Idle Race / ELO Related
The Birthday Party
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 1968 Deep Groove Stereo Original; No Cut Out Holes Or Seam Splits. “The Debut Album By This Unjustly Overlooked Band Is A Piece Of Classic British Psychedelia That Transcends Its Origins. Most British Bands Trying To Achieve A Psychedelic Sound In Those Days Simply Played Softly And Sang In A Very Effete And Poetic Manner - The Idle Race, By Contrast, Play Hard Here And Don't Sound Effete So Much As Just Cheerfully Trippy, A Lot Like The Beatles Of "Penny Lane" And "Strawberry Fields Forever"; Indeed, "End Of The Road" From This Album Sounds Like A Rewrite Of "Penny Lane." Jeff Lynne Is The Dominant Personality Here, As Composer, Guitarist, And Singer, And, As One Might Expect Given His Presence, The Music All Has A Beatles-Like Quality Of Playfulness Amid The Musical Invention. Much More Indicative Of His Future Direction Are "Morning Sunshine," One Of The Prettiest Songs To Come Out Of The Entire Birmingham Music Scene And Displaying A Languid Guitar Flourish That Anticipates Any Number Of ELO Songs Circa A New World Record, And "The Lady Who Said She Could Fly," An Orchestrated Beatlesque Jewel That Sounds Like A Lost ELO Track.” Bruce Eder, All Music Guide.