ORIGINAL RTV RECORDS STEREO LP RTV-300

 SLEEVE HAS SEAMWEAR, TAPED ALONG TOP & BOTTOM SEAMS.  SIGNIFICANT WEAR AND SMALL TEARS TO THE FRAGILE FOIL BACK COVER (SEE PIC), LABELS ARE CLEAN WITH ONE FADED SPOT ON SIDE TWO

RECORD IS  COVERED WITH INNUMERABLE SCUFFS & SCRATCHES, MOST AREN'T DEEP BUT A FEW ARE...2 PRESSING BUBBLES ON THE TRACK "MUMBELLA BAYE TU LA" CAUSE SOME LOUD POPS, BUT THE WHOLE RECORD PLAYED THROUGH FINE FOR ME ON A TECHNICS 1200 WITH AN AUDIO-TECHNICA HEADSHELL.  ASIDE FROM THE PRESSING BUBBLE POPS, THE REST OF THE RECORD PLAYS WITH ONLY LIGHT SURFACE NOISE & CRACKLE

A PERFECT PLAY COPY!

Fankhauser formed this band after the demise of H.M.S. Bounty. Cotton and Willey had earlier played with Fankhauser in The Exiles.

Mu initially lived on a half acre estate in Canoga Park, California and were heavily into meditation and vegetarianism. Their debut album, recorded on a small Beverly Hills label, was both inventive and imaginative. Mu's sound was a departure from all of Fankhauser's earlier projects, being an earthy blues and folk group centred on Cotton's fabulous slide guitar work.

After Willey's departure the remaining trio moved to the island of Maui in Hawaii in 1974, where they recorded two singles for their own Mu label and, with the addition of Mary Lee and Jeff Parker, a second album, which was shelved when they split up. In 1981 Fankhauser remixed it, added two singles, and it was released in Italy.

Many other tapes of Mu exist and Children Of The Rainbow is an excellent album of material recorded live on Maui in 1974. It's full of well-structured, often mystical songs and also includes some tasty laid back guitar work from Fankhauser and Jeff Cotton (who had earlier played with Captain Beefheart). It also features a brief interview with the band by Lew Irwin.

Fankhauser, one of the West Coast's most interesting musicians, went on to make three solo albums, including one in 1976 (Maui M 101) and Mary Lee continued to play in his band. Parker remained in Hawaii, where he purchased an orchid plantation and Wimer became a youth counsellor in Los Angeles.

Like all of Fankhauser's bands, Mu were interesting and worth investigation.

You can also find Merrell Fankhauser's Pot on Reverberation IV (CD).

(Vernon Joynson/Chris Williams)-FUZZ ACID & FLOWERS

TRACKLISTING:

INTERNATIONAL: $4 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL RECORD

ALL RECORDS ARE ORIGINAL US PRESSINGS (UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)