |
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874. ENO, BRIAN & HAROLD BUDD: “Ambient 2 – The Plateaux of Mirror” (MPF-1321) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~Near Mint – no defects only trace of faintest of foxing/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 1st original press issue of 1979. “The second in Brian Eno's ambient series, The Plateaux of Mirrors fuses the fragile piano melodies of Harold Budd and the atmospheric electronics of Eno to create a lovely, evocative work. In sharp contrast to the exaggerated pieces found on his debut, The Pavilion of dreams, this record finds Budd delivering sharp shards of piano notes pregnant with meaning and minimal in the best sense of the word. Eno's unobtrusive electronics add a resonance and atmosphere that draw from the ambient textures found on Discreet Music, Music for Films, and Evening Star. The album's best moments evoke their subject matter efficaciously and effortlessly; "First Light" creates an audible early morning chill, "An Arc of Doves" employs flights of Frippertronics, "Not Yet Remembered" seesaws between sleep and consciousness, and so on. Although neither artist is a musician in the usual sense of the word -- Budd's piano playing is still somewhat limited here -- they excel as musical painters. The wisps of synthesizer that snake through the rattling percussion of "Wind in Lonely Fences," the wistful melody held at a remote distance in "Among Fields of Crystal," the unbounded edges of the piano notes on "Above Chiangmai" -- these wash over the listener in a suffusion of sound. The Plateaux of Mirrors remains a fascinating hybrid, reflecting the uniqueness of both composers in a most flattering light.” (All Music) Price: 50 Euro |
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875. ENO, BRAIN: “Here Come The Warm Jets” (Polydor – MPF-1168) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent – some visible foxing due to age/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Japan original press issue complete with obi. Rarely offered WHITE label PROMO issue. The debut album of super producer and mad genius, Brian Eno, following his departure from Roxy Music. Here, Eno enlisted 16 musicians whom he thought were incompatible with each other. Eno stated that he got them together merely because he wanted to see what happens when you combine different identities like that and allow them to compete. Eno would direct the musicians using body language and dancing. The result is Art Pop perfection. a genuine classic, skipping playfully and expertly through pop genres with a host of artists from very different backgrounds: members of King Crimson, Hawkwind, Matching Mole, Pink Fairies and Roxy Music itself all help make this a unique and musically dense experience, but it's the experimental production and intense mixing of the album that proves to be most enduringly impressive. A good mix of pop, alternative and experimental. Tracks like ‘Baby’s On Fire’ are so malleable that honestly, anyone could record it and make it their own. In reference to King Crimson’s Robert Fripp’s guitar playing, Eno said “I called it ‘warm jet guitar’ because it sounded like a tuned jet,” hence the album title. Price: 100 Euro |
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876. ENO, BRIAN: “Here Come The Warm Jets” (Polydor – 23MM0124) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition Japanese pressing – 2nd issue all complete with insert and obi. Price: 75 Euro |
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877. ENO, BRIAN: “Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)” (Polydor – 23MM0123) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). 1st original Japanese pressing. Top condition with obi and insert all present. The sound quality of the vinyl pressing is also stunning. "Continuing the twisted pop explorations of 'Here Come the Warm Jets', Eno's sophomore album is more subdued and cerebral, and a bit darker when he does cut loose, but it's no less thrilling once the music reveals itself. It's a loose concept album - often inscrutable, but still playful - about espionage, the Chinese Communist revolution, and dream associations, with the more stream-of-consciousness lyrics beginning to resemble the sorts of random connections made in dream states. Eno's richly layered arrangements juxtapose very different treated sounds, yet they blend and flow together perfectly, hinting at the directions his work would soon take with the seamless sound paintings of Another Green World. Although not quite as enthusiastic as Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain is made accessible through Eno's mastery of pop song structure, a form he would soon transcend and largely discard." (Steve Huey - Allmusic). Price: 75 Euro |
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878. ET CETERA: “Et Cetera” (Global – 6306.901) (Record: Excellent – has a couple of faint sleeve lines/ Gatefold Silver Foil Cover: VG++~Excellent – small price tag tear upper right corner). Original German pressing from 1971. Head twisting recording by a group spearheaded by the mighty keyboardist Wolfgang Dauner, a work that is lightyears away from his piano trio records he recorded during the 1960s! With Dauner manhandling a wide array of electric keys, the sound swirls down into a heavy fusion drifting on cool ring modulator tones, spewing out wild sounds that have you gasping for air and hopefully recovering some sanity again. Other players include Sigi Schwab on guitars and sitar, and Eberhard Weber on bass, both heady bandmates who really share a lot of the same sensibilities as Wolfgang. With a bit of occasionally spoken vocals on the record, the main focus is completely instrumental, and very trippy jamming, that throws together a mix of jazz and prog vibes with all players handling a variety of different instruments throughout the session. This one is a brainfreezer, much wilder and adventurous as opposed to his classic Oimels record for MPS. Price: 100 Euro |
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879. ETHNIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE: “Welcome” (Leo Records – LEO-014) (Record: near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Original 1983 Finish pressing – largely overlooked spiritual jazz slide that is recently making a comeback and is steadily climbing in value it seems. Well executed spiritual free flow put down through strong polyrhythms — sometimes at the drum kit, handled by Kahil El’Zabar against which Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre blows out shrieks of ecstasy while Edward Wilkerson groans with tenor and alto behind them in an almost catatonic state. The whole of the music is shrouded in a nakedness that shines through in its rawness and fervor, swaying to the mad intoxicating rhythms. Horns added simple, incantatory melodies. Together, the percussion and brass become springboards for a buildup to frenzy. Just stellar!!!! Price: 125 Euro |
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880. EUPHORIA: “A Gift From Euphoria” (Capitol – SKAO-363) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold
Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint – has the usual perforated hole in upper
right corner). First original US pressing on the green Capitol label.
Completely out-of-there psychedelic artifact that has a totally unique sound
blending wasted country moves with full fledged lysergic sound effects, Dead
moves and West Coast hazy vibes. The jacket has as always the drill hole, but
only on front, not pressed through to back of gatefold. The extreme fragile
cover shows hardly any wear at all – which makes this copy quite unique.
Stunning copy. Price: 250 Euro |
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881. EUROPE JAZZ ALL STARS AT
THE MIDNIGHT with John Surman; Albert Mangelsdorff; Nils Henning Orsted
Pedersen, Daniel Humair & Eddy Louis: “Room 1220” (Trio Records
– RSP-9014) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ OBI: Mint)
Original 1970 Japan ONLY issue of free jazz killer slide. First every copy I
see all complete with RARE OBI and all is in stunning condition. Recorded live
in Japan on August 1970 and released that same year in Japan only, this is one
of the key recordings where Surman really profiles himself as a gifted player
at the top of his own game. “Three stunning tunes featuring some of the best
improvisers in the world today, all of them written -- yes, written -- by
trombonist Albert Mangelsdorf. Interestingly, with a band this diverse and
dimensionally articulate, the composer has come up with a program addressing
each of the band's particular strengths. The title track, clocking in at over
21 minutes, is a study in the spatial relationship of tonalities. Even so, with
its slow unwinding passages -- and interesting interplay between Surman on
baritone and Mangelsdorf -- there are intervals, which allow for the creation
of alternate harmonies and timbral interjections in chromatic architecture.
Pianist Eddy Louis, along with Pedersen, are largely responsible for keeping
the slowly revolving beast moving, but they add true depth in microtones and
chord voicings. "Triple Circle" is quintet jazz, pure and simple,
with everybody playing the hard bop line. Pedersen's solo is of particular
interest here, in that his pizzicato playing moves through all three registers
and offers scalar blues attacks in each. Finally, "My Kind of Beauty"
caps it all off with a pastoral, late-night into courtesy of the horns and
Louis on organ. It's a shimmering ballad until almost five minutes in, when
Surman begins playing the baritone in the upper register and makes it cry with
loneliness and an outpouring of what can only be called amorous emotion. Just
as he finishes his sojourn, Pedersen and Louis begin to pace off a blues and
transform the number into a groove tune with room enough for every body in the
slowly evolving mix of textures in the intervallic transition. Louis' own solo
is light and airy, whispering itself along the changes until it shifts into a
noirish piece of film music with Mangelsdorf's solo. It all ends on a groove in
the backbeat somewhere, but not without making the listener smile. Room 1220 is
a hell of a Mangelsdorf date to be sure, but this is once in a lifetime
ensemble, and the recording proves it.” (Thom Jurek). Top copy Japan only
issue of 1970 – first time I have a MINT copy of this truly bewitchingly
beautiful slide, highest recommendation!! All complete copy with Obi is
seriously rare – TOP CONDITION. Price: 200 Euro |
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882. EUROPEAN JAZZ ALL STARS: “Jazz Festival ‘70” (Liberty Records – LPC-8045) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Freakingly rare Japan only release of a groovy free jazzing document that is just out of this world. Very first press issue all complete with first issue obi present! The line-up is honey-dripping finger-licking great, bringing together the finest of the European scenesters of that day such as Jean-Luc Ponty; Albert Magelsdorff; Daniel Humair; Eddy Louis; Francy Boland; John Surman; Niels Henning Oersted Pedersen; Karin Krog and Joachim-E. Berendt. The music is top notch, brimming over with loose fire-breathing improvisational licks without being too overly right-in-yer-face free and instead bordering on a hard driving liquid free form groove that is nothing short of being infectious. The whole sounds borders on improvisational fusion, hard hitting free moves, experimental corking drive that at times gets injected by the bewitching vocals of Karin Krog, just adding some extra icing to the already salacious cake. Especially the groove-oriented organ of Eddy Louis brings at times an almost southern soul-like sensibility to the already volatile mix that drives the audience completely nuts. Surman is as always on fire, interlocking with Louis, Krog and Mangelsdorff and ejecting the whole ensemble towards a next level of auditory bliss. Just a killer set!!! Took me ages to unearth an all-complete copy of this irresistible, hard-hitting spell-binding session LP. Just nothing short of pure amazement. Top condition copy all complete with hideously rare first issue obi flashing is colors. Highest possible recommendation!!! Price: Offers!!! |
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883. EVANS, BILL & JIM HALL: “Undercurrent” (United Artists/ Nippon Columbia – UA-10291) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Sleeve: Near Mint). Hardly ever turns up, top condition very first Japan press issue. Together, throughout the album, Evans and Hall sound like so much more than just a piano and guitar. Here we have minimalism stood on its head. The smallest number of musicians possible for interactive improvisation producing a sound as full and close as those big block chords in Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra.". (All about jazz). Well, this sums it up so perfectly and nails the whole recording on the head. Recorded in 1962, this was Evans first return to the recording studio after a long hiatus following bassist Scott LaFaro’s untimely death in a car accident. The meeting of Evans and Hall is exquisite, a perfect merger of harmony and an introspective mood, creating more variety and color than first meets the ear thanks to the tranquil approach and poetic use of space which gives the recording its uniquely unconstrained and relaxing, quality. Another indispensable cornerstone recording in my little universe. Price: 100 Euro |
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884. EVANS, BILL
& JIM HALL: “Undercurrent” (United Artists/ King Records – SR-3084)
(Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Excellent/ Obi: Mint).
Hardly ever turns up, top condition second press issue as released by King
Records. Together, throughout the album, Evans and Hall sound like so much more
than just a piano and guitar. Here we have minimalism stood on its head. The
smallest number of musicians possible for interactive improvisation producing a
sound as full and close as those big block chords in Bartok's "Concerto
for Orchestra.". Well, this sums it up so perfectly and nails the whole
recording on the head. Recorded in 1962, this was Evans first return to the
recording studio after a long hiatus following bassist Scott LaFaro’s untimely
death in a car accident. The meeting of Evans and Hall is exquisite, a perfect
merger of harmony and an introspective mood, creating more variety and color
than first meets the ear thanks to the tranquil approach and poetic use of
space which gives the recording its uniquely unconstrained and relaxing,
quality. Another indispensable cornerstone recording in my little universe.
Hardly surfaces anymore in top shape with obi. Price: 100 Euro
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885. EVANS, BILL TRIO: “How My Heart Sings” (Riverside/ Nippon Victor – SR-7105) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Damned rare Japan very first press issue with rare obi. “Recorded in May and June of 1962, at the same time as the Moonbeams sessions, How My Heart Sings shows a different side of the Bill Evans Trio than that all-ballads album. Here, the eight selections have a much more mid- and even up-tempo flair. Israel appears more comfortable in these settings to be sure, as he is the kind of bassist that relegates himself deeply into the rhythm section, sublimating himself to the pianist. In Evans own words, the band's desire was to "provide a more singing sound" in this material. The set begins with a lyrical waltz in the title track. Evans himself comments that it "contains a delightful 4/4 interlude framed by a delightful 3/4 lyric line." Nowhere does he discuss his solo that literally ripples in delicate waves off the middle register, and Motian’s stick work shimmies up the rhythm and allows it to truly dance and sing. There are a number of standards here, including "Summertime," which sounds so different with its mid-tempo opening and Israel's flaunting bass vamp in front of the piano. When Evans gets to the melody he is following the swinging skip of Motian’s drums, and he digs deep into inverting the melody line with a slew of arpeggios and short, choppy phrases. On Cole Porter’s "Everything I Love," Evans takes the snap in the tune and breaks it, committing it to a driving swing and vaunting lyrical gem that has three seemingly unresolvable harmonic problems in the center that turn out to be a Moebius strip in Evans chromatic language. This is a tough recording; it flies in the face of the conventions Evans himself has set, and yet retrains the deep, nearly profound lyricism that was the pianist's trademark.” (All Music Guide) Simply a bewitching recording and together with Undercurrents one of his most jaw-dropping. Bloody rare 1st original Japan pressing all complete with obi. First one I see in over a decade, so damned rare. Top condition!!! Price: 250 Euro |
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886. EVANS, BILL: “Live in Tokyo” (CBS Sony – SOPM-40) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint – still in shrink/ Obi: Mint – still in shrink/ Insert: Mint). Japan 1st original press issue from 1973. A great live date from Bill Evans -- one of his essential sides of the 70s, even if you've already got a bunch of other Evans live material! I hear you're thinking: "Do I have this one? Seems to be a lot of tunes here that I've got on other Evans recordings." But rest assured, this set's a real winner -- beautifully recorded despite a larger venue performance in Tokyo -- and captured with all the grace, poise, and gentle-flowing genius of Evans in his best better-known live dates -- a real antidote to some of the other 70s live albums that might have been better left unissued. Everyone's at the top of their game here -- Eddie Gomez on bass with those round warm tones, Marty Morrell on drums with his simple spare rhythms, and Evans himself with a sound that's bold then quiet then bold then soft -- beautiful throughout, and really setting fire. Top condition!!! Price: 100 Euro |
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887. EVANS, GIL ORCHESTRA: “Out Of The Cool” (Impulse – SNY-1) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Sleeve: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent – has a few wrinkles on the bottom). Very rare 1961 Japan first original pressing in top shape with obi. To make it juicier – this is the never offered before WHITE label PROMO issue. “Out Of Cool released in 1960, was the first recording Gil Evans issued after three straight albums with Miles Davis. Evans had learned much from Davis about improvisation, instinct, and space. Evans orchestrates less here, instead concentrating on the rhythm section built around Elvin Jones, Charlie Persip, bassist Ron Carter and guitarist Ray Crawford. The maestro in the piano chair also assembled a crack horn section for this date, with Ray Beckinstein, Budd Johnson and Eddie Caine on saxophones, trombonists Jimmy Knepper, Keg Johnson and bass trombonist Tony Studd with Johnny Coles and Phil Sunkel on trumpet, Bill Barber on tuba, and Bob Tricarico on flute, bassoon, and piccolo. The music here is of a wondrous variety, bookended by two stellar Evans compositions in "La Nevada," and "Sunken Treasure." The middle of the record is filled out by the lovely standard "Where Flamingos Fly," Kurt Weill – Bertolt Brecht’s "Bilbao Song," and George Russell’s classic "Stratusphunk." The sonics are alternately warm, breezy, and nocturnal, especially on the 15-plus-minute opener which captures the laid-back West Coast cool jazz feel juxtaposed by the percolating, even bubbling hot rhythmic pulse of the tough streets of Las Vegas. The horns are held back for long periods in the mix and the drums pop right up front, Crawford’s solo -- drenched in funky blues -- is smoking. When the trombones re-enter, they are slow and moaning, and the piccolo digs in for an in the pocket, pulsing break. Whoa. Things are brought back to the lyrical impressionism Evans is most well-known for at the beginning of "Where Flamingos Fly." Following a four-note theme on guitar, flute, tuba, and trombone, it comes out dramatic and blue, but utterly spacious and warm. The melancholy feels like the tune "Summertime" in the trombone melody, but shifts toward something less impressionistic and more expressionist entirely by the use of gentle dissonance by the second verse as the horns begin to ratchet things up just a bit, allowing Persip and Jones to play in the middle on a variety of percussion instruments before the tune takes on a New Orleans feel, and indeed traces much of orchestral jazz history over the course of its five minutes without breaking a sweat. "Stratusphunk" is the most angular tune here, but Evans and company lend such an element of swing to the tune that its edges are barely experienced by the listener. For all his seriousness, there was a great deal of warmth and humor in Evans’ approach to arranging. His use of the bassoon as a sound effects instrument at the beginning is one such moment emerging right out of the bass trombone. At first, the walking bassline played by Carter feels at odds with the lithe and limber horn lines which begin to assert themselves in full finger popping swing etiquette, but Carter seamlessly blends in. Again, Crawford’s guitar solo in the midst of all that brass is the voice of song itself, but it's funky before Johnny Coles’ fine trumpet solo ushers in an entirely new chart for the brass. The final cut, "Sunken Treasure," is a moody piece of noir that keeps its pulse inside the role of bass trombone and tuba. Percussion here, with maracas, is more of a coloration device, and the blues emerge from the trumpets and from Carter. It's an odd way to close a record, but its deep-night feel is something that may echo the "cool" yet looks toward something deeper and hotter -- which is exactly what followed later with Into The Hot. This set is not only brilliant, it's fun.” (All Music Guide). Hardly ever offered Japan original 1961 press issue with obi and WHITE label PROMO. Dang!!!!! Price: 300 Euro |
