About Product Images
This image is a general representation of the item and the actual product may differ slightly in terms of color shading, logo placement, borders, or other small details. Used items may have various cosmetic differences as well.![Enlarge](javascript:show_product_image("https://cdn1.dustygroove.org/images/products/m/mcfarl_gary_americath_101b.jpg"); "View larger image")
America The Beautiful
LP (Item 1972) Skye, 1968 — Condition: Very Good+ Gatefold
Related searches
An incredible document of late 60s America – composed and conducted by Gary McFarland, in a style that's much more ambitious than any of his other work! The album's fully titled "America The Beautiful: An Account Of Its Disappearance" – and features "movements" with very telling subtitles that include "On This Site Shall Be Erected", "80 Miles An Hour Through Beer Can Country", "Suburbia: Two Poodles And A Plastic Jesus", and our personal favorite, "Due To A Lack Of Interest, Tomorrow Has Been Cancelled". Gary's really wearing his politics on his sleeve here – picturing a late 60s America that's without hope, without revolution, and clearly in danger of falling prey to its own plasticization. The whole thing's a wonderful antidote to the "revolution is coming" side of the 60s that is more popularly pushed – and Gary was one of the few musicians at the time with an eye that was clear enough to see that in the 60s, you could sing "The Times Are A-Changing" – but in reality, the corporations were a-growing! Musically, the album features a larger group of jazz players working in a full, rich style that has lots of soundtrack touches. There's a real Axelrod-like feel to the set – with string passages one minute, funky rhythms the next – and some breakout jazz soloing that really colors the tunes nicely! Players include Jerome Richardson, Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, and Chuck Rainey – and Gary's mostly doing the conducting on the set. © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.
(Black label stereo pressing. Cover has light wear.)
(Black label stereo pressing. Cover has light wear.)
Very Good + (plus)
- Vinyl should be very clean, but can have less luster than near mint.
- Should still shine under a light, but one or two marks may show up when tilted.
- Can have a few small marks that may show up easily, but which do not affect play at all. Most marks of this quality will disappear when the record is tilted, and will not be felt with the back of a fingernail.
- This is the kind of record that will play "near mint", but which will have some signs of use (although not major ones).
- May have slight surface noise when played.
Additional Marks & Notes
If something is noteworthy, we try to note it in the comments — especially if it is an oddity that is the only wrong thing about the record. This might include, but isn't limited to, warped records, tracks that skip, cover damage or wear as noted above, or strictly cosmetic flaws.
You might be interested
Gary McFarland
Point Of DepartureImpulse, 1963. Very Good+ Gatefold
LP...$9.99
11.99
A great record – and one that's filled with so many wonderful little moments! The whole thing's a very cool, very off-beat set of jazz tracks recorded by vibist Gary McFarland, with a group that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Richie Kamuca on tenor, and Steve Swallow on bass – a ... LP, Vinyl record album
Gary McFarland
Scorpio & Other SignsVerve, 1968. Near Mint- Gatefold
LP...$11.99
14.99
Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more ... LP, Vinyl record album
Gary McFarland
Soft SambaVerve, 1964. Very Good+ Gatefold
A dream of a record from Gary McFarland – lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible – a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling – often also featuring wordless jazz vocals – scatting along with the groove in ... LP, Vinyl record album
Brian Auger
Straight AheadRCA, 1974. Very Good+
Long lean groovers from Brian Auger and the Oblivion Express group – recorded with a slightly freer feel than some of the group's earlier albums, and an approach that has them stretching out nicely! Brian still sings a bit on some tracks, but there seems to be more of a focus than before on ... LP, Vinyl record album
Duke Pearson
Introducing Duke Pearson's Big BandBlue Note, 1967. Very Good+ Gatefold
One of Duke Pearson's funkiest sessions ever, and a hard swinging big band set with a great late 60s feel! The group is all-class all the way – with players that include Pearson, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Marvin Stamm, Julian Priester, Frank Foster, and Jerry Dodgion – and the tracks ... LP, Vinyl record album
Jimmy Heath
Fast CompanyMilestone, Early 60s/1975. Very Good+ 2LP Gatefold
Good double LP set that compiles some of the best tracks from Jimmy Heath's Riverside years, and which features the razor sharp reed player in the company of Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Cedar Walton, Paul Chambers, and Freddie Hubbard. The tracks were drawn from a number of albums, and the set ... LP, Vinyl record album
Bunky Green
TransformationsVanguard, 1977. Very Good+
Funky Bunky from Chicago, with backing from Al Dailey on piano, Billy Butler and Carl Lynch on guitar, Wilbur Bascomb on bass, Jimmy Johnson on drums, Al Chalk on percussion, and Jeff Bova on ARP string ensemble and ARP 2600. The sound's quite different from his Cadet albums – but not bad ... LP, Vinyl record album
Gabor Szabo
NightflightMercury, 1976. Very Good+
Wonderful 70s work from Gabor Szabo – a record that has him picking up a bit more of a soulful undercurrent, while still keeping all his great guitar work nicely upfront! The album has Gabor recording at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios – with help from Philly soul arrangers Richie ... LP, Vinyl record album
Chico Hamilton
DealerImpulse, Mid 60s. Very Good+ Gatefold
Wonderfully groovy work from drummer Chico Hamilton – one of his hip 60s albums for Impulse, done in a style that's completely different than his work of the 50s! Here, Chico's clearly in love with a modal groove, and also sets things up with more romping rhythms that are upbeat in a way he ... LP, Vinyl record album
Eddie Harris
Is It InAtlantic, 1974. Very Good+
One of Eddie's groovier Varitone albums, and a record that has a very electric sound to it! At times, Eddie's electric sax is so off-beat that you'd think he was playing a synthesizer instead of a sax, but in true Harris form, he always keeps it funky, and even the weird sounds have a great groove ... LP, Vinyl record album
Laid Back
Keep SmilingSire, 1983. Sealed
It takes a record like this one to remind us just what a magical crossover time the post-disco, post-punk days of the early 80s could be! Take two white guys from Denmark – Tim Stahl and John Guldberg – give them a drum machine and some funky beats, and out comes the breakdance classic ... LP, Vinyl record album
Kool & The Gang
Open SesameDe-Lite, 1976. Near Mint- Gatefold
A pivotal album from Kool & The Gang – a record that pushes the group past their roots as a funky 45 combo, and into larger, more righteous territory overall! There's some nicely spiritual vibes running through the set – almost as if they borrowed a bit of energy from Earth Wind ... LP, Vinyl record album
