(My very own) Gentle Giant's Three Friends

The weirdest disc I EVER purchased in decades of vinyl fairs, shops and WEB browsing?

Years ago I found a minty first pressing on sought-after UK Vertigo "Swirl" label of seminal Gentle Giant's psych masterpiece, "Three Friends".

I had it from early '70s, but it was a worn out italian pressing on shitty, noisy heavy vinyl... I kept to these days only for romantic reasons;-) as this disc gave to me musical fuel of best quality and opened new worlds of musical bliss.

... the a.m. first pressing REALLY was a shiny, top conditions early pressing and I'm still enjoying it a lot.

I still remember the surprise when I opened the pizza-box from UK, inspected and carefully handled and smelled (... yeeessss, defintely so...) it... and...

... oh, oooh...

What I found inside the sleeve... "this" still amuses and intrigues me...

... a Rizla "Orange" cigarettes papers "long" blister was innocently blinking to me... inside, a carefully hand-made, better, hand-rolled;-)))... joint, still so lively smelling of good quality grass... pot, Mary Jane, greeny and cool smelling cannabis sativa.

WOW... psych-mavens at Vertigo put an "attachment" to one of their most beloved discs, ever?!?!

... don't know... I didn't dare asking or bothering the UK seller on the matter... and, no;-)... are you wondering if... no, I didn't smoke it...

Fool I am...

More likely the previous owner stored like in a safe his dopey manufact for the "right" evening...




... and I respected his will... like a glass-bottle with some rolled paper inside, as found on a beach... it's mysterious stuff, folks.

The orange Rizla's with its Nick Drake-hinting "Five Leaves Left" advice is still in my "Three Friends" on Vertigo "Swirl" label disc.

A time-caspule from a better, easier world?

I loved this;-)