FIREBIRDS Light My Fire MONSTER '69 fuzz psych LP HEAR

$

70

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Firebirds "LIGHT MY FIRE"

Original 1969 pressing on the CROWN label, STEREO CST 589

Cover:  Worn, top and bottom seams split, ringwear, images fairly solid.

Vinyl:  Light scuffs, plays REMARKABLY WELL - EXCELLENT!

MEGA RARE original 1969 album by the Firebirds, “Light My Fire” on the Crown label.  So what IS it about these low-budget F.W. Woolworths 44 cents record bin exploito albums that makes them now seem so gleefully over the top and entertaining, 35 years after the fact?  Is it because the musicians responsible KNEW they were going to be anonymous, so it gave them the freedom to just go into the studio and go NUTS?  I mean, this thing’s got more FUZZ on it than the first SHIPMENT of Blue Cheer albums.  And if I were the guy responsible for laying down these Roseanne Barr-thick layers of demon fuzz, I’d sure as heck want SOMEONE to know I’m the guitarist. 

The Firebirds, of course, never made another album – probably due to the fact that they never existed – but man, the one album they left behind is perhaps the single greatest legacy the fuzz guitar ever left behind.  Does Thurston Moore have this album in his collection, ‘cuz I swear this sounds like Sonic Youth’s pot-smoking dad in places.  I love how “Reflections” crashes in on a maelstrom of fuzz feedback – barging in like the opening of the Stones “Child of the Moon” – then turns quickly into the evil black magic ju ju version of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile”, all vicous dark fuzz licks screaming from speaker to speaker.  There ARE lyrics here, but I can’t understand ‘em, much less HEAR ‘em over the roller coaster fuzz guitar and thrashing Keith Moon avalanche of drums. 

The Hendrix influence is even more obvious on “Gypsy Fire”, where a funky blues riff tries to create some sense of structure behind a fuzz guitarist who’s now gone completely insane.  He’s pressed the fuzz pedal down so far, it’s now slightly underground, and his playing is so unhinged and freeform, he may not even be playing musical notes anymore.  And he never stops ONCE – just lays down a steady and THICK layer of electric noise for 3 solid minutes.  The drummer, on the other hand, stops midway, and when he does you can feel the floor drop out from under you.  And for a few seconds, you think the guitarist is going to launch into the Hendrix version of “The Star Spangled Banner”, but he doesn’t (maybe that would be TOO obvious a move?).

 The crazed “No Tomorrow” starts out like Sonic Youth on acid with a blast of freeform fuzz guitar skronk.  Then it suddenly shifts into fifth gear, riding an INSANE 300mph chuggin’ proto-speed metal fuzz guitar riff that pummels at your eardrums like an evil Fran Dresher laughing while operating a jackhammer.  I mean, with a sound this loud and fast, the Firebirds live could’ve held their own with the likes of Blue Cheer and the MC5, at least for a few minutes.  But yet, for some reason, they chose to remain anonymous, and never took credit for the masterpiece of noise they created.  Which is doubly confusing when you consider that Limp Bizkit readily take full credit for theirs. 

But the Firebirds, they were cool enough to remain a mystery, to this day in fact, happy enough just thinking about all the young minds they must’ve destroyed when kids took “Light My Fire” home from the bargain bins at Woolworths and played It for the first time on their dad’s Magnavox hifi system.  Which makes this the coolest album in the world.  Original 1969 pressing on the Crown label. 

 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.