CIRCUS MAXIMUS - NEVERLAND REVISITED (original Vanguard label)

$

26

Circus Maximus

Neverland Revisited

VG++/EX

US 1968

Vanguard Records - VSD 79274

Ronald Clyde Crosby (guitar, vocals) grew up in New York. He joined a band called The Tones, a doo-wop group, and they traveled to Philadelphia to gain an audition on American Bandstand. Dick Clark turned them down because his program standards weren’t met by the band for a squeaky-clean image for a TV audience. However, he did recommend that they talk with Sol Rabinowitz who owned Baton Records in New York. One single was recorded but the use of Ron Crosby was not required because they only used studio musicians to back the vocal group.

He joined the National Guard but yearned for the free life and went AWOL, under the name of Jerry Faris. Subsequently he was discharged and bopped around the countryside playing for pennies and food, then wound up at The Quorum in New Orleans. This was a notorious inter-racial club, that was always being raided by the police. One of the owners took a liking to Ronald Crosby and he took the stage name of Jerry Jeff Walker.

He went back to New York and played the folk scene in Greenwich Village sharing the stage at The Bitter End with Joni Mitchell. Towards the end of the 60's Rock and Folk were mingling, so he formed a band with Bob Bruno called The Lost Sea Dreamers. The band consisted of Jerry Jeff Walker (rhythm guitar, vocals), Bob Bruno (lead guitar, piano and vocals), Gary White (bass), David Scherstrom (drums) and Peter Troutner (vocals). They only played a few gigs but showed real promise. Several coffee houses and teen clubs in Greenwich Village featured them.

Vanguard Records found the band and signed them to a record deal. The label insisted on a name change for the band because the first letters in their moniker spelled LSD. The drug culture was a real concern in the music industry. They chose the name Circus Maximus based on the ancient Roman chariot racing stadium. Recorded at Vanguard Studios, the first self-titled album included the song "Wind", which was the standout track. It got national attention from all the underground FM radio stations around the country with mesmerizing vocals and piano from Bob and jazz inspired guitar.

Several clubs in Greenwich Village featured the band like The Gaslight Café, The Café Wha?, Gerde’s Folk City, The Bitter End, Trude Heller’s and The Electric Circus.

The band was teamed up with a medieval and renaissance vocal ensemble called New York Pro Musica. Together they became part of a psychedelic experiment called Electric Christmas. The band practiced for a month in rehearsal for the event at the Electric Circus. The show opened at Carnegie Hall with extravagant lights for extra effect. The thought was to mold the olde 14th century music with the new sounds of psychedelia for a multi-sensory perception. It was a good idea, but the classical and the hip long hairs couldn't find a common thread. Only one show occurred with a later project called Electric Easter with New York Pro Musica and The Chambers Brothers in March of the next year. The critics concluded that neither program lived up to all the hype.

A second album, Neverland Revisited, was recorded with more special effects and baroque sounds. Jerry Jeff presented a song called "Mr. Bojangles" for a last-minute inclusion for the LP, but it was rejected because the album was finished and ready for production.

The band broke up shortly after its release. Jerry recorded his own country-folk album that included the song and “Mr. Bojangles” became his bankroll as he went onto fame and fortune as a country star in Texas.

Musically both albums have jangling guitars like the Byrds, swirling organ passages, slight special effects, echoes and nice harmonies.

This was their second LP. An original Vanguard label issue.

Cover is opened but still in shrink with a cut corner lower left. Record looks and plays very clean with NO visible marks and NO unusual noises or ticks. Proper Vanguard logo inner sleeve.

Long time buyer from E-bay and other record websites since the 90's.

Please bear with me. I'm selling off my entire record collection (about 40,000 LPs) listing them one at a time.

A long and arduous task. Lots of gems and rare stuff.

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GRADING DETAILS - SHIPPING DETAILS - RETURNS - FEEDBACK - ETC.

Auctions are listed for 7 days.  

ITEMS PULLED FROM THE AUCTION LIST - Keep in mind that if I continue to relist auction items that have been sitting for weeks with NO ACTION and several watchers with NO BIDS, I may pull the record and sell it to my local buyer. This can occur before the auction ends. LPs will typically be discounted before this happens. So, please bid if you are at all interested. Bids can always be retracted for no reason.

All records are Graded to the best of my ability and are rated VINYL FIRST / THEN COVER. For Double LPs Vinyl / Vinyl / Cover. 

