Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava (LP) [1968, ESP, US] SIMON FINN/TREES/TOM RAPP

€ 40

$ 46

€ 40 Sold For

Jan 31, 2013 Sold Date

Mar 16, 2012 Start Date

1 Number Of Bids

Germany Country Of Seller

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Description

Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava (LP) [1968, ESP, US]
1968, Singer & Songwriter / Psych Folk

Details:
Label: ESP Disk
Cat. Nr.: 1075
Pressing Year: 1968
Country: USA
Other: Stereo, thick cardboard sleeve
Condition:
#Cover: VG+
#Vinyl: VG / median scuff on A-side, rest of
LP only very few minor hairlines and few minor scuffs

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Quite a brilliant little psychedelic folk album. This is apparently about the Vietnam War, and Tom Rapp does a great job of capturing the lyrics in a calm, psychedelic way. They're protest songs without being overtly stupid. The album starts out with what is apparently a 1880's recording of the actual bugeler. That's pretty weird considering I didn't even think they had the technology to record stuff back then, but now we're getting off topic...

"Translucent Carriages" is a great song, with breathy echoed lines to go with Tom Rapp's lyrics. "There Was a Man" is Dylan-esque, but it still delivers quite well. The surprise standout for me is definitely "Guardian Angels", which sounds like it was recorded on some old device, but the strings in the beginning, and the melody are just great.

Unfortunately, the second side of this album doesn't fare as well. The Leonard Cohen cover is pretty unneccessary, since this is supposed to be Tom Rapp's songwriting to describe the Vietnam War, and when you're doing a cover, it doesn't really work out. Besides Lenoard Cohen's cover, the rest of the songs are quite dull, from "Lepers and Roses" to "Ring Thing". "Florence Nightingale..." is another one of those old recordings...yeah.

Besides the second side, this album offers great, atmospheric music, but with enough hooks to help out. I've heard some people are turned off by Tom Rapp's kind of slurred vocals, because it seriously sounds like he has a speech-impediment, but this is a fucking psychedelic album for God's sakes! You're not going to get clean sounding stuff on this, and his voice works fine. (~Seattle_Junkie_Queen)

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