Ramases Space Hymns LP 1971 RARE OOP Vertigo Outsider
$
36
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Description
Up for auction is a very rare & out-of-print vinyl copy of Ramases' 1971 lost psychedelic folk classic, "Space Hymns," on Vertigo Records. Vertigo Records Cat.# 9199 134. This is an original import pressing from the Netherlands, not a reissue. Just like the original German pressing, this one does not have the large fold-out jacket/poster...it is housed in a more conventional lp jacket. One of my favorite discoveries of the past few years, it's unbelievable that this album wallowed in obscurity for so long (the follow up record, "Glass Top Coffin," is great, too)! If you're looking at the this auction listing, you're probably aware of just how "collector-y" this record is...it was reissued on cd but has yet to be repressed on vinyl.
Ramases fancied himself a reincarnation of an Egyptian God from outer space...kind of like a psych/folk version of Sun Ra. His two records exploit this concept (this one dealing with his exile on earth among humankind and "Glass Top Coffin" is about his return home) throughout. For more info on Ramases, check out this site (w/ photos, bio, etc.): http://www.rock.co.za/ramases/
Cover is in VG condition. Ringwear, creasing, & shelfwear. Corners are dinged. All seams have a lot of rubbing. Someone's name is written in ink on front of jacket. No seam splitting or staining.
Vinyl is VG- condition. Has quite a few surface markings that keep it visually just below VG condition. Looks rough but plays through without skipping on either of my turntables. Sounds a little scratchy in the quieter passages but overall really good--especially when the volume builds!
The All-Music Guide's 4 1/2 star review (out of 5) has this to say: Although Ramases' debut album is best known today for featuring the infant 10cc as accompanying musicians, it is, in fact, deserving of considerably more attention than even that merits. Insistent, percolating rhythms float across a lightly funky soundscape, building with an intensity that ebbs and flows with every track and begging comparison with some of the other, darker folk devils that danced around the fringes of the early-'70s British underground. Comus, Gravy Train, and Dr. Strangely Strange all inhabit similar musical caverns, even as they strained toward new peaks of uniqueness, and Ramases shares that ambition -- and occasionally even surpasses it. The opening "Lifechild" sets the scene, one of two songs (the other is "Balloon," later in the set) that all but strap you aboard the spacecraft blasting off from Roger Dean's excellent sleeve design. From there, the journey does occasionally stray into territory that 10cc would enlarge upon -- or that they had already visited via their earlier Hotlegs excursions: "Oh Mister" is certainly the disinherited second cousin of "Um Wah Um Who," while "And the Whole World" could easily have become one of those insidious little ballads that Kevin Godley used to sing so sweetly. Again, however, it is misleading to emphasize such connections -- Space Hymns was Ramases' show from start to finish, a mass of musical eccentricities that spend the entire album colliding with one another, without once disintegrating into chaos or nonsense. A beautifully atmospheric album, then, Space Hymns remains one of the most musically and lyrically intriguing releases of an age where darkness and atmosphere genuinely meant something to their exponents. If Current 93 had been making records in 1971, this would be one of their greatest.
I will gladly ship internationally and/or combine shipping for multiple items. Just ask for a quote before the auction ends.
No returns, no refunds. Payment must be received within 5 days of winning bid.
Check out my other auctions. I'll be putting up quite a few new record selections for auction this week.
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