BATS Stop Exchange 1969 S AFRICA GARAGE PSYCH 45 LISTEN

$

40

THE BATS "Who's That Girl" b/w "Stop Exchange"

Original 1969 45 on the South African CBS label

In original CBS sleeve

Vinyl:  Plays VG+

South Africa’s Bats were one of those up-and-down kinda bands.  Some of their stuff was great unhinged crude garage beat.  Other times they catered to the Capetown housewives with simpy love ballads.  Perhaps no better single then encompasses their sound than this one.  From 1969, the brilliant shrieking garage punk dementia of “Stop Exchange” bursts out of the gate with a frightening scream and a dizzying organ, and then races on a full-speed-ahead punk rhythm for 2 and a half minutes of thrash and burn fury.  It’s a beast of a single, an unrelenting train wreck of punk abandon that you could put up alongside any of your favorite multi-figure monsters from the Pebbles and Back To The Grave set.  But, amazingly enough, it gets the B-side slot in favor of the light-as-air faux reggae pop confection “Who’s That Girl,” no relation to the Madonna song although in this case it wouldn’t really matter.  Even more amazingly enough, it rocketed to #7 on the charts and became South Africa’s Song Of The Year (I guess the ones at Numbers 1 through 6 didn’t have as much lasting appeal).  It’s fine enough melodic pop, floating along on a bed of strumming acoustic guitar and fluttery flute like your Mom’s favorite Moody Blues song.  But it can’t hold a candle to the unhinged majesty of “Stop Exchange,” which sounds like the work of a completely different band.  Talk about your mood swings.

 HEAR IT!

UPDATE: SORRY, I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).

(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.