Sold Date: January 12, 2014
Start Date: January 5, 2014
Final Price: $20.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 13436
Buyer Feedback: 31

VAN DUREN "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" LP

ORIGINAL 1978 LP ON THE US BIG SOUND label, STEREO BSLP-019

COVER IN VG+ shape, ringwear, cut corner

VINYL plays EXCELLENT to NEAR MINT

Original 1978 pressing of this Memphis power pop Big Star-related masterpiece from Van Duren on the Big Sound label.  This was kind of a big secret until finally getting a legitimate reissue in 2004 – still is, to be honest.  Because if more people knew how much this sounds like prime Big Star (Van Duren played with Chris Bell in the Baker Street Regulars and once auditioned to replace Chris in Big Star), they’d be all over this like Artie Lange on a sausage and pepper pizza.  But if there were ever a strong argument for the importance of a good graphic designer, Are You Serious? would be it.  

Van looks awfully confused on the front cover, like Miss Teen South Carolina or something, and to be perfectly honest, that’s a horrible photo to have as your big first impression on the casual Sam Goody customer.  Not to mention the misleading faux krautrock typeface he chose, which, of course, bears no resemblance to the music inside.  Even though one of the songs here found a spot on a GEM Import compilation alongside such dissimilar acts as Goblin, National Health and Eela Craig, to further obfuscate consumers.  Those who bought this in 1978 expecting some Amon Duul 2 spinoff are bound to be confused.  Thankfully, Van wasn’t nearly as confused once you got inside – pretty much a one track mind, really.  And if you’ve got half a mind to hear more power pop sounds along the lines of the Raspberries, Badfinger, Todd Rundgren and, of course, Big Star, then this album is gonna spend a lot of time on your Holly Hobby turntable.  I’m serious. 

Go ahead, have some fun with this one.  Play “Oh Babe” for your hardcore Raspberries fan and tell him (or her) it’s a rare outtake from Fresh.  They’ll believe you, because Van not only gets his hook straight from a vintage Raspberries Top 40 hit, he even sounds like Eric Carmen!   Which he pulls off again on “Positive,” this time nailing Eric’s plaintive, sad delivery in a slower, more dramatic piano ballad a la “Starting Over.”  I wouldn’t be surprised if Van’s touring today in some Raspberries tribute band with a name like Overnight Sensation.  Playing at a Ramada near you. 

He really is some sort of vocal chameleon, though, because on the anthemic “Guaranteed,” he’s now got Pete Ham down perfectly, cranking out a classic Badfinger ballad like something off Straight Up.  Next up, the Fred Travelina of pop music tackles Todd Rundgren on the Utopian space rocker “Grow Yourself Up,” sporting yet another killer pop hook and a groovy Singring glass guitar outer space solo near the end.  And the goofily-titled “The Love that I Love” is precisely the kind of starry-eyed, brain-dead but pop-smart acoustic ditty that you’d find on any one of Paul McCartney’s first three solo albums.  With a melody honestly even worthy of Sir Paul, or at least Emmitt Rhodes.  And with Van’s uncanny ability to mimic all his 70’s power pop heroes, it’s no wonder he looks so confused on the front cover.  Will the real Van please stand up? 

Maybe that’s him on the album’s strongest track, the blistering unsung Yellow Pills masterpiece “New Year’s Day.”  Here he makes a strong case for why he should have been in Big Star, creating what could have been a near-perfect follow-up to “September Gurls.”  And once again he gets that urgent soulful Memphis falsetto down just right.  Slide this somewhere in the middle of #1 Record and only the lifetime members of the Alex Chilton Army would know something’s amiss .  Or that their favorite album just got even better. 

Of course, Van Duren never got the accolades he deserved – not even a tour slot opening up for Rich Little.  And for 26 years, his little album went virtually unnoticed by the same power pop crowd that heap piles of praise on it once it got reissued in the handy compact disc format (then even going so far as to release his unreleased follow-up).  Which has always made original vinyl issues of Are You Serious? as hard to find as a good graphic designer in the Big Sound label home office.  Forget the bad mug shot, and the Tangerine Dream font – Van Duren is pure power pop.  After all, this is a man who spent time in the Memphis trenches with the big boys, and knows his way around a hook and melody as well as any of the heroes he can mimic.  I think he’s serious. 

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!

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.  Overseas shipping has, unfortunately, gone way up in the fast few months, which translates to $15 for the first LP to Canada ($3 each one thereafter) and $24 for the first LP everywhere else in the world, with each add'l LP an extra $5 (so it pays to buy more, nudge nudge wink wink).   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.