Gandalf: Gandalf (clear vinyl) [JACKPOT]

Why you'll love it

Jackpot's all-analog reissue was cut by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and comes on clear vinyl with liner notes and photos by Peter Sando. The album turns Tim Hardin songs and old standards into dreamy, organ-soaked psychedelia.

This edition

• Clear vinyl
• All analog (AAA)
• Cut by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes
• Liner notes and photos by Peter Sando
• Printed inner sleeve
• Lyrics included

About the album

The producers suggested the Knockrockers; the band preferred something more magical. Gandalf came together in New York City in the mid-60s as the Rahgoos, with Peter Sando on guitar, Frank Hubach on keyboards, Bob Muller on bass and Davy Bauer on drums, and signed to Capitol in 1967 with Koppelman and Rubin producing.

Three Tim Hardin songs sit at its heart: "Hang On to a Dream," "Never Too Far" and "You Upset the Grace of Living," all slowed into a lovely haze. "Golden Earrings" and "Scarlet Ribbons" go the same way, Eden Ahbez's "Nature Boy" drifts by, and Bonner and Gordon, the team behind "Happy Together," supply "Tiffany Rings" and "Me About You." Sando's own "Can You Travel in the Dark Alone" and "I Watch the Moon" are the hidden treasures.

Its reputation grew steadily after Capitol issued it in 1969, and it's now a prized find for 60s psych collectors. Sundazed reissued it in 2002 and later issued a second album of the band's recordings. A wizard's name was always going to take a while to work its spell.

Also at Kops: more Gandalf on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Jackpot (cat# JPR 109), a reissue of the 1969 album.