EYES OF BLUE -Cross.68 ORIG LP PROG PSYCH MERCURY RARE

$

136

Very rare original UK psych LP by the Welsh psych rock band

 eyes of blue

"CROSSROADS OF TIME"

The Eyes of Blue: Crossroads of Time 1968 UK Psychedelic LP , Very Rare & Amazing lost Treasure, Psych / Prog Bomb!

One of the best early-progressive- PSYCH albums from Britain 

Original UK Prog Psych 1968 STEREO BLACK - MERCURY 20134 SMCL.

matrix no.  134087 1Y//1^420 and 134087 2Y//1^420- Made in England 

This is the original 1968 UK LP from the Welsh group which has become highly collectible. The album draws from Eastern, R&B and even classical influences with covers of songs by Graham Bond, Love ("7 and 7 Is") and even a twisted psychedelic echoed version of the Beatles ("Yesterday"). Keyboard player Phil Ryan later joined Man. Producer Lou Reizner went on to score the orchestrated version of The Who's "Tommy."

CONDITION

 -The vinyl is still in NM condition but has surface light pressed sleeve marks on vinyl from 41 years of storaging.

-Labels are clean in NM condition.

-The LAMINATED front cover is EX- with some light rubbing ring wear showing from storage and a few lamination creases -the rear sleeve is clean slightly discolored due to age - light one corner wear but no seam splits-no cuts and no promo holes..all in all a very excellent addition to a collection of 1960s and psychedelic music.

SIDE1

1. Crossroads Of Time 5:00
2. Never Care 3:18
3. I'll Be Your Friend 3:48
4. 7 + 7 Is 2:32
5. Prodigal Son 5:27

 SIDE2

6. Largo 3:14
7. Love Is The Law 5:16
8. Yesterday 4:22
9. I Wonder Why 3:13
10. World Of Emotion 2:48
11. Inspiration For A New Day 3:09

A very scarce UK psych rarity in great clean condition.

By rights, The Eyes of Blue should have an exalted place in the pantheon of art-rock and EARLY progressive rock bands. They were around before almost all of them, and doing film work and making music in a jazz-rock fusion idiom before the latter had been understood, and they were signed to two major labels in succession, Deram and Mercury. Instead, except for drummer John Weathers, who later joined Gentle Giant, The Eyes Of Blue are scarcely remembered at all. The Eyes of Blue started out as a jazz and rhythm-and-blues oriented outfit (Graham Bond wrote the notes for their first album), doing songs in that vein as well as less well suited material such as "Yesterday." The group was initially signed to Decca's progressive rock imprint Deram Records, and cut a series of excellent but neglected singles, and then moved to Mercury, where they concentrated on albums, enjoying greatest musical if not commercial success.
Starting out as a soul-based band from Neath, The Eyes Of Blue gradually turned to the American West Coast sound. All of their recordings are quite collectable. ALBUM REVIEW
In collaboration with Quincy Jones they contributed to the 'Toy Grabbers' film score and later appeared in the film, 'Connecting Rooms'. Their albums are diverse with pop, R&B, jazz, classical, psychedelic and Eastern influences. The best tracks on the first one are two Graham Bond-penned R&B songs (he also wrote the sleeve notes), "Love Is The Law" and "Crossroads Of Time". It also included good versions of Love's "7 And 7 Is" and The Beatles' "Yesterday". Also noteworthy are their own "Inspiration For A New Day" and "Prodigal Son", which feature some Eastern-sounding psychedelic guitar work. (T. of D.)

 The Welsh group did have a more organ-based sound than many of their U.K. peers, and the band's keyboardist, Phil Ryan, has admitted that Graham Bond was a big influence on his style on this album. Bond's input wasn't limited to this; he also wrote two of the songs, "Crossroads of Time" and "Love Is the Law" (though they were credited to "D. Stewart," aka his girlfriend, Diane Stewart), both of which Bond himself would record slightly later on his 1969 album Love Is the Law. "Crossroads of Time" is likewise one of the relative highlights, starting off with an atomic explosion and Phantom of the Opera organ, though its lyrics are pretty blatant hippie sloganeering. It's an indictment of the weakness of the group's original material (by guitarist Ritchie Francis) that the most notable other track is one of the most eccentric covers of the Beatles' "Yesterday" you'll hear, arranged to sound almost like a classical hymn.

