John Strang, Valentine Lewis Lloyd, Martin Farquharson – The Masterpeace
Fmt: LP Ltd 500 sclp 008 5 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
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 |
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