OLIVER IN THE OVERWORLD LP RARE 1970 Rubble psych HEAR

$

100

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Freddie and the Dreamers "Oliver in the Overworld"

MUCH RARER THAN THE ONE CURRENTLY UP FOR BUY IT NOW AT $300!

Original UK pressing from 1970 on the EMI Regal Starline label, STEREO SRS 5019

Cover:  VG+, some creasing, sticker residue on back

Vinyl:  Plays VG++ to EXCELLENT

LISTEN TO THE ACTUAL RECORD YOU'RE BIDDING ON BY CLICKING ON THE ICONS BELOW.  PLEASE BE PATIENT, AS LOAD TIMES VARY.

It’s hard to talk about British popsike in the Swingin’ Sixties and not mention the lasting effect of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.  Surely Lewis couldn’t have imagined a rock subculture so enamored with his adult fairytale, because, let’s face it, there was no Pink Floyd or Pretty Things back in the 1860s.  But when he created characters like the hookah-smoking caterpillar, maybe he knew that it would take a century for the rest of the world to catch up.  Or catch on, at the very least.  But once Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane hit the charts with a 2-and-a-half-minute Cliff Notes recap (getting some facts wrong along the way, but that’s okay), while over on the other side of the pond, Jonathan Miller brought the psychedelic Wonderland to life with the help of Peter Sellers, Peter Cook and Sir John Gielgud (not to mention a groovy sitar soundtrack from Ravi Shankar), it was clear that Alice was going to be a more popular girl than ever. 

And she was.  It was hard to swing a lava lamp in the late Sixties and not hit something dedicated to her – the Monkees “Through the Looking Glass,” the Beatles “I Am the Walrus,” The Bunch’s “Looking Glass Alice,” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” Frumious Bandersnatch’s “Cheshire,” Boeing Duveen and the Beautiful Soup’s “Which Dreamed It” and so on and so on, curiouser and curiouser.  Better still came the realization that rock musicians could now create their own childrens’ nursery rhymes and set them to music, thus creating the birth of the concept album.  Which led to classic albums like the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, the Small Faces Ogden’s Nutgone Flake, and the Kinks Village Green Preservation Society.  But don’t blame Lewis Carroll for Rush’s 2112 – the plot was already lost by that point.

Still, unless you were a lad growing up in London during the Swinging Sixties, chances are you don’t remember this phenomenal psychedelic kids’ record – Oliver in the Overworld, as sung by Freddie Garrity of Freddie and the Dreamers fame.  Yeah, sure, I know what you’re thinking – how could anyone who once did the “Freddie” be responsible for something “psychedelic,” or even “phenomenal” for that matter?  Well, the first rule when you visit to the other side of the Looking Glass (or, in this case, the Overworld) is to believe – so grab that bottle that says “Drink Me” on the side and read on, boys and girls.  And get ready to believe.

Much like the second side of Ogden’s Nutgone Flake, Oliver in the Overworld is equal part spoken word fairytale and equal part song.  Now I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t understand a word of what Stanley Unwin was saying on Ogdens, even after hitting the hookah – so I’m happy to report that Freddie Garrity and crew do a much better job of relating the story of Oliver and all the crazy Carroll-like characters he meets on his journey to the Overworld.    And yes, this album is based on an actual British TV show for kids (supposedly), so every last melody on this album is the kind of bouncy, sing-songy nursery rhyme popsike tune that even a groovy ten-year-old can grasp.  Or a band full of architecture students whose lead singer needs help standing up.

So in that respect, the line between children’s-fairytale-inspired psych rock and actual children’s fairytale music may be more blurred than, say, Ogden’s Nutgone Flake or any of the other albums mentioned above, but even if Oliver in the Overworld never rocks out as much as the Small Faces, or gets as acid-riddled as the Floyd, it’s still an amazingly good pure English pop fairytale, a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Watchband for the Swinging Sixties set.  A Pre-Teenage Opera, if you will.  And if the gorgeous, lush, string-laden choruses of “Day By Day” and “I’ll Come Back and See You Again” aren’t permanently lodged in your brain after a few spins, then you obviously haven’t listened to enough late 60’s Hollies albums.

It should also be noted that there are two versions of Oliver in the Overworld to be found – this one’s the FIRST release, from 1970 on the Regal Starline label, with Freddie and the Dreamers providing all the music and vocals.  The second version came out one year later on the UK CBS label, a semi-sequel of sorts featuring some of the same songs and some new ones, along with a few other artists helping out.  This version is by far the rarer of the two releases, and also the only one to feature the original version of “Gimme Dat Ding,” a song made famous a few years later by the Pipkins.  Apparently, they recorded without Gladys Knight.

Much like the World of Oz album, Oliver in the Overworld is a whimsical slice of British pop perfection, a product of that heady time when Alice’s influence was everywhere, and every band worth its treacle well was plundering the Looking Glass world for inspiration.  Adult rock albums were teeming with children’s nursery rhyme melodies and fairytale lyrics, while children’s pop albums were peppered with just enough psychedelic touches and adult references (like Lewis Carroll’s prose) to keep the grown-ups interested.  And sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which.  It just gets curioser and curioser…

The less exciting stuff

First class shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.50 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $8 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.  I accept payments through Paypal, or you can send checks and money orders made out in US dollars.  Items paid by check are held 14 days for the check to clear.

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.  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.