1968 AMBOY DUKES JOURNEY TO THE CENTER Garage PSYCH

$

46

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1968 first pressing *VINYL*            

               AMBOY DUKES

  Journey To The Center Of The Eye 

...USA - Mainstream Records - 6112 - stereo

Original 1968 first pressing on the collected "Mainstream Records" label, it's from 40 years ago and represents the 2nd Amboy Dukes album...

Long before Ted Nugent made his name as a mighty crossbow hunter, there was this heavy Detroit band in which he was content to play lead guitar, something he does very well and with much less threat to the Midwest's deer population. The Nuge shouldn't try to take all the credit for this band, because the other members such as vocalist John Drake and rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer contributed with great aplomb, the latter writing much of the material on the second side's ambitious suite as well as co-writing the title hit with Nugent. This is some hard-hitting, well-done psychedelic music, recorded with taste by a producer known much more for his work with mainstream jazz artists, Bob Shad. One thing that made the Amboy Dukes special was the amount of power and drive in their playing, something lacking in other psychedelic outfits that take a more airy-fairy approach. The Nuge's guitar sound is recorded as if this was a mainstream jazz album by Harold Land, and it helps.

Ted Nugent named his band after an R & B outfit that had recently disbanded, saying "I thought it was a cool name". He was unaware that 'The Amboy Dukes' was also the title of a book about a 1950's street gang from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Ted has also claimed to be unaware that the lyrics to 'Journey...' had stong allusions to psychedelic drug use, as does the collection of vintage pipes on the album's cover. As a young man Ted probably realized that using acid-tinged imagery would further the chances of success for a psychedelic rock band. For most of his associates however, being in a psychedelic rock band must have implied psychedelic drug use, and this resulted in significant conflicts between the anti-drug Nugent and the remaining Dukes.

The title track, Thee timeless 'Journey..." features one of the finest electric guitar performances of the psychedelic era, matched by some of the finest psychedelic lyrics ever penned, matched by one of the heaviest bridge segments ever committed to vinyl, tape, or digital stock. Other heavies on the Lp include, 'Dr. Slingshot', which features overlapping vocal lines from lead singer John Drake and rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer (who, together with Nugent, penned all the songs on the album), and a great lead guitar riff from Nugent. 'I'll Prove I'm Right', displays Ted attacking his guitar and underlies another strong vocal performance from Drake. The band relies much more on the psychedelic imagery of its lyrics rather than Nugent's axe, a highly questionable choice given the quality of the lyrics (on 'Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange', for instance, we are offered other deep questions such as, "Why are you greener than green?"). The tracks on the second side have claims that they collectively tell "a story", the plot is hard to discern. The final track, 'Conclusion', does reintroduce the 'Journey...' melody, and for a few moments brings back Nugent's sterling guitar lines...

01. Mississippi Murderer
02. Surrender to Your Kings
03. Flight of the Byrd
04. Scottish Tea
05. Dr. Slingshot
06. Journey to the Center of the Mind
07. Ivory Castles
08. Why Is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange
09. Missionary Mary
10. Death Is Life
11. Saint Philips Friend
12. I’ll Prove I’m Right
13. Conclusion

CONDITION: The cover is in great shape considering how old it is - been in safe hands, "EX" (excellent) no problems, stiff and strong, looks to be a great display item... 

The vinyl: is all glossy clean and sharp, VG+++ having only hairline scuffs and they're so small and harmless...GREAT!  

keeper!

     A  GREAT ADDITION  TO ANYONE'S COLLECTIBLES!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record