A Gift From Euphoria LP Capitol Near Mint

$

260

EUPHORIA – ‘A Gift From Euphoria’ LP Capitol SKAO 363 Stereo 1st (and only) US pressing

Ok, so I’m a little obsessed by Euphoria. When I was a teenager in the mid-80s some friends and I came across a copy at a junk sale. We knew it was supposed to be a rare classic but, at that age, we just couldn’t begin to comprehend its ambitious scope. So it was put in the attic... 10 years later - by which time I had grown to love the psychedelic country rock of bands like the Byrds and Dillard and Clark; ‘Abbey Road’ had become my favourite Beatles album and I no longer had a problem with orchestrated ballads - I remembered A Gift From Euphoria. Putting it back on the turntable it suddenly clicked. It was as if, all those years before, I had been hearing an advance preview of my favourite records – it was all there in this album!

At about the same time I was asked to write the sleeve notes for the first reissue of the album by the (now sadly defunct) See For Miles label. I tried my best, but since very little was known about Messrs Lincoln and Watt most of it was guesswork. To my own subsequent embarrassment I also repeated a rumour that had grown up around the band which later proved false. Well, 3 years ago, after persistent searching, I finally managed to track them down. They had no idea anyone was remotely interested in the album which had been such a labour of love – and which had effectively ended their musical careers.

It turns out that the story is a lot more fascinating than could ever have been imagined. It began in Los Angeles in 1964, when each of them was playing in separate bands – The Strangers (see the 45 I am also selling) and The Bushmen – before adventures in such diverse places as Houston, Texas and Salford (near Manchester). The album, which was entirely self-financed and self-produced (Nick Venet was only responsible for signing them to Capitol), was recorded in Hollywood, Nashville and London during the fall of ‘68 and Spring of ‘69. Lincoln and Watt also sang and played everything on the record with the exception of the orchestral tracks and the Country songs. While the former featured 70 members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the latter were laid down at the famous Bradley’s Barn studio just outside Nashville with top session players David Briggs (not to be confused with Neil Young’s producer), Bobby Thompson (later a founding member of Area Code 615); and Lloyd Greene (who had just come off sessions for The Byrds’ ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ album). In my opinion what they achieved can, for once, justify the use of that that much over-used superlative ‘masterpiece’.

Well, for anyone who hasn’t heard this amazing record - or simply wants to know the full story - then they can find it in a new reissue of the album on Rev-Ola / Cherry Red – again see my separate listing for details. As well as my new sleeve notes, based on interviews with Watt and Lincoln, the package includes a huge fold-out booklet with all of the lyrics and previously unpublished photos of the band in and out of the studio. If however I am preaching to the converted then you will already know that, along with Gandalf, The Common People and Food, this is one of those ‘obscure’ Capitol albums that you just have to own in its original form. It’s curious that, unlike the first two (which seem to appear on ebay almost every week), this LP has never been reissued on vinyl. Perhaps bootleggers balked at the challenge of reproducing the unusually lavish gatefold sleeve. Like all the records I sell, this is a duplicate. In fact I have owned this copy for several years and I’m only selling it because I finally managed to track down a copy without the punch hole.

Condition: As already mentioned this copy has the almost inevitable punch hole (it’s a great shame Capitol didn’t use those unobtrusive rivets favoured by Warners). There is some slight wear on the edges and corners and a little flaking and creasing on the ‘hinges’ of the gatefold sleeve, but please note that the seams are absolutely solid. More importantly the sleeve itself is in great condition, with most of the original gloss and only the ghost of any ring wear on two small patches of the rear: this was the copy that was scanned for the sleeve of the Rev-Ola CD. The record has only one visible fault – a thin scuff across the first side which does not sound at all. Even under bright light there are hardly any hairlines. It plays throughout without any background noise and I detected only a few light clicks here and there – I couldn’t see any marks so these may just be specks of dirt deep in the grooves. Basically you would have to be super-critical to find any fault with the sound of this LP. The labels are pristine and there is no trace of spindle wear.

**Please note that as an added bonus for the winner of this auction I will include a CDR of pre-album singles by various bands with which Lincoln and Watt were connected during the period leading up to the recording of this LP, including The Strangers, The Bushmen, The War-Babies, The Word and, of course, Euphoria**

I should also be adding further auctions during the week, so please keep looking!

Payment & Shipping: Paypal is the preferred method of payment, but I will accept cash in £, $ or Euros. I will ship anywhere. Most of the records I buy come from overseas and in over 500 transactions I have never had a record broken or lost. All records are well packed in stiff cardboard packets. UK shipping is about $3 for an LP, $1.50 for a 45. Air shipping beyond Europe is about $10 per LP, $4 per 45. Europe in between. Obviously it will cost less for multiple items and more if you want insurance.

My guarantee: I hate vague descriptions and misleading gradings as much as anyone else - hence I will try and avoid gratuitous use of the word ‘psych’ as well as EXCESSIVE CAPITALS and exclamation marks!!! Because I only sell records when I have duplicates, these are all records I still enjoy. The aim is not to make a profit but to put money towards buying more records. Of course, grading is always subjective, so I will attempt to describe what every record actually looks and sounds like. I hope that my feedback speaks for itself - every record I sell is guaranteed.

About me: I have been collecting records since my mid-teens and buying and selling on ebay for over 4 years. I also write for magazines like MOJO, Uncut and Ptolemaic Terrascope. In particular I have written articles and sleeve notes for bands like The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Euphoria (on Capitol) and Rodriguez (Sussex). If anyone wants information on any of these bands then feel free to get in touch.