A mythical and misplaced masterpiece of lost soft rock and acidic folk funk by a one-hit wonderer lost in the wilderness for four decades. From the producer of Margo Guryan, writer behind Wool, Gerry Mulligan collaborator, Tarantino soundtracker and Wendy & Bonnie confidant, ‘Paint A Lady’ now emerges from folkloric obscurity, to bring a wash of soft psychedelic colour to your vinyl collection and quench the repeat requests of a thirsty new found audience waiting for the rain.
Within certain record collecting circles, especially those who gather under the umbrella that covers fragile niches like ‘acid folk’ and ‘soft rock’, it’s difficult to imagine a time when the legendary Susan Christie album didn’t exist. When Finders Keepers Records first shared the unheard 60s songs like ‘Paint A Lady’, ‘For The Love Of A Soldier’ and ‘Echoes In Your Mind’ with a wide-eyed audience thirsty for organic soul and festival friendly acoustic funk, Susan’s new found fanbase instantly felt like they had known these songs all of their lives. Which is why it’s hard to believe that the music on this lost 60s acetate was only pressed 12 years ago.
As the label’s lucky seventh release in an international discography that now surpasses the 100 mark (and one of a small clutch of English language recordings on the label), ‘Paint A Lady’ has slowly become one of Finders Keepers’ most requested re-releases and with this 2018 edition it is technically accurate to say that this pressing is the first-ever reissue of this elusive and essential album.
The oft overused term ‘mythical’ applies to this album on many levels. Perhaps it’s the woozy nostalgia found within the pop craft of ‘Paint A Lady’ that has led to false rumours that original 1960s copies used to exist on the collectors market, or the bizarre claim that songs like the head-nodding title track and the acid-drenched sound effects on ‘Yesterday Where’s My Mind’ were just a product of a contemporary studio band trying to create a fake folk funk red herring. As a result, Susan Christie and her producer and husband of 40 years, John Hill, have happily taken the repeated phrase ‘unbelievable’ as a compliment to their songwriting skills and foresight.
In all fairness, with a decade to ponder, the original 1969 song titles alone do seem custom- built for the nostalgia market: ‘No One Can Hear You Cry’ might lament the unrequited yearning for a record deal which never quite followed Susan’s won one-hit wonder novelty hit ‘I Love Onions’; similarly, ‘When Love Comes’ might allude to the subsequent 35 year wait for the right label to eventually come along.
‘Echoes In Your Mind’ and the aforementioned ‘Yesterday...’ could easily allude to the haunting melodies that sat in the can on John Hill’s studio shelf while his projects for Margo Guryan, Wool and Pacific Gas & Electric sat proudly in record racks before benefitting successful French cover versions or making their way on to Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. The track ‘Paint A Lady’ itself, complete with its future-proofed sample-worthy rhythm section, seems like the perfect title for a mock rock pseudo psych contender, at which point you eventually step back and see the bigger picture.
These guys were simply one drop too far ahead of their time; a family force of experimental pop perfection that late 60s America simply wasn’t ready for. It is just over 12 years since champion record rustler Keith D’Arcy (who you’ll meet on the inside sleeve) stumbled upon one of the original acetates that led to the final release of ‘Paint A Lady’ and it’s almost a longer 50 years since Susan and John added their final touches to these recordings that tragically went into hibernation for over four decades.
Whether this album has been on your wish-list for what seems like a lifetime, or you are taking your first plunge into this deep puddle, when the needle drops on the first track you’ll find that Susan Christie, John Hill and Finders Keepers have been saving up for a very rainy day.
Beautifully remastered from the original source material and featuring both updated and original liner notes.
This page displays your general account information.
You can edit your details by clicking the "Change" button in corresponding sections of the form.
| Username: | |
| First Name: | |
| Last Name: | |
| Email: | |
| Privacy Policy: | |
| Password: | [ hidden ] |
In this section you can review orders you have placed under this account. If you order has been completed, you will be able to download an invoice for it in PDF format by clicking the corresponding link. You will need to have PDF reader application installed on your computer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view it.
| Order ID | Status | Order Date | TOTAL | Invoice |
|---|
This section displays your current wishlist.
| Product Cover | Product Name | Availability | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
For faster checkout, use your personal Address Book to save addresses to which your orders may be shipped or billed.
To create a new Address Book entry, enter the information requested by the form below, then click Save. To edit an entry, click the Edit button, make any changes to the entry, then click Save. To delete an entry, click Delete.
| Address Name | Date | Actions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Address Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Address ID | |
| Date Modified |
| Address Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Address Title | |
| First Name | |
| Middle Name | |
| Last Name | |
| Company | |
| Country | |
| Address Line 1 | |
| Address Line 2 | |
| City | |
| State | |
| Postcode | |
| Phone | |
| FAX |
Please fill in the form below to add address to your personal address book. Please note that the fields marked with asterisk ( * ) are mandatory.
