BROTHER FOX AND THE TAR BABY - SELF-TITLED (Original Oracle label)

$

35

Brother Fox And The Tar Baby

Self-Titled

VG+(+)/VG+

US 1969

Oracle Records - ORS-703

This band began as The Front Page News in Boston, Massachusetts. They were a hard psych band that included Steve Cataldo on vocals. They recorded one LP and were tabbed to become another victim of the Bosstown Sound before everything fell apart. Their LP sat on the shelves for 30 years before it was released.

Steve left the band and recorded the 'St. Stephen' psych masterpiece. The rest of the band became Brother Fox.... and recorded one more LP before they all departed permanently. The members dispersed into other bands like The Fools, Pugsley Munion, Hard Knox and Nervous Eaters.

You can read the full story about this band in my book The Psychedelic Digest. This is the album cover displayed in the book.

Musically, hard-core rock with dual lead guitars, keyboards and gritty vocals.

This was their only LP.

Gatefold cover has some general shelf, edge, corner and ring wear with some minor corner dings. No stickers, cuts or promo notations other than the record label itself. White label promo record has some sleeve and age wear with a couple minor hairline scratches that DNAP. Generic inner sleeve.

I was Ina-Gadda-Da-Records.

Long time buyer from E-bay and other record websites since the 90's.

Please bear with me. I'm selling off my entire record collection (about 40,000 LPs) listing them one at a time.

A long and arduous task. Lots of gems and rare stuff.

Check out The Psychedelic Digest.

THE FINE PRINT REVISED OCTOBER 2023 - GRADING DETAILS - SHIPPING DETAILS - RETURNS - FEEDBACK - ETC.

Auctions are listed for 7 days.  

All records are conservatively Graded to the best of my ability and are rated VINYL FIRST / THEN COVER. For double LPs Vinyl / Vinyl / Cover. 

ALL RECORDS ARE PLAY GRADED - All vinyl records are rated on how they sound. You have to decide if you are buying a record for the music or if you are trying to score a museum piece to frame and put on your wall.

GRADING DETAILS – I believe the grading system is flawed because of so many opinions. To me there are only 3 real ratings (Sealed), (Open and Played on a turntable), (Not Sellable). All the other plus’s and minus‘s are for the Contrarians. Nobody can agree. But I try to appease everyone and will throw a grading rate out there according to the rules. I ASK THAT YOU READ THE FULL DETAILS AS DESCRIBED BY ME ABOUT THE LOOKS AND SOUND OF THE RECORD. Don’t base everything on a simple grading rate M, EX, VG+, etc. I’m not that good at it.

AUDIBLE GRADING – There is no grading for how a record sounds. Some old records can look perfect visually, but play with ticks, clicks or noticeable low-level noise between songs or in the quieter moments and silent grooves in the lead-in or run-out. Much of this is due to vinyl quality from the pressing plant. If the noise is overwhelming, I won't list the record. But sometimes I will list a record with this noise if it is slight or the music is unaffected, or the record is way-rare. I mention all of this in the description. Other LPs have lots of visual marks and scratches but play quite clean, so I might grade the record higher than it looks. I like to listen to records regardless of how they look when it's spinning, so if it sounds good, that's how I’m going to rate it. The audible ratings are not an exact science. Not everyone agrees with the rating. But I grade as best I can.

VISUAL GRADING - PLEASE READ THIS!!!

COVERS - I'm a 72-year-old guy with Strabismus (an eye disorder). I try to visually describe every flaw that I can see, but sometimes I miss a small tear or a tiny seam split. Shelf wear generally means the cellophane was removed when they were new and they sat on a shelf or in a box without a plastic sleeve, before they were available, for several years, so there can be some rub blemishes, sticker residue if it was purchased used, tiny tears, slight seam splits and other defects. I will try and mention these flaws. But don't expect visual perfection unless it's a sealed copy. 

THE VINYL RECORD ITSELF - I will try to visually grade both sides of the vinyl record. Some record labels will have handwriting, sticker residue, a thrift store price sticker or small tears. Not often seen, but sometimes I miss this in the description. All of my records were played more than once, unless they were sealed. If I mention ticks and or clicks in the description, that means there will be some obvious hairline scratches that you can visually see and sometimes hear. Most of these imperfections Do Not Affect the Play (DNAP). If the visual flaws are obvious or severe, I will try and describe those as best as I can. 

VISUAL VINYL MARKS AND FLAWS - Records are for listening. Some people like to LOOK at records and are offended if I didn't mention the smallest hairline scratch or sleeve scuff. I don’t Inspect these LPs with a High Lumens Tactical Light and a Magnifying Glass. I PLAY GRADE the records, so the rating you see in my description is for how the record sounds. I try to mention any hairline scratches, blemishes and sleeve scuffs. But if I see flaws on a record and the music plays clean and the flaw Does Not Affect the Play, I shouldn't have to downgrade the rating. Again, are you going to listen to it or just stare at it on a wall? If you are looking for visual perfection for a 40 to 50-year-old vinyl record disc that was played on a turntable, you're not going to find it here. 

HIGH END RECORDS - There will be a few more pictures for any records that are high end items. I will give a more critical inspection and description of both cover and vinyl. Ask for more pictures if you need them and I can send them.

PACKAGING - LPs will be packaged in the proper corrugated cardboard box, we all know about, with extra cardboard pads. Each LP will have a clear plastic sleeve. The record itself will be removed and shipped within the sleeve separate from the cover to prevent any seam splits. 

SEALED RECORDS - The vinyl record will NOT be removed from a sealed LP purchase for shipping. If it's warped. Not my fault, but I'll make it right. Any other flaws found on a sealed record that was opened by you. Sorry, bought as is.

PAYMENT - Payment is only through PayPal and due within 7 days unless you let me know. If payment has NOT been received within the 7-day payment period and you have NOT contacted me, the record will be relisted.

I WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE, BUT INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE PACKAGE. DO NOT MAKE PAYMENT UNTIL I SEND YOU AN INVOICE.

PAYMENT EXTENTION - If you have won an auction and see another item that ends beyond the 7-day maximum payment period, let me know and I will hold your item until that bid period ends. This would be a special circumstance that would not extend beyond 10 days. I will invoice you for the full amount and expect payment at that point.

POSTAGE COST - Typically, USA Media mail would be 1-2 LPs- $5.00 USD. Canada around $23.00 USD. Europe around $30.00 USD for 1-2 LPs. Additional LPs as per total weight. I will send an invoice with the total postage cost. Everything is shipped via USPS. I don't use the E-Bay International shipping, because you and I have no control over the tariff costs, etc. Tracking for International shipping only covers destinations within the USA and only gives a Date Of Arrival for all countries outside of the US. Your record may have arrived and is sitting at your customs depot. (Sometimes for weeks) It would be up to you to call them for details about your package.

POSTAGE DISCOUNT - I can combine the shipping but will only send a maximum of 10-12 records per package. Additional postage will be determined by the total weight of the package. An invoice will be sent to you.

ADDITIONAL COSTS - Priority Mail, Insurance, etc. is available at additional costs. Let me know and I will send an invoice.

REFUNDS - I will Refund for any item purchased and received that was not fully as described. Grading is difficult and is the usual cause of concern. We're talking used and 30-50 years old. THERE ARE NO PERFECT RECORDS. Even sealed records can have visual and audible flaws, ticks, clicks, skips and heat warps. If there is a concern, please contact me. We can always work things out.

ANY RETURNS WILL BE POSTED AT BUYERS COST. If necessary, I will only refund the original purchase price.

Please message me through E-Bay to discuss any problems.

Positive Feedback is happily accepted and reciprocated.