GLASS FAMILY Electric Band 1968 RARE ACID PSYCH LP HEAR

$

31

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

THE GLASS FAMILY "Electric Band"

Original 1968 white label pr0m0 LP on the WARNER BROTHERS label, STEREO 1776

Cover:  VG, heavy ringwear on front (typical), small tear upper right, 3" seam split along bottom edge

Vinyl:  Light handling scuffs, plays VG+ with steady but light surface 

I’m not exactly sure who you’d find in a group called the Glass Family.  I’m sure Philip Glass is in there, he’s musical – maybe even Inside Edition’s Nancy Glass.  I bet they had to turn down Sharon Gless, who’s one letter off, but welcomed in Thomas Paine, Judee Sill and Sash from Guns N’ Roses.  But whoever’s in there, it appears the Glass Family stuck together only long enough for this one album, 1968’s Electric Band on the Warner Brothers label, then promptly shattered into a million pieces.  And yet it’s a tremendous record – one of psych rock’s finest – an d even though its songs have been featured on various comps, amazingly nobody has bothered to reissue the entire album yet.  Well, here’s your window of opportunity to own a Glass Family original.

Opener “House of Glass” was plucked for Rhino’s recent Hallucinations comp, and it’s like the Glass Family’s own personal statement of purpose, a wonderfully over-the-top barrage of mindblowing psychedelia that’s just as overblown and enjoyable as the deadly-serious Doors.  Which is a pretty apt comparison actually, since “House of Glass” rides the same oscillating seesaw organ melody that propelled “Not to Touch the Earth.”  It starts with the sound of glass shattering, lest you forget exactly who you’re listening to here, as the singer hisses the opening lines like some mescaline fueled lizard king.  “This house…is made of gla-a-a-s-s-s-s-s!  Come inside, watch it la-a-a-s- s-s-s-st!...Life can be seen, and it’s such a GA-A-A-S-S-S-S!”   It’s all such great hokey fun, you simply have to love it, even if you can see right through it (sorry, another bad glass pun).  All moaning banshees and trippy effects, piling so many layers of sonic excess on top of the already teetering organ line that it has no choice but to completely implode at the end, falling in on itself under a barrage of broken-down instruments, crashing to the studio floor while the singer gets one final word of warning out to those who dare continue on to Track 2:  “Do not fear the unknown!”

Do not eat the brown acid, either.  But pressing on, we come to the next track, “Born in the USA,”  which, don’t worry, sounds nothing like Bruce Springsteen – more like a carbon copy of Captain Beefheart’s “Diddy Wah Diddy” actually, a great bluesy garage punk rave-up.  “Sometimes You Wander (Henry’s Tune)” hits all the right sunshine pop notes, and certainly fans of the Fading Yellow or Soft Sounds for Gentle People compilations should add this one to their next gently fading mix tape.  Somewhere in the middle, you’ll find the catchy “Lady Blue,” which sounds like a possible collaboration between the Doors and the Monkees.  A litt le “Papa Gene’s Roadhouse Blues,” if you will.

Like one end of a pair of psychedelic bookends, the album’s final track is another full-blown deadly serious synapse-melter.  And with a title like “Agorn (Elements of Complex Variables),” I doubt you’re expecting a barnyard hoedown.  Opening with a drum solo – that’s right, opening with a drum solo – this cosmic freakout takes a full minute before the rumbling Roger Waters bass even starts to join in.  Together, the bass and drums lock into an interstellar proto-Hawkwind space boogie, laying down the cosmic funk for another minute and a half before being joined by some funky Deneb V bachelor pad Wurlitzer organ.  By now, we’re hurtling through the space-time continuum with t he help of a chooglin’ Pink Floyd rhythm section caught playing some unholy combination of “Lucifer Sam” and “Interstellar Overdrive,” drinkin’ Tang and eatin’ those funny brownies.  But just before you can say “My God, it’s full of stars,” the song suddenly (and inexplicably) breaks off into this creepy galactic monk chant, followed by the sound, once again, of breaking glass.  Which, I guess, is the Glass Family’s way of bringing the album full circle, while also throwing in another shameless bit of self-promotion.   The Glass Family.  Brought to you by Zig Zag Rolling Papers, and Windex.

It’s one heck of a trip, though, a fine collection of garage pop tunes held together by a pair of faux ubertrippy cosmic acid psych bookends.  This was one of the very first 60’s psych albums I ever bought as a young lad, and, as you can see, it got me very hooked.  It’s everything psychedelic rock should be – a little pompous, very adventurous, and a genuine space flight on headphones.  And if you’re wondering why the band never covered “Paint It, Black,” well, that’s because people in Glass Families shouldn’t do Stones.

 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.