GRADING DETAILS – Everything I list will be at least VG+ or better, both visually and audibly, unless I state otherwise. 95% of what is offered and up for bid is very clean with maybe 1 or 2 minor flaws. If it’s very rare, it may be offered with obvious visual marks, scratches, warps and might make some low-level noise. But this would be a rare instance. I’ll describe any flaws as best I can. I ASK THAT YOU READ THE FULL DETAILS AS DESCRIBED BY ME ABOUT THE LOOKS AND SOUND OF THE RECORD. Don’t base everything on a simple grading rate M, EX, VG++, etc. I’m not that good at it.

AUDIBLE GRADING – All vinyl records are played before they are listed. Some records look bad and play good. Others look perfect but play badly. Any visual flaws that I see will be described and I will let you know if they make an audible noise. 95% of the records up for bid are very clean sounding. You may hear a minor tick or click as its spinning but typically light hairline scratches and sleeve marks Do Not Affect Play (DNAP) and should not detract from your overall listening pleasure.

VISUAL GRADING - PLEASE READ THIS!!!

COVERS - I'm a 75-year-old guy with Strabismus (an eye disorder). I try to visually describe every flaw that I can see, but sometimes I miss a small tear or a tiny seam split.

SHELF WEAR generally means that the cellophane was removed when the LP was new and it sat on a shelf or in a box without a plastic sleeve, before they were available, for several years, so there can be some rub blemishes, sticker residue if it was purchased used, tiny tears, slight seam splits and other defects.

EDGE WEAR usually means the picture wrap around the edge has been worn, sometimes into the cardboard itself. This usually happens on the top or bottom edge.

CORNER WEAR is the same as edge wear but sometimes there will be a dent or ding at the corner. All 4 sides are suspect for this occurrence.

RING WEAR occurs when a record was not stored in a protective sleeve for a very long time. Back in the day, plastic sleeves were not easily available. Most of us as teenagers, ripped off the cellophane and didn’t consider how the record cover was being stored. Most of the record covers laid on the floor or were stored in the closet or on a shelf for easy access. If they sat for a long time, earth movement, that nobody feels, causes vibration and the record sleeves would rub together and wear on the cover picture or illustration causing the ring wear and other flaws.

THE VINYL RECORD ITSELF - I will try to visually grade both sides of the vinyl record. There might be some sleeve rubs or marks on some of these. All of my records were played more than once, unless they are sealed. If I mention ticks and or clicks in the description, that means that you can visually see and sometimes hear the imperfection. Most of these Do Not Affect the Play (DNAP). I try my best to see any flaws but understand I don’t Inspect these LPs with a High Lumens Tactical Light and a Magnifying Glass. If the visual flaws are obvious or severe, I try and describe these as best as I can. If there are a lot of visual scratches, it won’t be listed. The exception is if the LP is very rare. I will list a rare record that looks bad but plays pretty good without skips.

SPINDLE MARKS can be obvious if a record was popular and played a lot. The record label material and finish will determine if marks are visible. Most of the big labels don't have this problem because the finish is unusually pretty solid and durable. It's the small and private labels or a matted finish where most spindle marks will be noticed. I don't mention these for any of my listings but if that is a concern to you, ask me before you make a bid.

INNER SLEEVES - Most of the inner sleeves are simple paper sleeves and have slight splits, bends and tears on older LPs. If they’re really bad or split in half, I replace them with a newer paper or plastic sleeve. GENERIC means a blank paper sleeve.

WARPED RECORDS normally occur when they are stored near high heat. I will never send a warped record unless it is very slight and doesn't affect play. If you live somewhere in the world that has high temperatures that could affect package delivery. Insurance is a must to guarantee no loss on the item you bought. You are responsible for this request and there is an additional charge for insurance. Let me know. There is NO REFUND for a record that was sent not warped when packed but was delivered as warped and unplayable. I cannot put records on ice for delivery to high heat areas of the world. Buy package insurance so there won't be any $$$ loss in case this happens.

HIGH END RECORDS - There will be a few more pictures for any records that are high end items. I will give a more critical inspection and description of both cover and vinyl. Ask for more pictures if you need them and I can send them to you.

PACKAGING - LPs will be packaged in the proper corrugated cardboard box, we all know about, with extra cardboard pads. Each LP will have a clear plastic sleeve. The record itself will be removed and shipped within the inner sleeve, outside the cover or inside the fold of a gatefold cover all within a plastic outer sleeve to prevent any seam splits. All of the boxes I package records in are new and there are typically no problems. I can also ship in a Whiplash Box which protects the edges and corners. But I will only do this if you request it. 

