THIRD ESTATE-Years Before the Wine (orig - 500 pressed)

$

750

THE THIRD ESTATE – “Years Before the Wine” (1976) The Third Estate-1000 super rare original pressing of Baton Rouge, Louisiana private psychedelic rock, including insert – M/M (cover/record)

This is a phenomenal and very rare LP. It’s a true mid-70s obscure psychedelic gem from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The group is Robert Everett on vocals, guitars, bass, piano, organ, and effects; Chas Harrell on electric guitar and saws and hammers; and Jerry Lang on drums. The fluid killer guitar is amazing and a little similar to the the Silent Partner LP I recently listed. However, this LP is much more psychedelic than that group’s. I’ve listed below three separate descriptions of this album by the guys with the Acid Archives of Underground Sounds, which, is accurate and shows how in-demand this original press of only 500 copies is.

Here’s what they say:

One of my personal faves in the seemingly bottomless well of great local 70s LPs, this intricate folkrock prog-psycher blends a warm Southern summer sound with baroque-like song structures and graduate school lyrics inspired by the French Revolution! Not your average local barrocker and despite multitudes of spins I haven't grasped it all yet. Serious in mood, but rescued from the prog traps thanks to the strong songwriting and a light, flowing musical style. Excellent female vocals on one track. A must to check out, and loved by many. The band came together at LSU in Baton Rouge but the members hailed from elsewhere.

A concept album about the French Revolution. Fetch my sawn off from the pick up Bubba, it’s time to teach these pretentious hippies a danged good lesson. But how wrong I would be to shoot first without listening. Often cited are the female vocals (from Fae Ficklin), “brought in” for the title track. Her singing is stunning, but even without it the LP would still richly deserve its legendary status. Plenty of fuzz, backwards soundscapes and beautiful acoustic guitar tunes from band leader Robert Everett make this into a total classic. Rewards repeat listening, multi-textured, the sound of exploration is apparent as the band spreads its wings and glorious harmonies flow forth. The sound and overall impression is highly reminiscent of another UK classic, Ithaca.

This is a complicated album that opens new doors with every listen. The production style is weirdly stark, with acoustic guitars that sound like they’re in the room with you. The low-budget recording creates a real sense of immediacy. Backwards bits and treated guitars are used to nice effect, and the leisurely pace of the songs works very well. This is unlike anything else I’ve heard, and is hard to characterize. It blows most people away, but even if you don’t love it, I suspect you’ll have a weird fascination with it and keep listening. A lot of reviews mention the female vocalist, but it should be noted that she sings only one song.

This is the original pressing - one of only 500 pressed. I bought it in the 1980s at a thrift store in Baton Rouge, and I guarantee its authenticity. It is the mintest copy of an album you could imagine. The cover is still in original shrink wrap, with the front cover title label pasted on, and the back cover slick pasted on. The insert – containing lyrics, band info, and some other content – is crisp and perfect with only some slight yellowing because of age (adding to authenticity). The vinyl appears unplayed. It’s absolutely perfect. I almost never grade a record as MINT, but this one deserves it. An incredible find and an incredible opportunity to own one of the rarest pieces in the genre. M/M (cover/record).

Winner pays postage. Domestic U.S. shipping is $3.50 media rate or $8 for priority mail (insurance additional and quoted at cost). International first class shipping (7-10 day delivery) varies by postal zone. Please see the listing for specific costs.

I package all LPs securely in record mailers and remove the vinyl from the covers to prevent seam splits during mailing. I do not just stick your record in a priority mailer box from the post office or between two thin pieces of cardboard with no additional packaging materials like so many others!!!

Domestic Bidders – Personal checks are cool for payment but must clear (10 business days). Money orders get next day shipping. Overseas Bidders – we’ll work this out – I’m really flexible. I accept IMOs, bank checks drawn in U.S. dollars and sent to me from the bank’s U.S. branch (must have magnetic ink U.S. routing numbers printed along bottom), and other methods of payment we can discuss after the auction closes. I am not able to accept Paypal or any other credit card payment. Please don’t bid and then say you can only pay by paypal – Paypal is not an option for me, and I will leave you negative feedback if you do not complete the transaction by one of the methods noted above.

Why don’t I accept Paypal? I once was a credit card merchant, operating BreakDownRecords dot com, and processing customers credit cards online using the security software provided to me through the credit card company. When someone paid by credit card, they were actually on the CREDIT CARD COMPANY'S OWN merchant processing site. Someone hacked into the credit card company's site, used my particular merchant account to process thousands of stolen credit card numbers to verify the numbers in conjunction with various expiration dates, and I was held liable for the $3,000 in transaction fees as a result of the hacker. That's when I learned that as a credit card merchant, you have absolutely no redress with the credit card companies, even if it's from their end that the theft occurs. That's how they're able to offer you, the credit card user, unlimited protection. So, as a result, I'll buy things with a credit card, but no way in hell will I ever accept them again as a seller. The reward is not worth the risk.

Thanks for looking, and good luck!

All the best from New Orleans,

Larry