SELDOM SEEN '68 LP ? THE CITY ? VISIONARY West Coast Rock CAROLE KING + FUGS LP

$

53

             1967 ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS
       RARE....WEST COAST ROCK COLLECTIBLE       ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                          

                             = THE  CITY =            
                                       

            ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                                   USA - YELLOW ODE RECORDS - Z12 44012 



... SCARCE COLLECTION COPY ...

hard to find in any condition!!

The rare and wanted 1968 Original COLOR COVER VERSION as opposed to the 2nd with BLACK & WHITE COVER.


The City was a band young Carole King assembled in 1967 with her husband, bassist Charles Larkey, and guitarist Danny Kortchmar (both played with the FUGS on their breakout album, 'Tenderness Junction').

The CITY released only one album before calling it quits. This record was produced by Lou Adler and featured Jim Gordon on drums ...and the album is quite good, highly wanted as a result.

Adler's arrangements on this album are fantastic-- one may go so far as to call it one of the most sophisticated little known poprock albums ever released. The ensemble playing is also exceptionally tight and highlighted by Kortchmar's guitar fills, Gordon's inventive drumming and King's own piano melodies. Carole's voice has already developed the innate soulfulness that she would demonstrate on later albums such as Tapestry. Lou Adler obviously coached her well, as she sounds fantastic here.

"Snow Queen" kicks things off, framed in the same arrangement The Association copied on their excellent Waterbeds in Trinidad! album. This is a remarkably sophisticated (there's that word again) number that should have gone on to become a standard. "Wasn't Born to Follow" is up next, and we see that this song was originally envisioned as a piano ballad, and not a rural-psych number as The Byrds played it. And as much as so many love The Byrds' take, others prefer this version as it features Carol King expressing her original vision for the world to hear. If only the world had listened at the time!

Some of the other highlights here include the sprightly "Now That Everything's Been Said", which fans of Brian Wilson might be familiar with via American Spring's version. (Both takes share the same arrangement and sounds nearly identical.) "A Man without a Dream" of course was tackled by The Monkees, but the version here is slower and more soulful, and is sung by one of the guys (Charles Larkey). Then there's the great "Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)" which provided a hit for a prominant sixties band. It's obvious that even if The City didn't light up the Billboard charts at the time of its release, a lot of "in the know" people were digging on it.

Overall this album is a soft rock masterpiece, standing alongside the first Laura Nyro album, Gene Clark's first solo, and Carole's own Tapestry as high water marks of the early singer-songwriter movement. The record contains a brilliant mix of torch songs, up-tempo tuneful poprock with shades of rural, jazz and r&b. If you haven't heard this album yet, by all means try and grab it-- you may be pleasantly surprised!

The Fugs

Summer 1967 - Summer 1968:

    Tuli Kupferberg - vocals

Ed Sanders - vocals
  
Ken Weaver - drums, vocals
  Ken Pine - guitar, vocals
  
Danny Kootchmar - guitar, violin
 
Charles Larkey - bass


Snow Queen

I Wasn't Born to Follow

Now That Everything's Been Said

Paradise Alley Man

Without a Dream

Victim of Circumstance

Why Are You Leaving Lady

My Sweet Home

I Don't Believe It

That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)


               CONDITION: The cover: near M- solid and clean, hard to find in this condition as the cover is normally very prone to wear. No issues, solid, clean, and should well satisfy!

The vinyl: Rated: VG++ though there are very fine faint and shallow hair scuffs , being shallow the record played with EXcellent audio ... Both yellow ODE labels are very 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!