Rock & Indie Vinyl 445 Items

Obscure psychedelic gospel act Methuselah had its roots in Scunthorpe ‘Beat’ group the Dimples, which became Gospel Garden, whose only 45 infused Northern Soul with psycheleanings. Regrouping as Methuselah, the group signed to Elektra for this sole religious rock concept LP, their sound deceptively American, with vocal harmonies evidencing bluegrass influences; guitarist Les Nicol is never short of excellent. Certain members would later form Amazing Blondel, but Matthew, Mark, Luke And John has a unique flavour, and our edition includes two rare bonus tracks. This slice of obscure psyche must be heard to be believed!

2011 reissue. close to NM

Japanese pressing. With insert.

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing. Vinyl is Close to VG+.

Japanese pressing.

* Newly Remastered!* Ultra rare 1969 private press psych-folk-rock masterpiece – featuring the legendary Wrecking Crew (Beach Boys, Phil Spector) * Lacquers cut by John Golden Mastering * Plated at Record Technology Inc. (rti) * Includes deep booklet with liner notes by Andria Lisle, rare photos, archival materials and full lyrics (LP: 16-pgs, CD: 48-pgs) In March 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost in the desert. Some think he fell foul of a local family with alleged mafia ties. Some think he was abducted by aliens.

By coincidence – or perhaps not – Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost, until Seattle’s Light In The Attic Records begun a years-long quest to give it the full release it deserves – and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened.

For record collectors, some albums are considered impossible to get hold of, records so rare you could sit on eBay for years and not get a sniff of a copy. U.F.O. is one of those albums. A seventh son, Jim Sullivan was a West Coast should-have-been, an Irish-American former high school quarterback whose gift for storytelling earned him cult status in the Malibu bar where he performed nightly. Sullivan was always on the edge of fame; hanging out with movie stars like Harry Dean Stanton, performing on the Jose Feliciano show, even stealing a cameo in the ultimate hippie movie, Easy Rider.

Friend and actor Al Dobbs thought he could change all that, and founded a label – Monnie Records – to release Jim’s album, enlisting the assistance of Phil Spector’s legendary sessioneers The Wrecking Crew to do so. That’s Don Randi, Earl Palmer and Jimmy Bond you can hear, the latter also acting as producer and arranger.

U.F.O. was a different beast to the one-man-and-his-guitar stuff Jim had been doing on stage; instead, it was a fully realised album of scope and imagination, a folk-rock record with its head in the stratosphere. Sullivan’s voice is deep and expressive like Fred Neil with a weathered and worldly Americana sound like Joe South, pop songs that aren’t happy – but filled with despair. The album is punctuated with a string section (that recalls David Axelrod), other times a Wurlitzer piano provides the driving groove (as if Memphis great Jim Dickinson was running the show). U.F.O. is a slice of American pop music filtered from the murky depths of Los Angeles, by way of the deep south.

With no music industry contacts, the record went largely unnoticed, and Jim simply moved on, releasing a further album on the Playboy label in 1972. But by 1975, his marriage breaking up, Jim left, for Nashville and the promise of a new life as a sessioneer in the home of C&W. That’s where it gets hazy.

We know he was stopped by cops for swerving on the highway in Santa Rosa, some 15 hours after setting off. We know he was taken to a local police station, found to be sober, and told to go to the local La Mesa Motel to get some rest, which he did. Some time later, his car was spotted on a ranch belonging to the local Genetti family, who confronted him about his business there. The next day his car was found 26 miles down the road, abandoned. His car and his hotel room contained, among other things, his twelve-string guitar, his wallet, his clothes and several copies of his second album, but no note, and no Jim. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

Jim’s family travelled out to join search parties looking for him, the local papers printed missing person stories, but the search proved fruitless. Around the same time, the local sheriff retired and the Genettis moved to Hawaii. Jim’s manager Robert “Buster” Ginter later stated that during the early morning hours of a long evening Jim and Buster were talking about what would you do if they had to disappear. Jim said he’d walk into the desert and never come back.

