CASCADES What Goes On 1968 ORIG PRIVATE LBL Boettcher SOFT PSYCH LP shrink HEAR

$

50

CASCADES "WHAT GOES ON" LP

ORIGINAL 1968 LP on the BLOSSOM RECORDS label, STEREO 

COVER IN MINT shape, STILL IN ORIGINAL SHRINKWRAP

VINYL plays VG+ to VG++

What is the strange overpowering connection between rock bands and laundry detergent?  You might not know it, but the Encyclopedia of Rock is filled with bands named after popular powdered soap.  There’s Blue Cheer, the Rising Tide, and a 1968 band on the ABC label called simply Bold.  And don’t forget about Arm and Steamhammer.  But the best of the so-called Laundry List of Rock would have to be the Cascades, a band that’s been getting out the tough, stubborn stains like grass and motor oil since 1960.  At first an exotica combo influenced by the likes of Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny, the Cascades began to feel the “tide” turning (groan) by 1962 and started dabbling in the growing “surf” (double groan) music/harmony pop movement spearheaded by the Beach Boys.  And in doing so, the band really gave it their “All” (I swear that’s the last laundry detergent pun I’ll use.  Mainly because I’m out of laundry detergents). 

The crown jewel in the Cascades catalogue, and by FAR their rarest release, is their 1968 self-produced, self-released album What Goes On Inside, put out on their own label long after their Billboard hits had dried up.  But, as you know, when you take a rock band named after a laundry detergent and back ‘em up into a corner, they always come out fighting.  And tough ground-in stains, look out! 

What Goes On Inside is not only the Cascades’ finest hour (or half hour, as the case may be), it’s also one of sunshine pop’s most overlooked treasures, a veritable laundry basket full of shimmering summertime soft pop.  With carefree strummin’ guitars, big boardwalk carousel organs and no shortage of bouncy Beatlesque melodies.  And make no mistake, the Cascades were well aware of the Fab Four by this time, even going so far as to lift the refrain from “All You Need is Love” for their own “Have You Seen Maria.”  So what if the Beatles sued ‘em?  What could happen?  They’d get dropped from their label?  They owned the label! 

Indeed, most of the songs on Side 2 – from “Prelude” through “Hurry Skurry” and all the way until closer “I’d Better Go” – flowed seamlessly into each other like the second side of a much more famous Beatles album.  Ahh, but wait a sec – in 1968, Abbey Road hadn’t even been released yet!  Who was copying who in this battle for shelf space?  Maybe the Beatles should’ve added “New and Improved” to their album.   

But the Cascades weren’t about to make a fuss.  An air of stoned indifference permeates the lyrics on What Goes On Inside, a casual, relaxed carefree sense of happiness that couldn’t possibly exist amongst all the inside squabbles and power struggles behind a brand name franchise like the Beatles.  They’re making fun of people with busy schedules on “Hurry Skurry,” and when they sing about traveling down “Sunshine Highway,” they don’t even care where the road leads.  “Anyway is my way today,” they sing, “Takin’ my time, destination nowhere.  I’m just a guy who doesn’t care.”  Meanwhile, over in England, the competition bragged “I’m comin’ down fast but don’t let me break you.”  Sounds like someone needs a Xanax. 

Even the Cascades’ new cover logo looks an awful lot like the one used by the Family Dog, the San Francisco hippie commune led by Chet Helms who ran the Avalon Ballroom.  And if there’s anything that personifies relaxation, it’s a San Francisco hippie commune.  So let the Beatles deal with big record labels, inner power struggles and Yoko Ono.  The Cascades are clearly takin’ life easy, finding the joy in a simple bouncy melody, a strumming acoustic guitar and the sound of perfect vocal harmonies.  And that’s What Goes On Inside.  It’s the soft sunshine pop Abbey Road, without the hassle.  And it fights stains and odor five times better than ordinary bleach.

HEAR IT!

PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY DUE TO A CORRUPT POSTAL SYSTEM (THERE, NOT HERE).  BUYERS FROM ITALY AGREE TO PAY FOR GLOBAL PRIORITY MAIL INSURED ONLY!

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.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   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. 

 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.