PETER KNIGHT Sgt Pepper 1967 SITAR FUZZ PSYCH LP LISTEN

$

48

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

PETER KNIGHT AND HIS ORCHESTRA "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Original 1967 LP on the UK MERCURY label, SUPER STEREO SML 30023

Cover:  EXCELLENT, small sticker on front (might be removable)

Vinyl:  Light handling scuffs, plays VG+ with light crackle

Peter Knight was an English composer and arranger born in 1917, so he was already pushing 50 when he decided to tackle Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in an effort to appeal to the young Swinging London crowd.  You might think this would be a disaster, right, some quinquagenarian (look it up) attempt to turn rock music’s Rosary Stone into elevator muzak.  But you’d be wrong.  Or half wrong.  Sure, some of this stuff is corny to the max as we used to say in the 80’s, but that’s only because half of Sergeant Pepper’s was corny to begin with.  I mean, no attempt on “When I’m 64” or “With A Little Help From My Friends” is not gonna sound cloying, so you gotta give Peter some slack there.  But on the title track, Papa Peter swings like he means it, with some blazing horns, thrashing drums and yeah, even a little bit of fuzz guitar on the reprise!  Sound is, of course, not an issue here – it is “Super Stereo” after all – and every nuance of Peter’s orchestra sounds super clear and vibrant.  The dancing strings, the tinkling vibraphones, each cymbal crash, the subtly buzzing fuzz guitar, even the sound effects, all faithfully reproduced.  But things get really far out in a groovy kinda way when he tackles George’s “Within You, Without You,” as you’d expect.  Almost as if he were high on mushrooms himself, Papa Pete doesn’t tamper with the sound much – he doesn’t add any unnecessary horns or Richard Clayderman piano or anything.  He lets the sitar and the tabla drums do the talking, as they should, and when the strings do come in, they push the crescendos to exciting new heights.  Even more than on the Beatles’ original, Peter Knight’s “Within You, Without You” sounds crystal clear and third-eye vibrant, a droning, cosmic sitar headswirler pushed along by a rumbling bassline and tireless tablas.  So listen, you whippersnappers, whoever said a 50-year-old couldn’t freak out with the kids hasn’t listened to Peter Knight’s take on Sergeant Pepper.  Heck, I bet he did hash before Donovan was even born.  And if you think that’s cool, check this out - Peter Knight went on to orchestrate the music for Roman Polanski’s Tess in 1979, and then Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Quest For Fire in 1981.  Which means he was hanging out with Nastassia Kinski and a mud-daubed fully naked Rae Dawn Chong in his mid-60s.  I just hope something like that’s coming up in my future.

 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.