NSU Turn On or Turn Me Down '69 Scottish heavy psych re

$

41

Now THIS is the kind of thing collectors will hurt each other over - NSU's "Turn On, Or Turn Me Down" - a stupendously rare Scottish heavy psych power trio who made this one album in 1969 and then disappeared forever, leaving completist collectors to sell off their cars, homes and less popular children to find one. This is a long-gone vinyl reissue of the album on the Nagram label. Couldn't really tell where these guys came from (outside of Scotland, of course), or what "NSU" stands for - No Such Unicorn? Not So Unusual? Never Seen Underpriced? Hey, that last one works. I've heard a TON of dealers compare this one to Cream, but I disagree - that might be less a musical comparison and more a description of how collectors react when an original turns up for sale. Sure, both bands like to light up the heavy guitar chords as much as possible, but I think musically they're closer to the heavy psychedelic sounds of the Open Mind. Especially the title track, a bludgeoningly heavy slab of psych rock with lots crunchy power chords and frenetic, pounding drums. They even throw in a chorus of female gospel singers, as if the band couldn't make enough noise on its own. "All Aboard" is another killer rumbling heavy freakbeat pounder that strongly resembles the Open Mind's "Free As the Breeze." The closest NSU ever gets to Cream is on "You Can't Take it From My Heart", a frenetic blues rocker with some blistering lead guitar that's got Cream's sound down, only played at twice the speed of anything Cream ever recorded outside of "SWLABR." "On the Road" might be a Canned Heat cover - I say "might" only because it's kinda hard to tell - I mean, it starts out sounding sorta like Canned Heat's hit, but after 4 minutes of intense wailing and diving fuzzy acid guitar solos, it goes off on its own. The guitars continue to basically show off their chops, while the drummer and bass guitarist begin to loosen up. Then the drummer takes a solo - don't panic, it only lasts 2 minutes, a mere bathroom break compared to Ginger Baker's solos with Cream - and then the buzzing and droning waspy guitar cuts back in again and wails like a banshee for the remainder of the song. NSU isn't all sturm and drang here, though - there's a song here that may give some much-needed insight into how these Scottish fellows worked - just as Keith Richards sang about being "happy" and the Yardbirds moaned about still being sad, NSU's emotional state is best described by the song "Stoned." No surprise, it sounds as blunted as you think it should, with lines like "Been scribbling on white paper, buses moving to and fro, light comes skipping through my window...still I'm stoned." The echoed-out female backup singers only help to drive home the point. Not coincidentally, the next song, a bluesy stomp called "Pettsie's Blues", begins with the line "I'm stoned." I'm sensing a theme here, aren't you? NSU - No Stoner Unturned? Exact vinyl REISSUE of this rare 1969 LP, on the Nagram label. Cover/vinyl both in NEAR MINT shape. Actually, the album itself plays VG++ because of some surface noise, but since this surface noise fades out at the end of each track, I'm pretty certain it's noise taken from the original vinyl. It's not distracting at all when the music's playing though. Winning bidder pays $4.00 media mail shipping in the US, $8 air mail to Canada, $14 air mail everywhere else. Paypal, Bidpay, cash, checks and money orders accepted. Please check out my other auctions for more obscure albums and singles, and I will combine shipping costs on multiple wins.