OTHER HALF s/t ORIGINAL 1967 garage psych LP Arthur Lee

$

65

Original 1967 self-titled album by the Other Half on the Acta label.  Ever wonder how the other half live?  Well, judging by the sound on this album, they live in a fuzzed-out haze of garage punk distortion, filled with screaming acid guitar and scraping fingernails of electric noise on psychedelic blackboards of melting reality.  And you thought it was in plush mansions with plasma TVs in every room, didn’t you?  Not so for THIS Other Half, anyway – who unleash a FURY of punkish purple haze that’s so intense, it can’t even last a half hour – funny how what was an LP in 1967 is barely an EP today.  Nevertheless, it’s all killer and no filler, as the kids say, starting off with a quick mock live introduction of the band, and then without so much a respite, we’re plunged headlong into one of the greatest Arthur Lee songs that Love never bothered to release.  In some alternate universe, “Feathered Fish” was the perfect follow-up to “7 and 7 Is”, and it made Arthur Lee the godfather of punk instead of, say, Iggy or Roky or Sky, and so “Forever Changes” never happened.  That’s not the way it went down in THIS universe, however, and so Arthur left his follow-up punk masterpiece to an unknown little band called the Other Half, and they sound so much like him on this version, I’ve actually seen it pawned off on dubious releases as an actual Love recording.  This is every bit as vicious and unhinged as “7 And 7 Is” was, an unrestrained machine gun blast of garage punk fury that uses rocket fuel as a catalyst and burns out in two short minutes.  Screaming acid guitar, shakin’ tambourine, swooping and diving rubbery John Entwistle basslines, and a fine impersonation of the ANGRY young Arthur Lee behind the mike.  If it were the only great thing the Other Half ever recorded, we could at least thank them for a brilliant rescue, but they prove to be just as explosive and furious with their own material.  Check out the MONSTER guitar blues workout “What Can I Do, Other Half” – there are more guitars here than in the Allman Brothers’ attic – scraping fuzz guitars, wild soloing Hendrix guitars, even a guitar that mimics the lead vocals!  If Jimi Hendrix were triplets, the sound of all three of ‘em playing at once might sound something like this, and afterwards they’d probably still have enough energy to kick Gunnar and the other Nelson boy’s a@#es.  Now there are times when the Other Half AREN’T trying to sonically rip the paint off the studio wall, and the boys are just as good at finding some groovy 1968 mellow head zones.  The great “Morning Fire” gallops headlong on a mad Russian Cossack rhythm, while a faroff echoey guitar fills in for the sitar they couldn’t afford.  The equally stoned “Wonderful Day” rides a reflective, mystical Byrds-ian melody line, and comes close to attaining the same hookah-smoked transcendence of the Yardbirds’ “Turn to Earth.”  Then it’s back to garage punk mayhem on the incomprehensibly titled “Oz Lee Eaves Drops.”  Whether they were turning up or turning on, the Other Half seemed to do both with equal success.  So now you don’t have to look through the bent-back tulips to see how the Other Half lives – just check out this MONSTER of an album, and start living the great electric garage punk dream for yourself.  Original 1968 pressing on the Acta label.  Cover’s in VG++ shape with a small 2-inch seam split on the top edge.  Very minor ringwear on front.  Both sides of label have small stickers (see pic).  Vinyl looks great, with only very minor scuffs.  Plays VG++ with occasional light crackle and pops.

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