I think one of the reasons it took me so long to go from a record buyer to a vinyl collector is that I’ve never really been drawn to acquiring objects whose value lies in their scarcity. It’s not that I don’t see the appeal of owning something rare and wonderful, and I certainly don’t begrudge collectors who build their collections from the “grail” records they covet. On the contrary, I enjoy and appreciate the excitement and satisfaction I see other collectors express, in particular those on my Instagram feed, when sharing the thrill of acquisition with their followers upon landing yet another long desired and rare disc.

But when I first “discovered” just a few short years ago that there were copies of records out there that had significant sonic advantages over others, I was immediately fascinated by that possibility, and that fascination drove me to start looking for these “sonically advantaged” records in any and every way I could. It was during those early days of “audiophile collecting” that I discovered Bill Hart’s The Vinyl Press and it was through Bill’s site that I was introduced to Ken Golden and his business, Laser CD, an online outlet for metal, prog-rock and fusion music on CD and vinyl.

It was on Ken’s site that I first discovered Madden and Harris, the Australian prog-folk duo of David Madden and Peter Harris who released one single and one album in 1974 and 1975 respectively and then abruptly parted ways. After that it appears David Madden stopped recording, while Harris made one more album on his own called Ruby, also in 1975, and contributed to an EP called Sad Sam released in 1977.

I was taken with Fools Paradise, Madden and Harris’ sole album release, from the very first time I heard it. I think the prog-folk designation is fair one as artists such as King Crimson, Nick Drake and Pink Floyd are clear influences. The album also features some of the whimsy and jazz influences of the Canterbury scene, albeit without the improvisational elements common to it. Fools Paradise often reminds reminds me of Caravan’s In the Land of Grey and Pink as it shares a similar aesthetic and some of its psychedelic flourishes.

Ultimately though, Fools Paradise succeeds on its own terms, and the more I try to think of what it’s like, the more albums I think of that share similarities with it but are still very different from it. My one quibble with the album is that the songwriting is a bit uneven, the main exception being “Margaret O’Grady,” a charming and very well written song about love over 60 that makes a strong cases for M & H as skilled songwriters.

Besides those on “Margaret,” M & L’s lyrics serve to create an imagined world for the listener and provide a mood and a flow to the album more than they convey a specific message or tell a cohesive story. And what a mood and flow this album has! Fools Paradise casts its spell on me, takes me to a magical place, charms me, scares me, consoles me, comforts me and then deposits me back in my living room wondering where the time went and what exactly just happened. It’s an album that’s staked out a place in my heart and in my imagination and it’s become one of my favorite albums of all time.

The album is also, quite rare, at least originals are, and there is only one legitimate reissue in the marketplace. That reissue, released by the Spanish record company Guerssen in 2014 is still fairly easy to come by and not expensive. I bought one several years ago that I’ve enjoyed well enough for my appreciation of the album to grow substantially. Over the years I’ve seen original pressings in less that stellar condition sell for several hundred dollars and I’ve never seen one for sale in the US. I honestly never thought I’d ever hear an original much less own one.

I also thought that the Guerssen reissue played well enough to suggest that the album had been well recorded, and this lead me to think that an original pressing might bring the album to life in a way the reissue didn’t. So when I received a modest windfall recently and I decided to buy myself a gift with some of the money, I went looking into the records on my want-list that I’d thought most unattainable and landed on Fools Paradise. I looked over the 2 copies that were available and I found one that appeared to be in excellent condition and fairly priced. After quite a bit of handwringing and stalling I  finally pulled the trigger, and less than 2 weeks later I had a very clean original of Fools Paradise on my turntable!

I’ve been wanting to write about Fools Paradise ever since I launched The Broken Record. To now have the ability to do so, and to write about the only 2 legitimate vinyl versions available is a thrill.

So how does the original stack up against the Guerssen reissue? Extremely well! How does the Guerssen reissue compare? Well, not so well. The good news is that the re-mastering is pretty well done and preserves much of the dynamics of the original, which is more than I can say for a lot or maybe even most of the the modern reissues I’ve heard. The bad news is that it sounds like it was made from a dub tape and doesn’t have anywhere near the immediacy, clarity and sparkle that the original does.

I’m beyond pleased to say that I was right on the money when it comes to the sonics of Fools Paradise. Side 2 on the copy I bought, in particular, is A MONSTER, with a terrifically huge open sound, a thrillingly large drum kit, delicate, sparkly percussive elements, sweet, present vocals and fearsome, screaming guitars to fill it. Side 1 doesn’t deliver quite the way Side 2 does but still shines brightly compared to the Guerssen reissue I’d been playing.

Side 2 is also what makes the case, IMHO, for Fools Paradise as a one off masterpiece. I can think of very few album sides that draw me in the way this one does. Hearing this original pressing and its dramatically better sonic presentation only cemented this for me. There isn’t a single weak spot where I’m given even a moment for my attention to wander off.

Any music fan should be pleased when a rare and fairly unknown record is afforded a thoughtful and serious reissue. I believe the folks at Guerssen did their best on Fools Paradise and I’m glad that since I’m recommending this record so highly my readers will have at least one reasonable option for picking up a copy.

But for me, the reissue was just a gateway into Madden and Harris, and as Fools Paradise album became one of the few “grails” on my want-list it ultimately necessitated the risk of buying a high priced original in the hopes of finding a copy that would reveal the album I knew as there. I must say it’s a great pleasure and perhaps an even greater relief to know I was right.