JOHNNY THOMPSON QUINTET We'll Make It Good 1967 SHIZOID SUNSHINE PSYCH 45 LISTEN

$

40

JOHNNY THOMPSON QUINTET "We'll Make It Good" b/w "Turn Me Down"

Original 1967 45 on the US LYRA label

Vinyl:  Plays VG++

(This is currently selling for $287 elsewhere on line, so go fig)

They might not have the most creative band name in the world, but the Johnny Thompson Quintet was certainly one of the more interesting garage pop bands of the late 60’s.  Here’s their 1967 single “Turn Me Down” b/w “We’ll Make it Good,” and if you’re looking for a simple caveman teen punk anthem, well, this ain’t it.  This is some rather intricate stuff here, kids – sorta like what Spirit might’ve sounded like with one-twentieth the budget.  There’s enough ideas in these two songs to keep lesser bands afloat for years – not to mention an ambitious, almost jazz-like approach to the times and tempos.  Suffice it to say , these are not easy songs to dance to.  “Turn Me Down” starts with a carousel ride harpsichord melody, topped off by some whirling, dancing echoed-out strings, which give the song a lysergic, Looking Glass feel right away.  If you’re looking to catch your balance, the tricky time and tempo changes won’t help – and the whole song never stops spinning and twisting with a dizzy, off-kilter energy.  If you’ve ever wondered what a carnival midway would sound like on acid, the Johnny Thompson Quintet are only happy to take you there.  Flipside “We’ll Make it Good” seems fairly straightforward at first – it’s a nice groovy sunshine pop nugget with beautiful male and female vocal harmonies, sorta like a Jefferson Airplane for the Sta-Prest slacks set.  But there are still more of those tricky time changes, and the melody never stays in one place either.  There’s also an insistent, stabbing organ, and the male vocals in the chorus tend to whisper and spit out their lines like Roger Waters when he’s really serious, man – and soon the whole song becomes a frantic exercise in complete paranoia that somehow makes “The Wall” seem grounded.

“Look around!  What do you see?

Who’s that behind me?

Society, oh don’t you see?  Just let me be!  Please!

The days go by, I have to fly,

Can’t keep the pace lately.

The world is cold, wants me to fold,

Or sell my soul, maybe.”

Not exactly the stuff of sunshine pop, when you think about it.   Someone better be calling these kids six times a day to make sure they’re alright.  Paranoid schizophrenic lysergic harmony sunshine pop with jazz leanings, courtesy of the Johnny Thompson Quintet.  And no, you cannot dance to it.

HEAR IT!

UPDATE: SORRY, I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).

(THE LESS EXCITING STUFF...)

First class shipping is $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Delivery confirmation included in the shipping costs.  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 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. 

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.