Please fill in the form below to edit address from your personal address book. Please note that the fields marked with asterisk ( * ) are mandatory.
Are you sure you want to delete this address?
This section allows you to access and delete all data, which we hold on you.
You can download your entire profile data by clicking 'Download' or delete your account by clicking 'DELETE' buttons below.
Please note that by clicking the 'DELETE' button below you are consciously agreeing to remove all information related to your account and therefore you will no longer be able to access it. This operation cannot be UNDONE.
We're more than happy to have a friendly chat with you about any problems or queries you may have, record related or otherwise.
You can contact Phonica Records via email at customerservice@phonicarecords.com or by telephone on 02070256071 between 11:30 and 19:30 Monday to Saturday.
For faster checkout, use your personal Address Book to save addresses to which your orders may be shipped or billed.
To create a new Address Book entry, enter the information requested by the form below, then click Save. To edit an entry, click the Edit button, make any changes to the entry, then click Save. To delete an entry, click Delete.
Before reaching for the phone we do ask that you have a quick read through the following, just in case we can save you the keystrokes or the cost of a phone call.
We aim to dispatch the same day if orders are placed before 4pm Monday to Friday so anytime after this we can usually say that they are “on their way”. Depending on which delivery service you choose we may be able to track your records, please see shipping methods below.
Sometimes packages do go missing. We have to allow a certain period of time for us to be able to consider items lost.
UK – 15 working days.
Overseas – 28 working days.
While these may seem excessive, we have known items to take this long and it is only after these periods have elapsed that we can claim for compensation.
If you are able to add a record to your basket on the website then it is almost definitely in stock. Our website stock is shared with our physical shop and is updated constantly. However, sometimes things go missing or are sold in the shop at the same time as on our website. If we are unable to completely fulfil your order we will contact to let you know whether we might be able to source another copy of the record or whether we will have to adjust your order and payment.
| Product | Type | Qty | Unit Price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You haven't added any products to your basket yet. | ||||
| Totals | |
|---|---|
| Product Total | £0.00 |
| Order Total | £0.00 |
| 0 | |
| Total does not include shipping or VAT (sales tax) charges | |
| Free Shipping |
|---|
| Our normal shipping is FREE to the Mainland UK if you spend at least £60 including VAT on goods. |
| Free Shipping Hint |
|---|
You will be entitled to free shipping
if you spend another £60 (including VAT!) - UK customers only. You are entitled to "Free Shipping"! - UK customers only. |
| You may also be interested in ... |
|---|
|
To access your account, enter your e-mail address and password below.
Don't have an account yet? Create one!
If you don't remember your password, click Forgot your Password? to have your new password emailed to you.
Please remember that password is case-sensitive.
Phonica Records now also supports Facebook and Twitter logins. If you have an account with one of those social services, you can use it to log in to our website. Please click one of the corresponding buttons below in order to do that.
Sign up for an account today and benefit from faster checkout and more site features.
Note that passwords must be at least between four (4) to ten (10) characters long.
Already have an account? Login!
If you don't remember your password, click Forgot your Password? to have your new password emailed to you.
Enter the e-mail address associated with your account. Click submit to have your new password e-mailed to you.
If you don't remember your email address, but know other details about your account we can try to find it out for you. Please contact customerservice@phonicarecords.com.
Use the form below to perform an advanced search of our database.
Welcome to Phonica Records' digital gift cards page.
This is a virtual gift card or voucher that allows you to buy anything on the site (apart from a few exceptions detailed below). The card or voucher comes via email to an address of your choosing, with a unique code that can only be used once.
We sell electronic gift cards in denominations of £10, £25, £50, £100 or £250. You can mix and match or buy multiple vouchers to get to the amount you want to spend. You can redeem a single gift card per one checkout transaction.
Once purchased, the gift cards cannot be exchanged for a denominal constituting their added values (e.g. 2 x £25 gift cards cannot be exchanged for a single £50 gift card).
You can personalise the gift card with your message and have it sent immediately upon completion of the order or at future date of your choosing, such as for a Birthday.
The gift cards or vouchers can only be used at www.phonicarecords.com, on any goods except Technics decks, additional gift vouchers or tickets. We reserve the right to add further exemptions on particular items in the future. There is a 3 year expiry date on any gift voucher.
To redeem your voucher, add items to your cart on our site, proceed to the checkout stage, on the final payment screen you will be able to enter your unique gift voucher code in the box provided. All gift cards are non-refundable.
We also sell traditional, physical gift vouchers for use at our store at 51 Poland St, London. These can be purchased and redeemed in the store but cannot be used on the website. However, if you do want to use them on the site, or want to use digital gift cards in the store, its best to contact us at the address below and we can work something out.
If there are any queries or problems regarding our digital gift cards please contact customerservice@phonicarecords.com for assistance.
51 Poland Street
London W1F 7LZ
Email: customerservice@phonicarecords.com
Registered in England and Wales under no. 04625246.
