THE COOL Pop Sounds 1969 UK DE WOLFE FREAKBEAT PSYCH LP

$

82

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

THE COOL "Pop Sounds"

Original 1969 LP on the UK DE WOLFE label, MONO

Cover:  VG++, light creasing, 2 plus signs written (small) on back

Vinyl: Plays VG+ 

Venerable Holy Grail of the DeWolfe label library popsike albums – 1969’s Pop Sounds by the Cool.  Right up there with the Electric Banana and the Lemon Dips, and I give these kids bonus points for being bold enough to call themselves THE COOL.  And hey, judging by the glorious freakbeat go-go sounds they lay down here, they’re right, although they sell themselves short by a mile calling themselves just “pop.”  If this is pop, then we’ve gotta come up with a whole new name for Miley Cyrus.  I’ve got one, but they just won’t let me print it here.

Like all good library albums, the Cool give you seven full-fledged songs with vocals on Side 1, then the instrumental versions of Side 2 if you, say, wanted to use them as background music in your documentary on Twiggy Lawson.  I prefer the songs myself, but I know a LOT of club DJs, mixers and advertising executives from 1968 who prefer the Swinging London instrumentals on the second side, but either way, you win.  And if the boys start out with a laugh on the cheeky supper club number “Waiting for the Summertime,” which sounds a lot like the Monkees’ lounge lizard classic “Don’t Call on Me,” they rip it up big time on the pounding acid rock “Highway Song,” a thrashing Mesozoic blast of primal prog-psych, Jethro Tull circa 1969 if they’d worked part-time chopping up Harleys.  “Fast moving, strongly rhythmic” is how the humble DeWolfe liner notes describe it for the production directors, but unless you’ve got Vinnie Jones hawking your product, there ain’t no way your ad copy is gonna be heard over the thrashing freakbeat drums and the wild flying acid guitar solo.  “Like a stampede of Brachiosaurs on mescaline,” is more like it.

Elsewhere, the chunky late 60’s British blue-eyed organ soul behind “Emily Waits” sounds like equal parts Traffic and Blind Faith for the library set, while somewhere up in soft popsike heaven, they’re playing the silky smooth sunshine grooves of “Raintree County” in heavy rotation on KGOD.  And the suaver-than-Mel-Torme “He’s Gone” mixes the cool lounge lizard vocal delivery of “Summertime” with some groovy tremolo Stevie Winwood organ and light jazz shuffle to create a slice of really cool Cool.  Unless you’re, y’know, into women’s rights.  Because then you’ll be less receptive to the message, which reminds all the wives and girlfriends of London to keep their men happy at all times.  Because, “if you treat him wrong, that guy will BLOW, he’ll split, y’know?”  Sung in such a suave croon, you’re kinda surprised he doesn’t add on a “daddy-o.”

So yeah, even if they’re not exactly pop (a good thing), they are pretty cool (an eve better thing).  One of the coolest albums on the DeWolfe label, actually.  And a thousand times better than what they’re passing off for “pop” these days.  I don’t see the Jonas Brothers ever being this cool.

 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.