PACIFIC DRIFT Feelin' Free 1970 RARE PROG PSYCH LP HEAR

$

46

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

PACIFIC DRIFT "Feelin' Free"

Original 1970 LP on the DERAM label, STEREO DES 18040

Cover:  EXCELLENT, real clean, pr0m0 sticker on front

Vinyl:  REAL CLEAN, looks like it's hardly been played, odd brown/white label design, plays VG++

I’d like to think the members of Pacific Drift are looking for success, although crawling around on your hands and knees on the jagged rocks and shells of some forlorn British shoreline probably ain’t the way to go.  It also doesn’t help that, even though every song on Feelin’ Free is technically competent and obviously the work of seasoned veterans (one member came from freakbeat gods Wimple Winch and they all backed Dave Berry on a 1969 single), nothing here really stands out from the crowd of post-psychedelic FM prog pop clogging the airwaves of 1970 – like Traffic, the Stones and the Small Faces, for example, all bands I’m sure the Pacific Drift coulda held their own against.  And their best song, the Dave Mason-esque “Going Slow,” which very well could (and SHOULD) have been a radio hit as big as “Freedom Rider” or “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys,” was LEFT OFF the US pressing of the album!  So sure, they mighta been “feelin’ free” searching for gold doubloons before the tide rolled in, but they were also being d**ked around by their label big-time.

Still, Feelin’ Free will give you plenty of 1970-era prog pop pleasures if you let it.  “Just Another Girl” is great catchy Stones/Faces rock, and even gets the help of some gospel girls on backup vocals, not unlike what Jagger/Richards were doing around the same time.  Nothing like a few soul sistahs to give a stodgy old British studio band a good shot of instant groove, right?  There’s some great guitar here, and the Drift sound looser than usual, although not nearly as ragged as the Faces could get after a productive night at the pub.  Or the Stones after six tons of heroin.  But for session musicians cum beachcombers, that’s still pretty loose.

“Norman” gets in a last-second shot of Carnaby Street popsike before the dreaded Seventies takes over for good, and even sports a nifty little flute solo a few years before Jethro Tull made ‘em unbearable.  So the long and short of it is this.  There’s nothing here that’ll embarrass anyone, and for a nice second-rate Traffic/Faces/Stones shot of 70’s rock, Feelin’ Free is still a pretty good buy.  But then so are Traffic, Faces and Stones albums.

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.