BUTTERSCOTCH CABOOSE High Places 1969 AMAZING TRIPPY FLOATY ACID PSYCH 45 LISTEN

$

42

BUTTERSCOTCH CABOOSE "High Places" b/w "Can I Borrow Some Time"

Original 1969 45 on the US AGP label

Vinyl plays VG+

THEIR RAREST (AND BY FAR BEST) SINGLE, NEVER SHOWS UP!

Look, I’ll be the first to admit the name Butterscotch Caboose is a bit goofy, but hey, if they hadn’t had a huge hit with “Incense and Peppermints,” wouldn’t you have to stifle back a chuckle every time someone mentioned the Strawberry Alarm Clock?  Plus I can’t help but think the Butterscotch Caboose must’ve had some influence on Nineties indie band the Vanilla Trainwreck.  Good thing the Caramel Diner Car never got a record deal, or that whole “candy flavor/railroad term” template would’ve been so cliché. 

But once you’re done snickering over their name, take a listen to the soundclip, and I think you’ll agree that the Butterscotch Caboose’s final single from 1969, “High Places” b/w “Can I Borrow Some Time,” is one heck of a fantastic little mindblower.  It’s not only the band’s best single, it’s also by far their rarest – this one almost never shows up, and worse yet, no one’s even thought to put it on a compilation either.  Well, that’s not entirely true, since the Garage Compilation Database says “Can I Borrow Some Time” appeared on some French vinyl album called I’m Trippin’ Alone, but you’ll have a better chance of finding an Olsen twin shopping at Wal-Mart. 

“High Places” in particular is an absolute stone-cold headphone trip of the highest order – a drifty, floaty stoned masterpiece that sounds like something off the J.K. and Company LP.  “Are you afraid of high places?” they ask, remembering to stretch the final syllable of the next line “How high can you go-o-o-o?” and adding a nifty little sitar solo so you’d have to be a Hilton sister not to get the double meaning.  Some very high, almost helium-aided female vocals enter in on the second verse, adding a nice childlike nursery rhyme touch to this hazy relic from the other side of the Looking Glass.  Nicely done, guys, now don’t bogart the hookah. 

Meanwhile, the B-side that appealed to a single French compiler back in 1999 is also kinda trippy, starting with a ticking clock rhythm and laced with plenty of production studio trickery.  At its core, it’s solid good-time pop, given some nice jangly Byrds guitar and lovely female vocals in the bridge.  It’s a cool tune spiked with some trippy psych touches, but it pales a bit in comparison to that peyote cloud of a plug side.  Let’s put it this way:  It’s not the side I would’ve chosen to comp first, but hey, I don’t own a record label, and I’m not French.  

Nevertheless, this Butterscotch Caboose single is one of the best singles I’ve heard so far this year, and also one of the biggest surprises.  I was expecting some sub-Joey Levine bubblegum toss-off, and instead I got a lighter-than-air trip through the Topiary Gardens of Lewis Carroll.  Thank goodness they proved me wrong.  Now I just hope the Marshmellow Tugboat is half as good as this.

UPDATE: SORRY, I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).

(THE LESS EXCITING STUFF...)

First class shipping is $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Delivery confirmation included in the shipping costs.  US International postal rates just shot up nearly double this past week, so please take note of the new rates.  I don't make a profit on shipping costs - these are what the post office charges me.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $3 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $13 US, with each additional record only $4 shipping.  

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. 

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.