Pearls Before Swine

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Balaklava Used - LP - 1010 1998 180gm Reissue Pressed On Pure Virgin Vinyl. Includes Custom Inner Sleeve. “A Record That Virtually Defies Categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 Epic Balaklava Is The Near-Brilliant Follow-Up To One Nation Underground. Intended As A Defiant Condemnation Of The Vietnam War, It Doesn't Offer Anthemic, Fist-Pounding Protest Songs. Instead, Rapp Vented His Anger Through Surrealist Poetry, Irony, And Historical Reference.” Peter Kurtz, AMG more
	Balaklava Used - LP - 1075 1968 Deep Groove Stereo Original. Vinyl Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Cover Is VG++. “A Record That Virtually Defies Categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 Epic Balaklava Is The Near-Brilliant Follow-Up To One Nation Underground. Intended As A Defiant Condemnation Of The Vietnam War, It Doesn't Offer Anthemic, Fist-Pounding Protest Songs. Instead, Rapp Vented His Anger Through Surrealist Poetry, Irony, And Historical Reference.” Peter Kurtz, AMG more
	Balaklava Used - LP - 1075 Rare Original Whit Label Promo. “A Record That Virtually Defies Categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 Epic Balaklava Is The Near-Brilliant Follow-Up To One Nation Underground. Intended As A Defiant Condemnation Of The Vietnam War, It Doesn't Offer Anthemic, Fist-Pounding Protest Songs. Instead, Rapp Vented His Anger Through Surrealist Poetry, Irony, And Historical Reference.” All Music Guide – Peter Kurtz more
	Best Of Pearls Before Swine New - LP - AD 4111 Sealed 1980 2LP All Analogue Gatefold Compilation Of Their Great First Two Albums Cut At Masterdisk. Cut Corner. more
	Best Of Pearls Before Swine (One Nation Underground & Balaklava) Used - LP - AD 411 Beautiful 1980 2LP All Analogue Gatefold Compilation Of Two Great Albums Cut At Masterdisk. Both LPs Appear Unplayed. Cut Corner (Not Shown). more
	One Nation Underground Used - LP - 1054 Beautiful 1967 Stereo Origial. Album Cover Is Full-Color With White Border. Also Includes The Rare Colour Poster. Appears Unplayed. more
	One Nation Underground Used - LP - GET 1008 1998 180gm Reissue Pressed On Pure Virgin Vinyl. Record Appears Glossy, Unplayed. Includes Custom Inner Sleeve. more
	One Nation Underground Used - LP - ESP-1054 1968 2nd pressing Black label with poster. "One Nation Underground," released in 1967, stands as the debut album by Pearls Before Swine, a group led by Tom Rapp. The band emerged from Florida but quickly became associated with the burgeoning psychedelic folk movement of the late 1960s. Recorded for the independent label ESP-Disk, the album was created on a shoestring budget, with much of its recording taking place in New York. While "One Nation Underground" did not achieve significant mainstream commercial success upon its release, it garnered a devoted cult following due to its introspective lyricism, experimental sensibility, and unique blending of folk, psychedelic, and avant-garde elements. From a historical perspective, "One Nation Underground" is notable for its unorthodox approach both musically and lyrically. The album features surreal and evocative imagery, often reflecting Rapp's skepticism of authority and war, themes especially resonant during the Vietnam era. Tracks like "Drop Out!" and "Another Time" showcased a poetic sensibility uncommon in rock music at the time, while the album's cover art, using Brueghel's "The Fall of Icarus," hinted at its philosophical ambitions. Over the years, the album has been recognized as a significant, if under appreciated, milestone in psychedelic folk, influencing later generations of musicians drawn to its authenticity and willingness to push boundaries. more
