David Axelrod - David Axelrod [RSD Black Friday 2026]

David Axelrod - David Axelrod (LP)

David Axelrod's 2001 self-titled album has an origin story worth telling. Its genesis is a "lost" late-'60s project, recorded in the same period as his landmark Songs of Experience and meant to be the third Electric Prunes album for Reprise, based on the legend of Faust. Axelrod cut rhythm tracks with LA session greats including drummer Earl Palmer, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarists Howard Roberts and Pete Wyant. The project was shelved, but he kept the acetate.

In the late '90s, after meeting Mo' Wax boss James Lavelle through his work with DJ Shadow, Axelrod agreed to complete the orchestra and horn parts at the same Capitol Studios where he'd recorded in the '60s. He added two new pieces written for the release, no longer about a cursed bargain but a reflection on a life in music.

Originally issued on Mo' Wax and long out of print on vinyl, it returns through Now-Again in partnership with the Axelrod Estate, exclusively for RSD Black Friday.