TOP M- 1969 HARVEY MANDEL CRISTO REDENTOR Blues Psych

$

65

TOP CLEAN & SCARCE 1969 ORIGINAL  "PSYCH" COLLECTIBLE             

                 Harvey Mandel

        CRISTO REDENTOR

\                                                           USA -  Philips Records - PHS 600 281

BEAUTIFUL CLEAN 1969 Original first pressing vinyl...very hard one to find THIS clean...usually originals UIF found are well played and/or the cool cover with wear ...this copy is one you won't want to miss -- minty clean (see details below)

A great blues psych album...one of the established sixties blues guitarists in the league of Mike Bloomfield, Duane Allman, etc...it's known that Harvey Mandel auditioned for the Rolling Stones to replace the vacancy left by Mick Taylor in the early 70's...

...Cristo Redentor was Mandel's first album showcasing his GREAT abilities, fluid dexterity on the fretboard, echoy leads, fuzz, it's all hear in a groovy setting of hip melodic self composed tracks...

This gently psychedelic album from 1968, shows an impossibly young-looking Mandel pictured on the back artwork, a diminutive figure dwarfed by his big Gibson 355. The grooves within demonstrate not only his virtuosity on guitar, but also why his tenure with Canned Heat and John Mayall was so brief and why the Stones declined to hire him. Mayall described his technique as “Harvey’s wall of sound”, which aptly encompasses his early mastery of controlled feedback through his customised Bogan amplifier, and his later featuring of two-handed tapping, well before EVH got hold of that particular trick.

This album is a rarity in poprock-psych terms; the only voice to be heard is that of a wordless soprano singer on the title track. However, the stylistic diversity of the tunes and the variety of the backing tracks means that it is by no means repetitive. It was mostly recorded in LA and Nashville, using the top rhythm section sessioneers of both camps: Art Stavro and Eddie Hoh from the Wrecking Crew, stalwarts of the early Monkees sessions, and Bob Moore and Kenny Buttrey, soon to anchor Dylan’s Nashville Skykine. The LA tracks also feature tight arrangements, while the Nashville ones benefit from Pete Drake’s sympathetic pedal steel accompaniment.

The album as a whole is a classic late-night-listening record, beautifully laid-back groovy arrangements fronted by a bewildering array of restrained guitar tricks from Mandel, dazzling but never flashy or tasteless. The titles give the idea: “Lights Out”, “Nashville 1AM”, “Before Six”. “Cristo Redentor” is translated to Portuguese for Christ The Redeemer, and this title track is the exception to the album, being a solemn, flowing piece.

“Before Six” features some of Harvey’s most mind-boggling sustain work, the sound looping wildly between the stereo speakers, plus a mouth-watering cameo on Hammond by longtime LA collaborator Barry Goldberg and tasty backing arrangements stab throughout. “You Can’t Tell Me” is funkier than your average Nashville session, with Harvey wringing out the best Memphis scale licks ever heard, intertwining with Pete Drake’s slippery steel chords.

Wade In The Water

7:58

Lights Out

4:53

Bradley's Barn

3:18

You Can't Tell Me

4:20

Nashville 1 A.M.

3:39

B:

Cristo Redentor

3:48

Before Six

6:30

The Lark

4:40

Snake

3:49

Long Wait

3:39

CONDITION: The cover is stiff and solid M- only having a small delete drill at top left, otherwise the dark cover areas have NO shelf wear (amazing at that!), no bends, no split seams, no writing...one of the best seen in ages...

The vinyl is all glossy clean and smooth "EX" (excellent) ...easily plays clear & enjoyable

      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