VERTO Reel 19 36 RARE FRENCH PROG PSYCH 1978 LP LISTEN

$

56

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

VERTO "Reel 19/36"

Original 1978 LP on the French FLEAU label, STEREO 7004

Cover:  NEAR MINT

Vinyl:  SUPER CLEAN, plays VG++ to EXCELLENT

The world is full of bad indie folk artists singing about the impending apocalypse, and if you ain’t sick of them yelling in your ear every second, there’s Green Day telling you you suck on top of that.  Well, in the words of Mark Hollis and Talk Talk, “all you do to me is talk talk.  Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk etc. etc.”  Listen, kids, you wanna make music about the Apocalypse?  Shave off those shaggy beards, stop all yer whining, and record the Apocalypse like a bunch of freaked-out French guys did way, way back in 1978, before the world was encumbered by the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine.  And those freaks, by the way, the French ones, they were called Verto.  And they got two albums out in the Seventies (which, if you lived through them, certainly felt like the Apocalypse, at least when disco started).  The first, called Krig/Volubilis, which sounds like the disease my first girlfriend in college bequeathed to me, even sported an album cover that looked like the end of the world.  The second, Reel 19/36, came out three years later.  And even though this one came in a sleeve that looked like a bad Hall and Oates 12” Dance Mix, don’t think for a moment these guys have let up. They’re still creating soundtracks for your nightmares on Reel 19/36, and I’ll be damned if the Apocalypse doesn’t sound like Robert Fripp fronting Pink Floyd.  Which, I have to admit, wasn’t what I expected.  I woulda guessed the end of the world would sound more like Sufjan Stevens fronting Green Day.

Reel 19/36 goes for your throat the second you drop the needle.  Big ominous fuzz-soaked chords rip out of the gaping black vinyl maw like the speaker-shredding power chords of King Crimson’s “Red.”  Meanwhile, over on the right channel, more bizarre guitar effects dive in and out like Rick Wright “Echoes” seagulls or, to keep the King Crimson theme going, one of Adrian Belew’s lone rhinos or big electric cats.  It’s like someone handed the band two or three guitars and said, “Okay, we want you to recreate the sound of an elephant being buzzed by a flock of seagulls.”  “Comme La Folie,” they called it.  Which I think translates into something about being crazy in the head.  Or else it’s French for “Frippertronics.”  Take yer pick.

But alas, “Comme La Crazy” is just a warmup.  “19/36” follows, and immediately smacks you upside the head with the sounds of distant synth explosions.  This is no mere warning.  The End of the World is here now – so you can f** recycling and global warming and water conservation and all that other stuff.  The Horsemen are here on Earth, and each hoofbeat is an A-bomb wiping out another tiny nation that Miss South Carolina never heard of, their fury growing nearer and nearer with each stride.  Meanwhile, tiny Pink Floyd beasties chitter and laugh at Man’s plight, knowing it’ll be their time once Earth gets rid of its current landowners.  “19/36” is Saucerful of Secrets crossed with Jon Anderson’s Olias of Sunhillow, set to the last half hour of Michael Tolkin’s The Rapture.  Are we having fun yet?

The muppets take over for good on “Danse A Cabanes,” a crazed electronic dance that shows you what would have happened if Roger Waters’ small species of furry animals had ditched the pict, downed a case of Jack Daniels and decided to overturn some cars with the Scotsman who ruined their party on the first time out.  Then, at some point during their revelry, they all decide to start talking backwards.  Seriously.  Don’t even try looking for meaning in all this stuff.  According to Verto, you won’t even be around to care.

Look, I know we’re ruining the planet, and I know something bad’s gonna happen in some future generation.  But if I can spare my children and my children’s children another couple generations of whining, sniveling indie folk heroes, I’d say that’s a good thing.  And if the Apocalypse really does sound like Robert Fripp fronting Pink Floyd with the guitars turned up to Eleven, as Verto thinks it will, then I say bring it on NOW.  Really.  I can’t take another John Mayer album.

 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.