My Acid Ranch

Finally brought my digital camera into work so I could upload my Acid Ranch for Jeff at the Guided By Voices Database and the rest of you mugs! (my crusty home computer and digital camera don't get along) If you are not familiar with the Acid Ranch project, these are extremely lo-fi recordings that pre-date Guided By Voices. Robert Pollard recorded these bizarre tunes with Mitch Mitchell and his brother Jim, both former members of the GBV. The first Acid Ranch, 2002's Some Of the Magic Syrup Was Preserved was a limited edition vinyl-only double album in the Fading Captain series, largely ignored and today quite valuable.

The new Acid Ranch limited edition vinyl-only release is titled As Forever: A Manifesto Of Fractured Imagination And Wreckless Living. It came out late last year and sold out in just 48 hours through Rockathon Records. I'm definitely digging the music more on these newly unearthed Acid Ranch tracks. Supersonic Love Funky Love Gun has quickly become one of my all-time favorites and it's great to hear the full version of Beautiful Plastic. What makes As Forever even more special is that every single copy is in a unique sleeve, hand repainted over crappy old album covers purchased at thrift shops- a hilarious and very DYI punk concept.

And I really lucked out! The original sleeve on my Acid Ranch was for Peter Frampton's 1975 classic "Frampton". The negative lettering is in bluish purple, which is pretty rare- most of the Acid Ranch's are in blue or red. And as you can see above, the face of Frampton is peering out nicely between the letters, axe in hand. Very cool! And the original album cover is below for your comparison.

Until next time!