IMPORTANT NEWS!

Gripsweat is shutting down. Starting on February 1st, 2025 the site will no longer be doing daily updates, adding any new items, or accepting new memberships. The site will continue to run in this "historical" mode until January 1st, 2026, when the site will go offline. More information is available here.

GRAIL 1970 RANDY HOLDEN "POPULATION II" HEAVY GUITAR ACID PSYCH BEAST Blue Cheer

Sold Date: January 19, 2025
Start Date: January 12, 2025
Final Price: $943.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 2
Seller Feedback: 22234
Buyer Feedback: 550

This item is not for sale. Gripsweat is an archive of past sales and auctions, none of the items are available for purchase.


PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING: Please read the entire auction listing, including shipping costs, before writing to ask a question.   OUR GOAL IS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. In order to meet that goal, we will ALWAYS work with our customers on any concerns that may arise. Because of that dedication, there should be no need to open a resolution dispute before working with us.  Please keep in mind, we would prefer to continue to provide you the opportunity to acquire the rare music we present each and every week.   Payment is required within seven days. We mail all paid items ONE WEEK after auctions end. Our listings are time consuming in detail and we are often traveling to find these gems, which at times delays the delivery schedule by a day or two. We ALWAYS process and ship every paid order. We have no control over parcels once they are mailed from our local Post Office. Overseas mail to some countries (Italy, Russia, France, in particular) has become very slow. Opening a dispute for slow mail is unacceptable.  We work hard to provide excellent service as is represented by our well over +21,000 positive feedback.   We use an ultrasonic KLAudio machine and thoroughly clean all records. Each order is carefully packaged by removing the LP from the jacket to avoid seam splits, use of 3 ml plastic cover sleeves over each LP and jacket, cardboard pad inserts, and placed in sturdy record mailers for safe delivery.   We take Customer Service seriously, and want you to be satisfied. Please give us 5 stars in each category through the feedback system, and we will be able to effectively continue to fulfill your passion for rare and collectible music! We have served thousands of satisfied customers - far more than our feedback records indicate - and our aim is to continue to do so. Thank you for your interest and support.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHIPPING:   USA ~ 1 LP = $4.00 Media Priority rates vary by area; please inquire.   All Canadian and Overseas shipping ~ Please inquire about rates. Priority shipping rates required on any order $200+ ~ Also, in the best interest of all of us, safe Express shipping rates on any order totaling $400+
Note to International buyers: If you are unable to bid on our auctions, send us an e-mail and we will try to fix your problem.     WE DO NOT USE EBAY's GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM. Be certain that your Customs forms are processed by us and your package will be postmarked and mailed at our local Post Office.      Discount shipping on multiple LPs in same order.      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  

 

MEGA-RARE SOUGHT 1970 ORIGINAL  The "HOBBIT" Label Went Bankrupt UPON  LP Release
 ..|/\|...............................................|/\|.. = RANDY HOLDEN = " POPULATION II "
 ..|/\|...............................................|/\|.. USA - HOBBIT RECORDS - 502 (stereo) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ~~ EARTH QUAKE ! Investment Valuable ~~ Final Collection Artifact GIANT!
 Props to the GRT Record label in 1970 in effort to release the "over-the-top" HOWLING FEEDBACK GUITAR BEAST by x-BLUE CHEER GUITAR MASTER RANDY HOLDEN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Absolutely NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL 1970 UNDERGROUND HEAVY PSYCH ~ LEGENDARY LP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Randy Holden was one of the great underappreciated  guitar heroes of the late '60s underground-rock scene.
A true devotee of the guitar, to Randy it was all about the music. He spent the first part of the 60's playing in surf band "Fender IV" and 60's psychedelic-garage-rock bands Sons of Adam and mighty "The Other Half."  
HOLDEN'S most high profile gig was replacing Leigh Stephens on guitar in the legendary Blue Cheer.  Playing with Blue Cheer for roughly a year, was recorded on half (the second side) of their 3rd album "New! Improved! Blue Cheer" before quitting the band. 
It seems HOLDEN decided to leave the band partly because of their more mainstream rock aspirations coupled by the band being more interested in getting stoned than creating serious music together.  The "New! Improved!" album clearly shows a lack of direction that made the first to albums,Vincebus Eruptum and Outsideinside, heavy psych classics.
The total exception on their third Lp was Randy's side II work that includes "Fruit and Icebergs" which he  re-recorded on "Population II" in superior and devastating "killer-rated" effect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Leaving Blue Cheer in 1969, Randy ventured out on his own. Armed with 20 new Sunn amps and drummer Chris Lockheed, he rented an opera house and recorded this now world class sought heavy rock classic  " Population II "  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The mighty "POPULATION II" is a dark, heavy, moody-brooding record ahead of it's time conceptually. Recorded years before doom metal, features a mountain of creeping Sabbathy dark mayhem filled with Randy's tasteful, gutsy un-restrained lead guitar ... oh hell yes, this record is all about Randy Holden's HEAVY PSYCH EXPLOSIVE GUITAR fed through 20 SUNN amps, way-up front in the mix over the drums and torched vocals .... GUITAR-Godzilla destroying your sound-room. 
The very first track is "Guitar Song" kicking the record off with a series of slow stoned guitar breaks, and the first vocals we hear: "I LOVE THE SOUND OF A GUITAR PLAYING" setting the tone for the album: Randy's vaguely Hendrix-like half spoken vocals, heavy duty drumming and rhythm guitar riffage swaggers-wobbly while sustaining-to-infinity his mayhem soloing.
Next up, the aforementioned "Fruit and Icebergs" parts one & two unleashing an evil Sabbathy tritone-blues dirge complete with spacey theremin-esque whammy bar guitar creating a true heavy-psych monster of the never again kind.

