GRUMP Heartbreak Hotel RARE HEAVY Elvis psych 1969 HEAR

$

59

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Grump "Heartbreak Hotel" b/w "I'll Give You Love"

Original 1969-ish 45 on the Magic Carpet label

Vinyl:  Plays VG+ to VG++

Selling for $107 elsewhere online now!

Hard to say what the King would’ve made of this one.  This unknown bunch of seedy longhairs recording under the unfriendly name of GRUMP took Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and turned it into a relentless, fuzz-drenched HEAVY onslaught of warehouse-demolishing electric noise. Imagine if the King, filled with a renewed sense of confidence after his successful ’68 Comeback Tour, had decided to accept a position as lead singer with the MC5.  And then, taking his cues from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, reinvented his patented vocal style into pretty much nothing but a series of unhinged shrieks and moans, while simultaneously instructing Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith to “play louder than anything you’ve ever heard in your life, mama.”  The resulting single would sound a lot like this, housewives across America would run screaming in droves, and Elvis himself would’ve spent the rest of 1970 chowing down on the bones of slaughtered goats.  While Charlie Hodge wiped the blood from his muttonchops.

Of course, the real Elvis never actually made that descent into evil black acid rock - or if he did, he’s kept the tapes well hidden.  So all we have today is this rare single by the Grump, which imagines a leather-clad, brass-knuckled Harley-straddling King ripping up his old classics with a lean, mean biker band.  Don’t expect to recognize a single note of “Heartbreak Hotel” here – the lyrics are about the only thing that give it away.  Elvis’s jangly rockabilly guitar is replaced by wave after wave of synapse-ripping fuzz bomb guitar and chunky pumping Hammond organ.  And Elvis’s sexy, snarling lead vocals are replaced by the screaming, throat-wrenching shrieks of a man who’s undergone several years of shock therapy, and still has issues.  In fact, every nuance of Grump’s rendition is built for destruction – all treble, no bass –a single, solid, relentless sonic assault.  It’s the demolition of Graceland, the shattering of a cultural icon.  It’s what Led Zeppelin did to the blues, or what Clay Aiken did to music.  If this Elvis had died in 1977, you’d have to check his grave every month to make sure he stayed that way.

I’m really surprised that this deranged sludge metal take on the King hasn’t been compiled yet, not only for its inherent novelty value, but also because it’s a pretty f*$#ed up killer single.  And I can’t help thinking that Elvis himself would’ve liked it.  Would’ve let out a little chuckle, turned to Charlie and said something like “That’s pretty wild, man!”  Then walked off into the Jungle Room to sacrifice another goat.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A SAMPLE

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A SAMPLE

The less exciting stuff

First class shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.50 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $6 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $8 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  I accept payments through Paypal, or you can send checks and money orders made out in US dollars.  Items paid by check are held 14 days for the check to clear.

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. 

And finally, I include delivery confirmation on all shipments inside the US.  This is my proof of shipment, and also helps us to track your package if it doesn’t arrive when it should.  I will email you within 2 days of shipment and give you the confirmation number at that time.  Insurance is always optional, but for larger orders, it’s highly recommended.  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.