THE ACID TEST 1966 RECORDING - KESEY & MERRY PRANKSTERS

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This is a recording of the Merry Pranksters during an acid test they staged in a recording studio for the purpose of recording an acid test.   There is little music involved.   There is lots of rapping and psychedelic sound effects.  In those days 'rapping' meant a heart to heart talk, sometimes between two or more individuals or maybe just one person laying out their thoughts and feelings on some subject.  The current 'rap music' is entirely different from the 60's meaning.  The LP records stoned out raps by Ken Kesey, and some by Ken Babbs.  Kesey was a novelist who began to experiment with LSD and other drugs in the early 1960's, and he attracted a following of crazed heads who shared his very psychedelic vision of life.   They organized large parties in the early 60's to experiment with LSD, and the Grateful Dead became the house band for these events.   Ken Babbs was prominent in the Merry Pranksters, a leader as well.   The Merry Pranksters was the name given to Kesey's followers.   I believe this recording was made in March 1966, just before Kesey and the Pranksters fled the SF Bay area to Mexico and other places, because Kesey was taken to court for marijuana possession.  Simple possession ot pot could get you jail time in those days, and there was no doubt the authorities wanted to jail Kesey.   In October of 1966 California passed the first misdemeanor statute outlawing LSD.  The Pranksters came back to celebrate this event with a party in the Panhandle, a long one block wide park in Haight-Ashbury that extends from the huge Golden Gate Park.   I got to SF in August of that year, and my girlfriend and I walked into this party in the Panhandle, not knowing who these crazies were.  We stood three feet from Janis Joplin and then Pigpen as they sang in front of their bands, Big Brother and the Holding Co and The Grateful Dead.  These bands didn't have albums yet, but everyone but us knew who they were.  A Hell's Angel sat down with us and explained what was happening and pointed out the Dead (he wasn't sure of Janis' name, but knew she drank alot) and he pointed out Neil Cassidy who was sitting on the hood of a school bus painted psychedelic colors.  Cassidy was the Dean Moriarity of Jack Kerouac's novels.   Kesey is said to have been at the Panhandle party, this was October 7, 1966, but of course he was in disguise, since every cop in SF was after him.  The point of this story is that I am fairly certain Pigpen the organist of the Grateful Dead and Garcia are pictured on this album cover.  You can hear drums, percussion, some guitar and some organ in the background of some of the raps by Kesey and Babbs on the LP.   The first photo shows Babbs playing the harmonica in a circle of freaks, but I don't recognize any of them as being in the bands.  In the second photo, Kesey has headphones on, and to the right of him a fellow is sitting down.   I think this is Pigpen at the organ.  He wore shirts with patches on the sleeves sometimes, and this photo looks like the young Pigpen, who died a few years later of liver disease from drinking oceans of cheap wine.   The fellow on the right looks like Garcia, but the photo isn't very clear.  I saw Garcia around the neighborhood a few times, and he had long, thick, curly hair down to his shoulders in those days and no beard.  The popular image of Garcia is very different than he looked in those days.  He had serious acne scarring on his face, and he looked more handsome with the full beard he grew later.  The white turtleneck and vest are typical of the clothes he would wear then.  The brief blurb on the paste on front doesn't mention the Dead, but it does mention Kesey and Babbs.  Many musicians may have participated in the Acid Tests, but the Dead were the main ones, and it makes sense to me that Kesey would have called on them for such a project as this one.

    The condition of the record is VG at best.  It plays okay, with some hissing and popping.  I have enjoyed listening to it, and I will record it before I send it out.   It was mildewed when I got it, so I wiped it off with diluted alcohol.  It was very dirty, and it still needs to be cleaned some more, but it has no bad scratches, and it is enjoyable to listen to.   The only song on it is Kesey's sad lament about Peggy the Pistol, who shot too much meth.   The first cut features a straight TV journalist, typical of the early TV announcer type, trying to have a serious interview with the tripping Kesey, who makes him look very straight and foolish.  This announcer tries to interview Babbs as well, with no better luck.  The cover is in fair condition at best.   It has a mildew odor and long splits to the top and bottom seams, which are photographed.   There is a piece of the paste on front torn away, and there is a stain.  These are  photographed.   The back is blank, but it has a spot stain the size of a half dollar, and it is soiled with some ring wear.  The paste on front is soiled, and the whole cover seems brittle and very fragile.  I have it in a plastic sleeve, and the record is in an inner sleeve I provided in a separate plastic sleeve.  They will be mailed this way, with two layers of corrogated cardboard on either side.  I do this with all the LPs I mail.  It costs a bit more, but the records are super protected this way.  I have been very critical in this description, but the record is an enjoyable piece of vinyl, and I would rate it as one of the Holy Grails of Psychedelia.   Thanks for looking.  No Reserve!!!   I will combine winning items to save you money on shipping, when practical.   INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT I INSIST ON INSURANCE FOR  ANY ITEM VALUED OVER $29, WHICH MEANS SUCH ITEMS MUST BE SENT BY PRIORITY MAIL INTERNATIONAL. Under that valuation I will gladly ship by First Class International.   I WILL NOT LIE ABOUT VALUATION ON CUSTOMS FORMS.  NO EXCEPTIONS.