T1FFANY SHADE RARE 1968 Mainstream psych LP ORIGINAL

$

97

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

Tiffany Shade "TIFFANY SHADE"

Original 1968 LP on Mainstream, STEREO S/6105

Cover:  Nice VG++/EXCELLENT, small cutout hole, except BACK has been colored in!

Vinyl:  Clean, nice, plays VG+ with scattered pops & light surface crackle (under).

A piece of crap.  Those aren’t my words.  That’s how vocalist Bob Leonard describes Tiffany Shade’s sole album, released on the Mainstream label on December 11, 1967, after just two 8-hour days in the studio and absolutely no promotion whatsoever from the label.  Both of which can make a man feel like he wasn’t given a fair shake, and I understand that.  But like it nor not, Bob, the three-digit figures your album commands these days means the rest of the record collecting world doesn’t share your opinion.  Now, let’s prove Bob wrong…

First of all, there are three elements that make up the Tiffany Shade sound.  And they’re prevalent in every song.  Like that omnipresent dancing acetone organ, which lends a very strong Doors sound to the album.  Bob bought that in 1966 after selling off his Honda 65 scooter – the organ, that is, not the Doors.  Add to that a giant WALL of lush harmonies, obviously influenced by the Beach Boys and the Mamas and Papas – they’re all over this record, and serve to “open it up” a bit and give it a much fuller sense of depth and richness.  The band may have been rushed in the studio, but you’d never know it – unlike most Mainstream label albums, Tiffany Shade sounds very finished, and very meticulously crafted.  Like a Brian Wilson album.  And you wouldn’t call that crap, now would you?

And finally, you can tell someone in the Shade was into jazz.  Definitely the guys providing the backbeat – the bassist and the drummer – who provide some unexpected, jazzy stutter-step breaks.  Which gives the songs a jolt of Music Machine-like energy, often in contrast to the very pretty, very calming harmony vocals.  But hey, that’s what makes the Tiffany Shade so unique.  A melding of disparate styles.  Imagine if the Beach Boys jammed with the Doors and covered Arthur Lee and Love songs.  All on one album.  Are you foaming at the mouth yet?

It’s hard to believe then, with all these West Coast sounds, that the Tiffany Shade were actually from Cleveland.  Yeah, Cleveland.  “A Very Grand Love,” with its jazzy staccato waltz rhythm, dancing organ and perfect pop melody sounds like the Doors “Five to One” played by the Strawberry Alarm Clock (another California band).  “One Good Reason” has a jangly Avalon Ballroom Americana feel, like the Byrds or Buffalo Springfield, two more West Coast bands.  And the only cover on the album is L.A. band Love’s “Softly to Me,” mistakenly listed on the sleeve as “Come Softly to Me,” a 1959 hit for the Fleetwoods (who were from Olympia, Washington – close enough).  So what, are they surfing at Lakefront State Park now too?

Maybe that’s what went wrong with the Tiffany Shade album.  Touring locally around the Great Lakes area, the band found themselves sharing the stage with Big Brother and the Holding Company (whom they shared a label with) and the MC5 (whom they shared nothing with).  They didn’t care for the MC5, and it’s easy to see why.  They represented that whole gritty, urban Great Lakes area sound.  While the Tiffany Shade’s heads were half a continent away, on the streets of San Francisco and L.A.  Maybe if the Shade had grown up in the shadow of the Fillmore West, or the Avalon Ballroom instead of the Grande, they would’ve been treated with the respect and given the promotion they desperately needed.  But then again, the Mainstream label wasn’t kind or fair to anyone, even Janis.  But don’t let that get you down, Bob.  Your Tiffany Shade album is a great West Coast psych pop album, even if it came from the bowels of Cleveland.  And it’s not a “piece of crap” either.  That would be Pittsburgh…

 TO HEAR SOUNDCLIPS FROM THIS ALBUM, PLEASE VISIT MY HOMEPAGE AT WWW.KATHLEENTURNEROVERDRIVE.WIKISPACES.COM - YOU CAN ALSO HEAR SOUND CLIPS FROM ALL THE ALBUMS I HAVE UP FOR AUCTION ON THIS PAGE TOO.

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $5.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  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.  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.