MORE INFO ABOUT THE BAND...
The Eyes Of Blue evolved during the mid-sixties from covers and R&B band The Mustangs, based in Neath. The early line-up consisted of Wyndham Rees (Vocals), Ray Williams (Guitar), Ritchie Francis (Bass), Melvyn Davies (Guitar) and David Thomas (Drums). Thomas had replaced Byron Phillips in October 1964 a month before the change of name, and before too long Melvyn Davies also decided to leave, reducing the Eyes to a four-piece. Starting out as a soul-based R&B band the Eyes quickly established a strong reputation in the South Wales music scene. They played the same circuit as many other familar groups, The Bystanders, The Jets, and took in gigs in Llanelli, Swansea, Skewen, Cardiff and Neath, winning a few local talent competitions on the way. Early in 1966 drummer Thomas was off and away, and John Weathers was drafted in as a temporary replacement. From another Neath based band - the Smokestacks - came keyboard player Phil Ryan, and vocalist Gary Pickford-Hopkins.
By May that year the band were ready to turn professional. During the late spring and summer of '66 Eyes Of Blue entered and won the national Melody Maker 'Beat Contest', which offered the chance of a one year Decca recording contract. This turned out to be something of a poisoned chalice as none of the tracks recorded for Decca were representative.
Once the Decca contract had expired the band signed with the Mercury label, and during March to July 1968 recorded their first album across a number of sessions in Chappell Studios, London. Later that year the Eyes backed american singer-songwriter Buzzy Linhart on his album 'Buzzy' released on the Phillips label. When some critics suggested that this could be a more productive route an angry Ritchie Francis responded; "We will not be called a backing group for anyone".

KEYWORDS: psych rock kraut prog psychedelic jam garage nuggets fuzz acid flowers hippy hippie pokora

More interesting , obscure and rare original Records of the past ( Psych-Kraut-Electronic-U.K. / US-Progressive-Psychedelic, Garage, Acid-Folk & Classic Rock Originals as well as Jazz & Blues,Metal...) you can see in my other auctions....      

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** ** ** S H I P P I N G   I N F O R M A T I O N ** ** **   Number of Records/Weight
(including mailer)     CANADA: QUEBEC: $7.99 (1 LP) - $9.99 (2-6 RECORDS) ONTARIO: $8.99 (1 LP) - $11.99 (2-6 RECORDS) ALL OTHER PROVENCES: $8.99 (1 LP) - $14.99 (2-6 RECORDS)   U.S.     (Air): $8.99 (1 LP - under .500kg) - $14.99 (2-3 RECORDS - under 1kg) Expedited (with Tracking #): $16.99 (1 LP - under .500kg) - $17.99 (2-6 RECORDS 2-3: under 1kg)   INTERNATIONAL   (Air): $14.99 (1 LP - under .500kg) - $33.99 (2-3 RECORDS - under 1kg)   Please note that some heavier vinyl, gate-fold jackets, inserts, etc. may increase weight equivalent to 2records.        I also use +/- if I feel a record comes between a grade     LP condition GRADING system: M (MINT) : Sealed, never opened or played, new in original package.

NM (NEAR MINT) : Near perfect copy, played only a few times. At worst it may have one or two insignificant flaws. This is the highest grade I give for a non-sealed (used) record.

EX (EXCELLENT) : Clean copy, slight surface marks/hairlines, cover has minor defaults.

VG++ (VERY GOOD++) : More surface marks, minor flaws, or cover wear, minor edge wear (cover). Nothing serious but is not graded EX because of few minor defaults.

VG+ (VERY GOOD +) : Played a lot, will show signs of handling, has marks, possibly few light scratches but no jumps or sticks. Cover wear (light ring wear, heavier corner or edge wear on cover).

VG (VERY GOOD) : Used record, played a lot, has marks, few scratches, some crackling while playing and but no jumps or sticks. Still quite listenable. Cover may have heavy corner, edge wear or split seams.

G (GOOD) : Played a lot and more (but still playable), lot of scratches, crackles a lot while playing, may have jump or sticks and cover is damaged...so not so good ! This record must be very rare to be proposed in this state !!!

All shipping is carefully prepared
using a hard box specifically designed for LPs.