VIVA Automobile Downstairs JOHNNY KITCHEN PVT PSYCH LP

$

82

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS…

VIVA "Automobile Downstairs"

Original 1977 LP on the MARK HOLLY RECORDS (ALBUM WORLD) label, STEREO AW14011

Cover:  NEAR MINT, still in shrinkwrap, some corner dings

Vinyl:  SUPER CLEAN, no marks, plays VG++ to EXCELLENT

There's one selling right now for $125 online and it's in worse condition.

Sure, Viva’s Automobile Downstairs is a total tax scam, from a label that knows no shame (it’s a Johnny Kitchen thang).  I bet there never even WAS a band called Viva, and I could probably count the number of people who actually went out and bought this record on one hand, if three of my fingers were broken.  I mean, just LOOK at that cover – an old rust bucket in a field, and two type fonts that went out three years earlier with Soul Train and Shaft in Africa.  And if you were one of the two truck drivers who actually did plunk down five bucks for this album in 1977, you’d get home after a month of hauling sheet rock across Middle America and find that the music on Automobile Downstairs sounds at least 4 or 5 years behind the times.  That’s not a complaint, mind you.  I hated 1977.  Disco music, Kiss Alive 2 and Leo F***ing Sayer.  Not to mention the birth of Foreigner.  So if Viva wants to go and pretend it’s still 1971, then let ‘em.  I would’ve too.

Automobile Downstairs is an interesting record – far better than it has the right to be considering its tax-scam status and other shortcomings, one of which has to be its unforgivingly short 24 minute running length.  And the fact that none of the song titles match up with what’s on the record.  But if you could imagine a world where Elton John goes psychedelic, or at least falls in love with an echo chamber, you can imagine a world where Viva rules the airwaves with songs like “When Was Forever One More Day,” whose title doesn’t even make sense grammatically but is a nice little trippy piano ballad where everything is distorted and echoed out to sound like music from another dimension.  Or from a truck stop in 1977.  And “Forget Those Fears” sounds like what Elton might’ve cooked up around the time of Tumbleweed Connection if he had George Harrison on lead guitar.  And a budget of $300.  And the feds on his heels.

But perhaps the best, and certainly the most interesting, track on the album is “The Champion Rides Alone.”  Interesting because, according to the back cover, it bears a writing credit of “R. Kachaturian,” who may or may not be a distant relative of famous Armenian composer Aram.  But take one listen to the song and it’s hard not to notice that the melody is a direct ripoff of John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?”!!!  And while a songwriting credit of “Lennon/Kachaturian” might make you think of a song called “Do You Wanna Sabre Dance?”, I guess the folks behind the already-dubious band they call “Viva” weren’t worried about a lawsuit from the Lennon estate, much less a phone call from the IRS.  Nonetheless, Viva’s version of “How Do You Sleep?” features some wicked slide guitar that’s missing from the original.  And to think George Harrison went to court and lost over much less. 

It was suggested that Automobile Downstairs was a collection of random band demos, due to the fact that a) there seems to be a different vocalist on every track, and b) the fidelity is demo-like to say the least.  It’s also been suggested that some of the songs here are incidental music from the film Gone In Sixty Seconds with new vocals added, since the “P. Kachaturian and R. Halicki” songwriting credits match.  But no one’s matched up that film with this album like they have with The Wizard of Oz and Dark Side of the Moon, so I can’t verify that’s true.  Although I would pay good money to see Downstairs In Sixty Seconds if someone wants to throw that together.  Whatever the case may be, there simply can’t be very many of these still floating around the record collecting universe, and the only one I see out there right now is selling for $125 and it’s in worse shape.  Not bad for a bunch of lo-fi songs from 1977 that sound like a lost demo tape from Elton John and John Lennon’s echo-drenched acid trip from 1971.  Hey, I’ll take this over Leo Sayer any day of the week.

 HEAR IT!

The less exciting stuff

Media mail shipping with delivery confirmation starts at $4.00 in the US, with each additional record only $1 additional shipping.  ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS REQUIRE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, WHICH IS AN EXTRA 75 CENTS.  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.  ALL FOREIGN ORDERS REQUIRE CERTIFICATE OF SHIPMENT, WHICH IS AN EXTRA $1.10.  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. 

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.