FORTUNE TELLER Inner City Scream '78 GARAGE PSYCH HEAR

$

26

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

FORTUNE TELLER "Inner City Scream"

2009 REISSUE LP on the ANAZITSI label, originally recorded in 1978 (or was that 1968?)

Cover:  MINT

Vinyl:  MINT

Comes with inner foldout liner notes

I can hear where the confusion comes in concerning Baltimore's Fortune Teller.  The liner notes tell you this was recorded in 1978, yet the lyrics and the back cover have "Copyright 1968" plastered all over.  It certainly sounds more like 1968, and it's hard to believe even a blue collar low income city like Baltimore would have recording studios this primitive in the age of disco and progressive rock (no offense, Baltimore, I love your inner harbor and aquarium).  Whatever the actual recording date, it all comes down to what you hear when you put your needle on the vinyl, and Inner City Scream sounds like it crawled out of the harbor around 1966, a murky lo-fi backwoods Smog Monster of garage rock that clearly has pop aspirations but neither the studio budget nor the major label to get there.  Which is fine for Pebbles and Back To The Grave fans like us - stuff like "Looking Glass World" is pure garage punk psychedelia at its finest, opening with a classic menacing fuzz guitar riff and the line "There once was a girl named Alice in a looking-glass world..."  It's Lewis Carroll if he'd been born a forklift driver in Timonium.  And who can resist a song like the title track, a clumsily-crude lo-fi blend of fuzz psych and ghetto soul that climaxes with the refrain "Get high!  Get high!"  And extra points for "Stay For Awhile," which completely rips off the opening guitar melody from "Stairway To Heaven." Which is awesome 'cuz Jimmy Page completely ripped it off from Spirit, so props to these Baltimore teens for stealing it back!  But in the long run, for me, there isn't an argument whether or not this garage punk nugget came from 1978 or 1968.  It's why this didn't come out in 1966, where it so obviously belongs.  Or maybe it did.  I never believe anyone from Baltimore.

 HEAR IT!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS REQUIRE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, WHICH IS AN EXTRA 75 CENTS.  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.  ALL FOREIGN ORDERS REQUIRE CERTIFICATE OF SHIPMENT, WHICH IS AN EXTRA $1.10.  I accept payments through Paypal. 

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.   I DO NOW REQUIRE THAT ALL FOREIGN BUYERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1.10 FOR PROOF OF SHIPMENT.  IT'S A NOMINAL FEE AND THE CHEAPEST WAY FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I ACTUALLY SHIPPED YOUR PACKAGE AND DIDN'T JUST POCKET YOUR MONEY AND SKIP TOWN.  For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  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.