FU MANCHU - CALIFORNIA CROSSING RARE 2002 MAMMOTH LP CLEAN COPY WITH INSERT

$

50

WELCOME TO BAD KITTY MUSIC!

TITLE: Fu Manchu - California Crossing

FORMAT: LP

PRESSING: Stereo pressing with grey Mammoth labels

CATALOG NUMBER/ LABEL : Mammoth ED-11448-1 

REVIEW: Southern California's Fu Manchu began crafting heavy, psychedelic-tinged rock in 1990 with their debut single, "Kept Between Trees." Throughout the early '90s the group honed their sound on similarly intense singles, and released their debut album, No One Rides for Free, in 1994 on Bong Load Records. Daredevil, also on Bong Load, followed in 1995. The group switched to Mammoth Records for their 1996 album In Search Of...; the next year, founding members Scott Hill (vocals, guitars) and Brad Davis (bass, vocals) added lead guitarist Bob Balch and former Kyuss drummer Brant Bjork to their lineup, and they released their second album for Mammoth, The Action Is Go. During this time the group gained a reputation as a powerful live act, supporting like-minded groups like the Melvins, Kyuss, White Zombie, Monster Magnet, and Clutch in the States, and Corrosion of Conformity, the Hellacopters, and Marilyn Manson in Europe. 1998 saw the release of Return to Earth, which collected their early singles, and the Eatin' Dust EP, which was released by Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin label. Fu Manchu released their fifth full-length album, King of the Road, in early 2000, following it up with a lengthy tour of the United States. They took time off to work on new material, emerging in the spring of 2001 with California Crossing.

Anytime a band tinkers with its core sound, inevitably fans will be won and lost. California Crossing has a strong up side; Fu Manchu's distinctive fuzzy guitar sound has been refined into polished nuggets served fresh from the land of palm trees and endless summers. Its still hard rock, but this is a smoother machine that eases off the gas to feature breezing So-Cal hooks on "Thinkin' Out Loud," "Wiz Kid," "Mongoose," "Squash That Fly," and "Hang On." Wisely conjuring '70s pop sensibilities more closely resembling Cheap Trick than oft-compared Sabbath might realistically break Fu Manchu into radio markets and attract larger audiences without mosh-pits. However, there is a down side that may lose the interest of diehards still hell-bent on 1996's sludgy classic In Search Of or expecting King of the Road II. Scott Hill's reluctant vocals are usually nestled in amplified feedback and heavy drumming, but on this outing they are lifted to the surface exposing moments of range limitations with occasionally vague lyrics. Also, Brant Bjork's drums sound muted in the overall mix; only on "Ampn" and the juicy ending instrumental "The Wastoid" does he really gallop. Amicably leaving the Chu after this recording to pursue solo endeavors, Bjork was replaced by Scott Reeder (of Orange County's Smile) who's technical drumming suits CC's sound better. Lastly, Mammoth's delays and promotional copy proliferation several months prior to the official release hardly fueled precious momentum. Despite waves of bad timing for this album, these songs nevertheless strengthen Fu Manchu's status as a premier live band while showing future promise as musicians.-Allmusic.com

RARE U.S. STEREO PRESSING WITH GREY MAMMOTH LABELS AND ORIGINAL INSERT. VINYL IN SUPERIOR SHAPE.

CONDITION: (we visually grade albums according to Goldmine Standards, BUT questionable vinyl marks are also play-graded) 

                        VINYL: Very Good Plus

                        JACKET: Very Good Plus

                        SLEEVE: plain paper

                        INSERT / EXTRAS : 2-sided photo/lyric insert

AS WITH ALL USED VINYL LPS, A THOROUGH CLEANING SHOULD BE PERFORMED BEFORE PLAYING, FOR OPTIMUM SOUND QUALITY.

Please click on "View Seller's Other Items" to see the other fine recordings we are offering this week!

WE ALWAYS COMBINE SHIPPING COSTS ON MULTIPLE LP SHIPMENTS . FEEL FREE TO ASK FOR QUOTES ON MULTIPLE LP SHIPMENTS AT ANY TIME. THIS APPLIES TO BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ORDERS. DO NOT TRUST THE EBAY SHIPPING CALCULATOR, AS IT OFTEN PROVIDES INACCURATE SHIPPING CHARGES. PLEASE WAIT FOR A COMBINED SHIPPING INVOICE FROM US BEFORE MAKING PAYMENT. COMBINED SHIPMENT DISCOUNT DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

DOMESTIC (MEDIA MAIL) AND INTERNATIONAL (FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL) COMBINED SHIPMENTS

ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS NOW INCLUDE FREE USPS MEDIA MAIL SHIPPING! (OTHER SERVICE LEVELS ALSO AVAILABLE.)

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE TAKE NOTE: WITH FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING, THERE IS NO USABLE TRACKING NUMBER AND NO INSURANCE AVAILABLE. WHILE IT IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL METHOD, IT IS ALSO THE SLOWEST AND LEAST TRACKABLE. IF SPEED AND TRACKING ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU, WE RECOMMEND USING PRIORITY MAIL.

DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL (PRIORITY MAIL) COMBINED SHIPMENTS

ADDITIONAL LPS SHIP FOR $2 EACH TO U.S. ADDRESSES ($2 PER SINGLE OR GATEFOLD LP, 2LP SETS COUNT AS 2).

ADDITIONAL LPS SHIP FOR  $4 EACH TO CANADA/MEXICO ADDRESSES ($4 PER SINGLE OR  GATEFOLD LP, 2LP SETS COUNT AS 2).

ADDITIONAL LPS SHIP FOR FOR $4 EACH TO EUROPE/ASIA/REST OF WORLD ($4 PER SINGLE OR  GATEFOLD LP, 2LP SETS COUNT AS 2).

PACKAGING: All our LPs are shipped in brand new U-Line custom LP mailer boxes, which hold up to 5 LPs. Larger orders are also over-boxed (double boxed) for added security. The LPs are wrapped in 2 to 5 square feet of 3/16" bubble wrap and the boxes are taped TIGHTLY. LPs can be shipped outside jackets (to prevent seam splitting) if requested. We have been shipping LPs worldwide for years, and have the feedback to prove that we ship them properly. We also ship all domestic shipments with Delivery Confirmation for peace of mind for all involved. Tracking Numbers are uploaded to Ebay immediately following shipment.

WE HAVE AN UNCONDITIONAL RETURNS POLICY. If you are not satisfied for any reason, please contact us and we will issue you a full refund (not including return shipping) on receipt of the returned item. 

Thanks for looking!