SCARCE 1968 ORIG CHRYSALIS HIPPIE ROCK UNDERGROUND PSYCH BLENDS Frank ZaPPa

$

74

              WIGGY-COOL UNDERGROUND ROCK & PSYCH BLENDS

                        CHRYSALIS

\                                                           USA - MGM RECORDS - SE 4547 

MINTY CLEAN VINYL!

Original 1968 first pressing in thick gatefold cover by a TRUE American underground hippie psych effort::::

Chrysalis' lone 1968 long player is a hugely respected and much sought-after underground-rock crossover from the psychedelic era (with complex styles) which has recently earned classic status among collectors and aficionados. It's a most mysterious album boasting exotic song titles, an alluring gatefold sleeve and some very zen liner notes... and the twelve pieces of music contained within its grooves are unlike any others recorded before or since. Flitting butterfly-like between the gossamer-light acoustics of 'Cynthia Gerome', the fuzz-drenched satire of 'Father's Getting Old' and the heady-music-hall psychedelia of '30 Poplar', the album takes lush woodwind and string arrangements, full-on acid-rock weird-outs and unbearably delicate jazzy inflicted vibes and mixes them up into one giant bittersweet birthday cake! Covered in insects!!   Spider Barbour's peculiar form of genius. Let's just say that the mixture of pretty and sometimes complex love ditties here leave us with a feeling of something insane lying just beneath the surface, as if all the insect references really metaphorically signify - what??? It's kind of imponderable. And when, by the end, the insanity finally does surface, it leads us immediately to listen closer to the "safe" and "pretty" love songs to seek hidden meanings. The name "Spider Barbour" is noted on the liner notes to "We're Only In It For The Money" on which Spider is described as "from a group that hasn't destroyed your minds yet..." Chrysalis is THAT group though we think your mind will be improved not destroyed by listening to this album.


For those of us plunging through endless piles of esoterica, we often have to concentrate on the diamonds in the the rough found on otherwise unimpressive collections. With Chrysalis' Definition, however, we really do have a top-tier album of American psychedelia that has yet to recieve it's due.

Chrysalis was a university-incubated band hailing from Ithica, New York. They built up a local following, and armed with some praises from Frank Zappa's circle of cronies, set about making Definition in New York City. The making of the album was a rough road as the band went through several producers, including Zappa himself. Strangely enough the problem didn't reside with the typical "creative differences," but instead with the horribly abrasive attitude of the band's managers. Even with these issues, the finished album is a unified-sounding product.

The band's leader and almost exclusive songwriter was a strange fellow by the name of Spider Barbour. He is apparently best known as the subject of Frank Zappa's Lumpy Gravy, also known as an exceptional songwriter. The tracks on Definition create a very distinctive and detailed niche of psychedelic folk rock. Barbour references many different sounds, including San Francisco rock, British psych pop like Donovan and Pink Floyd, The Incredible String Band and Zappa, while creating an extremely distinctive sound. I've heard this disc likened to Zappa a bit too much. There are a few dashes of Zappa's vocal approach and instrumental flourishes on the opening track "What Will Become Of The Morning," and the closing Dr. Root's Garden employs some Zappa-style humor, but 98% percent of the time the band is most certainly doing their own thing. The almost unbearable melencholy of "Cynthia Gerome" and complete insanity of the bouncing "Baby Let Me Show You Where I Live" are wholly original.

Barbour's work as a lyricist is also of note. Many of the songs are in the form of stories, but remain conscious of word placement and sound for maximum effect. The imagery is quite strong, but avoids pretty much every cliche of psychedelic rock in 1967. Plenty of snippets of lyrics will bounce in your head long after listening. Barbour's voice is also of note, often lilting like a troubadour, but intimating some kind of hidden madness. This isn't to say I think Barbour was some sort of acid casualty as he always sounds completely in control and has a strong vision for his band.

Part of that vision includes a intensely trippy undercurrent of insect references. In fact it seems that songs like the aforementioned "Baby Let Me Show You Where I Live" and "Dr. Root's Garden" are written from an insect's perspective. In fact Barbour apparently eventually entered a career as an entomologist. The words are often a little unsettling, but always fascinating.

Every great band needs a secret weapon, and Chrysalis has two. Vocal Nancy Nairn comes across like an institutionalized Grace Slick and really tears the roof off of tracks like "April Grove" and "30 Popular." It makes us think a little of the Fiery Furnaces work 46+ years later.

Also taking Chrysalis' music to the next level is percussionist Dahaud Shaar. His beats bring a lot of color and variety to the songs present here. While nothing here classifies as world music, Shaar seems to understand plenty of world rhythms and brings a touch of that to highlight, but not overwhelm the tracks.


Definition is truly a psychedelic classic. we might easily rate this with a "pick-up-as-soon-as-possible" status. Chrysalis were a completely original band with new ideas that still sounds innovative today. It's not Odessey and Oracle, Forever Changes, Are You Experienced, The Doors' first, or Sergeant Pepper, but it's almost as good, maybe one of the best albums you never heard.     

  What Will Become of the Morning 

     Lacewing       

Cynthia Gerome       

April Grove       

Father's Getting Old       

30 Poplar       

Baby, Let Me Show You Where I Love       

Fitzpatrick Swanson       

Lake Hope       

Piece of Sun       

Summer in Your Savage Eyes       

Dr. Root's Garden

CONDITION: The cover: Solid, the dark cover is known to be highly wear prone, there is just a little rub wear on this copy, rated: VG++ still with fresh original colors, small circle delete drill atop left, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ... collection worthy rarity ...

The vinyl: Clean and glossy over both sides, rated M- TOP COPY expect very clean enjoyable audio ... both MGM labels are clean

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record