Princess Flower & the Moon Rays Dreaming the Magic of Your Maya Orig LP Gong

$

2,225

An incredible offer of an ORIGINAL copy of the super R A R E  "Dreaming the Magic of Your Maya" by Princess Flower & the Moon Rays.  Recorded 1968.  Private Press LP released on Akashic Records #22 - Features post-Soft Machine / Gong sonic explorer Daevid Allen on guitar Loren Standlee on flute and vocals and Raja Samyana on percussion.  Recorded some psychedelic morning or in the wee hours of the night in a Paris Hotel room... so the legend goes - there have been 2 of these sold through ebay/popsike in the last 7 years!   A truly hard to find piece... and one of the holy grails of the genre of out-there psych and folk. 

ACID ARCHIVES has this to report:
A group of American freaks hanging out in Paris who joined up with an exiled Daevid Allen post-Soft Machine to form what has been referred to as Proto-Gong (aka Banana Moon #1), existing from late 1967 through 1968. They recorded this one LP in Paris in Spring 1968 before D.A. and Gilli Smyth did their Gong thing. The LP contains 6 tracks dominated by Standlee’s meandering flute and occasional vocals spewing out what appears to be free associative poetry. Daevid Allen is credited as being on only one track on Side 2; another guitarist, with the rather suspicious name of Fej Mornin, is credited with the guitar playing on Side 1, most of which does sound somewhat suspiciously like Allen’s style. The album opens with a short spurt of flute and laughter (male & female - could that be Daevid & Gilli?). It leads into the first song, “Lovin Spaceship”, a sort of Proto-Gong bluesy guitar strummer with Dylanesque stream of consciousness lyrics and a Bobby D harmonica finale. Following is “Women of Moon”, another free association Dylanesque blues strum. Side 1 winds up with a long track listed as two songs on the label. First is “Vanishing Rama”, a long krishna jam led by Standlee’s flute, echoed guitar sounding very much like Allen’s glissando guitar playing and crude “tin pot” drumming. Midway, a Spoonful rhythm intrudes, leading into proto-Gong space avant wanking. This flows directly into “Guharam Rock”, more free association/guitar strumming, though this time with a more rocking rhythm set by “shoe box” drumming. Standlee’s flute at its most meandering joins in toward the end. Side 2 opens with the one track that officially credits Daevid Allen, “Between Spirits”. This track is pure Gong; atonal flute over glissando guitar with nonsense vocals flitting in and out. The LP ends on the lengthy “Ancient Faces”. This is a raga-fueled flute and percussion instrumental with a female “chanter” Ziska Baum, described as Gilli Smyth’s “soul-sister”and sounds very much like her. The music is trancey, yet floating and a jew’s harp briefly floats into the mix about midway. As the harp fades away, the percussion intensifies, a male chanter is added and the now double-tracked flute engages in atonal sputtering until the LP ends as it began with a few seconds of laughter. Princess Flower and the Moon Rays dissolved in the spring of 1968 when Paris was enveloped by student riots. Loren Standlee and Ziska Baum returned to the U.S. after she was busted for marijuana possession. Standlee, Ziska and percussionist Raja Samyana were members through the late 60s of The Universal Mutant Repertory Company, which also included original Velvet Underground drummer Angus MacLise and his wife Hetty. Samyana is listed as guitarist, though. This LP is believed to have been released in New York City and the 3 or 4 known copies have all been found there.

VINYL:  VISUAL VG++  Several tiny hairline play marks visible each side.  Not deep or feelable, really.  Nearly as new luster and shine to the vinyl.  PLAY grades VG+.   I heard several light clicks throughout, plays very well though...  The home recorded / lo-fi origins of this recording and private pressing lend a very quiet intimate feel to the performances - and there are occasional clicks, but nothing that detracts from the vibe. 

COVER:  VG++  Image looks great,  NO ringwear.   Corners are are sharp.  Openings to sleeve are also sharp.  NO seam splits - see photos.  Spine is perfect. 

LABEL:  M no writing or wear near spindle hole. 

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