GOLDEN EARRINGS Miracle Mirror orig 69 toytown psych LP

$

52

RARE original 1969 US pressing of the Golden Earrings most psychedelic album, "Miracle Mirror" on the Capitol label, in stereo.  This one's an all-out masterpiece, the Golden Earrings go for "SF Sorrow" and almost get there.  Look, don't hold the band responsible for "Radar Love" alone - that was a calculated move to get stateside radio airplay - and hey, it worked, didn't it?  And for those of you with more than just that cursory knowledge of this longest-lived of Dutch rock bands, don't hold the band responsible for that awful 20-minute rendition of "8 Miles High" either - that was an uncalculated moment where the dope was talking.  To hear the Earrings at their popsike best, THIS album is the one to hear - a full-fledged popsike MASTERPIECE that's every bit as good as fellow countrymen the Outsiders' much-loved "CQ", nearly as good as the Sandy Coast's "From the Stereo Workshop", and certainly miles better than the Motions' "Impressions of Wonderful", Dutch compatriots and hash lovers all.  Or, in more recognizable terms, it's like the Pretty Things circa "S.F. Sorrow" crossed with the late 60's Bee Gees, with a little Koobas and Rainbow Ffolly thrown in for good measure.  The Pretty Things comparison is most evident in the paranoid psychedelia of opener "The Truth About Arthur" - what the kids used to call a real "mindblower", complete with head-scratching lyrical thoughts like "Every time I try to escape, the little dwarf appears and fades", which is either the result of something not making the Dutch-to-English translation smoothly, or more likely the result of a midday writing session in some Amsterdam "coffee house", if you know what I mean (and I know you do).  Elsewhere, "Circus Will Be in Town in Time" may not be the smoothest title in the world, but it's a big sweeping ballad in the grand Arthur Lee and Love tradition, with a great falsetto vocal hook in the chorus.  And "I've Just Lost Somebody" sounds so much like a Bee Gees ballad, I had to Google it to make sure it wasn't.  A huge and grandiose Fading Yellow baroque ballad with harpsichord, chuggin' Roy Wood and the Move strings, and trippy double and triple-tracked breathy vocals.  Those harmonies are pure Brothers Gibb perfection, as is the melody - only Mama Gibb could tell 'em apart from those of her sons, and even she might be fooled without a discography and a Google search like I did.  And then there's "Mr. Fortune's Wife", a veritable mini-opera with different distinct sections, like the Who's "A Quick One" or, more appropriately, the Koobas "Circus" - including two forays into exotic Eastern bellydance snake charmer themes, some hard-edged Pretty Things acid psych, and even some slide whistle accents.  Even Pete Townshend wasn't brave enough to thrown in a slide whistle.  And that's just SIDE ONE - there are 5 more popsike gems to be found on the flip, if you ever get that far.  In short, if you remember the way you felt the first time you heard "S.F. Sorrow', "A Quick One While He's Away" or even "Ogden's Nutgone Flake", this one has the potential to make you feel the same way again.  And if it doesn't, just roll down the windows and blast "Radar Love" one more time.  Original 1969 US pressing on the Capitol label.  Cover's in VG+ shape with small price sticker on front, "$1" written in ink, and small 1-inch seam split across the top.  Vinyl plays VG+ with scattered pops, still very enjoyable.  Winning bidder pays $4.00 media mail shipping in the US, $8 air mail to Canada, $14 everywhere else.  Paypal, cash, checks and money orders accepted.  Please be sure to check out my other auctions for more vinyl obscurities, and I will be glad to combine shipping costs on multiple wins.