SEALED RECORDS - The vinyl record will NOT be removed from a sealed LP purchase for shipping. I would advise you to add additional insurance for all sealed LPs that are being shipped to high heat areas due to possible heat warping. No obligation, but it safeguards against some potential problems.

PAYMENT - Payment is good only through E-Bay options, either PayPal or Credit Card, and is due within 7 days unless you let me know. I will send you at least three invoices with reminders to pay during the 7-day period. If payment has NOT been received within that 7-day payment period and you have NOT contacted me, the order will be canceled and the record will be offered to the second place bidder or will be relisted. First time buyers who don't pay within the proper time period will be added to my BOZO list.

I WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE, BUT INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE PACKAGE. DO NOT MAKE A PAYMENT UNTIL I SEND YOU AN INVOICE.

INVOICES - E-Bay will always send you an invoice for each item ordered. If you ordered one item, there is no problem. Go ahead and make the payment. But, they DO NOT combine the shipping cost for multiple purchase orders. So, when they invoice you, the minimum shipping cost will multiply times that of however many items you won. Example: 5 items won will appear as 5 times the minimum postage rate. DO NOT PAY the separate E-Bay invoices you receive for multiple orders. Only I can discount the postage rate for two or more items ordered. So, wait for me to invoice you if you've won two or more items. I package them all together and send you an invoice with discounted postage costs.

PAYMENT EXTENTION - If you have won an auction and see another item that ends beyond the 7-day maximum payment period, let me know and I will hold your item until that bid period ends. This would be a special circumstance that would not typically extend beyond 10 days. I will invoice you for the full amount and expect payment at that point.

POSTAGE COST - Typically, the minimum cost for USPS Media mail in the USA would be 1-2 LPs $5.50 USD. Canada 1-2 LPs around $24.00 USD. Europe, Japan and other countries around the world, $33.00 USD for 1-2 LPs. Countries in Europe also add an additional Customs Charge affective July 1st 2026 on top of the exorbitant postage fee. Additional LPs as per total weight. I will send an invoice with the total postage cost. Everything is shipped via USPS. I don't use the E-Bay International shipping. 

TRACKING - Each package will be assigned a USPS tracking number. Tracking for International shipping only covers destinations within the USA and only gives Dates of Arrival for all countries outside of the USA. Customs delays can and do occur. Your package may have arrived in your country and/or city, but it is probably sitting at your customs depot. (Sometimes for weeks) It would be up to you to call them and provide the tracking number for details about your package.

POSTAGE DISCOUNT - I combine the shipping for multiple record purchases but will only send a maximum of 10-12 records per package. Additional postage will be determined by the total weight of the package. An invoice will be sent to you by me.

ADDITIONAL COSTS - Priority Mail, Insurance, etc. is available at additional costs. Let me know and I will send an invoice.

REFUNDS - I will Refund for any item purchased and received that was not fully as described. Grading is difficult and is the usual cause of concern. We're talking used and 30-60 years old. THERE ARE NO PERFECT RECORDS. Even sealed records can have visual and audible flaws, ticks, clicks, skips and heat warps. IF YOU OPEN A SEALED RECORD AND IT IS WARPED SO BADLY THAT IT DOESN'T PLAY, that usually means it was stored near or shipped in high heat. I have no way of knowing. All sealed records should be insured, just in case that happens. But with regard to a warped record that was sealed and is unplayable, contact me anyway, I will make it right. Any other flaws found on a sealed record that was opened by you, deems the LP non-refundable. If there is a concern, please contact me. We can always work things out.

DAMAGES DURING DELIVERY CAUSED BY THE POSTAL SERVICE - Any damages that are caused due to unfortunate circumstances during the delivery process, broken records, scrapes, heavy package dents caused by something heavy set on the box, warpage caused by excessive heat during delivery, etc. should be handled through E-Bay. They guarantee that packages arrive in the condition as described. If there are obvious damages to the package and the record is unplayable, email me with pictures of the record and the package as delivered and let me know. I mark all packages with "Fragile. Do Not Bend" notices marked in RED, so they should be careful. But $&#t happens. I will not be responsible for damages that were not incurred by me. But E-Bay can refund the transaction with proof. Pictures speak a thousand words.

Please message me through E-Bay to discuss any problems or concerns. ANY OBVIOUS MISTAKES I MADE IN THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ITEM PURCHASED WILL BE HONORED AND PARTIALLY OR FULLY REFUNDED. But email me through E-Bay to discuss the situation first. I'm always happy to work things out. Every customer is cherished.

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