YOUNG STUFF Poor Boy 1967 GARY ZEKLEY PSYCH POP 45 HEAR

$

44

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

YOUNG STUFF "Poor Boy" b/w "It Happens To Be Fun"

Original 1967 pr0m0 45 on the CANTERBURY label

Vinyl:  Plays VG to VG+ with surface crackle, pops, rougher at the start of each side

Fans of Gary Zekley and the Yellow Balloon and California sunshine pop in general should know what to expect from the Young Stuff’s “Poor Boy” b/w “It Happens to Be Fun” released in 1967 on the always-reliable Canterbury label.  Our hero Gary had a hand in writing “Poor Boy” – so if you’re looking for more of that breezy summer sunshine pop sound perfected by the Turtles, the Beau Brummels and the Yellow Balloon, with more “ba ba ba” backing vocals than an Association box set, then “Poor Boy” will send you floating off into the air like Snuffles the biscuit-loving Hanna Barbera dog (now there’s an obscure reference for ya). 

But much like a drunken Olsen Twin, there’s seems to be a darker, more twisted side to this record when you flip it over.  The name of the band alone tips you off – they called themselves Young Stuff as if they couldn’t even think of the right noun to use.  And since “It Happens to Be Fun” doesn’t have a Gary Zekley co-writing credit, it would seem to be more representative of the band’s true sound.  If that’s true, then frankly, boys and girls, it’s just a little bit scary.

It all starts out with a pounding “Indian Reservation” rhythm, so close you’d swear Mark Lindsay scoped out this single for inspiration.  The lead singer doesn’t so much sing as he does pant into the mike like the guy at the community pool your mother always warned you about, which naturally makes you feel a little uneasy about the dude’s motives (what exactly is he trying to convince us is fun?).  And if you’re still not completely skeeved out, rest assured this guy makes it clear he’s not going away any time easily:

“Yeah I can stay with you, yeah all of the time,

I can play with you, yeah all of the time,

Make my way with you, yeah all of the time.”

Make my way???  Suddenly our little sunshine pop nugget has turned into a pick-up line for Buffalo Bill in “Silence of the Lambs.”  And just when you’re waiting for the chorus to end with a shout of “It puts the lotion in the basket!”, the song suddenly stops dead.  Mid-song.  There’s a few seconds of uneasy silence, then a groovy electric piano takes over for a nice little funky solo, giving the Young Stuff’s date for the evening time to claw her way out of the pit.  I ain’t alone - the Fuzz Acid and Flowers book also sensed an uneasy creepiness in this little sunshine pop song, attributing it to “a bitonal chorus so unsettling as to be frightening, especially within this utterly innocent environment.”  Those are pretty fancy words there, and I’ll give ‘em the unsettling and frightening part, but “It Happens to Be Fun” is about as “utterly innocent” as getting hit on by that creepy guy who works the overnight shift at the Rite-Aid.  And what’s a “bitonal chorus” anyway?

So on the one side, you’ve got classic Canterbury label Gary Zekley-penned sunshine pop brilliance.  And on the other side, the real deep-seeded desires of every clean-cut bubblegum pop troubadour trying to pick up nice girls with an ice cream cone and a bag of cotton candy.  Hey, even the Bugaloos had needs. 

 HEAR IT!

(THE LESS EXCITING STUFF...)

First class shipping is $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Delivery confirmation included in the shipping costs.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $6 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $8 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  

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.  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.