BROKEN BOW & IDABELL '76 BASEMENT PRIVATE PSYCH RE HEAR

$

40

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

BROKEN BOW & IDABELL "Same"

RECENT REISSUE OF RARE 1976 LP, STEREO

COVER:  MINT

VINYL:  NEAR MINT

Odd do-it-yourselfer from the Bicentennial year that sounds nothing like the basement production job it essentially was.  Production values here are top-end, and gives America clones like “Keep Me In Mind” the sonic sheen they need to, well, be clones of that early 70’s America Hearts sound.  There’s more of a divergence of sounds here than on your typical America album, though, as Broken Bow and Idabell handle calypso, country and western and synth rock (a lot of synth, actually), sometimes within the confines of the same song!  And those playful spoken word snippets between each song suggest they’ve heard their share of Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band albums, although how they got ‘em out there in Oklahoma is a mystery to me.  Psych heads should note there’s an awful lot of fuzz guitar and echoplex in the epic “Never Have I Seen,” along with the usual heavy synth washes, and it kinda sounds like Davie Allen sitting in with Barclay James Harvest and providing them with some much-needed weed.  “Without Her” sounds incredibly close to mid-70’s Caravan (Blind Dog and Cunning Stunts in particular), and the fuzzy-bottomed funk of “We Got Inflation” might have you thinking they were a Midwest white boy Graham Central Station tribute band.  And don’t sleep on the lyrics either – the gentle closing lullaby “Goodbye and Goodnight” wishes you “a very good screw, be it with your man or just a fan…be it with your wife or someone new, we wish you a very good screw.”  If you haven’t already guessed, Broken Bow and Idabell are stylistically all over the map.  With a sense of humor.  And an even greater sense of melody.  They bring the tunes, and the production values you’d never equate with a private label album out of Oklahoma ’76.  I’ve just figured it out now.  They’re the American basement version of 10CC!  Not sure they could’ve made a career out of something so schizophrenic as this, but for 45 minutes, Broken Bow and Idabell is a fascinating and often hilarious slice of Seventies pop.  As if the Seventies weren’t already hilarious on their own.

 HEAR IT!

UPDATE:  SORRY, I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS REQUIRE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, WHICH IS AN EXTRA 75 CENTS.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  ALL FOREIGN ORDERS REQUIRE CERTIFICATE OF SHIPMENT, WHICH IS AN EXTRA $1.10.  I accept payments through Paypal. 

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.   I DO NOW REQUIRE THAT ALL FOREIGN BUYERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1.10 FOR PROOF OF SHIPMENT.  IT'S A NOMINAL FEE AND THE CHEAPEST WAY FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I ACTUALLY SHIPPED YOUR PACKAGE AND DIDN'T JUST POCKET YOUR MONEY AND SKIP TOWN.  For more security and international tracking, you may request GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL - but bear in mind the cost of this service is upwards of $30.  For expensive items, however, it may be well worth it.  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.