	The Use Of Ashes Used - LP - RS 6405 1970 US original Santa Maria pressing with WB/Reprise company inner. Corner ding and seam/ring wear. "For their second Reprise Records outing, Pearls Before Swine worked primarily with Nashville-based musicians, including a small orchestra who provide a stately feel to the highly intimate nature of the material. According to Tom Rapp, the songs were written while he and his wife were living in the Netherlands, which Rapp said contributed significantly to the air of romanticism throughout. "The Jeweller" opens the album with an exquisite tale that exemplifies Rapp's remarkable abilities to draw upon disparate metaphors such as shining coins and worshiping God, both involving the The Use of Ashes -- hence the title. The rural mood created by the notable Music City USA stalwarts effortlessly fuses with David Briggs' baroque-flavored harpsichord on the delicate "From the Movie of the Same Name," featuring Rapp and spouse Elisabeth on non-verbal vocalizations as they "da-da-da" the melody. Although "Rocket Man" predates the Elton John cut by a couple of years, Bernie Taupin cites it as his inspiration for the lyrics behind John's 1972 Top Ten hit. The words are credited as having been influenced by a Ray Bradbury novella that dealt with the universal emotion of loss. Again, Briggs' keyboard runs relate the story with subdued refinement. By contrast, "God Save the Child" is one of the more amplified inclusions, making good use of session heavies Kenneth A. Buttrey (drums) and Charlie McCoy (guitar), especially when placed against the restrained string section. Another sonic texture in the tapestry is the jazzy "Tell Me Why," shimmering with an uncredited vibraphone lead gliding beneath Rapp's whimsical lines. These tracks are offset by the noir "When the War Began," the ethereal love song "Margery," and the mid-tempo retelling of the "Riegal," a ship whose 4,000 inhabitants perished during World War II. Rapp's juxtaposition of stark imagery reveals that while Pearls Before Swine might not have continued the bombastic direction set about on their earlier protest works "Uncle John" or "Drop Out," they maintained social and political relevance." All Music Guide – Lindsay Planer more
	These Things Too Used - LP - RS 6364 1969 US original Santa Maria pressing. Small crease to bottom corner. "By the time of their third LP, Pearls Before Swine's mainstay Tom Rapp hadn't changed much in his approach. He was still singing inscrutable folk-rock-psychedelic songs with a crackly lisp, with melodies that were pleasant but didn't really stick in the memory. The chief difference, if any, was that by this point Pearls Before Swine was less of a group and more a front for Rapp working with various other musicians. Only Wayne Harley remained from the lineup on the first album; the drums, in fact, were handled by esteemed jazz veteran Grady Tate. Perhaps working for a major label allowed for more time in honing the arrangements, which employed horns, strings, celeste, lugubrious orchestration, periodic odd sound effects, and some backup vocals by Elisabeth Rapp. At times, Rapp sounded almost normal, as on the cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" (the only non-original) and the easygoing country-rock of "If You Don't Want To." What to make, though, of a song about a "Frog in the Window," presented in both a hurdy-gurdy good-time version and a more spaced-out one? Or the French-sung "Mon Amour," in which Rapp wanders into Astrud Gilberto territory? The collision of weirdness and ordinariness is strange enough to make one wonder whether Lambchop, decades later, found some inspiration for their own unfathomable mundane art songs in old Pearl Before Swine albums, though Pearl Before Swine was less self-conscious and more interesting. But on These Things Too, they weren't that interesting." All Music Guide – Richie Unterberger more
	These Things Too New - LP - RS 6364 Sealed 1969 Stereo Original. Tiny Corner Bumps. By The Time Of Their Third Lp, Pearls Before Swine’s Mainstay Tom Rapp’s Approach Of Folk-Rock-Psychedelic Songs Differed, As Less Of A Group & More A Front For Rapp Working With Various Other Musicians. Only Wayne Harley Remained From The Lineup On The First Album; The Drums, In Fact, Were Handled By Esteemed Jazz Veteran Grady Tate. more
	These Things Too Used - LP - RS 6364 Beautiful 1969 White Label Promo. more
	Use Of Ashes New - LP - RS 6405 Sealed 1970 Original. more