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888. EVANS, GIL ORCHESTRA: “Out of the Cool Into The Hot” (Impulse – SH-3009~10) ( 2 LP Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Gatefold Jacket: Excellent – has visible foxing inside gatefold) Rare Japan 1963 original press issue of scarce 2 LP set that comes housed in top loader first sleeve issue. Out of the Cool is a pivotal session for Gil Evans -- one that brought his genius to the American public strongly and successfully, without the help of Miles Davis! The sparkling quality of this set is right up there with the charts he handled for Miles, and the quality of the players in the group make the performance every bit as great. Gil's band includes trumpeter Johnny Coles, plus Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, Budd Johnson on tenor, and Ray Crawford on guitar -- all players who open up the sound with a magnificent array of colors that sparkle from the sublime Evans arranging touch. Into The Hot is the harder of the two Gil Evans albums on Impulse to find, and the best -- really far-reaching material that has Evans coming into contact with some of the hippest jazz players of his generation! The record's got three incredible tracks written by Cecil Taylor -- a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career -- and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp, Jimmy Lyons, Sonny Murray, and Henry Grimes. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano -- a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader! Taylor titles include "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". The other tracks on the album were written by John Carisi, who here contributes "Moon Taj", "Angkor Wat", and "Barry's Tune". Carisi's tracks are a bit more subdued, but no less wonderful -- and arrangements are by Taylor and Carisi, of their own music, presented with the Evans modern touch. If you ever needed a record to convince you that Gil Evans was a genius, this is it! Comes ridiculously cheap. Price: 75 Euro |
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889. EVANS, GIL And
His ORCHESTRA Featuring JULIAN “CANNONBALL” ADDERLEY: “New Bottle Old Wine”
(World Pacific Records/ Victor Records – SMJ-7317) (Record: Excellent/ Fragile
Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint). Scarce Japan 1959 first original pressing that
comes housed in Japan only flip back sleeve art. “Gil Evans’ second album as a
leader features his reworking of eight jazz classics including "St. Louis
Blues," "Lester Leaps In" and "Struttin' with Some
Barbecue." Evans’ charts utilize three trumpets, three trombones, a French
horn, a prominent tuba, one reed player, altoist Cannonball Adderley and a
four-piece rhythm section. Most memorable is a classic rendition of "King
Porter Stomp" featuring the exuberant altoist Cannonball Adderley, who is
the main soloist on most of the selections. Other key voices include Evans’
piano, guitarist Chuck Wayne and trumpeter Johnny Coles. This is near-classic
music that showed that Gil Evans did not need Miles Davis as a soloist to
inspire him to greatness.” (All Music Guide). Spot on. Rarely seen Japan very
first original press issue. Price: 50 Euro
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890. EVERYONE INVOLVED: “Either/ Or” (Arcturus – ARC-48) (Record: VG++ ~ Excellent –
has some faint paper sleeve lines visible under bright that that do not affect
the play back/ Embossed white sleeve with group name and title: Excellent/
Poster Insert: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Original 1972 UK private masterpiece of acid folk psych
LP with haunting male & female vocals. Beautiful pastoral folk slide not
unlike Heron in some ways, displaying a rural open air pastoral feel and
blessed with great innocent and slightly naïve songwriting, dreamy garagey
playing spiced up with flute, electric leads at times and a strong backing. Housed
in fragile embossed sleeve. Minimal general wear on sleeve and record, as can
be expected with this micro private pressing. Has rare lyric insert. original UK privately released folf psych oddity. Stoned hippie ramblings in the Incredible String Band realm. Nice document of those halcyon daze. Clean copy
and still largely under-the-radar great UK folk psych that is in urgent need of
mass appraisal!!! Price: Offers!!! |
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891. EVOLUTION ENSEMBLE UNITY: “Concrete Voices” (EEU Records/ ALM Records – EEU-001/ AL-3003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4-paged Booklet: Near Mint). Hideously scarce Japanese private press free jazz monster released in 1976 in collaboration with the legendary ALM Kojima Records. The line-up for this legendary combo consisted out of sax howling monster Takagi Mototeru, trumpet and alto horn blower Toshinori Kondo and skin mangler/ bass mugger Mori Yoshida. The A-side of this disc was recorded live in concert at the live house Kalavinka on November 2nd, 1976, there were the B-side was conceived live at Space Out on September 24, 1976. Aida Aquirax describes in his liner notes the EEU ensemble as the spear headers of the Japanese New Jazz Scene, the successors of the old school free jazz stages. And it makes sense especially when one realizes that a gutter-like take on jazz academics gets entangled with a fire breathing free improvisation blowout, merging high art and low guts splendidly into one wrenching ball of well-balanced but fierce improvisational interplay. The EEU first got together on July 1975 and the sonic voyage they envision on this – their sole - LP blends the aforementioned aesthetic by combining original blow outs with original takes on structural compositions by Steve Lacey and Thelonius Monk (side a), only to fully blossom and pull open all registers on the side long “Concrete Voices” track which can be seen as the total epic that maps out the wide range of free-fall interplay the performance horizon of the EEU can accumulate. It merges a reductionist aesthetic to an impressionistic improvisation that follows no predetermined harmony. Mototeru Takagi again shines through all of this, and for me personally he again proofs he was the hottest free jazz saxophone howler of the archipelago, the hardest gut-wrenching blower the Far East has ever encountered. Toshinori Kondo also shines brightly with uncanny potential and adventurous moves, making this disc one of the unsung cornerstones of improvised music in Japan. Only a shame that almost no-one has ever heard of this beauty, partly due to its scarcity and extremely small pressed numbers….so time to get your collective headz out of yer asses and face the music. This is the shit! Price: 450 Euro |
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892. (Your) EXOTIC PRINCE: “Music That Is In” (RLA Records Co. LP-505) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Impossibly rare private press free jazz/ odd ball/ real people freak out - free jazz funk slide. This is the mega rare original first press issue that just never turns up. This one was bootlegged and released in different cover art, but here is the real thing!!! The holy grail of Spiritual Jazz movement, cosmic echoes and free jazz at the best. "Credited only to "Your Exotic Prince" on the jacket, this record is completely out there and next to impossible to unearth for some perverse reason. As nondefinable as the cover is, the music is even more so. It comprises six tunes, each one essentially a nonstop caterwauling of horns, accordion, banjo (or is that a ukulele?), wah-wah guitar and drums. The musicians, if you can call them that, sound for all the world like a combination of Sun Ra's Arkestra, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and your local junior-high stage band rolled into one. Even stranger are the bizarrely cut-off endings to each track. Just as the songs are clearly coming to a close, the sound stops, mid-din, as if the tape just ran out on the four-track. Awesome bastard-cum-free jazz-oddball deranged lunatic spiritual jazz slide from beyond the planet Jupiter. Released as a private pressing in a minuscule run, copies just do not surface. This was his 2nd LP and rare forever. Top condition to boot so, probably a one-off chance to wheel this one in. Price: Offers!!!! |
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893. EXTRADITION: “Hush” (Shadoks) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint and still in shrink). It was 1971 when this exquisite Australian folk album was released. The trio Extradition who recorded this masterpiece got it released on the Sweet Peach label. Highly acclaimed and regarded by music nuts worldwide these days. The music on the other hand is utterly fragile, rich in texture and even graced by slowly meltdown-like drones. The list of the instruments at use is also impressive and is as far ranging as going from piano over to harmonium, harpsichord, bamboo flute, dulcimer, triangle, glockenspiel, guitar, violin, tablas and austerely beautiful female vocals. Mixing the delicate acoustic textures of British folk legends such as Pentangle and Mellow Candle with a freer more open-ended approach, Extradition recorded their sole album Hush in 1970. While the album revolves predominantly around main songwriter Colin Campbell's carefully understated guitar and piano playing and singer Shayna Karlin's beautifully lush vocals, it's the sounds and instruments that exist between these elements which make this record so unique. The album balances moments of almost hummable catchiness and full on orchestrated arrangements with darker patches of sparse percussion and experimental texture in such a seamlessly effortless manner, the dynamics never feel jarring or forced. In all a splendid example of female acid folk that blows much hyped discs such as Vashty Bunyan’s “Just another Diamond Day” straight out of the water. It has to be heard in order to be believed. Highest possible recommendation. Extremely limited LP reissue housed in a thicker than life jacket. Simply put this is the nectar the gods are drinking from. Eternally beautiful. A must!!! Price: 75 Euro |
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894. EYDIE GORME: “Blame it on the Bossa Nova b/w Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune)” (CBS – LL-2091-C) (Single EP Record: Near Mint/ gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Scarce 1967 Japan only issue that harbors the killing butt-shaking track “Blame It On The Bossa Nova”. Easily the grooviest track that Eydie Gorme ever cut – a set that's well known for its classic title track, but which is filled with breezy bossa vibe throughout! Few other American singers ever got the light, lively spirit of bossa this right back in the 60s – and although Eydie could sometimes be an overly-expressive singer on other records, she's got a compact touch here that's perfect for the jazzy arrangements of Nick Perito and Billy May – which themselves often use a bit of Hammond organ from Dick Hyman to give the tracks lots of Walter Wanderley-ish sort of grooves! Comes housed in gorgeaous gatefold picture sleeve. Damned rare Japan only issue!!!! Price: 75 Euro |
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895. 14 ICED BEARS/ THE HERMIT CRABS: “Balloon Song b/w Surfing Mice” (Private/ Frank Label) (7 Inch Flexi Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). 1987 UK original pressing. Brighton’s 14 ICED BEARS emerged in 1986 as part of the C86 generation of Indie-Pop bands. Early singles ‘Inside’ (1986) and ‘Balloon Song’ (1987) were quintessential jangly guitar nuggets, issued on ex-TVPs bassist Mark Flunder’s Frank label. The Hermit Crabs heralded out of Harlow, Essex and these Hermit Crabs loved to surf, and actually they had a song “Surfin’ Vietnam”! Go figure, followed up with the song called “Surfing Mice” which came on this flexi. A lost in space and tyme clusterfuck of early brit indie psychedelica that just is amazing. Price: 50 Euro
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896. FABRIZIO CASSANO: “Per Le Strade Dell’ India – Fotografie Sonore Di Fabrizio Cassano” (Universo Musica Ducale – FD-344) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Booklet: Near Mint). Totally obscure 1978 Italian small quantity private vanity pressing by ex-Aktuala member Fabrizio Cassano. “Music, like drugs, alters the fabric of time” is a credo that fits this collection like a warm glove. Filled with voices, small bells, big cymbals, sarangi and drums, street musicians, buskers – it are the layers of this puzzling collage of a journey made in 1976 on the roads of North India by Aktuala's sitar player Fabrizio Cassano, rendering it into a hypnotizing threat for armchair travelers and opening the way to a state of trance. It takes you deep into city streets awash in sights, sounds and hopefully smells, unique chants of the city’s street vendors, and so much more. Whether the tempos are fast with polyrhythmic precision or slow in the form of a lonesome ballad, once one gets familiar with the raw unfiltered sounds, it can never be mistaken again for something else. The musicians and people on this album are storytellers and much of their craft is improvised and has a strong foundation of expertise in their respective cultural traditions. These field recordings are a musical journey across endless landscapes of Northern India with some movements having the qualities of a start and finish and yet no apparent end… Seeking, recording, and sharing the intangible experience, the best of all of this, is to catch a ghost. In all, a hypnotic selection of rare field recordings from Cassano. A set of incredibly strange and mystic sounds recorded in 1976, resulting in a fascinating collection that brings together another way to discover the several faces of Indian music. Fabulous!!! Packaging is also salivatingly gorgeous. Price: 150 Euro |
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897. FAHEY, JOHN: “America” (Takoma – C-1030) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Attached Booklet: Near Mint). Top copy, US first original press issue. “Listen to John Fahey's America and hear an honest-to-goodness pioneer of solo acoustic steel-string guitar. With a truly distinctive approach, Fahey creates dusty, sweetly evocative worlds of American folk and blues that make the soul throb. His fingerpicking on alternating and drone bass lines, coupled with chorded melodies, continues to provide inspiration to acoustic players. America opens with the bittersweet "Jesus Is a Dying Bedmaker," a spirited folk painting of elation dressed in suffering. Fahey's halting articulation at the outset of the tune eventually gives way to an uptempo gust of glad resolve. Here and elsewhere lies Fahey's remarkable talent for squeezing a wondrous amount of expressiveness out of simple musical materials. Skip James’ "Special Rider Blues" crawls along like a 12-string sloth, its call-and-response melodic lines full of languor and images of a breezeless afternoon in Mississippi. "Dvorak" is a sensitive arrangement of the third movement of Dvorak’s eighth symphony, a perfect offering of classical composition with a natural folk sensibility. "Steel string wailing" spoken here” (All Music). Top copy with booklet present. Price: 75 Euro |
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898. FAHEY, JOHN: “Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts And Other Contemporary Dance Favorites” (Table Of The Elements – 38-SR) (2 LP Record Set: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint, still in Shrink). First pressing released in 1998 and recorded at a Fahey gig in 1997. This is a live album, recorded at the release party for Womblife. Although people have reported being physically sickened by the depth of electric effects that Fahey utilizes, this has been what you'd call a "grower" for me. It's a perfect example of dichotomy of opinion amongst fans - some say he's sloppy, I say he's "with it." Arranged in classic suite format, the playing on here travels into and out of a variety of emotional niches w/o really settling anywhere. The title is typically sardonic: This is as far from dance music as you'll get.Acoustic guitarist Fahey goes electric, swapping his oakentone for a reverberant shimmer. Through the haze, bare-boned melodiesemerge ("House of the Rising Sun", Ellington's "Mood Indigo"), beautifulhymn like in their starkness. Fahey's doing what he's always done:painting highly personal soundscapes using America roots music as his palette.Fahey's dissonant and impressionist guitar work is more predatory than pastoral, eventually careening into cinematic textures of gamelan and sandy rain. The sea theme throughout Womblife is appropriate as it sounds like it was recorded deep in the ocean giving voice to the organic shape-shifting rhythms of its creatures. Price: 75 Euro |
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899. FAHEY, JOHN: “Hard Time Empty Bottle Blues” (Table of the Elements – Nd-60) (Clear Vinyl: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). To mark its 10th anniversary (1993-2003), Table of the Elements released the Lanthanides, a series of fourteen limited-edition LPs. Each disk is pressed on clear or transparent vinyl, then silk-screened across the entire area of the B-side in luminous or metallic ink. Fantastic live recording of Fahey caressing the strings in his own idiosyncratic way as recorded at the Table of the Elements Yttrium Festival on November 8th, 1996. Like any other Fahey material, this is also pretty indispensable. Came out almost a decade ago and dried up pretty instantly. Price: 75 Euro |
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900. FAHEY, JOHN: “Hitomi” (Important
Records) (2 LP Set: unplayed ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Mint). Limited edition of
100 copies on clear vinyl. Regular issue was released on regular black vinyl. Top
condition copy of this scarce Fahey title out of 2003 shortly before he passed
away and one of his finest as far as these ears are concerned. It turned out to
be that “Hitomi” would end up John
Fahey's final record released in his lifetime. And low key it turned out to be,
addictively and gloriously low-key, an album which finds Fahey at peace with
all his musical phases, stringing them together through a frail and fragile
aesthetic that he interwove with reverb, echo and digital delays, turning it
into a mesmerizing and totally intimate confession-like musical statement. The
sound he propels forwards is stark and naked, almost ascetic but yet still fundamentally confrontational, stripped of the
bare essentials which allows him to spin out a fractured, spectral blues not devoid of any unforgiving glares unto
his harsh-toned acoustic excursions. His
Japanese girlfriend and Japanese music seemingly inspired the whole affair, so
that is maybe where the Spartan like approach originated out
from. This limited edition LP was pressed on 180-gram double vinyl and
housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. It was also Fahey's first studio album since "Womblife" and sees him again finger picking his way through an assortment of folk, blues,
and garage numbers.
The press release also claimed that this was the
first album since 1964 that he has produced and recorded entirely unfettered
from 'correction' by commercial interest. And it shows, it is to me one of his finest records ever. Top condition mint copy. 100 copies
limited clear vinyl issue rarely turns up. Highly
recommended. Price: 150 Euro |
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901. FAIRFIELD PARLOUR: “From
Home To Home” (Vertigo – 6360 001) (Record: Near Mint/ Textured Gatefold
Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Original 1970 1st UK pressing on the legendary Vertigo label imprint. Very first pressing with
matrix number ending as 1Y//1 2Y//1. The story goes that around 1969 after
Kaleidoscope had released two albums on the Fontana label, the band had
disputes with the record label and left. They were not able to take along their
name, so they became Fairfield Parlour. Compared to the Tangerine Dream album,
From Home To Home shows maturity in the bands sound. It is much more mellow and
the musicianship is much more precise and drawing in more pastoral, folk tinted
sounds. If you like Kaleidoscope, you will more than likely enjoy this album. Beautiful
copy, original Vertigo pressing and in amazing condition. Hard to upgrade upon.
