HAMPTON GREASE BAND -MUSIC TO EAT Orig LP US PSYCH PROG

	£		25
	$		33

HAMPTON GREASE BAND - MUSIC TO EAT, 2LP. US COLUMBIA G 30555. 1971.

ORIGINAL US 2LP ISSUE.

Superb US Psych/Prog/Experimental.......probably the rarest Columbia album and a lost masterpiece....the most obvious starting point is Capt Beefheart circa Trout Mask Replica but these guys went way beyond them because of the superb instrumentation throughout the whole album.....and TMR sounds totally tame and inept after hearing this.

The following is taken from Julian Cope's site: SUCKROCK! This is the word HGB uses to define its unique sound or perhaps more accurately, the band's decidedly punk will-to-fail ethos, for their musicianship does not suck at all. A double album released in 1971 and purported to be the second-worst selling album in the history of Columbia records, "Music To Eat" stands alone in the rock canon, and understandably has become something of a cult favorite. The suckrock sound starts with the jazzy guitar freakouts, play-it-like-you-were-being-edited transitions, and self-consciously dada hijinks of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and of course also encompasses the chinese blues licks and martian field hollers of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band but they add a dose of Allman Bros. southern-fried jamology (they were from Atlanta, GA after all) and keep the guitar tones clean and shimmering like the Byrds. Continuing the reference game by looking into the future, what you wind up with is chiming guitar swirls that nearly top those on Televison's "Marquee Moon" LP and some avante-tribal strum-and-drang textures not heard again until the heyday of Sonic Youth, Swans, Band of Susans, et. al. (and these boys don't even use distortion, the guitarists achieve the blurring overtones-n-drones effect just by playing REALLY fast!) Glen Philips and Harold Kelling are amazing guitar players, and the rhythm section and drummer Jerry Fields in particular are tight as hell the only thing that might give one pause is the "hey am I weird or what?" ranting of Bruce Hampton. I get the distinct impression part of the reason these guys were such a flop is simply that they were antisocial nerds who didn't play well with other children (record industry types.) So while the temptation is there to view the Hampton Grease Band as a possible answer to the trivia question "what is the silliest hippy-shit record ever released on a major record label?" in truth it's actually damn near a masterpiece that almost exists outside of history. They certainly didn't fit in to their own time very well, and they weren't ahead of their time either coz no one else has ever played "suckrock" before or since.

Needless to say it's a very rare album which seldom turns up.

Condition is EX-/M-/EX (cover/records), cover has slight wear on the outside and a cut corner bottom right.

POSTAGE:

UK: £2.50 first LP then £1.20 each....CD £1.50 first then 50p each....CD Box sets of 3/4 CDs £2 first then £1 each. Slimline CD singles £1 first then 50p each.

EUROPE: £4 first LP then £1.50 each.....CD £2 first then £1 each.....CD Box sets of 3/4 CDs £3 first then £1.50 each.

USA/CANADA: £6.50 first LP then £2.50 each.....CD £2.50 first then £1 each.....CD Box sets of 3/4 CDs £3.50 first then £1.80 each.

AUSTRALIA/JAPAN/FAR EAST: £6.50 first LP then £2.50 each.......CDs same as USA/CANADA.

2LP, 2CD sets count as 2 etc.

FOR WEIGHTS OVER 2 KG (approx 6 LPs)....postage has to go by parcel which is more expensive.

PAYMENT:

PERSONAL CHEQUE IN UK STERLING/ POSTAL ORDERS or IMO IN UK STERLING/PAYPAL.

GRADINGS:

I DO TRY TO PLAY/TEST GRADE ALL THE LPs I SELL.

MINT:

RECORD: PERFECT....AS NEW CONDITION, SO NO DETEORIATION IN THE SOUND QUALITY…..bear in mind that not all ‘new’ LPs are Mint because of the quality of the pressing etc....also SEALED/UNPLAYED LPs are sold as is.....

COVER: AS NEW CONDITION WITH NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS.......except maybe a deletion hole/cutout on a SEALED LP.

M- :

RECORD: SLIGHTY WORSE THAN M, LP may have several surface marks due to removal from it's sleeve etc....but certainly NO audible scratches....LP may have the occasional light crackle/hiss...but still in great condition.

COVER: SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING HANDLED WITH SLIGHT CREASING/WEAR...or may be a M cover with a very slight split seam or very slight showing of ring wear or a very slight sticker tear, but not all of these together.

EX:

RECORD: MOST REGUARLY PLAYED LPs KEPT WITH CARE FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY....LP may play with more hiss/crackle but not louder than the music......sometimes it may be a M or M- LP with one slight audible mark or a very slight edge warp but not affecting it.

COVER: SLIGHTLY MORE WEAR/CREASING/BENDING even some slight ring wear.....or may be a M or M- cover with a split seam(s) and minor sticker tears, but still nice.

VG+ :

RECORD: LP PLAYS WITH MORE NOISE DUE TO EITHER DIRT OR SLIGHTLY STRONGER SURFACE MARKS BUT STILL IS IN A VERY LISTENABLE CONDITION.....or it may be an LP which plays say M- but has one or a few audible marks/slight warp etc.....but still no skips/jumps.

COVER: HAS QUITE A LOT OF CEASING/BENDING often with FADING/RING WEAR/ STICKER TEARS/TEARS....or may be an EX cover with a split seam(s), but still acceptable.

VG:

RECORD: THE SOUND QUALITY OF THE LP IS AFFECTED BY SURFACE MARKS/ AUDIBLE MARKS or DIRT etc....but still plays through and is still in quite a REASONABLE condition.....it may be an LP which plays EX but has audible marks.....

COVER: PLENTY OF CREASING/BENDING/FADING/RING WEAR but still in one piece.

G: LP still plays through but is very noisy due to scratches/dirt etc....but still not totally trashed!!!

COVER: AS VG BUT TORN and starting to fall apart.

F/P: LP is trashed...for ornament purposes only...

+/-: Slightly better/worse than stated.