HEAD WEST Bob Welch RARE 1970 French funk psych LP HEAR

$

153

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Head West "Bob Welch With Head West"

Original 1970 STEREO pressing on the French VOGUE label, LDA.20.344

Cover:  VG, overall clean but one corner water damaged.

Vinyl:  Looks clean, plays strong VG++.

Poor Bob Welch, the man can’t seem to get a break.  Imagine spending 5 years with Fleetwood Mac, longer than any previous guitarist including Peter Green, and then when you finally do leave the band, they go out and record a little album called Rumours.  Granted, Bob Welch practically saved the band when he arrived for Future Games in 1971, filling a void left by the departure of Mac’s two leading men within a few months of each other.  And he made some wonderful music in those five years.  But the dude left only a couple years before Rumours!  I mean, every household in the world has at least one copy of Rumours.  How many of your neighbors own Kiln House?

So if Bob Welch’s Mac wasn’t successful, at least he found some Time/Life Sounds of the Seventies success on his own.  Solo singles like “Sentimental Lady” and “Ebony Eyes” might now be more famous for being Pink Wedge questions in the Entertainment category, but back in the groovy bellbottom Seventies, they ruled the airwaves, man.  And helped solidify the Bob Welch sound, a shimmering, moody, mysterious brand of soft pop.  Bob brought that same mysterious quality to his Fleetwood Mac songs, and even had an AOR hit with “Hypnotized” from Mystery to Me. 

Hard to believe then, that way back in 1970, Bob was one of three musicians in a band called Head West (no relation to mid-70’s rockers Head East, who were going in a completely different direction).  Unlike the Bob Welch we’ve come to known and love (or at least know and tolerate), Head West weren’t known for moody soft pop, but rather for laying down some thick slabs of funky soul in the vein of early Parliament Funkadelic.  Seriously.  It helps to know that even though Bob Welch’s name appears above the marquee, so to speak, that happened after Bob’s solo success and the album was rush reissued to capitalize on the worldwide sensation that was “Ebony Eyes” (hint of sarcasm intended).  In all honesty, Head West ain’t Bob’s show at all – most of the deep, monster funk tracks here were written by drummer Henry Moore and keyboardist Robert Hunt – like the big funk stomp of “Faces,” featuring one of the skronkiest fuzz basses this side of Bootsy Collins.  And the monster blaxploitation jam they call “Changes,” with thrashing drums, soul man organ, and the kind of scratch funk guitar licks that would sound right at home on a 1973 soundtrack for some obscure Pam Grier ghetto cop flick.  “Sentimental Lady” my a#* - this is psychedelic acid funk you can get down and dirty with.  File alongside Black Merda, Maximillian and, of course, Funkadelic.  And wonder how, in just two short years, Bob got so white.

Granted, Bob’s guitar plays an important role in the sound of Head West, and he’s never sounded funkier than he sounds here.  And it’s no shock that when he does write a song, like “Someday,” it’s – surprise - another trippy, mystical, oddly creepy sounding head trip that sounds just like “Hypnotized.”  Only here, in the middle of the monster jams, it sounds really out of place.  Would’ve sounded great on Kiln House though.

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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 $8 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 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.