Price: 550 Euro |
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902. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “Genesis Hall b/w Si Tu Dois Partir” (Fontana Japan – FON-1060(S) (EP Record: Near Mint & with Center Piece still attached / Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Bloody rare Japan only picture sleeve single release of Fairport Convention, only surfaces once a decade. Rare stock copy version, which is also damned rare came on the blue label. This one was released on February 1970. Stunning condition and the sole picture sleeve EP that was issued of Fairport Convention during their line-up that included both Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny. First copy to ever cross my watery eyes in all these years. Only the 2nd copy I see in over a decade and in flawless condition. Price: 400 Euro |
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903. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “S/T” (Polydor Japan – MP-2211) (Record: Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ MINT/ OBI: MINT) Stupidly rare Japan 1st original pressing, Polydor pressing, complete with Japan only Gatefold sleeve and NEVER SEEN BEFORE OBI!! Impossible to track down Japanese pressing with obi. Has been over a decade since I last saw a complete copy of this one! England's Fairport Convention were wielding West Coast harmonies long before any other European band. Released in 1968 and in 1970 in Japan, Fairport Convention's debut album owes more to the Byrds than to let's say Pentangle, since it is brimming over with soaring harmonies and psychedelic infested guitars. Recorded pre-Sandy Denny, Judy Dyble sang like a siren and then left to form Trader Horne. Among the other original material, some of it dating from Richard Thompson's previous band, is a fair smattering of well-chosen songs from contemporary performers. The disc shows the band in a very embryonic form although you can already hear the superlative musicianship that would characterize their glory years. The music is half group compositions and half cover versions of songs by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell among others. The band showed their characteristic good taste in their choice of cover versions, kicking off the album with a storming cover of Emitt Rhodes' “Time Will Show The Wiser”. This is one of the many highlights on the album such as the brilliant “Jack O' Diamonds”, an exceedingly pleasant “Chelsea Morning” and the Dylan pastiche “It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft”. Historically seen, the inclusion of Joni Mitchell covers is quite surprising seen that she was virtually unknown and unreleased on record in 1967 when this album was recorded and her own versions of the two songs here did not appear until her second album, Clouds, in 1969. The Fairports knew her as she had been in the UK at the invitation of their producer, Joe Boyd, and she had played some British dates supporting the Incredible String Band. In all, this debut album is just as magical as the rest of the output the band would become known for, be it that at this point in time they were more harmony and psychedelic tinted as opposed to the folk trademark sound they would become renowned for. Still, elements of things to come do resonate through this album, make no mistake and this LP is just one of the finest to seep out of the UK at that time. This copy here comes with hideously rare beyond belief obi in mint condition. Top condition, impossible to dig up these days with obi intact, so start trembling! UNPLAYED & UNTOUCHED copy! Highest recommendation! Price: Offers!!!! |
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904. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “S/T” (Polydor Japan – MP-2211) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint / OBI: Excellent) Stupidly rare Japan 1st original pressing, Polydor pressing, complete with Japan only Gatefold sleeve complete with OBI!! WHITE label PROMO issue. Released in 1968 and in 1970 in Japan, Fairport Convention's debut album owes more to the Byrds than to let's say Pentangle, since it is brimming over with soaring harmonies and psychedelic infested guitars. Recorded pre-Sandy Denny, Judy Dyble sang like a siren and then left to form Trader Horne. Among the other original material, some of it dating from Richard Thompson's previous band, is a fair smattering of well-chosen songs from contemporary performers. The disc shows the band in a very embryonic form although you can already hear the superlative musicianship that would characterize their glory years. The music is half group compositions and half cover versions of songs by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell among others. The band showed their characteristic good taste in their choice of cover versions, kicking off the album with a storming cover of Emitt Rhodes' “Time Will Show The Wiser”. This is one of the many highlights on the album such as the brilliant “Jack O' Diamonds”, an exceedingly pleasant “Chelsea Morning” and the Dylan pastiche “It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft”. Historically seen, the inclusion of Joni Mitchell covers is quite surprising seen that she was virtually unknown and unreleased on record in 1967 when this album was recorded and her own versions of the two songs here did not appear until her second album, Clouds, in 1969. The Fairport’s knew her as she had been in the UK at the invitation of their producer, Joe Boyd, and she had played some British dates supporting the Incredible String Band. In all, this debut album is just as magical as the rest of the output the band would become known for, be it that at this point in time they were more harmony and psychedelic tinted as opposed to the folk trademark sound they would become renowned for. Still, elements of things to come do resonate through this album, make no mistake and this LP is just one of the finest to seep out of the UK at that time. This copy here comes with the OBI (a few lower side wrinkles so EX) and hardly ever seen WHITE label PROMO. Highest recommendation! Price: Offers!!!! |
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905. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “What We Did On Our
Holidays” (Island Records/ King Records Japan – ICL-32) (Record: Near
Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Mint/ OBI: Mint) Original 1st Japanese Issue press from
1972 – white label PROMO issue and complete with Japan only
4 paged insert and the rare OBI!!! All complete copy. The
second Fairport Convention album, originally released in 1969, is the first to
feature the beautifully haunting vocals of the legendary Sandy Denny. What We
Did On Our Holidays contains some of the Fairport Convention's finest moments,
including Denny's own "Fotheringay," Richard Thompson’s "Meet Me
On The Ledge" and their stunning take on Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It
With Mine." This LP finds the Fairport Convention
moving away from the California folk-rock of their debut album towards a more
British approach to similar material. The whole deal is in NM condition and
sounds awesome, an upgrade to the UK one. A classic!! Price: 450 Euro |
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906. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “Unhalfbricking” (Island Records/ King Records – ICL-36) (Record: Near Mint ‾ Mint/ jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint ‾ Mint). Super clean Japan original all complete with rare OBI. WHITE label PROMO issue. Rare original Japanese press issue complete with hardly ever offered before obi present. “With the 11-minute ‘A sailor’s Life’ Unhalfbricking takes Fairport Convention’s unique concept of folk-rock one major step further. It can be reverential and modern at the same time, can take as much from current hard rock and psychedelic trends as from history., can be as much a framework for stunning musicianship as for tight harmony singing. Unhalfbricking is arguably every bit as good as its predecessor, once again showing off a wide range of emotional colors, and with 3 Dylan covers that rank with (or surpass) the best work of the Byrds or Manfred Mann. The blues element fades on this album, refining their sound even more. At this point they knew exactly who they were, and it appeared they could do anything. Not to be forgotten: Sandy Denny’s finest song ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’” (AM – Galactic Ramble). Top condition copy complete with obi and white label promo with insert. TOP COPY!!!! Price: 450 Euro |
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907. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “Full House” (Island Records/ Nippon Phonogram – SFX-7310) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Textured Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Wow, impossibly rare and by far the hardest to get Japan first original pressing of Fairport’s Full House, all complete with insanely rare OBI. Top condition, impossible to ever upgrade upon!!!! Price: Offers!!!! |
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908. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “Full
House” (Island – ICL-31) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/
OBI: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Rare Japanese original pressing complete
with OBI. White label PROMO issue. Hardly ever surfaces with obi, this copy is
in perfect condition. Price: 250 Euro |
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909. FAIRPORT CONVENTION: “Heyday – BBC Radio Sessions 1968‾69” (Hannibal – HNBL-1329) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert Card: Near Mint). Original first pressing that came out way back in 1987 on Joe Boyd’s own Hannibal imprint and which collects 12 performances (ten of them covers) recorded for the BBC during the early period when Sandy Denny and Ian Matthews were both singing for the group (and a bus accident had not yet taken the life of original drummer Martin Lamble). While most of the songs were written by noted American folk-rockers of the day, the Fairports put a very individual stamp on every selection here; if you don't think you ever need to hear another version of Leonard Cohen’s "Suzanne" or Bob Dylan’s "Percy's Song," you might well change your mind after hearing Fairport work their magic with them, and their takes on Joni Mitchell’s "I Don't Know Where I Stand" and Gene Clark’s "Tried So Hard" actually improve on the very worthy originals. Fairport Convention approaches these songs with taste, skill, and subtle but potent fire, and Richard Thompson was already growing into one of the most remarkable guitarists in British rock. While Fairport Convention would create their most lasting work with Liege and Lief and Full House, Heyday offers delightful proof that this band's talents (and influences) took many different directions, and it captures one of the band's better lineups in superb form. Totally indispensable life recording!!!Price: 50 Euro |
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910. FAITHFUL, MARIANNE: “Summer Nights b/w The Sha La La Song” (London/ King Records – HIT-530) (7 Inch Single Issue: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint) Original Japan only picture sleeve issue from 1965 in impeccable condition. Prime-time Marianne Faithful with two classic, the girl-groupish "The Sha La La Song," and the melancholy-tinted baroque inspired "The Morning Sun" rank among her best '60s recordings. Rarely seen or offered Japan original first pressing in top shape. Price: 200 Euro |
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911. THE FALL: “It’s A New Thing! b/w Various Times” (A Step-Forward Record – SF-9) Single Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Top condition UK 1978 first press issue of The Fall’s first single. After playing The Fall's 'Various Times' on his show for the first time John Peel uttered these words: "Well, Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill may tell us that rock n' roll is dead but there are times when you listen to a track like that and I suspect it's only just beginning..." here, one finds the Fall squarely between their first two Peel sessions, yet still pre-dating their first LP. Critical acclaim was starting to swell; the lineup was already morphing to include Marc Riley and Yvonne Pawlett (whose globby approach to the cheap keyboard cemented the instrument's place in the band). 'It's the New Thing' is a straightforward punk-out, while 'Various Times' shifts focus to a darker atmosphere of cerebral plod that further hints at the future to come. Just a killer slide, housed in a great picture sleeve with cool band shot. The perfect sound to pierce your cranium with during times of a pandemic steering you away from sanity and right wing idiots trying to rejuvenate the Hitler Jugend. Thank God the Fall is here to guide us through these Various Times!!! Price: 100 Euro |
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912. The FALLEN ANGELS: “Room At The Top b/w Most Children Do” (Roulette/ Victor Records – RF-1008) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint with Center push out Piece still attached/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint) Damned rare Japan original single issue complete with picture sleeve. Top shape. Price: 400 Euro |
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913. FANKHAUSER, MERRELL AND HIS TRUSTY H.M.S. BOUNTY: “Things!” (Shamely – SS701) (Record and Jacket are MINT – still SEALED – has upper left small drill hole) Sealed 1968 US original pressing of all time psych classic! Things was released in 1968, sandwiched in between Fankhauser’s Fapardokly and Mu albums. This album is much more psych minded than 1966’s folk-rock inclined Fapardokly. Fine, tuneful '60s psychedelia with a pop edge, featuring Fankhauser's first-rate songwriting and warm vocals. About half of the tunes are excellent, especially the country-rocker "Your Painted Lives," and the folk-rock ballad "Ice Cube Island," and "A Visit with Ashiya," one of the best raga-rock songs ever cut. Things is delicate and raunchy all at once and a great, American underground psych slide. Essential and perfectly sealed original. Price: 350 Euro |
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914. FANKHAUSER, MERRELL: “S/T” (Maui Music – M-101) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 2-sided Insert: Mint). Top condition & all-complete with insert 1976 US original pressing. “Aka ‘The Maui Album’, this has some great melodic 1970s psych and some less exciting pop. Merrell is joined by female violinist Mary Lee on this LP; she also was part of the earlier Mu scene and lived with Merrell in a Maui jungle hut for several years. The album is enjoyable but not quite on level with the spirituality charged magic of the preceding Mu recordings from 1971 and 1974.” (PL – Acid Archives). A mellow psych classic in my book that again shows what an incredible talent Fankhauser was. Top notch copy, all complete with rare insert. Price: 300 Euro |
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915. FAPARDOKLY: “S/T” (UIP Records – LP-2250) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint – still housed in original shrink + with Frankhauser signature on the shrink of the back sleeve). Top copy, US original MONO pressing from 1967 of damned rare Frankhauser psych classic! Complete with Merrell Frankhauser signature on shrink on back!!! “A legendary LP, both for its rarity and the appearance of future Mu-wizard Merrell Frankhauser. This is mid-1960’s pop-folk rock rather than the psych it gets hyped for, the hazy “Gone To Pot” excluded. Pretty classy stuff with traces of the Byrds and the Beatles but also obvious remnants of an earlier, pre-Invasion pop era of Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. Merrell’s talent is on clear display even at this early stage, with each track being a finely tuned and completely realized pop song. Personal fave tracks include the dreamy opener “Lila” and the weirdly inspired “Mr Clock”. Enjoyable all through, as long as you don’t expect Lemurian hippie psych magic.” (PL- Acid Archives). Longtime favorite around here and finally a clean original still housed in shrink up for nickel and dime grabs. Indispensable genre piece of the highest order! Top condition & Impossible to ever upgrade upon. Price: Offers!!! |
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916. FARMER, ART QUARTET: “Perception – The Art Farmer Quartet” (Globe/ Victor Records – SMJ-7445) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan very first press issue with obi. “This 1964 release of a 1961 date with pianist Harold Mabern, drummer Ron McCurdy and bassist Tommy Williams is a breezy affair, a stark contrast to the hard bop that was still pervasive at that time. Farmer had fully developed his sensual and lyrical style by this time, and was making records with Benny Golson when he led this date. The set features two fine originals, which are notable because Farmer didn't compose much: the elegant and spring-like "Punsu" and "Kayin," a breezy West Coast affair. Farmer had given up the trumpet completely by this time and concentrated all of his efforts on the flügelhorn. Its large, warm tone and rounded sound fit perfectly with Farmer’s penchant for the exploration of melodic modes within a given tune. On "Lullaby of the Leaves," Farmer’s lead into the melody prefigures his solo by moving both off key and off beat to shape a large conical center in the tune. On Ray Bryant’s "Tonk," Farmer swings out of the blues and into a shimmering solo all around a triplet figure in B flat. Mabern does far more than comp his way through the changes here, extending his chord voicings to let Farmer fall inside the cracks and nest. This is a gorgeous record, full of light and airiness; it showcases the depth rather than the breadth of Farmer’s contribution.” (All Music Guide). Spot on, a true deleight spinning this one! Price: 75 Euro |
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917. FAT MATTRESS: “S/T” (Polydor – MP-1460) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Obi: Mint). Japan 1st original pressing from 1970 all complete with rare obi and in absolutely virginal condition. Itching to do his own thing, Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding formed Fat Mattress in late 1968. Positioning himself as singer and guitarist, Noel recruited vocalist Neil Landon, drummer Eric Dillion and multi-instrumentalist Jim Leverton into the fold. Released in August 1969, the British band’s self-titled debut album fuses whimsical psychedelic pop practices with sunshine-spangled folk-rock flourishes, bringing to mind select aspects of acts such as the Byrds, Traffic, the Idle Race and the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Peppered with phased vocals, the dizzy and dreamy “Magic Forest” was issued as a single and received airplay in a smattering of pockets across the globe. Cut of similar spacey seasonings, “Mr. Moonshine” tosses a brief jazzy jam into the pot as an added effect. At the time of its arrival, Fat Mattress drew mixed reviews. Those expecting the band to recreate the hard-edged intensity and improvisation of Redding had helped create in the Jimi Hendrix Experience were either surprised or disappointed by the dated psychedelic pop rock concepts casing the material. But in hindsight, Fat Mattress stands as an enjoyable effort. Steered by a certain mood, there’s also enough enterprising hooks and arrangements to make the songs memorable. Never ever offered before original with obi present. Price: 475 Euro |
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918. FAUST: “Faust IV” (Virgin/ Nippon Columbia – YX-7058-VR) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Bloody rare 1st original Japanese press, complete with obi. Sold zilch at the time in Japan and immediately became a rarity, making it now the rarest Faust issue out there. First time I have a copy with obi complete. Faust's first album not to be recorded at their own studio at Wümme in north Germany. Having been dropped by Polydor (and lost Wümme in the process) after two brilliant but exceedingly uncommercial albums and signed to Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin label, they were now installed in Virgin's Manor Studios in southern England to make their third "proper" album (Faust tapes not included since it was an album of leftovers out of Wumme). Faust IV was the band’s commercial failure that made them loose their contract with Virgin. But do not let sales fool you, the album is – like you all might know – a total head classic and also the band’s most accessible disc till that point, opening up with the trance-inducing whirlwind of the epic groove driven “Krautrock” which was followed close on its heels by the flirting with ska oddball pop number “The Sad Skinhead” and crossing over into other tracks that play with tape manipulations, folk-infested minimalism and art damaged dilettante rock moves spiked up with boundless hunger for musical experimentation. Still unpredictably sudden shifts in mood and tempo are plentiful abound here, spiked up with several beat-less, heavily electronic infused soundscapes and the always present detuned and demented trademark VU-inspired guitar primitivism, that on “Giggly Smile” even transgresses in a kind of Mothers of Invention-esque jazz-rock passage. By many seen as average Faust LP, to these ears the totally of their 4 first albums are all necessary and stuffed with genial greatness. Impossibly rare complete Japanese pressing. Price: 350 Euro |
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919. FAUST: “So Far” (Polydor Japan – 23MM.0126) (Record: Near Mint/ jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Booklet with illustrations: Mint). First original Japanese pressing with obi. Complete copy of this original Japanese pressing out of 1979. Another vital injection into the Faust sage. Comes with 1st issue obi and fully illustrated booklet. Sounds amazing and in TOP condition. Hardly ever surfaces, 1st Japanese pressings are twice as hard as the UK 1st editions. Price: 100 Euro |
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920. PIERRE FAVRE TRIO: “Santana” (Globe – SMJX-10121M) (Record: Near Mint ~ MINT/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ MINT/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Mint). Rare Japan original 1st press, all complete with never offered before OBI. TOP COPY!! Another free jazz rarity that always slips through the cracks. Rarest issue of this beast. That said, killer slide with jaw breaking line-up consisting out of Pierre Favre on drums, Irene Schweizer on piano and Peter Kowald on drums. The whole affair was record in 1968 in Zurich and is an excellent example of early European free molting jazz action. The trio is on fire, bringing forth an animated strive of high-tension music and high voltage counter reactions. The recording is crystal clear and this original pressing brings it out loud and crystal clear and makes you feel like witnessing the whole thundering outburst from out the first trench facing the battleground. The trio rips the jazz system as known till that day apart like a pile of cheap hay. Fabulous free roaming fire music, showing that the early day European scene was totally hardcore. Impossibly rare Japan original pressing with never seen OBI present. Price: 375 Euro |
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921. PIERRE FAVRE TRIO: “Santana” (Globe/ Victor Records – SMJX-10121) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Insert: Excellent). Rare Japan press original – same as the one listed above but considerably down priced due to the rare obi missing. So, you have a steal here – killer European free improvisation racket that will leave you with permanent symptomatic vertigo spasms. Awesome! Price: 100 Euro |
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922. FAVREAU, DIDI: “Rebirth of Wonder” (RSVP Records – ES-8004) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent). Didi Favreau’s sole recorded artifact is just a massively overlooked gemstone of a recording that – at least to these ears – can compete with the Erica Pomerance as far as music and style are concerned. Didi, although under-recorded and under appreciated, was a young struggling composer, and lyricist living in the Village during the late 1960s and early 1970s. She performed and sang regularly at Gerde's Folk City and other coffee houses that littered NY at that time. Surrounded by some ace jazz musicians, she cut the classic “Rebirth of Wonder” LP in late 1968, which was eventually released on RSVP Records in early 1969. Didi wrote all the music and lyrics herself (except the verses on Baby Blue which came from Fitzgerald's translation of Omar Khayyam's The Rubiyat).Musicians include Pat Rebillot (keyboard), Bill Takas (bass), Sam Brown (guitar), John Beal (bass), Arnie Lawrence (alto sax), Dave Frishberg (keyboard), Don MacDonald (drums), John Stauber (guitar), Richard Bock (cello), Bob Dorough (harmonica & voice), and Markie Markowitz (trumpet). The end result is an astonishing Her vocals are both sweet and unhinged in a addictive kind of way. Her poetic lyricism is just like Erica Pomerance a tad strange and original, wonderful, as well as a tad crazy and extremely smart, making her music a high volatile mixture breathing out both an unique as well as a magickal vibe. The choice of the group of musicians she was able to assemble around her is a big part of the magic here and together theycreate a psychedelic stew against which Didi traipse across with calculated atonality and a shrill, shimmering consciousness. Her voice is an involuntary wave of sonic energy. She warbles, groans, scats, splutters, and bounces. The record has a sort of messy charm all splattered across its grooves both sucking in influence ranging from free jazz to communal-folk improv. The end result is a highly addictive freewheeling vibe and highly original and astonishing listening experience. Just awesome. Price: 100 Euro |
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923. FEATHERS, CHARLIE: “Get With It – Essential Recordings (1954~69)” (Revenant Records – Revenant No. 209) (Clear Vinyl 3 LP Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Slip Case Outer Box: Near Mint/ Booklet: Mint). Long out of print killer 3 LP set that came out in 1998. Charlie Feathers: No other performer scaled such heights in both primeval rockabilly and keening hillbilly country. Presley? Nary a hillbilly wail in sight; Feathers’ adenoidal whine could strip paint off walls. Here are all his Sun, Flip, King, Meteor, Kay, Walmay and Holiday Inn sides plus rare, unissued tracks including Sun demos, alternate takes and early home recordings with the likes of Junior Kimbrough. 2 discs, 42 tracks, and a 48 page photo-packed book with notes by Jim Dickinson, Colin Escott, Peter Guralnick and Nick Tosches. Price: 75 Euro |
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924. The FEELIES: “Crazy Rhythms” (Stiff Records/ Victor Records Japan – VIP-6725) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4-Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Mint). Damned scarce Japan 1980 first original pressing – all complete copy. The Feelies' 1980 debut on Stiff Records is a truly outstanding work within the pantheon of new wave/ post-punk classics. The incredibly crisp, guitars-through-the-desk production of this album is especially notable; unlike so many DIY acts of the age The Feelies managed to get an incredibly tight, sculpted sound out of their setup - and all without sabotaging the power of their delivery. Formed in Haledon NJ in 1976, The Feelies reared on a diet of The Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers and Television and this shone through on Crazy Rhythms. Although punk had been and gone, the record's aloofness and randomly assembled running order ensured a timeless quality soon to be associated with many of their peers who'd influenced the band right from the outset. Although mainly focused on Glenn Mercer and Bill Million's sinewy guitar breaks and occasional veers into solo territories, Crazy Rhythms owes just as much to the way bassist Keith De Nunzio and drummer Anton Fier steer the backline through a crux of additional forms of instrumentation as cowbells, castanets and tom-toms wrestle with their more traditional bed fellows for pride of place throughout the record's nine pieces. What's more, like their undoubted heroes The Velvet Underground, The Feelies wouldn't know the meaning of a concept album if it beat them round the head 15 times with a jackhammer. Instead, Crazy Rhythms continuous lack of flow is what adds to its everlasting charm, in that under no circumstances could this ever be accused of being a calculated record aimed at any particular target market or audience. Crazy Rhythms sounds like it was written and recorded with little purpose other than to create one pulsating musical experiment after another, and for the majority of the time their carefree approach pays dividends. A beast of a record. Price: 175 Euro |
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925. FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI Of Nigeria And ROY AYERS Of America: “Music Of
Many Colours” (Phonodisk – PHD/003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near
Mint/ Japan Direct Import OBI with Attached Insert: Near Mint). Original
Nigerian pressing in top shape. Comes with rare Japan OBI that was used for
directly imported copies from Nigeria, never seen before OBI!!! “This meeting of the minds and bands of Afro-funk creator
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and American vibist and R&B/jazz innovator Roy Ayers is
a collaboration that shouldn't work on the surface. Fela's music was raw, in
your face politically and socially, and musically driven by the same spirit as
James Brown's JBs. At the time of this recording in 1979, Ayers had moved out
of jazz entirely and become an R&B superstar firmly entrenched in the disco
world. Ayers' social concerns -- on record -- were primarily cosmological in
nature. So how did these guys pull off one of the most badass jam gigs of all
time, with one track led by each man and each taking a full side of a vinyl
album? On hand were Fela's 14-piece orchestra and an outrageous chorus made up
of seven of his wives and five male voices. For his part, Ayers played vibes,
and saxophonist Harold Land blew like the soul master he is. The rest of the
Ayers septet performed on his tune only, the funk fest "2,000 Blacks Got
to Be Free," an open-ended soul groove overdriven into Afro-funk by Fela's
orchestra. Ayers is down on the quick changes, and his band leads the orchestra
in pulling down the funk into a hypnotic sway and groove. On Fela's
"Africa -- Centre of the World," everything starts out dark and slow
with a chant from the master and then the chorus and Fela's trademark tenor
honk. The horn section kicks in and Ayers starts playing all around the mix
like a restless spirit. He darts in and out of the changes and sometimes hovers
above them. The effect is as mesmerizing as it is driving. This is a sure bet
for any bash where you want 'em to dance until they drop. For the purpose of
musical history, this was a meeting that panned out in all the right ways and
left listeners with a stellar gift of a recorded souvenir.” (All Music Guide). This record is so good, it hurts!!!
