COLD SUN - DARK SHADOWS 70 AUSTIN PEYOTE INDUCED PSYCHEDELIA REMAST GUERSSEN LP

$

35

COLD SUN – Dark Shadows. Guerssen Records GUESS 236. Spanish release. NEW SEALED VINYL RECORD ALBUM. Originally recorded in Austin, Texas in 1970, but remained unissued until Rockadelic’s 1989 release. This restored & remastered edition issued in 2024. Includes a liner-note / photo insert and download card. Comes in a clear mylar sleeve with resealable flap and hype sticker. Ships as received.

 

MEMBERS:  Billy Bill Miller (autoharp, guitar, harmonica, lead vocals), Mike Waugh (bass, guitar, vocals), Tom McGarrigle (lead guitar, bass, backing vocals), and Hugh Patton (drums, glass chimes).

 

TRACKS,

 

SIDE ONE:

 

      01)  South Texas (5:15)

      02)  Twisted Flower (2:59)

      03)  Here In The Year (8:48)

      04)  For Ever (4:22)

 

SIDE TWO:

 

      05)  See What You Cause (3:36)

      06)  Fall (7:06)

      07)  Ra-Ma (11:09)

 

DESCRIPTION:

 

“One of the most important psychedelic records, and unlike any other one.” – Paul Major

 

“Cold Sun is an anomaly in Texas psych history. As significant as Bubble Puppy or Moving Sidewalks but in no way similar, the Austin quartet cut one cult classic in its brief existence, the spell-binding Dark Shadows, which Jello Biafra called “the best psychedelic album I know of.” – Austin Powell (Austin Chronicle)

 

“Billy Miller invented Post-Punk in 1970” – Julian Cope (Head Heritage)

 

For your further reading enjoyment and enlightenment I offer further details on Cold Sun:

 

Vivid peyote-induced psychedelia from Texas sounding like an impossible meld between the Elevators and the Velvet Underground but possessing a strongly unique disposition. Recorded in 1970 but never released at the time, featuring future members of Roky Erickson’s backing band Bleib Alien / The Aliens. Cold Sun were formed in Austin in the late 1960s by visionary lyricist and autoharp player Billy Bill Miller and his guitarist friend, Tom McGarrigle. Miller was a proto-Goth figure always dressed in black, influenced by Joe Meek and vintage sci-fi / horror movies. He started to experiment with weird noises out of his electrified autoharp, favoring the audio-oriented drug mescaline over the LSD associated with hippies. It was through a friendship with Elevators drummer John Ike Walton that Miller and the band hooked up with the local label / studio Sonobeat (Mariani, Wildfire, Johnny Winter…), who expressed interest in recording an album with the intention to shop it to a major label: thus, the now-legendary Cold Sun album was born. The band, driven by Miller’s strange electrified autoharp sounds plus the massive fuzz guitar of McGarrigle, dressed with feedback and futuristic lyrics, laid down several tracks in between rehearsals at Miller’s house on Castle Hill (west Austin). The album opens with South Texas (“the ultimate psychedelic track,” according to Patrick “The Lama” Lundborg), climbing to a psychedelic summit with the final 11 minutes of the fervently intoxicated Ra-Ma. Never released at the time, the Cold Sun album languished in oblivion and the musicians moved on to other things. Billy Bill Miller along with drummer Hugh Patton founded Bleib Alien (later The Aliens), the famous backing band of Roky Erickson, with Billy being essential in bringing Roky back to music after his stay at Rusk Mental Hospital. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Cold Sun album was finally released on vinyl by the Rockadelic label (in a tiny edition of 300 copies), followed by an edition on German label World In Sound in 2008, both long out of print. For this new edition on Guerssen, they’ve tried to imagine how the Cold Sun album could have looked like if it had been actually released in 1970. It comes in a hard cardboard sleeve with vintage styled artwork by psychedelic illustrator Callum Rooney. Sourced from the same audio master as the original Rockadelic LP, the sound has been vastly improved thanks to the meticulous and careful restoration / remastering by audiophile engineer Ezra Lesser, who has also penned the definitive story of Cold Sun for the liner notes.

THIS ITEM IS NEW AND UNPLAYED. Used items will include condition details for the cover, disc, inserts, etc.

 

NOTE TO POTENTIAL BUYERS:  If the jacket or disc (unless sealed) is punched, marked, or cut in any manner, denoting a promotional/review copy, I will state that as part of the item description. Also if an issue is a "music club" edition, that will be noted in the item description. (The below information last updated 10/29/24)

 

If you have any questions or if you have additional information, especially corrections, to the description, please e-mail me. I particularly enjoy when an artist, band member, or someone who has personal background knowledge of a particular album/artist and offers their insight/information of that recording, which I will include with the description for future listings of that release. As a collector of many years, part of the hobby side for me is to learn about the background of the artists and music that I collect. Hopefully, sharing some of this information in my descriptions will help educate and enhance your listening experience.    

