QUESTS 33rd Revolution 1968 ORIG SINGAPORE FREAKBEAT SITAR FUZZ PSYCH LP LISTEN

$

128

THE QUESTS "33rd REVOLUTION" LP

ORIGINAL 1968 LP ON THE Singapore EMI LABEL, STEREO 33 ESX 605

COVER IN VG++ shape, small writing on reverse

VINYL plays VG+ to VG++

Finally.  A Sixties-era Asian band who can tackle the hits of the day without sounding like a bad caricature of an Asian band tackling the hits of the day.  The Quests were from Singapore, and like the October Cherries (from nearby Malaysia), they studied the British Invasion sound so thoroughly, they digested it and made it a part of their own sound, which they in turn infused with the uniqueness of a band from the Far East.  Unlike the Cherries, who replicated the Beatles sound in the early to mid Seventies, the Quests did it AT THE SAME TIME, which, in my opinion, is all the more pretty darn impressive.  And they didn’t play favorites – they’ll tackle a bubblegum pop tune like “Come On Down To My Boat” and you’d swear it was Every Mother’s Son, and then turn around and do a great British toytown popsike cover of the Hollies’ “What’s Wrong With The Way I Live” that’s just as good as the original.  And by the way, their originals, are just as strong, if not even BETTER – the catchy fuzzed-up popsike of “Never Ever” sounds like vintage 1967 Monkees, and the trippy Eastern mind-tripper “Hur Pi Tzu Shau Hsiang” (let’s hear Casey Kasem say THAT) is like a magical Japanese carpet ride, with Indian and Asian instruments shimmering in a drone-like mystical Far East haze.  I had to check several times to verify that the brilliant British Rubble toytown popsike gem “Mr. Rainbow” was NOT in fact a cover, and to be honest, I’m still not sure it ain’t.  It was a big hit for the band in Singapore 1968, and rightfully so, but something tells me it’s just TOO good NOT to be a cover of, say, an old Marmalade or Fleur de Lys song.  And last, but not least, it’s worth mentioning that what the Quests do with the old standard – and by “old” this time I mean “VERY old” – “Hava Nagila” is freakishly brilliant.  They turn this old Jewish folk song into a fuzz-drenched Indian swami hookah tent mind-fryer.  With waspy fuzz guitar tearing swaths of sound from the dizzying tempo, and soothing washes of quivery heathaze organ, it’s “Hava Nagila” reinvented as the backing track for a bellydance sequence in a late 60’s Peter Sellers movie.  If you haven’t already surmised, 33rd REVOLUTION ain’t just a curio in the annals of 60’s Asian pop.  And it ain’t just a pat-on-the-back either.  It’s a genuinely great psychedelic masterpiece in its own right, no matter where it would’ve been released.  And if you didn’t know better, you probably never woulda guessed where it was.

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

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.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   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. 

 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.