ARTHUR GEE 1971 WASTED ACID COWBOY PROG PSYCH LP LISTEN

$

32

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

ARTHUR GEE "Arthur Gee"

Original 1971 LP on the TUMBLEWEED label, STEREO TWS101

Cover:  VG+, sticker residue on front, light ringwear, small cutout hole

Vinyl:  Light handling scuffs, plays VG+ to VG++

This one really hooked me.  And I wasn’t even expecting it.  This is Arthur Gee’s self-titled album from 1971 – apparently it was his THIRD album, although the first two are demo-only affairs and not fully realized.  There’s a country rock vibe throughout this one, but that’s not to say it’s Porter Waggoner or Conway Twitty, thank God.  Arthur seems far too stoned, and the atmospheric production is way, way too psychedelic for the steel guitar and beehive set.  Lee Hazelwood is a better comparison, but while no individual Arthur Gee song can stand up to Lee’s stuff, the overall experience of listening to the entire album gives much bigger rewards.  It’s more like Lee Hazelwood if Roger Dean designed his album covers.  So grab your stirrups and a spliff and let’s dig in…

The opening track, “Dimensions,” is the trippiest thing here, creeping in on a low-lying bed of paisley fog, with Arthur’s deep resonant vocals namechecking Bob Dylan’s sad-eyed lady.  But like Nashville, Bob’s only a starting point for Arthur Gee.  If going electric was blasphemy for Bob’s fans, think of how they’d react to the prog rock mellotron that comes creeping in at the 3 minute mark.  I can hear the cries from the Newport crowd now – “Judas!”  “Hipgnosis!”   It’s Emerson, Lake and Yoakum.  In the Court of the Crimson King of the Road.

But that’s the beauty of Arthur Gee’s album.  It’s all lonesome cowpoke prairie songs, spiked with stoned prog rock trappings and produced like it was some hypnotic raga from one of the Shankar boys.  If you don’t think country music can be hypnotizing, check out “Cotton Suede,” a trance-like ballad with steel guitar and chirping birds that’s the badlands version of “Grantchester Meadows.”  Or the steady, slowly-building “Confessions,” whose droning organ, mellotron and steady marching beat conjure up images of some prairie revival where even the coyotes are wearing love beads.  I mean, this is the same guy who thinks nothing of throwing in some Jew’s harp along with the blistering prop jet guitar in the stoned cowboy singalong “Plain Talk.”  Replace Buck Owens with Skip Spence and Hee Haw might’ve sounded more like this.  “Hey Skip, I’m a-pickin…” “And I’m a-trippin’!”

It’s mesmerizing stuff.  The expansive, wide-open production, coupled with the lazy, lonesome psychedelic cowboy music, creates this whole new dimension of sound.  An all-encompassing little ghost town where the local saloon plays Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the sheriff drives a VW van.  And bad guys get hanged, while the rest of the citizens get stoned.  No sirree, this ain’t your daddy’s Conway Twitty.

 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.