PUGH Ja, Da A Da 1969 TWISTED FOLK FUZZ PSYCH LP HEAR

$

59

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

PUGH "Ja, Da A Da!"

Original 1969 white label pr0m0 LP on the VAULT label, STEREO 137

Cover:  FAIR, water damage on bottom edge (see photo), small pr0m0 sticker

Has lyric innersleeve, also slightly water damaged

Vinyl:  Superficial scuffs, plays VG with moderate surface noise, mostly behind music (check the clips)

Hailed at the time as Sweden’s finest rock album, which means even the Swedish weren’t listening to their old Tages records, Pugh Rogefeldt’s Ja Da A Da was set to conquer the world but only conquered part of Scandinavia and probably a street or two in Uruguay, because every obscure European record seems to get a release there.  Listening to Pugh once more forty years later, you’re amazed at just how fresh and still vital this music sounds, partly because it eschews most of the psychedelic studio trickery of the time and settles for a very basic, raw, edgy rock band vibe.  Which is evident on the brilliant leadoff track “Love Love Love,” a great jagged acid-riddled garage punk track with two or three sparring guitars, one wailing away Hendrix-like in the background, another buzzing away closer with the fuzz pedal pressed firmly to the floor.  It’s got a wonderfully loose, demented homemade garage band feel to it, helped by a nice catchy chorus that was probably lifted from Syd Barrett’s “Octopus” but I won’t say anything if you don’t.  It could also be a psych pop song from a spiky new indie punk group circa last year – there’s really nothing here that gives away its 1969 recording date at all.

Almost every song on Ja Da A Da has something similar to offer – the doomy “Here Comes The Night” is slower and moodier than “Love Love Love” but still comes slathered in fuzz guitar and attitude.  While the unfortunately titled “I’m Sitting Here Rocking” takes 3 minutes to get going, but when it does, it’s a great little fuzzy snotty blooz rocker not unlike something off Cream’s Disraeli Gears.  And for a real extended head trip, check out the five-minute “Doris,” which starts out a mellow bit of floaty Donovan/Syd Barrett folk psych but ends up dancing off into the sunset on a frenzied Santana jam complete with Pugh’s freakish scat vocals, fractured James Brown grunts, caveman shouts and assorted pig snorts.  You ain’t gonna hear that kinda s*** on an Abba record, that’s for sure. 

Ja Da A Da has been compared to Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Van Dyke Parks by some online reviewers, but Pugh is far less refined and mannered than Zappa ever was, and far less structured and polished than Van Dyke Parks.  Certainly his frequently fractured and ADD-riddled music compares favorably to Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica, however, but I find that double album impenetrable, while this record I like.  I find Pugh has more in common with late 60’s Kim Fowley actually, or the more electrified Syd Barrett of his second solo album.  Maybe he’s even the Swedish Robyn Hitchcock.  He’s definitely a character, and even if you can’t understand a word he’s singing, it honestly doesn’t even matter.  A tortured genius is a tortured genius in any language.

 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.