CHELSEA 1970 rare glam psych LP Peter Criss KISS LISTEN
$
151
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Description
No, KISS fans, this is not Wicked Lester’s unreleased album – actually, this one comes BEFORE that, and DID get an official release. This is Peter Criss’s band, CHELSEA – or I should say “Peter Cris” as he spelled it back in 1970 when this album came out. Like KISS, Chelsea was a New York City band through and through – the band name even gives that away – and so it’s not as surprising to see a name like John Cale listed on the back cover of this album – fresh from his stint in the Velvet Underground. But whereas John was already somewhat of a legend, Peter Cris had still not made a name for himself, and despite his love of jazz (he tutored under an aging Gene Krupa, his idol), by 1970 Peter had already wanted to get into hard rock. Unfortunately for him, other members of Chelsea wanted to pursue a more folk rock direction, which led to the demise of Chelsea after this one album, and ultimately to the formation of KISS.
Chelsea’s sole album is often slagged off by hardcore KISS fans as being too soft, but I don’t hear it. There are moments when this album builds up a MONSTROUS wall of noise just for the heck of it, guitars screaming and vocalists doing the same, like some hellish mix of Detroit motor city punk and the glam scene yet to come. If you don’t believe me, check out “Long River”, a gutsy, gritty blues rocker that builds to a FURIOUS climax. Guitarists Mike Brand and Chris Aridas provide the trippy dive bomb guitars which moan like lost souls for the first half of the song, then gradually overtake it like a flurry of wailing banshees for the second half, forcing vocalist Peter Shepley to start yelling and screaming, because at that point, it’s the only way he’s going to be heard.
Stompin’ proto-glam nugget “Ophelia” struts and sways its hips like vintage Sweet without the sequins, showing that Peter Cris’s Chelsea was closer in Gotham spirit to the New York Dolls than Simon and Garfunkel. The playful, offhanded “Grace” shows the band’s goofy side, poking fun at cocktail bar lounge singers, a piano player tickling the ivories in classic Marvin Hamlisch jazz club style, while the rest of the band laughs drunkenly in the background. Old Gene Krupa would NOT have been amused.
Chelsea’s coup de grace comes late in the game, discounting the 2-minute throwaway goodbye track, it’s the album’s last big push, the 5-minute Doctors of Madness style prog glam epic “Polly Von.” It’s also the only song on the album to be co-written by Peter Cris(s). This one’s truly ahead of its time, an intense space age glam prog saga with moog, strings and some truly inspired guitar solos. As it builds to a HUGE finale with swelling strings, wailing guitar and desperate, SCREAMING vocals, you’re reminded of Ziggy-era Bowie, the Doctors of Madness, and the androgynous space alien personas of Jobriath and Alistair Riddell’s Space Waltz – and then notice again that Chelsea got there three to five years BEFORE any of those glitter boys. Had more of the album been in this vein, it’d be the stuff of Velvet Tinmine wet dreams – had the band been more consistent, they might’ve even moved some product. But the little boys understand, and they waited for Peter to put on the cat makeup and the platform boots, and then they bought his product by the stadiumload. And John Cale lost interest.
Original RARE Decca label pressing from 1970! This has NOT BEEN REISSUED (why?)! BEAUTIFUL condition here - cover's in NEAR MINT shape, just some corner wear and a small cutout hole. Vinyl plays strong EXCELLENT with a few scattered light pops here and there, as befits the vinyl format.
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