Next to that, this copy here is possibly the best condition ever to fall into
your lap. Just perfect and that for a Nigerian pressing is nothing short of a
miracle. The icing on the cake is the stupidly rare Japan Direct Import Obi
– probably the first and last you will ever see. Stellar!!! Price: 350 Euro |
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926. FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI & THE
AFRIKA 70: “Yellow Fever” (London – GXH-1055) (Record:
Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Original 1979
Japanese pressing complete with obi. “Yellow Fever” opens with a couple of measures of guitar and bass interplay
that sets up the standard funk-jazz vamp that will prod the entire length. The
horn solos are reaching, explosive, and (though the word is overused) funky. Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker have some tough competition here, as these guys are unyielding in their voice.
After eight minutes of instrumental eminence, Fela makes his own voice heard and gets to the meat of his product. The words speak
of the strange practice of Africans lightening their skin -- this idea just
doesn't jive with Fela's
strong pan-African sentiments. As he gets progressively worked up, the choir
responds to him exemplifying the idea and the vibe. Once Fela feels he's got his point across, he just lets the musicians have their fun
until the end of this 15-minute rollick. An unbelievable and hard-hitting
groove opens up "Na Poi" and slams in with absolute genius. This is
actually another version of the same song from 1972. "Na Poi," banned
by the Nigerian Broadcasting Company due to its sexual content, makes one
wonder -- what was really going on in the Kalakuta Republic (his walled-in
residence)? The instrumentation of "Na Poi" that began as genius
settles into the familiar and works itself out until, once again, Fela decides to get down and literally dirty. This is an entertaining piece, but it
doesn't really hold up to the rest of his material". (All Music Guide).
Excellent disc, stellar even, stupefying….originally released in 1976, this is the original 1978 Japanese press. Hardly ever turns
up, especially in such virginal condition as this one here. Brilliant all way
through. Price: 75 Euro |
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927. FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI: “Up Side Down – Afro Beat” (London Records – GXH-1049) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint) Top condition Japan original all complete with obi. Original 1978 Japanese pressing complete with obi. Great Fela Kuti disc, consisting out of 2 side long compositions brimming over with propulsive, hard-hitting African rhythms, funky as hell bass lines, jazz-influenced improvisational hoedowns and chanted call and response songs. The ideal music to form the soundtrack to his gloriously hedonistic lifestyle, political provocations and law-denouncing activities. The music became quickly known under the term Afrobeat!, a music poignant and sharp as a machete but also bursting over with a infectious joie de vivre. Brilliant all way round and impossible hard to get original Japanese pressings of this masterpiece. Grrrreaaaatttttt!!!!! Price: 75 Euro
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928. FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI & EGYPT ’80: “Overtake Don Overtake Overtake” (Kalakuta Records – KALP-009) (Record: Near Mint/ Excellent ~ Near Mint). Top condition 1989 Nigerian original pressing. “Even if American commercial radio did play more world music, they'd have a hard time with Fela Kuti’s albums -- which tend to be very loose and improvisatory and favor extended, jazz-influenced horn solos. Kuti believes in finding an irresistible groove or an appealing theme, staying on it, and working it to death -- something he has in common with everyone from Hindu and Islamic singers to James Brown and George Clinton. It's an approach that works wonders on this set's two extended pieces: the 31-minute "O.D.O.O. (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake)" and the 29-minute "C.B.B. (Confusion Break Bones)," both of which show us how appealing repetition can be with the right theme. Funk and soul fans will appreciate Kuti’s love of the endless groove, while jazz aficionados should pay attention to the long sax solos. Kuti has recorded many good albums over the years, and O.D.O.O. is certainly among them.” (All Music Guide). Original pressing in top condition. Price: 150 Euro |
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929. FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI & EGYPT ’80: “Confusion Break Bone” (Kalakuta Records – KALP-010) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: VG++ ~ – small sticker tear on lower right seam, no damages, or splits). Original Nigerian pressing from 1990 in great shape. Price: 100 Euro |
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930. FELT: “Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty” (Kenwood – AW-20008) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Rare and hardly seen Japanese first original press issue from 1981 all complete with obi and housed in uncensored cover. There’s nothing really crumbling on Felt’s debut, but there’s plenty of antiseptic beauty. And while that may seem like damning with faint praise, I mean this in the strongest terms: Crumbling The Antiseptic Beauty is utterly sublime, lack of grit be damned. When Felt started, they made glistening, reverb-heavy intricate pop while the rest of the underground was making either rhythmic and/or dark post-punk and the charts were full of clean, crisp New Pop. The music on their debut quells the darker side of the pop-psych 1980s sub-cultural airwaves with guitarist Maurice Deebank's cascading, euphoric noodlings against Lawrence Hayward's clear acoustic strums -- but overall, this is a fairly primitive affair. There is a stripped-down psychedelic feel to certain tracks, with drums pounding out a tribalistic, rolling beat beneath Deebank's complex guitar runs and Hayward's obtuse vocals. It is brimful with a poetic resonance, deceptively intense and blessed with a cinematic sound signature whose aspiration surges out of concealed depths of a V.U. urbanized take on rock that booms downhill towards a cushion of fluffy pink naked snow bunnies. Just beautiful and so essential. Can’t get enough of it!!! Price: 200 Euro |
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931. FELT: “Forever Breathes The Lonely Word” (Cherry Red/ VAP Records – 35510-20) (Record: near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Pristine condition Japan original pressing. Felt's sixth studio album which was originally released in 1986 on Creation and was in the indie charts for many months. It was the first felt album that featured the unique keyboard skills of Martin Duffy (Primal Scream). Forever Breathes The Lonely Word is the most accessible, complete and consistent record Felt ever released. There are no instrumental sketches or vague ruminations over a minor-key dirge this time round, with the album offering great track after great track, all of it pop in influence but coming from somewhere that is more interesting and unique than you would usually imagine. Price: 200 Euro |
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932. FELT: “The Strange Idols Patters and Other Short Stories” (VAP Records – 35132-25) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). All complete and pristine condition Japan first original pressing. Rarely seen or offered WHITE label PROMO issue. “After establishing their sparse, dramatic sound with two albums and a handful of singles, Felt exploded into brilliance on their third album, 1984's The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories. Working with produce John Leckie for the first time, the band made a purposeful leap into the world of hi-fi recording: the arrangements are full and layered, Lawrence’s vocals pop with confidence and vigor, and Felt have a limber swing to them that they'd never exhibited before. As usual, the record was split between Maurice Deebank’s intricate instrumentals and Lawrence’s songs, but for the first time Deebank’s guitar explorations and Lawrence’s tightly wound inner journeys sound like the work of two different visionaries instead of a united front. To that end, the instrumentals are limited to only three this time. Lawrence’s songs are too good to be shunted aside; almost every track here could be considered one of his best. The hooks are undeniable, the melodies are crystalline, Lawrence’s vocals have jumped about five steps ahead of where they were and his words have taken on deeper meanings and feelings, and Deebank’s guitarwork is perfectly integrated into the jangling whole. Felt hinted at being able to make music as immediate and catchy as "Spanish House" and "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow"; they came close to recording songs as achingly pretty as "Vasco da Gama" and "Crystal Ball"; but this is where it all comes together and they deliver their first masterpiece. Songs like "Dismantled King Is Off the Throne" and "Roman Litter" rank with the best poppy post-punk of the early '80s; they have all the emotional power of the Smiths, all the guitar overload of the Church, all the drama of Echo and the Bunnymen and more than enough elevated songcraft and laser-sharp vision to make them sound totally unique. The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories may not have the cachet or reputation of albums by the "big-name" bands of the era, but it has the songs and that's what counts the most. This is Lawrenceand Felt at their absolute classic best, not to be overlooked or missed for any reason.” (All Music). Price: 200 Euro |
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933. FELT: “Ignite The Seven Cannons” (Cherry Records/ VAP – 35505-25) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert/ Near Mint/ Card: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Original and all complete Japan very first press original. the fourth Felt studio album from 1985 and it was the first time they used keyboards. Produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins and featuring the skyscraping vocal of Elizabeth Fraser on the mighty Primitive Painters. Felt found themselves at the top of the independent charts. Unhappy with the overall sound though – it was as if some of Lawrence’s best songs were lost in an “ethereal swirl.” Lawrence’s continued growth as a songwriter and singer is clear right away on a pair of brilliant pop songs that kick off the album. With new member Martin Duffy’s swirling organ snaking around Maurice Deebanks’s trademark guitar arpeggios. It's the biggest-sounding record Felt had done to date, and it contains their biggest single too. There's just no way that they could compete with songs as wrenching as "Black Ship in the Harbour" or as dramatic as "Caspian See." Despite the sonic murk Guthrie drowns the songs in, they are another strong and emotionally powerful batch. Lawrence is clearly on a creative roll here, and the expanded band is right there with him. Great One! Price: 200 Euro |
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934. FERRARI, LUC: “Heterozygote – J’Ai Ete Coupe” (Philips – 836.885) (Record: Near Mint/ Silver Jacket: Excellent – stamp on back). Original French pressing housed in the eye-popping silver designed Prospective 21ieme Siècle jackets. Early vintage electronic sounds out of the INA GRM studios in Paris. This one in particular is a centerpiece of that era. One of the finest Ferrari records out there. Price: 200 Euro |
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935. FERRARI, LUC: “Presque Rien” (INA GRM – No.9104fe) (Record: Near Mint/ Foldout Jacket: Mint) Rarest INAGRM title and seemingly on everyone’s want list these days. Subliminal and all time classic electronic music/musique concrete/ filed recordings classic released in 1980 on the highly collectable INA GRM label. I have a problem of cataloguing this disc since it adheres simultaneously to the three styles mentioned here above. In short it is a kind of musical photography, in which unassuming ambient sounds of a small village in Yugoslavia, recorded throughout a long day, are telescoped by means of seamless dissolves into a 21-minute narrative in which no apparent “musical” sounds are included. A sound diary that includes the sounds of insects and other animals, traffic, and human voices. Ferrari referred to this genre of his work, characterized by the use of sounds to tell a story, as 'anecdotal music'. In his words, "The problem is to try to express ideas, feelings, passing intuitions by different means to observe everyday life in all its realities, whether they are social, psychological or sentimental." One of the finest titles on the legendary and highly collectable INA GRM label. Price: 175 Euro |
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936. FINGLETOAD, STRANGE & SIHO: “Mazzola” (Shadoks – Shadoks Music 055) (2 LP Set: Near Mint/ Heavy Gatefold Jacket: Mint/ Insert: Mint). Long deleted deluxe reissue of 350 copies. This is the first and second album by young bohemian Americans Fingletoad, Strange & Siho. Their self-titled first album was recorded in 1969 in Chicago as Fingletoad & Strange, and very few acetates were pressed. The follow-up Mazzola was recorded in 1970, and perhaps less than 100 records were pressed. This double LP includes all original songs from both albums, taking the listener on a psychedelic trip merging imaginary landscapes and dreamy folk with teenage angst. Clearly influenced by the top musicians of the time, The Beatles, Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix, they undoubtedly manage to create a sound all their own ranging from beautiful lyrical ballads with harmony vocals to over-the-top fuzz and feedback frenzy. All professionally executed while still retaining a garage atmosphere and production, creating the perfect mix. Price: 100 Euro |
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937. FLAMIN GROOVIES: “Flamingo” (Kama Sutra/ Columbia Records – YS-2444-KS) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Heavy Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Stupidly rare Japan 1971 first original press issue – all complete with insanely rare obi. To make it even juicier – this is hardly ever seen stock copy. So far, in the last 12 years about 5 copies have surfaced of this one and all were promo issues as the record barely made a dent on the sales front when it was released in Japan, making that the copies that did make it unto the market were almost always promo issues. Sales were just non-existent. Killer slide from these sophisticated R&R and punk-avant-la-lettre primitivists that features a raucous selection of originals and covers that pay tribute to '50s rock pioneers—Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis—with the raw pre-punk electric energy added by those artists' English admirers. Flamingo is passionate, stripped-down teenage anger as it should be: It's riveting through and through, and brimming with a conviction contrary to the indulgences that marked San Francisco's music scene at the time. The Flamin' Groovies are proof that willpower and snotty attitude can make up for being born at the wrong time. So bloody good! Insanely rare Japan original with rare obi present!!!! Price: Offers!!!! |
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938. FLAT EARTH SOCIETY: “Waleeco” (Fleetwood – ECLP-3027) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Top copy, first original US pressing. Well-known Bostown teen psych garage mind ripper. “Well-known local moody teen psych LP, originally sold as a marketing device for candy bars! There are three tracks with an outstanding flowing melodic west coast feel and acid guitar runs, also some downer introspections and a few longer instrumental passages, which show obvious ambitions. The only non-original is a unique deconstruction of “Midnight Hour”. “Portrait Of Grey” goes on a couple of minutes too long, while “Satori” is an unexpectedly atmospheric peak time instro with sitars and backwards masking. A cool transition item from the MA prep-garage scene into the Freeborne – Ill Wind Boss-town psych style, better than most. Stellar sleeve too!” (PL – Acid Archives). Normally, most copies of this LP always have moderate wear on the cover, and the record is not a hi-fi pressing and most copies offered are just simply in bad shape. However, this copy on offering here is the best possible condition imaginable! No ring wear or shelf wear on the cover, which makes the sleeve just near perfect. The record also is amazingly clean with no noticeable crackles as most copies have! In short, best condition imaginable. Price: Offers!!!!! |
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939. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Black Magic Woman b/w The Sun Is Shining” (CBS Sony – SONG-80004) (7 Inch Single Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint – has a hairline mark on opening side 2 that causes a few faint clicks/ Flip Back Picture Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint – faint aging spot on back) Fleetwood Mac’s debut single in Japan. Great shape. Price: 125 Euro |
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940. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Man of the World b/w Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite” (Immediate/ Toshiba Records – IR-2339) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Top condition Japan 1st original press issue that comes housed in unique Japan picture sleeve art. Price: 200 Euro |
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941. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Maiko-san – Coming Your Way b/w Rattlesnake Shake” (Reprise – JET-1979) (EP Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Bloody rare Japan only single release, housed in Japan only sleeve art. WHITE label PROMO issue with centerpiece attached and not missing. This is the Mac at the peak of their powers, Greene, Spencer and Kirwan all wielding the axe and not a snotty beached Christine McVie yet in sight and turned it all into brainless FM middle of the road crap. This is the shit, raw and uncut trashy white dirty blues of the highest level. Damn, I ride so hard for this shit, make me shake my fists like standing in the midst of a prison riot! Price: 450 Euro |
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942. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Oh Well Pt. 1 – Oh Well Pt. 2 b/w Coming Your Way – Rattlesnake Shake” (Reprise/ Victor – SJET-548) (4 Track EP Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Picture Sleeve: Near Mint with some faint foxing on back of sleeve). One of the rarest Fleetwood Mac releases, Japan only 4 track EP housed in cool picture sleeve. The best line-up and original cast of the Mac before hedonism and pussy power play came into the equation. The music never got any better than during those early daze and here is a prime reminder of them surfing the high crested waves of white trashy blues psych. Killer!!! Price: 250 Euro |
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943. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Oh Well pt. 1 b/w Oh Well Pt. 2” (Reprise – JET-1938) (EP Single Record: VG++ ~ Excellent/ Picture Sleeve: Excellent – some signs of aging foxing/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Another bloody rare Mac Japan only single issue. Classic line-up and great picture sleeve shot of the boys in the band performing the classic trashy blues psych jammer Oh Well….heavenly bliss for days on end! Price: 75 Euro |
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944. FLEETWOOD MAC: “For Your Love b/w Hypnotized” (Reprise Records – P-1282R) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Japan only picture sleeve issue in top shape – WHITE label PROMO issue from 1973. Price: 75 Euro |
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945. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Mr. Wonderful” (Blue Horizon – 7-63205) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold
Jacket: Near Mint) 1st original UK pressing in top condition –
1968 MONO issue. Released a mere seven
months after their self-titled debut. Much like that album, they proved to be
extremely popular in the United Kingdom, reaching number ten on their charts.
