M- RANDY CALIFORNIA "EXPERIENCE" SPIRIT JIMI Hard Psych

$

26

       1972 RARE *PROMOTIONAL* COPY ....        

                             ((SPIRIT))            

          RANDY CALIFORNIA

   Kapt Kopter & The Twirly Birds

\        USA - YELLOW Epic Records - E 31755 ((PROMOTIONAL COPY)) 

CLEAN & SCARCE  first pressing 1972 original advance release PROMOTIONAL on the yellow Epic Records = the first and by far the best solo album by the guitarist/vocalist of "SPIRIT" ...a wild tripped out echo-plex guitar bomber...

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Here, a heavy guitar tripper that is very underrated featuring a dazzling array of power frenzy wah wah guitar and feedback explosions -- in trio format setting -- backed up no less by The original Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist & drummer, Noel Redding & Mitch Mitchell, under assumed names for contractual reasons....

First, the Jimi Hendrix thing. Randy California may have influenced him, rather than vice versa.  California was a young runaway who played in a band with Hendrix for a little while in a 1966 band called The Blue Flames. His real name was Randy Wolfe. Since there were two Randy's in the band, Jimi called them Randy Texas and Randy California. The latter went on to form Spirit with Ed Cassidy. Shortly after Jimi's death, Randy California released this solo album, letting his guitar playing burn more than it had in Spirit. "Kaptain Kopter and the Fabulous Twirly Birds", is as devout a testament to Hendrix's music as has ever been waxed. 

It's a very raw sounding album with a very live essence and Randy gathers Noel Redding (using the pseudonym Clit McTorius) and Mitch Mitchell also beats the drums. California's step father Ed Cassidy, longtime Spirit drummer, also makes an experienced appearance. "Downer" is cool psyched-out stoner rock song with sheets of distorted guitars, delayed and echoed vocals that give that twirly acid feeling and has that typical laid back Californian style all over it. Think Blue Cheer but with better riffs and superior delivery. "Devil" is even better. A classic track more laid back that most of the other material here with killer licks and excellent vocal melody with that stoned out quality that is par for the course of what is an acid trip entitled Kapt Kopter And The (Fabulous) Twirly Birds, very inspired. includes an awesome Beatles rifftastic take on  "Day Tripper", a song Hendrix used to cover in the days that Randy Wolfe played with with him before the Wolfe became California, and the more or less unsung Beatles track "Rain" which becomes an eight minute plus acid-rock groover. Very unlike the original but this is a good thing. There is nothing worse than a band covering another artist's material and playing it note for note, making no mark what so ever and so cede a personal identity, trait. California adds his own dimension, idiosyncratic style and feeling to "Rain" as he does with the other cover songs. This is a great album and the songs are genuinely good and mystifying.
                            

1. Downer

2. Devil

3. I Don't Want Nobody

4. Day Tripper

5. Mother and Child Reunion

6. Things Yet to Come

7. Rain

8. Rainbow

CONDITION: The Cover: The white cover is usually found dirty after, 38 years ...this one is TOP LEVEL M- white clean and solid with PROMO song titles timing strip on back cover = all over solid = no split seams, no writing anywhere.

The Vinyl: all glossy clean and clear M- with clean labels...it play graded outstanding!!!

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record