LEFT BANKE Strangers On A Train 1978 ELUSIVE 3rd LP BAROQUE POP PSYCH Relix HEAR
$
30
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Description
THE LEFT BANKE "STRANGERS ON A TRAIN" LP
ORIGINAL 1986 LP ON THE US RELIX LABEL, STEREO RRLP 2021
COVER IN MINT shape, still in original shrinkwrap
VINYL plays VG++ to EXCELLENT
Elusive third LP by baroque pop pioneers the Left Banke, from sessions they recorded in 1978 as a potential reunion with all 4 original members (although Michael Brown supposedly bowed out midway through the recordings and is consequently uncredited). The album sat on the shelf until 1986, however, finally getting released in the US on the Relix label (it was previously released in the UK under the title VOICES CALLING). Don't be ashamed if you didn't know this existed - I consider myself to be the biggest Left Banke fan in Pennsylvania, and it took a conversation with the band on their latest reunion tour for me to realize it. "Do you guys have any unreleased songs in the vault?" I asked them. "Not really," they answered, "but look for our third album on Ebay if you don't have that one." "THIRD album?" I asked, a bit confused. Well, here it is, and while it isn't gonna be as good as the first two (they told me that too), it's got a handful of songs that any true Left Banke fan will want to own. They sound like vintage Raspberries on Side 1, with great power pop rockers like "Hold On Tight" and the title track that would fit snugly on STARTING OVER. Oddly enough, they save the true vintage Left Banke sounding songs for the very end, and it's the last two songs on STRANGERS ON A TRAIN that are the real gems. "I Can Fly" is a bona fide LOST Left Banke masterpiece - and second to last song on a tiny label reunion album shelved for 8 years is the very definition of "lost" innit? - and it's got everything you could ask for - great harmonies, beautiful baroque melody and those great weepy soaring lead vocals of Steve Martin - a thing of beauty, boys and girls! It's followed by "Yesterday's Love," another great one, with power pop verses and vintage Left Banke harmony choruses. Sure, it may take a while to get there, and a lotta searching before you even arrive, but ultimately this is one mystery train that's like finding a handful of bonus tracks at the end of your favorite album reissue, and guess what? This time they're actually worth replaying.
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!
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Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping. 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.
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