All LPs are removed from their jackets and placed outside of the jacket for shipping. If an album comes sealed (and will be noted as such in the above description), it will be shipped whole unless you request that I open it up to place the disc outside of the jacket for shipping. Both jacket and disc are placed inside of an outer plastic sleeve before packing for shipping. I use professional corrugated record mailers with inside packing.

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER CURRENTLY LISTED ITEMS AND EBAY STORE:  Grooving To Paradise.

 

TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS:

 

SS or SLD:  Still Sealed or Sealed (or some variation of sealed depending on how many characters I have left in the title line). This item is new and unplayed. Also appears in the listing description as Sealed LP or Factory Sealed LP.

 

NEW LP:  This item is new and unplayed, but was received from a supplier without being shrink wrapped or cellophane wrapped; more common on imports but also many of the smaller independent US labels do not seal their LPs. These items are placed inside of a clear poly outer sleeve upon their receipt by me

 

GFC:  Gate fold cover.

 

LTD EDT:  Limited, as in limited edition. If I know the press run number it will be included in the above description.

 

#'D:  Numbered edition. I will include the number of this item if it is visible to me.

 

CV:  Colored vinyl.

 

S/T:  Self-titled.

 

RE:  Reissue

 

OOP:  Out Of Print.

 

MIX:  This sometimes appears in my title line and refers to a group's/artist's music having a mix of styles such a rock track with jazz then followed by a straight rock track followed by a psych rock track, etc., as opposed to a blues album with the album's tracks having predominantly one style.

 

MULTIPLE ITEM PURCHASERS: 

 

A shipping discount will be applied to all multiple item purchases. My automatically generated invoices do not apply discounted shipping (I?m kinda old school). Shipping discounts are automatically applied by two methods:

 

1)   Complete your purchase via the shopping cart and request an invoice total,         

The shipping amount will reflect the discount price for you to make your payment. This method seems to pose some difficulty in navigating to the request invoice link

 

2)   Purchase and pay the full individual shipping amount and I will automatically refund the shipping discount to you once processed for shipping. (This seems to be the preferred method of my customers)

 

US customers whose purchase includes CD(s) along with LP(s) will be shipped in a single package via media mail. Purchases of 3 or more CDs or a box-set will ship via media mail.

 

INTERNATIONAL customers whose purchase includes CD(s) along with LP(s) will be shipped in a single package at the current rate by weight and measurement.

 

A shipping discount only applies if all items purchased ship in a single package.

 

Please e-mail me with any questions you may have.

 

TERMS OF AUCTION/SALE: 

 

Buyer pays for POSTAGE & HANDLING:

 

US and INTERNATIONAL shipping information is as of October 29, 2024. Any subsequent changes in shipping will take precedence over the below information.

 

U.S. Shipping: 

 

$6.00 via USPS media mail for the first item, additional items determined by weight.

 

All US packages are processed for shipping via eBay and include a tracking number. You will receive confirmation of shipping via eBay with your tracking number; check you purchases file.

 

Payment for all customers is handled via eBay's managed payment service, which offers a variety of options.

 

Items are shipped in professional corrugated mailers.

 

If there are any other needs of your purchase please e-mail me before you make your purchase and I will do my best to accommodate them.

 

INTERNATIONAL Shipping:

 

I ship worldwide via eBay?s International Shipping Service for all purchases. A tracking number for this service is provided and may be checked via your eBay purchases folder (not USPS).

 

Items are shipped in professional corrugated mailers.

 

Older listed items may still list First Class Package International Service as the shipping method. As eBay?s International Shipping Service is implemented it will take precedents

 

Multiple item purchases will be shipped at the current rate based on weight.

 

 

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL RATES are set by Ebay's International Shipping Service based on the weight and size of your package. I ship world wide:

 

*ALL CUSTOMERS*  

 

HANDLING TIME: 

 

Packages are usually shipped with in 24-hours, excepting weekends and holidays. NOTE:  This is not the same thing as delivery time, which begins once a package is turned over to the post office; averaging 3-7 business days for US delivery and 5 days to 3 weeks for international delivery. As for eBay?s International Shipping Service, I have been using it selectively and increasingly over the past three years and with its improvements in security, delivery times, convenience, and price make it an easy choice.

 

RETURN POLICY:

 

If returning an item(s) to me you may request a prepaid shipping label for your return.

 

Refunds are issued once the item has been received.

 

I appreciate a brief comment as to the reason for your return.

 

NON-ARRIVAL OF PACKAGES:

 

US Customers:  Please wait at least two weeks from the confirmed shipping date before contacting me about the non-arrival of your package. All packages are shipped with confirmation/tracking via eBay?s shipping program. Check your purchases folder to track.

 

INTERNATIONAL Customers:  Please wait at least 3 weeks (or more) from the confirmed shipping date before taking any action. Follow eBay?s International Shipping program terms/instructions for resolution of any transit and delivery issues.

 

ALL CUSTOMERS:  If there is a problem with your purchase please e-mail me first with details before filing a resolution.