THE SERPENT POWER - VANGUARD - VSD 79252 - ACID-PSYCHEDELIC-FOLK - NM / NM

$

122

RARE 1967 ORIG ~ ACID PSYCH FOLK HAUNTING EXOTIC
THE  SERPENT  POWER
USA - VANGUARD RECORDS - VSD - 79252
RARE 1967 FIRST PRINTING

Original 1967 first pressing by an incredibly good San Francisco psych/folk mix capped off with flowing/haunting melodies & a fantastic raga-rock 13 minute piece reaching exotic, exploratory directions.  These tracks are female & male vocals of the best kind!  True representation of the San Francisco sound during the Psychedelic era!

Solid acid-psych-folk score for your collection!
 
CONDITION:

The Cover: Clean and solid all over. Has no split seams, no bends, no delete marks, no writing and rich original colors. Spine printing perfect!

The Vinyl: clean over both sides, VG++ full of shine with stray very light wispy scuffs from inner paper sleeve type. Long paper scuff across S2/T4 that is inaudible. The whole LP plays with excellent audio. Great gloss across the disk.  Silver/Gold Vanguard labels are CLEAN.  Light spotting on Side 1 on T1/T2 but is inaudible (see close-up photo).  Very slight spindle hole distortion from pressing. Matrix: S1>> XTV124406-3A VRS 9252 A  ;  S2>> XTV124407-3A VRS 9252 B  (see four photos)

Background:

The SERPENT POWER, a San Francisco band, was fronted by poet David Meltzer who formed the band with his wife Tina in 1966.  Ed Denton (then manager of Country Joe And The Fish) was 'knocked-out' and recommended them to Vanguard after hearing their first gig, a benefit for the Telegraph Group Neighborhood Center on November 27, 1966.  
         
The Serpent Power were among the many bands that emerged during those heady days of 1967 but, unlike many of their contemporaries who went on to build solid careers, their arrival was only to be a brief spell in the sun as this delightful album was to prove their sole release as a full band. There is no doubt that it stands proudly alongside other better known works of that time.

The group was formed by David Meltzer and his wife Tina, intending for it to be a vehicle for his poems. David had recently had a volume of his poems published by Oyez as The Dark Continent and with this new venture he was very much in the driving seat writing all the music and lyrics and playing guitar and harmonica as well as sharing vocals with Tina.

Perhaps most closely rooted in folk, they were following some of the same paths that acts like Country Joe & The Fish and early Jefferson Airplane were moving along. They were electrified, but in a restrained way, and were intent on letting lyrics carry the songs rather than over-complicating them with vocal arrangements. The end result quickly marks this out as a lost gem of the period.

Overall the album is legendary and sadly Serpent Power's only album, It's definitely a psychedelic masterpiece. Besides Meltzer and his wife Tina (who sang lead & harmony vocals), the band also included Denny Ellis (lead guitar) and David Stenson (bass).  They had gotten their start with the '66 first LP of the Grass Roots. The band became a full rock outfit with addition of John Payne on organ and Clark Coolidge on drums, as well as J.P. Pickens on banjo.  The album received a somewhat limited pressing & makes it now so hard to find.  Despite featuring excellent examples of psychedelic flow, the band never got big, known mostly within the San Francisco area.  The band didn't record another album, and disbanded in 1968.  David and Tina Meltzer went on to record another album, Poet's Song, under their own names.   

Tracklist:

Side 1:
Don't You Listen to Her ...2:20
Gently, Gently ...2:36
Open House ...3:31
Flying Away ...4:26
Nobody Blues ...3:50
Up and Down ...3:37
Side 2:
Sky Baby ...2:32
Forget ...3:34
Dope Again ...0:47
Endless Tunnel ...13:14

The album opens with the upbeat organ-led track ‘Don't You Listen To Her’, arguably the most commercial track, they then move to ‘Gently, Gently’, a lovely quiet song led by Tina that is very reminiscent of early Fairport as it drifts on restrained drums. The organ returns effectively on the mid-tempo ‘Open House’, before Tina again leads on the relaxed and summery ‘Flying Away’ that features some beautiful guitar work. ‘Nobody Blues’ offers strong lyrics against adventurous blues guitar lines, while ‘Up And Down’ and ‘Sky Baby’ both have a Lovin' Spoonful feel to them. ‘Forget’ and the short ‘Dope Again’ continue the adventurous work.  However, the group is probably best remembered for the amazing (and l-o-n-g) closing story-track ‘Endless Tunnel.’   This is one of the first psych rock albums to have successfully introduced an influence of Middle Eastern music, as shown in the 13-minute classic piece.  It’s especially enhanced by fascinating raga-like electric banjo work from JP Pickens.

Another review that was posted on MOOF November 16, 2017 by Matt Kessler>>>>
           In a never ending stream of West Coast flavored psychedelic music, it’s only inevitable that bands impressive as The Serpent Power would become buried beneath the surface of the musical saga of the 60’s. With the majestic vocals of Tina Meltzer included, it’s beyond astounding that this group never truly received the recognition they deserved. It wasn’t just Tina whose captivating vocals shone so magnificently, husband David Meltzer, was a highly capable singer in his own right. The married couple diligently carried out their vocals in ways that many could only wish to do. Playing at gigs around San Francisco, the band caught the attention Ed Denton, who managed Country Joe and the Fish. Signing to Vanguard records, they released their self-titled debut.

            The album opens with the infectious “Don’t You Listen to Her.” Containing fierce organ sounds from John Payne and a bouncy rhythm throughout, it introduces the band in an appreciable way. The musical atmosphere here is purely optimistic, quite contrary to the lyrics themselves…Things get more mellow with gentler sounding songs, like the fitting title of “Gently, Gently.” The hypnotic ride of musical enchantment will keep you spellbound in ways that only dreams can instil. The same thing goes for “Flying Away”, possibly the best song on here, and the first song on the album that is sung by Tina Meltzer. Capturing magic on a recording is no easy feat but The Serpent Power manage to achieve just that.

           Tina could also work that same magic on more upbeat tracks, such as “Up and Down” What a fun sounding song, and one filled with nostalgia. It reminds the listener of simpler times in their lives, without the cares and hassles that may come as they grow older. The third and final song on here that Tina sings is “Forget”, however the impression of the song itself is anything but forgetful. With a swirling guitar and a charming organ sound included, you can’t ask for much more when those two instruments are mixed so suitably with Tina’s smashing vocals.

           As stated, Tina’s husband, David Meltzer was no slouch either. He had that familiar West Coast style voice, similar to Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane and Alan Brackett of The Peanut Butter Conspiracy. He had a way of holding a tight command on a song vocally, which he does on “Sky Baby,” a stinging acoustic guitar oriented song that is ever so memorable. He also holds his own on “Nobody Blues” the only bluesy number on here. If all of that was not amazing enough for you, look no further to the album closer “Endless Tunnel” Yes, it is highly reminiscent of the Doors’ “The End”, but don’t let that distract you from the ominous feeling that permeates throughout the track so brilliantly. The band convey such a dark tone on the song, that it becomes borderline frightening. A fantastic way to close on such a fantastic album.

            Unfortunately, after disappointing album sales, the band broke up. Forming a husband and wife musical duo, David and Tina Meltzer released ‘Poet Song‘ in 1969. Additionally, as a solo act, Tina recorded a children’s album in 1984 entitled ‘Faces (New Songs For Kids)’. A second album was released in 2007 called ‘Ourobouros‘ containing unreleased material that was recorded for another album that they attempted to make back then.