THEM "IN REALITY" LP

ORIGINAL 1971 LP ON THE US HAPPY TIGER LABEL, STEREO HT 1012

COVER IN VG shape, pr0m0 sticker and small filing sticker on front, radio station stamp on front and back

VINYL plays VG+ to VG++

This ain’t your father’s Them.  Really.  Recorded in 1971, long after Van the Man left the band, In Reality was Them’s final album, with bassist Alan Henderson the only surviving original member on it, although they do pick up two guys from LHI’s great band the Kitchen Cinq.  And as if to prove the point that this ain’t your dad’s Them, they start off In Reality with a long 10-minute cover of Van’s “Gloria” that sees it reinvented as a heavy, raw, rough and ragged heavy rock redux, with tons of wah wah and wailing siren guitar and, in true 70’s hairy rock Christopher Walken fashion, no shortage of cowbell.  It’s primal stuff, almost like this new Them is giving the final one-finger salute to the band’s previous (and much better remembered) beat pop incarnation, and showing you exactly how they would play the hits if’n you asked for ‘em.  Like the Amboy Dukes’ similar reimagining, they segue effortlessly into a frenzied chooglin’ cover of “Baby Please Don’t Go” right afterward, so if you find this newer louder Them blasphemous, unnecessary or infinitely more exciting, prepare for a double dose.  Nothing else here sounds as outwardly defiant, but “Laugh” is a very pleasant little pop tune wrapped in more of that ragged trippy fuzz guitar with a raw live-in-the-studio vibe (In Reality really sounds like the work of a band versus their previous post-Van albums).  And the twisted acid psych gem “Rayn” is another catchy mix tape candidate, loaded up once again with plenty of double-tracked fuzz and wah wah guitar overload.  Of course, the public wanted more Van with their Them, so their final albums sold like body wash at a Comic Convention.  But clearly they were headed somewhere exciting based on what’s here.  And it’s good to hear they were still carrying the psychedelic freak flag well into 1971.  In Reality is a great little ragged garage psych album.  And trust me, it’ll blow your mind a lot more than Tupelo Honey will, that’s for sure.

 

 

 

SOUND CLIP COMING SOON, PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER!

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. 

 

On Feb-17-14 at 19:01:52 PST, seller added the following information:

HEAR IT!