Marvin Gardens - 1968 [VINYL]

"Had the Charlatans been joined by Country Joe's keyboard player and fronted by an earthy female singer, they might've sounded like Marvin Gardens..." -Mike Stax, Ugly Things Magazine A phenomenal anthology of rare demo, studio, and live recordings from late '60s, second-wave, San Francisco, Electric-Folk/Garage-Psych pioneers Marvin Gardens. Comprised of unheard Warner Bros. audition demos, a self-released EP, and an inspired live performance from the legendary Matrix club in S.F., 1968 captures virtually all recorded evidence of a dynamic and mesmerizing band that existed for only a couple years at the tail end of the '60s. Lead singer Carol Duke was a wisecracking lesbian from Lubbock, Texas, with a deep knowledge of folk music, the vocal power and conviction of Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, and a spine-tingling pop-melodic purity. The young and fearless band jumped right into her large repertoire of folk, blues and standards - often without ever hearing the originals - and intuitively crafted sonically adventurous and emotionally compelling versions that completely stand on their own. Marvin Gardens had elements of molten Quicksilver, the Dead's cosmic blues, Big Brother's grand gestures and the city's open-hearted folkie past, as well as heaps of grit and humor, with shadings of the Velvet Underground and The Charlatans... High Moon Records has created the ultimate document of a group that should have been a bigger deal and still very much deserves to be heard. All live tracks recorded by Peter Abram (Velvet Underground The Matrix Tapes) at the legendary Matrix Club in San Francisco. Full color, 24-page LP booklet (32 page in CD) with essay by Mike Stax (Ugly Things Magazine), rare photos, posters and memorabilia from 1968, and written contributions by surviving members and close associates of the band. Cover and artwork by legendary underground comic book artist Larry Welz. LP includes download card with five bonus tracks exclusive to vinyl edition. First pressing of LP in limited numbered edition of 2000.