THIS IS THE US ORIGINAL STEREO PRESSING on ATCO 'Purple & Brown' label. The single cover is in VG condition, with ring on front/rear, small drill-hole (top left corner), mild creases, discolouration/wear/damaged on spines/corners [top spine with 5cm split and start splitting on other parts, bottom spine with 2 splits (3cm centre + 5cm near right corner]), left spine is partially readable, for details see photos (with and without flashlight). The vinyl is in VG+ condition and plays wonderfully and without lessening in sound quality. COMPANY INNER in VG condition.

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BO GRUMPUS

ED MOTTAU, JOE HUTCHINSON, JIM COLEGROVE, RONNIE BLAKE

plus HERB LOVELLE, N.D. SMART (of The Remains), FELIX PAPPALARDI

Bo Grumpus were a trippy, sometimes edgy folk-based psychedelic band that came out of Boston in 1967. Their story goes back to the mid-'60s and guitarists Eddie Mottau and Joe Hutchinson, who had been performing as Two Guys from Boston. In the latter guise, they had crossed paths in the mid-'60s with Noel "Paul" Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary, who ended up producing their one and only single, which was released on the Scepter label. They had performed as far away as Dayton, OH, which was where drummer N.D. Smart heard them. They later asked him in, to form a trio, and he agreed and brought Jim Colegrove in on bass, the two Ohioans relocating to Boston. The quartet, initially working as the Bait Shop, made their debut at a bistro called the Loft on Charles Street. Mottau and Hutchinson knew Felix Pappalardi, a New York-based musician who had played bass on their duo recordings, and who had lately moved up to producing, most notably the work of the Youngbloods.

"BEFORE THE WAR"

Produced by Felix Pappalardi

1968     LP     ATCO RECORDS     SD 33-246  STEREO

PRINTED IN U.S.A.    ORIGINAL PRESSING

SINGLE COVER + COMPANY INNER SLEEVE

THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Barcode: none

LABEL: ATCO  - PURPLE/WHITE/BROWN LABEL - BLACK/WHITE TEXT

Catalog on cover: SD 33-246

Catalog on labels: SD 33-246 (ST-C-681269CT) /  SD 33-246 (ST-C-681270CT)]

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Stamped): CT  ST-C-6̷8̷1̷2̷7̷0̷ -1D     (Etched): I T 681269

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Stamped): CT  ST-C-681270-2B     (Etched): I T

On labels: STEREO

ATCO RECORDS

On back cover: Produced & Arranged by Felix Pappalardi

© 1968 Atlantic Recording Corporation     Printed in U..S.A.

ATCO Records, 1841 Broadway, New York, New York 10023

Division of Atlantic Recording Corporation

tracklisting

Side A: SPARROW TUNE - THINK TWICE - YESTERDAY'S STREETS

THE BREATH O' LOVE - A KNOWING YOUNG TOUCH

Side B: RAGTIMELY LOVE - TRAVELIN' IN THE DARK

BROOKLYN - THE MOON WILL RISE - IF I CAME TO YOU

grading

RECORD VG+ but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE VG but (please, see pictures and read above description)

This album has a lot going for it that one would hope for from a band working out of New York -- a sharp, rootsy approach to folk-rock, honed at the Greenwich Village clubs they were playing, coupled with flashes of elegance in the production accorded by Felix Pappalardi. The result is a somewhat flowery yet economical brand of melodic, folk-based psychedelia, that manages to be electric, spacy, and trippy, all at once. The production here gave the group a somewhat more florid sound than their actual performances, but it also dressed up the songs beautifully -- had it been heard by more people, Before the War might have been regarded as an East Coast rival to the Byrds' Notorious Byrd Brothers. As it is, the album apparently never sold, but still deserves a listen...(AllMusic)