YAYS & NAYS  -   "s/t" LP (NEO 4229, 196?) in VG+ / VG+ condition! 

Description/Condition:  

Here's the YAYS & NAYS  "s/t" LP on the scarce NEO label from 1968.   Rather than try to describe this rare POP/PSYCH gem, please see the review below.  The cover is in strong VG+ condition, with light ring wear on the front, small brown age spots on the back and some seam rub wear (resulting in a small 1/4 seam split at top opening)  - still a strong, very presentable cover.  The LP is solid VG++ in appearance (a few light sleeve scuffs), but does have a slight edge warp that does not affect play on my turntable when tracked at 2 gms, but may be problematic if tracked  lighter.  The needle rises and jerks slightly with each rotation, but this is only evident on the 1st track on each side (you can hear them below; they sound fine) - the rest of the record plays smoothly.  To hear "Gotta Keep Travelin'" (Song 1, Side A), (CLICK HERE).   To hear "Call Me a Dog" (Song 1, Side B), (CLICK HERE).   And lastly, to hear the great song "If" (CLICK HERE).   Be sure to SEE ALL (4) PHOTOS (below the review).  This will be a NO RESERVE auction.  Thanks for looking and GOOD LUCK! 

Taken from the webpage http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/index.htm).

(Review #56)

YAYS & NAYS: Yays & Nays (Neo US 1968?) 

Rating: 9 out of 10

Sounds best on: Dixie beer

More info: zilch

Availability: $750 may take you there

The majority of LPs that fall into the "incredibly strange" category do so to no fault of their own, but as an effect of a marked disconnect between whatever artistic vision that went into them, and how the work is perceived by a listener in another time and place. A band such as the Kaplan Brothers obviously thought they had created a deep, meaningful statement with "Nightbird", while most people who listen to it hear... something else. This is all fine and doody and a testament to the lasting quality of popular music springing from experience and honesty, no matter if clever, misguided, or just strange.

But then there is a rarer type of bizarre vinyl testaments which we can enjoy because the band knew exactly what they were doing, and what they were doing remains unusual and imaginative to this day. After listening many times to the remarkable LP by Southeastern band the YAYS & NAYS I'm prepared to put them in this upscale category of strangeness. The misleading descriptions you may see on the rare occasions it's offered for sale is another indication of its elusive qualities. I don't know any LP even remotely like it, yet it's highly listenable, even commercial in parts.

The line-up of three guys and three girls is unique, but a logical cause and effect of the theme of the LP. You see, this is a concept LP dealing with gender oppositions, a "war between the sexes". Some of the tunes are sung by the guys, from a guy perspective, others are sung by the gals from a gal perspective, and on the incredible "If" we are treated to a Aristophanic dialogue between the two camps throughout the song. Try to hear this in your third ear, sung to a tough Kinks '64 chop-chop riff:

The opening track "Gotta Keep Traveling'" is an uptempo garage ditty sung mixed ensemble that works as a gender-neutral starting point for the album, with typical 60s lyrics about doing your own thing and escaping a dull, conformist society; the 1950s vocals of band leader "Big Daddy" adds an appealing beatnik touch in line with the subject matter. This is followed by "Nature is my mother", a partly-French sung tune that comes closest to "hippie" sounds on what is mostly a raw folkrock album. The gender theme is then introduced in full with the hilarious "Some Do, Some Don't", where-in "Big Daddy" laments the fleeting nature of his ladies' promises with lines like "Down with the ones who say they will/And then later say they won't". The gals back him up with a mocking gleam in their eye. This subject matter is extended into "Contrary Mary" wherein the 1950s macho crooner retroism is put to full use; the male lead asking Johnny Cash-style his girl for a bit more stability in their relationship.

The rest of the album continues in this same convincing manner, each track both an excellent standalone item and a piece in the bigger Yays & Nays puzzle. One reason it works so well, and stands up for repeat plays with no loss of impact, is that the songwriting and arrangements are remarkable, worthy any name release from L A or the Brill Building. The style is an eclectic 60s bag of P F Sloan folkrock, tough upscale r'n'r like the Raiders, Eastcost girl-group sounds and Broadway musical, all held firmly together by the strength of the lyrical content and the idiosynchratic, self-referential vocals. You'd be hard pressed to find another local, unknown item that delivers on all levels like this -- no matter where you press, it's there; the lyrics, the concept, originality, creativity, zeitgeist, even rare attributes such as irony and internal logic. 

Here at Lama Reviews we have a tradition of lamenting the unjust lack of success for artists that were in the wrong place or on the wrong label, but that line doesn't really cut it for the Yays & Nays, because even on Vanguard or Elektra I think this would have flopped at the time -- it's such a multilayered, double-edged trip that requires many plays to grasp, and thus probably better fit for our age than the fast and flashy 1960s.

Payment / Shipping ( MUST READ BEFORE BIDDING):  

$5.75 PRIORITY shipping in the USA, with $13.00 airmail postage for foreign orders (there is no additional postage for multiple wins).   Insurance, tracking and package  registration are optional  (I will not be held be responsible for uninsured packages).   Foreign orders must be paid for by PAYPAL or CREDIT CARD only (unless cleared with me during auction).  All items must be paid for within 10 days of the auction close date - absolutely no exceptions (sorry - I've simply had too many problems receiving funds and can no longer accept transactions lasting 30 days or more).

• Thanks for bidding and GOOD LUCK!

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