ELIZABETH s/t 1968 ORIGINAL BAROQUE FUZZ PSYCH LP Left Banke Elec Prunes LISTEN

$

50

Not much is written about this late 60’s Philadelphia area psych band, even on the liner notes for the Vanguard label psych compilation that came out a few years ago.  But like those killer Mainstream label albums, it appears the kids in Elizabeth had one shot at the big leagues, and put everything they had into this one.  And what a record it is!  If you had to pigeonhole ‘em, you’d call ‘em baroque psych, because of all the dancing harpsichords, gentle melodies and swirly organ.  But they tend to sabotage those deceptively mellow songs with sudden temper tantrums of angry distorted fuzz guitar that rears up out of nowhere, kicks around some furniture, then sticks its head back sheepishly into the stoned late night prettiness.  They’re like the Pixies of baroque pop – all soft/loud/soft – like the Left Banke if they had Thurston Moore on guitar.  Just check out that track on the Vanguard comp – “You Should Be More Careful” – a beautiful slice of ornate pop, until that angry stabbing barrage of knife-scraping Creation mod pop art guitar spreads its electric vitriol across the grooves, only to duck back inside after it’s done.  Same thing with “Not That Kind Of Guy,” which starts out all swinging 60’s supper club jazz pop, until a thrashing chorus kicks in with random bouts of fuzz lacerations.  Other tunes are less spastic but just as rewarding – the catchy “Mary Anne” sounds like something off the second Electric Prunes album…the headphone mind-fryer “Alarm Rings Five” is like a trippier acid-drenched version of It’s A Beautiful Day’s “White Bird” …and the freakish “Dissimilitude” is a Ray Bradbury Dark Carnival ride on a calliope from Hell.  So you see, you can’t really pigeonhole this bunch, just like you can’t say all Elizabeths are the same.  You wouldn’t want to get your Taylors confused with your Bathorys.  And you wouldn’t want to miss out on a chance to hear one of the best baroque pop psychedelic late night guitar crunching schizophrenic Sonic Youth and Pixies heralding albums of the late Sixties either.  So don’t.

Original 1968 LP on the US Vanguard label.  Vinyl plays VG++ to EXCELLENT.  Cover in VG+ shape - some sticky tape residue on the front, writing and tape on back.

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.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   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.