Sandwiched between Fruit and Icebergs Parts 1 and 2 is "Between Time" which is probably the most accessible song on the record. It's a straight ahead rocker designed to up the pace. Then the "Fruit and Icebergs" monster from space is back for a brief violent reprise that leads us to the two final best songs on the whole trip.  "Blue My Mind" fades in with guitar chaos that you later find is lifted from the end of the song and then goes into some serious mid tempo  psyched-out rock-a-mania.
Dominating bombastic arena sized guitar fills ones sound room, the soloing is minimal to lyrical content, building up to the chaotic multiple tracked frenzy-guitar ending.

The album closer, "Keeper of My Flame," features the fastest tempo on the whole album; tribal tom tom/bluesy war cry-guitar, heavy riffing verse and chorus lead up to a breakdown where the guitar solo starts and stuns then really start rocking when everything stops, yet rises back to another tribal war cry, then kicks ass over a "Tales of Brave Ulysses" CREAM groove going on for several minutes. Then when you expect it's all over you just come to a half time, yes half time for more Sunn fireworks to follow. 
Sadly, the Hobbit record label at the time of release went bankrupt; the Lp was never commercially released.
Corruption followed when Randy's equipment manager sold off his gear and left Randy guitar-less and bankrupt. Bootleg copies of this HIGHLY SOUGHT 1970 ORIGINAL were released, which now 55 years later the mighty POPULATION II 1970 Lp has reached top level underground cult status, valued at a small fortune.

An interview with Randy Holden, noted he listened to "Population II" (in 1990) for the first time since doing it and said "It's almost like quicksand, in a sense. It pulls you into it....but it's difficult to get back out." So true in with such an intriguing over-the-top LP being really unlike anything else!!!
SIDE ONE

GUITAR SONG

FRUIT & ICEBURGS

BETWEEN TIME

FRUIT & ICEBURGS (CONCLUSION)

SIDE TWO

BLUE MY MIND

KEEPER OF MY FLAME.
  CONDITION:
The cover: rated: near EX (excellent) minor surface beginning on front, yet complete back cover is M-
Completely keeper artifact There is a tiny-small hard to see bb delete in center, if not, then it's not original as every 1970 original print was immediately deleted... the thick '70 cover has no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ... The vinyl: Rated : ALL CLEAN M- looks and PLAYS BEAUTIFUL has NO surface audio ~ a clear trip start to finish! Then both HOBBIT labels are clean with bb (smallest) delete drill ... IF no bb delete, it's not original, as every 1970 release was deleted immediately, reason of super-rare status ! 


A cool addition to anyone's music library! 
SEE: SELLERS OTHER ITEMS (((similar grooves for "head" people...)))

................................................

NOTE: All Items backed by  money back guarantee!
BEFORE BIDDING: IF you have a problem PLEASE agree in letting us solve an issue
for you BEFORE leaving ANY negative feedback. Thanks! ................................................    GRADING SYSTEM:
All imperfections are noted both cover & record
  GRADING SCALE: M, M-, EX, VG++,VG+, VG, VG- M    Completely clean, no marks, plays clean
M-   Carefully used, looks clean, plays clean, shiny gloss, plays clean
EX   Faint scuff or superficial mark, near M-, high gloss, plays clean VG++ Glossy with minimal scuffing or light mark playing very nice, enjoyable
VG+ a bit more scuff or marks 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!