Description

John Strang, Valentine Lewis Lloyd, Martin Farquharson ‎– The Masterpeace

Label:Seelie Court ‎– SCLP 008Format:Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country:UKReleased:2020Genre:Folk, World, & CountryStyle:Folk

Fmt: LP Ltd 500sclp 0085 033281 011255

25 copies were privately made in 1968 by the 17 year old strang, who carried them home from

the studio several miles in a rucksack on foot. very few survive today, and it is a little understood

lp. the title refers to nuclear armageddon and the total death of all life, not a hippie idyll, and the

songs are apocalyptic poetry that confront the cold war, hiroshima and nagasaki, platonic forms

and the nature of reality, there are also a few explicit drug references to lsd and amphetamines.

this darkness of intent makes the lp exceptional for the time, and seminal. musically it draws

from donovan and the incredible string band , at times becoming experimental, and yet with

an air of fragility that predicts vashti bunyans lp made two years later. john strang continues to

compose privately to this day, but walked away from a Transatlantic Records deal in the early 70s

to pursue a career in Psychiatry, for which he was knighted. A concept lp about mental illness

was due for release on Transatlantic, which we are currently restoring from surviving tapes and

cassettes, entitled “Shame and Stigma” it is forthcoming. Full lyrics included which demand

careful reading, plus an insert explaining the lp written by the artist himself.

john strang – the masterpeace (gatefold)

Tracks:

A1  Village School

A2  Seagull No.3

A3  Late In The Day 

A4  Dreams 

A5  Madame Bartholemew

A6  Acid Albatross

A7  Little Fat Man

A8  Butterfly

A9  Ge-Bomb

B1  Masterpeace 1

B2  Twisted Tree

B3  Swallow No.7 

B4  He Was Only A Child

B5  Blistered Blades Of Grass

B6  No Money To Pay 

B7  Love Grew In The Night

B8  Little Anna

B9  Masterpeace 2

Tracklist

vinyl 12” lps, textured covers, pressed by deepgrooves using environmental principles on presses powered by biomass consequently not shrinkwrapped to avoid unnecessary toxic plastic waste

seelie court is a new archival record label with a repertoire of over 50 lps already lined up for release, most are sourced from a private collection of super rare and often completely unknown british acetate and private pressing lps dating from 1965-1978, the most valuable lps that exist. lps like anaconda (post Arcadium) and Barney James (technically a 3rd Warhorse lp) are undocumented and have been kept in a black box for decades the label will issue progressive rock and folk rock 1965-1978 and post punk/new wave 1976-1982 on a sub label.

audio restoration is by Reynolds Mastering, England. engineered and restored by an industry genius who specialises in complex restoration techniques utilising pure craftsmanship acquired from decades of experience, Reynolds projects range from restoring delicate decca classical

recordings to 30 cd wishbone ash box sets, using a treasure trove of invaluable ex BBC studios analogue equipment and the latest digital to work sonic miracles