DIALOGUE same 1972 BRYN MAWR PA PRIVATE LABEL PROG PSYCH Cold Studio LP LISTEN

$

110

DIALOGUE "DIALOGUE" LP

ORIGINAL 1972 LP ON THE US COLD STUDIO label, STEREO

COVER IN VG++ shape, light seam wear, small writing on back

(no insert)

VINYL plays VG+ with some scattered pops

Pretty cool private label prog psych pop (more on that later) album from Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania, which is right up the road from me and used to have one of the best independent movie rental stores in the area, but you know how those things went.  Gone now, of course, and the only way you can find those obscure Jerome Kern films from the 80s is luck out with an online download, and of course those things are illegal so I’m not condoning such a thing.  Anyway, these Dialogue cats probably had no issue finding obscure Russ Meyer films back in 1972 in beautiful downtown Bryn Mawr PA – see, now those were the days.  Those were also the days for creativity in music too, as pop was giving way to progressive rock and some of the old psychedelia lingered on – basically, anything goes.  Which is probably why it’s so hard for dealers and collectors to pigeonhole something like Dialogue today – it’s been called everything from “mindblowing psych” to “Beatlish pop” to “private label progressive rock” and I don’t mean to confuse things but yeah, it’s a little bit of all those.  It’s definitely a keyboardist’s record – piano and keys take a seat front and center, but rather than go the full-blown Rick Wakeman/Keith Emerson route, songs are kept short and catchy, if a bit off-kilter.  It’s best to think of Dialogue as the early 70’s Ben Folds Five, doing a pastiche of late 60’s styles.  Well, the best way is just to listen to the thing. 

The catchy “Aslon the Lion” gets closest to progressive rock here.  It’s lyrically nearly identical to Genesis’ “Squonk,” and musically pretty close too only gentler and less big-budget, riding a bouncy nursery rhyme toytown piano melody.  Imagine “Squonk” if it were on Foxtrot or Selling England By The Pound and it might’ve sounded more like this.  The spooky piano practice popsike of “Tell Me Mother” is completely unhinged – off-key notes are left in, there are some strange proggy vocal grunts and the tempo slows down noticeably at the end like a music box in need of winding.  Imagine if Syd Barrett had given up the guitar in the early 70’s and took up the piano.  Oh, and not gone insane.  Only slightly.

Elsewhere, the totally f***ed-up “Sandbox” sounds like Ben Folds Five’s “Philosophy” sung by the creepiest Muppet you can think of.  It’s followed by a nice bit of mellow harmony pop called “On Every Shore” that has the same rich dreamy ethereal vibe as early 70’s Beach Boys.  Because, with a juxtaposition like that, no one will be able to pigeonhole them 40 years later.  And that’s exactly what happened.  And you can’t rent movies from a rental store anymore either.  Times change, and not always for the better.

HEAR IT!

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

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.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   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. 

 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.