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    STONE MINT ORIGINAL 1973 FIRST PRESS              STILL IN FACTORY CELLOPHANE

                              ..

                     GRANICUS

           

                                         

                    USA - (orange) RCA - LSP 4735 

A BEAUTIFUL FINAL COLLECTION - TOP COPY

ORIGINAL 1973 FIRST PRESSING

STILL IN FACTORY CELLOPHANE AND STONE MINT!

Granicus managed only this one album, and it's both an opening and final statement of forceful high intensity HARD-rock  ... amped to the max, twin guitars pumping, dueling and screaming in tightly executed melodies with vocals that pierce through the listeners aural senses...

This album is not your standard hard rock boogie: it is expertly cut hard rock of the most unique kind. GRANICUS were not an SG-wielding power trio but an equally powerful five man electrical band of dual Gibson Les Pauls with a locked in rhythm section to boot. And lead guitarist Wayne Anderson lets loose in the most controlled yet ever-swooning manner as his solos run against the crunch of Al Pinell’s simple yet evergreen rhythm guitar throughout.

Opening with “You’re In America,” Leffel rants “Wicked! Wicked! Wicked!” right before he runs headlong into the first of many near-hernia inducing wailings. He goes into the fantastically raced line about “politicians and bankers sleep on silken sheets” as the band hold a taut trampolene beneath Leffel as he intones “Let me drop my load/Let me drop my load on you, Americaaaaaaa!!!” as he outdoes Jagger’s “Parachute Woman” aerial cum shot as his vocals are the approximation of a torrential downpour of life-affirming seed flooding the whole 48 Continental States (plus Alaska and Hawaii as well) of its known corruption and evil. And even if it doesn’t, it’s good to know that Nixon DID resign the following year.

But for all their gleaming twin Les Paul attacks, Granicus were far more magnanimous in spirit, coming on far more refined and less wanton, like few up and coming post-Zeppelin bands saw even as an option. “Bad Talk” starts up with a rhythm guitar riff straight from MC5’s “Over And Over” updated with soaring mega-diddley guitar somersaults as the whole piece shifts into a hard rock X-travaganza with searing solos from Wayne Anderson are pure reckless, tight-but-loose ZOSO. “Twilight” is the ballad, and you’re expecting the first words to be “Laaaay-deee” as the gentle acoustic picking and overall feel would’ve landed the whole thing on MTV 10 years later with lotsa dry ice and the vocalist holding a sword beckoning to some damsel in gossamer threads. Luckily, it remains a completely beautiful mellotron instrumental, arranged by producer Martin Last.

The 11 minute “Prayer” is where Leffel really lets it all out, and that’s no mean feat. His testicles probably ascended into the nether reaches of his lungs after the ad-libbing, near spoken confessional that rides up into another piercing vocal: “When your insides are coming out/You don’t feel so groovy/You can’t even shout/...if I could only remember the words to the song I was singing...!” He then manages to continue, “Losing my voice/singing to YOOO-OOOOOOOU!!!” Since Woody wrote all the lyrics on the album, it gave him the liberty to free-associate them to high heaven (as he does here) getting so completely immersed he’s forgotten everything else. Meanwhile, on planet earth the band are spinning like Dervishes as Woody’s tongue gets caught into the studio door again and again with caterwauling vocals, and whole thing that must have stuck the studio’s UV needles into permanent red.

Side two’s “Cleveland, Ohio” opens with jittery hi-hat and pumped up bass open up for hard rock slashes of guitar as Woody’s high-pitched “I’m getting out of Cleveland, Ohio”. They then bring it all down as Leffel scats at the speed of light every epithet he’s ever had heaved at his head from the denizens of that blighted city upon Lake Eire:

“untight...
uncool...
unheavy...
ungroovy...
unfar out...
unfunky...
un (???)...
unmetal...
unhip...
GREASE-BALLLLLL!!!”

There is no possible way to describe how Leffel modulates his voice to sing this last word, except it is a riot and a scream at the same time. But he then goes on a major tear of utmost gaga stream of consciousness as he proceeds to take it ALL downtown, all the way DOWN, down to the river to have a picnic to “roast our WEENIES (!)” as Granicus plays it all up to the hilt, following Woody down, down, down and then cutting right back in on cue for the chorus.

“Nightmare” opens with a “Dear Prudence”/”Brain Damage” acoustic intro which falls away to a gentle benediction from Leffel for his missing father and both brothers gone to war or on the lam. But by the end, everything builds when echo completely unnecessary is applied to Leffel’s already soaring, wailing vocals. “When You’re Movin’” is straight ahead, ever-escalating rock with stop’n’start churning and Leffel’s “Plant my seeds in you baby/Plant my love in you, baby” line over the ever-pleading, wailin’ “DO IT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!” utterly uncalled for vocal overdub that is funny as heck. The closing epic of “Paradise” begins with a roughed-up Neil Young riff ala “Cinnamon Girl” or “When You Dance” and it’s an extended workout that sees Granicus -- and Woody Leffel in particular -- seeking to exorcise all their listeners of the devil with the line: “If you see the Devil, you jus’ tell that mean ol’, funky ol’ Devil…you gotta go, Devil! You gotta rock mah soul!!!” And with a voice like that, you gotta believe it WOULD send the Devil (as well as those who refuse to ROCK) straight back to Sheol, toot sweet. It comes back way down so Woody can extend his true hand of friendship to all his fellow rejects, until the fuse to the end of the track is lit...and they’re off! Anderson is going absolutely nuts on guitar, complete with a double bass drum assault probably picked up from “Fireball” as they go for broke and sweeping far overhead on the comet illustration from the back cover with a tremendously full head of steam.

Granicus was the name of the river where Alexander the Great won the first of four major battle victories of his career. But for the group, their only fame would be with this equally screaming and brave statement. 

You're In America 4:09 Bad Talk 2:35 Twilight 3:18 Prayer 11:02 Cleveland, Ohio 3:24 Nightmare 8:15 When You're Movin' 3:11 Paradise 7:09

              

 

CONDITION: The cover: rated: MINT in factory cellophane, all flat & squar with 4 sharp corners... 43 years later the cover remains with a fresh appearance, small delete mark off to the left side, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ... VERY collection worthy rarity ...

The vinyl: Rated: MINT Clean and glossy, plays with very enjoyable CLEAN audio  ...NO distracting surface problems ...  both RCA labels are clean

   

      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

  NOTE: All Items backed by  money back guarantee! IF you have a problem PLEASE let us solve for you BEFORE leaving ANY negative feedback. Thanks!   GRADING SCALE: M, M-, EX, VG++,VG+, VG, VG- M    Completely clean, no marks M-   Carefully used, looks clean, plays clean, shiny gloss, no marks EX   Faint scuff or superficial mark, near M-, high gloss, plays clean VG++ Glossy with minimal scuffing or light mark playing very nice, clean VG+ a bit more scuff or markls still plays well with very minimal surface at worse VG   more marks/scratches only minor, nothing deep, no loud clicks or pops         this grade is abused by many, VG here does not mean "trashed" VG-  surface noise present, will not have skips or jumps     ALL PAYMENTS SHOULD BE MADE WITHIN 5 DAYS Of AUCTIONS END   BIDDERS PLEASE = Do Not Bid If You Are Not Serious About  Following Through The Transaction!   ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED FOR WINNING BID - LESS SHIPPING!