ARCADIUM Breathe Awhile UK ORIGINAL Middle Earth Psych LP

	£		445
	$		531

They say, I’ll be kind
but they don’t show their mind
They don’t know their objections
but they tactify
Their lie has no bound
Their freedom has no home
Where is my future
Where can I hide
In the will that is in my mind
so hard to define
so hard to describe
I just can’t describe it
Change me, change me
Change me, if you can baby
Change, you’ve got to change all your thinking
Change your mind into many of thoughts
Change your world so I can talk
They say, I’ll be wise
but they are fools in the disguised
They speak with their hatred
They lie with their love
They criticize but they don’t know
the life of their lives has got to show
Where is my freedom
Where can I hide
In the whirls that are in my mind
so hard to define
so hard to describe
I just can’t describe it
Oh change me, oh change me
You’ve got to change me, baby
Change, you’ve got to change all your thinking
Change your mind into many of thought
Change your world so I can talk

ARCADIUM:  Breathe Awhile, UK Middle Earth 1969 1st pressing LP. VERY GOOD copy of an ultra  rare and sought after UK Psych classic.

This record has something  exceptionally mysterious and grim in it. I remember the times when such albums  were almost inaccessible… In one of catalogues, I have read that it is  remarkably expressive and touching. In yet another one, it has been said that it  was one of the most depressing record of that times.

While talking about this album with  someone, I said that it would make a perfect soundtrack of a world  catastrophe-oriented movie. Why such an assumption? Maybe due to the very first  and notably disturbing minutes of the opening track I’m On My Way. Maybe  because of the back of the cover, there the members of the band are presented in  three variations: as joyful people, as mummies, and as individuals wearing gas  masks…

Not much is known about the band  itself. It originated from England and recorded one album only. It was published  by the Middle Earth Company, which was in fact an alternative club located in  London.

The leader of the Arcadium band was  the creator of all the music and a singer - Miguel Sergides. If I was asked to  describe the music played by the group in the context of other bands of such  kind, I would say that they are like Vanilla Fudge, The Crazy World Of Arthur  Brown (do you remember their psycho hit - Fire?), and maybe Iron  Butterfly crushed by a ton of existential sadness. Hammonds, guitars, tired  voice of Sergides (that guy must have been truly unhappy), all of that is  additionally amplified by choral chants.

And now about the record itself…For  me, the best fragment of it is undoubtedly the I’m On My Way song. This  almost 12-minute track begins with a very unsettling intro with an astonishing  guitar solo (starting exactly in 4:10). Then the mood changes to psychedelic and  hard rock (Poor Lady, Woman Of A Thousand Years), and the calmer  motifs are combined with hard rock ones (Walk On The Bad Side). In all  cases, Hammond keeps the anxiety and sadness alive and additionally highlights  them by means of breathtaking guitar solos. The record ends with over 10 minutes  long Birth, Life And Death. According to the experts, it is the most  distinctive fragment of this long forgotten album. However, in my opinion, its  beginning in the form of I’m On My Way is much more thrilling.

Rare reviews of the record blames it  for homogeneous melodies and similar mood of the entire album. When it comes to  psychedelic atmosphere, it may be an additional reason for indulging oneself in  the music without any limitations whatsoever…
 

Side 1: I'm On My Way, Poor Lady, Walk On The Bad Side

Side 2:  Woman Of A Thousand Years, Change Me, It Takes A Woman, Birth, Life And Death

Arcadium:
Graham Best - Bass, Vocals
Allan Ellwood - Organ, Vocals
John Albert Parker - Drums
Robert Ellwood - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Miguel Sergides - 12-String Guitar, Vocals
 

A note on  grading: I use the RC standard grading policy with the addition of a + or  – to denote a slight increase or decrease in grade. The record has been played  once
for aural grading a on a Rega RP6 with a Rega Exact cart and inspected under  100W bulb for visual grade.

DISC is VERY  GOOD to VERY GOOD plus, as it has some hairlines, light scuffs and small  scratches, plays GOOD plus to VERY GOOD minus all  the way with some surface noise, occasional pops, and low key tics here and  there.

Please listen to the wav taken from the actual  record here. This clip has received NO audio restoration software modification.  I guarantee what you hear is what you will get.

Runout stamp:  Side 1: MDLS 302 A 2 - ◇ H, Side 2: MDLS 302 B 3 - ◇ H

COVER is  VERY GOOD plus, it has some scrapes on the edges, as well as few laminate  wrinkles and slightly yellowed back.

Take a look at my pictures. I do  my best to show the record from all possible angles and make the pictures as  clear and legible as possible. There is nothing to hide on my part. It really is  a GREAT looking LP. It is truly challenging to find any copies of this ULTRA  RARE LP. This is your only chance to buy an original 1969 UK 1st pressing Of Breathe Awhile by ARCADIUM band.
You would need to look for a long time and in various unusual places to find a  copy better than this one.

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PACKING: All vinyl is shipped with record outside  the cover to avoid seam splits in transit. Extra stiffeners, foam wrap and high  quality mailers ensures your record is
dispatched to arrive in top condition. I'm very proud of the fact that I cannot  remember the last time I had damage in transit.
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