TARANTULA s/t 1969 great FREAKY TRIPPY PSYCH LP Zappa meets King Crimson LISTEN

$

56

TARANTULA "TARANTULA" LP

ORIGINAL 1969 LP ON THE US A&M LABEL, STEREO SP 4202

COVER IN VG++ SHAPE, small sticker on front

VINYL plays VG++

If I told you there was this completely wacked-out psych band in the late 60's, steeped in the freakiness of early Mothers of Invention and the darkness of the Doors while predating the free-for-all progressive jazz vibes of vintage King Crimson, you'd be interested, right?  And then if I told you that the band wasn't above using human belches as percussion (in the standout Zappa-esque nightmare "TV Repairman") or even channeling beautiful UK prog psych like McDonald-Giles (on the shimmering "Billy The Birdman," which even SOUNDS like a McDonald-Giles title!), you'd pull up a chair and start taking notes, right?  Well, what if I then told you this amazing amalgamation of sounds was created by the folks behind Chad & Jeremy, and Spanky & Our Gang?  Hey, wait!  Get back here, I SWEAR it's a true story!  That's exactly what we got here, one of those amazing one-album deals, a band called Tarantula that somehow came together like aligning planets in 1969 by ex-Spanky and Our Gang bassist Oz Bach, who then somehow got Chad Stuart to produce this in-studio freakout, which might not be so far out when you consider he was probably somewhere between CABBAGES & KINGS and THE ARK with ol' buddy Jeremy back at C&J headquarters.  Surely this musta been the ONE chance for all parties involved to truly let their "freak flags fly" relatively anonymously, as if you couldn't tell by the foreboding black auto parts spider on the front cover, and the downright creepy as f*** group shot on the back, in which Mike Edelman looks like a chubby Jimmy Page channeling Crowley's evil stare and Mr. Bach looks like that "I drink your milk shake" dude from THERE WILL BE BLOOD or the musical equivalent of Snidely Whiplash.  Drummer Steve Zwirn looks like a dead ringer for a young Greg Lake, which makes sense when you hear the music inside, especially the Giles-Giles-Fripp whimsy of "Billy The Birdman."  There's also "Peach Fuzz and Peppermints," which really SHOULD be the title of a new prog/psych compilation series, and the late night floaty mind-fryer "Love Is For Peace," with fluttering flute, breathy vocals and droning Doors-y organ, which they TELL me was released as a single but, at 6:37, seems highly unlikely it was destined for chartdom.  Nothing about this album makes it seem like it was made for success - the evilness of the artwork, the freakiness of the music, and the incredibly low key under-the-radar visibility of the big names involved.  Decades later, it's still flying under the same psych head radar, but take my word for it, this is a KILLER album.  It WILL drink your milk shake.

HEAR IT!

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  I accept payments through Paypal. 

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. 

 For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  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.