WEST COAST WORKSHOP Wizard Of Oz 1968 SITAR PSYCH HEAR

$

40

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

THE WEST COAST WORKSHOP "The Wizard Of Oz"

Original 1968 LP on the CAPITOL label, STEREO ST2776

COVER:  EXCELLENT shape, some writing on back cover, really nice

Plays VG+ to VG++

Credit must be given to the enlightened minds in 1968 who had already seen through the motion picture classic “The Wizard of Oz” for what it REALLY represented – clearly, Dorothy Gale was the world’s youngest pothead.  Hurricane, schmurricane – everyone knows that was just some really good weed that transported the girl and her dog to a land where monkeys flew and roads were paved with yellow “bricks” – yeah, that’s right, BRICKS.  What seems REALLY strange is that it took almost 30 years for people to finally catch on.  But in 1968, word was out, in the form of two albums, Mort Garson’s moogy masterpiece “The Wozard of Iz”, and this one, “The Wizard of Oz and Other Trans-Love Trips” by the West Coast Workshop.  Surely this must be the strangest thing Nick Venet’s ever been involved in, having signed and produced the Beach Boys, Fred Neil and the Stone Poneys.  Here, he completely reinvents the Wizard of Oz music as one long cosmic head trip, full of sitars, tablas, flutes and plenty of crazy mad sound effects.  One listen to “T.T.B.C. Theme”, with its mystic sitars, thumping tablas and eerie bendy saw notes, and you’d think this Wizard guy was really a mahareshi living somewhere in Marrakesh.  Probably even has Mia Farrow stashed away in a back room.  The Yellow Brick Road now becomes the “Yellow Brick Trip”, and ends with a chorus of children in what must’ve really been one wicked crash.  “Max the Hobbit”, who I really don’t remember from either the original Wizard of Oz OR the Tolkein trilogy, is a very strange, truly demented, monumentally f&*^%ed up track whereby several species of furry animals gather together and groove in a poppy field while the distant faroff rumbling of drums and sitar echo in the distance, and I’m sure you can throw in a few Ents and Orcs too, for good measure.  Or just check out the sound clip below.  If that grabs your attention, there’s plenty more strangeness to be found in “Ozwind”, where screeching synthesized curlews dance with chittering electronic moles, sharing acid brownies with a twittering C3PO from “Star Wars” and his English friend Steve “Peregrine” Took, who’s more than happy to play his bongos and provide a bit of rhythm to this bleeping, pulsing and squeaking throng.  No doubt about it, sobriety can’t be held responsible for this kind of music – “The Wizard of Oz and Other Trans-Love Trips” is easily the most wasted, stoned and freakish thing ever associated with the Beach Boys name (well, not counting “Johnny Carson”).   Forget “Dark Side of the Moon” – try synching THIS up with the original film and your head will simply explode.  This is the REAL story of Dorothy Gale and the Wizard of Oz.  Now someone get that chick into rehab.

HEAR IT!

UPDATE:  SORRY, I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).

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.