Fleur De Lys 'CIRCLES' Rare UK MOD/PSYCH 45 M ORIGINAL

	£		510
	$		676

 THE FLEUR DE LYS

'CIRCLES'
B/W
'SO COME ON'

on the incredibly rare ORIGINAL UK issue IMMEDIATE RECORDS IM 032 from 1966, and
in super MINT CONDITION
I bought this several years ago, it has stamped Matrix nos. and is not a reproduction of any kind - 100% British 1960's original release.

Here's the story behind this recording (by me, not cut and pasted);-
Le Fleur De Lys in their early incarnation, got off to a good start with this cool mod and psychedelic-tinged version of a song Pete Townshend wrote for The WHO a year earlier. The associations reach back even further - to the first encounter in a recording studio when The WHO were cutting their very first single "I Can't Explain" and wanted the same chops, attack and attitude The Kinks had on "You Really Got Me". Shel Talmy brought in Jimmy Page and explained to poor Pete that he was the right fellow to get the timing and chords down first time of asking! Pete was mortified, and it was the beginning of a sour relationship with Talmy for him.
Consequently, when their first LP was cut with this track 'Circles' in the can, Townshend wanted to take it with him to use again when they changed lable and production! Controversy raged into court over it and The WHO had to desist from keeping it on the back of 'Substitute'. Thinking Talmy wouldn't notice, they changed the title of the song to 'Instant Party', but that didn't work either, and Talmy issued THAT title pointedly on the flip to 'Legal Matter' still on Brunswick Records!
Talmy took on The CREATION as a 'substitute' for The WHO, making similar styled mod-beat, on his own 'Planet Records' lable, to limited success.
Maybe 'Little Jim' Page had worked on the first WHO recording of 'Circles'. This reworking on an already-great tune however, was really ramped and vamped up!
The bare-bones tenacity and ragged-edge enthusiasm in this version REALLY made 'Circles' sound like an 'instant party' - and this record LEAPS from the grooves even 40+ years on.
Entwining helter-skelter guitar, snakey fingering and tripping around the choppy chord-work and tight drums, this version souped-up and hot-rodded the song, and the smoother, youthful singing of The Fleur De Lys gave a new and exciting flair to the piece.
(It was the bands' second single, and both feature Jimmy Page)
Another WHO connection here incidentally was the production work of Glyn Johns, who also worked with The WHO on many records.
They were also on a cool lable here too, with Andrew Loog Oldham's new IMMEDIATE RECORD CO. LTD a project offshoot from his managing The Rolling Stones. It seems his talented young 'house guitar session-man' Page, was also a coup. Around this time he'd been asked to replace Eric Clapton in The YARDBIRDS, but his session commitments meant he had to turn that down for the time being (he passed on the name Jeff Beck to the blueswailers, much to their ultimate delight!).
In exercising his chops in the studio, Page certainly was prolific and unrestrained. Some of his playing even then, was outstanding and had musicians in awe!
Page became in high demand, appearing on a lot of top new beat and R'n B singles for a variety of groups.
Briefly a member of 'The Mickey Finn' but not keen on the touring, lugging and plugging involved, Page finally did join up with Beck and The Yardbirds, before founding his own band out of their ashes; LED ZEPPELIN.

The vinyl is MINT condition, an ASTOUNDING copy that's in lovely clear clean AS NEW shape. No kidding or overstating here - it is AS BEAUTIFUL A COPY AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY FIND, and I doubt there is even another one of this rare single in existence in this shape!!
The very-light lilac Lables are SPOTLESS, also AS NEW!
!I ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE YOU CAN NOT EVER FIND A BETTER COPY!

(yes I noticed the recent copy of this that was of a lower grade, but how many have you ever seen in years of eBay auctions?)

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Winner please add post/packing £2.50 UK, £3.50 EU, £5 Worldwide.
NOTE; INSURANCE IS COMPULSORY ON THIS RECORD.
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Please note - in another auction I had a 'bidder' make an outrageous bid and retract it, just to find out the reserve. This is rude, and only lead me to block that bidder from ever bidding again on that, or any other of my auctions.