CHAMAELEON CHURCH s/t 1968 ORIG TRIPPY BAROQUE PSYCH LP with Chevy Chase LISTEN

$

30

CHAMAELEON CHURCH "CHAMAELEON CHURCH" LP

ORIGINAL 1968 LP ON THE US MGM LABEL, STEREO SE-4574

COVER IN VG+ shape, cutout hole/indentation, 1" seam split on bottom edge, some small pieces of tape on edges

VINYL is shiny, no marks, plays VG+ to VG++

If you’re wondering why the Chamaeleon Church doesn’t seem to garner the same level of respect as the bands they sound like – namely, the Left Banke, Sagittarius and the Beatles – it could be because they were another in a long line of one-album-and-done pop bands lumped in with Alan Lorber’s overhyped “Bosstown” scene.  In an attempt to put Boston on the map in the late 60’s, Mr. Lorber tried to create a “scene” of bands to rival what was going on in Haight/Ashbury – only problem, none of the Bosstown bands really had a unifying sound, unless you count heavy use of strings and orchestration.  But that’s baroque pop, and the Left Banke were already doing that for 2 years.  

Of course, the OTHER reason collectors aren’t taking Chamaeleon Church too seriously yet MIGHT be because former SNL comedian Chevy Chase is in the band – well before his career as a comedian – and anyone who rented “Cops and Robbersons” might be skeptical about the sounds on this album even before listening to it.  And that’s understandable.  But for those of you who love trippy, drifty baroque popsike with plenty of strings and a production sheen that rivals the work of Curt Boettcher, then it’s time to put aside your preconceptions about the man who once starred in “Oh Heavenly Dog” and give Chamaeleon Church a spin.  

It’s really quite beautiful stuff.  “Camillia is Changing” was the single lifted from the album, and floats along beautifully in a dreamlike haze, on a bed of sumptuous harmonies and subtly distorted piano chords that give it a twinkling psychedelic sheen.  This is music that straddles the thin line between soft pop and stoned pop, coming across like a mix of the Yellow Balloon and the Turtles “Earth Anthem” dialed in from another dimension.  Of course, Mr. Lorber is NEVER one to shy away from the trippy studio tricks, and it shows on something like “Spring This Year.”  Its verses are pure Left Banke baroqueness, light and airy and riding a melody like a trip on a merry-go-round.  But when the chorus hits, Alan pulls out all the stops and bathes the chorus in a barrage of echo and delay and psychedelic trippery, and then hires an accordion player to crank out some obscure Bavarian Oktoberfest tune in the background.  I don’t understand it either, but then again, I haven’t rented “Bad Meat.”  

Elsewhere, the shiny, happy “Flowers in the Field” sounds an awful lot like J.K. and Company’s “Little Children”, with its dancing harpsichord, trippy phasing FX and Beatlesque horns.  But whereas J.K. and Co. played it fairly straight with the sound effects of playing children in the background, Chevy Chase and Co. fade out with the sounds of giggling munchkins, like Syd Barrett dropping acid and catching the Flower Patch segment of “The Magic Garden” on a lonely, rainy Saturday morning.  Or maybe the little guys were just watching “Vegas Vacation”.  

The trippy “Off With the Old” could’ve easily made it onto an Electric Sitar Head Swirler comp, with its overload of sitar and droning Indian instrumentation.  At its core, though, it’s perfect mid-60’s lounge pop in the Fading Yellow tradition, with lazy stoned vocals and a Beatles-worthy pop hook.    

So as you can see (and hear), you can’t fault the Chamaeleon Church once you give their album a listen – it’s a pleasant mix of sunshine pop, baroque pop and the psychedelic excesses of Alan Lorber’s Bosstown production style.  In other words, don’t toss it aside because you happened to catch a couple episodes of Chevy Chase’s talk show.  

HEAR IT!

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  I accept payments through Paypal. 

I try to grade as best as I can, and I list as many blemishes/imperfections I can find (writing, ringwear, scuff marks, etc.) – Also, please note that I DO listen to these albums – I may not listen to every track, but my grades are based on LISTENING, not just looking at it, since chances are you’ll be listening to the record you buy, not just looking at it.  Most of the albums I sell are the ones I’ve enjoyed for years – and I treat my records with kid gloves.  But sounds speak louder than words, so check out the sound clips below – they’re from the actual record you’re bidding on. 

SHIPPING AND PACKAGING

Listen, I buy a bunch of records too (when I’m not getting outbid at the last second, which is more often than not) – and I know what it’s like to get a rare, one-of-a-kind album packaged dangerously in a flimsy bubblewrap package.  I hate that too.  So rest assured, I ALWAYS package albums with stiff cardboard reinforcements, same for 45s.  And yes, the records are removed from the sleeves (for albums).  I ship out once a week, every Friday, because I have a regular day job.  But I’d be willing to give that up if you’d all be so kind as to bid my items up to stupidly high amounts. 

 For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a cost-effective way of tracking parcels to foreign countries yet, and shipping times vary depending on your country’s postal system.   Italy in particular seems to be really bad at delivering packages quickly, or delivering packages at all, now that you mention it.  I will always email you when your package ships, but once it’s on its way, please don’t ask me when it will arrive because I don’t know.  If the world’s postal systems can ever agree on a universal tracking system that’s affordable, I’ll be the first to use it.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

I will always leave positive feedback for successful transactions, and would appreciate the same in return.  All I ask of you is the following – please pay for your items within 14 days of the close of auction.  Compared to other sellers, that’s a generous amount of time, so if you don’t pay within 2 weeks, then I have to assume something’s wrong.  You’ll get an Ebay payment reminder at that point, and possibly a decapitated horse head in your bed.  If, after 30 days, you still haven’t forked up the cash, I’ll relist the item and yell at you if I ever see you in town.