Probably their best effort ever, venturing into the deep murky waters of trashy
white boy blues, filthy vicious & snakey guitar leads splattered all over
the place, fried vocals from beyond the grave and a delinquent “fuck-it-all”
lysergic vibe that makes the whole ordeal quivering with a real underground
vibe. Top UK original pressing and MONO is getting damned scarce in a nice nick. Price: 250 Euro |
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946. FLEETWOOD MAC: “English Rose” (CBS SONY – SONP-50057) (SEALED Original – with obi and insert). Rare 1st original Japanese pressing from May 1969 with bloody rare capsule OBI present. SEALED condition. “For reasons that no one seems to recall in detail -- but for which we can be grateful -- when it was time to release a second Fleetwood Mac LP in America, producer Mike Vernon and the band didn't just send the existing Mr Wonderful album across the Atlantic -- a little fine-tuning and retooling was in order. The band had just expanded by one member, to a quintet -- with the addition of guitarist Danny Kirwan -- by the end of 1968, whereas Mr Wonderful represented them as a four-piece outfit. Additionally, the group had just toured the U.S. for the first time, as a quintet, playing to very enthusiastic audiences, and so there was some point to sending U.S. licensee Epic Records something extra, representing who they were at the start of 1969. And that became the English Rose album, offering three Kirwan-authored instrumentals, plus the hit U.K. single "Albatross," and also their previous single, "Black Magic Woman," which had been a British Top 40 hit (though it was unknown in the U.S., and preceded Santana’s hit recording of it by almost two years). Half of Mr Wonderful was still there, including the opener, "Stop Messin' Round" and "I've Lost My Baby," representing the stronger tracks from that record. Between the paring down of Mr Wonderful and the addition of the single tracks, English Rose ended up being a stronger album than its predecessor, though without a hit single in America to drive sales and get it exposure, it barely brushed the Top 200 LP listings in the U.S. Strangely enough, despite the overlap with Mr Wonderful, English Rose was released in England about six months later, probably to help make up for the loss of the group's contract (due to an oversight) by Blue Horizon.” (All Music Guide). Japanese original with obi of a title that hardly turns up. This one here is SEALED. Price: 550 Euro |
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947. FLEETWOOD MAC: “The Pious Bird of Good Omen” (CBS SONY – SONP-50153) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint; still in shrink/ Obi: Mint, still in shrink/ insert: near Mint). Bloody rare 1st Japanese pressing in shrink with capsule obi out of 1969. A classic album, this being the never seen before hideously rare Japanese pressing with capsule obi and top quality Japanese mint vinyl. I guess you know the deal about this LP, Fleetwood Mac were awesome until drugs played tricks on the minds of Green, Kirwen and Spencer,. Causing the band to fall apart and rebirthed as an obnoxious girly third rate bar scum scam act that bore out hit song after hit song, enough to make you go demented, slash your wrists and pour boiling acid down your earlobes. But before they sunk into mediocrity and the three key players went lost in space, the Mac were bloody awesome. “With songs taken from “Fleetwood Mac” and “Mr Wonderful”, “Pious Bird of Good Omen” serves as a worthy 12-track compilation of the band's early Peter Green days. Climbing to number 18 in the U.K., the album managed to catapult Fleetwood Mac's version of Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad" into the English charts for the third time, resting at number 42. The album itself was released by Blue Horizon after the group's contract with them had expired, making it one of the best routes in which to explore their mingling of Chicago and British blues. "Albatross," "Black Magic Woman," and "I Believe My Time Ain't Long" are timeless Fleetwood Mac standards, representing some of the band's best pre-Rumors (puke, Rumor's is hell…..sucks) work. Anyone who isn't familiar with Fleetwood Mac's origins should use “Pious Bird of Good Omen” as a starting point in investigating the first wave of the band, which will almost certainly lead to further interests into albums such as “English Rose”, “Then Play On”, and “Kiln House” which reveal subtle yet effective changes in the band's blues sound. But even aside from its purpose as a collection, “Pious Bird of Good Omen” makes for a terrific laid-back stroll through some of the best British blues music ever made.” (Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide). Later Mac albums suck like no other group could ever suck – at least to some extent. I hate and loathe them. But the early core Mac albums are fantastic, some of the best UK albums to hit these shores, filthy, raw, deranged and mind expanding. This is the shit. Bloody rare Japanese press with obi. Original mint copy. Price: 175 Euro |
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948. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Kiln House” (Warner Pioneer/ Reprise – P-8683R) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition and all complete issue of Japanese 2nd press issue that came out in 1980. This was their first release sans-Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac began broadening their sound and gravitating toward more melodic pop material. At the time, the band included: Jeremy Spencer (guitar, vocals, piano), Danny Kirwan (guitar, vocals), John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). Christine McVie was present at the recording sessions and contributed backing vocals and cover art, but did not become a full member of the band until shortly after the album's completion. Kiln House is quite a mixture. There's a staggering difference between the quieter, country-influenced "This is the Rock" and the louder, more eclectic likes of "Tell Me All the Things You Do". This, if it wasn't obvious already, is a direct cause of different members of the band writing completely different songs to one another. Kiln House is the beginning of the transition for Fleetwood Mac. Green was an accomplished blues purist while Kirwan had some rock leanings. Spencer was unique and basically did what he wanted, which was very apparent on this release. Kiln House is a unique release in the vast Fleetwood Mac catalogue as it was their first move toward a mainstream sound before drowning in the success of crappy records they recorded and which reigned the FM airwaves of Middle Slime USA during the mid and late seventies. If you could never make up your mind whether you liked the blues or pop/rock Fleetwood Mac, give this album a try as it contains elements of both and was the last solid and good LP the band recorded. Price: 50 Euro |
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949. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Live
At The BBC” (Nippon Crown – CRJL-4001~2) (2 LP Set: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold
Jacket: Mint/ Obi: Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Pin Up Picture: Mint). Japan only 2 LP release
that came out in 1996 as a 2LP only limited edition. Here, one can witness the band in their earliest, and by many
accounts, best incarnation. The Mac's style was defined by the scorching
guitar and impassioned vocals of Peter Green and the keening slide guitar of Jeremy
Spencer. As with the
usual BBC tradition, all the songs presented here have a sparer and rougher
feel than the studio versions, though they don't either match or redefine them. The sound is excellent, the
performances are what you want to hear from this bunch of players at this
moment in time. The variety is great, each player is given the chance to show
what they can do in an ideal setting. Just a killer set. Japan ONLY 2 LP
release, housed in heavy gatefold sleeve with Obi and 2 inserts…Price:
150 Euro |
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950. FLEETWOOD MAC: “Live At The Boston Tea Party, February 5, 6, 7 1970” (Vinyl Lovers – 900571) (4 LP Set: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Thick Book-Like Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint) Long deleted 2009 official issue of a killer Fleetwood Mac live set in 1970. Stunning vintage live recordings of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. This set collects live recordings from1970 and features the classic blues line-up of Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John McVie and Jeremy Spencer. Originally recorded at the Boston Tea Party venue over three nights in February 1970, for a planned release later the same year, these recordings were left in the can, unissued, following leader Peter Green's sudden decision to leave the band a few weeks after the dates. Tracks from the shows were eventually released in various forms in the mid-80s but these releases were blighted by poor sound sources. The discovery of the original 8-track tapes and a number of previously unreleased tracks in the late 90s allowed the material to be re-mixed, re-mastered, and substantially overhauled for this massive 3 LP set. Comes lavishly packed in a heavy book-like jacket. Killer recording of the band at the peak of their creative powers before they disintegrated into a swamp of FM junk. Just sheer brilliance. Price: 75 Euro |
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951. FLIED EGG: “Dr. Siegel’s Fried Egg Shooting Machine” (Vertigo – FX-8603) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Fold Out Jacket: Near Mint) Original first pressing. Top condition – next to impossible to ever upgrade upon, time machine quality. Another one of those completely vanished heavy psych rarities out of the early seventies Japanese new rock scene. Full blast ahead power psych trio spearheaded by Narumo Shigeru and backed up by ex-Escape (Brush) bass player and ex-Jacks drummer Tsunoda Hiro, making it an early Japanese super group. The result is a sub-human slab of all incinerating interplay that upon listening feels like tumbling down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool full of mermaids with biker attitudes to make up for their hardly anything concealing seaweed panties. Vicious, deranged, well-constructed but still balancing on the edge of abrasive kerosene fueled rock, this disc, the band’s first record, captured them molding their brooding menace of a sound in the studio. Flied Egg shone brightly but all too briefly, catapulted instantly into the realms of the super groups. Rare, and hard to get these days and this 1st press copy is just in perfect condition. Nice slab of history and insanely collectible. Great Japanese prog psych masterpiece. Price: 300 Euro |
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952. FLORAL: “Namida wa Hanabira / Suiheisen no Bara” (MUSICOLOR - MA-1) (Gatefold Picture
Sleeve: Near Mint/ Picture Disc: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Top condition!!!
Original released on August 15th, 1968, this artifact is one of the
rarest of the rare psych related gems to seep out of Japan. First of all
because the Floral only released 2 hideously rare singles (never had a full
album accredited to their name) and secondly because each of their singles was
released as an eye-popping, acid dripping, jaw-droppingly stunning picture
disc. In short their both singles are more like museum pieces and examples of
early Akira Uno (of Tenjosajiki fame amongst many other weapon feats) inspired
psychedelic pop art. Hideously rare and hardly ever offered for sale …..well these
babies are just not easily dug up. The Floral was the predecessor group that
would lead to the erection of Apryl Fool. So some slice of historical mumbo
jumbo seems in order to set you all off on the right foot. The Floral saw the
light of day on the 11th of February 1968 with a line-up that
consisted of vocalist Kosaka Chu, Guitar player Kikuchi Eiji, Hiro Yanagida -
organ, Sugiyama Kiichi -bass and
Yoshimura Koichi on drums. In April the combo enlisted itself for an audition
that was being organized by the Japanese Monkees Fanclub. They passed the
audition and became the mascot outfit of this club. While still being green
behind the ears, the group was taken under the wings of the illustrator Uno
Akira who, together with the four
members, shaped the image of the band going from back up, costume design and
the groups name and even right till the song lyrics. Fully molded and
transformed into a model combo, they made their debut for the Columbia/
Musicolor label with the single “The
Floral no Niki”, that had as subtitle “Namida
wa Hanabira”, a pop-like venture that already hinted at things to come. The single was quickly succeeded by a
second single release entitled “Samayo
Fune”. Both releases came as a picture disc edition and are now noted down
as one – if not – the first ever picture disc releases to come out
of Japan, fully designed in full acid demented dayfly artwork by Uno Akira.
Nevertheless, the releases sold next to nothing and a much-anticipated big
break-through remained out of reach. The closest they ever came towards
national fame was by acting as the backing band for the Monkees when they hit
Japan for a concert in October 1968. But the times they were a changing quickly
and the looming signs heralding the coming of the New Rock didn’t pass The
Floral by unnoticed. Gradually the band transformed from an “idol” band towards
a more psychedelic oriented outfit that incorporated more space for
improvisation. This shift towards a new musical horizon caused differences and
discrepancies in opinion to occur which eventually climaxed into Sugiyama
Kiichi and Yoshimura Kochi resigning from the band. Hosono Haruomi (later Happy
End and YMO member) and Matsumoto Rei were
drafted in to fill the gap and replace the two deserters. Together with the
shift in personnel the group’s name was also altered into Apryl Fool. This new
outfit officially started on the 1st of April 1969 but this is a
whole different story. So in short, the floral were the predecessor of Apryl
Fool. Top notch ULTRA RARE picture disc museum piece, a slice of history and
pop art all rolled into one desirable artifact to blow out your eye-balls and
other senses which make you appreciate art. Truly beautiful. Price: 300 Euro |
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953. FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND: “Anywhere” (Philips – FX-8507) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Mint). Best condition imaginable, just perfect!!! Top copy, near mint to mint stock copy all complete with insert. Best copy I have seen in ages, final upgrade quality. Comes with always-missing insert!!! First Original pressing of this subliminal album. Original copies are just a bitch to dig up and just do not surface here anymore. They are as rare as a hen’s teeth. So here you have a top copy. As far as the music goes, allow me to use the words of the good people over at Aquarius Records to do the talking since they just could cut it with enough passion and love for this beast. “Along with a great take on "House Of The Rising Sun", this album also explicitly demonstrates, via covers, these Japanese freaks' radical recognition of the genius of two of their Western contemporaries, Black Sabbath and King Crimson. Like many other great artists, with humble beginnings Japan's Flower Travellin' Band cut their teeth on the material of their mentors. Though Anywhere is primarily a covers album, it's also quite a testament to both the band's veracity in their reproductions and their creativity in realigning the building blocks of rock & roll. Their cover of Black Sabbath's self-titled track was actually recorded in the same year as the original and their version of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" only a year after its release. And they aren't merely content to play only the "Schizoid Man" opening riff, like so many other bands that have attempted to cover it, but take on the entire piece in all its schizophrenic freaked out glory, getting waaay into the improv element of the mid-section. The same is true for "Black Sabbath" and you have to appreciate singer Joe's take on the unique Ozzy voice. The most interesting track on the record though has to be their attempt at straight-up blues rock -- while their "Louisiana Blues" starts and finishes almost pedestrianly enough on the "Minglewood Blues" riff by Gus Cannon that was popularized in the rock scene by the likes of The Grateful Dead and Captain Beefheart, the interior of the song is a complete departure of sorts. Not only devoid of the original progression, it's not even "bluesy" at all. Here in the extended jam that makes up the meat of this musical sandwich, the Flower Travellin' Band's Eastern roots surface a bit. It's a precursor to the sound of their later albums Satori and Made In Japan.” (AQ) Just an essential – if not one of the single most essential Japanese psyched out rock artifacts of all time. Hideously rare 1st original pressing. Rare as HELL freezing over on a hot summer day. Highest recommendation & best condition I have ever had all complete with rare insert. Price: Offers!!!! |
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954. FLOWER
TRAVELLIN’ BAND: “Anywhere” (Nippon Phonogram/ Universal – UPJY-9127) (Record:
Near Mint ~Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Mint/ Obi: Mint/ Insert: Mint). Quickly out
of print limited high quality and faithful reissue of only 500 copies – all
complete with OBI. One time high-quality and faithful Japanese press reissue
that dried up as quickly as snow under a dessert sun! It is either this or
getting the original 1st pressing…depending on how deep your wallet is or your
desire for beautifully reproduced high-quality pressings. Comes highly
recommended but sadly already on the brink of total extinction. Grab it while
you can. Price: 75 Euro
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955. FLOWER TRAVELING BAND: “Satori” (Atlantic – P-8056A) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint – small indentation on upper side of spine for rest perfect/ Rock Age Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Rock Age Insert Card: Near Mint). Without a question, this one is the rarest Flower Traveling Band LP around, complete with the hideously rare “ROCK AGE” flower obi in top condition. Comes all complete with insert, company inner sleeve and rare Rock Age card! Hideously much in demand recently, which had as result that copies are hard to come by here in Japan. What makes this copy so special is the presence of the 1st limited edition original version of the Rock age flower obi!! Only the second time in a 15-year span that I have a copy with this obi. There are 3 different editions of the FTB’s “Satori” album which all came out almost at the same time. First you have the regular version with the black and white obi, then you had the version with a sticker attached on the obi depiction a small version of the Rock Age obi and then you had this ultra-limited edition decorated with one of the most beautiful obi designs the world has ever seen, making it – due to the fact that only a very few copies survived with this type of obi intact (initial run graced with this obi was already miniscule to begin with). So, a monster heavy-duty ultra-collectible timepiece that is shooting up in the collectible heavy price charts like a super nova. Mercurial second album by Japan's best known seventies rock outfit. The record itself is an all-time classic psychedelic masterpiece, maybe the band's greatest output they have released during their lifetime. It is my humble opinion that the album (and a band) that is not celebrated enough. Original 1971 pressing!!!!, Satori is the band's second and arguably best album, alongside their debut “Anywhere”. Hyper rarity status since it is complete with the Rock Age obi all in TOP condition. A monster you are bound to see never again or maybe – if lucky – once every decade. Best condition imaginable so… Price: Offers!!! |
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956. FLOWER TRAVELLIN’ BAND: “Satori” (Atlantic – P-8056A) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent – has some mild foxing spots on the back / Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Japan original issue second pressing has 2300 yen listed on obi & jacket. Great copy with always missing insert!! Mercurial second album by Japan’s best known seventies rock outfit. The record itself is an all-time classic psychedelic masterpiece, maybe the band’s greatest output they have released during their lifetime. Satori is the band's second and arguably best album, alongside their debut “Anywhere”. Amazing top-level record. Copies with obi and with insert present have dried up completely so here is a clean one for your pleasure. Price: 200 Euro
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957. FLOWER TRAVELLIN’ BAND: “Satori” (Atlantic – P-8056A) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Near Mint ~ Mint/ OBI: Near Mint ~ Mint). Japan original issue second pressing has 2300 yen listed on obi & jacket. Virginal copy with always missing insert!! Mercurial second album by Japan’s best known seventies rock outfit. The record itself is an all-time classic psychedelic masterpiece, maybe the band’s greatest output they have released during their lifetime. Satori is the band's second and arguably best album, alongside their debut “Anywhere”. Amazing top-level record. Copies with obi and with insert present have dried up completely so here is a clean one for your pleasure. Top condition so… Price: 300 Euro |
