MAGIC SAND - (S/T) - Uni - 1ST PRESSING - Rural Psych Rock - 1971 - spiritual

$

30

MAGIC SAND

“MAGIC SAND”  

Uni       73094

1971

FIRST PRESSING

EX / VG++

BEST PRICED COPY ON EBAY AS OF 02-27-2017.  There is one other copy of this rarity on eBay now  sitting at $152.99 (incl. post.).  Check it out.

Very rare copy of this highly sought after LP.  For being released on a major label, this LP is incredibly hard to find and ESPECIALLY in this shape!  I found this in Big Spring, Texas at the Salvation Army right on the curve as your headed north out of town.  It’s the only time I have ever seen a copy. I never saw it in a retail record shop in the early 1970s.  I was stunned. 

This LPs style is actually all over the board.  The obvious (AND GREAT) acid song “Get Ready To Fly” is the same song as appeared on The Hooterville Trolley’s lone 45 (see below). There’s rock blues, country rock, garage pop, holy-roller[R1]  rock gospel, and proto-Americana.  Hell, I’m surprised these guys didn’t throw in some Hawaiian music.

Recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico.

Stored vertically in a smoke free environment for 46 years.

MORE INFO from the stellar RateYourMusicweb site: “One of the enduring mysteries of psych record collecting has been the nature of the relationship between The Hooterville Trolley and this band. The Trolley's single "No Silver Bird" has long been an icon of the genre, but that single represented the sum total recorded output of that band, at least under that name. When it was discovered that the exact same track turned up on this album, retitled as "Get Ready to Fly", rumors began to fly instead. The most common and widely believed was that the Trolley, or at least one member, became The Magic Sand. After recording this album, they wanted to give their earlier masterpiece another outing, so they included it here, despite its being completely out of place in this setting. But that scenario did nothing to explain why the song writing credits went to Ernie Phillips on the single, and someone named A. Klein on this album, the latter name never having been associated with The Hooterville Trolley. Well, I am proud to announce that, having just returned from an investigative sojourn, I am finally able to put the subject to rest. The bass guitarist from the Trolley, one Don Kinney, passed away several years ago. But I was able to track down his sister, who put me in contact with his first wife, who was married to him during those critical years. She told me this story:

"No Silver Bird" was originally written by Ernie Phillips. The band was dissatisfied with his version, and sort of punched it up a little bit on their own. The song was recorded in Norman Petty's famed studios in Clovis, NM, at a time shortly after he had just acquired a new mellotron. He was eager to use this new piece of equipment and the band were happy to oblige, literally drenching their song with psychedelic keyboards. They cut two versions of the song that day. The studio time had been paid for by their so-called manager, one Tommy Benvinedez, who insisted on rights to the music they recorded that day, for which he would pay royalties should anything ever come of it. It was Tommy B. who was behind the Magic Sand project. There was no real band by this name. It was entirely a studio project put together by Benvinedez incorporating all sorts of stuff, the exact sources of which are unknown. Some may have been recorded specifically for this album. Other tracks, such as The Trolley's, he just had laying around and decided to throw on here (incidentally, the version that appears on the album was the second take recorded at Petty's studios that day, and not the one on the Hooterville Trolley single). Consequently, the styles of music are all over the place, from country to rock, and everything in between, and  don't even sound to be recorded during the same time frame. Overall, this one is a bit of a disappointment, despite the inclusion of such a notable track. But don't be afraid to check it out for some hidden gems you might discover on your own.”

AND: “Very much a 1970 Earthy sound.  Falls somewhere between Boogie/ Blues Rock and Garage Pop with some country elements.  Typical 1960's stereo seperation keep drums on left channel, most other instruments on the right.  The vocals are unencumbered by effects and sound very clear, though not strong enough for some of the material.  I have no idea about this band and don't even remember how I came to own the record, but it's a somewhat pleasant surprise.  However, if you're looking for some psychedelic masterpiece as the cover may suggest, you will only find it in one song.

The best songs are "Listen to What's Not Being Said" (anti-war/ cover-up conspiracy), "The Good Lord Willing" (down-home nod), and "Get Ready to Fly" (pysch-pop blatantly concerning dropping acid).  It's a cool find and a great listen if you skip over the middle of Side Two.”

 [R1]