DREAMS & ILLUSIONS 1968 GROOVY CQ FUZZ PSYCH LP LISTEN

$

31

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

DREAMS AND ILLUSIONS "Dreams and Illusions"

Original 1968 white label pr0m0 LP on the VERVE FORECAST label, STEREO FTS3040

Cover:  VG(+), ringwear, DJ sticker on front, small writing on front, edge/corner wear

Vinyl:  SUPER CLEAN, plays VG++

I wasn't expecting much from this innocuous looking album.  With its rather mundane MC Escher art and the fact that no less than SEVENTEEN musicians are listed on the back (is there really a place in psych rock for the French horn?), it was no wonder I'd never bothered to pick up this one during the first 25 years of my record collecting hobby.  Well, as the saying goes, I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.  DREAMS AND ILLUSIONS is actually a VERY groovy little swinging jazzy orchestrated popsike album, the kinda thing you'd expect to hear playing in a cool late 60's Peter Sellers flick, or CQ, with a few genuine subtle mindbenders thrown in for good measure.  The songs themselves are chock full of trippy sound effects, like a harmony pop Pink Floyd record, a Dark Side of the Moon for Association fans.  And they all interlink and overlap with each other so you can keep the head trip going without pause, which of course s**ks when you're trying to burn tracks to CDR but what can ya do?  "It's A Funny Situation" is a perfect example - its pleasant soft pop harmony structure is suddenly disrupted midstream by a complete jazzy freeform freakout break that comes out of nowhere, which is probably how it might've sounded if you were attending a Harpers Bizarre concert back in 1969 and they suddenly got blown off the stage by Poseidon-era King Crimson mid-song.  And if you don't think that's possible, just remember Jimi Hendrix once opened for the Monkees.  Don't think the guys behind DREAMS AND ILLUSIONS weren't taking notice. 

Elsewhere, garage psych purists will get a new song for their next mix tape with the opening "In A Dream," which kicks off with a solid blast of fuzz and sounds like some lost acid psych Electric Prunes classic, with constistently amazing guitar work throughout.  The flamenco touches in the furiously baroque "Walk Softly" bring to mind Love's FOREVER CHANGES - set to the hypnotic acid freakout march of "Smell of Incense" it's another lost masterpiece that sounds like the West Coast Acid Pop Art Experimental Band covering "Spanish Harlem."  If you haven't already noticed, you really need to hear this.  A pleasant surprise indeed.  Maybe there really IS a place for French horn in acid rock after all.

 HEAR IT!

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. 

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.