MINT SHRINK 1966 THE PLAYBOYS JOHN FRED GARAGE ROCK Rolling Stones no psych

$

103

 .

• LP # 1
  
• 1966 ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS
• STILL IN FACTORY CELLOPHANE
• ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
• 
  
• John Fred
• THE PLAYBOYS
  
  
• ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
• USA - PAULA RECORDS - 2191
  

• 
  
• FANTASTIC MINT in cellophane first pressing - the LP from '66 is rare in ANY condition - here is a MINT 54 years ago final collection copy
  

1. Original 1966 original pressing in TOP condition, of the first Playboys album featuring John Fred. Their sound at this stage, garage rock driven, as evident on their first two Lp's, is far different from the pop-psych they would later produce.  In fact, their first two albums are surprisingly collection worthy on the same roadway as other garage acts found on the Justice label. Although missing the sloppy teen-spirit often with off key notes or mistakes. John Fred's Playboys are tight and well crafted delivering a strong polished style (fuzz guitar...) without any backing arrangements like they would later get into as inspired by The Beatles Sgt Pepper...
2. 
   
3. "Boogie Children" is an absolutely terrific John Lee Hooker cover that rates as one of the finest Rolling Stones-like mid-'60s recordings by an American group. While nothing else here is nearly as good, at least the covers of "Harlem Shuffle," "Don't Fight It," and "My Babe" are more in line with Fred's R&B-oriented talents, though his most original blends of soul and pop would not truly assert themselves on record until after this LP's release.
4. 
   
5. 
   
6.  John Fred (born John Fred Gourrier, 8 May 1941, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, died 15 April 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) was a 6 foot 5 inch, blue-eyed soul singer who originally formed John Fred And The Playboys in 1956. This unit made their first record (‘Shirley’) two years later with Fats Domino’s backing group. During the early 60s various versions of the Playboys recorded for small independent record labels such as Jewel and N-Joy, and eventually became known as John Fred And His Playboy Band. It was not until the end of 1967 that success finally came with the international hit, ‘Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)’. An amusing satire on the Beatles’ ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, the single beat off a rival version by Amboy Dukes. Unfortunately this meant the Playboy Band were unfairly perceived as a novelty group, when in fact they were a tight, well organized and long-serving unit. Fred’s blue-eyed soul vocals were most evident on Agnes English, which included a rasping version of ‘She Shot A Hole In My Soul’. By the end of the 60s the band had split-up, with Fred going on to record with a new group and work as a producer for RCS in Baton Rouge.
7. 
   
8. The FAN MAN adds:
   
9. 
   
10. John Fred & His Playboy Band issued their GREAT cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillun" in early 1965 -- the single missed the charts, but was a favorite of Elvis Presley.
    
11. 
    
12. A move to the Jewel label preceded "Dial 101 (Because I Love You)," another chart miss. After "You're Mad at Me" also disappeared, Fred & the Playboys cut 1966's "How Can I Prove" with one of the singer's boyhood idols, Dale Hawkins, assuming production duties, but when this also tanked, Jewel dropped the group, necessitating a switch to the Paula label for the band's next effort, "Making Love to You." After the 1967 flops "Sun City" and "Leave Her Never," Fred & the Playboys regained their footing with "Up and Down," which topped the charts in several Louisiana markets but did not catch on nationally. For the follow-up, "Agnes English," the group shed the harder-edged R&B approach of its past efforts in favor of a sound inspired by the British beat boom, again scoring a massive regional hit but falling shy of the national charts.
    
    The irresistible bassline that would become the cornerstone of "Judy in Disguise" lurked in Fred's head for months before he and saxophonist Bernard finally wrote a full-fledged song to complete it -- satirizing the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and inspired by the enormous sunglasses then in vogue among the beach bunnies in Fort Lauderdale, the single appeared on Paula in late 1967 and in early January supplanted the Beatles' own "Hello Goodbye" atop the U.S. pop charts. After appearing on The Tonight Show and American Bandstand, Fred & His Playboy Band issued the follow-up, "Hey Hey Bunny," which went as high as number 57. There were four more singles in 1958 alone ("Lonely Are the Lonely," "Little Dum Dum," "Sometimes You Can't Win," and "Harlem Shuffle," respectively) but none of them charted, and by year's end Paula dropped the group altogether. Fred & the Playboys then signed to MCA to issue 1969's "Silly Sarah Carter (Eating on a Moonpie)," followed by a cover of the Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." From there, they recorded a pair of 1970 singles for Uni, "Three Deep in a Feeling" and "Julia Julia," before dissolving in the wake of a European tour.

1. Boogie Children (02:58)
   When I Meet My Girl (02:08)
   How Can I Prove (02:05)
   Can't I Get (A Word In) (03:00)
   Out Of Sight (02:40)
   My Babe (02:43)
   Don't Fight It (03:15)
   Wrong To Me (02:31)
   Making Love To You (02:21)
   Play With Fire (02:18)
   Night Owl (02:05)
   Harlem Shuffle (03:08)
   
2.                  CONDITION:
3. 
   
4. The cover: rated: MINT in original cellophane, a perfect copy despite a small perfect round delete drill at top left. That's it, otherwise top-sharp everywhere!  Flat & square with 4 sharp corners ...no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ...

1. The vinyl: Rated: M- TOP COPY, this looks to be freshly opened despite 54 years of age. Will play spectacular! Both Paula labels are clean