Tracking down the truth behind Jim’s mystery became an obsession of Light In The Attic’s Matt Sullivan (no relation) when he happened upon a copy of the album and fell in love. He took on a cross country pilgrimage in search of master tapes and truth, and came back with neither, despite hundreds of phone calls, e-mails, letters, faxes, private detectives, telepathy, palm readings and meetings with Jim’s wife, son and producer. Thanks to superb digital mastering techniques, Light In The Attic is still able to present a clean, near perfect copy of Jim’s masterpiece for general consumption for the first time. Enjoy. And remember, beyond the mystery, there’s the music.

No Obi, with insert.

Cover has creased corners and the lamination ist starting to peel off. Vinyl with many scuffs and hairlines. Copy close to VG

New Discos Quilombo release, now time for Grupo 606 out of Cochabamba, Bolivia!!! Formed in 1967, in 1969 they released a great EP and we've now pressed this 7" with the best two songs out of that record. A true fine example of the "Nueva Onda Boliviana" sound, with a killer cover of the Blues Magoos' "Gotta Get Away" and the self-penned "No, no puede ser", kind of beat number with taquirari influence.

The third long-player from San Francisco psychedelic icons Quicksilver Messenger Service (qms) is a direct contrast from their previous discs. Shady Grove (1969) is comprised mostly of shorter and self-contained pieces as opposed to the long and extended jams that were so prevalent on their self-titled debut (1967) and Happy Trails (1969). Ironically, the one stretched-out instrumental is courtesy of their latest acquisition -- Brit recording session guru Nicky Hopkins (keyboards). Another possible reason for the shift in style as well as personnel is the conspicuous absence of Gary Duncan (guitar) -- who is rumored to have been a "guest" of Bay Area law enforcement at the time. The band incorporate a number of different styles on the album. Kicking off the disc is an up-tempo rocking version of the traditional Appalachian folk song "Shady Grove." The QMS reading is highlighted by John Cipollina's trademark fluid fretwork and a familiar "Bo Diddley" backbeat -- reminiscent of both "Who Do You Love" and "Mona" from the live ensemble LP Happy Trails. (all music)

Prog-psych / acid-folk lost classic from 1969 by this short lived London trio. Now lovingly reissued on vinyl with fantastic remastered sound and including insert with rare photos / memorabilia and detailed liner notes by Steve Krakow aka Plastic Crimewave. Named after a Cannonball Adderley track, Synanthesia formed thanks to a Melody Maker ad placed in 1968 by guitarist/vibes/vocalist Dennis Homes, answered by Jim Fraser (who played sax, oboe and flute) and Leslie Cook (an Incredible String Band fan on bongos, violin and mandolin). With their particular blend of folk, jazz and psychedelia, the trio played all the key underground venues and clubs, sometimes alongside top acts like Floyd, King Crimson or Fairport Convention. Their sole album was recorded at Sounds Technique studio in Chelsea (which was where Pink Floyd were recording their albums at the time) and subsequently released by RCA. The cover featured the trio climbed onto a tree at the same park where the Beatles filmed their “Strawberry Field” promo film. Despite the good reviews and the support of DJs like John Peel, the album was considered too far out and psychedelic and eventually flopped, only to be re-discovered several decades later by acid-folk fans and collectors.

2012 reissue. Still sealed with hype sticker.

2012 reissue. Still sealed with hype sticker.

2012 reissue. Still sealed with hype sticker.

Still sealed with hype sticker. 2012 reissue.

The holy grail of turkisch surf-rock.

2019 reissue.

Still sealed with hype sticker. 2012 reissue. 180gr vinyl.

Limited to 100 copies on green vinyl. Only available at hhv.de

Enchanting and sunny 1969 psych folk by San Francisco teenage sisters Wendy & Bonnie Flower. A cult album that would later inspire bands like Stereolab, with dreamy vocal harmonies as the main attraction, laced with Brazilian splashes and soft-rock strains. Pure timeless psychedelic pop perfection, awash in serenity and haunting reverie floating in the ether above airy soundscapes that convey a sophistication that belies the artists' tender age: 15 and 18. Alongside them are top-notch musicians such as guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Randy Sterling and organists/pianists Mike Melvoin and Mike Lang. Originally produced by Gary McFarland, Gábor Szabó and Cal Tjader.