Rick Price - Talking to the flowers LP UK psych prog
$
53
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Description
IMPORTANT NOTE: This item is currently located in Switzerland, Europe. The exact shipping rates are indicated at the end of this listing... don't consider ebay pre-filled infos.
Rick Price - Talking to the flowers LP (Gemini Rds, 1971)
Original UK pressing. Marvelous UK psych / prog forgotten masterpiece, Move-related. Follow up to the Sheridan Price LP currently on auction
You'll find plenty more infos about this nugget at
http://faintlyblowing.blogspot.com/2009/03/rick-price-talking-to-flowers-1971.html
EX/NM, perfect copy, you won't find a better one !
here's also a cut and paste from the Sweet Floral Albion web zine about this LP:
RICK PRICE- 'TALKING TO THE FLOWERS' by Scott Charbonneau
Being in a band with Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne must have been frustrating for Rick Price, knowing that his songs would never find their way onto a Move LP. What cannot be denied is that, ultimately, his time in that band was well spent. He may not have been blessed with Roy's uncanny commercial instincts, or Jeff's facility for pastiche but 'Talking To The Flowers' (Gemini GME 1017) 1971, reveals Rick to be very much his own man creatively, offering a gentle, sweetly melancholic introspection that was already an anachronism when this album was issued.
Sadly, as an artist, Rick Price was done a disservice by the packaging and sequencing of this LP; the first thing you notice is the cover, a sickly green and white floral motif that resembles more a particularly hideous wallpaper pattern. About as much thought was put into its sequencing; Side 1 pitting Rick Price: Purveyor of Pop Psych Whimsy against Side 2's casting of Rick Price: Interpretive Singer. Consequently, Talking To The Flowers does not hang together as a unified whole, the way an album should; rather it plays more like two mini albums by different artists.
That said, Side 1 is as damn near perfect a specimen of "out of time" pop psych that I have heard; this album may have been issued in 1971 but Rick himself was still stuck somewhere in 1968! The material here is of a uniformly high standard; kicking off with 'Butterfly', a sprightly piano-dominated number and the most obviously Move-like track on the album.
Great lyrics too, describing a woman who, like the title, is graceful, delicate and tantalisingly out of reach. 'April Is Here' follows and may very well be my personal favorite; Rick's yearning vocal floats over a Hammond organ that manages to be both funky and subtle. 'Misty Morning' shows the same fine eye for detail that marked the Kinks circa Village Green, cataloguing the mundane details of a day in the life. 'Daisy Farm Park' and the title track both espouse escape whether it be from the hustle and hassle of the overcrowded big city, or the frustration and pain that comes from everyday living. Closing out the side, 'Who Am I' features the most beautiful, sensitive arrangement on the album; the questioning lyrics given added poignancy and depth via some subtle wah-wah, soft acoustic strumming and gently flowing organ.
Side 2 loses momentum as the material does not measure up to the overall excellence of the first side, and the arrangements are considerably less inspired, ranging from overblown to hilariously inappropriate; only the opening and closing tracks emerge relatively unscathed. Jimmie "Honeycomb" Rodgers' 'It's Over' benefits from an understated reading that puts across the lyric's sadness effectively; strings add just enough without degenerating into syrup. Tim Hardin's oft-covered 'Reason To Believe' is the most blatant misfire here; the heartbroken, and heartbreaking, sentiments are set against a bizarrely jaunty backdrop that leaves the listener scratching his head. 'The Singer Sang His Songs' succumbs to overblown schmaltz early on, offering proof, if any were needed, that covering Neil Diamond songs is generally not a good idea. 'Love Her' is a brave choice but, considering that Scott Walker owns this song, any competing version can't help but pale in comparison. 'Please, No More Sad Songs' adds nothing to the Idle Race original but, if viewed more charitably as a tribute to a former band mate and fellow songwriter, is acceptable enough. 'And Now', the closing track and only original on this side, is a close cousin to 'It's Over', lyrically speaking; for once someone had the good sense to push the orchestra in the back of the mix. Despite my general lack of enthusiasm for this side, I will say in its defense that it is not unlistenable, just unnecessary, especially when set against the top side.
It is too bad that, rather than mark the beginning of a promising solo career, this album put paid to it instead; Rick Price was talented enough as a singer and a writer, to continue making interesting records equal to what Wizzard and ELO were doing not long after.
Payment by paypal prefered, buy a lot and save on shipping !
Rates (priority shipping):
Europe:
1 LP: $12.50 / 8.50 euros / £7.70
2-3 LPs: $20.00 / 14.30 euros / £12.40
4-5 LPs: $30.00 / 21.80 euros / £18.90
Rest of the world:
1 LP: $18.00 / 12.95 euros / £11.20
2-3 LPs: $31.00 / 22.45 euros / £ 19.50
4-5 LPs: $42.30 / 30.50 euros / £26.54
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