OLIVER IN THE OVERWORLD 1971 KIDS' MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR SF SORROW UK PSYCH HEAR

$

81

"OLIVER IN THE OVERWORLD, STARRING FREDDIE GARRITY" LP

ORIGINAL 1971 LP ON THE UK CBS LABEL, STEREO 70096

COVER IN EXCELLENT SHAPE

COMES WITH ALL INSERTS, ORIGINAL SLEEVE

VINYL HAS LIGHT HANDLING SCUFFS ONLY, PLAYS EXCELLENT

I never woulda guessed in a million years, but darn if the combination of Freddie Garrity (of Freddie and the Dreamers, i.e. “Do the Freddie” fame) singing a children’s show soundtrack full of songs written by Albert “It Never Rains in Southern California” Hammond about four years too late doesn’t somehow add up to one of the most joyous, infectious and downright FUN British toytown popsike albums I’ve heard all year.  And it really is – if you just discount the fact that this came out in 1971 and pretend it was a product of London 1967 (and nothing on the album will tell you otherwise), Oliver in the Overworld would slide in pretty comfortably next to the World of Oz album and Side 2 of Ogden’s Nutgone Flake.  It’s based on Freddie’s childrens TV show Little Big Time, which I’ve never seen because I grew up in the States on a steady diet of Ultraman and Speed Racer (Our Saturday mornings were imported from Japan instead).  And while both those theme songs are pretty groovy, I sure would’ve liked the chance to watch talking clocks and cogs while soaking in some Carnaby Street popsike on the side!  I mean, it’s only natural that the Science Patrol hang out at the UFO Club, right?

The one thing you notice about Oliver in the Overworld right away is how immaculately produced it is.  Every instrument sounds fantastic – the drums are crisp, the bass BOOMS, and every harpsichord arpeggio and harp glissando on “I Want to Go the Overworld” practically LEAPS off the grooves and immerses you in a 3-D world of poppy-laced Alice in Wonderland psychedelia.  You can have all the lo-fi basement garage singles your little Back From the Grave-lovin’ heart can take – THIS is the stuff of musical journeys right here, and it doesn’t even bother me one bit that Freddie Garrity’s singing it.  I mean, don’t expect me to do the Freddie or anything, but when it comes to a little toytown nursery rhyme kiddie pop, he makes a pretty good conductor on the day-glo train through Wonderland.

And really, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the sing-song music box melodies of Oliver in the Overworld and, say, the Kinks’ “Phenomenal Cat” or “Wicked Annabella,” or the Small Faces’ “Itchykoo Park,” or Pink Floyd’s “Mathilda Mother” or “Bike,” or the Beatles “All Together Now,” except that on this album, there’s a chance a grandfather clock with eyes might be singing it.  But any fan of Peewee’s Playhouse is already okay with that, and besides, if you’re gonna hand me a Kinks outtake like “How to Get In When You’re Out” or a Syd Barrett demo like “The Song of the Hungry Drains” or even a charming slice of Bardot yeye pop like “You Are a Most Peculiar Boy” (sung by Freddie’s TV sidekick Debbie Bowen), then who am I to snub it just because the bass player’s a cuckoo clock that got rejected from the Muppet Show?  Heck, if you ask me, I still think Animal’s a better drummer than Neal Pert.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that, in the midst of this happy-go-lucky carnival and Carnaby Street color wheel, there’s one sad little song that still managed to get under my skin and move me like no one’s done since Sun let out that blood-curdling heart-wrenching shriek of despair when the freighter blew up and Jin was still on it.  It’s a beautiful little ballad called “The Little Girl Who Never Cried” (unlike this lightweight), and it’s a heart-crushingly simple song that says more about the joy of childhood versus the agony of adulthood than the entirety of Michael Jackson’s career.  If the backdrop isn’t poignant enough – gentle acoustic guitar, despairing flute, and weeping harp – then the lyrics themselves and what’s gotta be the most moving vocal of Freddie Garrity’s career pretty much seal the deal.  The story, in its entirety, goes like this:

There was a little girl who said one day

“You’ll never catch me crying.  I’ll keep my teardrops bottled up inside.

You can pull my hair and call me names, but you’ll never hear a murmur!”

So said the little girl who never cried.

She kept her word, even when she fell and grazed her knee.

She scratched her arms and cut her hand in a hawthorn tree,

Silently.

The years went by.  The little girl grew up.

Her heart was near to bursting with all the little tears she never cried.

Then one day she fell in love.

But things went wrong.

All her strength

And self control

Were quickly gone.

And the lump in her throat brought a tear to her eye,

And she went and cried an ocean.

And the poor little girl was washed out by the tide.

And the boats went out on the sea of tears

They looked for her but could not find her

And nothing more was ever heard

Of the little girl who never cried.”

Call me a softie, but that still does it for me, and as a matter of fact, this entire album moves me in a way that no Ultimate Spinach record ever has.  Oliver in the Overworld may not be the heavy acid psych mind-melter you’re willing to plunk down five C-notes for, nor is it a guitar lover’s wet dream.  But it is one of the most overlooked, most sonically engaging, and most absolutely joyously FUN popsike records you’ll ever get to hear.  Sure, it’s a children’s show.  And sure, it’s Freddie Garrity.  But until the day when someone unearths those lost demos Syd Barrett did for H.R. Puf-n-Stuf, this is about as trippy as kiddie show music gets.  And besides, Sigmund and the Sea Monster never made me cry.

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

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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…

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