Lazy Smoke – Corridor Of Faces

After listening to a couple thousand of these late sixties albums I have to it that Under Sky's keeps reappearing in my brain at the strangest times even in 2025. Most of those material is as simple but a couple songs like Salty People are 30 years ahead of it's time from a psychedelic standpoint in my opinion.

A+ reissue, aside from the revised artwork it is very true to the original. Great analog sound, obviously from master tape. Sadly mine is missing both the booklet and the bonus 45, but that's okay because the sound quality makes up for it.

This appears to have the same issue as Psycho's reissues of CA Quintet's "Trip Thru Hell" and the Music Emporium album, where only one channel of the stereo image was dubbed. The original Lazy Smoke album was mono with heaps of reverb added to make it stereo, this sounds like true mono with a lot of that reverb missing.

WITH THAT SAID, it is a really good sounding reissue! The lack of added reverb really brings focus to the music, making for a more cohesive mix in my opinion.

It's uncanny how John Pollano sounds like John Lennon, or like The Aerovon's Tom Hartman for that matter.

Only 100 extremely rare copies came with the complete cover, of the 1969 US release on ONYX. 500 were privately pressed & only 100 came with the front & back cover slicks. Some had just the back slick or just the front. If you score one with both slicks (front and back) then you have 1 of 100 or less depending on how many have survived

Picked this one up for £20 well worth every penny very late 60s vibe with a definite nod towards the Beatles

Can anyone comment on the sound of this reissue? I have the Jackpot but wouldn't mind a copy closer to the original tapes.

Inspired by the Lennon aspect of the Beatles but the songs are Lazy Smoke's. The songs are all distinct, have appealing, memorable melodies and a "smokey" atmospheric, somewhat lo-fi basement vibe, much like what would appear in droves and in earnest during the indie underground pop and rock explosion (Sebadoh, k Records, Shrimper, etc.) of the late '80s and 1990s. Rarity aside, the longevity of appeal of this album to Psych collectors and aficionados of the music of that era rests with the total encoming quality and personality of the songs themselves. Ranked as "copyist" by some but I personally rank this in my "Top 10" of worldwide underground Psych albums from that era.

Here's printed number 283 on the inside of the thick cardboard sleeve. Indeed, must agree: Great vibe through the album, exceeding the jackpot-issue! Similar paste-on cover as the original.

My version has a different backcover which is like the original first pressing front with the solarization effect and the band/album name. No insert, no extra 7 inch. Printed number 298 on the inside of the thick cardboard sleeve. Excellent Sound, must be made from original Masters. Great vibe through the album!