Gandalf - Gandalf (RSD 2024, Lemongrass Colored LP Vinyl)

If you’re as obsessed with unfairly unheralded bands as we are, bringing out a proper, well-deserved, official re-release to change that is always an honor. Case in point, Jackpot Records proudly announce Gandalf’s 1969 self-titled release, one of our proudest moments. It is time for the rest of the uninitiated to catch up with this beautifully crafted haunting psych-pop record (fans of The Left Banke, Kaleidoscope, The Millennium and The Zombies, take note!). Recorded at Century Sound in Manhattan with Grammy-winning producer Brooks Arthur (who engineered Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”), the production of the album was created on the spot in the studio with arrangements being thrown about and the incredibly haunted vocals being recorded directly from the band’s PA using a Binson Echorec to make this innovative sound (Pink Floyd later used the same echo unit to great effect). Add to that sitars, vibes, B3 organs, harpsichord, minor tragic guitar chords, and bass drones aplenty, and you’ve got the recipe for an album that bears listening to with eyes closed, music cranked, mind open. So get in on the beauty of this record, and as Sando says on the liner notes: “Put the needle in the groove, sit back, and take the trip with Gandalf.” Enough said. This Record Store Day 2024 release, was created alongside band member Peter Sando, cut from the original analog master tapes in an All Analog Process. Includes liner notes and photos by Peter Sando and pressed on limited edition Lemongrass vinyl.

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