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958. FLOWER TRAVELING BAND: “Make UP” (Atlantic P-5073‾4A) (2 LP Record Set: Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Mint/ Outer Leather Bag: Mint/ Obi: Near Mint) Top-notch copy of the Flower Travellin' Band's 1973 double album, which came out housed in a leather bag and complete with the capsule OBI. Second Issue with 3400 Yen stated on OBI and BAG. The leather bag that in most cases is missing or heavily damaged. This copy is just MINT all the way and comes with the leather bag in pristine condition. Overall in near mint condition and getting oooh so rare, Copies without the bag are fairly common, the ones with the leather bag in unripped top condition are getting bloody difficult, since it are mint copies everyone is after these days. The music I think needs no introduction and is comprised here of 2 sides live material and 2 sides studio material. Again Joey and the boys go berserk over psyched out Deep Purple-ian riffs, acidic guitar licks, vicious leads, wailing vocals that would do the Sun City Girls proud. In other words an acid psych masterpiece. Recommended for all you psych heads out there, act now because a more prefect copy will never cross your path, since this one is just near mint and therefore extremely highly collectible. Best copy in existence without a doubt!! And the OBI is seriously rare so a great chance to score and all complete 1st press - 2nd issue with stated price at 3400 Yen on bag and obi. Price: 500 Euro |
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959. FLOWER TRAVELLING BAND: “Made in Japan” (Record: Near Mint/ Box: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Gatefold Insert: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Card: Near Mint). All complete with all inserts and first issue obi FIRST PRESS WITH 2000 YEN price as marked!!!! Record is housed in a beautiful carton container. The music of the Flower Traveling Band can be roughly described as follows: “stellar '70s Japanese heavy psych rock outfit. This is an album that is not celebrated nearly enough -- possibly out of misguided notions of their being another bad psych knock-off among the many crowding the record racks in the early seventies. But Japan’s Flower Traveling Band were no mere cheesy imitators of occidental rock 'n roll, they were in actual fact a full-fledged, pioneering tour de force of psychedelic progressive hard rock, equaling the krautrock heavies of the era. FTB can be compared favorably to Amon Duul’s better efforts with their experimental meandering and the best trancey space-outs from Can. Yet there’s never a sense that FTB lose track of their compositions no matter how far out they take a track. Perhaps because even more than these experimental Krautrockers, FTB’s heavy (fucking ominously heavy) sound points to a major Sabbath, Purple, and Crimson influence. Those who couldn't get enough of FTB’s Satori will be pleased to know that their follow-up, third release Made In Japan is nearly every bit as good. Singer Joe’s voice still rings in the creepy falsetto style like Alan Bishop of the Sun City Girls singing balls out heavy metal vocals. As with their previous album, “Made In Japan” continued to fuse the heavy rock of early Sabbath with Eastern melodies. “Heaven And Hell”, the penultimate track here, is as pure a channeling of Jimi Hendrix as anything. The mellow closing track “That's All”, with its koto glissandi, parallels “Part V” on Satori and like that track, it's perhaps the most overtly Eastern in tone. But it's Joe’s vocal line that really kicks ass. At the end of the chorus he adds a little cadenza to his howl, extending the vocal line just beyond where one’s intuitively expecting a cadence.” Excellent to the point description by the folks at Aquarius Records. Very first pressing, top condition without any defects. Getting tough digging up a true first pressing in nice shape with obi. Price: 275 Euro |
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960. FLOWER TRAVELIN’ BAND & TERUMASA HINO QUINTET with JOE YAMANAKA: “Crash b/w Dhoop” (Columbia Records – LL-10135-J) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Virginal and top condition Japan 1st press original. First side is a collaboration between FTB’s Joe Yamanaka with the Terumasa Hino Quintet and unlike Hino’s previous outings this one is a delirious heavy lysergic rocker with Yamanaka wailing above the band jamming! The FTB is grooving heavy, lysergic runs on the guitar by Ishima Hideki while Hino, not unlike Hugh Masekela during the Monterey Pop Festival assisting the Byrds, rips through some deliriously intoxicating trumpet lines. Fucking awesome, gives me goosebumps!! The B-side is the FTB in full assault mode, endless eastern riffage on sitar meandering into classic FTB lysergic madness, LSD supreme, certified to blow your mind into the next void of everyday life without you ever noticing it. The perfect sonic gateway drug for your Instagram hipster needs. Love this one to death without the hipster shite of course. Old skool till the end!!! A Classic!!! Top condition! Price: 150 Euro |
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961. FLOWERS: “Challenge – Yuya Uchida & The Flowers” (Columbia – YS-10063-J) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent ~Near Mint/ Attached Insert: Near Mint). Really nice copy, Japan 1st original pressing from 1969! Without a single doubt the cleanest copy I have had so far as far as the LP is concerned, EX~NM condition…seems to have been played only one or twice. Heavy-duty monster rarity, one of the 5 top heavy psych rarities to seep out of Japan, copies just NEVER turn up. This is the 1st and only original pressing as released in July 1969. Hard riffing psych ball buster with female vocalist Aso Remi at helm. Vicious acidic and lysergic interplay that surfs on the foam crested skies bordering on an intoxicated psychedelic meltdown in Valhalla. Booming rhythm section, insanely deranged fuzz assaults and screaming guitars that spew out ecstatic shards of amped up distortion, bound to leave your mind scattered all over the place. The whole combo surmounts the edges of psychedelia with a lumbering beauty of an all-out assault yet to be matched by anyone, pushing acid rock past the known limits of aural mayhem and balancing on the razor's edge between chaos and slow-burning but fully loaded collective synergy. In short, killer material and just impossible to come by. Jacket is in excellent to near mint condition; record is near mint and is the cleanest copy ever I have seen of this LP. One of the best and one of the heaviest insanely rare psych artifacts to seep out of here. One of the best nicest out there. Price: Offers!!! |
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962. F.M.T: “You Got A Freedom” (ALM Records – UR-1). (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint/ Catalogue Insert: Mint/ Card: Mint) RARE WHITE LABEL PROMO issue. Pristine & TOP copy with obi, released by the legendary Kojima label back in 1979 and the 1st release in ALM’s newly erected side label Uranoia. This sucker does never surface and to boot the copy offered here is all complete with the rare obi. First copy I see in over more than ten years. F.M.T. was in a way a kind of free jazz super group that roamed the Tokyo underbelly during the hedonist late 1970s. The line-up consisted out of the following all-stars trio: Fujikawa Yoshiaki (sax, fl, etc); Midorikawa Keiki (cello etc) and Toyozumi Yoshisaburo (ds, perc, etc). Together they create heavy fire breathing interaction Recorded on 27, 28 June 1978 at Tachikawa, Shakai-Kyoiku Kaikan. The group's acronym was taken from the first letters of the members' surnames (Fujikawa, Midorikawa, Toyozumi), but it also stood for Free Music Trio. Following the recording the group also incinerated a crowd of 5000 people at their first and sole foreign life performance that took place at the German Moers jazz festival. The cover is graced by beautiful design drown out by Akio Suzuki, completed by liner notes on the back sleeve by Japan’s number one free jazz scholar Teruto Soejima. The music on the other hand leaves nothing to the imagination; it is violent and furious as a hot tropical typhoon ripping through the coastal villages, leveling all in its path. Right from the start the disc throws you head on first into a titanic clash of the three members, spinning right away out of control into a brain-erasing whirlpool of classic liberating universal consciousness style freak-out that references fire music coupled to an approach of interaction that throws out notes and licks in favor of devouring and detonating time. The trio is in phenomenal form, riding simultaneous waves of omni-directional rhythm and breath with classic New Directions meets sound art improve noodling-style ferocity and dipping in and out of minimalist improvisational interaction source material infused with all of the modernist rigor of Mototeru Takagi, Abe Kaoru and a whiff of Milford Graves. Their approach to improvised phonetics is as aggressively articulate as meticulously carved out while balancing on a tightrope of fragile interplay and communal freak out to fully develop the aesthetics of freedom. Truly an astonishing disc, insanely rare these days, especially in such a nice condition as this one here with obi intact and in pristine shape. WHITE label PROMO. Essential. Price: 450 Euro |
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963. F.M.T.: “You Got A Freedom” (ALM – Uranoia – UR-1) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition first original press issue all complete with obi. As opposed to the one listed here below this is a stock (not promo) issue in near virginal condition for cheap. Essential Japanese free spiritual jazz slide on the highly collectible but sadly hard to unearth ALM label imprint. Highest recommendation. Price: 300 Euro |
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964. FONTAINE, BRIGITTE: “Brigitte Fontaine Est …” (Columbia –
YS-2670-SH) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint, has one hairline on side 2/ Jacket:
Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). “Brigitte Fontaine’s first album, arranged by Jean Claude Vannier, is her
most normal and accessible record. It's still not terribly normal by pop
standards, its arty songs dressed up with period Continental orchestration and
quirky melodies and vocal deliveries. These can both hark back to Edith
Piaf-styled material, or look forward to slight avant-garde/experimentalism. At
times it sounds like the kind of thing Francoise Hardy might have done had she
continued to develop along adventurous lines and keep pace with progressive pop
and rock trends in the late '60s. In fact, songs like "Une Fois Mais Pas
Deux" sound rather close to Hardy's best late-'60s material, but Hardy
would have never done anything as goofy as "L'Homme Objet," with its
music-box backing, or as odd as "Eternelle," with its tribal male
backup vocals and rhythms, and "Blanche Neige," with its overdubbed
tropical bird effects.” (All Music Guide). Price:
125 Euro |
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965. FONTAINE BRIGITTE: “L’Incendie” (Japan BYG – YX- 8010) (Record: Near Mint/ Fold Out Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Mint) Quite rare original Japanese pressing, complete with always missing obi. L’Incendie was the first ever collaboration on disc between Fontaine and Areski and as a duo they strung together a lysergic gem that moves through the sounds of gorgeous psychedelic acid folk, string and organ-backed polyphonic liturgical-style chants that advocate power to the people, medieval troubadour stylings, buzz-humming outward bound poetics, spoken word dementia, dislocated improvisational aesthetics, all intertwined with angelic vocals, weird spoken word intermezzo’s, pastoral “dejeuner sur l’herbe” laid back atmospherics that get spiced up with anti-bourgeois and inflamed revolutionary mumbo jumbo. Fontaine breathes out a relocated late-night kind of dada futurism border lining between seductive qualities and drowsed beatnik aspirations, while all the time balancing perfectly between a vast array styles. Just hauntingly beautiful and if acid folk needs a face to stick to the genre, hers would be it. A joyful and brain expanding listening experience. Released in 1971, this is the original Japanese pressing on high quality vinyl and comes with insert. Impossibly rare these days Japanese originals. Accept no substitutes. Price: 150 Euro |
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966. FONTAINE, BRIGITTE & ARESKI: “Je Ne Connais Pas Cet Homme” (Saravah/ Nippon Columbia – YZ-27-SH)
(Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Sleeve: Near Mint/ 6-Paged Booklet: Near Mint/
Obi: Near Mint). Original 1st Japanese pressing with always elusive
obi + insert of this French acid folk masterpiece. First released in Japan in
August 1973. 6 paged booklet/ insert comes with extensive liner notes by enfant
terrible/ free jazz connoisseur/ concert promoter/ cultural critic Akira Aida
illustrated with some nice pics. Brigitte Fontaine was a strange cat. Although
some people may file her endeavors next to yeh-yeh girls like Francoise Hardy
and Chantal Goya, she definitely inhabited a different intergalactic medium
from the voids. The eclectic avant-folk records she has been making with the
help of percussionist Areski Belkacem since the seventies take the pop seed and
mutate it far beyond the reach of any other French chanteuse. And with each subsequent album she released during
those early seventies days she progressed and by the time of this recording,
she was beyond any doubt too far out to even be categorized as a popular chanteuse.
Together with Areski this odd assortment of tracks is a stunning piece de
resistance to lend your ear to. Ranging from sing-song cappella vocal stylings
- at times backed by only the sparsest of instrumentation - to dissonant
jazz-avant-garde miniatures, spoken poetry insertions – all blended
together and infused with hypnotic rhythmic African drumming-like percussion
patterns. It all forms the background against which Fontaine and Areski's experimental
vocalizing can take root in and flourish into wicked fruits of evil. The disc
moves through the fairy sounds of gorgeous tantra-esque
psyched-out folk, string and organ-backed polyphonic liturgical-style chants,
bizarre poetics, barnyard avant-jazz and the odd bout of screaming or
anti-capitalist rallying. Fountaine’s seductive voice breathes out a kind of
dada futurism that will keep you immersed and locked into her sonic universe
for the duration of the trip. Simply a classic. Rare 1st time Japanese
press with all intact, just gorgeous to behold and dive into. Price: 150 Euro |
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967. FONTAINE, BRIGITTE: “3” (Saravah/ Nippon Columbia – YS-2731-SH) (Record: Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Mint/ Obi: Mint/ 12-Paged Illustrated Booklet: Mint) Top original copy with always missing obi!!! Scarce Japanese original pressing out of September 1972 in top-notch condition. Comes with always missing obi and 12 paged booklet, complete with liner notes by enfant-terrible and free jazz promoter Aida Aquirax of Abe/Takayanagi/Graves/ Lacey and Bailey fame This was Fontaine’s third album released on Saravah and produced by Pierre Barouh and flanked by a stellar cast that included Areski, Georges Arvanitas, Jacques Higelin, Phillipe Mate amongst others. “This self-titled LP is a more successful and listenable bridge between her pop and experimental impulses. For one thing, Areski only co-wrote a couple of these tunes and is not often heard on vocals. More importantly, the content is less jarring and more appealing, though equally eclectic. "Brigitte" has the sort of jazz-pop-make out music mix that will entice fans of Francoise Hardy's 1971 album La Question. "L'Auberge," by contrast, could pass muster on a classical LP, sounding like a pious church hymn. Most of the material falls between these two poles, including some spoken poetry and pieces on which Fontaine is backed by little more than African-sounding drums. It's worth checking out for fans of fractured '70s art-pop with progressive and jazz influences.” (Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide). A classic album out or early seventies France that successfully blends avant-garde tendencies with psychedelic folk moves, intoxicating female vocals and a fragrance of pop, in short a masterpiece. Rare original 1972 Japanese pressing with all intact and present. So good. Price: 100 Euro |
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968. FONTAINE, BRIGITTE with ARESKI & ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO: “Comme A La Radio” (Saravah/ Nippon Columbia – RP-7021-SH) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Clean Japanese press issue with obi. Brigitte Fontaine slide where she gets flanked by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This is an amazing collaboration between two totally incredible musical explorers; French chanteuse Brigitte Fontaine (with percussionist partner Areski) and avant-jazz greats Art Ensemble of Chicago, recorded during the Art Ensemble's stay in Paris in 1969. Though coming from very different backgrounds, each artist's idiosyncratic approach, commitment to experimentation, disregard for genre boundaries, and keen sense for improvisation and working collaboratively yields an album that pushes each performer to new heights. The blend of Fontaine's vocals, Areski's understated percussion, and the Art Ensemble's horns is really seamless, evoking the mysterious, intriguing sounds of lounge jazz in a dada cafe, or, well, an intellectual French chanteuse melding avant-folk with free jazz, which is exactly what it is. Brigitte Fontaine is becoming more and more cemented as one of my absolute favorite artists ever. So great, so recommended! Top condition. Price: 40 Euro |
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969. FONTAINE, BRIGITTE & ARESKI BELKACEM: “Vous et Nous” (Saravah – RSL-1071) (2 LP Set: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). Original French pressing of 1977. This is the 1st pressing of the album, released as a 2 LP set, second pressing came out as a single LP and is very common there where the 2 LP set is a tuff nut to track down. Brilliant collaboration between these two dark moody French singers. Recorded in 1977, with enough material to make up 2 LPs, this set features 33 tracks that slip and slide into each other with cool sounds, spare instrumentation, and amazing vocals that are difficult to describe, but which cut you to the quick once you've heard them. Extremely haunting, with a feel that sounds like the wind blowing through an empty cottage on a rainy day. Even if you don't know French, this stuff will grab you and send spooky shivers down your spine. Rimbaud used to speak of the female voice having arrived at the depth of volcanoes and artic caves and upon reflecting upon this statement I almost believed he had to have heard Brigitte Fontaine. It is that beautiful and will bring you unlimited listening joys until the end of times. Fantastic!! Price: 100 Euro |
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970. FOR EXAMPLE: “Workshop Freie Musik 1969
- 1978 – Free Music production Akademie Der Kunste” (FMP - ) (3 LP Set:
Near Mint ~ Mint/ Individual LP Sleeves: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Book: Near Mint ~
Mint/ Outer Slip Case Box Set: Near Mint ~ Mint). Top copy. Cleanest and most
perfect copy to ever have passed through my hands. The fragile outer slipcase
box set has NO wear at all – same goes for its contents. Impossible to
ever upgrade upon this one. Released in an edition of 600 copies only in West
Germany in 1978, “For Example” is the pinnacle of free jazz dementia housed in
one eye-popping box set complete with thick as a brick booklet crammed with FMP
related info and live action shots of all the artists involved in this set. The
list of big name participants is hallucinational and includes all of the big
players emerging out of the US and Europe late sixties and early seventies
scene. “This package consists of three records (the first featuring soloists,
the second groups and the third orchestras) and an album size book whose 136
pages are filled with photos, statements from artists as well as
critical/historical views centering around FMP and the German free jazz scene
in general. The impetus for the package stems from an annual event at the
Academy of Arts which brings together musicians from all over the world, for a
yearly get together. The photo sections of the book are arranged
chronologically from the first festival/workshop in 1969, to the most recent
and are introduced with a reproduction of each year's poster as well as a
complete listing of the participating musicians and groups. The texts are quite
excellent and self explanatory. Discussions of history/philosophy/ramifications
by Ekkehard Jost and Wolfgang Burde are informative for the uninitiated
listener who is not familiar with how the free music scene developed in Germany
and are quite objective unlike the often biased posturing by American
"critics”.
