Youngbloods; Ace of Cups; John Bauer's Rocking Cloud; Heald, Charles Laurens

Original Concert Poster: Youngbloods, Ace of Cups, John Bauer's Rocking Cloud (January 5-7, 1968)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1968. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 13&7/8" x 20") announcing a series of three concerts headlined by the Youngbloods, along with Ace of Cups & John Bauer's Rocking Cloud (apparently named after the imaginative Swedish painter, 1882-1918), during January 5-7 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The Michigan-born American artist Charles Laurens Heald (1940-2019) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "clh” 1967" in facsimile white hand-lettering & numbering is found above lower right edge near corner at black background (see image). Credited for "Lights" is the "Diogenes Lantern Works," named after the lantern-bearing ancient Greek cynicism-founding philosopher, of which we have not been able to obtain information. According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster, it is a first-&-only printing. King, FD-100-OP-1, pg. 164. King writes: "The central image is a large green plant stem growing upward into a cloud/thunderhead within which is a drawing of the members of the Youngbloods. In the background are rolling hills similar to those in western Marin County, California." (pg. 164) King has simply entitled this poster "Rocking Cloud." To our eyes, the image of the Youngblood band members is a photograph over which Heald drew. A beautiful, sui generis exemplar of the psychedelic style from the beginning of the year following that of the "Summer of Love," in its singularly rarest contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a venerable artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other stunning posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5916). In our sharp-eyed & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively quite very fine condition with only a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, faint creases at/from edges & corners. The entire printed recto appears completely bright & substantially mint. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #6267]

Price: $120.00