SALT Lucifer 1968 RARE SATANIC GARAGE PSYCH 45 LISTEN

$

106

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

SALT "Lucifer" b/w "A Whole Lot Of Rainbows"

Original 1968 pr0m0 45 on the COTILLION label

Vinyl:  Plays VG++

If you thought Satan was effeminate in “The Passion of the Christ” (he was, actually, played by an actress), well, I found an even prissier Lucifer.  And if you thought Harvey Keitel’s take on Satan was effeminate in “Little Nicky,” well, you would appear to be the only person who actually got that far in the film.  But both of those Grand Dames of Damnation have nothing on this Lucifer – from 1968, this is the psych pop band SALT.  So settle back as they sprinkle you with pure, unadulterated EVIL!

Or not.  Actually, Salt’s “Lucifer” is the most emasculated, effeminate Jake Gyllenhaal-ish take on Beezelbub I’ve ever heard.  Strike one – it’s set to a bouncy, semi-inebriated bubblegum pop beat.  Strike two – the lead singer’s got that same androgynous whiny twang that Joey Levine had, and Lord knows how many times I’ve had to hear that voice in all of its 1,348 different incarnations.  So when Salt’s Lucifer chuckles with maniacal glee, it sounds less like the King of the Underworld and more like one of the designers on Project Runway telling a funny joke.

“Lucifer’s gonna take you down, nah ha ha ha!

Lives in a very strange part of town, found underground.

Lucifer sports a devilish grin, nah ha ha ha!

His mind is trying to sell you sin, he’ll suck you in…”

Perhaps the most evil thing about this Lucifer is the thought that he may in fact want to “take you down” and “suck you in,” especially when he sounds like a slightly inebriated Charles Nelson Reilly.  But by the end of the song, this jet-black little bubblegum pop gobstopper is swinging like the Beatles-infatuated confection it secretly is, fading away on an extended “Hey Jude” singalong coda while a Sergeant Pepper horn section weaves in and out like Britney Spears’ Mercedes on the way to rehab.  Which still doesn’t explain the sudden appearance of a cute little five-year-old girl in blonde pigtails who pops in briefly to state the obvious:

“Temptation is strong,

Its color is red.

Resistance is right,

Its color is white!”

Listen, girl, Resistance needs to learn that red is so in right now.  Hello?  And besides, this Lucifer wears Armani.  That’s hot.  Literally.

Okay, maybe I’m a little too skeptical in thinking that the Ruler of Hades, the Master of Puppets, the Supreme Lord of All Things Evil and Icky, could in fact sound like Tim Gunn with a stuffy nose.  After all, Rhino chose Salt’s “Lucifer” to appear on its great Hallucinations comp, alongside such masculine, testosterone-fueled company as the Music Machine, the Electric Prunes and Kim Fowley (okay, bad example).  And it really is a super catchy, deliriously happy bubblegum pop song.  But it’s about SATAN, forgodsake!  I mean, when Jerry Goldsmith was working on the soundtrack to The Omen, did he call out “Gimme a C, a bouncy C?”

On the other hand, the flipside, “A Whole Lot of Rainbows,” does start out with a little devilish mischief, opening up with a sinister barrage of evil fuzz guitar.  It pulls back after that, alternating between jazzy swing tempos like the Monkees “Randy Scouse Git” and exquisite harmony vocal breaks, like anything the late 60’s Beach Boys recorded.  Everything’s bathed in echo, and there are some rather intricate, unexpected tempo changes throughout.  It was also used as the title track on Rhino’s A Whole Lot of Rainbows soft pop compilation, so once again, at least in the Rhino camp, this Salt is spilling all over the place.  In fact, you could say this 1969 single is a very in-demand, very hot, and very hip kinda single.  And the best recorded proof we have that the Devil may, in fact, really wear Prada.

Plays VG++.

 HEAR IT!

(THE LESS EXCITING STUFF...)

First class shipping is $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Delivery confirmation included in the shipping costs.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $6 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $8 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  

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.