MICHAELS & HACK private label folk psych 1978 TERRY LEE

$

82

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Michaels and Hack "BACK TO BACK"

Original 1978 LP on the MELLOW MAGIC label, MMR-001 (was there a MMR-002??)

Cover:  VG+, discoloration on edges, initials on back, all seams intact.

Vinyl:  CLEAN, low budget press though so it plays VG+.

FEATURES TERRY LEE (OF "MAGIC MUSIC") ON 1 CUT.

Here’s another twisted cracked acid folk psych monster of which there can’t be more than a few dozen or so floating around, right?  From 1978, this is Michaels and Hack’s Back to Back, such a homemade project that they couldn’t even find cover art for it.  It looks like a demo-only album and may very well have been.  And it’s so rare that rumor has it Michaels has one, but Hack is still looking. 

Well, here ya go, Hack – time to reacquaint yourself with the freakish ragged acid-riddled anachronism you were partially responsible for in the late 70’s.  I say “anachronism” because clearly you wished you had been able to foist this on hungry record execs in the late 60’s, when you coulda gotten away with it.  Which explains why you chose to drench the trippy acoustic sounds of “Dark Skinned Lady” in big thick layers of psychedelic phasing, the kind that Jimi Hendrix couldn’t get enough of during his Electric Ladyland sessions.  And that burning acid guitar solo that kicks in midway – sounds like the work of a Randy California around the time of The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus.  But again, that was 1970, Hack.  Dude, it’s 1978 now.  The age of Andy Gibb and Marilyn McCoo.  I didn’t say it was fair, I’m only making a point.

Your love of the Woodstock era shows too in the those lovingly crafted retro backwards guitar parts you put in “Long Trip to the Bottom,” and that’s another great psychedelic axe burner that would’ve sounded awesome on stage opening up for Ten Years After at the Fillmore West.  And when you go for a beautiful drifty acoustic ballad like “Rainbows Are For Real,” you can’t resist layering on those shimmering curtains of trippy phasing, just like they did back in the days of early 70’s rock, before Grand Funk Railroad and Chicago Transit Authority killed it for everybody.  Listen Hack, I’m with you buddy – if I were the CEO of MCA or Elektra when you brought this little puppy into my office in the spring of 1978, I’d have cancelled production on the new Barry White disco remix just to get you guys in the studio.  Really I would have.  This kind of fragile, twisted, acid-riddled home-grown folk psych needs to be heard, especially in the age of Danny Terio.

But as Hack will tell you the next time you stop by his Blockbuster store, Back to Back didn’t find a home, of course.  Which is why it only exists today as this rare, completely unknown private pressing.  And the only two sellers online are selling theirs for $200 and 250 pounds, which, in the age of the ailing dollar, comes out to be around 500 bucks.  And that could be Michaels selling his copy, for all we know.  But you know what – in either denomination, Back to Back is worth every penny.  I mean, who are we to put a price on a heartfelt, hand-created sixties-lovin’ mega-phased hypnolovewheel acid-fried twin-guitar psychefolkedelic magnum opus like this?  I wouldn’t even think of it.  But I know one thing.  I can’t move any of my old Barry White albums.

 TO HEAR SOUNDCLIPS FROM THIS ALBUM, PLEASE VISIT MY HOMEPAGE AT WWW.KATHLEENTURNEROVERDRIVE.WIKISPACES.COM - YOU CAN ALSO HEAR SOUND CLIPS FROM ALL THE ALBUMS I HAVE UP FOR AUCTION ON THIS PAGE TOO.

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $5.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 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.