The statements by artists Peter Brötzmann, Steve
Lacy, Misha Mengelberg, and Nino Malfatti are wry, driving and right on, as are
the discussions of the interaction that the musicians had with children at the
workshops.” (Milo Fine). First LP is reserved for soloists and includes amongst
others: “Steve Lacy;
Paul Rutherford;
Hans Reichel;
Fred
Van Hove;
Derek Bailey;
Albert Mangelsdorff, etc. The 2nd LP is
reserved for group recordings and features: “Schlippenbach Trio; Brötzmann/Van
Hove/Bennink plus Mangelsdorff; Frank Wright Unit; Schweizer – Carl Quartet.
The 3rd and final LP are recordings from orchestras and include: “Willem
Breuker Orchestra; Globe Unity Orchestra; Vinko Globokar & Brass Group;
ICP-Tentet. Killer set and one of the corner pieces of the European free music
and free jazz scene of that day. Top copy and all complete!!! Never seen this
one in such perfect nick as this copy here – without a doubt impossible
to ever upgrade upon so has to go for…. Price: Offers!!! |
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971. FOREST: “S/T” (Harvest – SHVL-760) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). First original UK pressing of this progressive psychedelic folk masterpiece. Comes housed in impressive psychedelic gatefold cover art. “Forest is capable of taking a lead vocal equally well and of playing any one of the wide range of instruments on this LP. Guitars, organ, harmonium, piano, pipes, cello, harpsichord and mandolin go into producing a folksy semi-medieval music leaning towards the Incredible String Band” (NME). A classic in the UK pagan folk hemisphere. Very clean copy. 1st pressing. Price: 600 Euro |
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972. FOREST: “Full
Circle” (Harvest – SHVL-784) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near
Mint). Top copy!!! UK original copy of Forrest’s
second effort, magickal album filled with bewitching psychy folk touches and blessed with that ancient Albion
feel, lysergic medieval fragrances drifting through it all and enchanting
female vocals to wrap your ears around. A classic in the UK folk pantheon. Hard
to find in great nick and this one is just perfect. Price: 600 Euro |
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973. LE FORTE FOUR/ DOO DOOETTES: “L.A.F.M.S Live At The Brand” (LAFMS – 003/4) (2 LP Set: Near Mint/ Paste On gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). The rarest LAFMS release following “TD Art”. First original private press issue from 1977 in top condition. 2 LP set that combines a slide each by Le Forte Four and the Doo Dooettes. On July 8th, 1976, the Doo-Dooettes and Le Forte Four (as representatives of the L.A. Free Music Society) gave a performance at the Brand Art Center in Glendale, California. For their portion of the event, Le Forte Four tried to play back prerecorded tapes through 44 pyramid shaped headphones. Both the tapes and the headphones were specifically designed for the concert. The Doo-Dooettes played live. This is the 1976 original pressing of the LP following their illustrious concert, so ya know; this is the stuff of legends!!! Top condition. Price: 400 Euro |
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974. FOTHERINGAY: “S/T” (Island/ King Records – ICL-21) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare Japanese pressing all complete with OBI. WHITE label PROMO issue. short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned. The song originally appeared on the 1969 Fairport Convention album, What We Did on Our Holidays, Denny's first album with that group. Two former members of Eclection, Trevor Lucas and Gerry Conway, and two former members of Poet and the One Man Band, Jerry Donahue and Pat Donaldson (bass), completed the line-up responsible for what was long assumed to be the quintet's only album. This folk-based set included several Denny originals, notably "Nothing More", "The Sea" and "The Pond and The Stream", as well as versions of Gordon Lightfoot’s "The Way I Feel" and Bob Dylan’s "Too Much of Nothing". But the real triumphs on the LP are some of Denny's finest songs -- the best of which close the album on a peak unheard since "The Sea," back at the beginning of the cycle. "The Banks of the Nile" rates among the loveliest and most evocative performances of her entire career, while the hauntingly hypnotic "Two Weeks Last Summer" and a moody "Gypsy Davey" draw out an expressiveness that had similarly been in short supply elsewhere on the record. So good it hurts! Top condition. Price: 350 Euro |
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975. FOUR UNITS (SATO MASAHIKO/ TOGASHI MASAHIKO/ ARAKAWA YASUO & AKIRA MIYAZAWA): “Four Units” (Teichiku – Union Records – UPS-2008) (Record: Near Mint ~ MINT/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint). Bloody rare original 1969 pressing that came out in the same series that birthed out Takayanagi Masayuki’s “Independence” LP. PROMO issue. This one comes all complete with rare OBI, first time I could get a copy with obi. Brilliant one-time-off Japanese jazz album that throws together 4 heavyweight players into one session group. Sato Masahiko & Togashi Masahiko are both well known I guess by subscribers of this list since both have played extensively with either Takayanagi Masayuki and other free players out of the early Japanese experimental jazz scene. Tenor blower Miyazawa Akira is known to most for his excellent albums “Iwana – Trout” and “Kiso”, both also vicious slabs of embryonic outlaw jazz, there where bassist Arakawa Yasuo was a regular sideman of Sato Masahiko’s Trio. So this disc is a gathering of four veterans. The quartet mutual draw on lifetimes of experience from modern jazz bands to ferocious underground free jazz improvisations and sends them of here working as a well-oiled unit, disciplined freedom punctuated by episodes of controlled anarchy. On the B side, the quartet tackles some one Simon & Garfunkel cover tune combined with some modern pseudo mellow free pieces and it shows that also in these combinations only the bravest and highly schooled players could pull it off. Side A however is the free form efficiency in full action, muscular and fierce, with the rhythm section of Arakawa & Togashi Masahiko creating a trembling trampoline beneath Miyazawa’s tenor and Sato’s piano. Miyazawa sounds wonderfully gnarled and pugnacious, Sato on piano precise and unpredictable, with the music’s initial urgency ebbing and flowing but the overall sonic animated tension remaining constant. In all, the collective vigor that pulses through this deliriously played LP and paced set is nothing short from exhilarating. Just fantastic, original 1st issue in top condition with obi. Price: Offers!!!! |
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976. FREAK SCENE: “Psychedelic Psoul” (Columbia 360 Sound – CS-9456) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint – still housed in SHRINK). TOP COPY!! Cleanest and best copy I have ever laid eyes on. Sleeve still in shrink and record is virtually unplayed! Original US first original vinyl pressing of 1967 psychedelic acid freak record out by the group formerly known as The Deep. The Freak Scene was a studio-created ensemble, the brainchild of Rusty Evans, a one-time Greenwich Village folkie turned producer. Evans had crossed paths with Bob Dylan and Felix Pappalardi early in his career, before they went their separate ways, and he ultimately became a producer and dreamed up the Freak Scene as a project. David Bromberg was the first musician tapped for the 'group,' a sort of in-house psychedelic band created to record one album, Psychedelic Psoul. The one album to their credit is a period piece, an effort at making topical psychedelic music at a time when Columbia had nobody who was really good at making those sounds. The record exploits all of the trippy tropes of the times, from Eastern-raga modes to LSD-inspired lyrics. The disc is a dead stone classic, exhilarating music filled with the wild pulse beat of creation. Simply a must and let no one tell you otherwise. Take it as a fact. Amazing copy, impossible to improve upon. Price: 350 Euro
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977. FRECKLEFACE: “S/T” (Bobo –
LP-R33-34827) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent). Original first Belgian
private pressing released in a tiny run of 300 copies back in 1972. Without a
doubt, Freckleface’s title-less debut album released in July 1972, is one of
the great Lost Albums in the history of Belgian rock. It was the archetype of
an album that was “Lost” even before it properly hit the stores. It was
released on the label of their manager Bobo just weeks before the band ceased
to exist. There were very few gigs to promote the album, which meant hardly any
media support and no back up of a record company nor distributor. 1,000 copies
were printed at the time and only a few hundred were sold to the in-crowd. The rest
of the print-run became discarded, lost in time and destroyed at the landfill.
For sure one of the rarest private press LP’s seeping out of the great country
Belgium (only 300 survived), small in landmass but massive in unrelenting
attitude and this shows here! But that said, the music is beyond great, blessed
with a primitive creeping stoned-age blues rock sound spread over snakey long
tracks that are injected with acidy guitar leads of Paul Couter over which
raspy Beefheart-like vocals bubble up to the surface, the courtesy of Arno (yes
is the first group and which would later down the line merge into Tjens Couter
and T.C. Matic). Brilliant slide, driven by Couter’s understated
molecular-shifting guitar lines, sparsely adorned by manic cackles of slow-burning
bass, liquid but stripped-down drum shuffles and sparsely adorned by a blessed
but bruised vocal sneers of Arno. Killer album not unlike some of Creepy John
Thomas stuff but then again lightyears better, making Creepy John sounds like
still sucking his grandmother’s shriveled tits. Damned tough one to unearth and
like always fragile sleeve has some storage wear but no damages. Record is near
perfect so… Price: 400 Euro
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978. FREDDIE REDD QUINTET: “Shades of Redd” (Blue Note/ Toshiba EMI – BN-4045) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket:
Near Mint/ 4-Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Pristine Japanese press
issue of essential Blue Note side. “Freddie Redd is a name that every jazz
collector should know. During 1957-60, he recorded three memorable albums: San
Francisco Suite (a trio date for Riverside), The Connection (his score for the
famous play) and Shades of Redd. While he has spent much of the time in
obscurity since then, with occasional comebacks, Shades of Redd is the obvious
highpoint of the pianist-composer's recording career. Redd wrote the music
specifically for the two mighty horn players featured with his quintet (altoist
Jackie McLean and tenor-saxophonist Tina Brooks). While Redd's fine piano
playing is an outgrowth of Bud Powell's, his writing style was always quite
original and it clearly inspired the two contrasting saxophonists when they met
up in 1960. Filled with the optimism of the era and looking forward to
freer sounds but staying closely connected to swinging hard bop, this formerly
rare gem hints at John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman while sounding very much
like Freddie Redd. No jazz collection is complete without Shades Of Redd.” (Blue Note) Perfect condition! Price: 60 Euro
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979. The FREDDIE REDD QUARTET with JACKIE McLEAN: “Music From The Connection” (Blue Note – BN-4027/ BST-84027) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition & amazing sounding Japanese pressing of killer Blue Note recording. “Freddie Redd composed the music for Jack Gelber's The Connection, a gritty play about musician junkies. Gelber had originally thought that the play would feature real musicians -- who would also double as actors in minor roles -- improvising on blues and jazz standards in the tradition of Charlie Parker, but Redd convinced him to use an original score. The two weaved Redd’s original compositions into the score, making it an integral part of the play, but the music holds up superbly on its own. Using the direction "in the tradition of Charlie Parker as a starting point, the pianist wrote seven pieces of straight-ahead bop, wide open for improvisations, and then assembled a sterling quartet featuring himself, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, bassist Michael Mattos and drummer Larry Ritchie. The end result was a set of dynamic straight-ahead bop. While both Redd and McLean show signs of their influences -- the pianist blends Monk and Powell, while the saxophonist has built off of Bird’s twisting lines -- they have developed their own voices, which gives the driving, bluesy bop on Music From The Connection an edge. McLean’s full, robust tone often dominates, but he never overshadows Redd’s complex, intricate playing, and both musicians, as well as Mattos and Ritchie, effortlessly keep up with the changes from hard-hitting, up-tempo bop numbers to lyrical, reflective ballads. Musically, Music From The Connection might not offer anything unexpected, but whenever straight-ahead bop is done this well, it should be celebrated.” (All Music Guide). Top shape and all complete, one of the finest titles on the label. Price: 75 Euro |
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980. The FREDRIC: “Phases And Faces” (Forte Records – 80461) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint with small non-sounding scuff at end of track 3 & a hairline on the opening of Side B/ Jacket: Near Mint – still housed in shrink). Top-notch 1st original 1968 pressing of this eye-wateringly beautiful dreamy folk/ psych album. The Fredric heralded out of Michigan and on their sole recorded album they created some of the most beautiful ear candy ever to caress your earlobes, truly awesome popish songwriting dominated by dreamy harmony vocals and interlaced with wicked fuzzy leads scattered through the hazy late summer atmosphere. In all a solid masterpiece, quite diverse in its totality and leaning strongly towards fuzz-incited garage rock. In all very impressive album, especially seen the fact that it was released on such a minor and small label. Just listening to this, you feel like being in the presence of pure greatness. Total awe-inspiring and salivatingly astonishing teenage mystique. It is a prime example of sublime soft/ dreamy psych with great songwriting, beautiful harmony vox, some fuzz leads scattered through the breeze. Highly recommended and next to impossible to find a better copy. Price: Offers!!!! |
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981. FREE: “Fire and Water” (Island Records/ Nippon Victor – SFX-7209) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Obi: Mint). Japan 1st original pressing all complete with rare obi and in absolutely virginal condition. If Fleetwood Mac, Humble Pie and Foghat had never formed, Free would be considered one of the greatest post-Beatles blues-rock bands, and Fire and Water shows why. Conceptually fresh, with a great, roots-oriented, Band-like feel, the album found Free distinguishing itself with the public like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple did (in terms of impact only) in 1970. Free presented itself to the world as a complete band, in every sense of the word. From Paul Kossoff’s exquisite and tasteful guitar work to Paul Rodgers’ soulful vocals, this was a group that was easily worthy of the mantle worn by Cream, Blind Faith or Derek & the Dominos. Price: Offers!!! |
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982. FREE JAZZ WORKSHOP: “Interfrequences” (A.D.M.I. - /) (Record: Near Mint/ Silk Screen Jacket: Near Mint). Very rare 1973 French private press free jazz beast. The Free Jazz Workshop came into being in 1967 but their first album, Inter Fréquences, only appeared in 1973. Unfortunately there is no recorded trace of the group including the first drummer Pierre Guyon before he was replaced by Christian Rollet in 1970. One of the slogans doing the rounds at the time sets the tone: "Aesthetic liberation is but a prelude to the liberation of humanity." The trajectory of the Free Jazz Workshop (which became the Workshop de Lyon in 1975 with the arrival of clarinetist-saxophonist Louis Sclavis) is emblematic of the emancipation of the mindset of certain French musicians during this period. It has been an exceptionally long-lived trajectory a "half-century" as the members say, during which the group - in Christian Rollet's own words – went from being "an exploratory workshop who claimed to take no account of the musical certitudes of the majority" to becoming something of a classic institution. Right from this first album it is clear that the group would function as a collective with no designated leader. The legacy and influence of American free jazz can be heard throughout: Albert and Don Ayler, or Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry for the horns of Maurice Merle and Jean Mereu; Cecil Taylor for the pianist Patrick Vollat, absent from the group after the second album La Chasse de Shirah Sharibad; Gary Peacock and Barre Phillips for the bass; Sunny Murray or Milford Graves for the rhythmic agitation; but also the Art Ensemble of Chicago for the collective aspect. Cornerstone of the French free jazz underground that was ignited by the US diaspora of free players and it shows, this baby is on fire. Top condition and rarely seen original pressing that only came out in an edition of about 300 copies. Beautiful fragile silk screen sleeve, all is tops. Hardly ever surfaces but when it does the condition is always below any acceptable level. This one here is flawless…Price: Offers!!! |
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983. The FREEBORNE: “Peak Impressions” (Columbia – YS-2048-RM) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Excellent – has discoloration due to age on upper and lower side). Bloody rare Japan original press issue. WHITE label PROMO issue. Comes in Japan only altered jacket art using different color-scheme as opposed to the US pressing. Comes with never ever before offered stupidly rare OBI present as well. So far only 2 copies with obi are accounted for, making this the 3rd one in existence so far! “With zero prior credentials, this young band created an album of remarkably original studio-psych in the dark, intricate east coast style. Dominated by keyboards and loaded with serious ambitions, Peak Impressions is somewhat similar to Mandrake Memorial’s Puzzle, but spookier in vibe and less cohesive in structure. It takes time to get into and it is not successful throughout but remains a mandatory experience for any fan of classic creative 60’s psychedelia. The quintet is somewhat lacking in the conventional songwriting department and handle this by invoking experimental elements from jazz and classical, along with audio and voice effects and elaborate arrangements. It is close to UK style art rock, but the emotional landscape is angular and eerie enough to suit adventurous psychedelic trippers. In recent years this has become one of the most expensive originals on a real label perhaps due to the high quality of the original mastering and pressing. Japanese release exists with altered sleeve” (PL – Acid Archives). In recent years, demand for this classic East Coast psych LP has increased sharply, and it is now one of the most expensive albums from the late '60s on a 'real' record label – in Japan released on Columbia of all places. Spooky like the 3rd Mandrake Memorial and intricate like the 2nd Fallen Angels, this is one of the big kahunas of the early psych era. It's a very good recording and excellent (if not the best) pressing around and sounds razor-sharp as expected. Extremely beautiful white label PROMO copy, with only the faintest signs of delicate handling & wear visible on jacket so strictly M-/M- grading. Comes with rare OBI in EX condition due to discoloration on upper and lower edge. Just never surfaces – high quality Japan first original pressing from 1969!!! Impossible to find all complete with obi so… aim high and don’t be shy! Price: Offers!!!! |
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984. FREEDOM: “Freedom At Last” (BYG Records/ Nippon Columbia – BYG-10) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint – has a small non-sounding hairline on side one/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Excellent – has a folding crease). Bloody rare Japan 1971 only release by this psychedelic group that comes all complete with always-missing OBI and insert! Completely underrated psych album by this UK band, this was their debut effort and it washes right over you. Bloody rare Japanese high-quality issue from 1971 all complete with the damned rare obi. 1st time ever I encounter a copy of this beast all complete with obi and insert – making it together with Gong and MEV that rarest BYG/ Actuel Japanese press issue out there. Price: 250 Euro |
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985. FREEDOM UNITY: “Something – Freedom Unity First featuring Takeru Muraoka” (Liberty – LPC-8046) (Red Wax PROMO Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent – small upper spine & seam rubbing). Bloody rare free jazz beast, 1st original issue that comes on red wax. WHITE label PROMO issue. This was Freedom Unity’s first and all-time best album. In total they recorded only two LP’s but the first one, released in 1970 is nothing but a milestone recording. The line-up alone is already mouth-wateringly great and consisted out of Muraoka Takeru (tenor sax); Suzuki Hiroshi (trombone); Suzuki Hiromasa (Electric Piano); Inaba Kunimitsu (bass) and Ishikawa Akira (drums). Nothing short of a that-day All Star line up of seasoned funked out spiritual jazz spirits. This extremely accomplished super group immediately recorded this first LP after their formation and instantly showed that they could master and excel in whatever troubled jazz waters they decided to steer their raft in, tackling successfully modern jazz, funked-up jazz rock and spiritual intoned spiritual free jazz without even batting an eyelash. It isn’t surprising then that their minimal recorded output is these days high on many collector’s want lists focusing on assembling the Golden Age recordings of Japanese free/ spiritual and jazz rock out of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their excursions into spiritual jazz territory are nothing but fierce, like a tsunami gushing in and engulfing all in its path, there were their jazz rock inspired compositions never lack a funky aesthetic blessed with brilliant electric piano play, swirling Ishikawa Akira drum moves and Takeru’s intoxicating tenor sax blowouts. A truly bewitching recording that touches on a variety of styles and moving through primitive echoes of free jazz, ethereal dynamic malevolent jazz funk and even laid-back cocktail-jazz blues but then the kind of blues more associated with high end strippers on cocaine, wrapped in barbed wire and tuned to the moon. The arrangements are delicate generating the kind of surreal headspace that would meld operatic Eastern sonorities with spiritual jazz funk stylings and progressive jazz. This recording immediately put all of its participants on the map and today it still stands as one of the greatest marriages of Japanese jazz ever sunk by a major label. Pretty fantastic and next-to-impossible to come by these days. Highly sought-after 1st original pressing that came out on red vinyl. Highest recommendation if you are into the more obscure side of Japanese early 1970s jazz mappings. Has been ages since I last had a copy…Price: Offers!!!! |
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986. FREEMAN, CHICO: “Spirit Sensitive” (Paddle Wheel/ King Records – K25P-6016) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original pressing with obi of classic India Navigation label slide. This set was a change-of-pace for Chico Freeman for it features the usually adventurous tenor (who doubles on soprano) mostly playing warm versions of standards. With pianist John Hicks, bassist Cecil McBee and either Billy Harper or Don Moye on drums offering fine support, Freeman pushes at but does not break the boundaries of hard bop. A truly sensitive reading of standards by stalwart saxman Chico Freeman, originally released in 1979. Featuring both tenor and soprano horns, Freeman lends his unique blend of passion and taste to compositions by Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Richard Rodgers and Vernon Duke. The strong rhythmic support renders it all into an outstanding recording that jazz-o-philes will treasure. Top condition Japanese original. Price: 75 Euro |
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987. FRESH MAGGOTS: “S/T” (RCA
Victor – SF-8205) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint, NO scratches or hairlines,
shiny and clean and hardly no bubbles – cleanest I have ever seen so strictly
graded at EX~NM / Jacket: Excellent, only defect is some ring wear on the back
as always but NO creases in the lamination – really fantastic copy). Just a top
original UK copy in laminated sleeve. Really clean copy but presented as a
typical low budget pressing. Genuinely rare totally right-in-yer-face UK
underground folk rarity. Recorded in the UK 1971, Fresh Maggots is one of the
best distillations of UK folk and psychedelia ever recorded. The unit was a
British folk-rock duo comprised out of Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin, who
were just 19 years at the time when their sole, self-titled album came out on
RCA in 1971. Assembled out of original songs, the album turned out to be a
perfect assimilation of heavy psych moves and austere pastoral folk attitudes,
all embedded into one LP. Interlaced with some heavily distorted
ferocious fuzzed-out electric guitar and acoustic tribal strummings, Fresh
Maggots succeed in delivering a killer slide where there is still room for
poetic reflections, pastoral acoustic guitar folkiness, at frequent intervals
junked up with frazzled fuzzed-out electric guitar riffage, demented soloing
and naïve honesty, making it a highly unusual and powerful record. A totally
unique wasted vibe hovers over it all, making it even more orgiastic than it
already was. Most discs tend to be poor pressings but this one looks and plays
superbly. Great copy strictly graded at EX~NM/EX with next to no bubbles. Next
to impossible to ever upgrade upon so… Price: Offers!!!
