CONRAD, PATRICK - Gelukkig Als In Het Bijzijn Van Een Vrouw

2012 release. "Kraak present a reissue of Patrick Conrads Gelukkig Als In Het Bijzijn Van Een Vrouw, originally published by Pink Editions & Productions in 1973. In 1972, Belgian poets Nic van Bruggen and Patrick Conrad founded Pink Poets, a group of mainly artists from Antwerp that shared a love for quality restaurants and alcohol. In 1973 Conrad recorded Gelukkig Als In Het Bijzijn Van Een Vrouw with roots man Roland van Campenhout and two session musicians. The record is one of the very few psychedelic treasures in Belgium. Originally pressed in an edition of 300 copies, most of them have vanished, becoming a true collectors item for psych heads and poetry lovers. Not only does it represent a crucial period in Conrads oeuvre, it is also a truly unique cross media collaboration of its time. Conrad reads his poems through an echo chamber, backed up and interspersed with improvised hippy-esque folk and effect experiments. On the cover, Conrad the dandy poses next to a sculpture by Charles Albert Szukalski. The inside of the gatefold sports the poems against a background of opium smokers. This reissue comes with an elaborate essay on the work and a reproduction of the poster of the live presentation at gallery De Zwarte Panter in Antwerp in the same year. Gatefold sleeve; Includes an eight-page booklet (29x29 cm) on pink paper. All copies are signed by Patrick Conrad; Edition of 300 (hand-numbered)." - Kraak.