TIGERS Human Renascence '68 Japan baroque fuzz psych LP

$

50

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

The Tigers "HUMAN RENASCENCE"

Original 1968 LP on the Japanese Polydor label, KJ7402

Cover:  MINT

Vinyl: MINT

Some people call it their masterpiece; others claim it’s the album that ruined their career.  Which means this 1968 album by Japan’s TIGERS is pretty much as divisive as the Bush administration.  True, they abandon their twangy basic four-on-the-floor beat pop for a much more ornate, orchestrated sound.  And true, they can’t spell “renaissance” for s**t, but then again, isn’t that why we love Japanese bands anyway?  So with big soaring string sections, huge vocal chorales and as much unbridled ambition as a pyrotechnics engineer during the 1973 Emerson Lake and Palmer World Tour, consider Human Renascence to be the Tigers’ own personal fish-market version of Days of Future Passed.  Only they’re still smart enough to keep the songs down to 2 or 3 minutes, and no one’s reciting bad high school poetry here either.  Bleethe deep…

For the most part, this is beautiful, baroque string-laden pop with glorious production.  A few subtle psychedelic touches creep in from time to time – “Flower Festival” is drenched in echo and sounds like a miniature Japanese rock opera – but the highlight has to be the jagged “Taxman” takeoff “Broken Earth,” a genuine fuzz-kickstarted psych beat shaker.  And while I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a masterpiece, it’s far more interesting than, say, any of the 38 Spiders albums, and infinitely better than lead vocalist Kenji Sawada’s post-Tigers supergroup Pyg.  It might not be a Godzilla garage stomp, but it’s a more pleasant, subtle string-laden slice of Asian flower power.  More like Mothra, perhaps, after six cups of rice wine.

 TO HEAR SOUNDCLIPS FROM THIS ALBUM, PLEASE VISIT MY HOMEPAGE AT WWW.KATHLEENTURNEROVERDRIVE.WIKISPACES.COM - YOU CAN ALSO HEAR SOUND CLIPS FROM ALL THE ALBUMS I HAVE UP FOR AUCTION ON THIS PAGE TOO.

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $5.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  Air mail shipping to Canada starts at $10 US, each additional record $2 shipping.  Air mail shipping everywhere else in the world starts at $16 US, with each additional record only $3 shipping.  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.   I DO NOW REQUIRE THAT ALL FOREIGN BUYERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL $1.10 FOR PROOF OF SHIPMENT.  IT'S A NOMINAL FEE AND THE CHEAPEST WAY FOR ME TO PROVE THAT I ACTUALLY SHIPPED YOUR PACKAGE AND DIDN'T JUST POCKET YOUR MONEY AND SKIP TOWN.  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.