HARRY DEAL & GALAXIES Walrus 1970 BEATLES PSYCH LISTEN

$

28

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

HARRY DEAL AND THE GALAXIES "The Love I Have"/"Walrus"

Original 1970 pr0m0 45 on the ATLANTIC label

Writing on plug side of label

Vinyl:  SUPER CLEAN vinyl, looks unplayed, plays EXCELLENT!

What do you do if you’re a 50’s teen idol in the middle of the psychedelic 60’s?  Well, the end of the decade sure made for some pretty interesting releases, like Chubby Checker’s short-lived venture into heavy Hendrix funk, Dion’s unlikely cover of “Purple Haze,” and Mae West’s ill-advised foray into garage rock with Somebody’s Chyldren.  Harry Deal and the Galaxies weren’t nearly as big stars as those former idols, unless you went to a lot of beach parties in the Myrtle Beach area during the 1950’s.  But as Frankie and Annette grew older and kids were more likely to march in peace protests than frug in the sand, Harry and his band knew they had to change their style.  And what better way than to pick a subject the Fillmore crowd was already familiar with?  A little Alice in Wonderland imagery perhaps?  How about a walrus? 

And so this fantastic 1970 single was born – “Walrus” b/w “The Love I Have.”  And like former teen idols gone acid rock Chubby Checker and Del Shannon (okay, maybe not so much Mae West), all those years of frantic Atlantic beach shindigs gave Harry Deal the chops to pull this off.   And not just pull it off, “Walrus” in particular is one of those instantly lovable, purely magical slices of incandescent pop psych, like “Green Tambourine” or “Pictures of Matchstickmen,” where everything is bathed in a psychedelic haze of overblown effects and distortion thicker than a Hilton sister’s skull.  They set out to be the Beatles but ended up the Lemon Pipers, all lysergia and incomprehensible bubblepop noise set to a pounding steady rhythm and uncomfortable, wriggling, manic organ.  You don’t need to take acid to this, because it’s already acid-fried. 

Even the bubblegum flip, obviously aimed at the AM pop market, is spiked with some echoey sitar and distorted quivering organ, like hearing the Shondells through a veil of purple smoke.  Harry Deal and the Galaxies might not have ever taken a hallucinogenic drug in their lives – but, as evidenced by some of those early Grateful Dead records, sometimes sounding like you’re on acid is better than actually being on it.  Unless Frankie and Annette really are hiding something under those beach blankets.

 here's another clue for you all.  the walrus was harry:

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.  Proof of shipment REQUIRED for all foreign orders, an extra $1.10.  I accept payments through Paypal, or you can send checks and money orders made out in US dollars.  Items paid by check are held 14 days for the check to clear.

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.