CONDELLO Phase 1 KILLER '68 fuzz psych LP ORIGINAL HEAR

$

41

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

CONDELLO "Phase 1"

Original 1968 LP on the Scepter label, STEREO SPS542

Cover:  VG++ small cutout hole, small writing on front

Vinyl:  REAL CLEAN, no marks, plays VG++ to EXCELLENT

If you’re wondering if you should splurge for that leather-bound gold-embossed patchouli-oil-rubbed edition of Vernon Joynson’s Fuzz Acid and Flowers, here’s what ole Vern has to say about Mike Condello’s 1968 album Phase 1:

“Formed in Arizona but based in California, Condello's Phase One album has some interesting moments.”

That’s it.  Some interesting moments.  Thanks, Vern.  I’ve been listening to this album for decades now, enjoying every stroke of pure pop psych genius, and I’m SO glad you’ve summed up in four well-chosen, very descriptive words.  It “has some interesting moments.”  Well yes, Vern, it does.  That gold-embossed leather cover on the new $200 edition of Fuzz sure is…er, interesting too, isn’t it?

Lemme just right that wrong now if I could.  I know you’ve got a lot of work on your plate, and your selling point is exhaustiveness anyway, at the expense of…oh, say, little things like details.  Quantity over quality.  Luckily, I don’t HAVE to list every single, album and CD by Mike Condello, so I can concentrate on the brilliance of Phase 1 alone, and why every psych pop freak in the world needs to own this album.  Along with your fancy book, I mean.

Simply put, Condello’s Phase 1 is one of the best popsike albums of the decade, far FAR more enjoyable than 99.9 percent of the albums that cost hundreds of dollars more.  Mike knows his way around a pure pop hook like John, Paul or George, and songs like “Oh No,” “The Other Side of You” and “Dr. Tarr Professor Feather” are INSTANTLY memorable the very FIRST time you hear ‘em.  I honestly don’t know why all THREE weren’t big hits back in ’68 – maybe it’s because Mike tends to “enhance” his pure pop hooks with trippy psychedelic touches – the waspy distorto-fuzz licks on “Oh No,” the swirling harmonies and liquidy guitar in “The Other Side of You,” and the fact that everything in “Dr. Tarr” is phlanged within an inch of its life.  But it WAS 1968 after all.  Those things were all prerequisites just like a Giorgio Moroder synth beat was in 1977.

Condello also captures the age on the jaunty, rollicking “All You Need,” pure West Coast San Francisco Avalon Ballroom psych rock, a heady mix of the Notorious Byrd Brothers and the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’.”  At least until the freakout break, when a series of psychedelic color wheel guitar explosions erupt with all the frenzy of something off the Who’s Live at Leeds.  Oddly enough, Phase 1 is bookended by the two most disparate tracks on the album.  “Crystal Clear” opens Side 1 with the gentlest, most fragile piece of trippy pop, all twinkling music box harpsichord, strumming acoustic guitar and breathy vocals.  No doubt Mike Condello chose his title carefully – “Crystal Clear” bears a rather obvious similarity to Tommy James and the Shondells “Crystal Blue Persuasion” and is nearly as good.  It just didn’t get the love on the charts.

Side 2, on the other hand, ends with the heaviest slab of Godzilla-rampaging-through-Tokyo-again freak rock on the album, “It Don’t Matter,” FIVE SOLID MINUTES of cymbal-crashing, guitar-wrenching gutbucket thrash and burn.  Seriously, this thing’s heavier than an American tourist, riding on a nearly-impossible rubbery bottom-scraping fuzz bass that sounds like something off an old Graham Central Station album, and the drummer won’t stop bashing the cymbal for a second.    Imagine Blue Cheer and a couple guys from the first Funkadelic album jamming on “Helter Skelter” while Animal from the Muppet Show band handles the skins.  It’s a celebration of noise for noise’s sake.  And it’s a great way to end an incredible album.

So there you have my take on Condello’s Phase 1.  Three genuine popsike miracles.  A bit of Dead rock, some beautiful baroque pop, and one all-out sonic assault on your brain.  Or, as that $200 leather-bound Bible of Music says, “some interesting moments.”  But you know me – I tend to be long-winded.

 CLICK BELOW TO HEAR 2 SONGS FROM THE ACTUAL RECORD YOU'RE BIDDING ON:

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS REQUIRE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, WHICH IS AN EXTRA 75 CENTS.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  ALL FOREIGN ORDERS REQUIRE CERTIFICATE OF SHIPMENT, WHICH IS AN EXTRA $1.10.  I accept payments through Paypal, or you can send checks and money orders made out in US dollars.  Items paid by check are held 14 days for the check to clear.

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. 

And finally, I include delivery confirmation on all shipments inside the US.  This is my proof of shipment, and also helps us to track your package if it doesn’t arrive when it should.  I will email you within 2 days of shipment and give you the confirmation number at that time.  Insurance is always optional, but for larger orders, it’s highly recommended.   I DO NOW REQUIRE THAT ALL FOREIGN BUYERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1.10 FOR PROOF OF SHIPMENT.  IT'S A NOMINAL FEE AND THE CHEAPEST WAY FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I ACTUALLY SHIPPED YOUR PACKAGE AND DIDN'T JUST POCKET YOUR MONEY AND SKIP TOWN.  For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a cost-effective way of tracking parcels to foreign countries yet, and shipping times vary depending on your country’s postal system.   Italy in particular seems to be really bad at delivering packages quickly, or delivering packages at all, now that you mention it.  I will always email you when your package ships, but once it’s on its way, please don’t ask me when it will arrive because I don’t know.  If the world’s postal systems can ever agree on a universal tracking system that’s affordable, I’ll be the first to use it.

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.