THEM Now and Them ORIG RARE '67 sitar garage psych HEAR

$

173

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Them "NOW AND THEM"

Original 1967 LP on the Tower label, MONO T5104

Cover:  VG++

Vinyl:  Plays solid VG++ to EXCELLENT, a few scattered pops

The post-Van Morrison Them gets off a psychedelic tour de force on their first Vanless album, “Now and Them”, released in late 1967 on the Tower label.  Makes you think that ole Van might’ve been holding ‘em back a little, and all they needed was a couple of tabs of acid and a little breathing room, and look what the back-up band can do!  Astral Weeks?  Who needs it, when you’ve got your own 10-minute mindblower called “Square Room”, which glides and pulsates along on a mystical Indian snake dance rhythm, wafting high above the marketplace on a bed of cosmic sitar and mantra-like backing vocals.  This is positively trance-inducing stuff, all sitar and flute and hazy paisley patterns, and lyrics like “Square room…just one table,” the extended 12” dance mix of George’s “Within You Without You.”  I bet if Van were still in the band, he NEVER would’ve allowed them to do that, much less follow up their 10-minute inner space jam with a positively PERFECT pop concoction like “You’re Just What I Was,” a would-be single that should’ve challenged “Brown Eyed Girl” for the top slot in 1967.  With its jangly Byrds-like guitar figures, catchy summertime pop melody and playful organ, it’s an acid-spiked answer to the Monkees “I’m a Believer.”  And when the lyrics go “We could drift away together”, the song DOES, floating off into the clouds as if it momentarily lost its hold on reality.  On the other hand, the blistering garage punk scorcher “Walking in the Queen’s Garden” has both feet planted firmly on the ground, and sounds like the more logical extension to the band’s mid-60’s garage nuggets “Gloria” and “Here Comes the Night.”  This is a relentless, rumbling speed demon of 60’s punk, breathing Mars Bonfire squeals of electric guitar while the pumping organ churns the beast’s innards, racing across the Irish countryside to burn down Van’s castle once and for all.  This is “Magic Carpet Ride” as performed by the Music Machine.  I have no idea if Lewis Carroll was an inspiration, but the chorus goes something like “And now you got the point, I don’t do another joint”, which has to be the most obvious lie in the history of rock music lyrics.  Sure, sure, Van the Man would rebound in 1968 and release “Astral Weeks”, single-handedly jumpstarting the whole “Top 100 Albums Of All Time that No One Ever Listens To” phenomenon (“Trout Mask Replica”, anyone?).  But 1967 is THEM’s year, hands down.  And “Now and Them” is a certifiable psychedelic masterpiece that fans SHOULD listen to.  And you won’t find any of THESE songs featured in “Bridget Jones’ Diary.” 

 TO HEAR SOUNDCLIPS FROM THIS ALBUM, PLEASE VISIT MY HOMEPAGE AT WWW.KATHLEENTURNEROVERDRIVE.WIKISPACES.COM - YOU CAN ALSO HEAR SOUND CLIPS FROM ALL THE ALBUMS I HAVE UP FOR AUCTION ON THIS PAGE TOO.

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $5.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  I accept payments through Paypal, or you can send checks and money orders made out in US dollars.  Items paid by check are held 14 days for the check to clear.

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.