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988. FRIPP & ENO: “Evening Star” (Polydor – MPF-1217) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original first press issue – WHITE label PROMO. Brian Eno collaborating again with Robert Fripp on a series of ambient experiments. This one is slightly different from their 1973’s No Pussyfooting in that the first side consists of shorter ambient tape-looped textures. All the watery, oceanic and windy allusions of side one are contrasted totally by side two of this record which is taken up by the massive, monolithic 28 minutes of ‘An Index Of Metals’. This track is sinister in a slightly dark and demonically intoned way. The tape loops start to build on each other and decay in a meltdown like dissonant way with sounds which evoke the title, as they sound soothing metallic in origin but it’s impossible to picture an actual instrument making these noises. We’re in a slow-motion horror movie mode here, a tad creepy John Carpenter kind of vibe oozes out of its pores. A nightmarish trip of inescapable introspective dark brain matter. This music is circuitously insidious ambient, it’s gloomy sinistrose and keeps you begging for more. The perfect soundtrack to decompress after a long day on the job or cooking in your underpants. In short, a classic!!! Price: 75 Euro |
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989. FROM THE COLD JAWS OF
PRISON: “By Inmates and Ex-Inmates, Musicians and Poets From Attica, Rikers a
And The Tombs” (Folkways Records – FH-5403) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint –
still housed in Shrink/ Booklet Insert: Near Mint). Top condition US first
original pressing. "What you will hear on this recording is a cry of a
people for justice and human dignity. You don’t know what freedom is unless
you’ve experienced the chains from which to break free." The poems and
music presented on this album were written and compiled by African-American
inmates and ex-inmates of three prisons in the New York system—Attica, Rikers
Island, and the Tombs. Their work speaks not only of the conditions faced in
prison but to the broader African American experience outside prison walls
where "Down went the junkie with the monkey on his back, the white world
laughed because the junkie was Black." The music on display ranges from
jazzy tunes to spiritual jazz jams, poetry slams, all blessed with a deep
feeling. Really amazing recording! Top shape!!! Price: 200 Euro
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990. FUKUI RYO: “Mellow Dream” (Trio Records – PA-7182) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). First original pressing from 1977 in absolutely top condition. An aptly titled LP by the late Japanese pianist Ryo Fukui, who heralded out of the far north of Hokkaido, a place far removed from the hot and bustling megalopolis Tokyo and not exactly know as a jazz breeding ground. Still, that did not prevent Fukui to churn out his 2nd album, one blessed with a warm sense of flow that takes it well past the conventional piano trio work! The group here features Fukui on piano, Satoshi Denpo on bass, and Yoshinori Fukui on drums -- all working together beautifully as a unit and with a vibe set on fire by Ryo's work on the keys, and a sense of imagination that makes even familiar tunes sound completely fresh. This second album was recorded about a year after "Scenery. The delicate yet emotionally rich playing is still there, but this time it is more powerful, and the world that Fukui depictes comes to life with clearer contours and a greater sense of depth than previously released Scenery. The sweet and sad melody of "Mellow Dream" and the dynamic and fast-paced "Horizon" are among the dazzling performances. In addition, the album features three original songs, compared to only one on the previous album, which allows the listener to enjoy Fukui's musicality even more. Considering its maturity and richer content, it is safe to say that this is a masterpiece that surpasses the first album. The whole thing's in the best Japanese piano tradition of the 70s -- that wonderful new territory explored by key pianists like Fukui -- with a sound that's open and free, but never too out there either. Top condition – impossible to ever improve upon!!! Price: Offers!!!! |
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991. FUKUSHI RITSU with YAMADA CHISATO: “Nesshou – Shin Tsugaru Yama Uta” (King Records – K20G – 5026) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Mint). Second time only I see a copy of this killer Fukushi Ritsu LP. Fukushi Ritsu only recorded a few albums, a couple of privately released cassettes and a handful of singles under her own name and very renowned – albeit only locally – as the sole purveyor of the dying art form/ musical style known as “Tsugaru Minyo”, an ethnic weather-beaten singing style where the chanteuse is accompanied by pungent, rough and anarcho-bashi slashed shamisen strummings. As far as Tsugaru shamisen is concerned, Fukushi’s late husband Yamada Chisato was the unrivaled master and had a very unique and abrasive style that has yet to be rivaled with. However, Fukushi is at the moment a very elderly lady, balancing on the brink of the grave and once she has passed over into Valhalla, she will also taken with her the last of the Tsugaru Minyo singers. She is the last living relic of this amazing vocal style and this here record – that was released in 1982 – sees her at the peak of her powers and proves once again that she is one of the greatest – yet totally unknown singers – ever to have roamed this earth. The LP opens with a sidelong track that is almost minimal in its execution with Ritsu’s voice wailing in silent unison with shamisen and shakuhachi, giving La Monte Young a run for its money. Blood curling amazing music that will set your hairs on fire and make you a walking sonic time bomb while spinning this killer slide. All time highest recommendation and one of the best discs on this list. Price: 175 Euro |
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992. FUNKADELIC: “S/T” (Westbound – WB-2000) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). US first original press issue of Funkadelic’s debut, the record where white freak culture interlocked with Black funkiness. Recording for the Detroit-based Westbound label, Funkadelic were in the same boat as soul groups such as the Temptations, who had just recorded Cloud Nine. But Funkadelic was a whole different bunch of degenerates that managed to fuse big, gnarly lysergic guitars with wicked heartfelt soul, steady rhythms, dense arrangements, choruses of vocals -all injected with a loud, overdriven, fuzzed out guitar assaults, betraying even a Hendrix influence. The album is a supernova, the sound of Clinton’s first explosion of creativity steeped in a down-home southern- fried cosmic Delta blues, floating on often playful lyrics and slow & deep funk grooves that exposed a much darker mood, an underlying menace, a subliminal anger that originates out of Detroit in 1969, a year after it burned in angry race riots, Black Panthers activism and Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were murdered. It attributed to a dark side of Funkadelic that may not have been entirely tongue-in-cheek. Funkadelic were bad motherfuckers. They shared management and stages with the other degenerates of Detroit - the Amboy Dukes, MC5, and The Stooges. And it showed, Funkadelic sounded as if they had absorbed some of MC5’s aggression and The Stooges’ decadent nihilism. It is all here on their debut, a sound they would carry forth on their first 3 albums – gritty, groovy, deranged, wasted, psych-out and lysergic soul, all embalmed into one thick addictive sonic cluster. Essential from start to finish. Damned clean US original pressing!!! Price: 350 Euro |
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993. FUNKADELIC: “One Nation Under A Groove” (Warner – P-10594W) (Record: Near Mint/ 7 Inch EP: Mint/ Single Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 2 Inserts: Near Mint). Completely vanished original 1st Japanese 1978 pressing. Comes with the EP single in there. “One Nation Under a Groove was not only Funkadelic's greatest moment, it was their most popular album, bringing them an unprecedented commercial breakthrough by going platinum and spawning a number one R&B smash in the title track. It was a landmark LP for the so-called black rock movement, best-typified in the statement of purpose Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?; more than that, though, the whole album is full of fuzzed-out, Hendrix-style guitar licks, even when the music is clearly meant for the dance floor. This may not have been a new concept for Funkadelic, but it's executed here with the greatest clarity and accessibility in their catalog. Furthermore, out of George Clinton's many conceptual albums (serious and otherwise), One Nation Under a Groove is the pinnacle of his political consciousness. It's unified by a refusal to acknowledge boundaries — social, sexual, or musical — and, by extension, the uptight society that created them. The tone is positive, not militant — this funk is about community, freedom, and independence, and you can hear it in every cut (even the bizarre, outrageously scatological). The title cut is one of funk's greatest anthems. The aforementioned Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?! is a seamless hybrid that perfectly encapsulates the band's musical agenda, while Into You is one of their few truly successful slow numbers. The original LP included a three-song bonus EP featuring the heavy riff rock of Maggot Brain. In any form, One Nation Under a Groove is the best realization of Funkadelic's ambitions, and one of the best funk albums ever released.” (Steve Huey). What the man said, a killer slide. First original Japanese pressing housed in heavy gatefold sleeve and complete with the EP. Price: 350 Euro |
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994. The CURTIS FULLER SEXTET featuring Lee Morgan; Hank Mobley; Tommy Flannagan; Paul Chambers & Elvin Jones: “Sliding Easy” (United Artists/ Victor Records – UAT-5018) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint9. Damned rare Japan very first original press issue that comes housed in fragile flip back sleeve and all complete with damned rare OBI. In 1958, Curtis Fuller relocated to New York and recorded "Blue Sweat" with Benny Golson, a date that got a favorable reception upon its release. The following year, he joined the Jazz-tet with three winds, and in 1961 joined the Jazz Messengers, playing an active role as an important member of the band. But before that, in 1959 when Fuller was 25 years old, he recorded this slide in a session that brought together a variety of hard boppers such as heavy scenesters like Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Paul Chambers and Elvin Jones. The end result showcased Fuller as a fully-fledged leader creating jazz with a high standard that has aged very well and even today feels like a breath of fresh air when blasting it at full throttle. Hardly ever seen pristine condition Japan first original press issue with obi. Price: 150 Euro |
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995. CURTIS FULLER QUINTET with Benny Golson; Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Garrison & Al Harewood: “Blues-ette” (Savoy/ Craftman Records – MG-12141) (record) Near Mint/ Jacket: near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition high quality Japanese press issue released on 200-gram superior vinyl. These came out in 2011 in a limited run and copies do only surface sporadically. This is a seminal session from Curtis Fuller, one of a handful he cut for Savoy, recorded during that late 50s/early 60s period when he seemed poised to become one of the biggest trombonists in jazz! The set's cut in that laidback blowing session mode of the Savoy hardbop years -- with tremendous work from Benny Golson on tenor, plus Tommy Flanagan on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Al Harewood on drums -- all working through easily-handled tunes. Surprisingly scarce Japanese limited edition superior press issue, heavy sleeve, audiophile vinyl and as close to the original as humanly possible (no costs were spared as only the Japanese seem to be able to pull off)- so good and top condition!!! Price: 150 Euro |
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996. CURTIS FULLER QUINTET: “Imagination” (Savoy/ King Records – KIJJ-2015) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent). Top condition high quality Japanese press issue from 1990. Prior to the official formation of the Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonist Curtis Fuller and tenor man Benny Golson made several albums together, usually with other trumpeters. This somewhat rare date has trumpeter Thad Jones, bassist Jimmy Garrison, drummer Dave Bailey and, most significantly, pianist McCoy Tyner in his recording debut completing the sextet. Fuller arranged all five of the songs, four of which were his originals. Although the material (other than the lone standard "Imagination") is unfamiliar, the chord changes inspire the players to create some fine solos. Easily recommended to hard bop fans. Price: 30 Euro |
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997. CURTIS FULLER & The JAZZ CLAN (Freddie Hubbard; Jymie Merritt; Cedar Walton; Jimmy Heath; G.T. Hogan & Jim Cobb): “Soul Trombone” (Impulse – A-13-S) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Rare US 1st original pressing – AM-PAR both on label and sleeve – rare Stereo press issue which is actually much harder to find that the mono Am Par issue. Curtis Fuller was very busy as a leader between his recording debut in 1957 and these 1961 sessions, which made up his first LP for Impulse and his eighteenth overall disc of his own. Though not quite as adventurous on the trombone as J.J. Johnson, Fuller more than holds his own leading a band including Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Heath, Jymie Merritt and either Jimmy Cobb or G.T. Hogan on drums. The solos on this hard bop disc are superb, with Fuller giving his musicians plenty of room, while his own work is first-rate. Three of the six pieces are originals and even if they never caught on, there is no filler present anywhere. Price: 300 Euro |
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998. CURTIS FULLER & The JAZZ CLAN (Freddie Hubbard; Jymie Merritt; Cedar Walton; Jimmy Heath; G.T. Hogan & Jim Cobb): “Soul Trombone” (Impulse – YS-8518-AI) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Virginal and killer sounding Japanese press issue. Price: 50 Euro |
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999. FUMIO & OSAMU (FAR OUT): “Shinchuugoku” (Atlantic – L-6063A) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint). TOP COPY!!!! Has been over a decade since I last had a copy all complete with OBI!!!! Bloody rare and much in demand copy of this hardly ever offered LP – especially with the OBI present – very first time an all-complete copy is up for grabs. Post Far Out and pre- Far East Family band psychedelic oozer by Fumio and Osamu. Released on August 25, 1972, “Shinchuugoku” lies also stylistically right and smack in the middle between Far Out, the “Mio & 11 Pikki no Neko” album and The Far East Family Band, meandering between a hippy laid back vibe and some molten psychedelic riffage. Fumio Miyashita (former Far Out) and Kitajima Osamu (Justin Heathcliff) get on this venture backed by some heavy scenesters such as Ishikawa Kei (Far Out), Arai Manami (Far Out), Sayu Eiichi (former Zunokeisatsu and Far Out), the Flower Travelling band’s Joe Yamanaka (chorus) and Yuki, the PA engineer of Far Out. So basically, for the recording of this album, the whole Far Out line up is present with some additional guests. Together the collective is responsible of creating and spellbinding beautiful album that embraces lush, childlike and dreamy folk moves but with disquiet seeping in at its edges, intertwines it with freely floating fractured Eastern sounding skirling guitar lines and riffing, injecting at times venom into the song’s melodic themes. Most of the time, it is just a hypnotic listening affair, sucking you back and putting you an a kind of mesmerizing laid back state. This is lysergic electric folk spiked with psychedelics and converting the whole package into a vehicle for musical levitation. Some of the acidic guitar licks transform the songs hayseed simplicity into a vibrant mixture of Oriental mysticism and hazy hash induced catatonics. Just love and sucking you in deeper and deeper with each successive session. Highest recommendation and bloody rare!!!! Never seen such a clean copy as this one and first time ever a complete copy with OBI emerges… Best condition imaginable!!! Price: Offers!!!! |
