Kaleidoscope Side Trips LP Epic Stereo US original

$

30

Kaleidoscope Side Trips LP

Epic BN 26304 Stereo US original 1st pressing with blue and white rear cover slick

Including Egyptian Gardens, If The Night, Please, Keep Your Mind Open, Pulsating Dream, Oh Death and Why Try, etc.

Only the first pressings of this classic album came with the colour rear sleeve – subsequently the text was all in black on white. According to one interview with the band they were less than pleased with the front cover art work because it was only in black and white and they had been told it would be in colour – then they told to turn it over!

Condition: 

Cover: Practically no ring wear, although the front slick is a little grubby in places. This first pressing came wrapped around thick card and the seams are all tight with no splits and only a tiny crease on one corner. The spine writing is all perfectly legible. There is no writing, etc. Strong VG+++.

Record: Yellow Epic labels are perfect. The disc is glossy and clean with three very light scuffs which do not sound and there is only minimal crackle in a few places that is barely audible beneath the superb production. Basically a strong VG++.

Please note that this is a realistic description when I could just have said “VG+++/VG++” and let you do all the guess work... This is a rare LP and in great shape and it has given me much pleasure. As with all the LPs I am selling, it is only here because I have since up-graded to a mint copy.

A long time favourite of, amongst others, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, here’s what Fuzz, Acid & Flowers have to say:

“Kaleidoscope's music was so wide-ranging that it is difficult to categorise. Not surprisingly therefore, all of their albums have become obscure collectors items. An explanation for the range of this group's music can be found in the backgrounds of its personnel. David Lindley, born in LA, had previously played with a number of bands, including The New Christy Minstrels and The Greenwood Singers and had also played banjo for several labels. He formed the group in September 1966. They initially called themselves The Baghdad Blues Band. Feldthouse originated from Ismit in Turkey and played a wide range ot exotic instruments which included the sax bouzoukee, dobro, vina, doumbeg and dulcimer as well as the more mundane 12 string guitar and fiddle. He was responsible for the Eastern influence on tracks like Egyptian Gardens, Why Try and Keep Your Mind Open on their first album. Chris Darrow was born in South Dakota, but raised in Claremont, California. His musical taste encompassed bluegrass, country, blues, jug band, R&B and old time jazz. Percussionist, Vidican, grew up in Hollywood and Epp was from Oklahoma City. Apart from the Eastern-influenced songs, other tracks on their first album included the traditional Come On In, Oh Death and the offbeat Minnie The Moocher. Another cut Please was chosen as the 'A' side for their first single with a non-LP track, Elevator Man, a more straight ahead rock track with some superb guitar playing from Lindley, on the flip. The single went nowhere. Next off they tried are mixed version of Why Try and a version of Little Orphan Annie, written by Darrow and Epp, which later tumed up on the Bernice album in a very different form. However, this 45 made no commercial impression either.

A Beacon From Mars contained an incredible 12-minute 'live' version of the psychedelic title track and an 11 minute 'live' version of their Eastern-jam Taxim. Indeed, their 'live' performances were quite a show with a belly dancer performing to the latter track and flamenco dancers accompanying their Spanish guitar work. The remainder of the album comprised more traditional country-influenced songs like Greenwood Sidee, Life Will Pass You By, Louisiana Man and the goodtime rag Baldheaded End Of A Broom.

By the time of Incredible Kaleidoscope, Darrow and Vidican had left. Darrow played fiddle on Morning's second album and went on to record a number of solo albums. He has also had a number of recent releases on the German Taxim label, played for a very short time with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and also backed Linda Ronstadt. Side 1 of Incredible... opens with the Eastern-influenced Lie To Me and the goodtime rag Let The Good Times Flow. The bluesy Temple Arizona is followed by the country-influenced Petite Fleut and Banjo. Side 2 contained the group's arrangement of the traditional ballad Cuckoo and the 11.30 minute Seven-Ate Sweet.

However, Bernice was comparatively weak and the group disbanded in 1970. The album was to have included many tracks which were censored by Epic, including three that were removed for taking stands on major political issues of the day, including the Chicago riots.

The group reformed in 1975 for a rather disappointing album When Scopes Collide, (Pacific Arts 102) and again in 1995 for the Greetings From Kartoonistan album.

Kaleidoscope also recorded a some pre-Epic demos, which were produced by Curt Boettcher and Victoria Winston. Tantalisingly, these have recently resurfaced and the tape log indicates that the sessions included Down The Line, an early version of Egyptian Gardens, plus a reel apparently containing a number of songs labelled Irish With Sitars.

The first three albums are recommended but the originals will be very difficult to obtain at reasonable prices.”

As I say, I try to describe as accurately as I can rather than using a bland grading. Finally I guarantee everything I sell. If you don't like it send it back. But you will like it, I promise.

I should also be adding further auctions during the week, so please keep looking!

Payment & Shipping: Paypal is the preferred method of payment, but I will accept cash in £, $ or Euros and cheques within the UK. I will ship anywhere. Most of the records I buy come from overseas and in over 500 transactions I have never had a record broken or lost. All records are well packed in stiff cardboard packets. UK shipping is about $4.00 for an LP, $2.00 for a 45. Air shipping to the US, Japan, etc is $12.00 per LP, $5.00 per 45. Europe in between. Obviously it will cost less per record for multiple items and more if you want insurance. 

My guarantee: I hate vague descriptions and misleading gradings as much as anyone else - hence I will try and avoid gratuitous use of the word ‘psych’ as well as EXCESSIVE CAPITALS and exclamation marks!!! Because I only sell records when I have duplicates, these are all records I still enjoy. The aim is not to make a profit but to put money towards buying more records. Of course, grading is always subjective, so I will attempt to describe what every record actually looks and sounds like. I hope that my feedback (100% as a seller) speaks for itself - every record I sell is guaranteed.

About me: I have been collecting records since my mid-teens and buying and selling on ebay for over 5 years. I also write for magazines like MOJO, Uncut and Ptolemaic Terrascope. In particular I have written articles and sleeve notes for bands like The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Euphoria (on Capitol) and Rodriguez (Sussex). If anyone wants information on any of these bands then feel free to get in touch.