Rare 1970 Mick Farren Mona The Carnivorous Circus 1st UK Press Psych LP Deviants

$

57

Up for auction is the rare first UK press Garage Psych classic LP "Mona-Carnivorous Circus" by Mick Farren released on Transatlantic Records #TRA 212 in 1970. This is the FIRST UK press and not a later reissue. Visually graded using Goldmine standards, the vinyl rates a NM with gorgeous shine and just a hint of surface wear. The glossy jacket is VG+ with no splits, but has a couple of small tears on the opening side of the back cover, has some nicks in the spine and some folds in the glossy plastic covering the jacket. Has the original inner sleeve. Overall A beautiful copy of this very hard to find album. DO NOT MISS OUT! Low starting bid and no reserve. Will be shipped in a sturdy record mailer with LP outside of the jacket within a protective plastic sleeve. Please see my other auctions for more rare vinyl.

Mona—The Carnivorous Circus is a 1970 album by the UK underground artist Mick Farren.

The album was recorded to fulfill contractual obligations. Farren had recently returned from a tour of the west coast of North America with his band The Deviants, who had risen up against him and sacked him. Farren had, however, previously discussed the idea of a solo album for the second LP of three on the Transatlantic contract (after The Deviants 3), with the third LP to be an album by the other band members, potentially also featuring drummer Russell Hunter's girlfriend Jenny Ashworth as frontwoman - an idea with which the three sidemen had been toying around the time of the contract signing.

Farren recalls that "I was crazy when I did Mona—really mentally ill. If I listen to it I can still feel it. Maybe I should have chilled out for a few months before making the album, but I was a bit depressed, and I thought I'd just do it entirely my own way for the first time." The subject matter is dark and the music very often discordant and dissonant.

"Carnivorous Circus" is a montage of song and spoken word, featuring interviews with a Hells Angel and Steve Took, the latter recounting time he spent in Ashford Remand Centre, as well as recordings of political speeches. Took also provides lead vocal for the short Observe The Ravens section of the title track. Also, during the Society of the Horsemen jam he quotes a lyric ("it don't feel good, 'cos it was made out of wood") from one of his own songs, Steel Abortion (later recorded by his band Shagrat). The cello on "Mona" was provided by Paul Buckmaster, who had demonstrated to Farren the similarities between Bo Diddley and Béla Bartók.

Track listing[edit]

1. "Mona (A Fragment)" (Ellas McDaniel) – 3:15
2. "Carnivorous Circus, Part 1" (Farren) – 15:19
   1. "The Whole Thing Starts"
   2. "But Charlie, It's Still Moving"
   3. "Observe The Ravens"
   4. "Society of the Horsemen"
3. "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) – 2:41
4. "Carnivorous Circus, Part 2" (Farren) – 13:01
   1. "Don't Talk to Me Mary"
   2. "You Can't Move Me"
   3. "In My Window Box"
   4. "An Epitaph Can Point the Way"
5. "Mona (The Whole Trip)" (Ellas McDaniel) – 7:25

Personnel[edit]

• Mick Farren – Vocals and effects
• Steve Hammond – Guitar and vocals
• Pete Robinson – Organ and piano
• Johnny Gustavson – Bass
• Paul Buckmaster – Cello
• Twink – Drums, vocals and percussion
• Shagrat the Vagrant (Steve Peregrin Took) – Vocals and percussion
• Raul – Conga

Please Read: Payment is due within 5 days of auction ending. Please contact us within 24 hours if not paying right away. All orders are shipped with delivery confirmation. We do not make any money off of shipping so please keep that in mind when leaving feedback. Also, please contact us first before leaving feedback if there is a problem because we are always willing to work with a customer.