July - Same MMLP 29 Major Minor Records 1968 UK LP Orig

	£		312
	$		413

General Details

Artist July      Title Same Record Label Major Minor Cat. number MMLP 29 Mono/Stereo? S

Country

UK Sleeve Robert Stace If blank, no sleeve manufactured credits present Released 1968

Matrix numbers

Side 1 LP-029A-1B Side 2 LP-029B-1B  

Condition

Disc

Paper Scuffs

Side 1

EX

 

Side 2 EX  

Surface Marks

Side 1

EX

 

Side 2 EX  

Scratches

Side 1

EX   Side 2 EX Other Info.  

Sound

Surface Noise

Side 1

EX

Side 2 EX

Pops/Clicks

Side 1

EX   Side 2 EX  

Scratches

Side 1

EX   Side 2 EX   Other Info.

Cover

Ring / Surface Wear

Front

VG Sticker removal damage on top right - see photo  Back VG Sticker removal damage on top right - see photo   Inner

Card Creases

Front

VG Several creases Back VG Several creases Inner

Shelf Wear

Edge

VG Small split on lower edge  Spine VG Small split on top part of spine Corner VG Quite bashed Inner Sleeve  

EX

  Other Info.    

Guide to grades used

M Cover Looks virtually New - no marks, wear or damage Disc Looks unplayed - no marks visible Sound I don't use this grade for sound - as all records (even brand new) produce some noise Ex Cover Slight signs of wear on edges/spine, corners or ring wear. Minor creases. No damage caused by sticker removal/residue. Light sleeves may show slight discolouration due to age or handling Disc May have minor paper scuffs caused by moving record in & out of paper sleeve. Sound May be occasional pops/clicks and minimal surface noise Vg Cover Moderate edge/spine or ring wear. Corners may be a little blunt. Opening edge may show feathering caused by removal of record. Visible creases or laminate lift. Disc Some surface marks &/or hairline scratches. Moderate paper scuffs. Sound May be pops/clicks caused by marks/scratches. Moderate background surface noise and crackles. G Cover Heavy ring or edge/spine wear. Corners noticable bashed. Heavy creases. Considerable laminate damage. Disc Looks very well played. A lot of surface marks/scratches Sound Considerable surface noise. Audible scratches.

Background Information

  Click on the link to see the original information source: - July   July started out in the early '60s as an Ealing-based skiffle act working under the name of the Playboys, and then metamorphosed into an R&B outfit known as the Thoughts and then the Tomcats, through which John Speedy Keen passed as a drummer. The final Tomcats lineup, which evolved out of an unrecorded band known as the Second Thoughts, found some success in Spain when they went to play a series of gigs in Madrid in 1966.

They returned to England in 1968, the group's lineup consisting of Tony Duhig on guitar, John Field on flute and keyboards, Tom Newman on vocals, Alan James playing bass, and Chris Jackson on drums, and changed they their name to July. The band lasted barely a year, leaving behind one of the most sought-after LPs of the British psychedelic boom (on the Major Minor label in England, and Epic Records in the U.S. and Canada).

Their sound was a mix of trippy, lugubrious psychedelic meanderings, eerie, trippy vignettes ("Dandelion Seeds," "My Clown"), and strange, bright electric-acoustic textured tracks ("Friendly Man"), with some dazzling guitar workouts (Crying Is for Writers") for good measure, all spiced with some elements of world music, courtesy of Tony Duhig (who has since come to regard July as an embarrassing element in his resume). Their first single, "My Clown" b/w "Dandelion Seeds," has come to be considered a classic piece of psychedelia while the album is just plain collectable, despite some shortcomings.

The band separated in 1969, with Duhig moving on to Jade Warrior, Newman becoming a well-respected engineer, with Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells to his credit, and bassist Alan James later working with Cat Stevens and Kevin Coyne, among others. Of the various reissues, Bam-Caruso's 1987 Dandelion Seeds is the most accessible, with Essex's The Second of July consisting of previously unissued recordings from 1967.

This album has come to be highly prized, mainly for the presence of "My Clown," which is considered to be one of the great psychedelic singles of all time. Tom Newman, who went on to glory as the engineer of choice for Mike Oldfield, handles the vocals for the majority of the album (the exception being Chris Jackson's "Crying Is for Writers"), as well as the majority of the songwriting. Tony Duhig, who later moved on to start Jade Warrior and Assegai, provides guitars and a strong sense of Indian music, although the greater part of his participation is via warbling and groaning guitars and a fortunately blazing solo in the midst of the otherwise painful "Crying Is for Writers." Very good psychedelia, for the most part, but a bit dated in places and heavily influenced by much of the music coming from the direction of San Francisco at that time. The first six cuts are perhaps the most essential, going by the original vinyl release — "My Clown" and "Dandelion Seeds" are delightful, while "Jolly Mary" is simply good fun.

  Other Information  

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