RARE / MINT re 1973 = 'ZERFAS' = HARD HEAVY PSYCH PROG UNDERGROUND STAND-OUT LP

$

41

               psychedelic underground 1973
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                                      ZERFAS
            ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                                          Radio Activity = RRLP - 050


........mint..........

No. 444 numbered limited edition [and far scarce/hard to find] of this now - VERY hard to find - British exact repro. The incredibly rare and all too expensive [1000$ or so] 1973 Indiana UK second press  which far and away supplants the reason to pay and hunt for the supreme.

Originally, this LP was lovingly cut over six months in 1973 at the tiny 700 West Studio in New Palestine, Indiana, using a four-track 3M recorder, plenty of overdubs, a lot of weed and wine, and a hell of a lot of creative ingenuity. There’s no need to give a detailed historical perspective of the band.

Interestingly, the band members chose to add color to their 1969-British-prog-rock style songs with the techniques of 1967 psychedelia, and the album stands as a fine psych/prog hard rock artifact despite being several years behind that timeline.

The fun starts with “You Never Win”, which opens with a fade-in backwards version of the closing fade-out – a simple but brilliant idea. “I Don’t Understand” launches with an eerie half-speed recording of small children’s voices, whilst the meandering instrumental heart of “Hope” is washed by shoreline effects. Much use is made elsewhere of backwards voices, backwards instruments, fade-outs, fade-ins, wild stereo panning, ring modulators, tape loops and left-field echo effects, and even a blast from an elk horn [what?]  ...
However, the underlying compositions don’t rely solely on these touches for interest; the eight songs, all originals, offer an engaging variety of styles from the “Born To Be Wild” Steppenwolf knockoff of “You Never Win” through the cosmic boogie of “Stoney Wellitz” to the lush progressive soundscapes of “Hope”, culminating in “The Piper” which appropriately recalls Pink Floyd’s earliest Syd Barrett stoner offerings. The playing and singing are excellent throughout, especially considering the tender ages of the musicians; Herman Zerfas’s keyboards in particular are exceptional.

The word on the street among collectors of this album is that it’s the record the Beatles might have made if they’d stuck with the psychedelic formula after Pepper. Personally, we don’t buy this; these youthful compositions that lack the distinctively in the whimsical signatures of the mature Lennon, McCartney and Harrison group. To our ears there’s some Pink Floyd influence, some Moby Grape, some Grateful Dead, some Steppenwolf, some Allman Brothers, maybe even some Steve Miller Blues Band, but really such comparisons are unnecessary. This is a fine album by a fine band in its own right, and should be respected as such.
You Never Win 5:14
The Sweetest Part / I Don't Understand8:39
I Need It Higher4:48
Stoney Wellitz6:30
Hope7:44
Fool's Parade / The Piper 8:39

Zerfas
*Bill Rice - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Steve Newbold  - Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Mark Tribby  - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals
*David Zerfas  - Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Guitar
*Herman (Brian) Zerfas  - Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar

                 CONDITION: The cover: rated: M- ... NO problems to report, will surly satisfy, best as we can determine, though there's always that 1% or is it 0.2 % that seems to have a problem, but that's life, right ? In dealing with what all dedicated agents do, moving forward, there are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ...

The vinyl: Rated: M- clean, smooth, plays top copy .... both UK Radio Active labels are clean                   A cool addition to anyone's music library!






  SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...   EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING All imperfections are noted both cover & record   NOTE: All Items backed by  money back guarantee! IF you have a problem PLEASE let us solve for you BEFORE leaving ANY negative feedback. Thanks!   GRADING SCALE: M, M-, EX, VG++,VG+, VG, VG- M    Completely clean, no marks M-   Carefully used, looks clean, plays clean, shiny gloss, no marks EX   Faint scuff or superficial mark, near M-, high gloss, plays clean VG++ Glossy with minimal scuffing or light mark playing very nice, clean VG+ a bit more scuff or markls still plays well with very minimal surface at worse VG   more marks/scratches only minor, nothing deep, no loud clicks or pops         this grade is abused by many, VG here does not mean "trashed" VG-  surface noise present, will not have skips or jumps     ALL PAYMENTS SHOULD BE MADE WITHIN 5 DAYS Of AUCTIONS END   BIDDERS PLEASE = Do Not Bid If You Are Not Serious About  Following Through The Transaction!   ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED FOR WINNING BID - LESS SHIPPING!