MANDRAKE MEMORIAL Medium orig '69 LP psych MASTERPIECE

$

67

One of my favorite psychedelic albums of the 60's - and one I keep comparing other albums to all the time - Mandrake Memorial's second album "Medium" from 1969 on the Poppy label.  Easily their hardest album to find, and also easily their best (although all three are excellent), "Medium" contains one of the most amazing album sides in the history of album sides - the ebbing, flowing and brooding miasma that is Side 2.  The first side is sort of like the first album - good to great songs that have defined starting and ending points, distinctly separate from each other, peaking on the tracks "Snake Charmer" and "Witness the End", two of the stronger psych pop cuts in the band's ouevre.  But that SECOND side, the brilliant quartet of "After Pascal"/"Smokescreen"/"Barnaby Plum" and "Cassandra" - that's ONE complete organism, with each song flowing directly into the next, so end points and starting points are rendered moot.  Someone on Amazon described this album as having "a gradual tidal wave swelling to it" that could best be appreciated the more you listen to it, and that's an excellent synopsis.  Listening to the second side in full (and that's really the only way to do it) is like spending a night in space - things move by you, slowly and patiently, cosmic tides of sound coming at you from all directions.  In short, one of the all-time GREATEST headphone album sides EVER, and at 23 and a half minutes, a lotta big bang for your ever-expanding buck.  Original 1969 pressing on the Poppy label.  This was a former radio station album, so as you can see from the picture, there's station call letters written ALL over the cover - front, back, inside gatefold - some ringwear, taped seams on top and bottom - so I'd grade the cover VG at best.  The vinyl, the real thing you're interested in anyway, plays real strong VG++ and sounds wonderful.  Winning bidder pays $3.00 media mail shipping in the US, $6 air mail to Canada, $12 airmail everywhere else.  Paypal, Bidpay, cash, checks and money orders accepted.  Please check out my other auctions for more pop, psych and garage obscurities, and SAVE ON SHIPPING!